Konoha: The Absolute Justice of the Uchiha

Chapter 120 What to do? Only kill! The anxious Daimyo of the Land of Fire (A long chapter of 10,000 words)

"Silence, take out the money you found last night."

Just as Shizune was lost in her memories, Tsunade's sudden remark startled her.

She quickly picked up the money bags that were on the ground and placed them one by one on the table.

Shizune said, "Lady Tsunade, we followed Uchiha Ikezumi last night and picked up a total of 47 million taels of cash. Fortunately, most of them were large denomination banknotes of over 1,000 taels, so there wasn't too much to carry around."

"but……"

Just as she was about to open the money pouch, Shizune suddenly remembered something, paused slightly, and hesitated, saying, "Some of the cash has blood on it, Lady Tsunade, you have hemophobia..."

Tsunade glanced at the several bulging money bags.

She didn't let the silencer continue to open. Instead, she took a deep breath and said, "...Just leave one million taels."

"Oh... um? Huh? Eh?!!"

Shizune's expression faltered slightly; she stared wide-eyed at Tsunade as if she were looking at a stranger.

"Lady Tsunade, you..."

"I didn't take the wrong medicine."

Tsunade said, "Yesterday, we rescued seventy-nine children from the basement. The forty million taels, spread across seventy-nine children, means each child only receives about five hundred thousand taels. That amount should be enough to raise them properly from this age to adulthood."

Mute: "!!!"

"Lady Tsunade, you're going to adopt them?!"

Mute was indeed shocked.

Lady Tsunade, who is addicted to gambling, must be considering these 40 million taels as her future gambling capital.

Based on past logic, if anyone dared to touch this money, Lady Tsunade would definitely send them flying with one punch.

But Shizune didn't expect that, without any external interference, Lady Tsunade would actually give away the money herself!
Tsunade rolled her eyes in exasperation, poking Shizune's cheek with a look of utter disappointment, and said, "How could I possibly have the time to raise so many little brats? I'd definitely send them to an orphanage! This money is for the orphanage, so they can raise them properly!"

Shizune covered her face and muttered, "It does sound like a good thing, but with so much money... won't someone embezzle it?"

Before what happened last night, Shizune didn't dare to think so badly of people.

But after what happened last night, Shizune couldn't help but instinctively assume the worst about others.

"just in case……"

Shizune whispered weakly, "Did we run into those bastards who wanted to take advantage of the child's body again?"

Tsunade narrowed her eyes, and memories of last night flooded back.

It cast a shadow over those beautiful eyes.

"Then kill them!"

The moment Tsunade, one of the Legendary Sannin of Konoha, finished speaking.

With a "crack," fine cracks appeared on the solid wood tabletop that she was supporting with one hand.

A deep palm print was imprinted on the solid, hard tabletop.

Shizune felt a chill run down her spine.

Ever since Lady Tsunade developed hemophobia, left Konoha, stopped caring about ninja affairs, and became addicted to gambling... Shizune had never seen Lady Tsunade so full of killing intent.

She saw a resemblance in the current Tsunade to the "Konoha Tsunade Princess" whose fame resounded throughout the entire ninja world back then.

Why did Lady Tsunade undergo such a change?

The moment the question popped into her mind, Shizune got the answer—because of Uchiha Ikezumi!

When Uchiha Ikezumi appeared in Tanabata Street, when Uchiha Ikezumi revealed the evil of the ninja world to Lady Tsunade, and when Uchiha Ikezumi displayed his absolute justice in front of Lady Tsunade.

Lady Tsunade seems to have changed somewhat.

like……

There was less self-degradation.

"By the way, Shizune, where did that Uchiha brat and that ninja cat go?" Tsunade suddenly asked.

"Shouldn't they be leaving Tanabata Street by now?"

Shizune replied, "The ninja cat named Tachibana Jiro said that Uchiha Izumi just happened to be passing through Tanabata Street this time. They were carrying an S-rank ninja mission given to them by the Hokage. I think they came to Tanabata Street last night just to rest."

"Ha, you killed 659 people while taking a break?"

Tsunade smiled and said, "That brat must have deliberately passed through Tanabata Street. He left such a huge mess and then left. Just like he did nine years ago. He really hasn't changed at all."

Shizune weakly corrected, "There were 640 people, and 19 of them... were killed by you, Lady Tsunade. I couldn't stop you."

"cough!"

Tsunade coughed lightly and changed the subject. She slowly stood up and said, "Let's go and find a suitable orphanage for the children. If we really can't find a good orphanage, we'll bring all these children to Konoha."

"Given the old man's character, he certainly wouldn't abandon so many war orphans. Hmm...maybe he can even save those forty million taels of silver."

Silence: "..."

Lady Tsunade really knows how to squeeze the Hokage to death!

However, isn't this also taking money from Konoha? And considering that Tsunade's grandfather was the First Hokage.

So what does this mean...?

Doesn't Sun feel any remorse for selling his grandfather's land?!

……

at the same time.

In a dense forest not far from Tanbata Street.

A person and a cat, who were darting through the dense forest at high speed, suddenly slowed down and stopped for some unknown reason.

Less than three seconds after they stopped, they heard rustling sounds behind them, until a somewhat panting Moonlight Gale appeared in front of them.

"call……"

"Gone?"

Even though Gekko Hayate was less than ten meters away from Uchiha Ikezumi, he looked around blankly.

If someone looks closely into his eyes, they can see that deep within Gekko Hayate's pupils, there seems to be a Sharingan pattern reflected!
He thought his tracking methods were very clever, but he had already fallen into Uchiha Ikezumi's genjutsu without anyone noticing.

In a trance.

Gekko Hayate felt his head sink slightly, the sudden change causing his pupils to shrink. Just as he was about to raise his head, Uchiha Ikezumi appeared "out of nowhere" in front of him, causing him to take a step back in shock.

"Don't move, meow." A strangely accented voice suddenly rang out from above Moonlight Gale's head.

At that moment, Moonlight Gale felt as if a sharp blade was pressed against his temple.

"Meow, you... I remember you're that guy from the Moonlight Clan, what's your name again?"

Tachibana Jiro's voice rang out again: "That sickly Hayate Gekko?"

When a fluffy orange cat tail slowly drooped down and swayed in front of Moonlight Gale.

Hayate Gekko immediately realized that there was a talking ninja cat above his head!
Without his knowledge, Uchiha Ikezumi already knew that he was being followed!
and……

Moonlight Gale felt that he had most likely been under an illusion!
Even the genjutsu from the Sharingan has not been dispelled to this day!

If Uchiha Izumi were to make a move...

I could die in an instant.

"I... meant no harm."

Although Hayate Gekko was already drenched in sweat, it wasn't because he suddenly gave in, but because from the very beginning when he "quietly" followed them, he had never had any intention of killing Uchiha Ikezumi.

Or……

He didn't have the guts.

Moonlight Gale stared directly at Uchiha Ikezumi before him, the myriad complex thoughts in his heart coalescing into the courage to speak: "Uchiha Ikezumi, I just want to ask you one question, even if you don't want to answer, even if you kill me the next second, it doesn't matter. I just want to know, why must the guilty be judged by 'murder'?"

"Could it be..."

Hayate Gekko, who no longer had any blood relatives, clenched his fist and stared directly at Izumi Uchiha's three-tomoe Sharingan: "Couldn't we have used some reasonable methods? It's not that I have a problem with the justice you insist on, but... shouldn't justice choose a method that everyone can agree on?"

When he saw Uchiha Ikezumi walking towards him.

Moonlight Gale, who thought she had mustered enough courage, found herself still somewhat timid...

As Uchiha Izumi drew closer, the fear that arose in his heart intensified.

I'm even starting to avoid eye contact with the other person.

Uchiha Ikezumi stood within arm's reach of Gekko Hayate.

"Is your kindness and tolerance something you give to evildoers?"

Uchiha Izumi's icy voice suddenly rang in Gekko Hayate's ear: "When a villain kills an innocent person, what method do you think should be used to ensure he receives the punishment he deserves? How do you think justice should be served so that the innocent victim can rest in peace in the afterlife?"

"Don't worry about anything, just answer whatever you want."

Moonlight Gale stood frozen in place.

He came here simply to ask Uchiha Ikezumi why he couldn't leave a way out for his only blood relative back then.
But every word that echoed in his ears from Uchiha Ikezumi, so powerful and clear, prevented him from asking the question that was on his mind.

"The distorted and morbid ninja world not only breeds a great deal of evil, but also makes many people numb to 'evil,' and even unable to feel enough indignation towards those disgusting 'evils.'"

As the moonlight and wind fell silent, Uchiha Ikezumi slowly said, "Before you wonder why justice has to kill your loved ones, why don't you think about what he did? Why don't you think about what your mother's state of mind and feelings were before he killed her?"

"Moonlight Gale, experience firsthand the despair your mother felt when she died at the hands of her most beloved son... This is my [Absolute Justice], the answer to your doubts."

It was also the instant that Uchiha Ikezumi finished speaking indifferently.

Gekko Hayate suddenly realized that the scene before him had changed dramatically, and he immediately realized that this was another Sharingan genjutsu!

The gap in strength between himself and Uchiha Ikezumi was too great.

He was under illusion twice in a row without noticing any warning signs.

and many more……

Moonlight Gale suddenly realized something was wrong; the scene before him seemed somewhat familiar.

"This is... the Moonlight Clan's territory?!"

The next second, he suddenly found his body moving uncontrollably.

No, this doesn't seem like my own body; it's more like my consciousness has been possessed by this body!
Whose body is this?

"Mother, why?!"

A familiar voice suddenly rang out from behind Gekko Hayate: "Just because Gekko Hayate is a year older than me, should all the resources of the ninja clan be tilted towards him? Just because he is the eldest son, should the future of the Gekko clan be entrusted to that sickly guy? Is he really going to become the future clan leader of the Gekko clan?"

Moonlight Gale's eyes widened.

The voice behind me... was the voice of my younger brother, Gekko Seisui, who had already died at the hands of Uchiha Ikezumi!

So……

Could the body that my consciousness has possessed be my mother's?

"He's just a sickly old man! The future of the Moonlight Clan is entrusted to him, and we'll never have a chance to avenge our father! Who knows if that sickly old man will suddenly die? Have you forgotten that you have a husband who killed you?"

Behind him, "Moonlight Water"'s voice grew increasingly agitated.

Upon hearing this, Moonlight Gale fell silent.

My younger brother...

So that's how you see your older brother?
"Sincere Water".

The woman's voice rang out from the body that Moonlight Gale was attached to: "Don't speak disrespectfully to your brother. Although Gale is unwell, his talent surpasses yours, and his character is much more stable than yours..."

“Chengshui, you are too extreme, and you are blinded by hatred. If the Moonlight Clan is entrusted to you, with your personality, it will probably not be long before you drag the entire Moonlight Clan into the abyss.”

Moonlight Gale recognized the voice as that of his mother.

and many more……

Is this scene a replay of my mother's death?!

"I'm sorry... Cheng Shui. The position of future patriarch of the Moonlight Clan belongs to your elder brother, Ji Feng. It was decided long ago..."

——Bang! ! !

A muffled thud suddenly came from behind him, and Moonlight Gale's eyes widened as he felt the sharp pain in the back of his head.

His body tilted forward uncontrollably, a strong sense of disbelief rapidly brewing in his chest, the metallic smell of blood beginning to fill his nostrils, and a warm, moist sensation coming from the back of his head.

Shock.

stunned.

doubt.

sad.

One emotion after another exploded uncontrollably in Moonlight Gale's heart. He was certain that these were not his own emotions. Could this be his mother's emotional fluctuations?
At this moment, Moonlight Gale truly felt all the emotions and feelings of a mother in her final moments.

The mother could not understand why her second son would suddenly attack and kill her.

The mother began to blame herself, wondering if she had done something wrong.
The mother longed to see her child one last time before she closed her eyes, and to say a few more words to her.

"Ho, ho, ho..."

The sound of "Moonlight Sincere Water" panting heavily came from behind: "This...this is all your fault...you never treated me like your own son. You secretly gave my future to that sickly man! You even forgot the hatred for killing your husband! You don't deserve to be my mother at all!"

"Wait...wait, calm down, phew, I need to calm down. I need to hide your body, it can't be discovered...otherwise I'm doomed. Heh heh...can't be buried in Konoha Village, it has to be buried on the outskirts of the village..."

Gekko Hayate sensed his mother's emotional fluctuations once again. She actually wanted to tell her second son, who had killed her, not to bury the body in the suburbs, because it would definitely be discovered by others.

Once discovered, the rest of my life will be ruined.

However, she could no longer speak.

Even at the moment of her death, my mother did not feel a single trace of hatred towards the second son who killed her!

this moment.

Hayate Gekko was enraged, and this enraged him in an instant turned into killing intent. His killing intent was not directed at Izumi Uchiha, but at Seimizu Gekko, who had become so twisted that he was beyond redemption!

He desperately wanted to sever the arms of Gekko Seimizu that had killed his mother and confront him directly about why he had done it.

He wanted to cut off Gekko Seisui's head so that his brother, who had become so twisted, could finally wake up in the underworld!
Immediately afterwards, from a first-person perspective, Gekko Hayate watched helplessly as his younger brother carried their mother's body.

Under the cover of night, he secretly transported the corpse to the outskirts of Konoha using his Transcendent Bloodline Limit ability.

He watched as his brother, his face contorted in rage, threw the body into a deep pit and covered it with handfuls of soil.

Until my mother's face was covered by mud.

The scene of the Sharingan genjutsu abruptly ended!

……

Moonlight Gale, whose eyes had already shed two clear tears, heard the voice of Uchiha Ikezumi: "These are the memories of your younger brother and your mother's corpses obtained by the Yamanaka clan."

“You don’t understand people like me who believe in absolute justice. Likewise… I don’t understand people like you either.”

"I have answered your questions about the thorough means of justice. Moonlight Gale, you should also explain why you bestow your kindness and tolerance upon a villain?"

With a "thump," Moonlight Gale, as if all his strength had been drained, collapsed to his knees.

He looked down at his trembling hands.

Every word of Uchiha Ikezumi echoed in his ears.

he……

I realized I couldn't answer the question at all!

Yes!

Why should I bestow kindness and tolerance upon that kind of person?

Just because the other person is her younger brother?

Is it just because of a close blood relationship?

But... Cheng Shui has become so twisted and morbid that he even wants to kill his own mother!
I'm so sorry!!!

Unbeknownst to him, Moonlight Gale was already in tears, and he performed a very proper dogeza (a deep bow) to Uchiha Ikezumi.

At that moment, although he couldn't understand why he had such thoughts, he understood why Uchiha Ikezumi wanted to use such absolute means to carry out justice.

If you ask how to punish those twisted villains? !

—Then the only option is to kill!

Three days later.

Konoha Village.

Although he had been discharged from the hospital, Hiruzen Sarutobi had not recovered much, but the affairs of the village, big and small, still needed to be handled by him, the Hokage of Konoha.

In particular, the trouble that Uchiha Ikezumi caused in the village some time ago required his personal attention as the Hokage of Konoha.

However, on the other hand, during the few days that Uchiha Izumi was away from Konoha, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt that the whole village was much quieter and Konoha had become more "peaceful".

This also allowed him to successfully hold a proper funeral for Sarutobi Asuma.

In recent days, although the Uchiha police force has been arresting criminals and putting them in jail from time to time, at least no one has died.

During the time that Uchiha Ikezumi was in the village, one person died every day, which could only be considered a warm-up.

Usually, several people die every day, and sometimes more than a dozen die in a single day!
This has made the business of Konoha Funeral Home extremely prosperous.

If you didn't know better, you'd think Konoha was at war!

however……

To Hiruzen Sarutobi's surprise, this rare peace and tranquility did not last long.

When an ANBU ninja rushed over to report some information, Hiruzen Sarutobi almost bit the mouthpiece of the pipe he was holding to pieces.

"Lord Hokage!" a member of the Anbu exclaimed anxiously, "Naruto Uzumaki... he almost killed someone just now!"

"Cough...cough cough cough!!!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi choked so badly that tears welled up in his eyes. After finally recovering, he stared incredulously at the ANBU ninja in front of him, his eyes still red.

"What happened?!"

The ANBU ninja immediately replied, "Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha were 'executing justice' in Konoha with Izumi Uchiha. They discovered a criminal, and it seems that the criminal's actions angered Naruto, who then stabbed the criminal in the abdomen with a kunai."

"Fortunately, Yamanaka Yoshinobu, an ANBU ninja monitoring Naruto Uzumaki, intervened in time to stop the attack. The prisoner who was stabbed in the abdomen by the kunai was only seriously injured and was not killed by Naruto Uzumaki."

"However... Uchiha Izumi added insult to injury, decapitating the prisoner with a single stroke."

Sarutobi Hiruzen: "..."

Every word spoken by the ANBU ninja left Hiruzen Sarutobi somewhat dazed.

What exactly happened? Why did Naruto become even more uncontrollable after Izumi left Konoha?
When Izumi was still in Konoha, Naruto would at least not use something as dangerous as a kunai to attack a prisoner, right?

This matter involves the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, so Hiruzen Sarutobi had no choice but to put aside his official duties, stand up, and with a stern face, say, "Take me there to take a look."

"Yes, Hokage-sama!"

soon.

Led by an ANBU ninja, Hiruzen Sarutobi arrived at the Nara clan's residence.

Standing in front of the gate of the Nara clan's residence.

Hiruzen Sarutobi fell silent for a moment.

The events that occurred a few days ago at Konoha Hospital flashed through my mind.

It was the combined pressure from the Ino-Shika-Cho trio that forced him to swallow his anger, to the point that many members of the Sarutobi clan looked at him, the Third Hokage, with strange eyes.

A barely perceptible shadow crossed Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes.

However, he quickly covered it up.

"Hokage-sama."

"Hokage-sama."

Nara Shikaku and Yamanaka Inoichi, who were stationed at the Nara clan's residence, greeted Sarutobi Hiruzen in perfect unison.

It was as if they had known all along that the Third Hokage would definitely come.

Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep breath.

He nodded slightly to them.

soon……

He saw Naruto with bruises on his face and blood on his hands; he saw Sasuke with some scrapes on his knees; he saw Uchiha Izumi standing next to the two children; and he saw Yamanaka Yoshinobu standing not far away, monitoring the Jinchuriki.

They even saw a corpse lying on the ground, and a Yamanaka clan ninja was using the clan's secret technique on the body.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was about to reprimand Izumi—"What do you think of these two kids? How could you let them do something so dangerous? Is this how you and Izumi's so-called 'absolute justice' almost turned a child into a murderer?"

Then, the next second he suddenly realized that this Uchiha girl was only twelve years old; she was a child too.

"cough!"

After clearing his throat, Hiruzen Sarutobi forced a kind and gentle smile. He half-squatted down and said to the gloomy-looking Naruto, "Naruto, I already know what happened. Can you tell me why you hurt that person?"

He felt that the melancholy expression on Naruto's face was a sign of guilt.

however……

Naruto, standing before him, replied, "Grandpa Hokage! That guy is no different from a beast! This morning, Izumi-senpai said that the Ninja Cats have discovered a case and could take me and Sasuke to experience how 'Absolute Justice' solves cases."

"Then we discovered that that bastard... he actually... actually..." At this point, Naruto, filled with righteous indignation, was at a loss for words.

At that moment, Izumi's voice slowly rang out: "The culprit is a Konoha genin who defiled his own daughter."

"After realizing that the police ninjas were coming to arrest him, the prisoner held a knife to the neck of his naked daughter, attempting to threaten the police ninjas with her life."

"I had just subdued him with my Sharingan when Naruto snatched a kunai from my ninja tool bag and stabbed the criminal in the abdomen."

"The pain brought the prisoner out of the genjutsu. He kicked Naruto over, and Sasuke went to help, but Naruto was knocked down in the process."

"The ANBU ninja responsible for monitoring Naruto stepped in and stopped Naruto, who was gritting his teeth and getting up, still trying to rush forward."

"I cut the prisoner's head off with one stroke."

"Third Hokage, this is the cause, process, and result of the matter. Instead of questioning Naruto about why he hurt that person, you should praise Naruto's sense of justice. He truly has the excellent potential to believe in 'absolute justice'."

After the girl's clear voice fell, the Yamanaka clan ninja responsible for examining the corpse's memories also stood up.

The notebook in his hand recorded some of the criminals' crimes.

The Yamanaka clan ninja, whose eyes held a hint of gloom from viewing criminal memories that were too morally and ethically challenging, also stood on Uchiha Izumi's side and said, "That's indeed the case."

"At the moment when the truth came out, he even wanted to kill the daughter he had abused, trying to drag someone down with him."

Sarutobi Hiruzen: "..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi fell silent again, realizing that it was somewhat inappropriate for him to question Naruto right away.

after all……

Who would have thought that such a villain would emerge from Konoha Village?
Logically speaking, with Uchiha Izumi, who can see through the evil in others, temporarily away from Konoha, shouldn't similar incidents have slowed down a bit? Why does it feel like the pace has only slowed down slightly, but there's no sign of it stopping at all?!

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the corpse covered in blood.

The expression on the old man's face was quite complex.

My old Konoha...

What happened? !

……

at the same time.

The border of the Fire Nation.

“Ikezumi… I never expected that the Hokage would ask you to transport classified information.” A complex expression flashed across the extremely frightening-looking face of Ibiki Morino. He said, “It has been many years since we last met, hasn’t it? The last time we met, you were only eleven years old. Back then, you dumped several criminals on me and made me use torture to pry open their mouths and make them confess to their crimes.”

"Later... you established a good relationship with the Yamanaka clan, so I no longer needed to use torture. I could directly use the Yamanaka clan's secret techniques to uncover the criminal secrets hidden by those criminals."

"Speak," Ibiki Morino said, turning his gaze to Jiro Tachibana again. "This ninja cat, isn't it the little tagalong that followed you around during the Third Shinobi World War?"

"You should at least show some respect when you talk to a cat, meow! I'm Lord Chi Quan's most capable assistant!"

Tachibana Jiro immediately retorted, "You need to distinguish between an assistant and a tagalong. The tagalong right now is the newbie, Uchiha Izumi!"

"A newcomer...?" Ibiki Morino's expression showed a hint of doubt.

Jiro Tachibana said, "He is a newcomer who acknowledges Lord Ikezumi's 'absolute justice,' but he is a bit too inexperienced."

Ibiki Morino was somewhat surprised: "Acknowledging Izumi Ikezumi's 'absolute justice,' hehe, interesting."

He put his hands in his pockets, looked at Uchiha Ikezumi, and asked, "Ikezumi, are you finally no longer planning to fight alone?"

Uchiha Ikezumi said, "It is impossible to eradicate all the evil in the ninja world with just one person's 'absolute justice'."

Ibiki Morino slowly exhaled, looked up at the azure sky, and murmured, "I really want to see what a ninja world without sin, or rather, where sin is largely suppressed, would be like..."

"Chiquan, what you did in Konoha Village recently has even reached me. You killed a former Jonin instructor, and you killed your only blood relative..."

"Phew! Your beliefs and magnanimity should have been admired by many like-minded people. It's a pity that you're so bad at expressing your emotions."

Uchiha Ikezumi said, "Whether they fawn over me or believe in [absolute justice], it doesn't matter to me. As long as they firmly believe that justice and fairness still exist in the ninja world, that's enough."

Ibiki Morino remarked, "You're still so idealistic."

"Right……"

"If it weren't for idealism, who would be willing to pay any price, even sacrifice their own life, to uphold justice? I hope that when I return to Konoha, those old friends will still be alive!"

After muttering a few words to himself, Morino Ibiki tucked the scroll containing the confidential documents into his pocket and suddenly asked Uchiha Ikezumi, "Are we going back to the village next?"

Uchiha Ikezumi said calmly, "Let's go to the capital of the Land of Fire first."

Ibiki Morino was taken aback: "The capital of the Land of Fire? Did the Hokage give you two ninja missions?"

Uchiha Ikezumi shook his head and said, "It doesn't count as a ninja mission."

"It's best if you don't ask questions," Uchiha Izumi added. "The moment you ask for the truth, you might even risk your life to stop me from going to the capital of the Land of Fire."

Ibiki Morino narrowed his eyes, a series of possibilities flashing through his mind, including some rather audacious speculations.

"Oh, forget it."

Morino Ibiki said, "It's somewhat understandable to die at the hands of an enemy, but to die at the hands of a fellow villager is just too frustrating."

He did not indulge his curiosity.

Instead, they suppressed their curiosity.

……

Inside the capital of the Land of Fire.

The Fire Country Daimyo has sensed something is amiss. Regardless of whether Asuma and his group succeeded or not, they need to send back their summoning beast to report on the current situation.
Didn't they send a summoning beast to inform me that they were about to make their move?

Why is it that several days have passed and there's still no news?
The daimyo of the Land of Fire paced back and forth in his house, his mind in a state of anxiety.

The food in the room was clearly cold.

He didn't touch it at all.

His anxiety caused a few beads of cold sweat to appear on his forehead.

Moreover, the mission of the Twelve Guardian Ninjas was to protect the personal safety of him, the daimyo of the Land of Fire.

Without the protection of the Twelve Guardian Ninjas, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire lived in constant fear.

He feared that one day he would wake up to find not his young and beautiful concubine, but ninjas sent by an enemy country to assassinate him! He didn't expect those samurai who only knew how to swing their swords a few times to protect his personal safety!
knock!
knock!
knock!
The soft knock startled the Fire Country Daimyo, but a familiar voice came from outside: "Father...may I come in?!"

Daming recognized the voice as that of his eldest son.

Slightly relieved, he tried to remain calm and said in a deep voice, "Go in!"

A young man with a short beard walked in. He first bowed respectfully to the daimyo of the Land of Fire, then went straight to the point and asked, "Father, has Kyusuke's body... been brought back?!"

"..." The silence of the Fire Country Daimyo gave his eldest son the answer.

The eldest son asked in astonishment, "Eleven Guardian Ninja and twelve warriors went out together, and they still couldn't bring back Kyusuke's body? This..."

The daimyo of the Land of Fire, Izumi, said in a deep voice, "It's not that we can't bring them back, it's just that we haven't received any news yet. Asuma and Kazuma's abilities... I have great trust in them."

When these words were spoken...

Even the daimyo of the Land of Fire himself was somewhat insecure.

"Father, with so many people like Asuma going to Konoha, I'm afraid... it wasn't just to bring back Kyusuke's body, was it?"

The eldest son's question made the daimyo of the Land of Fire close his eyes and nod.

"I also made them kill that murderer named Uchiha Ikezumi."

"They should have completed their mission by now. Perhaps they were just too rushed on their way and didn't have time to send a message back."

……

Konoha Village.

Hiruzen Sarutobi hurriedly found Naruto, but less than half an hour later, he returned to the Hokage Building in silence.

He felt both relieved and worried.

It's reassuring that Naruto's attack wasn't due to the tailed beast within him going out of control.

What's worrying is that Naruto, at such a young age, actually dared to stab a criminal in the abdomen with a kunai in the name of justice!

If the needle had been placed slightly higher and pierced the heart, it would likely have been an instant kill!

Has [Absolute Justice] completely brainwashed him?

The question is, how many days have passed?

Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't understand.

Where exactly does Konoha's decades-long "Will of Fire" fall short compared to Uchiha Izumi's "Absolute Justice"? Why don't we see Naruto possessing that kind of magnanimity for the sake of the Will of Fire?

"Sigh!" Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed, feeling that ever since Izumi Uchiha had grown powerful, he, the Third Hokage of Konoha, had been experiencing a series of misfortunes every day.

Sudden.

The urgent knocking made Hiruzen Sarutobi, who wanted some peace and quiet, frown.

Suppressing a slight displeasure, he had just said "Please come in" when two Konoha ninjas pushed open the door and filed in.

"To hold fast? And to combine it with will?"

Upon seeing the three travel-worn individuals before him, Hiruzen Sarutobi's slightly furrowed brows relaxed, and he forced a smile, saying, "It seems you have completed the A-rank ninja mission I assigned you, but..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes flashed with surprise: "Why is Hayate missing?"

He had a bad feeling. He knew that among the younger generation of the Moonlight Clan who had been ravaged by Uchiha Ikezumi, only Moonlight Hayate remained!

What if Hayate Gekko were to perish during a ninja mission...

Hiruzen Sarutobi felt it would be difficult to explain to the Moonlight Clan.

The Konoha ninja named "Chishou" breathed heavily and said, "Hayate... Hayate will return to Konoha a day later than us."

These words immediately relieved Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"The fact that you didn't lose a single comrade means you completed the mission perfectly. Young people as outstanding as you will one day..."

Just as Hiruzen Sarutobi was about to offer some very formulaic praise.

But he was hurriedly interrupted by "Chishou," who had finally caught his breath: "Lord Hokage! Something terrible has happened in the Land of Fire!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi had a bad feeling again. He put his hands behind his back and said in a deep voice, "No need to rush, speak slowly."

"Chishou" continued rapidly, "On our way back to the village, the three of us passed through Tanzaku Street and found that the entire street was almost engulfed in flames. When we went inside, we found the ground littered with corpses! There were definitely no fewer than a hundred corpses!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression instantly turned serious.

Tansaku Street... This is a very famous den of iniquity in the Land of Fire, frequented by many powerful and wealthy people.

If something happens here, it will definitely affect those powerful and influential people.

This is indeed a big deal.

With barely concealed horror, Chishou continued, "After a brief investigation and questioning in Tanabata, we discovered that the perpetrator of all this bloody tragedy in Tanabata... was Uchiha Ikezumi!"

"Lord Hokage! Uchiha Ikezumi has massacred the entire Tanabata district! Too many people have died! Hundreds of corpses is just our initial estimate; we don't know the exact number."

Sarutobi Hiruzen: "???"

……

……

(End of this chapter)