Izumi quickly sheathed her ninja blade and flipped open the first page of her notebook. To her shock, it listed a name, a detailed address, and a record of transactions.
Her eyes widened as realization hit. "Lord Akainu, is this…?"
"Yes," Akainu Uchiha replied coolly. "A list of people smuggling and selling illegal drugs, all operating right here in the Hidden Leaf."
Izumi's jaw dropped.
She hadn't even noticed where Akainu had gotten the list from. Had he slipped it off one of the Uchiha ninjas they'd just dealt with while she was distracted by that Anbu ninja? She flipped through a few more pages, her shock growing with each one.
The list included not just civilian ninjas but also clan ninjas and merchants who'd been doing business in the Leaf for years.
Fifteen names in total!
She took a deep breath, her voice trembling. "Every time I think I've seen the worst of the ninja world's evils, something new comes up that blows my mind."
So many people in a village as small as the Leaf were involved in smuggling illegal drugs. How many lives had these substances ruined?
Jiro had once told her that every year, several people in the Leaf died because of these drugs. Countless others suffered, clinging to life in agony.
A sharp glint of killing intent flashed in Izumi's eyes.
Her fingers tightened around the notebook, crumpling the edges slightly.
"Sir, we…"
"Split up," Akainu cut in, reading her thoughts as easily as always. His face was expressionless. "You handle the civilian merchants and civilian ninjas. To be safe, Jiro will go with you. I'll take care of the clan ninjas."
"Yes, sir!" Izumi replied firmly.
Nearby, Kakashi watched as Akainu approached. He wisely stepped aside to let him pass.
Izumi scooped up Jiro and hurried after Akainu, not forgetting to call out a quick reminder to Naruto and Sasuke.
"Absolute justice, huh…" Kakashi muttered, now alone in the underground chamber. He glanced at the gruesome corpses and the stacks of illegal drugs filling the room. "He really walks the talk. Killing his own clansmen without hesitation… he truly has zero tolerance for evil."
He thought of Naruto. "If Naruto follows this kind of 'absolute justice' in the future, it's not exactly going down a bad path, right? The village owes that kid so much already. Letting him be a little reckless… what's the-harm? At least 'absolute justice' won't turn him into a rogue ninja."
Kakashi's mindම
System: mind drifted to Obito, who once dreamed of becoming the Hokage but had betrayed the Leaf and everything he once stood for.
If Akainu hadn't revealed some of Obito's secrets right in front of him, Kakashi would still be in the dark.
A bold thought crept into Kakashi's mind, one that felt almost reckless.
Does the Will of Fire really make the Leaf stronger?
His father had believed in the Will of Fire, yet he was driven to suicide by the village's toxic rumors. Obito had believed in it too, but now he was a rogue ninja. Danzo claimed to follow the Will of Fire, but everyone could see what kind of man he was. Kakashi himself had clung to it, yet everyone he cared about had slipped away from him, one by one.
In his memory, the Leaf was only getting weaker.
Compared to the village before the Third Great Ninja War, the current Leaf was a shadow of its former self.
Kakashi fell into a silent, brooding contemplation.
"Unless you want to go up in flames with all those drugs, get up here now."
Akainu's faint voice snapped Kakashi out of his thoughts, sending a chill down his spine. He bolted up the stairs.
At the entrance to the underground chamber, he saw Akainu standing there, molten lava dripping from his arm.
The moment Kakashi emerged, a torrent of scorching lava poured into the chamber like a mudslide, filling it in seconds and incinerating everything inside.
Kakashi broke out in a cold sweat.
That was one hardcore way to destroy illegal drugs. If Akainu hadn't given him a heads-up, he might've been burned to ashes right alongside them!
"Sasuke!"
A group of people suddenly burst into the house, the leader calling out Sasuke's name.
Sasuke whipped around, stunned. "…Father?!"
"Father? Huh? Wait, what?!" Naruto gaped at Fugaku Uchiha. "This stone-faced guy is your dad? I've seen him twice already!"
Sasuke blinked, confused. What?
It was indeed Fugaku, accompanied by several ninjas from the Uchiha Police Force.
Fugaku's eyelid twitched almost imperceptibly.
If he had a choice, he'd rather never cross paths with the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.
Pushing aside his tangled thoughts, he frowned and scolded, "Sasuke! Why are you here instead of going straight home after school?"
Sasuke lowered his head, nervously clutching the hem of his shirt, too intimidated to speak. Fugaku's strict parenting left no room for defiance, let alone talking back to his imposing father.
Fugaku's gaze shifted to the entrance of the underground chamber, where lava was nearly spilling over.
Feeling the stifling heat in the air, he frowned deeper. "Akainu, what's going on here?"
"Clan Leader Fugaku, Lord Akainu is carrying out justice!" Izumi jumped in to explain, emphasizing that Hayata Uchiha, Masa Uchiha, and Naito Uchiha had been smuggling and selling massive amounts of illegal drugs.
Fugaku's brow twitched sharply.
Though Izumi hadn't explicitly said Akainu killed the three, the phrase "carrying out justice" and the lava-filled chamber told him everything.
Akainu had killed three Uchiha clansmen!
Their bodies were likely submerged in that molten lava by now!
And one of them—Hayata Uchiha—was the grandson of Setsuna Uchiha.
Fugaku could barely imagine how Setsuna, already a fiery radical, would react to learning Akainu had killed his only grandson.
He could already sense the brewing storm of internal conflict within the Uchiha clan.
The tension between the Uchiha and the village hadn't even erupted yet, and now trouble was brewing within the clan.
Rubbing his temples, Fugaku took a deep breath and said, "Akainu, those three were Uchihas, just like you…"
Akainu cut him off sharply. "So, because they're Uchihas, they get a free pass?"
Fugaku was speechless.
It hit him then—Akainu had even killed his last blood relative, Kiwa Uchiha, because Kiwa had fallen into the abyss of evil. Compared to that, what were three Uchiha ninjas?
Fugaku fell silent.
"Clan Leader Fugaku, please step aside." Akainu placed a hand on Fugaku's shoulder and pushed him aside. Caught off guard, Fugaku stumbled.
"Hey! Akainu Uchiha, you—" one of the Police Force ninjas started to protest.
But Fugaku raised a hand to stop him. "…It's fine."
His face darkened, but he kept his frustration and anger in check.
He could feel it—after today, the Uchiha clan would become a powder keg.
As clan leader, his job was to keep it from exploding, not to add fuel to the fire. Even if Akainu's actions disrespected him as the clan leader, Fugaku swallowed his pride.
In his mind, enduring this for the sake of the Uchiha made him a competent leader.
He allowed himself a moment of self-satisfaction.
Silently, Fugaku watched as Akainu, Izumi, Jiro, Naruto, and Kakashi—a group that, by all accounts, shouldn't be together—left one by one.
Until he noticed Sasuke following them.
His composure broke. Frowning, he called out to Sasuke's small retreating figure, "Sasuke! Home is to your left. Why are you going right? It's getting dark—go home now!"
Sasuke froze, his father's stern tone sinking his mood.
"Yes, Father," he mumbled, turning to leave.
But then, Naruto, who'd been about to leave, suddenly doubled back, grabbed Sasuke's wrist, and yanked him in the opposite direction.
"Hey! Loser, what are you doing?!" Sasuke yelped, startled.
Naruto, still tugging Sasuke along, turned to face a stunned Fugaku with a serious look. "Sir, this stuck-up guy's been pestering me all day about what 'justice' is. I'm taking him to see Teacher Akainu so he can learn what it really means. So, please, let me borrow him for a bit."
Under Fugaku's piercing stare, his younger son was dragged off, stumbling after the Jinchuriki.
Fugaku couldn't help but think Sasuke's struggling looked a bit… staged.
"I see…"
His gaze shifted to Akainu's receding figure, his expression growing complex as he muttered, "Akainu, you once targeted Itachi with malice, and now you're eyeing Sasuke with kindness. Are you using Sasuke? Or are you trying to use me through him?"
But on second thought, was Akainu really the type to manipulate others?
Fugaku realized he wasn't.
Which meant…
Akainu genuinely wanted Sasuke to understand what 'justice' was.
The problem was, Akainu's justice was too extreme.
Would it lead Sasuke down a warped path in the future?
And what about Itachi?
Did he know about this?
---
Meanwhile, Kakashi, who'd shown up out of concern for the Jinchuriki only to find himself unnecessary, slipped back into the shadows.
"Nothing to report," he said, sliding his Anbu mask back on as he addressed his subordinates.
"Oh, and…" He fixed one of them with his signature dead-fish stare, dropping a bombshell casually. "Go tell the Hokage that Akainu Uchiha's probably going on a killing spree today. But the ones he's killing are likely all bad guys."
"I know the first three were Uchihas. No clue who's next or how many, but I think there's about fifteen on his list."
Kakashi hadn't peeked at Izumi's notebook, but he figured each page she flipped represented one target. Fifteen flips meant fifteen targets, right?
"Yes, sir!"
The subordinate realized something big was brewing and peeled off from watching Naruto to race toward the Hokage's office.
When Hiruzen Sarutobi got the news, dusk was settling over the village.
Pfft! The intel from Kakashi made Hiruzen spit out his tea.
"Fifteen?!" He shot to his feet. The last time Akainu killed this many at once was when he took out the Daimyo's second son and his entourage.
Another massacre like this? Hiruzen couldn't fathom what kind of mess Akainu was about to stir up!
But before he could head out to investigate, another Anbu ninja rushed in.
"Lord Hokage! Captain Kakashi sent me to report that Akainu Uchiha stormed into the Kohaku Clan and killed two ninjas! He and Izumi Uchiha have split up, likely to maximize efficiency for this… killing spree!"
Hiruzen blinked. "What?!"
Talk about efficiency.
One Anbu had just warned him, and the next was already reporting that Akainu had taken out two Kohaku ninjas!
Hiruzen didn't even want to imagine how furious Kohaku Koharu would be tomorrow.
Wait a second!
He suddenly remembered Naruto was still with Akainu.
Would Akainu's bloodbath corrupt Naruto? What if the kind, innocent Naruto turned into a cold-blooded killer?
Ugh, would that even be the Naruto I know?
Just as Hiruzen was itching to rush out, another Anbu returned.
"Lord Hokage!" This time, it was Yoshinobu Yamanaka. "Captain Kakashi assigned two subordinates to me to track Izumi Uchiha. That girl stormed into a tavern and, in front of everyone, cut off the tavern owner's head!"
Hiruzen: "…"
Before he could collect himself, yet another Anbu rushed in, panting. "Lord Hokage, Akainu Uchiha broke into the Mitomon Clan! He killed a sixty-something-year-old ninja!"
Hiruzen nearly choked. That sounds like Mitomon En!
The Anbu quickly clarified, sensing the misunderstanding. "Not Advisor Mitomon En—it's his cousin!"
Hiruzen: "…"
He suddenly felt the world go dark.
En's cousin was still a prominent figure in the Leaf.
He could barely picture how Mitomon En—usually the calmest of the four advisors—would confront him tomorrow with fury over his cousin's death. A blood relative, no less!
"Lord Hokage!" Another shout nearly made Hiruzen stumble.
Before the new Anbu could speak, Hiruzen, face dark as thunder, snapped, "Who did Akainu Uchiha kill this time?!"
The Anbu hesitated, then replied, "It wasn't Akainu. It was a ninja cat named Jiro and an Uchiha Police Force trainee, Izumi. They teamed up and took out a Special Jonin!"
Crack!
Hiruzen's emotions swung so wildly he accidentally crushed the leg of his desk.
"You're all just watching them and not stopping them?!" he growled. "Even if you can't stop Akainu, you can't handle a ninja cat and a fresh-out-of-the-academy Genin?"
The Anbu exchanged glances. One hesitantly said, "Captain Kakashi told us to just report to you, Lord Hokage. Since it doesn't involve the Jinchuriki, we didn't need to interfere. That's what he said."
Hiruzen's pent-up frustration deflated.
He didn't even know who to yell at anymore!
His chest heaved with each breath. Not one of Akainu's targets today was a nobody. Just thinking about the mess he'd have to clean up made Hiruzen's scalp tingle with dread.
"Lord Hokage!" Another shout rang out.
Hiruzen's face was ashen.
Even if he raced out to find Akainu now, it'd be too late.
Once 'absolute justice' locked onto its prey and started a killing spree, it wouldn't stop. And finding Akainu, who was likely zipping around the village, wasn't guaranteed.
Not unless he finished his slaughter.
Sigh.
Hiruzen stood, only to sit back down, his urgency fizzling out.
Tonight…
He probably wouldn't sleep a wink.
---
"L-Loser, how many is that now?" Sasuke stared at the corpse in front of him, pale with fear. Akainu's relentless killing had left him stunned.
Maybe Father was right to call him back. He hadn't expected "carrying out justice" to be this bloody!
"…I-I lost count," Naruto stammered, too shocked by the brutal methods to care about being called a loser.
Naruto had tried to brace himself mentally.
But this? His preparation wasn't nearly enough!
"Let's go."
Akainu sheathed his blade, flicking off the blood, and glanced at the two kids, who were too stunned to speak clearly. "One left. Naruto Uzumaki, this one… is yours."
"…Huh?!"
Naruto froze, dumbfounded.