Konoha: The Absolute Justice of the Uchiha

Chapter 95 Naruto: "Grandpa Hokage is a bad guy???" (5000 words)
In Hiruzen Sarutobi's mind, the word "justice" was almost inextricably linked to Izumi Uchiha.

After hearing Naruto's rather emotional speech...

Hiruzen Sarutobi realized he was too late.

He also realized exactly what Ichi Izumi wanted to do to Naruto.

Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't quite describe his current feelings; there was shock, anger, regret... but one thing he was certain of was that he absolutely could not let Naruto believe in any kind of justice!
Especially Uchiha Ikezumi's absolute justice!
He forced a stiff smile across his old face and said earnestly to Naruto, "Naruto, leave the investigation of murderers to the Konoha police force. It's their duty, and they will get to the bottom of it."

"You're still young, just a child. You've only been at the ninja academy for less than two months. This adult world isn't something you can get involved in right now. We'll talk about it when you're older."

"But..." Just as Naruto was about to say something.

A strange, shrill voice suddenly interrupted: "How come you only realize a seven-year-old is a child at a time like this, meow?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned and glanced over, then paused for a moment before realizing that the speaker was actually a ninja cat.

This orange ninja cat...

It seems to be from Chiquan.

Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly had a bad feeling.

"Meow, that Uchiha Itachi was thrown onto the battlefield of the Fourth Shinobi World War when he was only four years old. Why didn't anyone say that kid that age was a child back then?"

Tachibana Jiro's cat-like face was full of disdain as he openly mocked.

"Naruto Uzumaki was already seven years old, three years older than Itachi Uchiha at the time. Just because he wanted to follow Lord Izumi to carry out justice, you say he's too young?"

"Your thoughts are so clear that even a ninja cat like me can see right through you! Humans are really good at scheming, meow!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen: "..."

He never imagined that one day he would be mocked by a ninja cat.

But for the Third Hokage to get angry with a cat... that would be too embarrassing!
The key issue is that he doesn't know how to refute it. Should he openly say that Naruto is a Jinchuriki?

No.

This secret cannot be told to Naruto, at least not now.

He's still too young.

Uchiha Izumi said indifferently, "Naruto Uzumaki, make the choice in your heart. Don't worry about anything. Even if your choice goes against my expectations, I won't kill you. But if your choice is the same as my expectations, they can't take you away."

These words made Koharu Utatane's eyes widen. She clenched her fists and squeezed out a sentence, one word at a time: "Uchiha Ikezumi, do you know what you're doing right now!?"

This was Koharu's first time meeting Uchiha Ikezumi face-to-face and up close.

This was also the first time she realized how tough this guy was and how little he cared about the higher-ups in Konoha.

She finally understood just how much frustration and anger Hiruzen Sarutobi usually suppressed when facing Ikezumi.

Some understood why Danzo wanted to kill Uchiha Ikezumi.

Although there are many troublemakers in the Uchiha clan.

But he dared to say that in front of so many Anbu members, in front of the Hokage, and in front of her, a high-ranking advisor.

Uchiha Ikezumi is absolutely number one!
Koharu Utatane was already having the urge to order the Anbu and Root ninjas to capture Izumi Uchiha.

“Uchiha Ikezumi, you…” Just as Koharu Utatane was about to say—you have no right to force Naruto Uzumaki to make a choice.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was standing nearby, suddenly said, "Naruto, I know that your dream is to gain the recognition of everyone in the village and to become the future Hokage of Konoha. You need to make the right choice. Because if you make the wrong choice, it will be very difficult for everyone in the village to accept you."

“As for Ikezumi…” Hiruzen Sarutobi said, “Although he did a lot for Konoha, his methods were too extreme and too thorough. He never gained the approval of most people from beginning to end.”

"Naruto, this goes against your dream."

Hiruzen Sarutobi no longer held back; in front of Izumi Uchiha, he made Izumi cricket in front of Naruto.

Upon hearing this, Quan immediately frowned.

She mumbled as she wrote Hiruzen Sarutobi's name in her notebook, writing so hard that she even tore the paper.

"But……"

To Hiruzen Sarutobi's astonishment, he saw Naruto's eyes visibly redden, and tears slowly streaming down his moist face.

"Grandpa Hokage..."

Naruto struggled to wipe away his uncontrollable tears. His head was bowed, and he choked out, his voice heavy with emotion, "You never imagined I could gain the approval of everyone in the village..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi was stunned.

"Everyone in the village says I'm a fox spirit in disguise. Whenever they see me, they feel like they've had the worst luck of the day. These are all rumors spread by that guy named Shimura Danzo, right?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's pupils dilated.

"Grandpa Hokage knows about this... Grandpa Hokage also knows who the mastermind is who made me disliked by everyone. But why is Grandpa Hokage protecting that person?"

"Grandpa Hokage doesn't let everyone know the truth... isn't that just making everyone in the village believe even more that I'm the 'incarnation of the demon fox'?"

"Why can't I tell them—that the nine-tailed fox was sealed inside me without my knowledge?"

The moment Naruto uttered that question.

It wasn't just Hiruzen Sarutobi who reacted subtly; even Koharu Utatane looked at Naruto with disbelief.

Uzumaki Naruto...

How did he know that the nine-tailed fox was sealed inside his body?
Who told him?
Uchiha Ikezumi?
"The pain and disaster that Konoha suffered on the night of the Nine-Tails' attack had nothing to do with me... Why do people in the village despise me and isolate me because of those rumors? Why can't the Hokage explain things to me? Why are people in the village misunderstanding me so much?"

"Grandpa Hokage..."

"I don't know."

Naruto's tears slid down his cheeks. The seven-year-old couldn't organize his thoughts into coherent sentences, so he could only rely on his instinctive frustration to keep questioning Hiruzen Sarutobi.

He did not show any anger towards Hiruzen Sarutobi because he knew that his grandfather, the Hokage, had indeed been very kind to him.

Naruto felt extremely wronged, extremely confused, and endlessly perplexed.

"Grandpa Hokage, I'm sorry..."

"I... I just want to do one thing well. I can't go back with you for now, but I need to find that murderer and make sure the four victims can die in peace. Only then will I go back with you, Grandpa Hokage."

Naruto made his choice.

He also provided an answer.

……

Seeing Naruto so upset that tears were streaming down his face, Hiruzen Sarutobi was speechless. Naruto knowing all this was probably inextricably linked to Izumi, wasn't it?

Logically speaking, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt he should be angry, especially angry at Izumi Uchiha.

Doesn't Chi Quan know how much of a shock it would cause Naruto if he told him the truth about what happened back then?
Chi Quan must know!
But he still told Naruto this. Was his purpose to make Naruto believe in his "absolute justice"?
however……

Seeing Naruto constantly wiping away his tears, Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't know why, but he felt a surge of anger welling up inside him.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something to the child, but for a moment he didn't know what to say to make up for Naruto's disappointment in him as "Grandpa Hokage".

"Naruto Uzumaki, stop fooling around!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi remained silent, but Koharu Utatane spoke up with a dark expression. She said, "You have no right to make a choice. Cases involving the police force are not something you can get involved in. Even if Izumi Uchiha forces you to make a choice, it won't do you any good, right, Fugaku?"

"……Correct."

Fugaku took a deep breath and said, "Naruto Uzumaki, you may not know me. I am the Captain-Commander of the Uchiha Police Department—Fugaku Uchiha. You need my permission to participate in cases handled by the police department."

"My answer is that I disagree with your nonsense with Chi Quan! At your age, you should be studying properly at the Ninja Academy."

Naruto was stunned for a moment.

Koharu Utatane's dark expression finally eased somewhat, at least confirming that Fugaku Uchiha was temporarily on Konoha's side.

She immediately gave a wink to a Root ninja.

Koharu Utatane is indeed temporarily taking over Danzo's position.

On the surface, she is in charge of the Root organization.

However, now only a handful of Root members remain, as most of them died at the hands of Uchiha Izumi.

This forced Koharu Utatane, who was taking over Root, to recruit some ninjas from the Utatane clan to fill in at Root. Koharu's subtle signal immediately conveyed her meaning to the Root ninja.

He immediately stepped forward, trying to forcibly pull Naruto away. Naruto, startled, took a half-step back and instinctively bared his teeth at him.

A sudden surge of irritability and anger arose in Naruto's heart, which even he found somewhat inexplicable.

next second.

Suddenly, a hand reached out and grabbed the Root ninja's hand.

Koharu was about to get angry but froze, and Fugaku Uchiha had the exact same reaction.

Uchiha Ikezumi's reaction was completely different. He didn't look at the hand that suddenly reached out, but stared at Naruto's small back.

He narrowed his eyes and keenly noticed that the hair on the back of Naruto's head was slowly moving without any wind!

This made Uchiha Ikezumi seem thoughtful.

"...Grandpa Hokage?" Naruto, who thought he was about to be forcibly taken away, looked up at Hiruzen Sarutobi in surprise, his face streaked with tears.

"...Hiruzen?!" Koharu Utatane's shock was evident on her face; this was a situation she had not anticipated at all.

"Hokage-sama?" Fugaku was also stunned for a moment, because he clearly saw that the hand that was grabbing the Root ninja's arm was none other than the Hokage-sama's right hand!

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Hiruzen Sarutobi remained silent for a long time.

He let go of Naruto's hand, squatted down, and reached out his hand towards Naruto.

Naruto hesitated for a moment.

But they didn't dodge.

Hiruzen Sarutobi gently stroked Naruto's hair.

He forced a smile and said slowly, "Naruto, I can temporarily set aside some official business today and join you in seeking justice for the innocent victims killed by murderers."

"Grandpa Hokage..." Naruto felt that the inexplicable irritability and anger in his heart seemed to dissipate somewhat.

"Hiruzen, what are you doing?!"

Koharu, the girl in the Utatane room, was a little confused about Hiruzen Sarutobi's thought process. She quickly said, "Naruto Uzumaki, he..."

But Xiaochun hadn't finished speaking when she was asked to switch dorms.

He was abruptly interrupted by Hiruzen Sarutobi: "Naruto is willing to use this method to gain the approval of everyone in the village, which is a good thing. Koharu, let's put this matter aside for now. You can take your Root ninjas and go back first."

Koharu, who switched dorm rooms: "???"

Just as she was starting to have a hard time processing what was happening, Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly stood up.

For some reason, Koharu Utatane noticed that Hiruzen seemed to have breathed a slight sigh of relief.

She saw Hiruzen Sarutobi turn to face her, his mouth opening and closing silently.

Koharu's pupils contracted slightly, because she understood lip reading—Naruto almost went berserk!!!
Xiaochun, who had just turned to her new room, gasped in shock.

He looked at Naruto in disbelief as he became well-behaved again.

He couldn't help but look at Uchiha Ikezumi with an incredulous gaze.

If a Jinchuriki could almost go berserk, then Naruto's emotional fluctuations just now must have reached their peak, right?
When Naruto was crying and complaining earlier, although he was very emotional, he didn't show any signs of going berserk. So why did he almost go berserk just because they tried to forcibly take him away?
What exactly did Uchiha Izumi say to Uzumaki Naruto?
Is such extreme "absolute justice" really that appealing?

These two haven't even had much time to interact, have they? Is Naruto already so eager for "justice"?
Xiaochun doesn't understand why she switched dorms!!!
Let alone Koharu Utatane, even Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't understand it. He even wondered if Naruto was under a genjutsu.

Did Izumi use his kaleidoscope to control the Jinchūriki?

Of course, this doubt was dispelled after only a second.

Even though Hiruzen Sarutobi's views on Izumi Uchiha are now completely opposite to those of the past.

However, one point of view remains unchanged.

That is—Chi Quan never does anything roundabout. If he really used the Mangekyou Sharingan to control Naruto, Chi Quan would even tell him on his own.

Faced with Naruto's potential for going berserk, Hiruzen Sarutobi had no choice but to yield to him at this moment.

Hiruzen Sarutobi harbored a thought deep within him that he didn't want to admit: this was also a compromise with Izumi Uchiha.

……

Fugaku: “…”

Fugaku found himself unable to get a word in edgewise.

Just a minute ago, he had firmly stood on the Hokage's side and resolutely rejected Naruto's "nonsense," wanting to let the Hokage and Koharu know that the Uchiha clan really had no designs on Jinchuriki.

If we can use this kind of pressure to suppress Uchiha Izumi, then we'll kill two birds with one stone.

This will at least allow Chi Quan to take a short break during this period.

But who would have thought.

He himself had acted very tough in front of Ike, and even launched a heavy attack on his own clansmen to prevent the Uchiha clan from being misunderstood by the higher-ups... but it was the Hokage who was the first to "surrender" and "weaken".

Fugaku couldn't help but look at Koharu Utatane.

However, they discovered that this high-ranking advisor from Konoha, who had previously been constantly arguing with Chi Quan and appeared extremely tough, now only gave Chi Quan a deep look.

Then, following the Hokage's orders, he led the Root ninjas away, leaving only a group of Anbu ninjas behind.

Fugaku: "???"

no……

Hiruzen Sarutobi "compromised," and Koharu Utatane "left."

So what should I do now that I'm so "tough"?

Fugaku found himself in an awkward situation!
He didn't know whether he should be thankful that there were no extra police ninjas in the morgue besides himself and Chi Quan.

otherwise.

The last vestige of his prestige as the Uchiha clan leader within the clan had completely vanished.

When Fugaku shifted his stiff gaze to Uchiha Ikezumi, he found that Ikezumi hadn't seized on that weakness to attack him.

He always felt that Chi Quan never even looked at him properly!
……

"Um..." Naruto was unaware of the turbulent thoughts running through everyone's minds. After wiping away his tears, he excitedly told Uchiha Ikezumi, "Grandpa Hokage has agreed to let me stay and search for the murderer for now! And Grandpa Hokage will even be with us to uphold justice!"

Uchiha Izumi coldly replied, "If you are willing to embrace justice, then you should feel ashamed of this."

Naruto was immediately stunned.

Uchiha Ikezumi said, "It's because 'evil' realized that you possess power that it cannot control, so it had no choice but to reluctantly compromise with justice, and put on a disgusting veneer of justice, saying that it would carry out justice with you."

"Conversely, this also means that if justice does not have enough power, evil will not even bother to put on the guise of justice. It will trample on justice wantonly."

Sarutobi Hiruzen: "???"

Although no names were mentioned, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt that Ikezumi was talking about him, and that he felt that he, as the Hokage, was "evil"!
Naruto, who was a little confused, took quite a while to understand.

He exclaimed in shock, "Grandpa Hokage is a bad guy???"

Naruto is good at grasping the key points.

Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly felt his blood pressure spike; he found Naruto's "biasedness" unbelievable.

To appease you, I compromised and comforted you. I practically risked my reputation to finally regain your trust in me.

But if we change the character to Chi Quan...

You believed him after just a few words?!
"Naruto, you've misunderstood. Ikezumi wasn't talking about me."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's usually kind face appeared unusually stiff as he said to Naruto, "As the Hokage of Konoha, I inherited the finest Will of Fire from Konoha. How could I possibly be a bad person?"

“He didn’t misunderstand.” Uchiha Izumi’s brief sentence silenced Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was trying to utter another word.

……

……

(End of this chapter)