Chapter 78 078: This Is How We Rogue Ninjas Do Things
Utatane Koharu's expression changed. She heard the meaning in Uchiha Taiga's words; it was clearly a threat.
Especially since the one threatening her was Uchiha Taiga. Only now did she belatedly realize that everything that had just happened here was caused by him.
Therefore, Koharu's heart skipped a beat, and she unconsciously took a half-step back.
"What do you mean?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen's heart sank once again.
His body reacted faster than his mind. The moment Uchiha Taiga finished speaking, he instantly shifted two steps sideways, blocking Utatane Koharu.
Holding the Adamantine Staff horizontally in front of him with both hands, he tilted it slightly, assuming a stance ready for both defense and counterattack.
Hiruzen's eyes were locked onto Uchiha Taiga. The image of the quietly standing youth reflected in his pupils, and an inexplicable sense of tension welled up in his heart.
Mitokado Homura's expression was equally grim. Standing slightly behind and to the side of Hiruzen, he had already pulled his hands out of his sleeves, chakra dancing at his fingertips.
His combat experience was far richer than Koharu's. The moment Taiga spoke those words, he had already entered a combat-ready state.
But his hands were trembling slightly—not out of fear, but because he knew that with his strength, he might not even last a single exchange against this youth.
Seeing this, Uchiha Mikoto opened her mouth, wanting to say something.
Perhaps to persuade Taiga to stop, perhaps to tell Koharu to shut up, or perhaps to find a buffer between the two sides. But in the end, she said nothing.
She understood Uchiha Taiga too well.
This child had been like this since he was young. What he said he would do, he would definitely do. Who he said he would kill, he would definitely kill.
Others trying to persuade him would have no effect, and might even backfire.
The more it was like this, the worse she felt.
It wasn't because of what Taiga was about to do; Koharu's life or death had nothing to do with her. She felt terrible because she knew that by doing this, Taiga was absolutely determined to leave the village.
This child she had watched grow up was truly leaving.
At this moment, Uchiha Taiga sneered. His gaze bypassed Sarutobi Hiruzen, landing on Utatane Koharu behind him, before pulling back to look at Hiruzen blocking his way.
"Step aside, Third Hokage."
His voice was calm. "You should know that you can't stop me."
Hiruzen's expression grew even uglier, his lips pressed into a thin line, the wrinkles on his face appearing especially deep at this moment. His hands gripped the Adamantine Staff, veins bulging and knuckles turning white.
"I am the Hokage of this village."
His voice was hoarse, but every word was as heavy as a stone.
"As long as I am here, I won't let you hurt anyone else."
Uchiha Taiga looked at him, fell silent for a moment, and then laughed.
His laughter grew louder and louder until he was bent over, laughing so hard that tears nearly came to his eyes, as if he had just heard the funniest joke in the world.
"Are you joking?"
Taiga straightened up, wiping the corner of his eye with the back of his hand, the smile not yet entirely fading from his face.
"Alright, Third Hokage, you successfully made me laugh with that one."
Taiga's smile dialed back a fraction, his gaze turning sharp.
"But I want to ask you... back then, you couldn't even protect the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama. What makes you think you can protect her now?"
These words were like a knife stabbing directly into Hiruzen's chest, causing his body to tremble and his expression to freeze.
Hiruzen seemed to be pinned in place by something, freezing on the spot as a momentary daze flashed through his eyes.
It was a reaction that only occurred when one's deepest scars were touched.
He remembered that battlefield from years ago. He remembered Kumogakure's pursuit unit and the Kinkaku and Ginkaku brothers. He remembered the back of the man who stood in front of them, facing countless enemies alone.
Senju Tobirama, his teacher.
Just as Uchiha Taiga had said, he had failed to protect his teacher. It was the pain and regret of his entire life.
In that very instant, Uchiha Taiga vanished from their sight, leaving behind only the faintest rustle.
Hiruzen's reaction was fast. His pupils shrank violently the moment Taiga disappeared, and his body instinctively spun around.
But he was still too slow.
Taiga had somehow appeared right beside Utatane Koharu. His appearance came without any warning, as if he had been standing there the whole time and everyone had simply failed to notice him.
Immediately after, as Hiruzen watched with eyes widening in absolute horror, Taiga raised his right hand. Chakra formed at his fingertips, manifesting into a Chakra Scalpel—an invisible blade, so thin it was naked to the eye, yet sharp enough to sever steel.
*Swish.*
A soft sound.
Very soft, as faint as the sound of the wind blowing through leaves.
Utatane Koharu only felt a slight chill on her neck. It was a comfortable coolness, like taking a sip of ice water in the summer, or as if someone had gently blown on her neck.
She subconsciously wanted to reach up and touch that cool spot, but her hand didn't rise.
'What's going on?'
Koharu was confused. She tried to turn her head, only to find that her body wasn't responding, which made her feel uneasy.
Immediately after, her vision began to spin.
The sky, the ground, the twilight, the deep crater, the crowd...
Everything was spinning in her sight.
She saw a familiar body standing in the exact spot she had just been. That body was wearing the clothes she had put on before leaving today, and it had the same figure as hers. There was a thin red line on its neck, and bright red blood was already spraying out like a fountain, but it had no head.
'Whose body is that?'
Koharu wondered, but then it was as if she remembered something.
'Oh, that's my body.'
Standing next to her body was a person. That person's hand was still raised, beads of blood dripping from his fingertips. He was looking at her, the corners of his mouth slightly turned up in a smile.
'It's that evil Uchiha brat!'
In her daze, Koharu finally realized: her body was over there, while her line of sight was moving uncontrollably.
'That's right. My head was cut off.'
With that, Utatane Koharu's consciousness completely dissipated.
Her head flipped through the air a few times before landing on the ground with a dull thud. Blood gushed from the severed neck, forming a dark red fountain under the dimming sky. It splattered across the ground, the glassed walls of the crater, and Sarutobi Hiruzen's Hokage robes.
"No!!!"
Hiruzen's voice exploded from his throat, carrying heart-wrenching fury.
His eyes turned red. His body trembled, and his hands shook. The Adamantine Staff vibrated violently in his grasp, emitting a low hum.
Uchiha Taiga's figure vanished once again, reappearing over ten meters away. He stood at the edge of the deep crater with his hands behind his back, looking at Hiruzen with a beaming smile.
"I am a very vindictive person."
His voice was still not loud, but since there were no other sounds at the scene, everyone heard him clearly.
"In the past, even though I was unhappy with the village and the clan, I was still a member of the village after all. There were some things I didn't take to the absolute extreme."
He tilted his head, his smile widening.
"But since you've already branded me a Rogue Ninja, then naturally, I have to do the things a Rogue Ninja should do."
He spread his hands, as if presenting something.
"How is it? Are you satisfied?"
He paused, his gaze sweeping over everyone present... Sarutobi Hiruzen, Mitokado Homura, the ANBU, the Hyuga Branch House ninjas, and the members of the Uchiha clan.
His smile carried an unprecedented sense of relief.
"This is how we Rogue Ninjas do things."