Izumi emerged from the dried-up well, dragging the reeking bundle behind her. Step by step, she carefully laid it on the ground.
"If you feel like throwing up, just let it out," Uchiha Keizumi said, catching a glimpse of the girl's delicate features twisting in disgust. "The first time smelling corpse rot is always like this. Even battle-hardened shinobi who kill without batting an eye can't suppress the body's natural reaction."
Pale-faced, Izumi shook her head.
She didn't know how to explain it. She just instinctively felt that… she shouldn't show such disrespectful behavior in front of a child so pitiful.
Even if—
Even if the child had already been murdered.
Then, she watched as Uchiha Keizumi walked over and crouched down, carefully unwrapping the blanket.
Izumi's pupils trembled.
She turned her head away at once.
—And vomited.
She hadn't wanted to. Deep inside, she even felt an overwhelming sorrow. But the visceral wave of nausea overtook her entirely, and her breakfast came back up without warning.
"Look at her," said Uchiha Keizumi. "Don't avert your eyes."
Izumi wiped her mouth.
She turned back, her vision trembling slightly as it settled on the small body.
Still crouching, Uchiha Keizumi described what he saw: "There are no fewer than a dozen bruises from blunt-force trauma across her body. Her arms and legs were fractured multiple times. Several areas are mangled beyond recognition. There's blood at the nose, ears, and corners of her mouth. Her internal organs are likely severely damaged."
He stood up and added, "The fatal wound is the strangulation mark around her neck. She died in agony. Before she died, she endured at least an hour of torment."
Izumi murmured, stunned, "An hour… If she had cried for help during that hour, someone might've come to save her, right? There are neighbors around here too…"
Uchiha Keizumi replied simply, "The one who did this to her… was her biological father. And maybe, to her, he was the person she loved most."
Izumi froze.
"Uchiha Izumi."
"Huh? Present!!" she straightened up with a start.
Uchiha Keizumi locked eyes with her and asked slowly, word by word, "Do you still think that man deserves your pity?"
Izumi bit her lip, lowering her head.
"…I was wrong, senpai."
Uchiha Keizumi said, "What the Uchiha Police Force must do is eliminate this kind of 'evil' completely. Only by using absolute and thorough methods to carry out our justice can we suppress the sick and twisted winds corrupting the shinobi world."
"Bring both bodies back to the Police Force headquarters. Your performance today was unsatisfactory—but at least not bad enough for me to kill you. Tomorrow, meet me at Ichiraku Ramen."
Izumi shivered.
"Yes, senpai."
...
Uchiha Keizumi didn't return to the Uchiha Police Force headquarters with Izumi.
Instead, he made his way toward the very heart of Konoha's power—the Hokage Tower.
Upon arriving, he moved with practiced ease through the corridors until he stood before the door of the Hokage's office.
He gave a light knock. When a voice from inside called out, "Come in,"
Uchiha Keizumi pushed the door open and entered.
—His movements were so smooth and natural, it was clear he did this often.
"Keizumi…"
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked up and saw a young man with striking features—one of the most handsome even among the Uchiha. His black hair framed a face of quiet intensity.
Setting aside the documents in his hand, Hiruzen sighed. "I've lost count of how many times I've reminded you. You don't always need to resort to such iron-fisted methods. Enforcement should have strength, yes, but it should also carry warmth."
"The Great Ninja War has been over for years. This isn't some exceptional period of crisis. Everyone's looking forward to a peaceful future. The Uchiha's enforcement methods could stand to ease up a little."
He offered this advice earnestly, then asked, "So what caused such a big stir this time?"
Hiruzen didn't mention the complaints that had been filed against Uchiha Keizumi.
He knew full well Keizumi wouldn't care even if he did.
After all, he had watched this boy grow up with his own eyes—and once he realized how different Keizumi was from the rest of the Uchiha, Hiruzen had made a habit of speaking with him regularly.
He believed he understood Uchiha Keizumi quite well.
And yet, for reasons he couldn't quite explain, Hiruzen always felt a bit unsettled by the way Keizumi looked at him.
Hmm…
Must be his imagination, right?
Keizumi slowly shifted his faintly curious gaze away from the red square hovering above Hiruzen's head and met his eyes directly. "A Konoha civilian, Akiyama Jirō, lost a bet two days ago, came home drunk, and injured his own four-year-old daughter so severely that the child died. The victim's body is being brought back to the police force headquarters."
Hiruzen's brow furrowed. "A murder case…"
He didn't doubt Keizumi's words for a second.
Hiruzen exhaled slowly, then said patiently, "Keizumi, if something like this happens again, you should let the judicial documents of the Land of Fire serve as the instrument of justice."
"Your habit of taking matters into your own hands with excessive force has caused growing discontent. Sometimes… even I, as Hokage, struggle to suppress those voices."
Keizumi replied, his face devoid of expression, "Gentle laws only serve as tools that protect the wicked. Absolute justice is the only force that can sweep away all demons and monsters."
Hiruzen found himself momentarily at a loss for words.
He gave a bitter smile. Honestly, he had forgotten how many times he'd been left speechless by Keizumi's rebuttals.
"Hokage-sama."
Just before turning to leave, Keizumi added, "You were wrong about one thing. My law enforcement always carries warmth—just like the molten lava inside a volcano."
With that—
He didn't even bother to formally take his leave. He simply walked out.
Hiruzen: "…"
Warm like molten lava in a volcano? Doesn't that mean anyone who touches it… dies?
Wait!
Hiruzen suddenly remembered—there was something more important he had meant to ask Keizumi. He had wanted to discuss the increasingly intense rebellious sentiment growing within the Uchiha clan… and hear Keizumi's thoughts on it.
"…Forget it."
Hiruzen had a feeling it wouldn't be long before Uchiha Keizumi returned to the Hokage's office—for the very same reason.
…
After leaving the Hokage Tower, Uchiha Keizumi made a stop at the Uchiha Police Force headquarters.
Izumi wasn't there.
Suddenly, a curious voice called out from the side, "Keizumi, that new recruit you're supervising… that girl named Uchiha Izumi—is she still alive?"
Among the Uchiha clan, the girl Uchiha Izumi was fairly well-known.
She was the only half-blooded Uchiha—practically a rare specimen.
Keizumi glanced toward the speaker and saw that it was another member of the police force. The man's face seemed familiar, though Keizumi couldn't remember his name.
"Alive," he replied succinctly.
Somehow, those two simple words were enough to cause a stir. Many of the nearby police officers looked over in surprise.
A flurry of hushed whispers and murmurs spread through the area.
"Hey, no way—seriously? If I recall, Keizumi's had two trainees before. One of them got killed on the very first day for disobeying an order. The other… I heard he awakened his Sharingan on the first day but ended up developing severe mental illness because of it."
Clearly, this guy didn't have a solid understanding of their clan's hereditary mental health issues.
"Tsk, how rare! Could it be that the half-blooded Uchiha genin actually has that kind of strength of character?"
"She only survived today. Who knows—she might get killed tomorrow."
"Now that I think about it… Keizumi's even killed one of our own. Why hasn't the clan head done anything about such a vile act? He's still allowed to serve in the Police Force?"
"I heard that the Uchiha he killed was found to have done something unspeakable. But the clan head sealed the information. Only he and Keizumi know the full story."
"Tch. If he was trash, then he deserved to die. What's there to talk about?"
"…"
All the murmuring and gossip didn't elicit the slightest reaction from Keizumi.
He simply gave them a fleeting glance. His gaze briefly rested on the floating white boxes above each of their heads.
[Uchiha Kaede — In nine days, during the arrest of a thief, he will secretly pocket the stolen goods and submit a falsified report to the Police Force. Sin Level: White Name!]
[Uchiha Ren — In three days, she will enter into an illicit relationship with the husband of her colleague, Uchiha Momoya. Sin Level: White Name!]
[Uchiha Natsuki — In half a month…]
[…]
To Keizumi, most of the Uchiha Police Force—and in fact, most of Konoha's shinobi—were marked.
Only a very small portion of them bore no 'white' or 'red' labels above their heads.
So few, in fact, that they made up barely more than thirty percent of all shinobi in the village.
Still, [Absolute Justice] was not [Blind Justice]—nor was it some twisted belief in exterminating every last person in the shinobi world.
Even if he could foresee that someone would fall into darkness and commit evil acts at a future point in time, Keizumi wasn't so foolish as to snuff out their life before it even began.
His past experiences had taught him that future crimes weren't always set in stone. They could change—sometimes because of unexpected events.
And as for how he had come by such unusual experiences…
Well, mistakes are part of growing up.
Although Uchiha Keizumi remained entirely calm, the look in his eyes just moments ago had already silenced much of the chatter.
Bit by bit, the gossip died down.
Eventually, all the police force members around him fell quiet, unease flickering across their faces.
They didn't know why exactly…
But they all felt an odd prickling sensation—like something sharp was pressing into their backs.
As if… they were being watched.
"Ke—Keizumi-senpai!"
A girl's breathless voice called out from the distance, growing closer.
"I…"
"I brought the body back!"