Chapter 110: Uchiha Itachi: I will save Konoha in my own way
In Fugaku's eyes, Uchiha Sasuke would never be as good as Uchiha Itachi, not in talent, comprehension, or character.
Earlier, when Uchiha Ikeizumi refused Sasuke on the grounds that "Sasuke does not understand justice," Fugaku was relieved but also a little disappointed.
Sure enough, even Ikeizumi thinks Sasuke is not good enough. It seems Sasuke is indeed not even one percent as good as Itachi.
But who would have thought…
Sasuke, stimulated by Ikeizumi's rejection, suddenly had a breakthrough!
His slow comprehension inexplicably became sharp, and he actually grasped one of the core concepts of [Justice]!
At this moment,
Fugaku already had the worst premonition, and it was quickly confirmed. He heard Uchiha Ikeizumi say, "Remember every word you just said and never forget your current understanding of [Justice]. This ninja world should not be like this. The root of everything is the distorted and sick ninja world, which breeds a lot of horrifying evil."
"[Absolute Justice] is about purging this evil one by one. To do so, even if it costs your life, you must be willing to pay the price. Uchiha Sasuke, you said you want to believe in justice. Do you have the resolve to pay with your life for justice? Do you have the resolve to shoulder the responsibilities and duties required for justice?"
"Yes! Yes!" Sasuke answered Uchiha Ikeizumi's two questions with a resolute tone, gritting his teeth.
Uchiha Ikeizumi said, "You can also follow me from now on."
As Sasuke's face lit up with ecstasy, Uchiha Ikeizumi said indifferently, "I hope your justice will have a good score in my eyes."
"…A score?" Sasuke was stunned.
Justice has a score?!
Izumi, on the side, helped explain, "Sasuke-kun, Ikeizumi-senpai will rate you at all times based on your performance. The perfect score is one thousand points. Only by achieving a perfect score can your justice be considered passing in Senpai's eyes."
"But…"
Izumi's tone changed, and she added, "If you get a negative score, Sasuke-kun might lose his life. It's not impossible."
Sasuke: "!!!"
Lose his life?!
"Meow, because a negative score in Lord Ikeizumi's eyes means that you, who chose to believe in justice, have done something that goes against justice. The consequences of betraying justice are very serious, meow."
Kijiro jumped onto Sasuke's small shoulder, and the exaggerated weight almost made Sasuke fall to the ground.
Kijiro poked Sasuke's somewhat disheveled little face with his cat paw.
He continued, "There were once two young Uchiha Police Force members who became apprentice students under Lord Ikeizumi. One of them got a negative score for his justice in Lord Ikeizumi's eyes, and then Lord Ikeizumi personally killed him."
"Kid, if you're scared, you can still back out now. There's still time."
Sasuke was indeed sweating a little. This seemed even more serious than violating the Uchiha clan rules.
But…
Uchiha Itachi's increasingly unfamiliar face flashed through Sasuke's mind, and the bloody scenes of the night of annihilation from the genjutsu quickly flashed through his mind like a slideshow.
He couldn't help but look at his father. His father's stern face was full of resistance and rejection.
The other person seemed to be signaling with his eyes for him to refuse immediately.
Father doesn't want me to believe in [Justice].
But…
If he didn't find a way to become stronger, if he didn't have the resolve to change all of this, if he waited for the future tragedy to happen like his father did… that was not the future he, Uchiha Sasuke, wanted to wait for!
Even a deadlast like Naruto Uzumaki wasn't afraid of being judged as having a "negative score for justice" in front of Uchiha Ikeizumi.
How could I be afraid?!
I am a proud Uchiha!
"I… have no regrets!"
"And I don't want to back out!"
Sasuke forced himself not to make eye contact with his father. When he looked away, the corner of his eye seemed to catch a glimpse of his father's eyes, suddenly revealing a deep sense of disappointment.
"Fugaku, this is quite a show. The Uchiha clan of Absolute Justice has really found a new way out for the Uchiha."
Koharu Utatane's sarcastic voice echoed.
This made Fugaku's pupils constrict slightly.
"Advisor Koharu…" Just as Fugaku's heart tightened and he was about to defend himself, he saw the other person with a gloomy old face and her hands behind her back, turning and leaving.
Homura Mitokado's voice sounded on the other side: "Koharu is just angry at Uchiha Ikeizumi's actions, but because he is in the right, she can't argue with him for the time being, so she is in a bad mood. You don't have to take her words to heart, Fugaku."
He looked up slightly and said to Fugaku slowly, "I know that you are always willing to stand on Konoha's side, and you are always on the side of peace, right?"
Fugaku immediately said, "The Uchiha clan and Konoha should always maintain the peace they deserve."
Homura Mitokado patted him on the shoulder, said no more, and left with Koharu Utatane.
Fugaku couldn't help but look at Lord Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
He found that the Hokage's attention was always on Naruto Uzumaki, the jinchuriki.
When the jinchuriki moved closer to Uchiha Ikeizumi,
Fugaku keenly noticed that the Hokage's expression darkened for a moment.
"Tsk tsk… Asuma, did you guys have some kind of grand 'party' in Konoha today? It's really lively!"
Not far outside Konoha village.
The Twelve Guardian Ninja, who had traveled a long distance without rest, stood on the treetops of different trees, breathing slightly.
The one who spoke sarcastically was none other than Kazuma. He continued with a sneer, "The fire seems to be quite big. If the Hokage of Konoha were to perish in that sea of fire, would that be a great spectacle?"
Asuma crushed a leaf between his fingers and gave Kazuma a cold glare.
After recovering a little from his physical fatigue, Asuma said in a deep voice, "I only know that if you don't focus all your attention on Uchiha Ikeizumi, you will die by his hand due to carelessness. Even Shimura Danzo, the leader of Konoha's Root, was defeated by him. Your arrogance could very well kill all of us."
"Asuma, you think too highly of Uchiha Ikeizumi."
A Guardian Ninja who advocated for the abolishment of the Hokage system interjected, "Is it because your brother died at his hands, and your father, the Third Hokage, was too cowardly to avenge his son, that you overestimate an extreme Uchiha so much?"
"No matter how powerful the 'Lava Release Ferocious Beast' is, he is still just one person. The eleven of us elite jounin of the Land of Fire combined, even a Kage of a village might not be our match. Do we need to avoid his edge?"
Veins on Asuma's forehead twitched slightly. Every word the other person said was getting on his nerves, especially the part about his brother, Sarutobi Shin'nosuke.
But for the sake of the big picture, Asuma endured it.
He said expressionlessly, "A ninja must go all out against any enemy. The Daimyo's order is for you all to listen to my commands. Don't say things you shouldn't say."
"Let's rest for a while. After we have recovered, we will go and eliminate that Uchiha pest of the Land of Fire for the Daimyo."
"Tch!" When Kazuma heard Asuma bring up the Land of Fire Daimyo again, a hint of disdain flashed in his eyes.
But he didn't say anything more.
The next day.
The two pieces of news—that Uchiha Ikeizumi had killed more than a dozen smugglers and sellers of a large number of illegal drugs, and that the Shimura clan had tried to assassinate Uchiha Ikeizumi but was instead annihilated by him—swept through Konoha like a hurricane, shocking countless people.
"Uchiha Hayata, Uchiha Naoto, and another Uchiha Masaru. They were all ninja of our Uchiha clan. Just because they smuggled illegal drugs, that guy killed them? Does he have no sense of kinship at all?"
"I heard that it wasn't just three members of our Uchiha clan who died because of this, but also ninja from other clans. For example, the Utatane clan and the Mitokado clan."
"If I remember correctly, Uchiha Hayata was Elder Setsuna's grandson, right? He was a very annoying and arrogant guy."
"Tsk, the [Absolute Justice] that is ruthless and only distinguishes between right and wrong is actually not a bluff."
"I heard from the Police Force that the explosion in the Uchiha compound last night was caused by the Shimura clan. Uchiha Ikeizumi went to the Shimura clan by himself and annihilated them."
"The Shimura clan? Is that Shimura Danzo's ninja clan? Good riddance! They stole the Sharingan from many of our clansmen!"
"I feel that Uchiha Ikeizumi is much more assertive than the clan head."
"…"
The reactions within the Uchiha clan were the most intense. Some were unhappy with Uchiha Ikeizumi's "indiscriminate killing" of his own clansmen; others approved of Uchiha Ikeizumi's absolute justice; and some couldn't help but compare Uchiha Ikeizumi to Uchiha Fugaku.
Then they found that the Uchiha clan head they had elected was not even as good as a young Uchiha!
Just the fact that the Shimura clan had infiltrated the Uchiha compound, set up a large number of explosive tags, and caused a considerable amount of damage.
Did Uchiha Fugaku do anything about it?
Did he go to the Shimura clan to demand an explanation immediately?
Did he gather the entire Uchiha clan to surround the Shimura clan?
Uchiha Fugaku did nothing!
On the other hand, Uchiha Ikeizumi, regardless of his motive for annihilating the Shimura clan, at least got the job done.
A feeling of suppressed anger was indeed released.
This made many Uchiha clansmen feel a sense of pride.
They had endured for so many years.
They had retreated step by step for so many years.
They could finally stand up and fight back this time!
"Elder Setsuna, please lead us to unite with Uchiha Ikeizumi and impeach the cowardly Uchiha Fugaku together!"
As a result, many radical Uchiha ninja rushed to Uchiha Setsuna, and said with激动: "Now, Uchiha Ikeizumi possesses the strongest individual combat power of our Uchiha clan, a power that even the Hokage of Konoha is wary of. And Elder Setsuna, you are the leader of our Uchiha clan's radical faction. With just one command from you, we can launch a coup d'état against the Hokage in the entire Konoha!"
"In this situation, if you and he join forces, it will be a powerful alliance that will completely suppress Uchiha Fugaku's faction. At that time, the cowardly Uchiha clan will cease to exist, and a brand new Uchiha clan will stand at the pinnacle of Konoha."
"If [Absolute Justice] and a radical will can be perfectly combined, Uchiha Fugaku will not be able to cause any trouble at all. All he can do is hand over the position of clan head."
The resentment of these radical young people toward Uchiha Fugaku made Uchiha Setsuna very pleased.
But their high regard for Uchiha Ikeizumi made Uchiha Setsuna's expression sink.
Didn't they realize that his grandson had died at Uchiha Ikeizumi's hands?!
"Elder Setsuna, Hayata's death was due to his uselessness and mediocrity! If he had paid a little attention to the current situation of Konoha, he wouldn't have foolishly run into Uchiha Ikeizumi's line of fire. Furthermore, the fact that he kept so many illegal drugs in the Uchiha compound is enough to prove that Uchiha Hayata had a problem in his head."
A radical young ninja suddenly said, "For the great cause of the Uchiha clan, we should discard such foolish clansmen."
"Elder Setsuna probably won't feel sad about the death of such a foolish person, right?"
Uchiha Setsuna: "???"
On the other side.
"Father, why didn't you stop Sasuke?" Uchiha Itachi stared intently into Uchiha Fugaku's eyes and said, "The stance of [Absolute Justice] is against Konoha. Once Sasuke chooses to believe in Uchiha Ikeizumi's [Absolute Justice], his future will be completely ruined!"
Uchiha Itachi speculated that the reason his future self left Sasuke alive was to have Sasuke protect the fragile Konoha.
Because of this, he could no longer sit still.
Sasuke, who was supposed to protect Konoha in the future, if he joined the [Absolute Justice] camp, his path would be completely wrong!
This was different from Itachi's expectations and plans.
As for why he was so sure that absolute justice was against Konoha?
This was a judgment Itachi made after observing Uchiha Ikeizumi's actions.
In his eyes, Uchiha Ikeizumi's so-called "executing justice" was constantly weakening Konoha's power.
One ninja after another was brutally killed by him, and even Konoha's higher-ups were affected by him.
The Shimura clan was even brutally annihilated by Uchiha Ikeizumi!
This kind of [Justice] made Uchiha Itachi feel very resistant.
"Itachi, I am confused." Fugaku sighed, opening up to his eldest son and slowly said, "What is the right thing to do? You are for Konoha, I am for balance, Ikeizumi is for justice, and Setsuna is for power…"
"After Sasuke came home, I wanted to scold him. But your mother said that Sasuke's choice was the right one. She said that Ikeizumi's justice can at least allow most of the Uchiha to survive."
"Mikoto said—the more I try to maintain the balance between the two sides, the more unstable the scale becomes, and in the end, it will fail on both sides; the more Setsuna tries to seize power, the more it will intensify the conflict and push the Uchiha into the abyss. And your path is for Konoha, and its outcome has already been foretold."
He simply repeated what his wife had said last night.
An unprecedentedly complex and bewildered look flashed in Fugaku's eyes.
Even the person closest to him did not support the path he was taking, but instead supported an outsider…
This was something Fugaku never expected.
At this time, Uchiha Itachi said with an expressionless face, "Father, mother is too narrow-minded. She has never personally experienced the complexity of the situation. She is, after all, just a woman. The world she sees is too narrow and shortsighted. As a result, she naively believes that Uchiha Ikeizumi's so-called absolute justice is the future for the Uchiha clan."
"She should not indulge Sasuke to walk down the wrong path, and you, father, should not be confused by what she says. She has never made any decisions, so how could she see all of this clearly?"
At this point, Uchiha Itachi paused. His expression didn't change: "Father, your chance is up."
Fugaku was stunned. He suddenly recalled something.
But he heard Uchiha Itachi continue, "Last time, I said that I wanted to deal with the increasingly dangerous and uncontrollable Uchiha clan in my own way. You, father, said to give you one more chance to try again."
"Now, father's attempt has failed." Uchiha Itachi said slowly, "I will not let the Uchiha clan get out of control, and I will not let it pose a threat to Konoha."
He stared at Fugaku's Mangekyou Sharingan eyes.
Uchiha Itachi asked, "Are you going to stop me, father? I remember you said that no matter what kind of decision I make, you will be proud of me."
Fugaku's Mangekyou Sharingan gradually returned to normal.
He opened his mouth, but not a single word came out.
Until he watched Uchiha Itachi leave.
Fugaku still did not stop his eldest son.
"Is it my imagination… I feel like the ordinary people in the village don't have as much of a problem with him as they used to. Or rather…" Kakashi muttered to himself, "Some of the misunderstandings that were spread by word of mouth have been cleared up. They are gradually realizing that as long as they don't do anything evil, they basically won't be targeted by Uchiha Ikeizumi."
"In fact, they seem to have realized that Uchiha Ikeizumi is helping them to remove the criminals in Konoha one by one. At least, things like theft and fraud are heard of less and less."
When Naruto was still in the ninja academy, Kakashi was in a state of idleness.
He just took a stroll around Konoha and heard everyone in the village talking about Uchiha Ikeizumi.
Unlike before, when he heard people talking about Uchiha Ikeizumi, they were mostly fearful and wary. They would speak carefully, afraid of being overheard by Uchiha Ikeizumi.
Now, they were discussing it openly and with great interest.
"His power is changing the foundation of Konoha."
Just as Kakashi was feeling a little emotional, a sudden slap hit him on the back.
"Puh! Cough cough! Cough cough cough!!" Kakashi, who was caught off guard, bent over and coughed violently.
He raised his lifeless, dead-fish eyes and looked at the pair of very eye-catching thick eyebrows in front of him with a helpless expression. He didn't see the other person suddenly flash a row of big white teeth.
"Kakashi! I'm back!!!" Might Guy gave Kakashi a thumbs-up.
Ah…
A troublesome guy is back.
....
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