Path Of War-Chapter 329: I Have The Right

Just as the conversation settled into a brief silence, a young girl approached them. She bowed respectfully.

Fugaku and Mikoto recognized her instantly, yet she was older than they remembered—a jump from thirteen to a young woman standing before them.

"Excuse me," she said, "I am Izumi Uchiha. Forgive the interruption. I wanted to ask... what happened to—"

"Your body?" John smoothly interjected, catching her off guard. "Your lord Arthur knew how you felt about Itachi, who is now older himself. So he used his method to grow your body to his age. You are the only Uchiha altered in this manner."

Izumi's expression lowered.

"Do you regret coming back in an older body?" John asked, scanning her eyes.

Clearly she was uncertain about this all since her gaze was toward the ground before meeting theirs again.

"I appreciate lord Arthur for bringing everyone back," she admitted, "but... why weren't my mother and father brought back?"

That was an interesting question, so John answered, "Those Uchihas who died during the Nine-Tails' attack were too far gone to return..."

The whole truth was that they were deemed too useless in Arthur's eyes.

At this, Izumi accepted the answer with a solemn nod, though she still felt disturbed over her more mature frame.

"I guess you can't change me back, huh?" she joked, trying to force herself to lighten the atmosphere.

Mikoto couldn't help but offer encouragement. "I think you look great, Izumi. Truly."

The compliment drew out a brightening smile from the girl. "Thank you, Mrs. Mikoto."

After a moment, Izumi finally voiced what everyone was thinking. "What about Itachi?"

John looked toward Fugaku and Mikoto to gauge their readiness to delve into the memories tied to their eldest son.

"Mind if I hear this, too?" a voice said, approaching the group.

This was the one man whom Arthur had the most interest in out of all the others: Shisui Uchiha.

How was Arthur able to revive Shisui when it was stated that not even Kabuto Yakushi resurrected him during the war?

While Shisui's body was presumed to be in the Naka River, the suicide note suggested he'd destroyed his eyes, and his body was not found, making him an unavailable candidate for resurrection.

That's where Arthur and Kabuto differed: Arthur found the body!

Known as "Shisui of the Body Flicker," Shisui Uchiha was a well-known Uchiha clan member in the Leaf Village. As an Anbu agent, he was regarded for his remarkable ninjutsu abilities and the High-Speed Movement technique, which enabled him to move at breakneck speed and avoid detection.

Shisui had a strong relationship with Itachi, whom he greatly influenced, especially in forming Itachi's beliefs regarding sacrifice and obligation to the village and clan.

Tragic events and tough decisions characterized how his journey ended, particularly at a period when Uchiha clan tensions were rising—a recurring theme for most of these characters.

When Shisui awoke his Mangekyō Sharingan after seeing a friend die, he tried to use his abilities to keep the peace and to stop his clan from launching an imminent coup against the village. But Danzō Shimura, who wished to use Shisui's strong eyes for his own purposes, stopped him in his tracks.

The elder somehow managed to take one of his eyes, causing Shisui to flee. Shisui then gave Itachi his remaining eye and gave himself up in a last-ditch effort to save the village and his legacy.

This was quite the offer to make, as he even went so far as to leave a suicide note to deter anyone from pursuing that eye.

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In the end, Shisui's sacrifice had a long-lasting effect on the Leaf Village and the Uchiha clan.

Now that he's returned, by this world's rules, he returned with no eyes in his sockets.

"I believe he has the right to know, too," John demanded, looking toward the three.

They all agreed as the group walked toward a home to discuss matters professionally.

Elsewhere in the Land of Waves.

The sun was just rising above the horizon. In a campsite, four figures awoke.

Known for his laid-back manner, Kakashi rubbed the sleep from his eyes and adjusted his headband. Asuma sat up rapidly, Kurenai shook off the last of her sleep, and lastly, Might Guy enthusiastically raised his entire body.

"That was the best sleep I've had in ages!" the Jōnin yelled.

While Kurenai was packing things, Kurenai commented, "What made last night so special?"

"Oh, come on, Kurenai," he smiled. "When was the last time we all had such a sleepover?"

"We're on a mission," Asuma addressed. "Don't forget that."

"He's right," Kakashi agreed.

While the group knew it was too early to be getting rambunctious, they honestly didn't mind Guy's enthusiastic mood. That's just who the Jōnin was.

"I say we all run to our destination since we're so sleepy!"

They all mustered a small smile while gathering their belongings.

This group had a purpose for visiting this country: they were trying to inquire about information on Asuma's late students, Ino Yamanaka and Shikamaru Nara.

Because Asuma had explained the importance of this mission, Kakashi had consented to attend. He had honestly been worried about Asuma's mental state, wondering if it was right for Asuma to be left to his own devices.

And for whatever purpose, Kakashi felt like Asuma was acting like his students hadn't died. Once this mission was over, the former was going to set the latter straight.

Might Guy felt obliged to participate since he recognized the connection between a mentor and their students. Kurenai herself couldn't turn down the opportunity to be close to Asuma because her heart was tied to his.

Each of them was absorbed in their thoughts as they strolled in silence. Every now and then, Kakashi glanced at Asuma, wondering what memories were weighing heavy on his mind.

They soon reached a village.

Without wasting any time, Asuma set out to look through shogi stores in the hopes of finding tidbits of knowledge about Ino or Shikamaru. Kakashi, Guy, and Kurenai took separate steps.

Kakashi went to a little ramen place. When Kakashi introduced himself, the owner was cheerful but a little wary. He received courteous but evasive answers to his questions. Shikamaru and Ino had not been spotted, and many people in this peaceful village didn't appear to be aware that anything was wrong.

Kurenai entered a flower shop in the meantime. When she asked the florist about the two students, he simply shook his head, providing no information but pity.

Guy entered a nearby training area where taijutsu was being practiced by aspiring ninjas. He had animated conversations with them, but even they failed to produce any fruitful leads.

Two hours went by.

Coming up short, they gathered again outside the village's gates.

The only reason why they checked this village out of all the others was because this was the closest village to where Asuma had found that clue on the ground.

"No one seemed to have any idea what I was trying to get at," Kakashi plainly said.

Guy agreed, adding, "I couldn't find anyone either."

"I visited every shogi store in the village," Asuma revealed. "It'll be annoying if this keeps up."

That's when Kurenai declared, "I have something. According to a rumour I heard, John Belfort was seen in this village."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow to ask, "You mean John Belfort from the Water Country?"

"Exactly the same," she affirmed.

Astonished, Asuma looked at her and asked, "He's just a former politician, right?"

Kakashi's expression changed as his curiosity was aroused. "Former is correct; he's also one of the most wanted people in the Water Country."

How could these skilled Jōnin not have heard of John's name? Kakashi met him personally, while John's famous win over the Leaf Village's Jinchūriki had solidified his status.

Guy's brows furrowed as he asked, "Do you believe this relates to our mission?"

With doubt beginning to seep in, Asuma answered, "I don't know... Everything seems to be so interconnected."

Kakashi pondered, "Or we're just adding more trouble..."

At that moment, they noticed a sudden movement. The abrupt change in atmosphere caused Jada to appear, blinking and looking confused.

"Jada?!" Guy announced.

"Asuma-sensei!" she exclaimed with purposeful eyes. "I'm sorry for cutting in all of a sudden, but you just said John's here, right?" Then she bowed. "Please, let me help in this investigation!"

Asuma remained steadfast. "This is a private mission, Jada. You ought to return home."

"But I have the right to be here!" she said, raising her posture. It soon became clear to Kurenai and the others that she understood what the mission was thanks to the Flying raijin papers they all had. "In addition to Shikamaru and Ino being my friends, John's also really dangerous. You simply can't leave me behind!"

"We're not sure if he is here, Jada," Kurenai interrupted. "This might be too risky."

Guy grinned broadly and said, "Oh, come on, guys. How about we allow her to join? The more allies, the better!"

Asuma rubbed his temples. While yes, Jada had already shown her abilities to face extremely strong opponents. But to him, she was still just a young Uchiha.

Truth be told, he actually thought William was stronger than her since the latter had gone against Orochimaru and survived.

Seeing Kakashi's carefree vibes, Asuma asked, "Kakashi, what do you think?"

Jada turned to him with eyes that didn't want to hear a no. So with a casual demeanour, he said. "More help couldn't hurt."

"All right," Asuma gave in. "You can join us. But Jada, this mission is serious. Pay attention and stay close."

Jada's face brightened. "Thank you! This is something you won't regret!"

Right then and there, both Kurenai and Guy understood how much she valued Asuma's ambitions. This girl had more than proven her worth to earn everyone's praises here, especially due to her recent accolades in the village.

"You should really consider taking the Jōnin exams," Kurenai offered.

Jada found the compliment pleasant. Of course, she was going to keep her mind on this task.

"Maybe after we solve this case," she smiled. "So, what do I need to know to help?"

It didn't take long for the group to provide her all the information Asuma had stored. She was impressed by how much intelligence that Jōnin had gathered.

For instance, Asuma had managed to deduce that a simple clue on the ground had to have been left by his former students. Then he traced it all back here. If there was anything to be found about them, it had to be here.

Half an hour from the village, they came to a clearing that was said to be the last sighting of John. Every instinct told them to exercise caution.

John was not someone to mess around with. In fact, he was just as dangerous as the Akatsuki.

Suddenly, there was an unnatural rustling sound close by. They each reached for weapons out of instinct. And just like they suspected, John smoothly emerged from the thicket.

Kakashi didn't hesitate to trigger his Sharingan.