Chapter 109: Sasuke: I want to uphold [Justice]!
"If we were to punish villains according to the laws of the Land of Fire, the evil that runs rampant throughout the ninja world would never receive true justice."
A sudden voice interrupted the stubborn Koharu Utatane.
When Koharu Utatane frowned and turned her head, she saw a young Uchiha girl walking toward her with a hostile expression.
Koharu Utatane's frown deepened because she recognized Izumi.
This was that little follower of Uchiha Ikeizumi.
Izumi walked up to Koharu Utatane. In the past, this high-level Konoha advisor was a lofty and important figure in her eyes. Even the head of their Uchiha clan would show a friendly attitude toward Koharu Utatane.
But when she began to believe in [Absolute Justice] and gradually understood what kind of people the so-called Konoha higher-ups were, Izumi's perception of Koharu Utatane shattered instantly.
In her eyes, the other person was just a person with no great skills, who only knew how to criticize Ikeizumi-senpai.
"Ikeizumi-senpai once said that lenient laws are a form of abetting evil and a betrayal of innocent victims. And the laws of the Land of Fire are those kinds of lenient laws; they make it difficult for perpetrators to receive the punishment they deserve!"
Izumi said with a very serious expression, "Smuggling and selling illegal drugs, if judged by the laws of the Land of Fire… even if the amount is extremely large, more than a ton, it would probably only result in a prison sentence of around ten years or more, right?"
"If they pretend to be well-behaved in prison, they might not even need to serve a full ten years and could be released in five or six years."
"How many people have been killed by these illegal drugs? How many families have been destroyed? How many civilians have been deceived?"
"This lenient law itself is encouraging the evil of the ninja world!"
Koharu Utatane's eyes widened a bit.
It was a bit unbelievable that a little kid would openly challenge her, a Konoha advisor, in front of everyone.
After all, Izumi was only twelve years old this year.
Even Fugaku, who was not far away, didn't expect this to happen. A conflict between a member of the Uchiha clan and a Konoha advisor was a big deal. If he remained indifferent, the problem would only get bigger.
Fugaku immediately walked over and scolded, "Izumi, the moment the laws of the Land of Fire were established, all people of the Land of Fire should abide by them with peace of mind, not question them!"
"You and Ikeizumi are too obsessed with your so-called [Absolute Justice]. The purpose of the law is for the order and stability of the country, for peace and stability, not to cause more slaughter."
Fugaku's intervention made the grim expression on Koharu Utatane's face soften a little.
It seems that the unreasonable ones in the Uchiha clan are just these kids.
Fugaku, as a person in power, is still very sensible.
However, she didn't expect that Izumi, who was being scolded by Fugaku, would turn her head and point her anger at him: "If it weren't for Ikeizumi-senpai and me insisting on upholding [Absolute Justice], Shimura Danzo would still be alive, and many villains who have committed crimes would also still be alive. And the countless victims would never be able to rest in peace in the Underworld."
"Clan Head Fugaku, you, who have done nothing for the innocent victims, should not be so arrogant in judging [Absolute Justice]. Our position is different from yours. We care about the countless innocent people who are persecuted by evil in the ninja world."
"And all you care about is the Uchiha clan! No, you don't even care much about the Uchiha clan. All you care about is your so-called 'balance'!"
"If you cared about the Uchiha clan, knowing that Uchiha Itachi will cause the tragic night of annihilation in the future, shouldn't you have killed him for the greater good?"
"And your subsequent actions were clearly protecting Uchiha Itachi! Is that considered caring for the Uchiha clan?"
The reason Izumi was so emotional and indignant was entirely because these people had never approved of everything Ikeizumi-senpai had done.
Ikeizumi-senpai did nothing wrong. Ikeizumi-senpai is fighting for justice for the innocent and constantly purging the evil of the entire ninja world.
Yet, there is always a group of people who not only don't understand…
but also always say some nonsense that makes Izumi's blood pressure rise.
The Uchiha girl's rebellious teenage personality was triggered.
It caused her to pour out all the thoughts in her heart without holding back.
This even made Fugaku freeze for a moment.
I, the leader of the Uchiha clan, was just scolded by a twelve-year-old child?!
A look of displeasure flashed across Fugaku's brows. He felt that Izumi had been with Ikeizumi for too long and was too deeply influenced by him, to the point that she no longer respected him, the Uchiha clan head.
If Sasuke were to hang out with Ikeizumi, he couldn't even imagine what his second son would turn out like.
Just as Fugaku was about to say something, he suddenly noticed that everyone present was looking at the sea of fire in front of them. Fugaku vaguely sensed something and also looked over. Koharu Utatane next to him did the same.
"…Uchiha Ikeizumi!!!"
Koharu Utatane's voice suddenly rang out.
In front of everyone, a person walked out of the Shimura clan compound, which had been turned into a sea of lava and fire.
Neither the raging flames around him nor the surging lava beneath his feet could harm his body in the slightest!
"The entire Shimura clan combined couldn't even put a little pressure on him…" Fugaku muttered with emotion. Even though he knew the Shimura clan couldn't stop Ikeizumi, Ikeizumi was a little too relaxed.
"But…"
A hint of worry flashed in Fugaku's eyes. After personally witnessing an Uchiha clan member annihilate a ninja clan, what would Konoha's higher-ups think of the Uchiha clan?
His gaze couldn't help but glance at Koharu Utatane next to him.
When he saw Koharu Utatane's old face gradually become particularly gloomy and resistant, Fugaku's heart sank.
This is bad!
Ikeizumi's actions have still affected the Uchiha clan after all.
The higher-ups' perception of the Uchiha clan has dropped again!
Have all my efforts been for nothing again?
Fugaku clenched his fist, then released it. He was helpless and deeply disappointed. Why… can't Ikeizumi consider the hardships and difficulties of me, the clan head?
"Ikeizumi-senpai!!!" Izumi's loud call, with her hand raised high, was particularly eye-catching in such a setting.
Kijiro, with his cat tail held high, sauntered over to the girl's side.
"Meow, the Shimura clan without that old dog Danzo is nothing!" Kijiro sneered, "They actually wanted to assassinate Lord Ikeizumi? They wanted to challenge [Absolute Justice]? The moment they had evil thoughts toward [Justice], their fate was sealed to be purged by justice!"
Kijiro's words made Fugaku glance at him. Even a ninja cat could be influenced by Ikeizumi's [Absolute Justice] to this extent.
Why hadn't I noticed before that this black-and-white, extreme justice philosophy of [Absolute Justice] was so good at brainwashing people?
Fugaku felt even more uneasy.
If the other Uchiha clansmen were also influenced by Ikeizumi, how dangerous would the Uchiha clan become?
And…
In Itachi's eyes, the Uchiha who uphold [Absolute Justice] are probably the Uchiha who pose a great threat to Konoha, right? At that time, Itachi would probably make the future tragedy happen!
Fugaku's heart suddenly felt extremely heavy.
Inoichi Yamanaka looked at Uchiha Ikeizumi who had walked out. Under Shikaku Nara's astonished gaze, he actually took the initiative to walk up to him.
Inoichi Yamanaka, with his naturally serious face, forced a very normal smile: "Ikeizumi, do you need me to have the Yamanaka clan ninja go in and collect the bodies?"
Uchiha Ikeizumi nodded slightly and said, "There are a bit more villains who died today, around thirty of them. I'll trouble you with this."
Shikaku Nara rubbed the short beard on his chin and then thoughtfully looked at the "Konoha Sannin" in the distance.
Inoichi Yamanaka's initiative to walk up and greet him indeed surprised Hiruzen Sarutobi, Koharu Utatane, and Homura Mitokado.
Shikaku Nara keenly caught the astonished expressions on their faces.
"Inoichi… aren't you being a bit too open about it? Seriously, these three high-level advisors probably won't be able to sleep tonight."
Shikaku Nara smiled helplessly.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was indeed astonished by this scene. Although he knew that Uchiha Ikeizumi and the Yamanaka clan had a good relationship, after all, both sides had work-related interactions almost every day.
And during these years of cooperation, not a single member of the Yamanaka clan had been executed by Ikeizumi in the name of justice.
This showed that the Yamanaka clan was a very orderly ninja clan in Ikeizumi's eyes.
But he didn't expect their relationship to be this good.
At this critical moment of the Shimura clan's annihilation, Inoichi Yamanaka, the head of the Yamanaka clan, stepped up in front of everyone and took the initiative to have a positive interaction with Uchiha Ikeizumi.
The information contained within this was self-evident.
Inoichi was clearly openly supporting Uchiha Ikeizumi!
The Yamanaka clan isn't a Kekkei Genkai ninja clan. Do they really have that much of a problem with Danzo and the Shimura clan?—When this question popped into Hiruzen Sarutobi's mind, he suddenly fell silent, because he remembered the Yamanaka clan compound that had been turned into ruins.
The Yamanaka clan had almost been annihilated by Danzo!
In this situation, how could they not hate Danzo? How could they not hold a grudge against the Shimura clan?
So, is that why Inoichi is openly siding with Ikeizumi?
And he's doing it right in front of me, the Hokage?
A few complicated expressions flashed across Hiruzen Sarutobi's ever-changing face.
Just then,
he suddenly saw Fugaku's youngest son, Sasuke, suddenly walking toward Uchiha Ikeizumi.
Sasuke didn't know where he got the courage, but he somehow ended up standing in front of Uchiha Ikeizumi.
Although the scrapes and bruises on his body had been treated by the medical ninja, they were still a bit painful.
Sasuke's expression was a little uneasy, but he took a deep breath, tried his best to calm down, and bravely looked up and said, "I think I understand what [Justice] is. [Justice] is to protect innocent people from being maliciously harmed by others, and it is to use strong methods to deter those villains, right?"
"Maybe…" Sasuke's small hands were tightly clutching the corner of his torn shirt. He noticed that Uchiha Ikeizumi had lowered his eyes to look at him, and that indifferent gaze made him even more nervous.
"Maybe… what my brother, Uchiha Itachi, will do in the future falls into the category of a 'villain.' In other words, once he does that, you will kill him, right?"
Sasuke's questions were all very cautious.
They even carried a sense of humbleness, not expecting the other person to answer.
Sasuke, who had always been held to the most strict and demanding expectations by Fugaku, and who had always been compared to Uchiha Itachi by Fugaku, was not that strong and independent on the inside.
Even though he was the number one prodigy in his class, the sense of inferiority of not being as good as Uchiha Itachi had always existed.
"Yes." Uchiha Ikeizumi did not ignore him just because the other person was a seven-year-old kid.
But his answer was also very concise.
"To be more precise, I will kill him before he even acts," Uchiha Ikeizumi added indifferently, "When one realizes that evil is happening right in front of them, if justice isn't ahed of time to stop it, it will eventually become justice that is too late. In the eyes of many people, justice that is too late is not a form of justice at all sometimes."
"Then… Uchiha Sasuke," Uchiha Ikeizumi asked, "Are you going to stop me from killing your brother? Even after seeing in the genjutsu how he will treat the innocent Uchiha clansmen in the future, are you still going to consider your brotherly bond?"
Sasuke hurriedly shook his head. He gritted his teeth and said, "I have already said that I will not forgive him for that! But I also don't want to watch the danger approaching my mother."
He added, "And my father…"
Sasuke vaguely recalled how powerless he felt when he saw Uchiha Itachi slaughtering the Uchiha clan in the genjutsu.
He hated that helpless version of himself.
"So, I also want to stop him!" Sasuke's tone became more resolute. He had thrown away that cautious sense of inferiority. He said seriously, "I cannot let him fall into the abyss. What he is doing is wrong, and his thoughts are also wrong. He is very sick, and I want to wake him up! I want him to know that his family and clan members are also very important!"
Sasuke thought of Uchiha Izumi. This friend of Uchiha Itachi was not a very strong ninja in the past.
But ever since she started following Uchiha Ikeizumi, it was as if she had been reborn and became very powerful!
That night, she was even able to stand alone in front of Uchiha Itachi.
Today, she was even able to fight three Uchiha alone!
Sasuke believed that this must have something to do with Uchiha Ikeizumi.
Maybe, this is also the reason why that deadlast is following Uchiha Ikeizumi and happily calling him "Ikeizumi-sensei"!
Sasuke quickly continued, "I also want to follow you and uphold [Justice] just like the deadlast! Because I am sure I can learn many things from you that I can't learn in the ninja academy, and I am sure I can gain the great power from you that I can't get in the ninja academy!"
Sasuke's voice, filled with courage, was so loud that it made Naruto's eyes widen and Izumi's face show surprise…
It almost made Uchiha Fugaku, who was not far away, choke on his breath.
What did I just hear?
Sasuke, in front of so many important people, openly said that he wanted to follow Uchiha Ikeizumi, who had just annihilated the Shimura clan?
Fugaku felt his hands itching. He instinctively looked around, trying to find a handy tool.
Until he heard Uchiha Ikeizumi say indifferently, "I refuse."
The unexpected answer made Sasuke freeze on the spot.
Naruto loudly said "Huh?" and looked left and right in a panic, not knowing what to do for a moment.
Izumi was stunned for a moment, then began to ponder.
Fugaku immediately let out a sigh of relief… At this moment, he actually felt a little grateful to Ikeizumi!
He didn't expect that the overly eccentric Ikeizumi would actually consider him and Uchiha Sasuke this one time.
After all…
Sasuke, his second son, choosing to follow Uchiha Ikeizumi, who had annihilated the Shimura clan, might indeed just be Sasuke's own will, and not have much to do with Uchiha Fugaku.
But Fugaku believed that others wouldn't think that way, especially someone as suspicious as Koharu Utatane.
They would only think that Sasuke's actions were done under his instruction.
That would be a big problem!
"Wh-why…" Sasuke's voice trembled slightly. He was stiff, with his neck held straight. He felt that if he was just a little bit more vulnerable, he might start crying.
Uchiha Ikeizumi asked, "Are you upholding [Justice] to stop Uchiha Itachi? Or are you upholding it to shoulder the responsibilities and duties of [Justice]? Have you asked yourself these two questions?"
"If you succeed in stopping Uchiha Itachi, what will you do then? Wait for your graduation and become an excellent Konoha ninja? Or take over your father's legacy and become the clan head? Or do you want to become the future Hokage of Konoha?"
One question after another sent Sasuke into a mental whirlwind.
Sasuke tried to imagine what he would do after stopping his brother.
Become an excellent Konoha ninja? Inherit his father's legacy? Become the Hokage of Konoha?
If it were in the past, Sasuke would have thought all three were pretty good.
But…
The acrid smell of sulfur in the air gradually sobered Sasuke up.
Sasuke looked at the Shimura clan compound that had been razed to the ground.
He recalled the three Uchiha ninja who were bathing in lava.
He remembered the illegal drug dealer who died at Uchiha Ikeizumi's hands.
He recalled Uchiha Itachi's extremely absurd future crimes and his stubborn and extreme personality.
Then he remembered his mother's tearful and disappointed eyes.
His small face was pale, and his lips were tightly pursed. Although his courage had completely dissipated, he still insisted and said, "Even if I become an excellent ninja, even if I become the Uchiha clan head, even if I become the Hokage of Konoha, it won't fundamentally change any of this, will it?"
"Ah…"
The chaotic thoughts in Sasuke's mind suddenly formed a single line. A bit of light gradually appeared in his confused and lost eyes.
"I… actually want to change this current situation! If there is no longer the 'evil' that you speak of in the ninja world, wouldn't everything be better? Would there be no Uchiha night of annihilation? Would no innocent people be killed maliciously?"
Sasuke finally said what he had wanted to say all along but had been unable to properly express.
"Is this… considered… [Justice]?"
Sasuke was no longer very confident.
"Yes." Uchiha Ikeizumi's single word made Sasuke's face change from disappointment to joy, but it made Fugaku's face instantly stiffen.
This is bad!
How did my least favored son's brain suddenly start working so well?
....
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