41-45

Chapter 41: Justice Delayed Cannot Be Denied Further 

The next day, early in the morning, Hiruzen Sarutobi was already dressed in his mourning attire. Today was the day his eldest son, Sarutobi Shinnosuke, was to be laid to rest. Perhaps the heavens weren't in a good mood either, as a fine, persistent rain was falling. 

"Let's go. To the Konoha Cemetery," Hiruzen said, his voice heavy with sorrow, before walking ahead, letting the rain fall on him. 

Behind him followed Sarutobi Fudou, Shinnosuke's wife, holding their young son, Konohamaru. A procession of other Sarutobi clan members followed closely. 

Besides them, only a handful of Shinnosuke's closest friends from when he was alive were present. A Hokage's eldest son's funeral should have drawn a much larger crowd. However, the negative rumors swirling around Shinnosuke in the village had grown increasingly intense. Even Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, tried to quell the public opinion, but he found it impossible to control. The more he tried to suppress it, the more the villagers believed the rumors were true. This was, in a way, a classic "Konoha civilian" move. 

Under such circumstances, it wasn't suitable to have a grand funeral. After all, in the eyes of many Konoha villagers, if an "evil person" who acted unscrupulously because his father was the Hokage were to receive a lavish funeral after his death, wouldn't that be incredibly unfair to the victims? 

Helpless, considering the negative public sentiment in the village, Hiruzen could only simplify everything as much as possible, inviting only a few of Shinnosuke's friends. 

Before long, Hiruzen and the others arrived at the Konoha Cemetery. The Konoha Funeral Home had already transported Shinnosuke's coffin there. 

"Lord Hokage, can I see him one last time?" Fudou asked, tears welling in her eyes, as she clutched Konohamaru's small hand. 

"Yes," Hiruzen nodded solemnly. 

"Mommy, why is Daddy lying here?" Konohamaru, barely three years old, asked innocently, his words still a bit unclear. 

Tears finally overflowed from Fudou's eyes. Weeping, she said, "Konohamaru, your daddy is just sleeping. But this time, he's going to sleep for a very, very long time. When you grow up, you'll understand why he's sleeping for so long." 

Not far away, several staff members from the Konoha Funeral Home were whispering among themselves. 

"Is that the Hokage's daughter-in-law? She's really beautiful... Hey, Yamada, are you staring? I'd advise you not to get any ideas; she might be a kunoichi, she could squash you with one finger." 

"Yamada? You've been acting strange these past two days. You don't respond when called. You haven't really fallen for the Hokage's widow, have you?" 

Yamada jolted, shaking off his daze, and quickly retorted, "Don't talk nonsense! If Lord Hokage hears you, you'll get me into big trouble." He tried to suppress his unsettled thoughts and added, "It should be about time, shouldn't we bury the coffin now?" 

His colleagues nodded in agreement. "Indeed." 

However, just as the funeral home staff were about to approach, an unexpected disturbance suddenly erupted. They faintly heard people arguing. 

"Hey! Uchiha Akainu! What are you doing here?! You're not welcome today!" 

"Uchiha Police Force, enforcing the law. Unauthorized personnel must not obstruct. Otherwise, lethal force will be used." 

"You!!!" 

"Uchiha Akainu? That name sounds familiar..." one of the funeral home staff members mumbled, stroking his short beard. Then he noticed the "Yamada" next to him looked a bit off. He asked, puzzled, "Hey, Yamada, why is your face so pale?!" 

"N-nothing..." Yamada's lips were trembling slightly. The smile he forced out was uglier than a cry. "I just got wet in the rain, maybe... maybe I caught a chill..." 

Yamada was screaming "Impossible" in his mind. There's no way his actions from four years ago could have been exposed! Maybe... maybe it was just a coincidence. After all, Konoha Village isn't that big; it's perfectly reasonable for that plague, the Uchiha Police Force, to be anywhere. It was just his bad luck today to run into him, right? Besides, he'd handled things so cleanly back then; for four years, no one from the Police Force had bothered him. How could it be exposed?! 

Meanwhile, Hiruzen and the others also noticed the commotion. When they faintly heard the name "Uchiha Akainu," the expression on Hiruzen's face visibly darkened. 

When he saw his daughter-in-law, who was kneeling beside the coffin, suddenly stand up silently... Hiruzen's heart skipped a beat. He was terrified that Fudou, after experiencing the grief of losing her husband, would do something irrational. 

He said, "I'll go check. Fudou, you stay here and see Shinnosuke off on this final journey." 

Hiruzen took a deep breath and, accompanied by two Anbu guards, quickly headed towards the source of the commotion. Sure enough, he saw the one person he least wanted to see during this time—Uchiha Akainu! 

"Lord Hokage," several Sarutobi clan shinobi who were blocking Akainu immediately made way upon seeing Hiruzen, respectfully greeting him. 

Hiruzen slowly walked forward, standing before Akainu, with less than two meters separating them. 

"Akainu..." Hiruzen said with a complex expression, "You should know that someone who did what you did shouldn't be here. Your presence will only provoke many people and cause unnecessary conflict." 

"If you wish to pay your respects to Shinnosuke..." The drizzling rain made it difficult to discern Hiruzen's expression, but he paused, then continued, "You can come tomorrow. As for today... perhaps not." 

Upon seeing Akainu appear at Shinnosuke's funeral, a flicker of anger in Hiruzen's heart had actually subsided. At least, Akainu still remembered their past teacher-student bond. At least, he was still willing to come and send Shinnosuke off for the last time. It seemed Akainu hadn't become so extreme as to abandon all ties, but his "absolute justice" was simply too radical. 

Before, when Akainu's "blade" hadn't fallen on Hiruzen, Hiruzen thought that even if Akainu was a double-edged sword, as long as he used him well, Akainu would be an excellent elite shinobi for Konoha. 

But when that double-edged sword, Akainu, wounded Hiruzen, he suddenly felt that Akainu's "absolute justice" had become so extreme that it made him extremely uncomfortable. 

However, Akainu's reply caught Hiruzen completely off guard: "Third Hokage, I might come to pay my respects to Teacher Shinnosuke someday, but not today. I am here to enforce justice." 

Hiruzen's internal alarm bells suddenly blared. The two Anbu guards trailing him also narrowed their eyes. The atmosphere instantly turned delicate with Akainu's words. 

Enforce... justice?! What did that mean? 

"Uchiha Izumi," Akainu said then. 

"Present!!!" The girl's loud shout almost made Hiruzen think Akainu was about to openly defy Konoha. Until he saw Izumi step out from behind Akainu. Hiruzen's old face darkened slightly, confused as to why this Uchiha girl suddenly yelled. 

Akainu said, "You tell him." 

"Yes! Senior Akainu!" 

Izumi gathered her courage, suppressing her nervousness, and spoke directly to the Hokage: "Lord Hokage, Senior Akainu has uncovered an extremely heinous case of murder and dismemberment. Yesterday and this morning, Senior had already screened many suspects, and now only the last suspect remains to be investigated—that is, 'Yamada Toshijiro' from the Konoha Funeral Home!" 

Hiruzen frowned. "Dismemberment case?" 

Izumi nodded. "The victims are a mother and daughter. The culprit dismembered the bodies and threw the body parts into Konoha's sewers. Although Senior Akainu could only find partial bone fragments, he was able to identify the deceased through those fragments." 

"We've been continuously investigating suspects based on the clues, and now, only Yamada Toshijiro is left." 

Hiruzen was silent for a while. He had to admit that he fully acknowledged Akainu's detective abilities, 100%. However... 

"Akainu," Hiruzen said gravely, "Today is Shinnosuke's burial. Let him have his final peace. If you want to arrest someone, you can wait until after the funeral." 

Akainu's face was devoid of emotion. "Third Hokage, justice has been delayed for four years. Do you want it to be delayed even further?" 

"Justice delayed cannot be denied further." His eyes stared directly into Hiruzen's. "Or, in the Third Hokage's eyes, is the posthumous peace of a villain who fell into darkness more important than the long-overdue justice for two innocent victims?" 

Hiruzen clearly caught the hostility in those eyes. No... rather than him catching it, it was Akainu's undisguised, naked hostility! 

Hiruzen's old face tightened, and he said firmly, "Akainu, show this old man some respect. Whatever it is, we can discuss it tomorrow." 

Akainu replied, "If the Third Hokage's respect could rewind time and revive the dead, I would show it." 

Hiruzen already saw Akainu's right hand resting on the hilt of his ninja sword. The Anbu guards behind him quickly gripped their own sword hilts. The already delicate atmosphere instantly became tense, like a drawn kunai. 

"Akainu, I am the Hokage..." 

Click— 

Hiruzen's eyelid twitched because Akainu's thumb had already pushed open the sword guard. The inch of snow-silver blade revealed was particularly glaring in Hiruzen's eyes. This was truly a rogue ninja, a wild dog beyond his control as Hokage! Even Danzo wouldn't dare to be this forceful with him, Hiruzen! 

Hiruzen was in an extremely foul mood, his face visibly darkening. "Must it come to this?" 

Akainu had already drawn his ninja sword. The two Anbu guards immediately drew their swords without hesitation. They quickly blocked Akainu's path. 

"Put them away!" But Hiruzen's gritted command caused the two Anbu guards to freeze for a moment. 

"Lord Hokage?" 

"Put them away!" Hiruzen repeated, and the two Anbu guards reluctantly sheathed their swords, though the wariness in their eyes hadn't dissipated. As long as Akainu made any sudden moves, they would immediately act. 

Hiruzen gave Akainu a deep look. Finally, he turned and left without a word. 

"Senior Akainu, we..." Izumi, startled by the tense, confrontational atmosphere, spoke weakly. 

Akainu interrupted her with a blank expression: "Go in and make the arrest." 

"Yes, Senior!" 

Chapter 42: Training a Successor for "Absolute Justice"? 

As Hiruzen Sarutobi returned, a Sarutobi clan ninja stepped forward to greet him, only to spot a figure in the distance wearing a Konoha Military Police Force uniform – a sight that made his eyes narrow. He quickly asked Hiruzen, "Hokage-sama, that guy..." 

"Just ignore him," Hiruzen replied, his face grim, though anyone could tell his voice was off. It seemed like he was holding something back. 

Hiruzen quietly walked over to Sarutobi Shinnosuke's coffin, standing silently behind his daughter-in-law, Sarutobi Fuko. 

Just then, he heard Fuko's voice: "Hokage-sama, you don't need to worry about me. I've calmed down. Everything... everything must prioritize the village's greater good, mustn't it?" 

Hiruzen was silent for a while. He felt a pang of guilt, but only a small one. "I have my own difficulties, Fuko. You and I both know the current state of Konoha. The village desperately needs a ninja with a terrifying reputation to deter the small-time troublemakers from other villages." 

"Konoha has successively lost Sakumo, Orochimaru defected, Jiraiya left, Tsunade left, and Shisui is gone. Uchiha Akainu is one of the few remaining pillars of the village." 

"And besides..." 

"Uchiha Akainu's presence also helps keep certain ambitious individuals within the village in check, including some within the Uchiha clan itself." 

Hiruzen paused, then continued, "Even if Shinnosuke were alive, he would do the same as I. You and he are both my right-hand people. He understood me, and you should too." 

Fuko nodded gently. "Hokage-sama, I understand everything." 

Hiruzen sighed softly. "For Konoha, you've endured much hardship." 

Immediately after, Hiruzen warned the Sarutobi clan members who, upon seeing Uchiha Akainu, had become indignant and eager for action. "No one is to make a move! He's just here to apprehend a criminal!" 

Yamada Toshijirō also saw Uchiha Akainu. Even though he thought his chances of being exposed were slim, he instinctively took a few steps back, carefully hiding himself behind the crowd. 

"Gah, I remember now!" Yamada Toshijirō heard a companion gasp in realization. "Uchiha Akainu, isn't that the plague... I mean, that guy from the Uchiha Military Police... is he coming our way?" 

Yamada Toshijirō's heart leaped. Cold sweat instantly broke out on his palms. 

His last shred of hope was extinguished by Uchiha Akainu's cold voice: "Yamada Toshijirō, deeply in debt. Four years ago, after your elder brother, 'Yamada Toshichirō,' passed away from illness, you tried to seize his inheritance but failed. In a fit of rage, you murdered your brother's wife and daughter, dismembering and disposing of their bodies." 

This extremely cold, emotionless voice sounded like the grim reaper's final tolling bell to Yamada Toshijirō. He saw his companions, startled, quickly distancing themselves from him, eyeing him with horror. He also noticed them, out of fear of Uchiha Akainu, quickly clearing a path for him, completely exposing his painstakingly hidden figure. 

Yamada Toshijirō watched as Uchiha Akainu walked up to him, stopping two meters away. He didn't dare to look directly at this young man, who was a good ten years his junior. The drizzling rain couldn't soothe the terror in his heart. He wiped the rain from his face, lowered his head, and forced himself to appear calm, his throat dry. "I... I don't understand what you're saying." 

"Uchiha Izumi." 

"Reporting!" Izumi immediately stepped forward from behind. 

"Interrogate." 

Izumi was startled. She took a deep breath, quickly composed herself, and immediately said, "Yes, Senior!" 

She knew what "interrogate" meant coming from Akainu. The first time she met him, Akainu had made her interrogate a criminal. And it was in broad daylight, in front of everyone, using brutal torture! 

This time... 

It would probably be the same. 

Moreover, Izumi realized that this time it wasn't just in broad daylight, but also under the gaze of the Hokage-sama nearby! This might be a new test Akainu was giving her. 

She felt a lot of pressure. 

However, compared to the pressure of disobeying Akainu's orders, Izumi felt this pressure was nothing. Thinking back to the shattered bones of the mother and daughter, the hesitation and doubt in Izumi's eyes visibly faded. She drew her ninja blade and took a few steps forward. 

"Hey! What... what are you doing?!" Yamada Toshijirō's cold sweat poured down. He stumbled backward in panic, but the cold-eyed young kunoichi pressed forward relentlessly. 

"You have two options now," Izumi said, feeling like she was becoming bad, but for a scum like this, even the most extreme methods seemed justified. She tried to imitate her senior's tone: "First, you refuse to cooperate, and I kill you, then the Yamanaka clan investigates your memories. Second, you confess everything you did four years ago." 

"I told you! I don't understand what you're saying... Ahhhhhh!!!" 

Yamada Toshijirō suddenly let out a horrific scream. He frantically clutched his crotch and knelt down, the indescribable pain making his face go completely pale. 

"I'm only giving you thirty seconds to think about it," Izumi said, gritting her teeth, and kicked him down again. Her eyes hardened, and she stabbed her blade through Yamada Toshijirō's left hand, pinning it to the ground. 

"Ahhhhhhh!!" Yamada Toshijirō continued to scream. 

"Twenty-nine." 

Recalling the bone fragments that had made her skin crawl, Izumi twisted her wrist, and the blade instantly severed half of his hand. 

"Twenty-eight." 

"Twenty-seven." 

Izumi swept her ninja blade, and an ear flew high into the air, the spattering blood quickly washed away by the rain. 

"Twenty-six." 

"Hokage-sama! This is clearly torture! And... they're doing this at Shinnosuke-senpai's funeral, right in front of you, Hokage-sama!" 

A friend of Sarutobi Shinnosuke's spoke to Hiruzen in horror. "Isn't this a forced confession? Maybe that guy is innocent, but he's being abused into admitting guilt. Such behavior is already..." 

Hiruzen stood with his hands behind his back, gazing into the distance. He interrupted, "Uchiha Akainu often disappoints me in many ways. However... when it comes to enforcing the law, no matter how extreme his methods are, the results he delivers always leave me with no room to refute." 

"When Uchiha Akainu identifies someone as a murderer, that person... is absolutely a murderer. He has never been wrong, not once." 

Hiruzen stared at the young kunoichi's back. He murmured to himself with a profound tone, "Are you preparing to train a successor for 'Absolute Justice,' Akainu...?" 

Shinnosuke's friend hadn't expected the Hokage-sama to defend the man who killed his own son. Moreover, in the Hokage-sama's words, that Uchiha Akainu was being "deified" a bit too much, wasn't he? How could a person never make a mistake?! 

"Ahhh! I admit it! I admit it!!" 

A civilian's will is ultimately much weaker than a ninja's, as they've never undergone any rigorous ninja training. The pain radiating from all over his body, combined with the oppressive presence of the Uchiha Military Police, had completely broken his spirit. His already crumbling mental defenses, shaken by Uchiha Akainu's appearance, collapsed entirely at this moment. 

Tears and snot streamed down his face as he screamed in terror, "Don't kill me, don't kill me!" 

"Yes, I did kill my brother's wife and daughter! Why else would that damn woman tell me she'd never lend money to someone addicted to gambling when I asked her for it?!" 

"They were the ones who disregarded family ties first! No! That's not right, they were outsiders to begin with! They just wanted to monopolize my brother's inheritance!" 

Yamada Toshijirō went from emotional breakdown to suddenly trying to justify his actions, all within less than ten seconds. He gritted his teeth and shouted, even growing furious. "I was just helping my brother clean house!" 

"I didn't do anything wrong! Why are you trying to arrest me?!" 

"Why aren't you going after the woman who embezzled my brother's inheritance?!" 

"You're completely unfair!!!" 

"You..." 

As Yamada Toshijirō, in his emotional frenzy, looked up at Uchiha Akainu, he suddenly saw a pair of crimson Three-Tomoe Sharingan enter his field of vision. His entire world seemed to be consumed by those Sharingan. 

Yamada Toshijirō's face shifted from anger to terror. He seemed to be seeing something no one else could. 

"Ahhhhhhh!!!" 

Izumi was momentarily stunned. She quickly realized that this was Akainu using a Sharingan genjutsu directly on him! Izumi didn't know what terrifying images Yamada Toshijirō was seeing in the genjutsu, or what horrifying illusion he was experiencing. 

But... 

She felt he deserved it! 

"Newbie, this is the 'evil' of the ninja world. Even when the blade of justice is at their throats, they will not repent. Gentle laws cannot bring justice to the deceased." 

Uchiha Akainu spoke softly, "With your 'Absolute Justice,' bring justice to the deceased." 

"Kill him." 

Chapter 43: You're Not Regretful, You're Just Scared to Die 

"Kill him." Izumi's palms got a little sweaty hearing those words from senior Uchiha Akainu, delivered without a hint of emotion. 

She knew Akainu-senpai never joked around. 

And Izumi also understood that whether Akainu-senpai was telling her to interrogate a criminal or execute one, it was all a test of her resolve towards Absolute Justice! 

Remembering the photos of the "Yamada family" mother and daughter from the missing file; recalling those two delicate faces with their gentle smiles; thinking of the bone fragments pulled from the Konoha sewers; and seeing Yamada Minijiro's unrepentant attitude just now... 

Izumi's eyes shifted from hesitant and bewildered to determined and resolute. 

"Yes, Senior!" 

As she uttered those words, she noticed Akainu-senpai dispelling the Sharingan genjutsu. 

She saw Yamada Minijiro snap back to reality, dazed, from his endless hallucinations of collapse and despair. 

He was both shocked and terrified, his crotch soaked, snot and tears streaming down his face, his expression so twisted it was hard to look at. 

Izumi didn't know what kind of genjutsu Akainu-senpai had shown Yamada Minijiro. 

She only heard him muttering nervously and fearfully. 

She saw him trembling and squirming, using his hands and feet, and she even saw him smearing the mud on the ground, the blood on his hands, and even his own urine all over his face. 

"Don't kill me, I was wrong... Don't kill me, I regret it... I won't do it again, please... I really regret it... I was wrong, boo hoo hoo, I know I was wrong..." 

Izumi had never seen anyone debase themselves so much just to survive. 

"Did it ever occur to you if that mother and daughter you killed were as desperate as you are now, right before they died?" 

Izumi gripped her ninja blade tightly, gritting her teeth. "Did you remember if they begged you for mercy?" 

"And did you... let them go?" 

Izumi's grip on her sword hilt was so strong her fingers had turned white. 

"You're not actually regretful." 

"You're just scared to die." 

"You! Scum!!!" 

Splat— 

Izumi's ninja blade had pierced through Yamada Minijiro's chest. Following the killing technique she learned at the Academy, she twisted her wrist fiercely, then silently pulled out the blade, immediately stepping aside to her right. 

A gush of crimson blood spurted from Yamada Minijiro's chest, just missing Izumi. 

She watched as Yamada Minijiro's eyes began to glaze over. 

Until he completely slumped to the ground. 

With no more signs of life. 

[Ding! Your nurtured 'Absolute Justice' believer has successfully killed a 'Red Name' villain! Your chakra has received a slight boost! Congratulations, you successfully dropped: Dissection Experience Book ×2!] 

[At the same time, Uchiha Izumi also received a slight chakra boost!] 

"Akainu-senpai, the killer in the dismemberment case has been executed!" 

Izumi took a deep breath, letting the rain wash over her blade. She suddenly had a strange feeling, a peculiar sense of "satisfaction" after carrying out justice and killing the criminal. 

She'd had the same feeling the day before yesterday at the secret research base. 

This made Izumi shiver. 

Could she be some kind of hidden, born-a-villain, crazy killer? 

Izumi was startled by the wild thoughts in her head. She shook her head and quickly asked, "Senior, what should we do with the body?" 

"Let the Anbu or the regular police force handle the retrieval." 

"Yes, Senior!" 

The folks at the Konoha Funeral Home were already too terrified to utter a sound. 

Even though they knew the Hokage was right there in the Konoha cemetery, they still didn't feel safe at all. 

What they couldn't quite understand, though, was that amidst this unsettling fear, they actually felt a strange sense of peace. 

Izumi keenly noticed the dread in their expressions. 

She pursed her lips, then suddenly spoke up, "Yamada Minijiro murdered his elder brother's wife and daughter, dismembering them cruelly, and throwing their body parts into the sewers. The police force failed to find the culprit for four whole years, letting him roam free for ages." 

"It's only today that justice for this mother and daughter has finally arrived, albeit late. This is a lapse in duty for our Uchiha Police Force! But I assure you, as long as we uphold Absolute Justice and purge evil, similar incidents will become rarer and rarer in the future!" 

She wondered if her words had some effect. 

Izumi noticed that the fear in their eyes had lessened a bit. 

But they seemed a little more confused. 

Izumi didn't know what else to say. She just ended with one last sentence: "Under the baptism of Absolute Justice, the ninja world will eventually get better and better." 

Then she quickly turned and followed Uchiha Akainu. 

Izumi walked behind Uchiha Akainu with her head bowed low, feeling nervous and no longer as brave as before. She apologized in a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz, "I'm sorry, Senior. I spoke out of turn and said a lot of things I shouldn't have..." 

It just hit her that she might have been talking ill of the Uchiha Police Force. 

However. 

She didn't hear her senior's rebuke. 

Akainu-senpai didn't even say a word. 

"...Senior?" 

Uchiha Akainu's tone was flat: "You merely spoke the truth." 

After seeing off the notorious "Plague God" of the Uchiha Police Force, the people at the Konoha Funeral Home couldn't help but exchange glances, then nervously eyed the corpse on the ground. 

They probably only understood two things. 

—The Uchiha were good guys, Akainu wouldn't bother them, and since he was gone, they could relax. 

—Yamada Minijiro was an utterly wicked murderer! 

"Gulp!" Someone swallowed hard, finally breaking the strange, eerie silence. "That Yamada guy, he actually did something like that... I used to go out drinking with him often, so I was in danger every day, wasn't I?" 

"The Uchiha ninja said that Yamada guy even dismembered his brother's wife and daughter!" 

"Hmph, why didn't I notice he was like that before?" 

"He hid it so well! Good thing he was caught today... Uh, actually, he wasn't really 'caught.'" 

"So those two Uchiha were investigating a case." 

"Speaking of which, that 'Plague God' doesn't seem as scary as the rumors say. Didn't they say he kills everywhere he goes? But we all seem to be alive, right?" 

"..." 

Amidst their whispers, for a moment, they actually forgot to quickly proceed with Sarutobi Shinzo's funeral. 

Until a ninja from the Sarutobi clan walked over with a dark expression. 

He frowned, first glancing at Yamada Minijiro's corpse, muttering, "That Uchiha was right again." 

He was referring to Uchiha Akainu's perfect case-solving rate. 

Then, the Sarutobi ninja reminded the funeral home staff, "Isn't it time for the burial?" 

Only then did the Konoha Funeral Home staff snap back to attention. 

Meanwhile, as Uchiha Akainu stepped out of the Konoha cemetery, a reddish-orange ninja cat appeared before him in a hurry. 

"Akainu-sama, 'Chicken-eye' is looking for you, meow!" 

Kikujiro spoke rapidly. 

"...Chicken-eye?" Izumi, behind Uchiha Akainu, was stunned for a moment. 

Kikujiro explained, "That's Uchiha Fugaku! That's a nickname Akainu-sama gave Uchiha Fugaku a long time ago. I remember, it was about seven or eight years ago, wasn't it?" 

Izumi was speechless. 

Lord Fugaku... 

Is he really that much of a 'chicken'? 

"Chapter 44: Uchiha Akainu's Blood Relative" 

Izumi found it hard to associate the intimidating, poker-faced leader, Fugaku, with the word "coward." After all, in her eyes, Uchiha Fugaku was quite imposing. Even standing before him, she felt a certain pressure. 

"Kitsujiro, why does Lord Fugaku want to see Senior Akainu?" Izumi pushed away her strange thoughts. A sudden curiosity replaced much of the bloodlust from her recent kill, and she asked again. 

"Newbie, you should call me Senior, meow! I've been following Lord Akainu for many more years than you!" Kitsujiro emphasized, clearly annoyed. Then he replied, "I'm not entirely sure about the details, but it seems to be about some kind of incident?" 

Izumi's heart skipped a beat. Could it be that Lord Fugaku, with his impressive intelligence network, already knew about Senior Akainu and her crashing the Hokage's eldest son's funeral, and that she'd dealt with a scumbag there? Was Lord Fugaku planning to call them back to hold them accountable? 

Izumi felt uneasy. Compared to Uchiha Akainu, who no longer cared about Uchiha Fugaku's standing as clan leader, Izumi still felt a certain fear and respect for him. 

Not long after, they returned to the Uchiha clan's compound, and the continuous drizzle finally stopped. Izumi shook the water from her head, her anxiety growing, as she followed Senior Akainu into the Police Force building. She then saw Senior Akainu push open the door to Fugaku's Police Force office without knocking, walking right in. 

Izumi had no choice but to brace herself and follow. "Lord Fugaku," she greeted politely, but noticed that Senior Akainu remained silent beside her. 

"Hmm." Fugaku nodded at Izumi, then looked at Uchiha Akainu, his stern face showing a complex gaze. "Akainu, there's some bad news. You might want to prepare yourself." 

"Speak," Uchiha Akainu said directly. 

Fugaku hesitated, then asked, "Do you know 'Uchiha Onigawara'?" 

Uchiha Akainu lifted an eyebrow. 

Fugaku sighed, his face clouded with gloom, and slowly said, "He's in trouble. A month ago, he went on a mission outside the village with two companions, and only he returned. His excuse at the time was that his two companions were killed by enemies." 

"However, after investigation by the Police Force, it was revealed that he was actually the one who killed his two companions. And he didn't do it in self-defense, but with a sick, malicious intent to torture them." 

"Akainu, he's a blood relative of yours, which is why I called you here. I wanted to ask for your opinion." 

If it were just an ordinary Uchiha clan member, Fugaku could have handled it himself. But when it involved Uchiha Akainu, things became complicated. 

"A blood relative of Senior Akainu..." Izumi, who was behind them, was surprised. She had always thought Senior Akainu was alone in the Uchiha clan, without any family ties. 

"Meow, it's just that Lord Akainu is too lazy to contact them," Kitsujiro instantly saw through the girl's undisguised confusion. It leaped onto the girl's shoulder, its weight making Izumi's left shoulder dip. 

Kitsujiro whispered, "Uchiha Onigawara is Lord Akainu's deceased mother's younger brother. He's not a member of the Uchiha Police Force, but an Anbu ninja, just like Uchiha Itachi." 

"But it seems that because of a mission a month ago, his two companions died in a very suspicious manner, so he's been suspended for investigation." 

Izumi suddenly understood. She realized that Kitsujiro, this senior ninja cat, knew a lot of strange information! Even something like this! 

"Is the evidence conclusive?" Uchiha Akainu simply asked, without even a hint of doubt. Fugaku also didn't see any anger on the young man's face. 

Fugaku said, "That's what his confession states." 

"Then kill him." 

"Okay... huh???" 

Fugaku suddenly reacted, his poker face finally showing some unusual fluctuation. He looked at Uchiha Akainu in astonishment, reminding him, "Akainu, he's your mother's brother. If we're talking about seniority, he's your maternal uncle, and you're his nephew." 

Uchiha Akainu asked, "Does that have anything to do with 'killing him'?" 

Fugaku was stunned, hesitating. "At least go see him yourself, to check if there's any misjudgment?" 

Uchiha Akainu said, "If such a small matter could be misjudged, the Police Force might as well disband." 

Fugaku: "..." 

For a moment, he couldn't quite figure out Uchiha Akainu. Was he really so cold-blooded, even towards his own blood relatives? 

However, thinking back, he had never seen Uchiha Akainu clash with his blood relatives before, so there was no precedent for him to understand Akainu's stance on this. 

Now, Fugaku understood—Uchiha Akainu would mercilessly swing his blade even at his closest blood kin! 

But then, he heard Uchiha Akainu say, "If I were to condone him living in this world just because of our close relationship, 'Absolute Justice' would become a joke in the ninja world." 

Was it because of his belief in Absolute Justice again? 

Fugaku remained silent for a while, then slowly said, "Akainu, you should still..." 

—Boom!!! 

A sudden, deafening roar shook the Police Force building, cutting off Fugaku's words. Fugaku's expression subtly changed. Izumi almost lost her footing. 

Another Police Force member rushed in, frantically reporting, "Lord Fugaku! Something's happened! Uchiha Onigawara killed one of the clan members guarding him, broke through the detention cell wall, and escaped!" 

Fugaku sprang to his feet, his face extremely grim. While many Uchiha clan members were inherently unstable, individuals like Uchiha Onigawara—who not only tortured and killed his own Anbu comrades but also killed a Police Force member guarding him just to escape—were extreme cases, rarely seen even in a decade within the Uchiha clan. 

Fugaku never expected him to be so bold! Doing this was practically tearing off all ties with both the village and the Uchiha. That meant... 

—Uchiha Onigawara was going to defect from Konoha!!! 

At a time when there were serious misunderstandings between the village and the Uchiha, if an Uchiha clan ninja were to defect from Konoha, the entire Uchiha clan would never be able to clear their name. 

"Order all Police Force members to act immediately! Apprehend Uchiha Onigawara!" Fugaku gnashed his teeth, his face dark. "At all costs, we must stop him before he leaves Konoha!" 

"Akainu, you too... huh?" 

Fugaku then noticed with astonishment that Uchiha Akainu, who had been in the office just moments ago, was already gone. 

"Meow, Lord Akainu left five seconds ago," Kitsujiro said, licking its paws. 

Chapter 45: Justice Itself Wants to Vomit When It Sees You 

"Huff... huff..." A disheveled figure hid in an alleyway within the Uchiha clan compound, desperately trying to calm his breathing and reduce his presence. A bead of sweat slowly traced a path down his face, his eyes, with their slight crow's feet, narrowed. His crimson Three Tomoe Sharingan meticulously observed the surroundings. 

"It's been three minutes already. Why hasn't he shown up to meet me? Didn't we agree on this time?" Uchiha Onigawara gritted his teeth, barely audible to himself. His voice was filled with impatience and anxiety. 

When he noticed a flickering shadow nearby, he immediately shuffled further into the corner, finding a blind spot from many angles, allowing him to barely conceal himself. "Damn it, where are you?!" 

He had killed an Uchiha Police Force ninja to escape from the detention cell in the Police Force building. Those guys must be out in full force now. If that man didn't show up soon, he would definitely be caught! 

A flashback flashed through Onigawara's mind—after his actions were exposed, leading to his suspension from Anbu and an investigation. A young man wearing a strange mask had approached him. 

"Heh heh... Uchiha Onigawara, you brutally murdered two comrades. Do you really think those foolish Konoha ninja can still tolerate you? Your fate will simply be twenty, thirty, or even a lifetime in Konoha's prison." 

"I won't lie to you. It's precisely because your unique bloodline holds considerable value that 'that person' wishes you to join us. 'That person' promises that your sadistic tendencies will be fully satisfied with us." 

"And all you need to do is leave Konoha. Is there anything left for you in Konoha? As long as you dare to defect, I'll be there to meet you at the right time." 

"Oh, and by the way. I forgot to mention, 'that person's' identity won't be unfamiliar to you." 

Onigawara initially had no idea who this person was. He only knew that someone who could silently bypass his surveillance and meet him must have considerable skill. It wasn't until he saw a small white snake emerge from the person's sleeve that Onigawara knew who was extending an olive branch. 

As a proud member of the Uchiha clan, Onigawara naturally didn't want to be subordinate to a Konoha rogue ninja. Once that guy's "spy" in Konoha got him out of the village, he would kill the "spy" ninja without hesitation and then distance himself from Konoha! 

"Tch... my special bloodline..." Onigawara's eyes narrowed. "Are they coveting that brat Akainu's Lava Release Kekkei Genkai but are too afraid to go after him, so they're settling for me instead?" He honestly didn't know why his overly eccentric nephew possessed two Kekkei Genkai. Neither he, nor his deceased sister and brother-in-law, had ever awakened any Lava Release Kekkei Genkai. Of course, that didn't stop Onigawara from trying to use Orochimaru's spy to escape Konoha. 

But... 

"Where is he?!" Just as Onigawara was seething with frustration, his Three Tomoe Sharingan keenly caught a drop of blood-colored "rain" falling from above. 

Drip— 

A splash of blood bloomed on the damp ground beneath his feet. At the same time, Onigawara's eyes narrowed. When he hastily looked up, he saw a dark silhouette rapidly falling from above. Onigawara's eyes and hands were quick; he swiftly caught the falling shadow, preventing any sound that might attract the Police Force's encirclement. 

"This is..." But Onigawara's pupils suddenly constricted, because he realized he had caught a corpse that was still warm! Blood gushed from the corpse's neck, and its mask slipped off, revealing a face frozen in terror. 

Cold sweat drenched Onigawara. He didn't recognize the face, but he recognized the fallen mask—this was Orochimaru's spy, placed in Konoha, who had contacted him half a month ago and offered him an olive branch! 

"I encountered him on my way to find you. The 'evil' he committed was like a lightbulb in the dark, impossible for me to ignore." 

The sudden voice sent alarm bells ringing in Onigawara's heart. He no longer cared about concealing himself, instantly Shushin'ing to a position he felt offered good maneuverability, and then looked up. Two pairs of Three Tomoe Sharingan met in mid-air. 

Onigawara recognized the other person's identity immediately. "Akainu?!!" Onigawara had a deep impression of his nephew. He had seen many extreme Uchiha, and he considered himself quite extreme. But... he felt utterly naive compared to Uchiha Akainu. Even though he was twenty years older! 

Onigawara had already taken a stance, ready to form hand signs at any moment. The dead "spy ninja" on the ground made his face darken with disgust, and the killing intent brewing in Akainu's eyes sent chills down his spine. 

Onigawara took a deep breath and asked cautiously, "Akainu... are you here for me?" 

"Yes." 

Akainu's concise answer immediately sent a chill down Onigawara's spine. He couldn't help but grit his teeth. "We're blood relatives! Akainu, why don't you leave Konoha with me? You know what your reputation is like in Konoha, don't you? No one in this village will approve of your ninja way, and neither will the Uchiha clan. There's no point in you staying in Konoha, is there?" 

"Akainu, you are a genius with two Kekkei Genkai in our Uchiha clan. Plus, I'm not bad either. If you and I join forces, there's no place in the entire ninja world we can't go. We can make the Uchiha bloodline thrive outside of Konoha!" 

As Onigawara spoke, his heart gradually sank. He realized his "invitation" hadn't swayed Akainu. He steeled himself and said, word by word, "Akainu, think of your deceased mother! I am her biological younger brother! I am your closest relative, Uchiha Akainu's only closest relative!" 

"Are you finished?" Akainu, looking down, asked with an expressionless face. 

"...Yes, I'm finished," Onigawara replied, suppressing his discomfort. 

Akainu said, "'Evil' is 'evil.' The absolute justice I believe in will not forgive you simply because we share similar blood. Moreover, I don't have the power to forgive you." 

Damn it... This brat is impossibly extreme! Onigawara's face was distorted with fury. He already regretted hiding in this spot; if he had chosen somewhere else, maybe he wouldn't have run into this cold-hearted brat. 

Then he heard Akainu's indifferent tone: "Uchiha Onigawara, you, who only regret encountering me, are beyond saving. In my eyes, you are sickeningly repulsive." 

Onigawara's face was filled with disbelief. Was what he was thinking so easily seen by others? And this damn brat... 

"Fire Style..." 

"Grand Fireball Jutsu!!!" He swiftly performed the hand signs without hesitation, and a massive fireball soared towards Akainu above him.