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Chapter 114 - Chapter 113: Uchiha Itachi: I Will Save Konoha My Way 

In Fugaku's eyes, Uchiha Sasuke could never compare to Uchiha Itachi. Whether it was talent, insight, or character, Sasuke was far inferior. 

When Uchiha Akainu rejected Sasuke for "not understanding justice," Fugaku felt a mix of relief and disappointment. 

Even Akainu thought Sasuke wasn't up to par. It seemed Sasuke truly didn't measure up to even a fraction of Itachi. 

But who could've predicted… 

Akainu's rejection lit a fire in Sasuke, sparking an unexpected breakthrough! 

His sluggish comprehension suddenly sharpened, and he grasped one of the core tenets of [Justice]! 

At that moment, Fugaku felt a sinking dread, which soon proved justified. Akainu's voice rang out, "Remember every word you just said. Never forget your current understanding of [Justice]. This ninja world shouldn't be like this. Its warped, diseased nature breeds horrifying evils." 

"[Absolute Justice] exists to purge these evils one by one. Even if it costs your life, it's a price worth paying. Uchiha Sasuke, you claim to believe in justice—do you have the resolve to sacrifice your life for it? To bear the responsibilities and duties it demands?" 

"Yes! Yes!" Sasuke's voice was firm, his teeth gritted as he answered Akainu's two piercing questions. 

Akainu continued, "From now on, you can follow me." 

Under Sasuke's ecstatic expression, Akainu added coldly, "I hope your justice earns a good score in my eyes." 

"…Score?" Sasuke blinked, confused. 

Justice had a score?! 

Izumi chimed in, "Sasuke-kun, Senior Akainu evaluates your performance constantly. The max is a thousand points. Only by reaching that can you be considered 'passing' in his eyes." 

"But…" Her tone shifted. "If you end up with a negative score, Sasuke-kun, you might not survive." 

Sasuke: "!!!" 

Not survive?! 

"Meow, because in Lord Akainu's eyes, a negative score means you've chosen justice but acted against it," Jiro, the ninja cat, explained, leaping onto Sasuke's shoulder. Its weight nearly knocked him over. 

Jiro poked Sasuke's flustered face with a paw. "There were two Uchiha Police Force kids who became Lord Akainu's trainees. One scored negative in his eyes, and Akainu killed him himself." 

"Kid, if you're scared, you can back out now. There's still time." 

Sasuke was sweating buckets. This sounded worse than breaking clan rules. 

But… 

The increasingly unfamiliar face of Uchiha Itachi flashed in his mind, along with the bloody scenes of the clan massacre from Akainu's genjutsu, replaying like a carousel. 

He glanced at his father, whose stern face radiated disapproval, his eyes signaling Sasuke to reject Akainu immediately. 

His father didn't want him to follow [Justice]. 

But… 

If he didn't find a way to grow stronger, if he didn't resolve to change things, if he just waited for tragedy to strike like his father did… that wasn't the future Uchiha Sasuke wanted! 

Even Naruto, that dead-last, wasn't afraid of being judged as "negative justice" by Akainu. 

How could he be afraid? 

He was a proud Uchiha! 

"I… don't regret it!" 

"I won't back out!" 

Sasuke forced himself to avoid his father's gaze. In the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of deep disappointment in Fugaku's eyes. 

… 

"Fugaku, what a show. An Uchiha clan of [Absolute Justice]—truly a new path for the Uchiha," came Koharu Utatane's snide voice. 

Fugaku's pupils constricted. 

"Advisor Koharu…" He started to explain, but saw her grim face as she turned and left, hands clasped behind her back. 

Mito Menma's voice came from the side. "Koharu's just upset by Akainu's actions. He's got the moral high ground, so she can't argue back, and it's soured her mood. Don't take her words to heart, Fugaku." 

Menma looked up at him. "I know you've always stood with Konoha, with peace, right?" 

Fugaku nodded quickly. "The Uchiha and Konoha should maintain that peace." 

Menma patted his shoulder, saying nothing more, and followed Koharu. 

Fugaku couldn't help but glance at Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen. 

The Hokage's focus was entirely on Naruto, the Jinchuriki. 

When Naruto edged closer to Akainu, Fugaku noticed Hiruzen's expression darken briefly. 

… 

"Tch, Asuma, is Konoha throwing some grand 'party' tonight? Quite the spectacle!" 

Outside the village, the eleven Guardian Ninja, panting from their non-stop journey, stood on tree branches. 

The sarcastic voice belonged to Kazuma. He smirked, "That fire looks intense. If Konoha's Hokage got caught in it, wouldn't that be a glorious sight?" 

Asuma crushed a leaf between his fingers, shooting Kazuma a cold glance. 

Easing his fatigue, Asuma said grimly, "I only know that if you don't focus solely on Uchiha Akainu, your arrogance could get you killed. Even Danzo, Root's leader, fell to him. Your overconfidence might doom us all." 

"Asuma, you're overrating Akainu," another Guardian Ninja, who opposed the Hokage system, cut in. "Is it because your brother died by his hand, and your father, the Third Hokage, is too weak to avenge him, that you hype up this extreme Uchiha?" 

"The 'Lava Beast' may be strong, but he's alone. The eleven of us, elite ninja of the Land of Fire, could take on a Kage. Why avoid him?" 

Asuma's forehead veins pulsed. Every word stung, especially about his brother, Sarutobi Shinnosuke. 

But for the mission's sake, he swallowed his anger. 

Flatly, he said, "A ninja must go all out, no matter the enemy. The Daimyo's orders are for you to follow me. Keep your mouths shut." 

"Rest up, recover, then we'll eliminate that Uchiha pest for the Daimyo." 

"Tch!" Kazuma's eyes flashed with disdain at the mention of the Daimyo, but he said no more. 

… 

The next day. 

News of Akainu killing over a dozen drug traffickers and wiping out the Shimura clan for attempting to assassinate him swept through Konoha like a hurricane, shocking everyone. 

"Uchiha Hayata, Uchiha Naito, and Uchiha Masaru—our clan's ninja—killed just for smuggling drugs? Doesn't he have any sense of clan loyalty?" 

"I heard it wasn't just our three clansmen. Ninja from other clans, like the Koharu and Mito, got caught up too." 

"If I remember right, Hayata was Elder Setsuna's grandson, wasn't he? Annoying, cocky guy." 

"Tch, this 'Absolute Justice' that doesn't care about family ties and only judges right from wrong—it's no joke." 

"The Police Force said last night's explosion in the Uchiha compound was the Shimura clan's doing. Akainu went alone to their compound and wiped them out." 

"The Shimura clan? Danzo's clan? Good riddance! They stole so many of our Sharingan!" 

"Akainu feels way tougher than our clan leader." 

"…" 

The Uchiha clan's reactions were the most heated. Some were outraged at Akainu's "indiscriminate" killing of clansmen; others approved of his [Absolute Justice]; some even compared him to Fugaku. 

And they realized their chosen clan leader paled in comparison to a young Uchiha! 

The Shimura clan had infiltrated the Uchiha compound, planted explosive tags, and caused significant destruction. 

What did Fugaku do about it? 

Did he confront the Shimura clan immediately? 

Did he rally the Uchiha to surround them? 

Fugaku did nothing! 

Akainu, regardless of his motives, took action. 

He settled the score. 

Many Uchiha felt a surge of pride. 

After years of enduring and yielding, they finally fought back! 

"Elder Setsuna, lead us with Akainu to oust the weak Fugaku!" a group of radical Uchiha ninja urged, rushing to Setsuna. "Akainu holds the clan's greatest individual strength, a power even the Hokage fears. You lead the radicals. With your command, we could launch a coup against the Hokage!" 

"If you join forces with him, you'd dominate Fugaku's faction. The weak Uchiha clan would be no more, and a new Uchiha would rise to Konoha's peak." 

"If [Absolute Justice] and radical will could merge perfectly, Fugaku wouldn't stand a chance. He'd have to hand over the clan leader position." 

The radicals' resentment toward Fugaku pleased Setsuna. 

But their admiration for Akainu darkened his expression. 

Did they not realize his grandson died by Akainu's hand?! 

"Elder Setsuna, Hayata's death was his own fault—his incompetence and ignorance!" a young radical said. "If he'd paid any attention to Konoha's current state, he wouldn't have crossed Akainu. Stashing that many drugs in the compound proves he was an idiot." 

"For the Uchiha's greater cause, we should cast aside such fools." 

"You wouldn't mourn someone that stupid, right, Elder?" 

Setsuna: "…" 

Before he could respond, another radical piped up, "Elder Setsuna's vision surely matches Akainu's! Akainu killed his kin, Uchiha Oniwa, for justice. Setsuna would sacrifice his grandson for the clan's cause too." 

Setsuna: "???" 

… 

Elsewhere. 

"Father, why didn't you stop Sasuke?" Itachi stared into Fugaku's eyes. "The stance of [Absolute Justice] opposes Konoha. If Sasuke follows Akainu's path, his future is ruined!" 

Itachi believed his future self spared Sasuke to protect a fragile Konoha. 

That's why he couldn't sit still now. 

If Sasuke, meant to defend Konoha, joined [Absolute Justice], he'd go astray! 

This wasn't part of Itachi's vision or plan. 

Why was he so sure [Absolute Justice] opposed Konoha? 

It was his judgment from observing Akainu's actions. 

To Itachi, Akainu's "executing justice" was weakening Konoha. 

Ninja after ninja fell by his hand, even affecting Konoha's leadership. 

The Shimura clan was brutally wiped out! 

This "justice" repulsed Itachi. 

"Itachi, I'm lost," Fugaku sighed, opening up to his eldest son. "What's the right path? You for Konoha, me for balance, Akainu for justice, Setsuna for power…" 

"When Sasuke came home, I wanted to scold him. But your mother said his choice was right. She said Akainu's justice could keep most of the Uchiha alive." 

"Mikoto said my efforts to balance both sides only destabilize the scales, pleasing no one. Setsuna's power grab would escalate conflicts, pushing the Uchiha into the abyss. And your loyalty to Konoha—its outcome is already foretold." 

Recounting his wife's words from last night, Fugaku's eyes showed unprecedented confusion. 

Even his closest ally supported an outsider over him… 

Something he never expected. 

Itachi, expressionless, said, "Father, Mother is too narrow-minded. She's never faced the complexity of the situation. She's just a woman with a limited perspective, naively thinking Akainu's [Absolute Justice] is the Uchiha's future." 

"She shouldn't indulge Sasuke's wrong path, and you shouldn't be swayed by her words. She's never made decisions—how could she see clearly?" 

Itachi paused, his face unchanged. "Father, your chance is gone." 

Fugaku froze, a memory surfacing. 

Itachi continued, "Last time, I said I'd handle the increasingly dangerous, uncontrollable Uchiha clan my way. You asked for one more chance to try." 

"Now, your attempt has failed," Itachi said slowly. "I won't let the Uchiha spiral out of control or threaten Konoha." 

Staring into Fugaku's activated Mangekyo Sharingan, Itachi asked, "Are you going to stop me, Father? You said you'd be proud of me, no matter my decision." 

Fugaku's Mangekyo faded. 

He opened his mouth but couldn't speak. 

He watched Itachi leave without lifting a hand to stop him. 

… 

"It's an illusion, isn't it…?" Kakashi muttered. "The villagers don't seem to resent him as much anymore. Or rather… some misunderstandings have cleared up. They're starting to realize that as long as they don't commit crimes, Akainu won't target them." 

"They even see he's helping root out Konoha's criminals. Theft and scams are becoming rarer." 

While Naruto was at the Ninja Academy, Kakashi had little to do. 

Wandering Konoha, he overheard everyone talking about Akainu. 

Unlike before, when people spoke of him with fear and caution, now they discussed him openly, even eagerly. 

"His power is changing Konoha's underbelly." 

As Kakashi mused, a sudden slap on his back caught him off guard. 

"Pfft! Cough, cough!" Kakashi doubled over, coughing violently. 

Lifting his dead-fish eyes, he stared, unimpressed, at the culprit's distinctive thick brows, only to see a wide grin of gleaming teeth. 

"Kakashi! I'm back!!!" Might Guy flashed a thumbs-up. 

Ugh… 

The troublesome guy was back. 

… 

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