Chapter 80: Questioning Absolute Justice
Kakashi saw a patch of burning flames behind Uchiha Ikeizumi, extending for dozens of meters in a straight line.
A half-broken ninja blade lay at the other's feet.
This further confirmed to him that Uchiha Ikeizumi had just been in combat.
Wait! This location seems to be…
Kakashi was suddenly startled. Isn't this where Rin's tombstone is located?
His gaze quickly shifted to a tombstone beside Uchiha Ikeizumi. Upon finding the tombstone intact, he breathed a sigh of relief.
However, a bouquet of fresh white flowers placed beside the tombstone made Kakashi's gaze linger for half a second, a hint of confusion in his eyes. He then looked at Uchiha Ikeizumi again, feeling as if he had discovered something incredible.
But that's not right… Rin and Uchiha Ikeizumi weren't in the same graduating class. Rin was three years older than Ikeizumi!
I never noticed any interaction between the two of them before either!
Before Kakashi could speak, Uchiha Ikeizumi's voice calmly rang out: "The flowers were placed by Uchiha Obito."
Kakashi, just as he was realizing something, suddenly froze.
Kakashi: "???"
"…Obito?!" Kakashi instinctively looked at another tombstone not far away.
That was Obito's tombstone.
"You haven't forgotten Uchiha Obito, have you, Kakashi Hatake?" Kikujirō's sharp, peculiar tone also rang out at this moment: "If I remember correctly, you and he were both students of the Fourth Hokage."
Kakashi recognized Kikujirō. It was Uchiha Ikeizumi's ninja cat. His own ninja dogs had once been beaten by this cat.
When the topic of "Obito" came up, Kakashi temporarily set aside the purpose of his encounter with Uchiha Ikeizumi for this trip. He said: "You might be misunderstanding something. Obito… he died in the Third Great Ninja War at the hands of enemy ninja."
"Then let me ask you, is his body in the grave?" Kikujirō's rhetorical question made Kakashi instinctively shake his head.
Because it was a cenotaph; Obito's body had long been unrecoverable.
There wasn't even Obito's ashes beneath the tombstone.
"Kakashi Hatake." Kikujirō leaped onto Kakashi's shoulder, almost causing Kakashi's shoulder to dip.
—So fat!
This was a thought Kakashi didn't voice.
Kikujirō's four cat paws pressed against Kakashi's masked cheek. It narrowed its cat eyes and questioned: "Are you questioning Lord Ikeizumi? Do you think Lord Ikeizumi would lie to someone like you? Are you questioning Absolute Justice?"
Kakashi was stunned.
He suddenly recalled… the rumors that Uchiha Ikeizumi's eyes could see information others couldn't, and also see others' past evils and future evils.
Furthermore.
Tonight, Uchiha Ikeizumi had demonstrated the terrifying abilities of his Mangekyo Sharingan in front of many people.
This further elevated the credibility of Uchiha Ikeizumi's "eyes that can see evil" ability.
Kakashi was bewildered.
His purpose in meeting Uchiha Ikeizumi this time was actually without any ulterior motives; he simply wanted to thank the man in person.
Though it was too late, Uchiha Ikeizumi had at least allowed Kakashi to uncover the truth behind his father's death years ago.
Although he had lived in a daze for years, even closing off his heart and refusing to mention the name "Sakumo Hatake" in front of others, malicious conspiracy theories would occasionally flash through his mind, but he had no evidence.
Until tonight, when one of Danzō's "crimes" was revealed by Uchiha Ikeizumi, and Danzō instantly broke down…
Kakashi chose to believe Uchiha Ikeizumi.
That's right!
Since he believed Uchiha Ikeizumi's claim that his father's death was related to Danzō, why was his instinctive reaction disbelief when the other party said Uchiha Obito was still alive?
Could it be…
Obito really is alive, as Uchiha Ikeizumi said?
"Uchiha Obito didn't die." As Kakashi was caught in shock and stupor, Kikujirō, with a disdainful cat face, continued to drop bombshells: "And… not only did that guy not die, he became a deeply sinful evildoer. Lord Ikeizumi said that Uchiha Obito's 'evil' has accumulated so much that it's almost black."
Kikujirō's tone was profound. Kakashi could even smell that the cat had definitely eaten fish today, simply because of the fishy smell on its breath.
"Oh, that's right, meow." Kikujirō added: "Lord Ikeizumi just said that Uchiha Obito once turned his butcher's knife against the Fourth Hokage. Perhaps, the Fourth Hokage's death is inextricably linked to him, meow."
Kakashi: "!!!"
Kakashi felt as if he had been struck by lightning.
Outside Konoha.
Obito had rapidly left Konoha Village, but the sense of unease that Uchiha Ikeizumi instilled in him still refused to subside.
He lowered his gaze to his hand, missing a third of itself.
The occasional burning pain made him take a deep breath.
"Obito, don't make an enemy of that person for now," Zetsu's voice came from behind him: "He's very strong. His Mangekyo dōjutsu is also very strange, unlike any I've ever heard of. Without absolute intelligence, going against him would be a great disadvantage."
Saying this, a White Zetsu clone separated from Zetsu's body.
Obito pulled out a kunai and casually sliced, cutting off a small portion of the White Zetsu clone's hand.
Obito then gritted his teeth, cutting open the charred, carbonized part of his wound, and fresh blood began to flow.
He grafted the White Zetsu clone's hand onto his own.
Under the powerful healing ability of the First Hokage's Wood Release cells, in just a few breaths, the bleeding on his hand stopped. Without even needing to manually secure it, the small portion of the White Zetsu clone's hand had already grown onto his, its flesh and bones connected.
He hadn't listened to a single word Zetsu said.
He only had one question—how did Uchiha Ikeizumi know so much about him? Did he learn it from others? Or did he learn it through his dōjutsu?
As he pondered.
Obito's thoughtful gaze flickered towards Zetsu.
"Hey, hey, hey…" Zetsu immediately understood his meaning and responded with dissatisfaction: "I am a special existence born from Lord Madara's powerful will, and you are an Uchiha descendant who inherited his will. How could I possibly betray you?!"
"Hmph… You'd better not have."
Obito snorted with a dark expression.
"Ikeizumi…-dono."
Kakashi knew Uchiha Ikeizumi was technically his junior, but he felt awkward calling him by his first name. They weren't close, and there was likely a significant gap in their strength.
Kakashi already believed ninety percent of what Kikujirō had said.
Perhaps this was one of the benefits of Uchiha Ikeizumi consistently upholding Absolute Justice; at least in terms of "credibility," Uchiha Ikeizumi was definitely number one in Konoha.
Kakashi took a deep breath; he could no longer remain calm.
Although the ninja cat Kikujirō had stopped speaking, its words continued to echo in Kakashi's mind.
Preventing him from finding peace.
Kakashi's voice held an uncontrollable urgency: "Can you reveal to me… the evil deeds and sins related to Obito?"
....
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