"Seisui… Mother…" Gekko Hayate stared blankly at his younger brother, who had gone limp in his arms, showing no signs of life.
His brother's death, and the words his brother spoke before dying, left his mind in a daze, temporarily robbing him of the ability to think.
He blankly raised his head, meeting the gaze of Uchiha Chisen, who was sheathing his sword.
Two streams of sorrowful tears had already slipped down his cheeks, though he didn't know when they had started.
"Your mother's body has likely been taken away by others from the Konoha Military Police Force. Next, the Konoha Military Police Force will invite ninjas from the Gekko Clan for a joint investigation," Uchiha Chisen said expressionlessly. "If you want to see your mother, you can wait until the joint investigation concludes. It should take about a day or two."
Mother…
Murdered…
Uchiha Chisen's words turned the mockery of Gekko Seisui before his death into reality, making Gekko Hayate even more grief-stricken. His heart felt as if it were being pierced by invisible blades.
Two years ago, his father died, killed by Uchiha Chisen.
Two years later, his mother died, killed by his own younger brother. Now his younger brother was also dead, also at Uchiha Chisen's hands.
Of the entire Gekko Clan, he was the sole survivor of the direct lineage of his branch!
Gekko Hayate was becoming increasingly lost.
He didn't even know if he should seek revenge against Uchiha Chisen.
This Uchiha, who was like a demon, had killed his father and his younger brother…
But the other party was also carrying out "Justice."
It could even be said that Uchiha Chisen had avenged his mother!
Moreover…
It was an unforgivable matricidal revenge!
"Senior Chisen, he seems to be in a lot of pain. His mental state looks like he's about to break," Izumi whispered, her young face etched with worry. "Will he be alright?"
Uchiha Chisen turned and walked away, slowly saying, "Let him be for a while."
"Okay." Izumi quickly followed.
…
The news that Uchiha Chisen killed two Gekko Clan chunin, entered the Gekko Clan's compound with his subordinates, and killed the second son of the former clan head, "Gekko Seisui," quickly set Konoha ablaze.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, who was smoking his pipe, heard the news.
He was so shocked that he choked and coughed.
After finally recovering, Sarutobi Hiruzen immediately drank some water, suppressed the turbulent thoughts in his heart, and then asked the Anbu ninja who reported the news in a deep voice, "What was the specific reason?"
Just as the Anbu ninja was about to speak, there was a knock on the door.
Sarutobi Hiruzen suddenly guessed something.
He said, "Come in!"
As expected… Uchiha Chisen, who had killed three ninjas, walked into the Hokage's office as if nothing had happened, with a cautious little follower behind him.
"The reason is that the culprit, 'Gekko Seisui,' resisted arrest," Uchiha Chisen said directly, without waiting for Sarutobi Hiruzen to ask. "Anyone who dares to resist arrest is no longer a simple criminal. We must strike hard and kill them on the spot to deter other troublemakers."
Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression slightly darkened. This was not the first time Uchiha Chisen had seen him without first addressing him as Hokage.
Nor was it the first time he had spoken to him in such a cold, detached tone.
It was as if the Third Hokage himself was a criminal in this child's eyes.
This made Sarutobi Hiruzen instinctively feel uncomfortable.
Fortunately, his emotions were stable, and his slightly darkened expression faded. Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at Uchiha Chisen and asked, "Culprit?"
"Uchiha Izumi," Uchiha Chisen said.
"Yes! Senior!!!"
Izumi took a deep breath. Having prepared herself on the way, she stepped forward as a senior to report to the Hokage. "Hokage-sama, Senior Chisen and I this morning…"
The girl's narrative logic was clear, and her language was concise.
After she recounted the entire story, Sarutobi Hiruzen's brow furrowed deeper.
"Gekko Seisui…" Sarutobi Hiruzen exhaled deeply. "This child, I used to hold him. But I never expected him to be so… extremely jealous. Even because of this terrible jealousy, he would do something to his own kin…"
Sarutobi Hiruzen believed it.
Although he couldn't quite grasp some of Uchiha Chisen's methods, the one thing he was certain of was that—when it came to matters of "Justice" and "Evil," Uchiha Chisen never made the wrong judgment.
This child…
He was like a natural judge, with an accuracy rate of one hundred percent in determining the truth of a case!
Back then, Sarutobi Hiruzen had also suspected that Uchiha Chisen might be using "executing justice" as an excuse to kill for pleasure.
After investigating dozens of times and finding nothing unusual, Sarutobi Hiruzen had only just realized that some people possessed such talent.
The Uchiha clan truly had an abundance of talented individuals!
But...
"Chisen!" Sarutobi Hiruzen knocked on his desk, his expression serious. "A matricide resisted arrest, and you killed him with violent means. I can overlook that. But why did you kill two innocent members of the Gekko clan?"
"Those two young men, one was twenty-one, the other twenty-six. They simply stood in your way, and you killed them? Is this 'justice' when it harms the innocent?!"
Izumi keenly sensed that the atmosphere in the Hokage's office was not right.
Uchiha Chisen met Sarutobi Hiruzen's gaze and said, "I warned them beforehand, but since they insisted on obstructing law enforcement, it means they made their own choice."
"Unfortunately, they chose to stand on the side of 'evil.' They obstructed justice and condoned sin, thus they are no longer innocent."
He paused, then continued, "Whether it's a ninja from the Gekko clan or you, Lord Hokage, who stands in my way... I will use Absolute Justice to purge all obstacles!"
"I will show no mercy!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen gazed deeply at Uchiha Chisen, finally letting out a sigh. He asked, "Chisen, how long has it been since you started confronting me with this opposing ideology?"
Uchiha Chisen replied, "Five years."
"Five years..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen stood up, walked a few steps with his hands behind his back, paused, and then asked again, "Chisen, you must be able to feel that some situations are occurring within the village that no one wants to see, right? Although there are no large-scale conflicts in the ninja world, the waters within Konoha have never been calm."
"As an Uchiha, you should be very sensitive to these matters. So, may I ask you? In your eyes, does justice... stand with the majority of the village, or with the minority?"
"If, one day, you are forced by circumstances to do something that goes against justice, will you do it?"
Beside them, Izumi felt the atmosphere in the office had become so heavy that the surrounding air seemed to be solidifying.
"Justice stands with good people."
Uchiha Chisen gave his third answer. He continued, "My stance is justice. I will never betray my stance, nor will I go against the justice in my heart."
Sarutobi Hiruzen pondered, "Good people..."
A faint smile appeared on his face. "Chisen, although your answer and Itachi's differ slightly, it increasingly makes me feel that you and that child Itachi are indeed alike. You both love the village."
"Lord Hokage, it's wrong to insult people," Uchiha Chisen frowned and corrected him.
Sarutobi Hiruzen: "???"
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