"Your whole family's got a pattern, huh, meow? A while ago it was Fugaku bringing Itachi over, and now tonight it's you showing up with Sasuke. If I didn't know better, I'd think you all planned this in advance."
Jujirō stood to the side, casually tossing out the comment as he led Uchiha Mikoto and Sasuke into the house.
Chizumi hadn't shown any intention of turning them away, and having served him for years, Jujirō immediately got the message.
"Hey rookie, what are you zoning out for? Get in here already!"
Jujirō's voice snapped Izumi back to reality. She gave a quick "Oh—coming!" and followed them inside, gently shutting the door behind her.
This was her second time in Chizumi's home. The last time, she'd been too stunned and furious by Itachi's "future evil" to even look around.
But this time, curiosity got the better of her.
His house was simple. Clean. Almost unnaturally tidy.
What caught her attention most were the potted plants lining the windowsill.
Each one was carefully trimmed, and next to them were tools for pruning and care.
Wait... is this his hobby?!
Izumi was stunned.
Chizumi had always seemed like the kind of person who cared about nothing but justice and evil—cold, logical, no room for sentiment.
Clearly, she'd been wrong.
She quietly made a mental note: Chizumi likes plants.
"Meow~ don't even think about giving Chizumi-sama a gift, Rookie. He doesn't just refuse them—he'll actually start to think worse of you for trying."
Jujirō whispered, like he could read her thoughts.
Izumi flinched. "Not even like… a birthday present?"
"Hmm… that's a bit of a gray area, meow. Honestly, with how legendary Chizumi-sama is, who'd even dare try giving him one?"
Meanwhile, Mikoto had already sat down with Sasuke beside her. Her face was serious, and she didn't bother sugarcoating anything.
"Chizumi, I'm sorry for dropping by so late. I didn't plan to come—it was a spur-of-the-moment thing tonight."
She glanced at Sasuke, clearly distressed. The worry in her eyes was impossible to miss.
"Itachi's changed. Tonight, I caught him about to hurt Sasuke. The things he said... they scared even me. If Izumi hadn't stepped in, I don't know what would've happened."
Her voice trembled. She was heartbroken.
She couldn't understand it.
Why had things come to this?
Why did the solution to the Uchiha–village conflict have to be so extreme?
Why would her son be willing to kill even his own family?
To her, Itachi had become someone she didn't recognize.
Someone terrifying.
Mikoto wasn't afraid of dying. If Itachi ever decided to kill her, she'd simply close her eyes and accept it.
She couldn't fight her own son.
But when it came to Sasuke, her youngest—she couldn't just sit by.
"Sasuke's just a normal kid. He's not extreme, not dangerous. I don't think he's someone who would ever do something evil."
She looked directly at Chizumi.
"Out of everyone in the clan, I think you're the only one who can truly protect him. Please... help him grow up safe and strong."
"Chizumi—this isn't a clan head's wife talking. This is a helpless mother. I failed with Itachi. I couldn't guide him. I let him take the wrong path.
All I can do now is protect Sasuke. That's all I have left."
Her words stunned everyone—Sasuke, Izumi, even Jujirō.
Sasuke stared wide-eyed at his mom, who was holding back tears.
He had never seen her so broken.
And the one responsible was the brother he used to admire.
Itachi—the one who would go on to massacre their clan.
Chizumi didn't say yes or no. He simply asked:
"Can't Fugaku protect him?"
Mikoto gave a bitter smile.
"Maybe. But if the day comes when Itachi stands before him with blood on his hands, Fugaku... he'll give in. He'll accept whatever Itachi decides."
Sasuke was shocked.
Even Dad wouldn't stop him?
Did that mean... if that day came, Mom would die too?
Sasuke clenched his fists in silence, lips pressed tight.
If his own parents couldn't fix this, what could a seven-year-old possibly do?
Chizumi looked at Mikoto and calmly said:
"Itachi will not kill Sasuke."
Mikoto whispered back, "But the future can change, can't it? You tried to change it once, remember? You told Fugaku and me to act. But no one saw how stubborn Itachi would turn out to be."
She looked lost.
"I don't know if the future's getting better or worse. But I still believe Sasuke can walk the path of justice. That's the only way I can see him surviving."
"You're misunderstanding something," Chizumi said, stopping her in her tracks.
"What Itachi does in the future is pure evil. Do you really think 'Absolute Justice' would just sit back and watch a massacre happen?"
"Protecting the innocent is justice's job. You don't have to beg me. 'Absolute Justice' will protect who needs protecting. Period."
"As for Sasuke believing in justice—"
Chizumi glanced at Sasuke, whose face made it painfully obvious how overwhelmed he was.
"You can't force a kid who doesn't even know what justice is to believe in it. He won't get what it means to carry that burden. Right now, even Naruto understands it better than he does."
"…I'm sorry," Mikoto said quietly. "I was being short-sighted."
Just a few words from Chizumi had completely changed her perspective.
Even if she hadn't come, Chizumi would've stepped in when the time came.
Off to the side, Sasuke's ears twitched.
'Even Naruto'? That line rubbed him the wrong way—and he didn't even know why. He kept his face neutral though. No way was he going to mouth off to Chizumi.
Still...
Uzumaki Naruto... why does that name sound so familiar?
Wait—
Wasn't that the class loser?!
Still confused, Sasuke was soon dragged home after watching his mom give Chizumi a deep, respectful bow.
…
On the way back, Sasuke quietly asked:
"Mom... were you trying to leave me with him? Do you think... Brother might try to kill me?"
Her silence said it all.
…
Fire Country Capital — Late Night
At the Daimyō's command, the Twelve Guardian Ninja gathered—except for one, "Nauma," who was missing.
That made eleven.
They were clearly divided into two camps:
Asuma Sarutobi's faction (5 members): Believed the Hokage and Daimyō should balance power.
Kazuma's faction (6 members): Wanted to eliminate the Hokage system and put ninja directly under the Daimyō.
The two sides didn't get along, but the Daimyō had forced them to cooperate.
"Tch. Chizumi's definitely got a rep. Sharingan and Lava Release? Sounds like a nightmare."
Kazuma, with long silver hair and a scarred face, looked straight at Asuma and smirked.
"Asuma, what if we kill the Hokage first—before going after Chizumi? He hid all this from the Daimyō. He didn't even send Kyusuke-sama's body back. What's he playing at?"
Asuma scowled.
Honestly, he hated working with these six radicals.
They seemed more eager to kill the Hokage than Chizumi.
But they had already lost Nanbu. And with only five left, they weren't sure they could take Chizumi alone.
They had one shot—and that meant working together.
"Don't forget what the Daimyō told you," Asuma warned.
"Chizumi is our only target. The rest are off limits. The Daimyō also said this time, you take orders from me."
His gaze sharpened.
"And if you try anything against the Hokage—I'll kill you before you get the chance."
Kazuma just smirked, not backing down, but dropped the subject.
"No need to waste time."
Asuma shot him one last look before calling out:
"Move out!"
The Eleven Guardians began their mission.
…
The Next Morning
Sasuke hadn't slept.
All night, Itachi's words haunted him. So did his mother's sorrow, his father's silence, and Chizumi's blunt declaration.
"What does it mean that I 'don't understand justice'?
And what the hell does he mean I'm worse than Uzumaki Naruto?!
Isn't he just a loser?"
He sat at the breakfast table, chewing without tasting.
Then he glanced at Itachi's usual seat—and froze.
So many emotions crashed over him—confusion, anger, fear, frustration.
It was too much.
He quietly got up and headed to school.
First thing in the classroom, he looked around.
Where is he?!
Naruto usually got to class early. Today, nowhere in sight.
And Sasuke could feel it: the way everyone was staring at him.
He knew why.
They'd all heard the rumors about the Uchiha Massacre.
About Itachi.
He couldn't ignore the stares.
They were suffocating.
Time passed—just before class started, a blur of yellow hair ran in.
Sasuke frowned. This guy looks like he hasn't showered... gross.
But then Chizumi's words echoed in his mind again.
And without a word, Sasuke stood up and walked over.
Everyone watched in silence as he sat beside Naruto.
"Hey, dobe. What's your connection?"
Naruto scowled. "Oi! I've got a name—it's Uzumaki Naruto! And how am I supposed to answer if you don't even say who you're talking about?"
Sasuke wrinkled his nose at the smell and leaned a bit away.
"I'm talking about Uchiha Chizumi."
Naruto's eyes went wide.
"You know him?!"
Sasuke smirked. "He's part of the Uchiha clan. My dad's the clan head. Of course I know him.
Now answer me."
Naruto scratched his head, thinking.
"…I asked him to teach me Absolute Justice. He said yes. So... he's my teacher!"
Sasuke: "???"
He was floored.
The man even his parents feared—Chizumi—was teaching the class dead-last?
And when his mother asked Chizumi to guide him too, he said Sasuke wasn't even on Naruto's level?
How?! How am I worse than him?!
His face was full of conflicted emotions.
"…Hey. Dobe."
Sasuke clenched his teeth, looked away, and asked awkwardly:
"What even is justice?"
…
Elsewhere in Konoha...
"Chizumi! Why won't you just let this go?! This was years ago! I barely even remember how it happened!"
A Konoha chunin stumbled backward, face pale with fear.
"I didn't even kill anyone from the village! They weren't even from the Land of Fire! Why the hell are you going after me for them?! We're both Konoha shinobi—why are you doing this?!"
Chizumi didn't say a word.
He walked forward, slowly, sword angled low.
"Why?"
The chunin's pupils dilated.
In the next second, Chizumi passed him—his sword now stained with blood.
"Because purging evil from the shinobi world is justice's duty."
"And that—was just one of your many sins."
"Letting people like you go free would be an insult to justice."
A head rolled across the street.
The body collapsed right after.
"That's the second one today, Senpai." Izumi stood nearby, flipping open her notebook.
"Lately a lot of ninja have returned from missions. On the surface, they seem normal… but when you dig deeper…"
Even she felt a chill.
It wasn't the bloodshed that unnerved her—it was the rot hiding beneath the surface.
In her mind, Konoha had always been one of the best shinobi villages.
Its ninja were supposed to be better—stronger, more principled.
And yet… the evil lurking inside was overwhelming.
As she tucked her notebook away, she hesitated.
"Senpai… didn't you say you wanted to grow a generation of believers in justice? Then why did you turn down Aunt Mikoto and Sasuke-kun last night? Even if Sasuke doesn't understand it now, can't we teach him, slowly?"
Chizumi shook his head.
"He'll understand it—on his own."
Izumi blinked.
Chizumi continued:
"Uzumaki Naruto will be the reason he does."
"Because between him and Naruto... there's a bond. A connection that neither of them can escape."
~~~
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