"There were two of the Legendary Sannin on site… and one of them actually chose to stand with Uchiha Chizumi."
At that moment, within the Hyuga compound, Hiashi slowly exhaled.
The bulging veins around his eyes gradually faded as he muttered to himself, "Looks like there won't be any armed conflict between the Hokage and Uchiha Chizumi tonight."
He could still feel the lingering heat in the air, and the faint sulfuric scent stung his nose—a stark reminder of how close disaster had come.
He was honestly relieved that the Susanoo summoned by Chizumi had its back turned to the Hyuga compound.
If it had faced them directly…
Just one swing of that blade could've split the entire Hyuga estate in two.
After all, they were less than a kilometer from the heart of the battle between Chizumi and Itachi.
Thanks to his Byakugan, Hiashi had been able to witness everything clearly—even identifying who Chizumi was fighting.
Suddenly, a strange feeling crept over him. He turned sharply—and saw a figure darting past, hurried and anxious.
That figure glanced briefly back at him.
"Uchiha Fugaku…"
Hiashi instantly recognized the face. His expression grew complicated.
"What will he think… when he finds out who Chizumi killed tonight?"
And then—another presence. A heavy, hostile gaze.
Hiashi turned again and saw Hyuga Neji turning away, his small face cold and tense, walking silently into a house.
"Sigh… that child still can't let go?"
Hiashi let out a soft sigh. He felt a pang of guilt, but didn't know how to even begin explaining things to Neji.
…
"Chizumi… why do you have Shisui's Kotoamatsukami? And who were you just fighting? That person also used Susanoo… Were they an Uchiha too?"
Hiruzen kept his distance from Chizumi—an instinctive, cautious reflex.
It was that very instinct that made him unable to refute Tsunade's earlier accusation.
Chizumi simply shot a glance at Izumi and said, "She'll answer you."
Hiruzen fell silent.
Was this brat so reluctant to even speak to him now?
"Eh?"
Izumi froze. She looked around nervously, swallowed hard, and quickly stashed away the scroll sealing Amaterasu.
Then she stood tall and spoke with conviction:
"Uchiha Itachi has fully developed the twisted extremist ideology that Chizumi-senpai once prophesied. He planned to ally with 'Uchiha Obito' and orchestrate a massacre of the Uchiha clan within two months."
"He even planned to assassinate Konoha shinobi who followed the path of Absolute Justice… He wanted to kill me. At the critical moment, Chizumi-senpai arrived and saved me—then judged and executed Itachi in the name of absolute justice!"
"Itachi's future crimes had already become real and tangible. Since that's the case, he had to pay the price. Chizumi-senpai's actions didn't just save the Uchiha… he may have saved the entire ninja world. Because someone like Itachi, with that kind of warped ideology, was bound to commit even worse crimes later."
Her words were explosive—and just as she finished, someone else arrived.
Or rather, had arrived ten seconds ago and had heard everything.
"…Fugaku…"
The newcomer was none other than the distraught clan head himself, Uchiha Fugaku.
He stood frozen.
Izumi's words echoed in his mind like a hammer.
Hiruzen also noticed Fugaku's arrival. Reading the man's off-kilter expression, and recalling Izumi's earlier words, the Third Hokage took a deep breath.
"…My condolences."
It was the only thing he could say.
His voice snapped Fugaku out of his daze.
The Uchiha patriarch turned stiffly to Chizumi. At some point, his fists had clenched tight. The man who prided himself on composure was now a storm of emotion:
Anger.
Grief.
Confusion.
Hatred.
All of it boiled over, turning his eyes bloodshot. Even his stoic face twitched with emotion.
That was his son. His pride. The future of the Uchiha clan.
His own flesh and blood.
Now? Just another corpse beneath the blade of "Absolute Justice."
He didn't even make it in time to see Itachi's final moments.
Fugaku thought he was hardened.
But now he truly understood the agony Hiruzen had felt—twice.
"…Chizumi…"
"Why?"
His voice had gone hoarse. Fighting back his emotions, he asked Chizumi:
"Itachi was still a kid. His values hadn't fully matured. Even if his ideas were dangerous, wasn't there still time? Couldn't we have—"
But even Fugaku couldn't finish that sentence.
What was he going to say? That Itachi shouldn't have been killed?
But… was that really true?
Chizumi's cold eyes met his.
"You knew this day would come," he said. "If you had taken my words seriously back then… If you'd kept a tighter leash on that beast you raised, or corrected his ideology—tonight would never have happened."
"Your greatest flaw, Fugaku, is compromise.
When Konoha pushed you—
you compromised.
When your son strayed into extremist ideas—
you compromised again."
"All of this… began with you."
Chizumi stepped closer, locking eyes with him.
"Who sent Itachi to the battlefield at age four?
Who praised him for awakening the Sharingan at eight, instead of comforting him after losing comrades?
Who, upon learning that his son would descend into evil, did nothing to stop it—maybe even enabled it?"
"You, Fugaku. You created this. But a coward like you would never admit that."
"Don't pollute my ears with your hypocrisy."
Chizumi held nothing back.
And it wasn't exaggeration—everything he said was true.
In that family, only Mikoto and Sasuke had turned out normal.
Hiruzen placed a hand on Fugaku's shoulder, trying to calm him. He asked Izumi:
"You're saying Itachi was colluding with Obito of the Akatsuki?"
Izumi nodded. She had been watching Fugaku closely in case he snapped, but… once again, the clan head chose compromise.
"Yes," she said firmly.
Hiruzen went quiet.
He could guess Itachi's motive—he must've realized he couldn't stop Chizumi alone… and couldn't get help from the Hokage either.
So he turned to outsiders.
He chose the Akatsuki.
He chose Uchiha Obito.
"…Sigh."
Hiruzen exhaled.
He'd warned Itachi many times.
Reminded him constantly.
And Itachi had always said he understood.
But did he?
Did he really?
"Where's the body?" Hiruzen asked. "Let Fugaku take Itachi home."
Izumi replied, "There's nothing left. Not even a single cell. He was vaporized."
She added kindly, "If you want to bury something, you could make a cenotaph with his clothes."
At that moment, a voice interrupted:
"Rookie, grab the other one and let's go. No need to waste time talking to these people, meow."
Izumi turned. Chizumi and his chubby cat Jujirou were already walking off, ignoring both the Hokage and Fugaku.
"Coming!"
Izumi hoisted the still-unconscious Anko onto her back and followed.
Hiruzen: "…"
Fugaku: "…"
The Hokage glanced at Fugaku, whose whole body was trembling.
"Fugaku," he said with a cough. "I don't want to see internal conflict break out within the Uchiha."
"If it does, it'll destabilize the entire village. Don't do something we'll all regret."
"As for Itachi…"
"Colluding with the Akatsuki to harm Konoha shinobi… many will see that as treason. If this escalates, the Uchiha clan—and your son's legacy—will suffer more than they already have."
He couldn't help but think of his own son, Asuma.
Asuma had simply sided with the Twelve Guardian Ninja, and even that made many in the village turn against him.
Itachi's alliance with the Akatsuki? That was on a whole other level.
"Understood… Hokage-sama."
Fugaku finally spoke.
And lowered his head.
…
Back at the Uchiha Compound
Half an hour later, Fugaku stood silently before his house. His wife and younger son were already there, waiting.
Mikoto immediately sensed something was wrong.
Even when Sasuke declared allegiance to "Absolute Justice," Fugaku hadn't looked like this.
"What happened?" she asked.
"…Itachi," he muttered.
"He chose the path Chizumi predicted. Tried to kill Izumi. Chizumi intervened… and…"
"He's dead."
After that, Fugaku walked past her without even looking at Sasuke.
All he left behind was his lonely back.
His fists, hidden in his sleeves, were clenched so tightly they had gone pale.
Veins bulged on his hands.
He hated himself—for compromising again.
For failing to avenge his son.
But he didn't hate himself for how he raised Itachi.
He still believed putting a four-year-old on the battlefield was fine.
To him, that was how you forged greatness.
Sasuke, by contrast, was a failure in his eyes.
Even if he'd awakened his Sharingan, he was still no match for Itachi.
"…Itachi is dead," Sasuke whispered, stunned.
"Killed by Chizumi-sensei…"
He had wanted to save his brother.
That was why he chased power.
But now, it was too late.
He looked at his mother.
Her reaction mirrored his—but perhaps even more intense.
Her eyes were red-rimmed.
Of course she was hurting. That was her son.
"Fugaku! Where's the body?!"
Mikoto's sudden shout stopped him.
Fugaku paused, took several deep breaths, and muttered, "There's nothing left."
She froze.
Fugaku turned back.
"Thinking of asking about Chizumi next? He's completely fine. Itachi gave it everything he had—even used Susanoo. But he couldn't scratch Chizumi."
"…I didn't raise a hand against Chizumi either. I held back my rage. I stayed silent even as he condemned me. I compromised again."
"Maybe he was right. Maybe I am indecisive and weak."
He waited for his wife's disappointment.
But instead, Mikoto just sighed and nodded.
"Itachi chose the wrong path. Chizumi only made him pay the price. You didn't retreat or compromise this time… you just finally understood what's right and what's wrong."
Fugaku was stunned.
"You… you think Chizumi was right?"
"Even if he killed Itachi?"
She nodded.
Fugaku: "…"
He stood there, blank and silent.
…
"Why does it feel like ever since I came to Konoha, I've had nothing but bad luck…"
Jūzō Biwa was hunched over a table in a small Konoha tavern.
Yes, he was still alive. And yes, he'd managed to retrieve his lost Executioner's Blade.
He didn't dare stray too far from Konoha—not with Uchiha Chizumi around. The moment he left that man's shadow, Obito and the others from Akatsuki might come for him.
And Jūzō knew damn well he couldn't take on those three alone.
He let out a long breath, nursing his cup of sake.
His gaze drifted toward the part of town where the massive clash had just ended.
"Konoha civilians… how the hell do they survive in this kind of hellhole?"
He had witnessed the Susanoo clash between Chizumi and Itachi with his own eyes.
He had never seen anything so terrifying.
He was fully prepared to evacuate the village—just in case the whole place got leveled.
But to his surprise… the other "monster" crumbled after just one strike.
"…Come to think of it…"
He muttered, staring into his cup. "I never did thank Chizumi. That lava beast of his probably saved my life tonight."
Suddenly, in the sake's reflection, a shadow appeared behind him.
Jūzō's eyes snapped wide open, and his hand instinctively grabbed the Executioner's Blade.
If that shadow made even the slightest move—he'd swing without hesitation.
"It's me."
The familiar voice froze him in place.
Before he could even turn around, the man had already taken a seat beside him.
Jūzō was drenched in cold sweat.
"…Ahaha. False alarm," he laughed awkwardly, letting go of the blade. "No harm meant."
He knew he looked pathetic. One of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, flinching like a dog in front of Chizumi.
But he also knew—fighting this man would be suicide.
Chizumi asked quietly, "How long do you plan to stay in Konoha?"
Jūzō looked at him and replied, "Until those three outside stop watching me. Then I'll leave. I won't go back to Akatsuki—I'll find another group, somewhere safer."
"No," Chizumi said.
"You'll return to the Rain Village. Back to the Akatsuki base. And you'll tell Konan everything you know."
Jūzō's eyes bulged. "Hey, hey, you're not seriously using me as bait, are you? I'm dead meat if they catch me!"
His face showed clear panic.
"I'll be going with you," Chizumi said calmly.
Jūzō blinked. "Wait… you're serious?"
"…You've got your eyes on the Akatsuki, haven't you?"
Jūzō remembered Chizumi's ideology—Absolute Justice.
To someone like him, an organization like Akatsuki, which stirred wars and chaos, would be a top target.
Sure enough, Chizumi confirmed it.
"The Akatsuki harbors several of the greatest sources of evil," he said. "Uchiha Obito. Orochimaru. These people must be judged by justice."
"The organization has gathered them into one place. No need to hunt them across the continent. Wiping them out is the duty of Absolute Justice."
Jūzō took a deep breath. "You might be the only guy in the entire ninja world who dares say that…"
And he actually meant it.
Given what he'd seen from Chizumi—those powers, that genjutsu, that sheer presence…
"Maybe you really can pull it off."
He knew agreeing to this meant betraying the Akatsuki.
But he also knew—he didn't really have a choice.
"I'll leave tomorrow morning."
As soon as Jūzō said that, he suddenly thought of something and asked, "Wait, this is your real body, right?"
"…Wood clone," Chizumi answered without hesitation.
"…"
Jūzō's face stiffened.
So this guy wasn't even serious about being his escort. He was just using Jūzō as a GPS to lead him to the Akatsuki base.
"…And if Obito attacks me halfway there?"
"The real me has matters to handle here in Konoha," the wood clone replied.
"I need to purge the village of evil. I also need to lay the foundation for Absolute Justice here in the Land of Fire. This is only the beginning."
Then, the clone fell silent.
Yet even as just a clone, Chizumi's gaze made Jūzō sweat.
The pressure… felt like he was staring down Might Duy in the Eight Gates.
"Ugh… fine. We leave at dawn."
Jūzō gave in, hoping the clone had some kind of failsafe built in to keep him alive.
After all, a man like Chizumi wouldn't let an innocent die, right?
…
Next Morning…
Word of Uchiha Itachi's death at the hands of Chizumi spread like wildfire.
Within the Uchiha compound, it sparked chaos.
"That backstabbing bastard Itachi's finally dead!"
Sasuke, on his way to the Ninja Academy, heard one of the police force shinobi speak with excitement.
"He hid for so long, scared to show his face. Didn't expect Chizumi to track him down—and just straight-up kill him."
"If Chizumi killed anyone else, maybe I'd complain. But killing Itachi? That's worth celebrating!"
"That traitor wanted to wipe out the clan!"
His colleague, also in uniform, added with a click of his tongue, "Last night's commotion must've been their fight. Itachi was a genius, no doubt. But he's still no match for Chizumi—someone who stood on par with Shisui."
"Fugaku tried to protect his son. But now? All he's left with is a corpse."
"Actually… not even that," thought Sasuke bitterly.
Itachi's death had become a symbol of Absolute Justice.
Many in the clan now admired Chizumi more than ever.
And his father…
People didn't even refer to him as 'Clan Head' anymore.
Probably because he tried to shield Itachi.
"Justice shouldn't be clouded by personal feelings. Even blood ties must be cut if they lead to evil."
Sasuke repeated this in his mind, forcing himself to believe it.
…
Meanwhile, at the Hyuga compound…
Neji hadn't slept a wink. He looked exhausted as he quietly finished breakfast and prepared for school.
That's when he noticed several Branch House shinobi walking past with dark, grim expressions.
Neji recognized that look—he'd worn it many times himself.
He immediately caught up and stopped them.
"What happened?"
One of the older men glanced at him and muttered, "You're Hiashi-sama's nephew, aren't you…"
Just as he was about to speak, another Branch shinobi tugged his sleeve.
He forced a smile instead. "It's nothing. Nothing a kid your age should worry about."
Neji's stomach sank.
"…Someone died, didn't they?"
"If it were a normal death, you wouldn't hide it from me. So… was it another Branch member? Was it the Cage Bird curse?"
Their silence said it all.
"Why?" Neji's fists clenched. "What happened? Was it… was it another scapegoat for the Main House?!"
"Sigh…"
One of them finally gave in and spoke.
"A Branch elder tried to secretly remove the Cage Bird curse. He was caught. Whether or not he succeeded, doesn't matter—what he did broke the clan's deepest taboo."
"The Main House activated his seal. He was too old to survive the pain. Died from the aftershock."
"That was around 4 a.m. this morning."
He crouched and patted Neji's head.
"Don't be sad. You'll get used to it. This… is our fate. As long as we don't rebel, we'll be fine."
Neji stumbled backward.
"…Just because it's a rule, doesn't mean it's right," he said, looking up.
One of the Branch shinobi replied, "A rule that exists long enough becomes accepted. None of us can change it—not the Branch, not the Main. That's just how it is."
Everyone went quiet.
…
Those words—
"Rules are rules."
"Get used to it."
"No one can change them."
"This is our fate."
—they echoed in Neji's head all the way to the classroom.
Still dazed, he touched the bandage on his forehead—the one hiding the cursed seal.
Suddenly—bam!
He bumped into someone.
"Ah—!"
The boy he hit fell to the ground, clutching his knee. It was Rock Lee, with his signature thick eyebrows and strange hair.
"Hey, Neji, don't bother with that guy," said a classmate. "He can't even circulate chakra properly. Even the teachers think he might never use ninjutsu."
"He still insists he'll become a ninja? Tch. What a joke. There's no such thing as a ninja who can't use jutsu. He's not even in the same world as us."
Neji slapped the boy's hand off his shoulder.
His eyes narrowed coldly.
"You sound exactly like the kind of person I hate—someone who thinks they can take lives or assign worth just because they're standing above others."
The boy was stunned.
Neji turned to walk over Rock Lee.
But halfway through lifting his foot—he paused.
Then slowly lowered it.
Instead, he helped Rock Lee up.
"…Sorry for bumping into you," he said.
And walked to his seat.
'This… is what justice should be.'
Neji whispered to himself.
~~~
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