Konoha: The Absolute Justice of the Uchiha

Chapter 104 Neither Indra nor Asura can escape the palm of justice (5000 words)
Inside the Uchiha clan's compound.

The only elder of the Shimura clan is currently surrounded by a group of radical Uchiha clan ninjas.

A series of malicious gazes swept over him.

“If I remember correctly, most of the Shimura clan ninjas served in Root. But ever since Uchiha Ikezumi began hunting and killing Root ninjas... your Shimura clan has been facing a generational gap, with the youngest already in their teens. Now, I'm afraid you only have a handful of big cats and little cats left, right?”

Uchiha Setsuna, leaning on his cane, narrowed his eyes and stared at the Shimura clan elder, who was about the same age as him.

"Furthermore, ever since Shimura Danzo was defeated by Uchiha Ikezumi, the Third Hokage has removed him from his position as leader of Root, and he has been missing for several days."

"The Shimura clan has few members left, and their leader, Danzo, is nowhere to be found. This Shimura clan, ha! Do they even deserve to cooperate with me?"

Uchiha Setsuna's arrogant demeanor made the elder of the Shimura clan's expression somewhat gloomy.

As expected of the inherently evil Uchiha clan, every single one of them exudes a repulsive aura.

"Lord Danzo is not missing; he has always been in Konoha," the Shimura clan elder said coldly. "However..."

"Last night, under the shameless sneak attack of Uchiha Ikezumi, Lord Danzo sacrificed himself to protect Konoha."

Uchiha Setsuna: "...!!!"

to be frank.

The news of Danzo's death circulated only among a few people last night and was not widely spread.

Uchiha Setsuna was unaware of this until the elder of the Shimura clan revealed it to him directly.

"Dead... Danzo." Uchiha Setsuna's wrinkles twitched slightly, a cold sneer playing on his lips. "Good riddance! Heh heh... If I remember correctly, he was the one with the biggest grudge against the Uchiha clan, wasn't he?!"

He suppressed his smile and said coldly, "The existence of Shimura Danzo meant that the Shimura clan and the Uchiha clan were inherently opposed. After Shimura Danzo's death, do you really think that our Uchiha clan will forgive you people?"

"Without Danzo Shimura, the Shimura clan is not far from becoming a mere shell of its former self, is it? Do you think your few big cats and little cats are worthy of speaking so arrogantly in front of this old man?"

The elder of the Shimura clan clenched his fist, but since he was on someone else's turf, he couldn't let it out.

Moreover, he didn't come here on a whim just to have a fight with Uchiha Setsuna.

His face darkened, and he gritted his teeth, saying in a deep voice, "But we have a common enemy, don't we? Uchiha Izumi! This maverick minority of the Uchiha clan is, to you, the biggest stumbling block within the ninja clan, isn't he?!"

"If the Shimura clan is willing to risk everything... just to make Uchiha Ikezumi die with Lord Danzo! In that case, would you still ignore what I'm saying, Uchiha Setsuna!"

"Because, whether it's the destruction of the Shimura clan or the death of Uchiha Ikezumi, it's a good thing for you, right?"

Uchiha Setsuna's cloudy eyes were quite profound, and his aged fingers were stroking the wooden cane that had been worn smooth by years of use.

It has to be said that what this old man from the Shimura clan said did indeed tempt him somewhat.

but……

"Hey! Are you trying to sow discord within our Uchiha clan, you old codger?!" A young, radical Uchiha ninja, who was staring at the Shimura clan elder with ill intent, couldn't help but mock him. "What do you take us for? Do you think we're the kind of idiots?!"

"Shimura Danzo was the person we wanted to kill the most. Now that Uchiha Ikezumi has killed Shimura Danzo, we should be thanking him! Cooperate with you to kill Ikezumi? Tch! Are you kidding me?"

"You old codger who stirs up trouble within the Uchiha clan, you might as well leave your old life here. This isn't a place you can come and go as you please."

Other Uchiha scoffed, "Want to cooperate with us? You think you're worthy? If Shimura Danzo comes back to life and kneels before us, maybe we'll consider it!"

"Uchiha Izumi is, after all, a member of our Uchiha clan. Besides, his 'absolute justice' is quite to my liking, so why should I cooperate with you to deal with him?"

Uchiha Setsuna: "..."

His wrinkled old face, and the old face of the Shimura clan elder, both darkened at the same time.

Because he discovered that these radical young people's views on Uchiha Ikezumi had changed too drastically!

Yes.

Uchiha Setsuna was actually somewhat tempted by the Shimura clan elder's invitation to cooperate.

But he found that his subordinates seemed to have become somewhat "disloyal" to him.

damn it!
How did that brat Uchiha Izumi manage to do that? Did he secretly contact radical young people?
Uchiha Setsuna's face darkened as he maliciously speculated.

"I understand." The elder of the Shimura clan suddenly calmed down. He exhaled, glanced at Uchiha Setsuna, and slowly said, "It seems that you cannot control the power of the Uchiha hardliners. I see. It seems that I have come to the wrong person."

After saying this, the elder of the Shimura clan turned around and made a move to leave.

"Wait!"

Uchiha Setsuna interrupted him with a grim expression, spitting out a single, deliberate sentence through gritted teeth: "Did I say you could leave?"

……

Danzo was killed by Izumi—Fugaku Uchiha learned this news from his eldest son, Itachi Uchiha.

Fugaku, whose heart was in turmoil, took a full half minute to calm himself down.

Although Danzo Shimura had been removed from his high-ranking position by the Hokage.

But everyone knows this is just a facade by the Hokage. After some time, he will definitely entrust Danzo with important responsibilities, but it's unlikely he'll continue as the leader of Root.

In other words, Danzo would eventually return to the upper echelons of Konoha, so Fugaku never ignored Danzo, who had been out of the public eye for a long time.

however.

This former Konoha high-ranking official, whom he treated with utmost caution, died at the hands of Ikezumi last night!

"Itachi, were you... there at the time?" After a long silence, Fugaku finally asked his eldest son.

"No."

Itachi Uchiha said expressionlessly, "By the time I noticed Izumi Uchiha, he had already succeeded. If I had been there, I would never have allowed him to attack Lord Danzo. However, to be precise, Izumi Uchiha was just the instigator; the one who actually did the work... was Izumi Uchiha."

“Izumi…that child has completely embraced [absolute justice]! She seems to be the only police force trainee who has followed Izumi for so long.”

Fugaku sighed absentmindedly, "Itachi... you should know very well what Danzo's death, especially since it's related to the Uchiha clan, means, right?"

Uchiha Itachi replied coldly, "Some people within the ninja clan will be tempted by this. They will naively believe that the so-called Konoha high-ranking officials are nothing special. Their narrow-mindedness will lead to an irreparable mistake."

"Itachi, give me some time, okay?"

Fugaku took a deep breath and said, "You don't have to let the tragedy of the future happen. Perhaps I have a better way to solve this."

Itachi Uchiha gave Fugaku a deep look: "Father, your so-called solution is just patching things up. The real way to resolve this impending conflict..."

"...There's only one!"

Fugaku opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a word. He looked at his eldest son, who was somewhat unfamiliar to him, yet also brought him a strange sense of comfort.

In the end, he could only sigh silently and repeat those words helplessly: "Itachi, give me some time. The Uchiha and Konoha don't need to escalate to such an irreconcilable point."

He didn't know if he could persuade his eldest son.

"but……"

With a hint of fatherly love in his eyes, yet also an indescribable pain and inner turmoil, Fugaku said, "If I can't solve this, then I will never try to dissuade you again."

"I know that beneath your cold expression lies a lot of pain. I also know that your threat to Sasuke is a form of love for him, and you hope that he can grow up in the future."

"Itachi, if it really comes to an unavoidable point, whatever decision you make then, I will be proud of you."

Uchiha Itachi remained silent for a long time before bowing deeply to Fugaku.

"Yes, Father!"

……

The death of Danzo did not seem to cause any further commotion. Hiruzen Sarutobi seemed to be intentionally suppressing the impact of the incident, and he did not confront Izumi Uchiha.

after all.

Although it was hard to see Konoha lose such a powerful fighter, Danzo's death wasn't necessarily a bad thing for him as Hokage.

At least, the "Root" organization, which was once somewhat out of control, is now completely under his control as the Hokage.

Moreover, there's no longer any need to guard against Danzo going crazy again and inexplicably staging an assassination attempt on the Hokage to seize power—because Danzo has a history of multiple coup attempts!

When the benefits and drawbacks cancel each other out, it's as if nothing happened.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's biggest worry right now is Naruto. He doesn't know to what extent Naruto has been "brainwashed" by Izumi, or whether what he said to Naruto yesterday will have any effect.

Does Naruto know how to combine the Will of Fire with justice to form a ninja way that stands on the side of Konoha?

Hiruzen Sarutobi was a little uneasy.

"Kakashi." After quickly finishing his official duties, Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly stood up and said in a deep voice, "Starting today, you will be in charge of supervising the Jinchuriki, Naruto Uzumaki. Note that you will not be alone; you will be leading an ANBU squad to supervise Naruto."

Kakashi, who had been standing motionless all day, was surprised when the Hokage suddenly pointed at him.

Kakashi asked with some confusion, "Hokage-sama, isn't Naruto Uzumaki being monitored by Yoshinobu Yamanaka?"

"He's the one monitoring, you're the one overseeing."

Hiruzen Sarutobi explained, "Yamanaka Yoshinobu submitted his resignation to me this morning, saying that he might not be good at monitoring Jinchuriki. I refused because the Anbu is short-handed. My request is that he is responsible for monitoring Naruto's safety, while you are responsible for supervising Naruto's growth."

“In this way, your people and Yoshinobu Yamanaka can complement each other, and his pressure will be reduced.”

Kakashi was stunned for a moment.

"……growing up?"

He didn't quite understand.

Hiruzen Sarutobi said, "Naruto has decided to follow Ikezumi and believe in justice. The word 'justice' itself is not wrong, and I do not object to it. But 'absolute justice' is different. Ikezumi's 'absolute justice' is too extreme. He is only suitable for Ikezumi, not for Naruto."

"Kakashi, you should know what the consequences would be if Naruto, as a Jinchūriki, disregarded the bigger picture like Izumi. We can stop Izumi for now, but the rampaging Nine-Tails would probably be too much for the entire village to handle."

“Naruto’s identity and his background dictate that he should stand on the side of Konoha; his justice should also be justice based on Konoha’s position, rather than an eccentric ‘absolute justice’.”

"I arranged for you to lead a team to supervise him, not only for Naruto's sake, but also for the greater good of Konoha."

Kakashi nodded thoughtfully and said, "I understand."

"but……"

With his lifeless, listless eyes, he said, "Lord Hokage, if Naruto Uzumaki is too deeply influenced by absolute justice, should I report this to you, or should I step in and correct him directly?"

“Both are needed,” Hiruzen Sarutobi said. “Step in and correct it first, then report back to me afterwards.”

"...Yes, Hokage-sama."

Kakashi sighed inwardly; this was no easy task!
When Kakashi led an ANBU squad to the Ninja Academy, he ordered the ANBU to disperse in all directions. Although he knew that the ANBU ninjas lurking in the shadows couldn't escape Uchiha Izumi's notice, he couldn't openly supervise them, could he?

"Ok?"

Kakashi, who was perched on the top of a large tree, using the branches and leaves to conceal his figure, and holding a copy of "Icha Icha Paradise" that he had already read several times, suddenly raised his droopy eyelids.

In sight, the students of the ninja academy were leaving school one after another. Among them, a blond kid stood out.

To Kakashi's surprise, there was a little guy who was somewhat unexpected accompanying Naruto.

“…Uchiha Sasuke?!”

……

"Sasuke-kun...why are he so close to Naruto Uzumaki?"

A dozen meters behind Naruto and Sasuke, a little girl with pink hair and a smooth forehead was muttering in bewilderment, "From morning to evening, the two of them have been together the whole time, and they've been talking the whole time."

Sakura Haruno couldn't understand it. In her mind, Naruto Uzumaki was a poor student who didn't pay attention in class and was said to like playing pranks.

There are also some rumors about Naruto Uzumaki in the Ninja Academy.

She overheard someone whispering, "My mother warned me not to get close to Naruto Uzumaki; that guy is a demon fox!"
Anyway, Naruto Uzumaki was not popular in the village.

How could Sasuke be so close to someone like that?

Could it be that he knew about his brother's future sins?

Has Sasuke chosen to give up on himself?!
Sasuke was unaware that a pink-haired man behind him was secretly shocked by his actions that day.

He was now keeping a straight face, putting on the air of a "genius Uchiha ninja" to suppress his nervousness, and gave a light snort, saying, "How could I possibly be afraid of Uchiha Ikezumi?!"

Because he didn't want to be inferior to even a loser, Sasuke suddenly became interested in "justice" and spent the whole day trying to learn from Naruto what "justice" really was.

Naruto only has a superficial understanding of it, and the key issue is that he doesn't know how to organize the appropriate language to explain it.

then.

Naruto had previously proposed a plan: "If you want to know what absolute justice is, then come with me to meet Izumi-sensei! However, Izumi-sensei is very strict and a very scary person, so don't be intimidated by him."

Naruto has come to regard Uchiha Izumi as a "teacher" similar to Iruka-sensei.

However, this teacher was not teaching the knowledge taught at the ninja academy.

The other side teaches [absolute justice]!

"You're clearly nervous." Naruto glanced at Sasuke, who had a smug expression, and ruthlessly exposed Sasuke's pretense.

Sasuke gritted his teeth and said, "I didn't!"

"Then why are you sweating?" Naruto asked, scratching his head.

"...Because it's too hot!"

Sasuke stubbornly defended himself.

However, twenty minutes later, when Sasuke saw a familiar figure, his tough exterior suddenly crumbled. An inexplicable sense of tension made him slow his pace, and for some reason, he even regretted coming along with the loser.

'Damn it! How could my mental fortitude be worse than this guy's? He's just a loser! How could I be inferior to him? It's clearly him who's inferior to me!'

Sasuke glanced at Naruto in front of him.

He gritted his teeth.

Accelerated the pace

……

Naruto, with his blond hair, and Sasuke, whose clothes were embroidered with the Uchiha clan crest, were quite eye-catching on the street.

Izumi spotted Naruto and Sasuke at a glance.

She exclaimed in shock to Uchiha Ikezumi beside her, "Ikezumi-senpai, Sasuke-kun actually came with Naruto!"

"This is the bond and destiny between them," Uchiha Izumi said calmly. "When justice holds one of them in its grasp, the other will naturally not escape the palm of justice."

Izumi was taken aback, then immediately realized something: "Could Sasuke-kun also be one of the 'Absolute Justice' talents that you had long ago selected, senior?"

Uchiha Ikezumi said, "After all, this kind of special Uchiha... is still very rare within the Uchiha clan. Compared to his older brother, he is as normal as can be."

At this time.

Naruto rushed over and stopped when he was about two meters away from Uchiha Ikezumi. He then bowed deeply to Uchiha Ikezumi.

"Teacher Ikezumi! Naruto Uzumaki has arrived!"

"Ike Izumi... Teacher?!" Izumi's pretty face showed a rather strange expression. In the eyes of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, was Ike Izumi-senpai playing the role of a "righteous mentor"?

That seems quite fitting.

Furthermore, Ikezumi-senpai did not correct Naruto's statement.

Izumi glanced at Sasuke, who looked anxious and uneasy, standing next to Naruto.

Noticing the gaze fixed on him, Sasuke realized that his silence seemed too awkward, so he quickly spoke up, not wanting to be outdone: "It was the loser who invited me here, not me who came on my own initiative."

Naruto immediately retorted, "Hey, who said I'm the loser!"

"Oh?" Izumi chuckled teasingly, saying, "Since Sasuke-kun was only invited and isn't truly interested in justice, then Sasuke-kun would be better off going back. After all, Sasuke-kun, who isn't interested in justice, staying here is just..."

"I...I didn't say I wasn't interested..." Sasuke quickly interrupted, but his voice was a little soft and somewhat broken.

……

……

(End of this chapter)