Chapter 41: Chapter 40: Confrontation
A month later
After the initial hardship of the first few days, Akashi spent a month rather relaxed.
Of course, he had started implementing his plans but there wasn't much pressure or urgency.
Ichiraku Ramen
"I must admit that those ramen are really excellent. I'm always impressed no matter how much time I eat your ramen, they really are the best that I've ever eaten. What do you think of my previous offer, interested in becoming my personal chief?" Akashi said swallowing the rest of his ramen before commanding another bowl of ramen.
"I'm happy that you like my ramen, Your Highness, it is an honor that my ramen is appreciated by someone as important as you, but I will have to decline I want my ramen to be enjoyed by everyone in Konoha,"
Akashi smiled at the answer from the rather young-looking Teuchi for his age, smiling at him from the other side of the counter.
'The legendary Ichiraku ramen, they are really delicious' Akashi thought and started to think about the history that that shop had already seen before his thoughts were interrupted by the person at his right,
"Tap,"
Slamming her bowl on the table Kushina looked at him with some resentment
"Stop bothering Uncle Teuchi, how dare you try to take him away from us, do you want me to beat you up,"
"Beat me up, you? Huh, didn't I already spar together, I remember defeating you! You want to be defeated again?" Akashi replied with a sneer.
Kushina's temperament flared again at Akashi's rebuttal and they started to argue there while Karin just slurped her noodle beside them not intervening between them.
He had already fought Kushina using the pretext of sparing and defeated Kushina, and he also proposed a spar with Minato, which hadn't happened yet.
Even though it hadn't happened yet he was sure that the Hokage and his advisors would allow it, after all, it would be a good way to gauge his ability the same way he wanted to gauge Minato's abilities.
From his initial estimation, he gauged that Minato was at about the same level as Arima.
"Humph,"
While having that argument he heard a the hissed of Snakyl in his mind
"Let me go back to my food," he said getting back to his food and ending the fight, after being ignored Kushina did the same.
In his mental space, Akashi listens to the information that he receives from his snake.
"P-pound it," Snakyl said in an immature voice.
"it's found, with an F, not pound." Akashi corrected
"But you're getting better at talking, congratulations, anyway it's good that you found it, and that you can talk now, but that's strange that a snake can't say an f" Akashi corrected while joking with Snakyl.
After enough nourishment Snakyl was now able to communicate more easily even though it was still imperfect, with a little time and nourishment the problem would be solved.
Lowering his head he focused on the link between them and soon ripple appeared on the water below him.
In a dark gloomy place, he saw a lab, a big lab clean, well organized, a table full of notes and documents, and not far away a piles of corps were cut open and lay there.
Not far away surrounded by seals another pile of corps was mangled and put together creating a kind of diform chimera.
"You really did find it, well done Snakyl! Well done."
A wave of disgust filled Akashi's mind when he saw what was done in that laboratory.
"How disgusting!"
At that moment a voice brought him out of his reverie.
"Looked at those guys, a bunch of traitors!"
"Look at how much they are eating,"
"Really strange people,"
Turning his head, Akashi saw a group of Uchiha kids standing behind them, their expressions haughty and somewhat angry.
Akashi was not a stranger to those gazes now, he had been receiving them from many of the citizens of Konoha.
In the beginning, he thought that it was about him moving around with Kushina who was the Jinchiruki and that most people knew that, but he quickly dismissed that idea.
It was not only because they joined the Sky Country that attacked the village two times causing thousands of deaths.
But it was also because now everyone knew that the Uzumaki were now offering their services and seals to the other nations that would without any doubt result in death in their ranks for Konoha.
The adults were a lot more subtle with their behavior having been warned and trusting their Hokage.
The kids however particularly the kids from clans were a lot more brutal and honest with their feelings, and of course, the most vocal ones were the Uchiha.
'Traitors huh, I guess they aren't wrong, but we are no longer really allied!' Akashi lamented
Getting up Akashi walked to the one who seemed to be the leader of the kids.
"So! What are you going to do?" He asked sizing the kid up with a smile that showed his white teeth.
"Humph, you're lucky to be a prince I would have beaten you senseless otherwise,"
After saying that he was about to leave when Akashi stopped him
"Don't leave just like that, you wouldn't want people to believe that the famous Uchiha are all talk and no bite right,"
"Didn't you say that I'm a traitor, how can a ninja see a traitor and just leave without doing anything,"
"You say that but we know that you made deals with the elders of the clans so we can't do anything to you right,"
"Ohh really!" he said lifting his chin up as he started to think
"What's your name?"
"Iruma Uchiha why are you going to report me to the elders?"
"You know what I like you Iruma Uchiha you're honest, you don't like me and you don't hide it's much better than the other walking around with their stupid smiles, if their elders had taught them well they would know that this is useless in front of me,"
All the ninjas hidden from the Anbu to the ninjas of the other clans and the members of the police force that wanted to stop Iruma from causing further trouble realized that he was right.
Anyone knowing a little about the Uzumaki let alone the ninjas of Konoha knew that it was the truth.
Their spiritual perception was incredible and it was most certainly the case for someone of Akashi's status.
People of high level could stop or trick them but not the young ninjas.
'Maybe it isn't such a bad thing,' one of the hidden figures thought realizing that
With a huge smile plaster on his face, Akashi put one hand in his pocket before
"Woosh," he threw something to Iruma who caught it before it hit his face.
"What is this?" he asked
"A gift,"
Looking at the rock in his hand Iruma and his friend's expressions turned to shock.
"Is that.."
"Chackra metal, for you and your friends,"
"Are you trying to buy us up or something,"
"Yes every job deserves pay, this is for you and your friends, volunteering yourself to become my punching bag is very brave, very noble even, maybe I will go to your clan to make sure that they don't punish me again after I'm done with you,"
He said angering Iruma and his companion.
"Damn! That's not gonna end well," One of the people on the side said with a huge smile plaster on his face.
"Yeah but for who?"
"I bet on the Uchiha,"
"They need to put that Uzumaki in his place, prince or not,"
Throwing the chakra metal to his friend aside Iruma walked to Akashi.
"Training field 34 right now! Let's see if you're as good at fighting as you are at talking little prince."
"Let's go," Akashi toward KArin and Kushina who remained spectators until now.
Kushina because she was a little conflicted and Karin because she was used to Akashi causing trouble from time to time.
There are moments like that where Akashi enjoyed putting oil on the fire.
'he must have been a little affected by the hostile atmosphere of the village,' she thought looking at the people around them discussing that confrontation.
Their hostility toward them was a lot more noticeable now.
"Do we really stay out of this," One Uchiha guard hidden out of sight asked his leader beside him.
"You heard what he said, the kid wants that fight, it's better if we stay out of that,"
"And what if he tried to sabotage our previous accords after his loss," another said confident in Iruma and his friend's abilities
"Then we will act accordingly,"
Not far away a bunch of anbu having assisted with all the scenes were also discussing what to do.
"We should warn the Hokage,"
"Do it," At that one of them disappeared while the other followed toward the training field to watch the show.
In his office with his advisors looking through his crystal ball.
"That kid is a troublemaker I tell you that, he is going to be a thorn in our side," Danzo growled irritated.
"And whose fault is that?!" Hiruzen responded throwing an accusatory look toward his friends.
"I think this was bound to happen, and we all saw understand why?" Homura said and everyone couldn't help but agree
"Maybe it's not such a bad thing, it will allow us to get a more accurate measure of his power, he has been quite interested in Minato's abilities and observed him train and spar, with others while all we know is from his fight with Kushina,"
"Then let's see what the prince can do,"