Chapter 167: Clownman Really Is the Final One
"This place is…"
Yūhi Kurenai slowly regained consciousness. Her limbs were bound tightly with rope, and her body was covered with explosive tags.
"Kurenai! Kurenai-sensei!"
"Shikamaru? Is that you, Shikamaru?"
Following the voice, Shikamaru appeared before Kurenai.
"Explosive tags!" Shikamaru exclaimed as he saw the tags all over her. "Quick, we need to start removing them!"
Explosive tags are typically triggered in two ways: either through physical impact or via special sealing techniques, where a hidden jutsu is activated to detonate them.
"Shikamaru, we should get out of here. It's too dangerous," Ino said, trying to calm him.
Although the Clown was currently locked up in the Konoha Police Force headquarters, no one could say for sure whether he might still trigger the tags remotely.
"No, I'm staying here," Shikamaru insisted. What Ino had considered, he had already thought of as well. "Besides, Sakura is there watching over the Clown..."
At that moment, a child came running in, scanning the surroundings while muttering incessantly about the pregnant woman.
"Hey! Who are you?" Shikamaru quickly used his Shadow Possession Jutsu to restrain the child.
"Let me go! I have to kill her! If I don't, my parents will die!" the child shouted, pointing desperately at Kurenai, who was still covered in explosive tags.
"...Is this another part of the Clown's scheme...?"
Elsewhere, when Fox Spirit Hero arrived at the scene, all he saw were two corpses lying on the ground.
"Fox Spirit Hero? What are you doing here?"
Supporting Kurenai as he walked, Shikamaru looked at the person who had just appeared in front of them.
"There were only two corpses where I went," Fox Spirit Hero said, rolling down the car window.
"Looks like we've all been fooled..."
Shikamaru shared his theory with him. Fox Spirit Hero turned his gaze toward the child, who stared back with eyes full of hatred.
"He is…?"
"I'm Konohamaru. Sarutobi Konohamaru," the boy replied.
"What did you say?!" Shikamaru was visibly shocked. After all, the Third Hokage's surname was also Sarutobi. "What's your relation to the Third Hokage?"
"He's my grandfather."
"Do you know Sarutobi Asuma?" Kurenai interjected at this moment.
"He's my uncle!" Tears welled up in Konohamaru's eyes. "Anyway, I won't forgive you!"
He broke free and dashed off into the distance.
"Hey!"
Kurenai reached out to grab him, but Konohamaru quickly vanished from sight.
"Let him go, Kurenai-sensei. Judging by his reaction, it seems he doesn't know about your relationship with Asuma-sensei," Shikamaru said. He then turned to Fox Spirit Hero and added, "I'm going to escort Kurenai-sensei home first. What about you?"
"...I'm heading to the Police Force to confront the Clown."
Konoha Police Force Headquarters
Sakura and Sasuke had been talking for a while. The more they talked, the more Sakura felt that Sasuke still had a chance at redemption.
After all, the Clown wasn't wantonly hurting people.
So how does one attract a woman's attention?
By crafting touching stories, providing thrills and madness, making her feel like he was different from the rest—like someone she could never truly understand.
At that point, her curiosity would keep her glued to him.
Of course, this tactic only worked if the man was also attractive.
This was exactly the tactic Sasuke had used on Sakura, aided by the subtle suggestions of his Sharingan.
At that moment, noise erupted outside.
"Excuse me for a moment, I'm going to check on the commotion."
Sakura smiled at Sasuke.
"Sure, go ahead," Sasuke replied with a nod.
Just as Sakura reached the door and reached out to open it, it was abruptly flung open.
"Sasuke, I've come to get you."
The Jar Merchant walked in. Behind him stood Sarada, whose gaze never left Sakura.
Compared to her not-so-serious father in this world, Sasuke, her mother Sakura seemed far more proper.
"Ha!"
The moment he stepped in, the Jar Merchant was met with Sakura's devastating right hook.
"Super Saiyan Mode!"
The Jar Merchant's body erupted in a golden aura.
Though he managed to catch Sakura's punch, the ground beneath him buckled under the force.
"Who are you two?" Sakura asked as the Jar Merchant held her fist.
"I'm Jarlock Holmes, and she's my assistant, Sarada Watson. We're here to take Sasuke away," he explained.
"...I think you two would be better off staying here with the Clown."
Fox Spirit Hero suddenly appeared behind them.
"Look out!"
Sarada called out just in time for the Jar Merchant to react and dodge Fox Spirit Hero's sudden attack.
Ever since entering Super Saiyan Mode, the Jar Merchant's combat attributes had risen sharply—reflexes included.
"Fox Spirit Hero, I thought we were friends."
"I've never been friends with criminals or their allies!" Fox Spirit Hero said, pressing a button on his belt. "Fox Armor, upgrade!" Crimson energy burst from his body. "Sakura, get out of here!"
"But..." Sakura hesitated. She glanced toward Sasuke and only left once she saw him give a subtle nod.
"Now it's just us," Fox Spirit Hero said.
The two clashed violently, and in mere moments, the Konoha Police Headquarters was reduced to rubble.
"Let's go," Sarada said to Sasuke.
"Yes, of course."
Sasuke responded without hesitation.
"Fox Spirit Hero, I just want to take the Clown and leave. I don't want to fight you."
"Neither you nor the Clown is leaving here today!"
After widening the distance between them, Fox Spirit Hero panted slightly and pressed another button on his arm, activating a device in his palm—a Mangekyō Sharingan embedded inside.
From their earlier exchange, he had realized the Jar Merchant wasn't someone he could take down easily. Even if he could, the destruction to Konoha would be catastrophic.
"That's... the Mangekyō Sharingan!"
"Kotoamatsukami!" he shouted, channeling Nine-Tails Chakra to activate the eye.
"You're wasting your time, Fox Spirit Hero."
"...It didn't work," Fox Spirit Hero muttered. His gaze then turned to Sasuke.
No matter what, he had to take down at least one of them today.
Leaping past the Jar Merchant, Fox Spirit Hero appeared before the Clown, grabbing him with one hand and raising his Sharingan-imbued palm to the Clown's face.
"Kotoamatsukami! From today on, you will loathe evil!"
(Support me and read ahead on Patreøn: patreøn.com/craxxtranslations.
3 new chapters are released daily—thank you for your support!
Powerstone Event: For every 50 powerstones, 1 chapter will be unlocked.)