Konoha Military Police Force Headquarters.
Inside the office.
"...Is the news true?"
Fugaku remained silent for a full five seconds after hearing a Konoha Military Police Force member report that "the Daimyo's envoy to Konoha was killed by Uchiha Akainu." He never imagined that Uchiha Akainu, who had caused such a stir last night, would deliver another huge "surprise" today!
The Daimyo's envoy! The Daimyo's son!
Fugaku felt a little dizzy. This meant the Uchiha clan wasn't just on bad terms with Konoha; it seemed even the Land of Fire Daimyo would have a bone to pick with them!
One had to remember, the Military Police Force's funding for years had come directly from the Land of Fire Daimyo. Essentially, more than half of the Uchiha clan's income was tied to the Daimyo. Akainu killing the Daimyo's son was akin to completely offending the Daimyo, and it would drag the entire Uchiha clan down with him!
After all, could he tell the Daimyo, "It's all Akainu's fault, it has nothing to do with the Uchiha clan"? Even if that were truly the case... would the Daimyo believe it?
The reporting Military Police Force member replied, "That's what everyone outside is saying, and many eyewitnesses saw it too. Reportedly, the Third Hokage was also on site. If the news weren't true, it probably wouldn't have spread like this."
Fugaku flinched. His heart tightened, and he immediately asked with a stern face, "Did Akainu clash with the Hokage-sama at the time!?"
"I heard not," the Military Police Force member answered.
Fugaku exhaled partially in relief.
But the "death of the Daimyo's second son" hung over him like a sword, making Fugaku feel extremely uneasy. He had no choice but to stand up, positioning himself beneath the Uchiha clan's emblem, as if that would give him some strength, some peace of mind.
"But..." the Military Police Force member added, "Uchiha Akainu seemed to have a verbal confrontation with the Third Hokage. People in the village are saying that the Daimyo's envoys committed crimes, so Uchiha Akainu killed all dozen or so of them. Only one person was reportedly left alive."
"When the Third Hokage arrived, he said what Uchiha Akainu did was wrong. That's when the verbal clash started."
Fugaku exhaled a heavy, stale breath. He frowned. "Akainu certainly made a mistake. According to the laws of the Land of Fire, top-tier nobles enjoy diplomatic immunity. Furthermore, even without that law, the son of the Land of Fire Daimyo is absolutely not to be killed..."
Fugaku's tone already carried undisguised displeasure.
The problem was, it had already happened, and not even the Hokage-sama could stop Akainu. Fugaku began to fret over how the Uchiha clan would deal with the pressure from the Daimyo after this incident, and what kind of explanation they could give him.
"Akainu... he's gone too far!" Fugaku couldn't recall how many times he'd been agitated recently. And each time, it seemed to be related to Akainu, whose continuous big troubles were wearing him out.
Fugaku's head throbbed. "This time, he's crossed a line that cannot be touched..."
A ninja from the Land of Fire killing the son of the Land of Fire Daimyo. What would other countries in the ninja world think if they heard about it?
"Fugaku-sama." The Military Police Force member hesitated, then asked, "Did Uchiha Akainu... do wrong? He said the Daimyo's envoys committed crimes. Crimes that warrant direct execution by him must have been truly heinous, reaching a level that infuriates both gods and men."
"And everything Uchiha Akainu did was merely adhering to his ninja way, which he calls [Absolute Justice]. Besides, isn't one of the duties of the Uchiha Military Police Force to uphold justice?!"
Fugaku glanced at the man, saying gravely, "His actions have damaged the relationship between the Uchiha clan and the Land of Fire Daimyo, which will indirectly lead to the deterioration of the relationship between the village and the Uchiha."
"His justice is only his personal justice. The Uchiha Military Police Force needs to uphold Konoha's justice! This is the fundamental reason why the Uchiha can continue to thrive in Konoha."
The Military Police Force member couldn't help but hesitate to speak further. Was Uchiha Akainu's justice truly just his personal justice? That man had said he wanted to purge evil from the entire ninja world. This was clearly a justice not limited to Konoha Village. This was clearly a ninja way that was noble to the extreme.
Meanwhile, Fugaku-sama, whose mind was consumed with "maintaining balance between the Uchiha and the village," and who even avoided mentioning the future "destroyer of the Uchiha clan, Uchiha Itachi"... Compared to Uchiha Akainu, who, in his belief in [Absolute Justice], dared to verbally clash with the Third Hokage and kill the wicked Daimyo's son, Fugaku-sama seemed a bit too weak.
Even if he didn't agree with Uchiha Akainu's ninja way, as a fellow clan member, he shouldn't be criticizing Uchiha Akainu, should he?
At this moment... this Konoha Military Police Force member, who was previously of the same moderate faction as Fugaku, felt a slight rift with him.
On the other side.
Several radical Uchiha elders were gathered. Uchiha Setsuna, who held great animosity towards Uchiha Akainu, fell into an eerie silence after learning about the major incident that morning in Konoha. The others were the same.
Finally, an elder of the radical Uchiha faction, wearing a black eye patch, hesitated before breaking the silence with a complex tone: "That kid named 'Akainu'... his actions today, weren't they a bit too extreme?"
Another chimed in, "I heard that Goyen-in Kyusuke, this second son, was Lord Daimyo's most beloved child. With him dying in Konoha Village, those four old geezers at the top must be in a huge mess, right?"
Uchiha Setsuna's mouth twitched, and he finally broke his silence, interjecting, "And the Uchiha clan isn't in a mess? Can we withstand the pressure from the Daimyo's side?"
Everyone was instantly speechless.
Indeed... no matter how radical the radical faction of the Uchiha clan was, their plan was merely to stage a coup within Konoha, seize control of the village, and replace the Hokage. They never thought of harming the "Daimyo," Konoha Village's biggest financier.
Furthermore, if the Uchiha clan's coup succeeded, they would still need the Daimyo to legitimize their revolution.
The result was something none of them had expected... Uchiha Akainu's [Absolute Justice] was even more extreme than their long-planned coup!
"Now, do you finally understand why I've always said Uchiha Akainu is the most extreme anomaly?" Uchiha Setsuna's eyes were clouded with gloom. He said in a deep voice, "In that kid's eyes, if we are evil, he would probably kill even us! And when he swings his blade at us, he would do so without hesitation."
"What's the difference between a kid who would turn his blade on his own clan members and that little beast, Uchiha Itachi?!"
Nara Clan Compound.
Inoichi Yamanaka, who was temporarily staying here with his family, was playing Shogi with Shikaku Nara, the head of the Nara clan.
"Still can't beat you..." Inoichi looked at the board, which was now in a hopeless state for him. He shook his head helplessly, telling Shikaku Nara, "I might need the Nara clan's care for a while. Otherwise, I don't know how I'd accommodate so many clan members."
Shikaku Nara looked at the exhausted face of his close friend, a face even more troubled than his own. He pondered for a moment.
Shikaku Nara asked, "Inoichi, are you sure Uchiha Akainu can be the backing for the Yamanaka clan? You must have heard about what he did today, right?"
Inoichi Yamanaka shook his head. "I never intended for Akainu to be the Yamanaka clan's backing."
Shikaku Nara was taken aback. He saw Inoichi Yamanaka's usually stern face crack into a slight smile, and heard him say, "I merely made a choice that I believe is correct for the future of the Yamanaka clan."
"That's not like you," Shikaku Nara said, shaking his head. "Inoichi, you're not the type to gamble an entire ninja clan on a single bet."
Inoichi Yamanaka replied, "Uchiha Akainu is the most unique Uchiha I've ever met. Although he also possesses the extremist personality of the Uchiha clan, his extremism is based on his absolute justice. And the blade in his hand will only be aimed at the evils of the ninja world."
He picked up a shogi piece, lowering his gaze, and said earnestly, "Shikaku, Akainu will make the entire ninja world completely different from how it is now. I've known him for ten years, and I've understood him for ten years."
"He's usually very aloof, but he always gives off a feeling I could never quite pinpoint. Until last night, during his conflict with Danzo, his actions to avoid affecting the Yamanaka clan compound... that's when I finally realized."
Shikaku Nara frowned. "Realized what?"
"Shikaku, if you truly get to know him, you'll understand too." Inoichi Yamanaka didn't elaborate.
Shikaku Nara didn't press the matter. He gazed at the shogi board on the table, his tightly knit brows relaxing. Konoha's strategist gave a helpless smile.
"The Ino–Shika–Chō are inherently an inseparable team in Konoha. Since you've already made this decision, staking the entire Yamanaka clan, then I will also seriously try to understand Uchiha Akainu. To understand his [Absolute Justice]."
"As for how to understand him..." Shikaku Nara paused, then said, "We'll see how Uchiha Akainu establishes his justice in this storm."
Just then, heavier footsteps than usual could be heard.
—Chōza Akimichi, the head of the Akimichi clan, had arrived.
Meanwhile.
At Ichiraku Ramen.
"Naruto, is it not the Hokage-sama who came with you today?" Teuchi, the owner of Ichiraku Ramen, smiled at Naruto. He was one of the few people in Konoha who didn't discriminate against Naruto.
But soon, Teuchi noticed that Naruto's expression today was unusual. Normally, when Naruto came to eat ramen with the Third Hokage-sama, he would be brimming with excitement.
But today, the child seemed exceptionally reserved, his hands constantly tugging at his clothes, appearing very nervous and uneasy. If one looked closely, they could even see two tear streaks on his cheeks, as if he had cried recently for some unknown reason.
Sigh...
Poor kid.
Teuchi sighed softly. He knew Naruto's situation in the village, and he guessed that perhaps Naruto had encountered some ill-mannered people who would speak harshly to a child today.
Just as Teuchi was about to say, "Today's basic ramen is half-price," to try and cheer the boy up, he suddenly noticed two people entering behind Naruto. From their attire, they were Uchiha clan Military Police Force ninja.
"Welcome..."
Before he could utter "—to Ichiraku," Teuchi's gaze was drawn to Uchiha Akainu's face.
"The usual, but four bowls." Uchiha Akainu said.
"...Alright." Teuchi naturally recognized Uchiha Akainu; he was one of Ichiraku Ramen's regular customers. Even though Uchiha Akainu had patronized him countless times, every time he saw this "infamous" man in Konoha... Teuchi couldn't help but feel a little nervous.
The moniker "Uchiha Plague God" was actually far more well-known than "Nine-Tails Brat." While the latter had caused irreparable trauma to Konoha Village, that was at least several years ago. The former was different; Teuchi heard daily about Uchiha Akainu's "glorious deeds" in the village—either how many people he arrested yesterday, or how many he killed today. Many times, the name Uchiha Akainu was more terrifying than the Nine-Tailed Fox.
However, Teuchi had also vaguely heard that Uchiha Akainu's reputation in the village had slightly improved recently.
Of course.
An improved reputation didn't diminish his deterrent power.
'Naruto seems to be with Akainu... How did they end up together?'
Two questions popped into Teuchi's mind, but he didn't ask further. Instead, he quickly turned to prepare the ramen.
"Meow, kid, Akainu-sama isn't some monster who eats people. Why are you turtling like that?"
Kinjirō leaped onto Naruto's head. Clearly, he had no concept of his own weight. His jump sent an unsuspecting Naruto tumbling to the ground.
Naruto, whose forehead was bumped, snapped out of his daze. He dared not cry out in pain and scrambled to his feet in a hurry, his dirty little face showing confusion.
Gathering courage from somewhere, Naruto turned to Uchiha Akainu, his lips trembling slightly as he asked, "Am I... am I going to die...? If I'm the Nine-Tailed Fox, if I've hurt many people before... then I'm one of those big bad guys you'd kill, right?"
"Is this bowl of Ichiraku Ramen... my last meal ever?"
Uchiha Akainu glanced at the blonde kid.
Kinjirō jumped onto the table, answering for Uchiha Akainu, "Kid, didn't I tell you? You're just a vessel. Akainu-sama isn't some serial killer."
"Don't worry! If you were one of those evil villains, Akainu-sama would have killed you the first time he saw you. How could he have let you live peacefully until now?"
"And how could he invite you to eat Ichiraku Ramen?"
"Eh?!"
Kinjirō suddenly reacted. Oh right! Why would Akainu-sama treat this jinchuriki kid to ramen?
"His future holds no evil," Uchiha Akainu slowly stated. "He's a promising talent."
"Promising talent..." Izumi's clear eyes widened. She looked at Naruto Uzumaki, who was completely bewildered and confused by the situation.
Hiss!
Is Akainu-senpai trying to poach the Hokage-sama's student?!