Chapter 242: Ch-242 Inoiki Will Hunt You Down.

On the Samurai Bridge.

Sasuke was slightly surprised by the fact that, from the Konoha side, no one reacted in any manner. Neither Tsunade, Kakashi, nor Sakura showed any visible reaction. No anger, no outrage—nothing that would suggest they cared much about Danzo’s death. The air remained still, the faint whistle of wind the only sound cutting through the silence.

But then he remembered Naruto’s words—how he had tried to explain that Konoha was now aware of what Danzo had done to the Uchiha clan.

So that’s how it is...

Maybe, in their eyes, Danzo had already become a nuisance. A burden they could no longer justify keeping. In that case, his death wouldn’t be seen as a loss. On the contrary, it might even be a kind of relief—a problem removed without them having to dirty their own hands.

Sasuke have done it in their place.

A faint crease formed between his brows as he looked ahead, trying to read their expressions more carefully.

Just to confirm his speculation, Sasuke finally spoke, his voice calm but carrying a quiet edge as he looked toward the Hokage.

"Why are you not angry that I killed one of the elders of Konoha?"

Tsunade, after hearing Sasuke’s words, let out a faint breath before a small, knowing smile formed on her lips. The wind tugged lightly at her cloak as she spoke, her gaze steady on him.

"Why ask the obvious question?" she said. "You already know that we know the truth behind the Uchiha massacre."

There was no hesitation in her voice—only a quiet, firm acceptance of reality.

"And honestly speaking, with his obsession to become Hokage, he was no longer acting for Konoha. Everything he did... it was for that obsession." She paused for a brief moment, her expression hardening slightly. "Up until the time of the Uchiha massacre, you could argue that his actions, however cruel, were done in the interests of Konoha. But now... now he had clearly strayed from even that."

A soft exhale left her as her eyes narrowed just a fraction.

"He wasn’t protecting the village anymore. He had become a liability... a nuisance to all of us."

The faint sound of the wind slipping past the bridge filled the silence between her words.

"If you hadn’t killed him today," she continued, her tone turning colder, "he would have ended up dead anyway—vanished by the hands of Inoiki." A slight pause followed, almost deliberate. "After all, there’s quite a history... a rather deep feud between Inoiki and him."

So even that was already decided...

Sasuke listened quietly, his expression unreadable as he processed her words. Then, after a brief moment, he gave a small nod.

"I see..."

His eyes sharpened as he lifted his gaze fully toward her, voice steady but carrying a faint, probing edge.

"So you mean to say... that what he did to the Uchiha clan was right?" A subtle pause followed, the weight of his words hanging in the air. "That the Uchiha massacre... was the right thing?"

Tsunade slowly shook her head, her expression firm as the faint wind brushed past her, stirring the hem of her cloak.

"No, it’s not like that."

Her voice was steady—calm, but carrying weight.

"Yes, the killing of the Uchiha ninjas who were planning to rebel, or were fully on board with attacking Konoha... that was the right decision, carried out by your brother and Danzo." She paused briefly, her eyes hardening just a little. "But we do not agree with what came after."

A subtle tension settled in the air.

"The massacre of the children, the women, and the ordinary members of the Uchiha clan who had no intention of being part of the rebellion... that was wrong." Her gaze didn’t waver. "They had no reason to die, yet they were killed anyway."

That line... they crossed it without hesitation. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"And Danzo—driven by his hatred toward the Uchiha, and his desire to completely eradicate any future threat—chose to wipe out the clan entirely." Her tone dipped slightly, colder now. "He didn’t just want to stop a rebellion. He wanted to erase the possibility of it ever happening again."

She folded her arms, her eyes narrowing faintly.

"And your brother... he agreed to it." A brief pause lingered before she continued, quieter but no less firm. "The only condition was that you would be spared. Only then would Uchiha Itachi carry out the act. Otherwise... he wouldn’t have moved."

The wind whistled softly across the bridge, filling the silence for a heartbeat.

"So yes," Tsunade continued, her voice returning to its earlier firmness, "we stand against the killing of those innocent members of the Uchiha clan—the civilians, the women, the children, and those who had no part in the rebellion."

A faint shift in her stance followed, resolute.

"But we are not against the elimination of the majority of the Uchiha police force, or those who were fully committed to the uprising." Her gaze locked onto Sasuke’s, unwavering. "That is where we draw the line."

Tsunade continued, her voice firm, leaving no room for misinterpretation.

"But for you—if you believe that Konoha has wronged your clan, if you choose to hate Konoha and wish to destroy it—then you become nothing more than a threat to us." A faint pause followed, her gaze sharpening. "A nuisance... and you will be dealt with as one."

The air seemed to grow heavier around them.

"I’m done giving you chances," she went on, her tone turning colder. "Done giving Naruto chances to bring you back... to make you reform, to make you return to Konoha."

A soft gust of wind passed between them, carrying her words across the bridge.

"You should hear this from me directly, rather than from anyone else." Her eyes locked onto his, unwavering. "From this moment on, you will be ranked as a missing-nin of Konoha. Until now, we hadn’t made it official... but that ends here."

A brief, deliberate pause.

"And you will be hunted down—by Inoiki himself."

The words settled like a final verdict.

As soon as Sasuke heard this, his expression turned cold, his eyes narrowing slightly as a faint, almost imperceptible smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.

"Your threat might have worked before," he said, his voice low and steady, carrying a quiet confidence, "but now... it’s useless."

A subtle shift in his stance, as if the very air around him responded to his presence.

"I am far stronger than I was before." His gaze remained fixed on Tsunade, unflinching. "And I don’t fear Inoiki anymore."

Not anymore...

"If he comes to hunt me down..." He paused for a fraction of a second, as though already envisioning the outcome. "Even if he doesn’t return to Konoha dead... at the very least, he’ll be severely injured."

A faint, cold certainty crept into his tone.

"That much, I can guarantee."

It was clear—Sasuke’s confidence wasn’t baseless. After awakening his Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan, something within him had shifted. Even with his current level of mastery, he had dominated his fight against Danzo with ease.

And now...

With more control... more mastery...

He no longer saw Inoiki as an untouchable threat.

He saw him as someone he could fight.

Someone he could defeat.

Tsunade let out a soft chuckle, a faint smirk forming on her lips as she looked at him.

"Well, if you think so, then you’re free to believe that." Her tone carried a quiet confidence, almost dismissive. "But I’d say... you won’t even be able to defeat Naruto, let alone Inoiki."

A brief pause followed, her eyes narrowing just slightly.

"It’s not only you who has been improving. Others are improving too." The wind stirred again, brushing past her as her gaze remained fixed on him. "Keep that in mind."

And with that, she was gone.

In an instant, Tsunade used the Body Flicker Technique, her figure vanishing from in front of Sasuke and reappearing on the other side of the Samurai Bridge. Kakashi followed just as swiftly, his form blurring before settling beside her—silent, offering Sasuke not even a single word.

Sakura remained for a moment longer.

Her eyes were filled with tears, glistening under the dim light as she looked at Sasuke. There was pain in her expression—deep, unspoken pain. Even after everything... even after getting his revenge, even after killing Danzo... he still refused to come back.

Why...?

Instead, he had only redirected his hatred—toward Konoha itself.

Her lips trembled slightly, but no words came out.

Then, just like the others, she used the Body Flicker Technique, her figure disappearing from Sasuke’s side and reappearing across the bridge. Within moments, all three of them turned and left, their silhouettes fading into the distance as the wind swept across the empty span.

Silence returned to the Samurai Bridge.

And soon after, Team Taka—having completed their purpose here—also turned away and departed, leaving the bridge behind.