Chapter 91: Naruto Uzumaki, This Belief is Called [Justice]!
"Uchiha Izumi," Uchiha Ikeizumi stated.
"Here!" Izumi immediately responded loudly, her energetic voice startling Naruto.
Uchiha Ikeizumi said, "Try to analyze who the culprit is."
"Yes, senior!"
Izumi recalled the information Kijirō had mentioned. Her small face was serious. "A heinous act like this mass murder was most likely committed by someone known to the victims."
"The area around the Yamanaka clan compound is one of Konoha's most densely populated districts, with many ninja living nearby. For the perpetrator to control all four family members without a sound, without alerting other ninja, indicates they are a ninja of considerable strength."
"If we list the ninja known to the victims, and specifically focus on those who had conflicts of interest with them, we should be able to narrow down a few potential suspects."
"And—"
Here, Izumi carefully glanced at Uchiha Ikeizumi, continuing, "At that point, with Senior Ikeizumi's ability, you'll be able to instantly pinpoint the killer from the suspects."
Kijirō exclaimed in surprise, "Newbie, you're quite good!"
Izumi bashfully said, "It's mainly from following Senior Ikeizumi; I've learned a lot of things that aren't taught at the Ninja Academy."
Furthermore, the probability of encountering extremely heinous cases while with Senior Ikeizumi was astonishingly high, leading her to accumulate more experience in a short time than many veteran members of the Ninja Police Force.
Of course, the latter part was a "grumbling thought" that Izumi dared not utter in front of Senior Ikeizumi.
As they spoke, they unknowingly walked into the Uchiha clan compound.
The victims had already been transferred to the Ninja Police Force building.
"...Damn it!"
Yamanaka Yoshinobu, the ANBU ninja trailing far behind, looked at the Uchiha clan compound ahead, his scalp tingling.
How could Uchiha Ikeizumi bring the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki to a place like this?!
Wasn't that like putting a lamb into a pack of hungry wolves?
He wouldn't actually be trying to control the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, would he?!
In the Uchiha clan's territory, even if he risked his life, was there even a one percent chance of getting Naruto Uzumaki out?
As he stepped foot into the Uchiha compound himself, Yamanaka Yoshinobu keenly sensed many wary and hostile gazes instantly locking onto him.
They were Uchiha clan ninja!
They must have spotted the ANBU mask hanging from his waist!
"Huff!"
Sweat streaming down his back, Yamanaka Yoshinobu tightly gripped his ninja blade's hilt, adopting a defensive stance as if ready to draw his sword without hesitation, then trudged forward.
"Lord Hokage—"
"When will you arrive?!"
He swore that if he survived today, he would submit his resignation to Lord Hokage.
Even if he were reassigned to spy in an enemy country, he would no longer wish to monitor the Jinchuriki.
This was no job for a human!
His death star was shining brightly!
"I'm back here again," Naruto didn't know that his mere presence was subtly affecting the nerves of many people in Konoha.
He was curiously observing the Uchiha clan compound.
And many Uchiha clan ninja were observing him as well.
And they were doing so without any restraint.
"That blond kid, he's not from our Uchiha clan, is he? I don't remember any of our clan members having blond hair."
"He's that 'Demon Fox brat.' He was caught by the Ninja Police Force once before. I heard he was caught by Uchiha Ikeizumi, and this time—it seems he was also caught by Uchiha Ikeizumi."
"The Demon Fox brat, huh! I heard the Nine-Tails Demon Fox, who caused that huge commotion in Konoha back then, was sealed inside him. I wonder if it's true. If it is—he's the culprit behind our Uchiha clan being ostracized by the village, isn't he?"
"Be careful. That kid was brought back by Uchiha Ikeizumi. If you dare to have any ill intentions, he won't spare your life."
"Hmm? Why is there another outsider? That guy—is that an ANBU mask on his waist?"
"Oh? An ANBU ninja in our Uchiha clan's territory?"
Yamanaka Yoshinobu, trailing a hundred meters behind, was far too conspicuous.
While the "Demon Fox brat" was enough to provoke many radical Uchiha ninja, the presence of Uchiha Ikeizumi beside him made them somewhat hesitant.
Thus, Yamanaka Yoshinobu, who clearly looked like an "easy target," became the focus of everyone's attention. Pairs of Sharingan stared intently at him.
It was as if any sudden movement he made would result in him being instantly cut into pieces.
"...Is it because of me that the Uchiha clan is being ostracized?"
These Uchiha ninja didn't bother to lower their voices when discussing him, and Naruto naturally heard what they were saying.
This immediately dampened the curious expression on his face.
"Do not take on 'evil' that doesn't belong to you."
Until Uchiha Ikeizumi's voice suddenly rang out: "If it were you right now, would you have the thought of ostracizing the Uchiha clan?"
Naruto shook his head frantically, "No, I wouldn't!"
He was the one who was discriminated against and ostracized in the village; how could he possibly have the right to ostracize others?
Naruto felt he certainly wouldn't have such thoughts.
Meanwhile.
Inside the Ninja Police Force headquarters.
The news that "the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki has once again entered the Uchiha clan compound" naturally quickly reached Fugaku's ears. It startled Fugaku so much that he was drinking tea and crushed the teacup in his hand.
"He's here again? Who brought him in?"
He no longer cared about the scalding tea dripping onto him.
A string of questions poured out of him.
Last time, Uchiha Ikeizumi bringing Naruto Uzumaki to the Ninja Police Force building had already shocked Fugaku quite a bit.
Who would have thought Naruto Uzumaki would make a second "visit"!
It completely flustered Fugaku!
"It was Uchiha Ikeizumi." The Ninja Police Force ninja who came to report the situation gave an answer that no longer surprised Fugaku.
Fugaku: "..."
Clearly, he was almost desensitized by Uchiha Ikeizumi's antics.
He truly couldn't understand how one person could cause so many headaches for him, the Uchiha clan head, within just twenty-four hours.
"Ikeizumi—when will you finally realize that only maintaining balance can ensure stability between the village and the Uchiha?"
"Phew!"
After muttering to himself, Fugaku exhaled sharply and immediately stood up. His face stern, he asked in a deep voice, "Where did he take Naruto Uzumaki?"
The Ninja Police Force ninja replied, "The Ninja Police Force underground morgue."
Fugaku: "???"
The Ninja Police Force ninja also realized his statement might be ambiguous and added, "Naruto Uzumaki is still alive. I don't know why Uchiha Ikeizumi took the Demon Fox brat there."
Fugaku: "..."
In that brief instant, a layer of cold sweat had broken out on his back.
He didn't even bother to remind the other person not to speak in half-sentences in the future.
Fugaku immediately set off for the underground morgue.
Inside the morgue.
The chilling air filling the room made Naruto shiver. He stared dumbfounded at the bodies lying on the metal slabs, so many that he roughly couldn't count the exact number!
The strange smell permeating the air continuously assaulted his nostrils, causing his stomach to churn and his dirty little face to subtly turn pale.
Uchiha Ikeizumi walked to a body covered with a white sheet. He directly reached out and pulled the sheet back.
At that moment.
The intense visual shock made Naruto, standing beside him, feel dizzy. He couldn't find any words to describe the gruesome state of the body. And it was the body of a child who looked to be around Naruto Uzumaki's age!
Naruto was so frightened that he immediately closed his eyes in a panic.
"Open your eyes." But when Uchiha Ikeizumi's cold voice rang out, Naruto felt that this terrifying man was even more frightening.
His survival instinct made him bravely force his eyes open.
"Newbie, note this down. Deceased #1, male, aged seven to eight. Multiple blunt force traumas and crush injuries resulting in comminuted fractures. The caved-in skull appears to be the main cause of death, but upon closer inspection, strange marks can be found on the side of the neck, suspected to be from a forceful attack to the side of the neck prior to death, causing a neck fracture."
"This, is what truly killed him."
Seven to eight years old...
Naruto, desperately covering his mouth, his small face flushed as he fought to keep from vomiting, couldn't help but widen his eyes.
Wasn't that about his own age?
Could he be a student at the Ninja Academy too?
Uchiha Ikeizumi walked to the side and uncovered another white sheet—this body's appearance made Naruto unable to hold back any longer.
Unspeakable vomit even oozed between his fingers.
His azure pupils trembled violently.
"Deceased #2, female, aged two to three. Her entire body was crushed flat by heavy debris from the collapsed building, but this should not have been the fatal injury. There was unswallowed food lodged in her throat, which should be the true cause of her death; she was knocked unconscious while eating."
Uchiha Ikeizumi seemed to be deliberately making Naruto witness every single corpse with his own eyes.
As for how Naruto felt now, or how much his mind was impacted, it seemed to be of no concern to him.
He uncovered the third white sheet.
"Deceased #3, male, aged twenty-nine to thirty-one. Although he also has many marks from being struck by heavy building materials, the actual fatal injury is in his chest. This wound was not caused by falling debris; it's clearly a wound pierced by a sharp object."
He then uncovered the fourth white sheet.
"Deceased #4, female, aged—"
Having seen four corpses in such tragic states, Naruto was completely stunned, his eyes glazed over as he blankly stared at the last female body.
"Naruto Uzumaki."
Naruto flinched as his full name was suddenly called out.
"S-Sorry!" Naruto was close to tears. "I shouldn't have thrown up, I can clean it up—"
But Naruto found that this terrifying man wasn't scolding him; instead, he said indifferently, "This is the evil of the ninja world."
Was the evil of the ninja world referring to this family of four?
No!
That's not right!
Naruto realized—the other person was referring to the killer!
"The 'evil' born from a twisted and diseased ninja world will bring slaughter, pain, and disaster to the innocent—"
"This family of four you see now are all victims of 'evil'."
Uchiha Ikeizumi asked faintly, "Do you pity them, Naruto Uzumaki?"
Naruto wiped the corner of his mouth, his lips trembling slightly as he said, "They've all been killed... of course they're very pitiful."
Uchiha Ikeizumi continued, "As 'evil' gradually approached them, they were completely unaware, a family happily eating dinner. Until an evildoer appeared, holding a sharp blade, mercilessly taking their lives."
"And that murderous evildoer—is perhaps gloating right now. Because the commotion last night caused the building to collapse, crushing the four bodies. If someone inexperienced handled this, the incident would have been closed as an 'accident'."
"At that point, the murderous evildoer would receive no punishment, and [Justice] would suffer a defeat."
Even though he had never experienced fatherly or motherly love.
Nor had he experienced the atmosphere of a family dinner.
Yet, as Uchiha Ikeizumi's words reached his ears, Naruto unknowingly conjured up a series of images in his mind.
A warm family of four laughing and eating dinner. Under the night sky, an uninvited guest invaded their home. The three-year-old girl, while eating, was first knocked unconscious by the murderous intruder, but due to food getting stuck in her throat, she choked to death.
—The husband, shocked and enraged, rose to his feet, only to be swiftly pierced through the chest by the murderous evildoer.
Before the wife could scream, the murderous evildoer stabbed her through the chest again.
The seven-year-old boy, terrified, tried to run but was caught by the murderous evildoer, who severed his neck with a hand chop, killing him instantly.
The entire family of four tragically died!
At this point, Naruto couldn't bear to imagine any further.
The images conjured in his mind brought a stronger psychological impact than the gruesome state of the four bodies. He stood rooted to the spot, feeling utterly ashamed and guilty for his earlier vomiting.
"How... how could they do such a thing?" Naruto's nose stung, and he muttered to himself, "This isn't right—even if the villagers can't get along, it shouldn't be like this!"
Naruto looked around at the other bodies in the morgue.
Then he looked up at Uchiha Ikeizumi, who seemed completely unfazed by it all.
Naruto asked in a low, dazed voice, "Does this kind of thing happen often?"
"It's always happening," Uchiha Ikeizumi replied. "Every single moment."
Uchiha Ikeizumi added coldly, "And this is merely the 'evil' spawned by just one ninja village, Konoha. Looking at the vast ninja world, these 'evils' in Konoha are just the tip of the iceberg."
"This ninja world is sick. So sick that many people who have contracted this 'illness' are unaware of it. This pathological distortion has twisted the minds of many, and twisted many people's basic human decency."
Naruto stared blankly for a few seconds.
"It shouldn't be like this," Naruto looked up and met Uchiha Ikeizumi's gaze. It was the first time he'd had such courage. His voice held a pleading tone: "The ninja world shouldn't be like this, right?"
Uchiha Ikeizumi did not answer, instead asking another question: "Naruto Uzumaki. Now that you've witnessed the tip of the iceberg of 'evil,' what do you want to do in your heart?"
His voice drifted faintly into Naruto's ears: "Follow your true feelings, and loudly speak out what you want to do most right now." Just as Uchiha Ikeizumi's words fell.
Fugaku burst into the morgue in a hurry. When he saw the blond-haired Nine-Tails Jinchuriki right before his eyes, Fugaku was stunned numb.
"Ikeizumi! You—"
But before Fugaku could even finish a sentence, he was interrupted by Naruto's shout: "I—I want the killer to pay for what they did! Such an evildoer shouldn't go unpunished! I want that family of four to rest in peace in the afterlife! Th-this is what I want to do!" Naruto's voice grew softer and softer, fear ultimately taking over, his mustered courage extinguished in less than three seconds. Uchiha Ikeizumi said, "Remember this conviction you have right now."
Naruto, head bowed, not daring to make a sound, flinched.
"This conviction is called [Justice]."
Uchiha Ikeizumi slowly said, "Just now, you already embraced a heart to execute justice. Never forget that indignation, never allow yourself to become numb."
Naruto mumbled in repetition, "Justice—"
Fugaku's pupils constricted slightly. Witnessing all of this, he immediately realized what Ikeizumi was doing—he was instilling his [Absolute Justice] into the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki!
Fugaku gasped.
Was this something that should be done?!
This must surely cross the Third Hokage's bottom line!
"Ikeizumi—what exactly are you doing?" Even though he already knew the answer in his heart, Fugaku couldn't help but ask.
Only a sliver of lingering hope made him wish Uchiha Ikeizumi would give an answer completely opposite to his guess.
Uchiha Ikeizumi glanced at Fugaku, and without any reservations, openly and grandly declared, "The ninja world needs more [Absolute Justice]."
Fugaku: "..."
That sliver of hope was instantly shattered.
Fugaku's suspended heart finally died.
"Ikeizumi! That's Naruto Uzumaki! You can instill your ninja way into anyone else in the Uchiha clan. But only Naruto Uzumaki—don't you understand his unique significance?!"
Fugaku could no longer suppress his emotions. "Ikeizumi! What you're doing is driving the Uchiha clan to desperation! Don't forget why the Uchiha clan was forced to relocate to this compound!"
To put the Konoha elders at ease about the Uchiha clan, Fugaku had lost count of how many concessions he had made over the years, how many times he had compromised with the village!
Every day he also had to face pressure from the hawkish factions within the Uchiha clan.
But Fugaku believed he had endured all these pressures.
If only he were given more time, another three to five or seven to eight years, perhaps he could dispel the elders' suspicions. He could make them understand that the Uchiha clan had no intention of a coup, that the Uchiha clan was trustworthy.
However...
Uchiha Ikeizumi bringing the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki to the Uchiha clan compound twice, and instilling the concept of Absolute Justice in him, was like smashing all of Fugaku's years of effort with one punch!
Once was bad enough, but twice was just too much...
How could Fugaku possibly maintain his composure?!
.....
For 70 advanced chapters:
Get early access to 70 advanced chapters before anyone else!
Join now: patreon/Chaos_God