Even though Uchiha Chizumi wasn't speaking loudly, Kakashi—hidden nearby and keeping an eye on Naruto—heard everything clearly.
Right then—
His expression mirrored Naruto's almost perfectly: wide-eyed shock. Even behind his Anbu mask, Kakashi's stunned reaction was obvious.
This is bad.
He already knew Chizumi's way of teaching "Absolute Justice" would be intense. There was no way it'd be anything like a lecture at the Ninja Academy. But still—he'd underestimated just how intense it would get.
Chizumi was about to make the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki execute a drug trafficker with his own hands?
At first glance, it didn't sound entirely unreasonable.
But the problem was—Naruto was just a kid.
And the Hokage had made it Kakashi's job to make sure Naruto didn't fall into Chizumi's brand of extreme justice.
Which meant… Kakashi had no choice but to step in.
He took a deep breath, braced himself, and then appeared in front of Chizumi and Naruto.
Naruto, still reeling from what he'd just heard, looked up and blinked.
"Huh? You again?"
Even with the Anbu mask on, Kakashi's silver hair made him instantly recognizable. The mask might as well not have been there.
"Uchiha Chizumi," Kakashi began, choosing his words carefully, "do you really think Naruto needs to be exposed to this kind of darkness right now? Killing someone at his age… isn't that too much?"
Chizumi looked at him calmly and asked:
"How old were you when you killed for the first time?"
Kakashi hesitated.
He'd become a genin early, made chunin quickly, and was already a jonin by age 12. His first kill? Way earlier than most.
But… that had been self-defense. He'd been ambushed.
"That's different," Kakashi tried to explain. "Back then, the world was chaos. It wasn't unusual for kids under ten to be out on missions. You lived through that time—you know what it was like."
"But things aren't like that anymore. Shouldn't we protect kids more now? Especially someone like Naruto—he's only seven."
These weren't the kind of things Kakashi would normally say.
If Chizumi had picked Sasuke instead of Naruto, Kakashi wouldn't have interfered.
But this was a direct order from the Hokage. And Kakashi hated it.
Then, a voice cut through the moment—not Chizumi's, but Naruto's:
"Is the ninja world really not chaotic anymore?"
Kakashi froze. He looked down.
Naruto looked up at him, locking eyes.
"You're probably the guy Gramps sent to spy on me, right? Or maybe to keep watch on the Nine-Tails sealed inside me?"
Kakashi didn't respond.
"I don't know what he told you, but I made the choice to learn justice from Chizumi-sensei. Gramps said he respects that decision."
"I don't believe the world is peaceful. Chizumi-sensei showed me that evil still exists everywhere—even without war."
"If we ignore all the evil around us, can we really say the world is peaceful?"
"That just feels wrong to me."
Kakashi hadn't expected this kind of conviction from a kid. It left him speechless.
He realized Hiruzen had seriously underestimated the influence Chizumi's ideology could have—especially on a kid at Naruto's age, when things are so black and white.
Even Sasuke, who usually couldn't stand Naruto, stared at him in shock.
"Dobe…"
He suddenly felt like Naruto was way more mature than he gave him credit for. Those words… he never could've said them himself.
"Sensei," Naruto said, stepping forward, "please let me carry out justice this time—personally."
He bowed deeply.
Kakashi had no words left.
Hokage-sama… I tried. If I keep pushing, I'll end up fighting Chizumi. And probably get hated by Minato-sensei's son, too…
All he could do now was send someone back to report. Whether to stop Naruto or not—that'd be up to Hiruzen now.
If it had to be done, let the Hokage do it himself.
After all, he was the one who warned them never to use force against Uchiha Chizumi.
With that thought, Kakashi's eyes went back to their usual sleepy dead-fish stare.
…
Hokage Tower
"What?!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen nearly crushed his pipe when he heard the latest report from an Anbu agent.
"How long ago was this?!"
The aging Hokage actually grabbed the Anbu by the collar in panic. His face flushed from the emotional surge.
"Five… five minutes ago…"
The Anbu was starting to struggle to breathe, but he didn't dare show it.
Hiruzen let go and slumped back. At Chizumi's speed, five minutes was more than enough.
"Didn't I tell Kakashi to keep Chizumi's justice from influencing Naruto too much?!"
He didn't understand—what was Kakashi even doing?
"Hokage-sama," the Anbu replied softly, "Captain Kakashi tried everything short of fighting. It didn't work. In the end, Naruto asked Chizumi to let him execute justice."
"He also said—"
"Repeat it," Hiruzen said, closing his eyes.
After hearing Naruto's exact words, Hiruzen opened his eyes again.
They were empty. Hollow.
He had the sinking feeling that Naruto—the Naruto who used to follow him around calling him "Gramps"—was gone.
That gut feeling was overwhelming.
…
Somewhere in the village
Naruto's arm trembled as he held a ninja blade.
For someone his age, the weapon was heavy—but he held on tight.
He stared at a Konoha shinobi pinned to the ground by several kunai.
Swallowing hard, he couldn't tell whether the sweat in his palms came from nerves or sheer exhaustion.
"Uchiha… Chizumi!"
The ninja coughed up blood, gritting his teeth.
"You attacked a comrade without reason! The Hokage won't let this slide!"
Chizumi, calm as ever, replied:
"Justice exists to purge evil. How is that without reason?"
The man tried to move, but the kunai only dug deeper.
"What proof do you have I'm evil?! You're just making excuses to kill whoever you want!"
"Cut off your head and send it to the Yamanaka clan," Chizumi said. "They'll find the proof."
That shut the man up.
Wait—wasn't it supposed to be evidence first, then execution?
Was Chizumi really relying on that rumored Sharingan that sees past and future sins?
What kind of ridiculous dojutsu is that?! No one in the Uchiha ever had that before!
Chizumi ignored him.
He looked up at the darkened sky, then at Naruto—still hesitating.
"Naruto Uzumaki. Can't bring yourself to strike evil?"
"I—I can!"
"Too soft. That voice doesn't sound like conviction. Is that what justice means to you?!"
Chizumi's voice hit like a whip.
Naruto screamed:
"I CAN!!!"
It was so loud that nearby villagers opened their doors—only to freeze in place at the scene before them.
Naruto stood there, sword raised high. His form was awkward. Clearly untrained.
But the blade was sharp. Sharp enough to kill.
He squeezed his eyes shut and swung—
—but couldn't bring it down. Something stopped it.
Opening his eyes, he saw Chizumi's fingers pinching the blade mid‑air.
"You're still too young. You're not ready to kill."
"But your willingness to raise the sword—I've seen it."
Chizumi added slight pressure, and Naruto dropped the weapon.
Then, with a fluid motion, Chizumi took the blade and drove it down—
straight through the man's chest.
SPLAT.
Blood splattered across Naruto's face, snapping him out of his trance.
He looked up, stunned, at Chizumi's side profile.
"Naruto Uzumaki," Chizumi said, locking eyes with him, "you've passed your first test of Justice. You had the courage to act."
Naruto's eyes widened, his shock giving way to delight.
So this had been a test!
Sasuke couldn't help but ask:
"What if he hadn't gone through with it? Would he have failed? Would you have killed him?"
He remembered the rumors:
"Didn't you kill two Police trainees because they didn't meet your expectations?"
Naruto froze.
Was I really that close to dying?!
"Only one died," Chizumi replied. "The other had a breakdown and spent months in the psych ward."
"But," he added, "the one I killed… it wasn't because he failed. It was because he tried to bring sin into justice and taint its purity."
Sasuke paused.
So the guy deserved it.
And strangely, Sasuke believed him.
He didn't even know why—but he trusted Chizumi.
Meanwhile, Kakashi, still perched on a rooftop, let out a breath of relief.
"Geez… for a second I thought he was really gonna make Naruto do it."
He glanced down at the body.
"Another ninja clan member. This mess is just getting worse."
Chizumi had made a lot of enemies tonight.
But that wasn't Kakashi's problem.
Hands back in his pockets, he muttered:
"At least the Hokage will be glad Naruto didn't actually kill the guy. It's the one good thing in a night full of disasters."
…
Hokage Tower, Later That Night
Hiruzen Sarutobi hadn't even finished processing the disaster when the door to his office slammed open.
"Hiruzen!"
Koharu Utatane barged in, face dark with anger. She opened her mouth to speak—then stopped dead.
The room was already packed with Anbu.
She wasn't surprised for long.
"It's about Chizumi, isn't it?" Hiruzen said with a tired sigh.
"He killed two members of the Utatane clan tonight."
Before she could reply, another voice joined in.
"What a coincidence."
Homura Mitokado entered, flanked by members of the Mitokado family. His face was grim.
"I figured I'd be the only one here this late."
Koharu turned toward him, her expression tightening.
"You too? Because of Chizumi?"
Homura nodded solemnly.
"My cousin. Dead. Decapitated."
Then he frowned.
"Wait… you said 'too.' Don't tell me—"
"Two of ours," Koharu confirmed, jaw clenched. "We lost two."
The two advisors looked at each other, momentarily stunned to realize they were on the same side of something for once.
Before either could speak again, the door burst open.
"Hokage-sama!"
This time it was the clan head of a smaller shinobi family in Konoha. He was visibly furious.
"Uchiha Chizumi broke into our compound without warning and killed one of our clan's younger members!"
He trailed off as he looked around—finally noticing the thick tension and crowded room.
"Wait… what's going on here?"
Koharu opened her mouth to reply again, but Hiruzen cut her off.
"Just wait. There'll be more."
He leaned back, rubbing his forehead.
"Chizumi killed at least a dozen people tonight. Probably more. They'll all come looking for answers."
Koharu: "What…?"
Homura: "…"
…
Meanwhile – Uchiha District
Uchiha Setsuna, the clan elder, was tapping his cane thoughtfully when a young radical from the clan rushed in with urgent news.
"Elder Setsuna! Chizumi killed three Uchiha—an hour ago!"
Setsuna's eyes twitched. He froze mid-motion.
"Tch… I knew that extreme little brat would turn his blade against his own kind eventually. I just didn't expect it to happen so soon."
His voice darkened.
"Who were they? From Fugaku's side?"
If Chizumi had killed members of the moderate faction—the ones who always sided with the Hokage and the village—Setsuna would've been secretly pleased.
But the messenger hesitated. And that hesitation told Setsuna all he needed to know.
His eyes narrowed dangerously.
"Speak."
"Uchiha Naoto… Uchiha Masaki…"
The names hit like thunder. Setsuna knew both personally. Young, radical, gifted. Both had awakened their Sharingan. Full of potential.
"And… Uchiha Hayata."
Setsuna froze. The cane slipped from his fingers.
His hand started to shake. His face twitched uncontrollably. His aging eyes filled with disbelief, and a sharp pain clutched his chest.
The name Hayata echoed in his mind like a bell tolling doom.
Then—footsteps. Heavy, deliberate, approaching from the darkness.
Setsuna looked up, his eyes brimming with murderous intent.
"FUGAKU!!"
Sure enough, Uchiha Fugaku stepped into the room, flanked by members of the Konoha Police Force.
"Elder Setsuna," Fugaku said calmly, though his expression was tight, "those three—Naoto, Masaki, and Hayata—were involved in large-scale trafficking of illegal drugs. That's why Chizumi went after them."
His tone hardened.
"You and I both know… they couldn't have pulled something that big off alone. There had to be support. Smuggling that amount of contraband into Uchiha territory? That's not a three-man job."
Setsuna's fists clenched.
But he said nothing.
Fugaku took a step forward.
"What I'm saying is—this ends here. They're gone. And I won't dig into the rest. Whatever shadows you've hidden, I won't pursue them."
"But I don't want a civil war inside the Uchiha."
~~~
Patreon(.)com/Bleam
— Currently You can Read 70 Chapters Ahead of Others!