Konoha: The Absolute Justice of the Uchiha

Chapter 99 The Dual Nature of Strength and Weakness in Uchiha Fugaku (5000 words)
As Asuma's voice fell, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire was completely stunned, his incredulous gaze fixed on the somber-faced Asuma.

—His most beloved second son died in Konoha Village, thousands of miles away! And he was murdered!

Asuma's words echoed in the mind of the Fire Country Daimyo.

The astonishment in his eyes visibly turned into a blank stare.

The daimyo of the Land of Fire suddenly swayed, startling Asuma, who immediately rushed forward and reached out to support him.

"Please accept my condolences, Your Excellency."

At this moment, Asuma returned those words to the daimyo of the Land of Fire.

Daiming's dazed state lasted for a full half minute.

When he finally came to his senses, his eyes were filled with intense anger and sorrow.

Daming's tightly clenched fists were so forceful that his fingertips turned white.

The veins bulging on his forehead trembled.

Her pampered and otherwise fair face turned completely red.

"Huh...huh..."

Daimyo breathed heavily, his sorrowful and gloomy gaze fixed on Asuma.

He gritted his teeth, trying not to lose his composure, and forced out the question, word by word: "What was the name of the person who killed Jiuzhu and Nanwu, as you just said?"

"Uchiha Ikezumi".

Asma replied.

“Uchiha Ikezumi… that name…” The daimyo of the Land of Fire seemed to have a memory stirred up: “I think I’ve heard of it before.”

Asuma explained, "He is indeed very famous, both in Konoha and throughout the ninja world. He is a ninja of the Uchiha clan and a genius with two bloodline limits. He made significant contributions during the Third Shinobi World War and earned his reputation."

"……I remembered."

The daimyo finally remembered and murmured, "Uchiha Ikezumi, is he a member of the Konoha Uchiha Police Force? I heard your Hokage mention him, saying that he is a Konoha ninja who upholds [absolute justice]."

Asuma was somewhat surprised, not expecting that this old man had actually mentioned Uchiha Ikezumi to the Daimyo.

But on second thought, it seems quite normal, after all, Uchiha Izumi is considered one of the top people in Konoha.

Moreover, Uchiha Izumi is too "controversial".

Whenever the topic of Konoha's current situation is discussed with the Daimyo, the conversation almost always revolves around Uchiha Ikezumi.

"Has the Hokage... already captured him?"

"I can't breathe properly," Daming asked wearily.

“…No.” Asuma explained, “That’s why I traveled all this way to personally inform you, Daimyo.”

The lord expressed his incomprehension: "Why not arrest them?"

Asuma said, "My old man probably thinks that a conflict with Uchiha Ikezumi would hurt a lot of people. Because taking that guy down would require paying a heavy price."

"The older the old man gets, the more indecisive he becomes, and often his methods are not as firm as they were when he was younger. In this situation, the old man probably doesn't know what choice to make."

"Since he's hesitating, I'll help him make the choice."

Asuma looked at the Daimyo and said, "I am not interested in the old man's position, nor am I interested in the internal strife of Konoha, but I care a lot about Konoha, the village that raised me."

"The longer someone like Uchiha Izumi stays in Konoha, the more chaotic Konoha will become. His 'absolute justice' will only cause people to die in Konoha every day, and a lot of people will die."

“Even my older brother, Sarutobi Shinnosuke, was killed by Uchiha Ikezumi under the pretext of ‘absolute justice.’ I never expected that the old man could tolerate even that.”

Asuma's somber words made the Fire Country Daimyo understand his "son-killer" even more.

He had already pictured in his mind a stern-faced person who acted recklessly under the guise of so-called "justice".

However, because the opponent was too powerful, even the Hokage of Konoha was forced to be restrained by him.

The daimyo of the Land of Fire took a deep breath, but could not calm his turbulent thoughts. He gritted his teeth and asked Asuma, "When that person killed Kyusuke... did he also use the so-called 'justice' as a pretext?"

"……Yes."

Asuma did not hide anything, nor did he embellish the story. He nodded and admitted, "In front of many people, he revealed some of the bad things that Lord Kyusuke had done."

The daimyo, suppressing his anger, asked, "Is it because of these things that he wanted to attack Kyusuke...?"

Asuma said, "Most likely."

"Why!?" The lord didn't understand. The anger he had been suppressing for so long finally broke down, and his unimaginable loss of composure caused his emotions to explode. His face turned red and looked somewhat ferocious.

“If he had killed civilians, I could understand! But the person he killed was my second son! One of my heirs! One of the most powerful and influential people in the Land of Fire! The powerful and influential people in the Land of Fire enjoy the right of immunity and amnesty, which is a new constitution that I added more than ten years ago!”

"As long as it's not treason, no matter what he does, Kyusuke has the right to be pardoned! Only I, the daimyo of the Land of Fire, have the right to punish him!"

"How could he, a ninja from the Uchiha Police Force of Konoha, not know the laws of the Land of Fire? What right did he have to kill Kyusuke! What right did he have to disregard the laws and regulations of the Land of Fire?"

"He wasn't even the chief of police! He was just an ordinary member of the police force!"

"Does he still care about the Land of Fire? Does he still care about Konoha? Does he still care about the Daimyo?"

"Huh...huh...huh..."

After a complete outburst of emotion, the Fire Country Daimyo sadly discovered that although his title was prestigious, he did not control the military power of the Fire Country.

The military power of the Land of Fire is controlled by the Hokage.

Even if he wanted to avenge his son, he had no one he could rely on.

Are you suggesting hiring a group of samurai to deal with a ninja?
What a joke!
"Asuma..." The Daimyo suddenly looked at Asuma again: "I... need your help this time."

Asuma's heart settled down. If even the Daimyo was as indecisive as the old man, then he would probably have to rely on his own strength to fight against Uchiha Ikezumi.

……

Konoha, the residence of the Uchiha clan.

Koharu Utatane's aged body trembled slightly. She knew before that Uchiha Ikezumi's methods of "executing justice" were extremely extreme. Those who were beaten up and imprisoned by him were considered extremely lucky; most people were simply killed.

Although Xiaochun, who used to switch dorms, had some complaints about this, she wouldn't ask too many questions, since those people really deserved what they got.

But when such a thing happened to a member of her own family, Koharu Utatane suddenly found it hard to accept.

She quickly went forward and soon saw a huge head lying on the ground not far from the headless corpse.

When Xiaochun turned to her new room, she recognized that youthful face.

That was indeed a junior member of the Tōshin clan, a blood relative of hers!
"Hiruzen... are you just going to stand by and watch him kill someone? He killed a junior in the Jonin Academy right in front of you, the Hokage, and you're just going to stand there and watch? Even if this kid did something wrong, is it necessary to kill him? The wrong he committed certainly doesn't warrant death!"

Koharu, gritting her teeth, turned around and questioned Hiruzen Sarutobi.

She had a vague impression of Ryuji Utatane; she remembered him as a sweet-talking junior who would always greet her respectfully when he saw her in the clan, and a talented junior as well.

Given time, even if Ryuji Utatane doesn't become an elite Jonin, he will at least be a Konoha Special Jonin like his father.

This polite and talented young man has now become a dismembered corpse.

Xiaochun felt a little dizzy after changing dorm rooms.

She doesn't understand!

"Lord Koharu, it's not appropriate for the Hokage to interfere." Just then, an Anbu ninja standing next to Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke up: "The wrongdoing that brat committed is far more serious than you imagine. Even if he isn't killed, according to the laws of the Land of Fire, he'll have to spend more than thirty years in Konoha prison."

Koharu Utatane's gaze locked onto the ANBU ninja who had spoken.

The other party was wearing a dark mask that concealed their face.

But that head of silver-white hair was too eye-catching.

—Copy Ninja Kakashi Hatake!

Hiruzen Sarutobi also looked at Kakashi in surprise. He hadn't expected that the usually taciturn Kakashi would actually offer an explanation for him, which gave Hiruzen Sarutobi some comfort.

Ever since Uchiha Izumi revealed that "Danzo plotted to force Sakumo Hatake to commit suicide through public opinion," Hiruzen Sarutobi had been worried that a rift might develop between him and Kakashi, the Hokage.

after all……

After Sakumo committed suicide, he did not use this as a reason to dismiss Danzo, who continued to serve as the leader of Root.

Now we hear Kakashi defending himself.

While Hiruzen Sarutobi breathed a sigh of relief, he also felt something was amiss... because from another perspective, if Kakashi was speaking up for Izumi and giving Koharu Utatane an explanation for why she chose to kill directly, it seemed plausible.
Just as Koharu's expression shifted between light and dark, Naruto's voice suddenly rang out: "Grandma, is that perverted murderer someone you know?"

kill……

A villain?!
Naruto gritted his teeth and said indignantly, "How could he not deserve to die? He broke into the home of a junior at the Ninja Academy who was several years younger than him and brutally murdered the entire family of four!"

"The bodies of that family of four are still in the morgue!" Naruto couldn't help but recall the horrific state of the corpses, which made his somewhat excited face turn slightly pale.

Xiaochun, who had just switched dorm rooms, stared wide-eyed.

"Dormitory transfer consultant, if you want to seek justice for a mentally disturbed child, you can come directly to me."

Uchiha Ikezumi said with a completely calm expression.

A single Koharu Uchiha might frighten the Uchiha clan head so much that he would worry every day that the higher-ups no longer trusted the Uchiha clan, but she couldn't put any pressure on Uchiha Ikezumi.

Turning to the next room, Xiaochun's old face turned pale and then red.

In this situation, she could no longer say anything more.

If we say anything more, we won't be able to stand on the highest moral ground.

She never expected that... the younger generation of the family, whom she remembered as being quite polite, would do such a thing!
His aggressive and confrontational questioning just now probably made him seem like a clown trying to amuse people on stage in the eyes of these Anbu and Uchiha ninjas.
Koharu Utatane had already noticed that some Uchiha clan ninjas were openly displaying mocking expressions.

That expression seemed to say—this is the higher-ups in Konoha?
Koharu was so angry she almost ground her teeth to powder!

"Hiruzen, Fugaku..." Koharu Utatane, filled with extreme frustration, practically spat out these words through clenched teeth: "I'll take Ryuji's body back to the Utatane clan... that shouldn't be a problem, right?"

Fugaku hesitated and asked, "Lord Koharu, shouldn't we send the body to the Yamanaka clan first to check its memories?"

"...No need!"

Koharu Utatane, her face dark, said to the Root ninja, "Take the body away!"

She didn't want to stay here a moment longer.

She felt that if she stayed in the Uchiha clan for even a second longer, not only would the Uchiha ninjas burst out laughing, but even the Anbu ninjas would probably lose their composure.

but.

Just as she was about to leave, Koharu Utatane paused in front of Hiruzen Sarutobi and asked in a low voice, only the two of them could hear, "How is Naruto Uzumaki?"

At that moment, Koharu Utatane noticed that Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression had suddenly become just as complex and fascinating as her own.

No need for Hiruzen Sarutobi to reply; Koharu Utatane already knew the answer.

Her face twitched, and her eyelids twitched wildly.

"Hiruzen, we can't let Uchiha Ikezumi continue to run rampant!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi said, "The important thing is to calm Naruto down first."

Besides...

It's too late; Naruto has already been too deeply affected.

The key point is that if it weren't for the heinous acts committed by that junior named "Ryuji Utatane" that gave Naruto such a huge psychological shock, Naruto probably wouldn't have accepted Izumi's concept of justice so quickly.

"Tsunematsu Ryuji" should bear at least 30% of the blame!
This is my thoughts.

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Koharu Utatane with a hint of resentment, not understanding how this girl managed to control her clansmen.

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

……

After Koharu Utatane left with the body, Naruto also temporarily bid farewell to Izumi Uchiha and left the Uchiha clan with Hiruzen Sarutobi. The other Anbu ninjas also dispersed.

"call……"

Fugaku let out a heavy sigh, the pool of scarlet blood on the ground a constant reminder of what had happened that day.

"Chiquan..."

Just as he was about to speak, he discovered that Uchiha Ikezumi had already walked dozens of meters away, leaving him only with his back view.

Fugaku fell silent.

"Fugaku!" Just then, a voice filled with barely suppressed anger rang out from the other side. Uchiha Setsuna, leading a group of radical Uchiha ninjas, stormed up in a rage.

Fugaku frowned.

As soon as Uchiha Setsuna arrived, he immediately questioned, "Your superiors have twice broken into the Uchiha clan's territory. As the clan head, didn't you do anything to them? Do you think the Uchiha clan is a place they can come and go as they please? What do they take us for?"

Fugaku was very tired.

He had exhausted himself trying to explain that the Uchiha clan truly had no designs on Jinchuriki, and only then did he regain a little of the Hokage's trust... He was completely worn out and just wanted to go home and rest.

Before they could even catch their breath, they had to face problems within the Uchiha clan.

Fugaku, expressionless, said, "Setsuna-senpai, isn't the Uchiha clan a part of Konoha? Since members of the Uchiha clan can walk on any street in Konoha, shouldn't other people in Konoha also be able to walk on the streets of the Uchiha compound?"

Faced with questions from the Hokage and Koharu Utatane, Fugaku could patiently explain in order to maintain a balance in their relationship.

But when facing a fellow Uchiha clansman like Uchiha Setsuna...

Fugaku's words became extremely harsh.

Uchiha Setsuna was momentarily speechless, then coldly snorted and changed the subject, saying, "Fugaku, your recent actions have become so weak that many clan members feel you are unfit to be the clan head! Under your leadership, the Uchiha clan will only decline further. After so many years as clan head, it's time for you to step down, Fugaku!"

Fugaku's eyes narrowed suddenly, and a group of mild-mannered Uchiha clan ninjas gradually moved closer to him.

However, in terms of numbers, Uchiha Setsuna's side ultimately had more people.

Frustrated by the Uchiha clan's gradual retreat, the rebellious ideas of the radical faction eventually gained dominance.

The atmosphere had unknowingly become somewhat tense.

……

However, the Uchiha clan was not only divided into those who sided with Uchiha Setsuna or those who sided with Uchiha Fugaku.

If the Uchiha clan could only be divided into two factions, then it wouldn't be the Uchiha clan; the Uchiha wouldn't be this "united."

now.

Three Uchiha police ninjas gazed at the two opposing sides from afar.

"Tch! Our Uchiha clan is truly hopeless... One of them is an old good-for-nothing with ambition but no ability. If he had any ability at all, he would have successfully staged a coup decades ago. How could he have been imprisoned by the Second Hokage for so many decades?"

"The other one... is someone who, despite holding the position of clan head, always sides with outsiders. You can't tell he's from the Uchiha clan at all. No wonder he raised a beast like Uchiha Itachi."

One of them, his face full of resentment and disdain, couldn't help but sneer, "They've put on this kind of show countless times, and in the end, nothing ever happens. They're just two good-for-nothings."

Another police ninja chimed in, "Playing these boring and childish political games with them is a waste of life. You'd be better off patrolling the village a couple more times."

"What do you guys think of Uchiha Ikezumi?" the last person suddenly asked.

"Uchiha Ikezumi? He's a pretty strong guy, but he doesn't seem easy to get along with. He killed his own comrades, and that incident caused quite a stir back then."

"But... if he's hard to get along with, how did that brat Uchiha Izumi survive under his thumb for so long? And his 'absolute justice' seems quite interesting."

"Absolute justice, huh? Indeed, it's at least more interesting than this boring game between these two groups."

……

……

(End of this chapter)