Chapter 95: Uzumaki Naruto No Longer 'Forgives' Evildoers!
Uchiha Ikeizumi's blade was swift, too swift for Hiruzen Sarutobi to stop. The moment his anxious "Wait!" escaped his lips, Hiruzen saw blood splatter before his eyes.
The arterial spray shot far and high, with a few drops even splashing onto Hiruzen Sarutobi's face.
Under everyone's gaze, a small head slowly rolled across the ground, its frozen expression still etched with lingering terror.
[Ding! You have successfully killed a 'Red Name' evildoer! Your chakra has received a slight increase! Congratulations, you have successfully dropped: 'Shadow Clone Jutsu' Experience Book x5!]
A headless corpse toppled sideways to the ground, its severed neck perfectly aligned with where Naruto stood.
The gushing blood soaked Naruto's feet crimson.
The sensation of warm blood made Naruto quickly recoil.
He stared at the headless corpse, utterly shocked.
Naruto had never imagined that simply saying "He deserved it!" out of instinct, his moral compass severely shaken, would make that terrifying man kill without hesitation!
This... this was actual murder!!!
Naruto's pupils trembled slightly. Though he had seen corpses before, and had even seen Uchiha Ikeizumi kill Root shinobi.
But this time.
It seemed this terrifying man had acted because of him, Uzumaki Naruto. If he hadn't, by some strange impulse, uttered "He deserved it," would the other party have used such a bloody method to punish the murderous villain?
Thousands of thoughts surged in his mind, making Naruto uneasy.
"What are you afraid of, Uzumaki Naruto?" A sudden, cold question made Naruto flinch.
He suddenly found his vision obscured. Looking up, he was shocked to find the terrifying man standing right in front of him!
He hadn't even noticed when the man had approached!
As Naruto frantically tried to explain, another series of questions rang out.
"Are you afraid of evil? Or are you afraid of justice? Or do you believe justice shouldn't punish evil in this manner?"
Naruto swallowed hard. He felt immense pressure, greater than when Iruka-sensei called him to the front of the class to answer questions. Cold sweat was already beading in his palms.
Naruto himself didn't know why he was so nervous.
"I—I just didn't expect that your [Absolute Justice] would be—would be so absolute!" His voice trembled as he replied.
Uchiha Ikeizumi gazed at the Asura Chakra reincarnation, coldly retorting, "If you have a better solution than 'a life for a life' to allow the innocent deceased to rest in peace, then you may state your solution."
Naruto opened his mouth.
But no talk-no-jutsu came out.
Because he thought again of the tragic state of that family of four. They must have been terrified and in pain in their final moments, right? They were a happy family of four, yet overnight, they became four gruesome corpses.
And the murderous villain just now had even refused to admit his crime, showing no sign of guilt whatsoever.
Though the murderous villain had appeared extremely panicked and terrified...
His fear was only because his actions had been exposed, not because he regretted the evil deed he had committed.
Was there really a better solution than "a life for a life"?
Naruto found that his deep contemplation yielded only two options:
One: Forgive him.
Two: Kill him.
"We have not personally experienced the pain and despair of the deceased before their death; we are not qualified to forgive any evildoer on their behalf." Uchiha Ikeizumi's voice rang out again, as if reading Naruto's mind: "Forgiving the evildoers of the ninja world is something [Absolute Justice] will never do. Because that would mean [Absolute Justice] compromises with evil."
"Uzumaki Naruto, cast aside the word 'forgive' from your heart." Uchiha Ikeizumi's sharp gaze made Naruto dare not miss a single word.
"Justice has the right to seek justice for victims, but no right to forgive perpetrators on their behalf—you must engrave this phrase in your heart forever, carve it deeply into the furthest reaches of your memory."
"Once you forgive evil on behalf of the victims, then you yourself are 'evil'! Because you would be aiding and abetting evil!"
One firm, decisive statement after another heavily struck Naruto's young heart.
Such "black-and-white," extreme rhetoric made both Hiruzen Sarutobi and Fugaku Uchiha frown slightly. Yet, this rhetoric was almost too correct, making it difficult for them to refute.
However, for a seven-year-old child...
This "black-and-white" rhetoric was just right, because it was precisely what they could understand and comprehend.
"Forgiving evildoers on behalf of victims"
"Then you yourself are evil—"
Naruto's eyes widened, and a strong sense of shame immediately welled up within him. Because just now, the option of "forgiveness" had indeed popped into his mind. Did that mean such a thought shouldn't even arise?
Was there no difference between himself, having such a thought, and the murderous villain?
Shame and guilt made Naruto strive to engrave every word spoken by this terrifying man into his heart. After all, even the Hokage Grandpa hadn't refuted him, so they must all be correct, right?
Thousands of thoughts flashed through his mind. Naruto quickly straightened up and hurriedly said, "I—I understand!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi: "..."
This was a real problem now! Naruto! You shouldn't understand!
Just as Hiruzen Sarutobi was about to speak, he heard Uchiha Ikeizumi speak again: "Uzumaki Naruto, you had best remember what you've just said. Never forgive evil, and never allow yourself to become something you yourself would find repulsive."
"I—I will! I'll definitely remember! Even if I'm not good at studying, don't underestimate me when it comes to things like this!" A serious expression finally appeared on Naruto's dirty little face.
It also revealed the "capacity" that belonged to Uzumaki Naruto.
"Um..."
Naruto's surge of courage and capacity didn't die down quickly this time. He looked up and met Uchiha Ikeizumi's eyes, his bright blue gaze filled with longing. He actively voiced the thoughts and feelings that had surfaced in his heart.
"I don't know why... maybe I don't want the village to become unrecognizable to me, maybe I want to do something for the village, maybe I don't want the evil of the ninja world to affect Konoha Village."
"I don't want to see another 'Danzo Ryuji' appear in the village, and I don't want to see more innocent people —"
"—persecuted," Uchiha Izumi, standing nearby, supplied for the suddenly speechless Naruto.
"Right!"
Naruto quickly continued: "So, I don't want to attract everyone's attention in the village with pranks anymore, because that only causes trouble for everyone in the village! If I cause them trouble, then aren't I also a kind of evil?"
He bowed deeply to Uchiha Ikeizumi, shouting with his head down, "Please teach me true [Justice]! I want to gain everyone's recognition in the village through [Justice]! I also want to use [Justice] to ensure Konoha is free of evil, and that the village no longer has senseless murderers like this!"
"After all—I told Hokage Grandpa I want to become the Hokage of Konoha, but pranks only seem to cause trouble for everyone. Maybe [Justice] is what will make everyone acknowledge me, but I'm definitely not just learning [Justice] because I want to become Hokage!"
"In any case, even though I can't quite remember your name yet, please, please teach me! I can even pay tuition!"
"Even if it means enduring a lot of hardship, I'm fine with it!"
Seven-year-old Naruto let out his loudest voice.
By the end, his throat was already hoarse from shouting.
"Meow, this kid's got spirit!" Kijiro exclaimed, then teased Izumi beside him: "He's much quicker to accept Ikeizumi-sama's [Absolute Justice] than you were as a rookie! I remember clearly, it took you several days to fully accept Ikeizumi-sama's [Absolute Justice]."
Izumi's fair, delicate face instantly flushed with embarrassment.
Kijiro continued to rub his furry chin, muttering, "Speaking of which, are younger kids more likely to accept Ikeizumi-sama's [Absolute Justice]? If that's the case, then perhaps..."
Kijiro secretly glanced at Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was a few meters away.
It didn't continue muttering, because the thought that had popped into its mind might instantly trigger the Third Hokage.
"Naruto..." Hiruzen Sarutobi had no idea what a ninja cat was thinking. The words in his mouth suddenly wouldn't come out. He could roughly discern Naruto's state of mind.
A desire for the village's recognition; indignation at the evil witnessed today; shame at the thought of forgiveness; guilt over past pranks that bothered villagers; admiration for Ikeizumi's [Justice].
All these emotions combined made him shout those words aloud.
They made him fall completely into Ikeizumi's grand web of justice.
The moment Naruto loudly expressed his thoughts, if Hiruzen Sarutobi were to open his mouth now to refute Naruto, to tell him not to walk down the path the child himself had spoken of, it would likely only ignite Naruto's rebellious spirit once more.
It would also make Naruto's already unstable, almost runaway Nine-Tails Chakra, even more unpredictable.
Hiruzen Sarutobi found he could only remain silent!
Saying another word would be useless! The consequence of arriving just over ten minutes late was something Hiruzen Sarutobi found hard to accept.
Was Ikeizumi's justice truly so appealing?!
Ikeizumi's justice was clearly unrealistic; any normal person could see it was overly extreme and idealistic.
Why was this happening?
Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't understand.
Behind him, Fugaku, whose presence had already diminished, showed a hint of worry in his eyes. In the end, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki was still influenced by Ikeizumi's extreme concept of justice. In this situation, would the Hokage-sama suspect the Uchiha clan?
Hmm... probably not, right? After all, in the morgue, Hokage-sama had already approved of Fugaku's actions, hadn't he?
Uchiha Ikeizumi, meanwhile, watched the deeply bowing Uzumaki Naruto.
The atmosphere on the scene fell into an eerie silence.
Only the faint gurgle of blood from the headless corpse remained.
"After you finish cleaning the streets every day, you can come find me," Uchiha Ikeizumi told Naruto.
Naruto: "!!!"
Naruto's proudly beaming face instantly filled with joy. He quickly straightened his back and bowed deeply again, this time even lower.
"Uzumaki Naruto! Please take care of me!"
He said excitedly.
Just as everyone watched in silent witness, Koharu Utatane, who had left earlier, surprisingly returned, leading a group of Root shinobi into the Uchiha clan compound once more.
Their arrogant and overbearing demeanor, disregarding the Uchiha clan's opinions, drew furious glares from the Uchiha shinobi.
Some of the more impulsive Uchiha shinobi even reached for the hilts of the ninja swords at their waists!
Fugaku's heart tightened. He stepped forward in time, blocking his clansmen, then asked Koharu Utatane, "Koharu-sama, your return to the Uchiha clan is for...?"
"Business!"
Koharu Utatane replied coldly, then immediately asked Hiruzen Sarutobi, "Hiruzen, I heard your ANBU brought a child from the Utatane clan to the Uchiha clan compound? What is the meaning of this? Where is he?"
Yes.
Upon learning that her clan member had been taken away by ANBU, Koharu Utatane, who had a strangely bad feeling, couldn't sit still.
Besides, she also wanted to check on Uzumaki Naruto and find out what tricks Uchiha Ikeizumi was playing.
Hiruzen Sarutobi: "..."
The silence from her old friend intensified the ominous feeling in Koharu Utatane's heart. She didn't even have time to check the state of the compound. But just as she was about to say something more, she suddenly noticed a pool of crimson blood not far ahead on the ground, and even a headless corpse lying there!
Koharu Utatane's heart skipped a beat.
She couldn't help but immediately shift her gaze to Uchiha Ikeizumi, because the ninja sword in Uchiha Ikeizumi's hand had not been sheathed, and the blood staining the blade was particularly conspicuous.
This guy killed someone?!
That headless corpse was probably Uchiha Ikeizumi's handiwork, wasn't it?
Indeed...
Few Uchiha were truly normal. Even Uchiha Ikeizumi, who constantly preached [Absolute Justice], was the kind of extreme psychopath who would kill in broad daylight without batting an eye.
Wait!
Hold on!
Koharu Utatane suddenly noticed the headless corpse. She realized the corpse's size was a bit off; it didn't look like an adult.
Koharu Utatane's pupils trembled, and an unbelievable thought popped into her mind: "Hiruzen, this corpse—"
"Koharu, your clan member made a mistake." Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed, speaking rather euphemistically: "This child named Danzo Ryuji committed a mistake he shouldn't have at his age. His jealousy twisted his mindset, leading to an irreversible error."
He couldn't say in front of Naruto that Ikeizumi had done wrong, because Naruto had already accepted Ikeizumi's [Justice].
If he said that Ikeizumi killing Danzo Ryuji, executing justice on behalf of the deceased, was an overly extreme act, that would essentially be denying Naruto's choice.
Given Naruto's unstable state today, almost on the verge of losing control, Hiruzen Sarutobi knew he had to soothe Naruto.
He absolutely could not provoke the child further.
At least—
Not today.
Koharu Utatane: "!!!"
Meanwhile.
Outside Konoha.
Asuma Sarutobi had no idea that Uchiha Ikeizumi had stirred up another storm within Konoha Village. He spent a full day and night, without a moment's rest, finally reaching the Land of Fire's capital from Konoha Village, a journey of a thousand li.
As one of the Twelve Guardian Ninja, Asuma's standing among them was also top-tier.
Naturally, he could easily meet the Daimyo of the Land of Fire.
"Asuma, I've heard about your brother, and I am deeply saddened by it." The lavishly dressed Daimyo of the Land of Fire sighed, then first addressed Asuma: "If you're not feeling well, I can grant you half a month's leave. You didn't really need to rush back so quickly."
"Oh, by the way, did you happen to meet Kyusuke on the way? That child was so enthusiastic for the first time, proactively taking on the 'Daimyo's Messenger' mission. I even entrusted Nanbu to ensure his safety. I hope he doesn't cause any trouble on the way—"
"After all, as you know, that child's personality is too eccentric; he's never given me a moment's peace since he was little."
Asuma fell silent.
From the Daimyo of the Land of Fire's incessant chatter, it was clear that the events in Konoha had not yet reached him.
Logically, the news shouldn't be traveling this slowly.
After all, the ninja world now had long-distance communication devices.
The fact that the Daimyo of the Land of Fire hadn't received the news yet pointed to only one possibility: the old man deliberately hadn't immediately informed the Daimyo, most likely for some reason related to political balance, which Asuma found extremely repulsive.
It was precisely because he couldn't stand Konoha's political atmosphere that Asuma rarely stayed in the village.
Sorry, old man—though I understand your actions, I don't agree with their correctness. Uchiha Ikeizumi is clearly a threat to Konoha; you shouldn't let such a threat remain in the village.
After this thought flashed through his mind, Asuma looked up.
He took a deep breath and gravely interrupted, "Daimyo-sama—please accept my condolences."
The Daimyo of the Land of Fire, who had been speaking, suddenly froze.
The Daimyo's heart tightened. Asuma's extremely solemn expression made him realize that something was amiss.
"Asuma, what do you mean by 'accept my condolences'?" The Daimyo's expression could no longer remain calm. He immediately asked, "Has something happened to Kyusuke?!"
"Daimyo-sama, Lord Kyusuke died in Konoha Village."
Asuma spoke, his words shocking to the core: "He didn't die of illness, nor by accident, but was killed by a Konoha ninja named Uchiha Ikeizumi."
"And..."
"Nanbu also died. Of a dozen retainers, only one survived. But that person was so terrified he became mentally unstable and couldn't even speak properly, so he probably didn't deliver the message to Daimyo-sama in time."
.....
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