Izumi carried both the perpetrator's and the victim's corpses back all by herself. Along the way, she had no idea how many people cast her strange looks, making her so embarrassed that she kept her head down the entire time.
Fortunately, no one seemed to misunderstand her. Perhaps the Uchiha Police Force uniform she wore helped her avoid unnecessary trouble.
By the time she finally mustered the courage to return to the Uchiha Police Force headquarters—
By the time she saw Keizumi-senpai again—
The tension that had been stretched tight inside her finally eased a little.
But…
She soon noticed that many of the veterans in the Uchiha Police Force were all staring at her with varying expressions.
That same feeling—being looked at like some rare and curious creature—was something Izumi had felt once before.
And just like before, the nervousness crept back in.
"Leave the bodies here. Someone will take care of them," Keizumi said coldly. "Now come with me to see the clan head."
Despite the icy tone, those words brought Izumi a surprising sense of reassurance. She actually felt safe.
That inexplicable tension melted away a good deal.
It felt like she finally had someone reliable to lean on.
"Yes, Senpai!!"
Izumi responded promptly.
As Uchiha Keizumi walked into the police headquarters building, he didn't even glance back when he asked the black-haired girl following him: "As a member of the Uchiha Police Force, if you encounter an ordinary civilian resisting arrest during law enforcement, what should you do?"
Is this…?
Is Keizumi-senpai testing me on theory?
Izumi felt a boost of confidence.
To get into the Uchiha Police Force, she had spent a whole month memorizing the entire Code of Conduct manual by heart—every single word.
She had earned the right to take the recruitment exam fair and square, and she had passed the written test—
With a perfect score, no less!
She clearly remembered what the manual said: when enforcing the law, if a civilian resists arrest, the response should be proportionate to the severity of the resistance.
Put simply: if the resistance is mild, use gentle restraint; if the resistance is more aggressive, a little force may be applied—but at most, it should only be enough to knock the suspect flat on their face.
After all, the suspect is just a civilian.
Not a dangerous shinobi.
"First, attempt to subdue them using gentler—" Izumi began reciting the textbook response.
But she stopped halfway through.
Because she suddenly remembered how Keizumi-senpai had handled that short man earlier today when he tried to run during an arrest…
It was nothing like what the manual described.
Izumi swallowed her words. She had a feeling that Keizumi-senpai wasn't the type to follow the rules by the book. So she changed her answer, nervously saying, "Maybe… use slightly more forceful measures?"
Just then, Uchiha Keizumi paused his steps—they had arrived at Uchiha Fugaku's office inside the headquarters.
Keizumi said flatly, "Rookie, I hope that wasn't just flattery. Remember, 'Absolute Justice' stems from absolute enforcement. And in different eras, enforcement must adapt accordingly."
"Right now… is the time when the shinobi world is most deeply plagued by 'evil.' In chaotic times, harsh measures are necessary. Even if the 'evil' we face is weak, we must strike it down without mercy."
So…
So I got the answer right?
Even though it wasn't the standard textbook answer…
Still…
Izumi couldn't help but think Keizumi-senpai's view was a bit extreme. She herself believed that the Warring Era had long ended. The Third Great Ninja War had been over for years, and even the Nine-Tails incident had passed several years ago.
Sure, the shinobi world still had some friction now and then, but it wasn't chaotic anymore, was it?
At the very least—
From the Uchiha clan's perspective, weren't things looking up? Wasn't life getting better and better?
Keizumi-senpai might be a little too pessimistic…
Of course.
These thoughts stayed strictly inside her head. There was no way she'd ever dare say them aloud.
[Knock! Knock! Knock!]
The knock on the door interrupted Izumi's thoughts. When a calm and commanding voice from inside said, "Come in," Uchiha Keizumi pushed open the door and entered with the slightly nervous girl in tow.
"Keizumi? And... Uchiha Izumi?" Fugaku was briefly surprised.
"You explain it," Uchiha Keizumi said casually, then plopped down into a chair. Crossing one leg over the other, he began absentmindedly rubbing the already-polished armrest with clear boredom.
"Ah?"
It wasn't until Fugaku's gaze landed on her that Izumi realized Keizumi-senpai had meant her.
And surprisingly, the clan head didn't seem bothered by Keizumi-senpai's lack of manners.
He hadn't even greeted the clan head properly!
Could there be some kind of tension between them?
That thought flashed through her mind, but she quickly pushed it aside and began: "Fugaku-sama, today I was with Keizumi-senpai, and we…"
And so—
Izumi had no choice but to recount everything that had happened in full detail.
As she spoke, Fugaku's brow furrowed deeper and deeper, eventually forming an expression nearly identical to the Third Hokage's.
"Keizumi, your methods are a bit too extreme." Fugaku sighed. His tone turned serious, his voice low and firm. "It's precisely because of actions like this that the village continues to distrust the Uchiha. I know you believe in justice—I know you have your own interpretation of it—but justice must also take timing and context into account."
"You must realize by now… the village has grown increasingly distant from the Uchiha. We've already been forced to relocate to the outskirts, with no room left to retreat. At this point, we have to take some steps to repair our reputation."
"But if you keep doing things like this…"
Fugaku looked at the young Uchiha jōnin before him and felt a dull headache creeping in.
He recognized Keizumi's talent—he had awakened the three-tomoe Sharingan at an early age and even possessed the rare Lava Release, making him the only dual kekkei genkai wielder in the entire Uchiha clan.
Perhaps, one day, this child might even awaken the legendary Mangekyō Sharingan.
He could become another pillar of strength for the clan.
But…
This outstanding Uchiha's ideals clashed starkly with Fugaku's own.
No—
Uchiha Keizumi's concept of absolute justice clashed with the ideals of the entire Uchiha clan.
Whether it was the hawkish faction that advocated for a direct confrontation with the village—even pushing for a coup under Fugaku's leadership—
Or the dovish faction that sought negotiations with the village elders, hoping for a peaceful resolution—
Neither side could find common ground with Keizumi.
Because Keizumi's sense of justice didn't stand with the Uchiha.
It stood with his own sense of 'truth', with his own belief in 'justice'.
Within the Uchiha, he was his own faction.
That was why he always stood alone.
That was why he never fit in.
Uchiha Keizumi raised his eyelids and met the gaze of the infamous 'Wicked Eye Fugaku'. He said, "So you want me to exercise a bit of discretion, compromise when necessary in the name of justice, and ease tensions with the village, is that it?"
"There's no need to put it so bluntly," Fugaku replied.
But he didn't deny it either.
"My methods won't change," Keizumi said. "Instead of wasting time asking me to tone things down, maybe you should focus on keeping that beast of a son in check. Have him see a psychologist—seriously, it might be necessary."
Without waiting for a response, Keizumi turned and walked out.
Fugaku's expression stiffened.
To speak of a man's child that way, right in front of him…
Even someone like Uchiha Fugaku couldn't suppress a flicker of anger.
And yet—
This wasn't the first time. For some reason, Uchiha Keizumi had always taken issue with Itachi.
He had even attacked Itachi once. If Shisui hadn't been there to stop him, something might've happened.
Fugaku sat silently, eyes locked on Keizumi's departing figure.
Meanwhile, Izumi looked around, completely bewildered.
She could feel the tension in the room—could feel Fugaku-sama's tightly restrained fury.
She even caught a glimpse of the clan head's clenched fists.
She had no idea why Keizumi-senpai was so hostile toward the clan head's son.
Wait a minute—
The clan head's son... wasn't that Itachi and Sasuke?
Izumi was stunned all over again.
It seemed she had chosen a very dangerous examiner.
Her future… looked grim.