Chapter 100: Sasuke and Naruto's Destiny Will Lead Him to Pursue Justice
"You lot are quite interesting, meow. A while ago, Fugaku brought Uchiha Itachi over, and tonight, you bring Uchiha Sasuke. Anyone would think you planned this."
Kijiro seemed to stand to the side, grumbling as he led both Uchiha Mikoto and Uchiha Sasuke into the house.
Because when Lord Ikeizumi came out, he showed no intention of turning them away.
Kijiro, who had followed Uchiha Ikeizumi for many years, immediately understood.
"Newbie, what are you standing there for? Come in too!"
Kijiro's voice made Izumi say "Oh" and immediately follow.
She also gently closed the door behind her.
This was Izumi's second time entering Uchiha Ikeizumi's home. The last time, she had been so shocked and angered by Uchiha Itachi's "future evil" that she hadn't had a chance to curiously observe the rooms inside.
This time, Izumi's curious gaze, filled with a thirst for knowledge, carefully wandered around.
She found that Ikeizumi-senpai's home was notably simple and neat.
The most eye-catching features were the potted plants on the windowsill.
She could tell that each pot had been meticulously pruned, and various gardening tools were placed nearby. It seemed this was Ikeizumi-senpai's hobby?!
Hmph! So, Senpai has hobbies too...
Izumi was greatly astonished.
After all, the rigid impression Ikeizumi-senpai had given her was that of a cold person who wouldn't be overly interested in anything beyond [Justice] and [Evil].
Now, it seemed her own rigid impression was too narrow.
Izumi silently committed Ikeizumi-senpai's hobby to memory.
"Meow, newbie, don't think about sending Lord Ikeizumi gifts. Not only will Lord Ikeizumi not accept them, but he'll also make your impression score with him go into the negatives, meow!"
Kijiro's whispered warning, as if he'd seen through her little thoughts, made Izumi jump in surprise.
Izumi quietly asked, "Even things like birthday gifts aren't allowed?"
"Hmm—" Kijiro fell into thought: "That touches on my blind spot, meow. After all, with Lord Ikeizumi's reputation, who would dare to send Lord Ikeizumi a birthday gift?"
On the other side.
Uchiha Mikoto had already led Sasuke to sit down. Her expression was quite complex as she spoke directly: "Ikeizumi, I apologize for disturbing you so late. My visit tonight wasn't planned; it was a sudden impulse."
She turned to look at the timid and uneasy little Sasuke, the worry in her eyes impossible to hide.
"Itachi-kun has become a complete stranger. Tonight, I found he even tried to lay hands on Sasuke. The things he said to Sasuke, even I found terrifying... If it weren't for Izumi-chan stopping him, Sasuke might have..."
At this point, Uchiha Mikoto's eyes were filled with sorrow.
She couldn't understand why this was happening.
Did he really have to use such extreme methods to resolve the conflict between the village and the Uchiha? To resolve that conflict, would he kill his own family without hesitation?
In her eyes, her eldest son had transformed into someone she didn't recognize at all.
And a highly dangerous person at that!
Uchiha Mikoto wasn't afraid to die. If one day her beloved child decided to kill his mother, the only thing she could do was close her eyes and quietly await death.
She couldn't bring herself to be an enemy to her own child.
However...
When the safety of her other child was concerned, a maternal protective instinct blossomed in Uchiha Mikoto amidst her despair. She didn't want anything to happen to Sasuke!
"Sasuke, this child, he usually doesn't have any overly extreme thoughts. Most of the time, he acts very normally. In my opinion, he shouldn't be someone who will commit evil in the future."
Uchiha Mikoto pleaded, "Among the entire Uchiha clan, perhaps only you can protect Sasuke. I hope you can look after Sasuke, so he can grow up strong and healthy."
"Ikeizumi—this is not a conversation between me, the clan head's wife, and you, but a conversation between a powerless mother and you. I'm sorry, I couldn't control Itachi's thoughts, nor did I teach that child well, allowing him to walk down a twisted path."
"I can only do my best to protect Sasuke—"
"That's all."
Uchiha Mikoto spoke all of her innermost thoughts.
This made Uchiha Sasuke, Uchiha Izumi, and Kijiro—the two people and one cat—look at her with shocked expressions.
Sasuke's eyes widened, his small face filled with astonishment. He looked at his mother, whose eyes were teary from sadness. The words he wanted to say were somehow stuck in his throat, and the empathetic pang of heartache made Sasuke's eyes well up too.
He had never seen his mother so sad. And the culprit behind all this was his once-favorite older brother, Uchiha Itachi, who was intent on slaughtering the Uchiha clan!
Uchiha Ikeizumi neither agreed nor refused, simply asking, "Can't Clan Head Fugaku protect him?"
"Fugaku, he might be able to stop Itachi. But—"
Uchiha Mikoto smiled bitterly: "I know him best. The day his eldest son stands before him with a blood-stained blade, all his resolve will scatter. He will fully accept Itachi's decision."
Sasuke was stunned.
Even Father can't stop Brother?
Or, does Mother mean that if it really comes to that, Father will give up resisting?
At that time—
Mother will leave with Father too, right?
Sasuke quietly clenched his fists.
He pressed his lower lip, remaining silent, feeling a deep sense of powerlessness. If even Father and Mother couldn't resolve this matter, what could a seven-year-old child like him do?
Uchiha Ikeizumi looked at the clan head's wife and explained, "Uchiha Itachi will not kill Uchiha Sasuke in the future."
Uchiha Mikoto said softly, "The future changes, doesn't it? Otherwise, Ikeizumi, you wouldn't have advised me and Fugaku before; this was also a change you once wanted to make. It's just a pity no one expected Itachi's heart to be so stubborn."
Her beautiful face showed confusion and dejection: "I can't see if the future will change for the better or for the worse. Sasuke, he can also believe in justice. This is the only way I can think of to keep Sasuke alive."
"I think you might have misunderstood something." Uchiha Ikeizumi's words made Uchiha Mikoto pause.
Uchiha Ikeizumi slowly said, "Uchiha Itachi's future actions are inherently evil. Do you think [Absolute Justice] would stand by and silently watch the Uchiha clan massacre unfold?"
"Protecting the innocent is the responsibility and duty of justice. There's no need for you to plead as a mother; [Absolute Justice] will protect those it needs to protect without hesitation."
"As for Uchiha Sasuke believing in justice..."
Uchiha Ikeizumi glanced at Sasuke, who was looking utterly dejected and powerless.
All his emotions were "written" on his face.
One glance was enough to know what he was thinking.
He said bluntly, "A brat who hasn't yet understood what [Justice] truly is, forcing him to believe in it, he'll never understand what it means to bear justice. Right now, his understanding of justice isn't even as good as Uzumaki Naruto's."
"I apologize, I was too narrow-minded." Uchiha Mikoto was deeply moved. Just a few short sentences made her realize how pure Uchiha Ikeizumi's sense of justice truly was.
In other words—even if she hadn't come to plead, Uchiha Ikeizumi would have acted when the time came.
Sasuke, at the side, suddenly twitched an ear.
Sasuke himself didn't know why, but the words "not even as good as Uzumaki Naruto" gave him a strange sense of irritation. However, due to his immense fear of Uchiha Ikeizumi, Sasuke didn't overtly show this irritation.
And...
Why did the name "Uzumaki Naruto" sound so familiar?
Wait!
Isn't that the dead-last?!
Filled with countless questions, Sasuke, who had been inexplicably dragged along by his mother, was just as inexplicably pulled away by her. He also saw his mother bow deeply to Uchiha Ikeizumi.
On the way home, Sasuke lowered his head, fidgeting with the corner of his clothes, and asked, "Mother, did you just want to send me to him? Do you think Brother might kill me, right?"
A rare silence from his mother.
It gave Sasuke his unspoken answer.
Capital City of the Land of Fire.
Late at night.
Under the mobilization of the Fire Daimyo, the Twelve Guardian Ninja gathered, though one, "Nango," was absent. Thus, the Twelve Guardian Ninja became the Eleven Guardian Ninja.
The positions of these eleven individuals were clearly divided into two factions.
One faction, led primarily by "Sarutobi Asuma," advocated for a balance between the Hokage of Konoha and the Fire Daimyo.
The other faction, led primarily by "Kazuma," believed that the Hokage should not exist and that ninja should be controlled by the Fire Daimyo.
The former had five members.
The latter had six members.
The two sides, originally not on good terms, had temporarily gathered under the Fire Daimyo's mediation.
"Hmph, Uchiha Ikeizumi is indeed quite famous. I hear he's a double bloodline limit ninja, right? Sharingan plus Lava Release, huh, sounds hard to deal with."
Kazuma, with his naturally white long hair and a ferocious scar on his face, looked directly at Asuma and sneered, "Asuma, don't mind killing Uchiha Ikeizumi before you kill a Konoha Hokage, alright? After all, he hid this matter from the Daimyo-sama, and didn't even send someone to transport Lord Kyusuke's body. What are his intentions, as the Hokage of Konoha, by doing this?"
Asuma frowned deeply.
Truth be told, he didn't want to work with these six radical individuals in front of him.
Compared to hunting Uchiha Ikeizumi, these six were more inclined to hunt Konoha's Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi!
But he had already lost one, "Nango," and he wasn't sure if the remaining five had the power to take down Uchiha Ikeizumi.
And there was only one chance to deal with Uchiha Ikeizumi. In this situation, they were forced to cooperate with these six people.
"Don't forget what Daimyo-sama instructed you."
Asuma replied, "This time, the target is only Uchiha Ikeizumi; everyone else is not part of our mission. And Daimyo-sama said that this time, you need to follow my command."
He narrowed his eyes, continuing, "Also, if you dare to lay a hand on the Hokage of Konoha, I will kill you before you even make a move."
Kazuma instantly let out a grim chuckle, meeting Asuma's gaze without fear.
However, he didn't continue to bring up the topic of the Konoha Hokage.
"Let's not waste unnecessary time."
Asuma cautiously eyed Kazuma. He spoke in a deep voice, "Move out!!!"
The Eleven Guardian Ninja immediately set off.
The next day.
Uchiha Sasuke, preoccupied with his thoughts, hadn't slept well all night.
His mind was still replaying Uchiha Itachi's mocking, cold words, his mother's sorrowful and helpless emotions, his father's silent demeanor after returning home, and the words that guy, Uchiha Ikeizumi, had said to his mother last night.
"What does he mean I can't understand the meaning of bearing justice?"
Sasuke, his face full of sleepiness, mumbled, "What does he mean I'm not even as good as Uzumaki Naruto? Isn't he just a dead-last?"
He sat at the dining table, nibbling on his breakfast, but his gaze unintentionally fell on the chair Uchiha Itachi usually sat in.
Sasuke's movements couldn't help but stop.
Confusion, anger, unwillingness, fear—all sorts of complex emotions made Sasuke quiet and withdrawn. Sasuke didn't know how he should view his older brother, nor did he know if he should hate him.
This was too complex for a seven-year-old child.
Sasuke had no appetite, and he went to the Ninja Academy alone.
The moment he arrived at the academy classroom.
He immediately searched for a certain dead-last's figure.
"...Where is he?!" He remembered the dead-last always came to class quite early; he always saw him every time he walked into the classroom, but today, he was nowhere to be found.
Moreover, Sasuke could clearly feel that many ninja academy students in the classroom were staring at him with strange looks.
Sasuke knew why.
These people must have heard about the Uchiha clan massacre a year from now, and they certainly heard about Uchiha Itachi's cruel methods. It was impossible for Sasuke to be completely unaffected; he simply couldn't ignore their gazes now.
He felt somewhat agitated.
He didn't know how long he waited, but when it felt almost time for class, a figure dashed in in a hurry. Sasuke looked up and saw that distinctive blond hair.
"Why does that guy look so dirty—"
Sasuke furrowed his brow.
He felt a bit disgusted.
But Uchiha Ikeizumi's words flashed through his mind again, making Sasuke stand up directly. Under the eyes of the entire class, he walked to Uzumaki Naruto's side, and under Naruto's confused gaze, directly sat down in the adjacent seat.
"Dead-last, what's your relationship with him?" Sasuke asked Naruto with a hint of defiance. Naruto immediately looked annoyed, "Hey, hey, hey, what's with 'dead-last'! I have a name, dattebayo! My name's Uzumaki Naruto! And if you don't say his name, how am I supposed to know who you're talking about, dattebayo?"
Sasuke smelled an unpleasant sweat odor. He regretted sitting next to Naruto a bit and instinctively shifted a little further away, saying, "The person I'm talking about is—Uchiha Ikeizumi."
Naruto: "!!!"
"You know him?!"
Naruto was shocked.
Sasuke's small face showed a hint of smugness: "He's a member of the Uchiha clan. My father is the Uchiha clan head, so how could I not know him? Also, you still haven't answered my question."
This stumped Naruto. What was his relationship with Uchiha Ikeizumi? He couldn't quite explain it himself.
Hmm...
Naruto mumbled, "I asked him to teach me [Absolute Justice], and he agreed—?! Hiss! I get it, dattebayo!"
Naruto suddenly realized, "He's my teacher!!!"
Sasuke: "???"
Sasuke was dumbfounded.
Uchiha Ikeizumi, whom even his father greatly feared and his mother sought help from, actually took an academy dead-last as his disciple?!
And when his mother asked for him to also believe in justice, that guy said he wasn't as good as Uzumaki Naruto?!
How was he inferior? Was it his understanding of justice?
Sasuke's small face showed a myriad of emotions.
"...Hey! Dead-last!"
Sasuke gritted his teeth, shifting his gaze away, not looking directly at Naruto, and awkwardly asked, "What exactly is justice?"
"Uchiha Ikeizumi! Why can't you just let me go?! How many years ago was that old news? I can barely even remember how I did it back then!"
On a street in Konoha.
A chunin shouted frantically, his face filled with terror: "And the person I killed wasn't from Konoha Village, or even from the Land of Fire! Why are you targeting a fellow village ninja for an outsider?"
"I'm a Konoha ninja just like you! Killing me for an outsider, are you even a Konoha ninja anymore?"
Uchiha Ikeizumi held his ninja blade diagonally, advancing step by step.
"Why?"
As the Konoha chunin's pupils gradually dilated, Uchiha Ikeizumi had already passed him. His ninja blade, at some unknown point, was stained with a glaring, crimson hue of blood.
"Because eradicating the evil of the ninja world is the responsibility and duty of justice. What I just mentioned was merely one of your many sins. A worm like you, to let you go would be to defile justice."
A head as big as a bucket rolled to the ground.
The headless corpse slumped heavily.
"Senpai, that's the second one today!" Izumi said, recording in her small notebook. "Quite a few ninjas who were on missions abroad have returned recently. I never realized they looked normal on the surface, but actually committed so many heinous acts."
At this point, even Izumi felt a chill run down her spine.
Of course, she was not frightened by Ikeizumi-senpai's bloody methods. Rather, it was because the pathological twistedness of the ninja world somewhat exceeded her imagination.
In Izumi's impression, Konoha was already one of the very best ninja villages among the many in the ninja world.
And Konoha's ninjas, their average quality should be quite high, right?
Yet, the evil of the ninja world hidden within Konoha was still so numerous that it sent shivers down her spine!
After putting away her small notebook, Izumi hesitantly asked, "Senpai, didn't you say you wanted to gain followers of justice? But why did you refuse Aunt Mikoto and Sasuke-kun last night? Even if Sasuke-kun doesn't quite understand justice yet, we could still gently guide him to accept Senpai's [Absolute Justice], couldn't we?"
Uchiha Ikeizumi replied, "He will proactively seek to understand justice."
Izumi was momentarily stunned.
She then heard Ikeizumi-senpai continue: "Uzumaki Naruto's existence is his driving force for understanding justice. Because between him and Uzumaki Naruto, there is an inseparable bond of destiny."
What?!
Sasuke-kun and Uzumaki Naruto have an inseparable bond of destiny?
Why does that sound a little strange? Aren't they both boys?
.....
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