When Izumi saw Sasuke's classic tsundere reaction—saying one thing but clearly meaning another—she blinked, a bit stunned. These two brothers were raised by the same parents... so how were their personalities so different?
"Let's go," Uchiha Chizumi said bluntly, not wasting words on the two kids. With that, he started walking.
"Huh?"
Naruto looked confused. "Where are we going?"
Izumi stepped in to explain. "Chizumi-senpai doesn't teach you about "Justice" by standing in front of a blackboard and giving a lecture."
She knew from experience. Her own introduction to his "hell-style Justice training" had been brutal. The first few days were mentally overwhelming.
But as time passed, she'd come to understand just how hard it was to live up to Chizumi-senpai's vision of Absolute Justice.
Trailing behind him, Izumi continued brightly, "Senpai's method is all about real-life application. In fact, even before you arrived, Jujirō-senpai's ninja cats had already identified a new target—someone that "Justice" needs to hunt down and judge."
Ninja cats.
Jujirō.
Naruto and Sasuke simultaneously turned to look at the big, chubby cat perched contentedly on Izumi's left shoulder.
Jujirō cracked one eye open and said in a low voice, "You two brats made your choice. You'd better be mentally ready—what you're about to see might scare the piss out of you. Especially the darker side of human nature."
Naruto muttered under his breath, "He sounds like some naggy old granny."
Sasuke was about to nod in agreement—then stopped himself. If he agreed with this guy, wasn't that the same as admitting he was right?
A weird sense of rivalry flared up in Sasuke, and he let out a small "hmph" instead, choosing to stay silent.
As they kept walking, Sasuke started noticing something felt off.
"Wait a sec… this direction…"
"It's the Uchiha compound," Chizumi said coolly from up front. "The ninja cats found a massive stash of illegal drugs there. Coincidentally, three Uchiha clan members just returned from a mission this morning. They're the prime suspects."
Sasuke stopped in his tracks, stunned. It's the Uchiha clan?!
His mom had warned him before—Chizumi didn't show mercy just because someone was Uchiha.
If someone crossed the line, Chizumi would strike hard. Deadly hard. And now, Sasuke was starting to understand what "zero tolerance" really meant.
"…Illegal drugs?"
Naruto was still catching up, head tilting.
Jujirō yawned. "That nasty stuff that ruins lives. Back in the day, it wasn't so common. But ever since the Third Shinobi War ended, it's been spreading like wildfire. Word is, some merchant named Gato is smuggling it like crazy."
"I sent five ninja cats out a month ago to track him—even beyond Land of Fire. Once we confirm where he is, Chizumi-sama will personally deal with him."
Jujirō paused, then added, "There's no way that huge stash inside Uchiha territory isn't connected to that guy."
"They must've been out on missions so long, they haven't heard what's been going on inside Konoha."
"They probably don't even know that "Absolute Justice" is pretty much unstoppable now."
Even Izumi was startled. Wait, I've only known Chizumi-senpai for less than a month…?
Naruto, still lacking context, asked curiously, "How many people have those drugs hurt?"
"Too many to count."
Jujirō's tone grew heavier. "Just in Konoha last year, six people died from them—civilians and ninja. The number of people still suffering? No way to keep track."
Naruto's eyes widened. "Even ninja can't resist it?"
"Some fools think their strong ninja willpower can beat addiction. They can't."
"Listen up, you two," Jujirō warned. "Anyone caught making, smuggling, or selling that poison—take them out. No mercy. Do it in the name of Justice."
By then, they'd already entered the Uchiha district.
Naruto was surprised—this was already his third visit in such a short time.
Beside him, Sasuke remained silent. But his pale little face was clearly full of conflict. He looked like he wanted to say something… but held back.
Then he noticed Chizumi glance briefly in his direction—
Sasuke flinched, startled.
He instantly shut up, not daring to speak.
But then—Chizumi spoke.
"You believe that just because someone's Uchiha—even if they've done something wrong—they shouldn't be punished so harshly. At the very least, they should be given a way out… right, Uchiha Sasuke?"
Sasuke: "!!!"
He looked up in shock, eyes wide like he'd seen a ghost.
Chizumi had spoken the exact thoughts in his heart.
It was like he'd read his mind.
Chizumi continued, voice like ice:
"In the shinobi world, evil comes in levels.
Petty evil—like Naruto's pranks—can be corrected with heavier discipline.
Moderate evil—like stealing or brawling—warrants time in prison for rehabilitation.
But great evil—intentional murder, trafficking drugs, trafficking people—must be corrected by death."
"Justice doesn't bend. It doesn't forgive.
Tell me, Uchiha Sasuke—do you really think you have the right to forgive those criminals on behalf of the people they destroyed?"
Chizumi stopped walking and turned around, staring down at Sasuke.
"What if your own brother, Uchiha Itachi, massacred the entire clan in a single night—no one spared. Not even your father. Not even your mother."
"And afterward, only you and Itachi are left alive."
"Would you forgive him?"
"Could you forgive the man who killed your father? Your mother?"
"What if someone walked up to you and said, 'He's your brother. Don't hold it against him. Everyone makes mistakes.'"
"Would you listen to that person and choose to forgive the man who slaughtered your entire clan?"
Each question hit Sasuke like a punch. He took several steps back, eyes wide.
He was staring directly into Chizumi's eyes—
And then his vision changed.
Suddenly, Sasuke was standing in darkness.
He looked around—Uchiha buildings. But now it was night.
As his eyes adjusted, they grew wider in horror.
Under the pale moonlight: blood. Bodies. Screams. Begging.
A massacre.
Every corpse—realistic, twisted, and soaked in blood—belonged to someone he knew. Someone from the Uchiha clan.
Elders.
Young men.
Children.
Infants.
Then—a scream.
He turned.
A boy his age was being held up by the hair—stabbed through the chest by a ninja blade.
The killer pulled the blade out and tossed the body aside.
Sasuke's eyes locked onto the killer's face.
Uchiha Itachi.
Before Sasuke could scream, the scene shifted again.
He was inside a dimly-lit house.
Footsteps. Dragging sounds.
He turned—and saw Itachi dragging a barely-alive woman. He walked past Sasuke like he wasn't there, leaving a trail of fresh wounds with every step.
"AAAHHH—!"
Her screams stirred a sound in a nearby closet.
Itachi slit her throat. Then he opened the closet.
Inside—a terrified little girl.
"Stop! Please!" Sasuke tried to scream, but no sound came.
He watched helplessly as Itachi dragged her out… and killed her too.
The illusion faded.
Sasuke blinked—and saw Chizumi, Izumi, Naruto, and Jujirō standing in front of him.
The blood. The corpses. The screams. All gone.
Sasuke stood frozen in place.
"You saw it," Chizumi said, his Sharingan slowly fading. "If something like that really happened… would you have the right to forgive him? Say it out loud, Uchiha Sasuke."
Sasuke finally snapped out of it. "That was… genjutsu?"
He looked dazed. It had felt way too real—like a vision of the future.
He couldn't imagine his brother doing something like that.
But if it did happen… did he have the right to forgive?
He remembered the boy who'd been stabbed.
The infant split in two.
The woman being tortured.
The girl hiding in the closet.
Drip—tears streamed down his face.
He quickly wiped his eyes.
Lowering his head, he whispered, "I don't have the right to forgive him. And… if that really happened, I wouldn't."
Then something clicked inside him.
He looked up, eyes red but steady. Some of the fear toward Chizumi had faded—replaced by a raw hunger to understand.
"Those three clan members who smuggled drugs into Konoha… did they cause others to feel pain like that too?"
Chizumi answered with one word. "Yes."
Sasuke's face twisted with guilt. He wanted to crawl into a hole.
"…I'm sorry," he said softly.
"?!"
Naruto was completely lost. He had no idea why Chizumi just asked a few questions—and suddenly this grumpy guy was apologizing like he was about to cry.
…
Meanwhile, at the Konoha Police Force HQ
"Fugaku-sama, the Jinchūriki has entered the district again with Uchiha Chizumi. Some Anbu operatives—probably assigned to monitor the Jinchūriki—have slipped in too."
Fugaku sat there, numb.
Third time already? Can this man take a break?
Even if Chizumi wasn't tired, he certainly was.
But the next report made his heart skip.
"Also—your son, Uchiha Sasuke, appears to be with them."
"???"
…Sasuke?!
Fugaku couldn't make sense of it. What connection could that kid possibly have with Chizumi?
To his knowledge, they had nothing to do with each other.
He frowned deeply, a bit worried. Could it be… Sasuke got in trouble and Chizumi caught him?
Sure, he was disappointed in Sasuke's potential—felt like he wasn't even a tenth of Itachi.
But he was still his son.
Fugaku stood. "Where is Chizumi now? Take me to him."
As for the Anbu sneaking around?
Fugaku didn't even acknowledge them.
…
Elsewhere in the Uchiha compound — a hidden basement
Three Uchiha ninja stood around stacks of sealed packages.
One crossed his arms, frowning. "Hayata, over a ton of product—can Konoha even move all of it? It'll take forever to distribute."
"No worries," said Uchiha Hayata, smirking. "We're not selling it here. We're flipping it. What happens after that isn't our problem."
Another looked uneasy. "We better be careful. If Fugaku finds out, we're screwed."
"Hah!"
Uchiha Hayata snorted. "What's there to be afraid of? We're doing this to fund the clan. With the money, we buy explosive tags—build up power. That's how we eventually launch a coup and overthrow the Hokage."
"If Fugaku causes trouble over this, that just means he's siding with outsiders. Which is perfect…"
"I'll get my grandfather to push for a new clan election. Replace Fugaku as Clan Head."
"Ha, yeah," the third said. "Your granddad's Elder Setsuna. No way that weakling Fugaku can touch you."
The guy paused, suddenly uneasy. "Still… things feel off in Konoha lately. I've heard people whispering about some dangerous guy. You think he might come after us? The guy's always preaching about Justice."
Hayata shrugged. "You worry too much. As long as we don't say anything, how would he know what we're doing?"
Clearly, all three of them were young radicals.
Just then—footsteps above.
All three froze.
Someone's here? They broke in?!—the same thought hit all three.
They exchanged glances, ready to head up—
But the footsteps grew louder. Closer.
Whoever it is… they're coming this way.
A bad feeling washed over them.
When they saw who it was, Hayata's heart dropped.
"Uchiha… Chizumi?!"
And behind him—three kids.
A police girl.
A blond kid.
And one more…
Wait…
When they saw Sasuke's face, the three radicals froze.
They all recognized the second son of Uchiha Fugaku.
~~~
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