When Asuma's words fell, the Land of Fire Daimyo was utterly stunned, his disbelieving eyes wide with shock, staring intently at the grim-faced Asuma.
—"My most beloved second son died thousands of miles away in Konoha Village! And he was murdered!"
Asuma's words echoed continuously in the Land of Fire Daimyo's mind. The shock in his eyes visibly turned to a blank stare. The Daimyo's body suddenly swayed, startling Asuma, who immediately stepped forward to offer support.
"Please accept my condolences, Lord Daimyo."
At this moment, Asuma returned the words to the Land of Fire Daimyo. The Daimyo's dazed state lasted for a full thirty seconds. When he finally came to, his eyes were filled with profound rage and sorrow. The Daimyo's tightly clenched fists were white at the knuckles from the force. Veins throbbed visibly on his forehead, and his usually fair, pampered face was flushed crimson.
"Hmph... Hmph..." The Daimyo breathed heavily, his sorrowful and grim gaze fixed on Asuma. He bit down hard on his teeth, trying to maintain his composure, and forced out each word, "What was the name of the person you said killed Kyusuke and Nanbu?"
"Akainu," Asuma replied.
"Akainu... that name..." The Land of Fire Daimyo seemed to recall something. "I think I've heard it before."
Asuma explained, "Indeed, he is very well-known, both in Konoha Village and throughout the entire ninja world. He is a ninja of the Uchiha clan, a genius with two Kekkei Genkai, and he achieved considerable merit and fame during the Third Shinobi World War."
"...I remember now." The Daimyo finally recalled. He murmured, "Akainu, is he a member of the Konoha Military Police Force? I once heard your Hokage mention him, saying that he is a Konoha ninja who upholds Absolute Justice."
Asuma was somewhat surprised, never expecting that the old man (Hiruzen) had actually mentioned Akainu to the Daimyo. But on second thought, it seemed quite normal. After all, Akainu was considered among the top tier of strength in Konoha. Moreover, Akainu was simply too "talkative." As long as you talked to the Daimyo about Konoha's current situation, the conversation would inevitably gravitate towards Akainu.
"Has the Hokage... already arrested him?" The Daimyo asked wearily, still breathing heavily.
"...No." Asuma explained, "That's why I traveled all this way to personally inform you, Lord Daimyo."
The Daimyo couldn't understand this. "Why haven't they arrested him?"
Asuma said, "My old man probably believes that clashing with Akainu would result in many casualties. Because taking that guy down would come at a considerable cost."
"And the older the old man gets, the more indecisive he becomes, often lacking the firm hand he had in his youth. In such circumstances, the old man probably doesn't know what choice to make."
"Since he's hesitating, I'll make the choice for him." Asuma met the Daimyo's gaze. "I'm not interested in the old man's position, and even less interested in Konoha's internal conflicts, but I care deeply about Konoha, the village that raised me."
"As long as someone like Akainu remains in Konoha for one more day, Konoha will become chaotic for one more day. His Absolute Justice will only cause deaths in Konoha every day, and a great many deaths at that."
"Even my elder brother, Sarutobi Shinnosuke, was killed by Akainu, supposedly for 'Absolute Justice.' I never imagined that the old man could endure even that."
Asuma's somber words gave the Land of Fire Daimyo a deeper understanding of his "son's killer." In his mind, he pictured a stern, humorless individual who abused the name of "justice" to act recklessly. But because this person was so powerful, even Konoha's Hokage was forced to be constrained by him.
The Land of Fire Daimyo took a deep breath, but he found it hard to calm his tumultuous thoughts. He gritted his teeth and asked Asuma, "When that person killed Kyusuke... was it also under the self-righteous name of 'justice'?"
"...Yes." Asuma did not hide anything, nor did he exaggerate. He nodded in confirmation. "He publicly recounted some of the bad deeds Lord Kyusuke had committed in front of many people."
The Daimyo suppressed his anger and asked, "It was because of these things that he acted against Kyusuke... right?"
Asuma replied, "Most likely."
"Why!?" The Daimyo couldn't understand. The suppressed rage finally broke free, an unimaginable loss of composure as his emotions erupted, his flushed face appearing somewhat distorted.
"If he killed a commoner, I could understand! But the person he killed was my second son! One of my heirs! A top-tier dignitary of the Land of Fire! The dignitaries of the Land of Fire enjoy diplomatic immunity, a decree I added more than ten years ago!"
"As long as it's not treason, no matter what actions Kyusuke took, he was entitled to immunity! Only I, the Land of Fire Daimyo, have the right to impose punishment on him!"
"As a Konoha Village Uchiha Military Police Force ninja, how could he not know the laws of the Land of Fire? By what right did he kill Kyusuke! By what right did he disregard the laws and decrees of the Land of Fire?"
"He's not even the Commander of the Military Police Force! He's just an ordinary Military Police Force member!"
"Does he even care about the Land of Fire? Does he even care about Konoha Village? Does he even care about the Daimyo?"
"Hmph... Hmph... Hmph..." Having fully vented his emotions, the Land of Fire Daimyo sadly realized that although the title of Daimyo was prestigious, he did not command the military forces of the Land of Fire. The military forces of the Land of Fire were under the Hokage's command. Even if he wanted revenge for his son, he had no one to use. Was he to hire a group of samurai to deal with a ninja? What a joke!
"Asuma..." The Daimyo suddenly looked at Asuma again. "I... I need your help this time."
Asuma's heart, which had been in suspense, settled. If even the Daimyo-sama was as indecisive as the old man, then he probably would have to contend with Akainu using his own strength.
---
Konoha, Uchiha Clan Compound.
Koharu Utatane's aged body trembled slightly. She had known before that Akainu's methods for "executing justice" were extreme; those who were merely beaten and thrown into prison were lucky, as most were directly killed. Previously, Koharu had some reservations about this, but she never intervened excessively, as those people had indeed deserved their fate.
But when such a thing happened to her own clan member, Koharu suddenly found it unacceptable. She rushed forward and quickly saw a large head lying not far from a headless corpse. Koharu recognized the youthful face. It was indeed a junior from the Utatane clan, her blood relative!
"Hiruzen... are you just going to stand there and watch him kill people? He killed a genin from the Ninja Academy right in front of you, the Hokage! Are you just going to stand by? Even if this child did something wrong, was it truly necessary to kill him? His mistakes surely weren't punishable by death!"
Koharu Utatane gritted her teeth and turned to question Hiruzen Sarutobi. She had some impression of Ryuji Utatane; she remembered him as a sweet-talker, a junior who would respectfully greet her when he saw her within the clan, and also a talented junior. In time, even if Ryuji Utatane couldn't become an elite Jonin, he would at least be a Konoha Special Jonin, like his father.
Yet, such a polite and talented junior had now become a dismembered corpse. Koharu Utatane felt somewhat dizzy. She didn't understand!
"Koharu-sama, Hokage-sama couldn't easily interfere." Just then, an Anbu ninja standing beside Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke. "The wrongs that child committed were far more severe than you imagine. Even if he hadn't been killed, by the laws of the Land of Fire, he would have spent over thirty years in Konoha Prison."
Koharu Utatane's gaze locked onto the Anbu ninja who spoke. The Anbu mask he wore concealed his face, but his silver-white hair was too distinctive.
—Copy Ninja, Kakashi Hatake!
Hiruzen Sarutobi also looked at Kakashi in surprise. He hadn't expected the usually taciturn Kakashi to offer an explanation on his behalf, which brought Hiruzen some comfort. Ever since the incident where "Danzo plotted to use public opinion to force Sakumo Hatake to commit suicide" was revealed by Akainu, Hiruzen Sarutobi had been worried about a rift forming between Kakashi and himself, the Hokage.
After all... after Sakumo's suicide, he hadn't used it as a reason to dismiss Danzo; Danzo remained the leader of Root. Now, hearing Kakashi defend him, Hiruzen felt relieved, but also vaguely uneasy... because, from another perspective, if Kakashi was speaking for Akainu, giving Koharu an explanation as to why killing was the direct choice, that also made sense.
As Koharu Utatane's expression fluctuated, Naruto Uzumaki's voice suddenly rang out: "Old hag, is that perverted murderer someone you know?"
Murderer...
Villain?!
Naruto gritted his teeth, indignantly saying, "How could he possibly not deserve to die? Because he was jealous of a junior in the Academy who was several years younger than him, he sneaked into that junior's home at night and cruelly murdered his entire family of four!"
"The bodies of that family of four are still in the morgue, you know!" Naruto couldn't help but recall the gruesome state of the corpses, which made his already agitated face turn slightly pale.
Koharu Utatane's eyes widened.
"Advisor Utatane, if you wish to seek justice for a mentally twisted evil child, you can come directly to me," Akainu said with an unperturbed expression.
A single Koharu Utatane might scare the Uchiha clan leader into worrying daily that the elders distrust the Uchiha again, but she could not exert any pressure on Akainu.
Koharu Utatane's old face flushed from green to red. In this situation, she couldn't say anything more. Any further words would lose her the moral high ground. She hadn't expected... that a family junior whom she remembered as quite polite would commit such an act! And her aggressive, accusatory questioning just now must have made her look like a clown trying to entertain on a stage in the eyes of these Anbu ninja and Uchiha ninja.
Koharu Utatane keenly noticed some Uchiha clan ninja quite openly displaying mocking expressions. Those expressions seemed to say—Is this Konoha's elder council?
Koharu Utatane was almost grinding her teeth!
"Hiruzen, Fugaku..." The extremely frustrated Koharu Utatane's words almost squeezed through her clenched teeth. "Taking Ryuji's body back to the Utatane clan... should be fine, right?"
Fugaku hesitated, asking, "Koharu-sama, shouldn't we send the body to the Yamanaka clan first to have its memories checked?"
"...No need!" Koharu Utatane said with a dark face to the Root ninja, "Take the body away!" She didn't want to stay there for another moment. Because she felt that if she stayed in the Uchiha clan compound for another second, not only would the Uchiha clan ninja burst out laughing, but even the Anbu ninja might not be able to hold back.
However. Just before leaving, Koharu Utatane paused in front of Hiruzen Sarutobi. In a voice only the two of them could hear, she whispered, "How is Naruto Uzumaki?"
At this moment, Koharu Utatane noticed that Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression instantly became as wonderfully complex as her own. Without Hiruzen needing to reply, Koharu already had her answer. Her face twitched, her eyelids fluttering wildly.
"Hiruzen, you cannot continue to indulge Akainu's recklessness!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi said, "The important thing is to stabilize Naruto first." Besides... it was already too late; Naruto had been too deeply affected. Crucially, if it weren't for the heinous acts committed by that junior named "Ryuji Utatane," which inflicted a huge psychological shock on Naruto, Naruto probably wouldn't have accepted Akainu's concept of justice so quickly.
"Ryuji Utatane" was at least 30% to blame!
With this thought, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Koharu Utatane with a hint of resentment, not understanding how this person managed her own clan members.
Koharu Utatane: "???"
---
After Koharu Utatane left with the body, Naruto also temporarily said goodbye to Akainu and left the Uchiha clan compound with Hiruzen Sarutobi, and the group of Anbu ninja dispersed.
"Hmph..." Fugaku couldn't help but exhale deeply. A pool of crimson blood on the ground constantly reminded him of what had happened today.
"Akainu..." Just as he was about to speak, he realized Akainu had already walked dozens of meters away, leaving him with only his back. Fugaku fell silent.
"Fugaku!" Just then, a voice unable to suppress its anger sounded from the other side. Setsuna Uchiha approached furiously, leading a group of radical Uchiha ninja.
Fugaku frowned. Setsuna Uchiha immediately questioned him directly, "The elders have entered the Uchiha clan compound twice in a row! As the clan leader, did you not show them anything? Is the Uchiha clan something they can just enter and leave as they please? What do they take us for?"
Fugaku was utterly exhausted. He had exerted himself to the fullest to clarify that the Uchiha clan truly had no designs on the jinchuriki, and had finally regained a little trust from the Hokage-sama... it had left him completely drained, and he only wanted to go home and rest. Yet, before he could even catch his breath, he had to face another internal Uchiha clan issue.
Fugaku spoke expressionlessly, "Setsuna-senpai, isn't the Uchiha clan a part of Konoha? If Uchiha clan members can walk on any street in Konoha, then surely other Konoha residents can walk on the streets of the Uchiha compound, right?"
Facing the questioning from the Hokage-sama and Koharu Utatane, Fugaku could patiently explain for the sake of balancing their relationship. But when facing a fellow Uchiha clan member like Setsuna Uchiha, Fugaku's words became extremely firm.
Setsuna Uchiha choked for a moment. He coldly snorted and changed the subject, "Fugaku, your actions recently have been so weak that many clan members feel you are unworthy of being clan leader! The Uchiha clan will only decline further under your leadership. After all these years as clan leader, you should step down, Fugaku!"
Fugaku's eyes narrowed sharply. A portion of the moderate Uchiha clan ninja gradually moved closer to him. However, in terms of numbers, Setsuna Uchiha's side still had more. Under the repressed frustration of the Uchiha clan's continuous concessions, the rebellious ideology of the radical faction had ultimately become mainstream. The atmosphere unknowingly became somewhat tense.
---
However, the Uchiha clan was not just divided into those who sided with Setsuna Uchiha or those who sided with Fugaku Uchiha. If the Uchiha clan could only be divided into two factions, then they wouldn't be the Uchiha; they weren't that "united" yet.
At this moment, three Uchiha Military Police Force ninja observed the opposing factions from a distance.
"Tch! Our Uchiha clan is truly beyond saving... one is an old good-for-nothing with ambition but no ability; if he had any ability, he would have succeeded in a coup decades ago. How could he have been imprisoned by the Second Hokage for decades?"
"The other... is someone who holds the position of clan head but always sides with outsiders, you can't even tell he's an Uchiha. No wonder he raised a beast like Uchiha Itachi." One of them spoke with utter disdain and mockery. "They've played out this drama so many times, and in the end, nothing ever happens. They're just two useless failures."
Another Military Police Force ninja beside him chimed in, "Playing these boring, childish political games with them is just a waste of life. We might as well patrol the village a few more times."
"What do you guys think of Akainu?" The last one suddenly asked.
"Akainu? He's a very powerful guy, but he doesn't seem easy to get along with. He even killed his own clansmen; that incident caused quite a stir back then."
"But... if he's not easy to get along with, how has that kid named Akainu survived under him for so long? And his Absolute Justice seems quite interesting."
"Absolute Justice, huh? Indeed, at least it's more interesting than this boring game played by these two groups."
---