Malphegor
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IUTT: Ch. 137
🕑 Added 2025-06-13 17:49:06 +0000 UTCThe conflict between Tsukishima and his younger brother Jūzō had drawn a huge crowd. It didn't take long before the higher-ups in the village were alerted.
Just as Yumi finished reporting the latest intelligence to her superior, she heard about Tsukishima beating up Jūzō.
She was stunned.
She knew very well how protective Tsukishima was toward his erratic younger brother. Even after multiple assassination attempts, he never got angry. Whenever someone asked, he would just explain that Jūzō was still young and would mature with time.
Yumi, unable to stay silent, had once tried to talk some sense into Tsukishima. She told him that avoiding the issue wasn't going to help. The two brothers needed to communicate more. And if they truly couldn't talk things out, it was reasonable for the older brother to discipline the younger one.
Tsukishima didn't say much back then. He just scratched his head sheepishly. But afterward, nothing changed.
She had been frustrated, thinking he was just too soft.
If it were her in his place, she probably would have beaten the kid countless times by now. So when she heard that Tsukishima had finally snapped and beat Jūzō publicly, even revealing the truth about what happened years ago, she found it hard to believe.
"Go check it out," her superior ordered, eyes sharp and focused.
Yumi nodded right away and set off with a small team toward the southern part of the village. She understood exactly what her superior meant. With the white creatures running loose in the village, anyone showing strange behavior was immediately investigated. They'd be tested on the spot.
If Tsukishima had done this three months ago, it wouldn't have been a big deal. It could've just been a long-overdue emotional outburst. But now, with everything going on, they couldn't afford to be careless.
When Yumi arrived, the tension between the brothers was still high. Several ninjas were standing between them, so they just stared each other down from a distance, neither backing off.
The crowd suddenly parted as a figure walked in with a calm presence that drew everyone's eyes.
Tall and poised, the woman wore a simple blue dress that fit her perfectly. Every step she took was graceful and confident, causing more than a few people to swallow hard.
Ignoring the stares, Yumi looked directly at Tsukishima, frowning slightly. "What happened?"
"It's nothing," he said.
Shin, currently disguised as Tsukishima, was clearly trying to suppress his emotions. For once, he didn't act like his usual awkward, overly eager self around Yumi. His eyes stayed locked on Jūzō, not even glancing at her.
Yumi's eyelid twitched. She felt a bit relieved, but also oddly disappointed.
That feeling passed quickly. She pulled out a kunai and tossed it to Shin. He caught it without hesitation and sliced his palm. Blood flowed from the cut.
A ninja stepped forward, placed a hand on his chest, and stood there silently for a moment. After sensing carefully, the ninja stepped back and gave Yumi a nod.
Whether or not someone bleeds from a cut was one of the easiest ways to confirm if they were one of the white monsters in disguise.
The hand on the chest was to detect any trace of the white creature's chakra or signs of spore-based possession. It also checked for genjutsu, and broke it if any was found.
Once the check was complete, she felt a bit more at ease.
"Tsukishima, you—"
She was about to say something when Shin suddenly turned and began walking toward Tsukishima's house.
As he passed by her, he paused briefly and said, "I'm sorry. I just need some time alone."
Without waiting for a reply, he walked past her without even looking at her once.
Yumi felt a surge of irritation rise in her chest.
What was that supposed to mean?
She had grown used to Tsukishima constantly hanging on her every word, always eager for her attention. Now, being completely ignored like this felt strangely uncomfortable. But she wasn't the type to be unreasonable. She quickly adjusted her emotions and reminded herself to be understanding of his situation.
She knew exactly what had just happened.
Turning against the younger brother he always protected, finally letting out emotions he had bottled up for years, that kind of emotional reaction was bound to throw him off.
Still, the way he had just acted, showing a level of authority and intensity she had never seen in him before, left her momentarily stunned.
So he had this side too?
---
Back at Tsukishima's house, Shin locked the door behind him and collapsed onto the sofa, looking completely fed up.
What kind of mess had he gotten himself into?
This guy was a spineless doormat and obsessed with his brother to a ridiculous degree. Was he mentally unstable?
Madara had better have a real plan here. If not, he didn't know how much more of this he could take.
The next morning, he made his way toward the giant arena.
Today was a big day in Kiri. It was the official selection for the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
Whoever came out on top would be awarded a powerful blade, crafted from chakra-forged metal that had cost the village an enormous amount of resources. They would become one of the first members of this elite group.
Not even the threat of the White Calamity hanging over everyone could dull the excitement. Ninjas and civilians alike were all heading in the same direction, eager to witness the event.
The concept of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen came from the Third Mizukage. He had seen the raw power boost that Samehada gave to members of the Hoshigaki clan, and it inspired him to take action.
The plan was simple: create a set of incredibly powerful chakra weapons and give them to the village's strongest fighters. Together, these seven could take down a small country overnight.
Of course, now it was really just six swords.
Samehada had reportedly been taken by Uzushio. Kiri had tried negotiating with them several times. They were even willing to offer a generous price to get it back. But Ashina insisted he had never seen the blade. There was nothing he could do to help.
His attitude angered many in Kiri. Some even suggested they should just take it by force.
But even though Konoha and Uzushio were no longer allies, Tsunade wouldn't sit back and let an invasion happen.
With Kiri in its current condition, how would they even pull that off?
There were even suspicions that Tsunade herself had taken Samehada. So Kiri reached out to Konoha as well, trying to negotiate.
The offer they made tempted Hiruzen, but he also said he had never seen the sword. Considering how tense things had gotten between them, if she really had the sword, she probably wouldn't give it to him anyway.
So should they try negotiating with Tsunade directly?
That was a problem for later. Right now, the focus had to be on the selection of the Seven Swordsmen.
Three years ago, six of the swords had been completed. Including Samehada, that made seven.
Since then, the village had forged many high-quality replicas and handed them out to strong candidates for training and evaluation.
Those who received these training swords were known as Swordsmen Candidates, and it was very likely that the official Seven Ninja Swordsmen would be chosen from among them.
