Hatake Tatsuya in Naruto

"Sorry, I just don't think there's any need to talk to someone who is going to die," Tatsuya said.

Boom!

As Tatsuya uttered those words, it seemed like the sky responded. A thunderous boom echoed, and a bolt of lightning cut through the dark clouds and heavy rain. The silver flash of lightning illuminated Tatsuya's face, revealing a smile mixed with murderous intent. Even more menacingly, the sword gleamed with a black light in his hand.

The killing intent emanating from a Kage-level shinobi struck Sarutobi Shinnosuke with intense fear, reminiscent of Sasuke encountering Orochimaru for the first time during the Chunin Exams in the future.

"You... you..." Sarutobi Shinnosuke collapsed on the muddy ground, surrounded by puddles, gazing at Tatsuya, who was slowly drawing his sword, unable to believe what was happening.

That killing intent was genuine!

"Why... why—why are you doing this?!"

In an extreme panic, Sarutobi Shinnosuke couldn't help but ask the question.

"Only worthy people deserve to talk to me. Since when does a scum have the right to question?" Tatsuya laughed as he replied, his tone cold.

"What's more, since the last time you attempted the assassination of the Kazekage you failed, you were supposed to die at that time. But my brother abandoned the mission and saved you but later on, didn't you also label my foolish brother as trash for saving you? Well, I'm just returning the favor."

Whether it was borne out of venting his family's frustration or the personal grievances between them, at this moment, Sarutobi Shinnosuke was certain—Tatsuya truly intended to kill him!

Was this the reason he was so eager to be assigned a mission with him?

Sarutobi Shinnosuke inwardly cursed himself for being too naive. Consumed by grief over the death of his fiancée, he didn't even consider why Tatsuya had spoken for him at that time.

Now, upon reflecting on the events that occurred on the battlefield that day, everything seemed peculiar.

The battle between Tatsuya and Banpaku had originally been distant from the Sarutobi clan. Yet, somehow, it drew closer and closer.

Ultimately, Sarutobi Rie and several members of the Sarutobi family died because of the wide area of sand ninjutsu.

"You wanted to kill me on the battlefield back then," Sarutobi Shinnosuke cried out suddenly.

He had a sudden realization.

Tatsuya intentionally redirected the battlefield between himself and Banpaku toward the Sarutobi clan, using Banpaku's large-scale attack ninjutsu to kill him and the others.

Tatsuya glanced at him for a second, not expecting Sarutobi Shinnosuke to have this insight in his final moments, and he burst into laughter.

"It seems you're not as foolish as I thought, but it doesn't matter. In the end, you'll die at the hands of the Second Kazekage from Sand. I'll make sure to tell your father when I return."

"You're delusional!" Sarutobi Shinnosuke roared and quickly bit his finger.

Faced with Tatsuya, Sarutobi Shinnosuke had no chance of winning. Even the probability of escape was extremely low. In such a dire situation, there was only one trick that could potentially save him from certain death—the Summoning Jutsu. It was his father's trump card, known to have saved his life and his allies in previous wars.

"Ninja·Summoning——"

"It's too slow."

Ram-Boar-Monkey-Bird-Dog the Five seals needed to summon his contracted Ape demon; Sarutobi Shinnosuke managed to seal only two seals.

In the next moment, he felt Tatsuya had completely drawn his sword, and the shining sword slash from the blade entirely obscured his vision.

Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his wrist. Sarutobi Shinnosuke looked down, and to his horror, his hands weren't linked to his forearms. There was nothing but blood splattered wildly.

Looking at the ground again, he saw his two palms, stained with blood, falling weakly into the mud.

"Uhhh!!!"

He didn't know how long it had been. The excruciating pain from his broken wrist overwhelmed Sarutobi Shinnosuke. He collapsed to his knees, convulsing in agony. The violent roar mixed with muffled thunder echoed through the country that had never stopped crying.

"With only this strength, You could become Hiruzen's right-hand man in the future. Huh, but that old man's own strength isn't great, so it's no wonder," Tatsuya thought with amusement, recalling the original description of Sarutobi Shinnosuke.

Although he strongly suspected that Sarutobi Shinnosuke and his wife used connections to secure high-ranking positions in Anbu, Tatsuya couldn't help but find it funny.

"Don't think you can really escape justice!" Sarutobi Shinnosuke, who was kneeling on the ground, raised his head defiantly. His face was streaked with water, whether from the rain or his tears. His tightly clenched teeth had already bitten his lips, causing them to bleed, but he spoke with great pain:

"Dad had long suspected your family! Do you think you can frame my death on Second Kazekage?"

"I know he would doubt me, but he absolutely wouldn't dare to act. Your father is highly politically minded that's the only thing I recognize about him," Tatsuya retorted.

As he spoke, Tatsuya slowly raised his knife, displaying a look of disdain.

"But he still has a weakness, a cowardly weakness. Not to mention that he has no evidence; even if there were evidence, he wouldn't dare to do anything."

With a swift motion, the sword light fell, and Sarutobi Shinnosuke's head followed.

Huh! Huh! Huh!

Tatsuya didn't simply execute him with one clean cut. Instead, he chopped the body into dozens of pieces, resembling slicing potatoes. He then swept the pieces like one would sweep the floor, throwing them into the pile of corpses nearby. In the Kingdom of Rain, where the ground was littered with bodies, one more wouldn't be noticed.

This was one of the main reasons why Tatsuya chose to carry out his plan in the Land of Rain.

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