Uchiha Akainu's voice wasn't loud, but Kakashi, lurking in the shadows to monitor Naruto, caught every word.
At that moment, Kakashi's expression behind his ANBU mask mirrored Naruto's—a mix of shock and disbelief.
This was bad!
Kakashi knew Akainu's method of teaching Naruto "Absolute Justice" would be intense, nothing like the gentle lectures of a ninja academy teacher. But he'd underestimated just how intense it would be.
Sending the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki to personally kill a criminal dealing in illegal drugs?
At first glance, it didn't seem entirely wrong.
But Naruto was still so young! More importantly, the Third Hokage had tasked Kakashi with ensuring Naruto didn't fall too deeply into Akainu's "Absolute Justice," to keep the Jinchuriki from becoming too extreme.
Kakashi couldn't stay hidden any longer.
Taking a deep breath to steel himself, he stepped out of the shadows, appearing before Uchiha Akainu and Naruto.
Naruto, still reeling from shock, looked up and blinked. "Huh? You again?"
Even with the ANBU mask, Kakashi's silver-white hair was unmistakable, rendering the disguise useless.
"Uchiha Akainu…" Kakashi began, his tone heavy with complexity. "Is it really necessary to expose Naruto to such a dark world so soon? Killing… isn't that too much for him at this age?"
Akainu met his gaze, his voice calm but piercing. "How old were you when you first killed?"
Kakashi's words caught in his throat.
He'd become a genin at a young age, promoted to chunin soon after, and was already a jonin by twelve. His first kill had come far earlier than most could imagine.
But that was different—it had been a desperate counterattack after an enemy ninja ambushed him.
"It's not the same," Kakashi tried to argue. "Back then, the ninja world was chaotic. It was normal for kids not even ten years old to go on missions. You lived through that era too—you know how it was."
"The ninja world isn't as chaotic now. Shouldn't we… you know, protect the younger generation a bit? Especially a seven-year-old like Naruto."
Kakashi was saying things that went against his usual demeanor, but if Akainu had asked Sasuke to do it, he wouldn't have intervened. The Hokage's difficult task left him feeling helpless.
"Is the ninja world really not chaotic anymore?" The question didn't come from Akainu. Kakashi's eyes dropped to Naruto, who was looking up at him.
Their gazes—one adult, one child—met in midair. Naruto spoke again, his voice steady. "Mister, you're someone the Hokage sent to watch me, right? Or maybe to watch the demon fox sealed inside me?"
Kakashi fell silent.
Naruto bit his lip and continued, "I don't know what the Hokage told you, but choosing to learn 'justice' from Teacher Akainu was my decision! The Hokage said he respects my choices."
"I don't think the ninja world is free of chaos. Over the past few days, Teacher Akainu showed me so many evils in this world. Even without wars, those evils are still out there—right around us!"
"When we decide if the ninja world is chaotic or not, are we supposed to just ignore those crimes?!"
"I don't think that's right!"
Kakashi was stunned, unable to respond to a child's pointed questions. He realized the Hokage had underestimated how deeply Akainu's "Absolute Justice"—with its stark black-and-white morality—had affected Naruto. For a kid his age, it was almost brainwashing.
Even Sasuke, who'd always looked down on Naruto, stared at him in astonishment.
"Loser…" Sasuke muttered, feeling like Naruto seemed far more mature than him. He could never have said those words.
"Teacher Akainu, let me carry out justice just once!" Naruto took a deep breath, steeling himself and bowing deeply to Akainu.
Kakashi felt powerless. Hokage-sama, I tried my best… If I keep interfering, I'll end up fighting Akainu, and Naruto—Minato-sensei's kid—might end up hating me.
He sighed inwardly. All he could do was send his last subordinate to report this to the Hokage. Whether to stop Naruto was the Hokage's call now.
If it came to that, the Hokage could deal with it himself!
After all, the Hokage had explicitly ordered no physical conflict with Uchiha Akainu.
With that thought, Kakashi's eyes reverted to their usual dead-fish stare.
…
At the Hokage's office, Sarutobi Hiruzen, puffing on his pipe with a worried frown, nearly dropped it when the last ANBU ninja delivered the report.
"What?!" His old face twisted in shock as he shot to his feet, grabbing the ANBU by the collar. His cheeks flushed with agitation, his wrinkles twitching like he was having a seizure.
"When did this happen?!"
"Five minutes… ago…" the ANBU struggled to breathe but didn't dare show discontent.
"Five minutes…" Sarutobi released his grip, deflated. With Akainu's killing spree, five minutes was likely too late to stop anything.
Clenching his teeth, he growled, "Didn't I tell Kakashi to do everything to keep Akainu's 'Absolute Justice' from influencing Naruto too much?"
He couldn't fathom how Kakashi had handled his supervision.
The ANBU lowered his voice. "Hokage-sama, Captain Kakashi tried every non-violent method, but it was no use. In the end, Naruto himself asked Akainu to let him carry out justice."
"Naruto also said something else…"
Sarutobi closed his eyes briefly, then said heavily, "Repeat it."
When the ANBU finished, Sarutobi opened his eyes, his expression one of profound loss.
Maybe it was his imagination, but he felt Naruto would no longer be the boy who followed him around calling him "Hokage Grandpa." The premonition was strong.
…
Meanwhile, in a corner of the Hidden Leaf, Naruto's small arm trembled as he gripped a ninja blade. At his age, the weapon's weight was almost too much for him.
Still, he gritted his teeth and held on.
His eyes locked onto a Leaf ninja pinned to the ground by several kunai. Naruto swallowed hard, his sweaty palms either from exertion or nerves—he couldn't tell.
"Uchiha… Akainu!" the pinned ninja spat, blood dripping from his mouth. "You… you attacked a fellow Leaf ninja without reason. The Hokage… won't let you get away with this!"
Akainu's voice was calm. "Justice purges the evils of the ninja world. How is that without reason?"
The ninja struggled, but the kunai pinning him made every movement agony. His face twisted with hatred. "What proof do you have that I'm some 'evil'? No evidence… and you label a fellow ninja a criminal. You're just using this as an excuse to satisfy your bloodlust!"
"Take your head to the Yamanaka clan, and we'll have evidence," Akainu replied coolly, leaving the ninja speechless.
What? Shouldn't evidence come before killing? Killing first and finding evidence later? That was absurd!
Was this because of some rumored Sharingan ability to see past and future sins? Ridiculous! No Uchiha had ever been known to have such a dojutsu!
Akainu ignored the ninja's protests, glancing at the darkening sky and then at Naruto, who hesitated with the blade. "Naruto Uzumaki, are you afraid to strike down evil?"
"I… I… I'm not afraid!" Naruto bit down hard, his voice shaking.
"Your voice is too soft. I can't hear your conviction for justice. With such a weak resolve, you think you can uphold it?!" Akainu's stern tone made Naruto tremble.
Gathering his courage, Naruto shouted, "I'M NOT AFRAID!!!"
His yell was loud enough to disturb the neighborhood. When nearby residents opened their doors to scold the noisy kid, they froze at the sight before them.
Naruto raised the ninja blade high, his untrained stance clumsy but deadly. A sharpened blade didn't need skill to kill.
As Naruto shut his eyes and the pinned ninja's face filled with despair, he swung the blade down.
But in the next moment, Naruto's eyes snapped open in shock. A force stopped his blade mid-swing. He stared at the fingers gripping the blade, then at Akainu standing beside him.
"You're still too young. You're not ready to kill," Akainu said indifferently. "But I've seen your resolve to strike against evil."
With a slight tug, Akainu made Naruto release the blade. In Naruto's stunned gaze, Akainu gripped the handle and drove the blade into the pinned ninja's heart without hesitation.
Thud.
Blood splattered, some landing on Naruto's face, snapping him out of his daze. He stared at Akainu's profile.
"Naruto Uzumaki," Akainu said, his eyes meeting Naruto's blue ones. "Your courage to swing at evil has passed the first test of justice."
Naruto's eyes widened, his stunned expression giving way to joy. It was a test from Teacher Akainu!
Sasuke, standing nearby, couldn't help but ask, "If the loser didn't have the guts to swing, would he have failed? I heard you once had two police force trainees who didn't meet your expectations… and you killed them."
Naruto froze, horrified. Had he just walked through the gates of death without knowing?
No way! Teacher Akainu wouldn't do that, right?
But Akainu's response sent chills down Naruto's spine. "Only one died. The other was mentally broken and has been in the Leaf Hospital's psychiatric ward for a long time."
Naruto's eyes widened further. "!!!"
"However," Akainu continued calmly, "the one who died wasn't killed for failing to meet expectations. He was steeped in evil, trying to infiltrate the ranks of justice and taint its purity."
Sasuke blinked, realizing the trainee must've been corrupt, which is why he was killed. He believed Akainu without knowing why he trusted him so much.
"Man, he scared me too…" Kakashi, still hidden, let out a half-relieved sigh. He'd genuinely thought Akainu would make Naruto kill.
Looking at the corpse, Kakashi's mouth twitched. "Another clan ninja…"
He wondered how the Hokage would clean up this mess. Akainu had made enemies of several clans tonight.
But that was the Hokage's problem, not his.
Perched on a rooftop, hands in his pockets, Kakashi muttered, "At least the Hokage will be relieved to know Naruto didn't kill. Among all the bad news, that's probably the only good news."
…
Back at the Hokage's office, Sarutobi hadn't been stressing for long when Koharu Utatane stormed in, her face dark with anger.
"Hiruzen!" she began, but stopped short, noticing the crowd of ANBU ninjas in the room.
Sarutobi wasn't surprised by her arrival. Akainu had killed two Utatane clan members.
"I already know," Sarutobi sighed.
"Funny coincidence…" Another voice interrupted as Mitokado Homura entered, escorted by several Mitokado clan ninjas. "I thought you'd be the only one here at this hour, Hiruzen."
Koharu glanced at Homura, frowning thoughtfully. "You're here because of Uchiha Akainu too?"
Homura took a deep breath, his eyes shadowed. "My cousin was killed by him—beheaded."
He paused, then asked, "You said 'too.' Does that mean…?"
Koharu's face was grim. "Two from the Utatane clan are dead."
The two advisors exchanged a look, realizing they shared the same plight.
"Hokage-sama!" Another voice burst in—a furious clan head from a smaller Leaf clan. "Uchiha Akainu stormed our clan's stronghold without warning and killed one of our young ninjas!"
He froze, sensing the strange atmosphere and the crowd in the office. "What's going on here?"
Before Koharu could speak, Sarutobi shook his head. "Wait. More will come. We'll talk when everyone's here."
He sighed heavily. "Akainu… he's killed at least a dozen people tonight. More will show up soon."
Koharu: "???"
Homura: "…"
…
At the Uchiha clan's stronghold, Shisui, rubbing his cane thoughtfully, received a report from one of his radical faction ninjas.
"Elder Shisui, an hour ago, Uchiha Akainu killed three Uchiha clan members within our grounds!"
Shisui's eyelid twitched, his hand freezing. "As expected… that radical brat would eventually turn his blade on his own kin. I just didn't think it'd happen so soon. Hmph!"
"Who were the ones killed?" he asked coldly.
If they were from Fugaku's moderate faction, he'd be clapping.
The reporting ninja hesitated, sparking a bad feeling in Shisui.
His eyes narrowed. "Speak!"
"Elder Shisui, the dead are Uchiha Naito, Uchiha Masa…"
Shisui's anger flared. Those names were familiar—promising young radicals with awakened Sharingan.
"And Uchiha Hayata."
The final name hit Shisui like a bolt. His arm trembled, his face twitched, and his cloudy eyes filled with disbelief. His heart clenched painfully as "Uchiha Hayata" echoed in his mind.
A sudden sound of unfamiliar footsteps made him snap his head up, his eyes brimming with killing intent.
"…Fugaku!!!"
The uninvited guest was none other than Uchiha Fugaku.
"Elder Shisui," Fugaku said, surrounded by police force members, his expression complex but resolute. "Hayata and the others were targeted by Akainu because they were smuggling and selling large quantities of illegal drugs."
Fugaku's face hardened. "I doubt three young Uchiha could've managed to bring so many drugs into our stronghold on their own, don't you think?"
Shisui's fists clenched, but he didn't respond.
Fugaku continued, "Since it was their mistake, I ask you to let this go, Elder Shisui. I won't dig into the hidden details."
"I don't want to see our clan descend into chaos."
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