Chapter 1: Plague God
It was the 57th year of Konoha, one year before the Uchiha Clan Night of the Massacre..
Inside the Konoha Police Force headquarters, Fugaku Uchiha held a list in his hand. With a stern face, his gaze swept over the young generation of the Uchiha clan standing before him.
These children, aged between 12 and 16, were the future of the Uchiha clan.
Fugaku Uchiha spoke in a deep voice, "Next… Uchiha Izumi."
"Ah? Here!"
The twelve-year-old Uchiha girl quickly raised her hand, responding with a shout.
Fugaku gazed at the girl, questioning, "Do you have the determination to participate in the Uchiha Police Force recruitment assessment?"
Izumi's pretty face was solemn as she replied, "I'm ready!"
Fugaku nodded. "The assessment period will be one month. During this month, an official member of the Police Force will act as your examiner and conduct your recruitment assessment."
"If they believe your performance is satisfactory, you can officially join the Uchiha Police Force and become an enforcer of Konoha."
Fugaku pointed to the names written on a board behind him.
Many of the names had already been circled.
Fugaku continued, "You can choose an examiner for yourself, but only from the names that haven't been circled."
Izumi looked up at the dense list of names.
—Uchiha Shun, Uchiha Tsukinashi, Uchiha Ikeizumi, Uchiha Ishin…
The girl realized she didn't recognize any of them!
"Then… what about Senior Ikeizumi?" Izumi whispered softly. She chose this senior simply because his name was very similar to her own.
Uchiha Izumi, Uchiha Ikeizumi—only a single character separated them.
Fugaku paused.
"Ikeizumi…" A flicker of complexity crossed his eyes as he asked suggestively, "Are you sure? You can't change your choice once it's made."
Izumi didn't pick up on the clan head's hint, thinking he was simply urging her on.
"I'm sure."
She quickly sealed her decision.
Fugaku thought for a moment, then warned, "Uchiha Ikeizumi is an elite ninja of the Police Force. His assessment requirements for you will likely be stricter than anyone else's. Remember, do not defy his orders, if you wish to survive."
Izumi froze.
She swallowed hard.
The clan head hadn't warned other clan members like this before; did this mean she had made the wrong choice?
The girl began to panic.
...
Izumi was still somewhat dazed as she walked out of the Police Force headquarters.
She held an "Assessment Commission" in her hand. As soon as she handed this commission to Senior Ikeizumi, she would begin a month of hellish assessment with the Police Force.
"If Itachi was here, I could ask him what kind of person this Senior Ikeizumi is," Izumi mumbled softly.
She wanted to ask other clan members for information but then remembered that she wasn't close with anyone else in the Uchiha clan.
This was because Izumi was the only "outsider" within the Uchiha clan and simply couldn't connect with her peers.
Her mother was from the Uchiha clan, but her father was a civilian ninja. Before the age of five, Uchiha Izumi used her father's surname.
It wasn't until the Nine-Tails Attack, when her father died protecting her, that her mother brought her back to the Uchiha clan, and she took her mother's surname.
"Calm down, calm down… As long as I have a good attitude, even if Senior Ikeizumi is very strict, it shouldn't get too bad."
Izumi decided to buy a small gift first.
However, before she could act, a surprised cry came from nearby: "The Police Force ninjas are back!"
Izumi turned her head.
She saw a group of Uchiha Police Force members approaching in formation—each dressed in ninja combat gear, wearing numerous ninja tools, and exuding an impressive aura.
There probably wasn't time to buy a gift. If Senior Ikeizumi was among them and she didn't greet him in time, she might leave a bad impression.
Izumi quickly jogged over, gathering her courage to ask them, "Excuse me, which one of you is Senior Uchiha Ikeizumi?"
She nervously held out the commission. "I'm Uchiha Izumi, an applicant for the Police Force recruitment assessment."
The Uchiha Police Force ninjas stopped.
A pair of astonished eyes focused on her.
It was as if they were staring at a rare summoning beast.
Among them… a female Uchiha Police Force member walked up to Izumi and asked the girl with a strange expression, "You picked Uchiha Ikeizumi as your examiner?"
"Yes," Uchiha Izumi nodded.
"...Good luck to you." The female Uchiha patted Izumi's shoulder, her voice filled with sympathy. "He's not here. If you're looking for him, you can try your luck in the rowdiest streets in the village; he'll probably be there."
"Good luck. Sometimes, just surviving is a form of luck."
Izumi: "???"
Izumi's face turned pale with fright, and she quickly asked, "Senior, is Senior Ikeizumi very strict with new recruits like us?"
The female Uchiha shook her head. "It's not about being strict. He's… how should I put it, a bit of a loner. Even Lord Fugaku has trouble ordering him around. Let me give you some advice: you'd better prepare a will first. Trust me, that will come in handy very soon."
Izumi: "..."
She noticed that all the Police Force seniors looked at her with a hint of pity.
...
Meanwhile.
In Konoha Village's famous "bathhouse, casino, and red-light district" street, a young man dressed in Police Force attire arrived.
The moment he stepped into the street alone, the very air seemed to fall silent.
After a full three seconds, panicked commotion erupted.
"Oh no! That Uchiha Plague God is here again! Last time he came, he threw over fifty people into the Konoha Prison! Quick, quick, notify the boss, close the casino doors!"
"Why is he back again? How long has it been? A month?"
"Hey! Uchiha Ikeizumi! You're going too far. We're all legal businesses. Konoha doesn't prohibit gambling, or prostitution, and only a few illegal drugs are forbidden. Why do you keep targeting us?"
"Shhh—do you have a death wish? If you provoke that Uchiha Plague God, you'll be locked up in the Konoha Prison's dark room for life."
"You, don't look at me! I'm just passing by!"
"..."
Uchiha Ikeizumi casually rested a hand on the hilt of the ninja sword at his waist, his gaze subtly sweeping around, searching for the prey his eyes could "see."
Suddenly.
Uchiha Ikeizumi's eyes paused. "Found a little rat."
In his sight, a small man was hiding cautiously among the crowd on the street, head down. At first glance, he seemed unremarkable.
But in Uchiha Ikeizumi's eyes…
The short man stood out like a firefly in the night, impossible to ignore.
Because he could clearly see a crimson red box floating above the man's head, and within that box were lines of red text.
[Jiro Akiyama — Two days ago, after losing money gambling, he drank to drown his sorrows. While drunk, he brutally abused his four-year-old child until death. Sin Level: Red Name!]
This…
Was also Uchiha Ikeizumi's cheat ability in this life.
Uchiha Ikeizumi walked toward the man expressionlessly, and a crowd of passersby scattered in fear, terrified that this Plague God from the Uchiha Police Force would target them.
Just as the man also tried to hastily leave with the crowd.
Uchiha Ikeizumi spoke. "Jiro Akiyama, where do you think you're going?"
He looked down at the short man.
His gaze was calm, as if looking at someone destined to die.
Just then.
"I… I finally found you!"
A breathless voice suddenly sounded behind Uchiha Ikeizumi. "Excuse me, are you Senior Uchiha Ikeizumi?"