After watching his not-so-close son Asuma walk away, Hiruzen Sarutobi lowered his gaze to the daimyo's official letter, muttering under his breath:
"Something about this just feels... off."
Chizumi had killed the daimyo's second son. That the daimyo would be furious and want him dead? Totally expected.
That the daimyo didn't want to come all the way to Konoha and instead sent Asuma to deliver the message? Also logical.
But what didn't sit right with Hiruzen—
Was the letter itself.
And the daimyo's laughably naive revenge plan Asuma described:
Let Chizumi leave the village. Let him piss off more people with his 'Absolute Justice'. Someone else will eventually do the dirty work. A classic setup.
Only... it was never going to work.
Hiruzen was sure the daimyo knew that, too.
I mean, who in their right mind would actually dare try and kill Uchiha Chizumi?
And once Chizumi's out there—
What's stopping him from turning his attention on the daimyo himself?
"The daimyo definitely has something else up his sleeve," Hiruzen murmured, frowning. "Asuma... he probably knows more than he let on. But he's playing along, hiding the truth from me. Dammit. One problem after another. It never ends."
He let out a deep sigh. He was too old for this many crises.
Everything was piling up. His mind felt stretched thin, and his thoughts were slowing.
"Someone, get in here."
An Anbu appeared instantly.
"Have Chizumi report to me."
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
"Wait—" Hiruzen raised a hand. "Call in the rest of the Anbu first. Then bring him."
He wasn't about to face Chizumi alone.
Too dangerous.
…
Outside Konoha
"Hey hey hey... Chiriku, what's the hold-up? Where's your boy Asuma?"
Kazuma, a senbon in his mouth and a kunai spinning casually on his finger, grinned darkly.
"Don't tell me this is a setup. You say we're here to take down Uchiha Chizumi—but maybe the real target is me? Give it a few minutes and we'll have hundreds of Konoha ninja swarming us, huh?"
He stood slowly, eyes sharp as blades, locking onto Chiriku.
The five men behind Kazuma followed suit—causing Chiriku's team of three to tense immediately.
"Kazuma," one of them warned, "Don't forget our mission. The daimyo sent us for Chizumi—not for an internal bloodbath."
Kazuma sneered. "Sure, sure. The daimyo wouldn't do anything to me. He trusts me. But Asuma? Can't say I'm confident he hasn't been feeding the daimyo lies."
Chiriku, calm-faced as ever, pressed his palms together and muttered a short sutra.
"Asuma's not like that."
But his eyes were sharp, locked on Kazuma. One wrong move and he'd act without hesitation.
Then—movement.
All ten heads turned.
"You really can't go five minutes without starting something, huh?"
Asuma strolled in, cigarette between his lips, giving Kazuma a flat look.
"Tch."
Kazuma tossed his kunai in the air and caught it. "You better have a damn good reason for taking this long. Talking to the Hokage shouldn't take that long."
Asuma's expression tightened. "I asked around a bit in the village. Wanted to know what's been going on with Chizumi."
Kazuma raised a brow. "Didn't you just come back? Why bother?"
"I thought the same—until I realized half the village is talking about him."
So he started asking questions.
What he found floored him.
Danzo—killed.
Drug dealers—slaughtered.
Even fellow Uchiha—cut down.
And the Shimura clan? Wiped out.
All of it done by Uchiha Chizumi.
All in just a few days since Asuma had left.
"And that's just the stuff I could uncover," Asuma said darkly. "There's probably more I didn't hear about."
"Our enemy is way beyond what we were expecting. This is gonna be a deadly fight."
He laid it all out—every piece of intel he gathered.
Even Kazuma's smug look faded into something more serious.
"Wait wait wait…" Kazuma muttered, rubbing his thumb along his kunai. "You're saying this guy's running non-stop? Doesn't even sleep?"
Chiriku's voice remained steady. "We still have the upper hand—he has no idea we're waiting for him out here."
Asuma exhaled. "That's our only real advantage. I lied to the Old Man and got him to send Chizumi out. The moment he steps out of the village, he walks right into our trap. To kill someone like him, we have to do it fast—really fast. If we let him breathe, even for a second… we're screwed."
"That means no holding back. I don't care what you're saving for a rainy day—use everything. Or we'll all be corpses."
Kazuma spat out his senbon and grinned savagely.
"You're the one trying to kill one of Konoha's strongest... You sure you're not colder than the Hokage?"
Asuma took a long drag from his cigarette.
"He's a threat to the village. That's all that matters. So what? Are you scared?"
Kazuma twitched. "Say that again and I'll kill you first."
Asuma felt a small wave of relief.
He'd gotten the reaction he wanted.
Kazuma didn't have to like him. He just needed to fight when the time came.
He turned to one of the Twelve. "We send word to the daimyo?"
The man nodded. "Last night. My summon's fast—he should've gotten it by now."
…
Meanwhile — Ninja Academy
"Hisss…"
Yamanaka Ryoushin slowly opened his eyes. His neck hurt. His head was foggy.
"Crap!"
He jumped up like a spring.
Last thing he remembered—scarlet eyes. Then... blackout.
Sharingan genjutsu. And before he could fight it off, someone knocked him out cold.
His job? Monitor Naruto.
Which meant this wasn't about him.
Someone had targeted Naruto.
Ryoushin broke into a cold sweat. And when he looked up and saw the gaping holes in the classroom wall...
Yeah. He was totally screwed.
"Yo, you're awake?"
The sudden, clear voice made him flinch. He turned—
Uchiha Izumi.
Chizumi's little shadow.
"Was that you who hit me with the genjutsu?!"
Izumi shook her head. "Nope. That was Uchiha Itachi."
"...What?!"
"Relax. His target was Sasuke, not Naruto. You were probably just in the way."
Izumi explained patiently. She had already scoped Ryoushin out. He wasn't evil—not a red name.
And Chizumi's ideals didn't target the innocent.
"If you're here, then where's Chizumi?"
Ryoushin looked around, suddenly tense.
"An Anbu came earlier. The Hokage asked to see him. He's already gone."
Ryoushin froze.
…
Hokage's Office
"A mission?"
Uchiha Chizumi looked Hiruzen straight in the eye. Even though he could sense others hidden in the room, his face remained calm and unreadable.
"Yes. A ninja mission."
Hiruzen cleared his throat and handed over a scroll. "It's been a while since you took one on, hasn't it?"
Chizumi responded flatly, "About two and a half years."
Yeah. "Mission" wasn't a word he'd heard in a long time.
"This one's an S-rank," Hiruzen said slowly. "Don't worry. I'm not sending you to do anything that violates your 'Absolute Justice'. That's still part of our agreement, right?"
He added quickly, "We're low on manpower for high-level assignments. I thought it through and decided this was the right job for you."
That wasn't a lie.
But... why were they suddenly low on S-rank capable ninja?
Hiruzen avoided that part of the answer.
Even as he spoke, his eyes carried an unmistakable tinge of guilt and helplessness toward Chizumi.
"This scroll contains sealed intel—classified documents that need to be delivered to one of our units on the Land of Fire border," Hiruzen explained. "According to our intel, spies from other villages already know about this. They're watching everyone going in and out of Konoha. Meaning…"
"You'll be moving under their noses. They could strike at any time. We don't know who, how many, or how strong. That's why it's classified as S-rank—extremely dangerous."
He paused, then added, "I was going to send Might Guy, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized—you're the most suitable person for the job."
Chizumi slowly turned the scroll in his hand and said, "So this is your way of getting me out of the village, huh, Third Hokage?"
Hiruzen didn't answer right away.
Talking to Chizumi was always like this—he didn't just see through you, he said it out loud.
It was irritating.
And yet, it wasn't like Hiruzen could deny it.
"Ahem... regardless, you're still the best person for this," he said. "With your eyes—the ones that see both the evil of the past and the evil yet to come—you can spot spies before they even get close."
"These enemy agents aren't just killing ninja. Some of them have innocent civilian blood on their hands too. That makes this an opportunity for justice, doesn't it?"
Chizumi stared at Hiruzen for a long moment.
The Hokage shifted his gaze away. Not out of guilt—just a healthy fear of the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Chizumi weighed the scroll in his palm. "When?"
"Today," Hiruzen said.
Chizumi turned to leave.
"Wait—Chizumi," Hiruzen suddenly called out. "The daimyo knows what you did. To him, you're the man who killed his son. He might do something reckless. But... you know he's no threat to you."
"I'm asking you—not for him, but for Konoha—please don't point your blade of 'Justice' at him. We need the daimyo. The Land of Fire needs him. If something happens to him, it could destabilize everything. And create even more evil."
"So—"
"—"
But by the time Hiruzen looked up, Chizumi's shadow was already gone.
He let out a long, weary sigh.
"…Let's just hope the daimyo sticks to his childish plan."
…
"S-rank? Seriously?!"
Izumi stood there stunned. The Hokage really gave Chizumi-senpai an S-rank mission?
She'd only ever been assigned up to C-rank. S-rank missions were the stuff of academy legends.
"Meow~ Chizumi-sama, let me go with you!"
Jujiro hopped up, tail swishing. "The kid's more or less trained now. She might not be elite, but she can take on weaker thugs. And while she's doing that, she can show those two brats what 'Absolute Justice' really means—meow!"
Izumi muttered, "You just don't want to babysit the kids, do you?"
Jujiro's eyes widened. "Who are you, and what have you done with Izumi—meow?!"
"…What?"
The cat tilted his head. "Usually, only me and Chizumi-sama can read your thoughts. Since when did you start reading mine?"
Izumi frowned. "…You really admitted that fast."
"Jujiro, you're coming with me," Chizumi cut in. "Izumi, you're staying in Konoha. Keep enacting justice. If you run into someone you can't handle, record them. I'll deal with them later."
"Absolute Justice doesn't mean charging in and dying. Your life is a weapon—use it to protect more people."
Izumi felt her chest tighten. It wasn't exactly kindness—Chizumi wasn't that type.
But somehow… It felt like he cared.
She stood straighter and shouted, "Yes, senpai!"
"Jujiro, let's move."
"Meow? No prep?"
"No need."
As soon as Uchiha Chizumi walked out of the village gates, the news spread like wildfire.
…
Uchiha District
"He left the village?" Elder Uchiha Setsuna frowned.
A radical member quickly reported, "He stopped by the Hokage Tower earlier. Then he left right after."
Setsuna's brows tightened further. "Keep digging. If possible—follow him. I want to know exactly where he's going."
"Yes, Elder!"
…
Konoha Police Force HQ
"He's gone…"
Fugaku stood by the window, eyes on the treetops beyond Konoha. "In the end, the Hokage let the beast out of its cage."
Honestly, part of him was relieved. So long as Chizumi stayed in Konoha, the potential for chaos—and collateral damage—was massive.
But then Fugaku thought of Itachi's plan.
Only one person made Itachi hesitate: Chizumi.
And now he was gone.
"…Without him here, what happens to us?" Fugaku murmured. "Is that when the tragedy begins?"
His expression grew heavy.
Word of Chizumi's departure spread fast—even to Root.
Koharu arrived at the Hokage's office in a rush, her face tight with urgency.
"Hiruzen, do you even understand what letting Uchiha Chizumi out of the village means?"
She glared at him, voice low and sharp.
"Don't forget—this is the same man who killed the daimyo's son. What if he runs into other nobles out there?"
"You know exactly how those elites treat commoners. And to Chizumi, with his extreme 'Absolute Justice'... most of them probably deserve to die."
"You couldn't even explain the daimyo's son's death. What happens if there's more bloodshed?"
She hated Chizumi. Hated everything 'Absolute Justice' stood for.
But even she understood—keeping him inside Konoha meant they could at least try to control him. Letting him wander freely? That was a recipe for disaster across the entire Land of Fire.
Hiruzen didn't argue.
He simply handed her a document.
"The daimyo knows. This is his decision."
Koharu froze.
…
"Looks like I can finally take a break…"
Kakashi let out a relieved sigh. As long as Chizumi was out of the village, he didn't need to monitor Naruto 24/7.
"Uchiha Chizumi!" Might Guy suddenly lit up, hand under chin. Then he flashed a grin so bright Kakashi almost flinched.
"Justice! Youth! Passion! He fits the spirit of youth perfectly, don't you think?"
"I've heard stories," Guy added. "Yeah, his methods are extreme—but that kind of energy? It's inspiring in its own way!"
He pounded Kakashi on the shoulder with that same unbearable enthusiasm.
Kakashi winced.
"Hey, Kakashi! Quit Anbu. Come train with me. Let's embrace the fire of youth together!"
Ever since Kakashi had joined Anbu, he'd become more withdrawn. Guy had been trying to pull him out of that dark pit for years—even asking Hiruzen if he could join Anbu just to partner with him.
Naturally, the request was rejected.
The last thing anyone wanted was Guy's brand of "youth" infecting the Anbu ranks.
"…God, you're even more exhausting than Chizumi," Kakashi muttered under his breath.
…
A sharp flutter of wings.
A ninja crow landed on someone's shoulder and screeched in a high-pitched voice:
"Chizumi has left the village! He's headed this way!"
"Tch. So he's coming after all…"
Kazuma stood, rolled his shoulders, flexed his fingers, and tapped his ninja tools with a predator's grin.
"Asuma. You better not slow me down."
Asuma crushed his cigarette underfoot. "I want him dead more than you do. Save your whining."
Chiriku spoke up next, steady but serious.
"Asuma, if things go sideways—do we have backup? We don't know much about him… and he doesn't know much about us either. But this is still dangerous."
"We won't have backup."
Asuma shook his head. "The old man doesn't know what we're doing. By the time he senses something's wrong and sends Anbu… this'll all be over."
He narrowed his eyes.
"Everyone—be ready."
…
Two figures—a man and a large orange cat—were moving through the forest fast enough to blur.
Suddenly, Jujiro slowed down slightly. His fur twitched. His ears flattened.
"Chizumi-sama… something's not right."
"It's not quiet, exactly. But the air's... wrong."
Jujiro had fought in the Third Great Ninja War. He knew the feel of blood in the air before it was spilled.
He looked around sharply—but saw nothing obvious.
"…Meow? Was I wrong?"
"You weren't," Chizumi said calmly.
He slowed, then stopped completely.
Jujiro followed suit.
Chizumi stared into the trees ahead—not activating his Sharingan, yet still seeing more than most.
His hand slowly reached for the hilt of his ninja blade.
Then he spoke.
"Looks like someone's keeping secrets from the Third. Someone's trying to kill me out here."
Jujiro's fur stood on end.
That wasn't some random spy—it was an inside job.
"Who is it, Chizumi-sama?"
"Not 'who.' Them. Sarutobi Asuma. Chiriku. Kazuma. A good chunk of the Twelve Guardian Ninja."
He smirked darkly. "Quite the honor, huh? They're throwing almost the whole team at me. Only one missing is the one I already killed—Nauma."
And just as he said that—
TWANG!
A sudden metallic whine echoed across the forest.
Thin wires, almost invisible, shot toward Chizumi from dozens of angles.
A web.
A trap.
Three figures—Kitane, Seito, and Tou—appeared on tree branches, surrounding him. Each stood on coiled wires, forming a deadly electric grid.
"Lightning Style: Thunder Binding Technique!!!"
They didn't waste time.
Bright arcs of lightning blasted across the wires, forming a blinding net of electricity aimed straight at Chizumi and Jujiro.
Within seconds, the entire 100-meter radius around them lit up with crackling blue energy.
Massive trees were shredded and vaporized.
Then—six more enemies emerged from the shadows.
Kazuma led the charge, forming hand signs.
"Earth Style: Swamp of the Underworld!"
The ground under Chizumi's feet turned to sludge, sucking him down.
"Enjoy the grave we built for you, Chizumi!" Kazuma laughed. "Hope you find it cozy!"
The other five ninja launched their own attacks—fire, wind, earth—all slamming toward Chizumi and Jujiro.
"Asuma—now!" someone shouted.
Chiriku stepped forward, calm yet deadly.
Golden chakra surged around him like a radiant aura. He pressed his palms together.
"Welcoming Approach: Thousand-Armed Murder!"
Glowing arms of chakra erupted forward like divine chains, racing to seize Chizumi.
"Wind Style: Dust Cloud Technique!"
Asuma swept his hands forward, unleashing a slicing storm of razor winds and sand.
It tore the earth open as it surged ahead.
And then—
BOOOOM!!!
All the jutsu collided.
A massive explosion erupted.
Shockwaves tore through the trees. Even the ninja perched on high branches were nearly thrown off.
Smoke and dirt roared skyward.
A giant mushroom cloud bloomed in the sky.
"…That kind of power…"
Asuma's voice was low.
"…could wipe out three major clan compounds in seconds."
Wind tore at his face. He narrowed his eyes against the blast and drew his chakra blades.
He didn't relax for even a second.
This was Uchiha Chizumi—the man who killed Danzo and wiped out the entire Shimura clan.
Could someone like that really be taken out so easily?
As the smoke and debris slowly cleared, Asuma's pupils contracted.
Something massive was taking shape in the haze.
"…What the hell is that shadow?"
His eyes widened.
"That's a… ninja cat?!"
"Why the hell is it so big?!"
The wind blew away the last of the smoke.
Standing before them was an enormous, mountain-sized orange cat—Jujiro, Chizumi's ninja companion—radiating sheer physical presence like a summoned beast.
Its fur was scorched, sliced, torn apart in patches.
One side had been blasted by Water Style.
Parts were burned black from Lightning Style.
Other sections had clean gashes from Wind Style.
Despite all that…
It was still standing.
And very, very pissed off.
"RAAHHH—!"
Jujiro let out a roar.
"That hurt, damn it! You bastards!!!"
Even its breath blew back like a blast of metallic-smelling wind, thick with blood and heat.
Asuma stared at the beast, then suddenly remembered.
"This thing… it's Chizumi's ninja cat."
Memories from the war flashed through his mind—back in the Third Great Ninja War, Jujiro had followed Chizumi through battle after battle, cutting through entire squads.
"He's using the Akimichi clan's size enhancement jutsu!"
Chiriku narrowed his eyes. "That technique alone wouldn't be enough to tank our attacks. He must have used a defensive jutsu to harden his fur. That's how he absorbed all our ninjutsu."
Kazuma let out a sharp "Tch!" and glared at Asuma.
"You didn't say anything about this bastard having a damn tank for a pet!"
"Not killing Chizumi in that first second…"
Seito's expression was dead serious.
"…means this is about to turn into a nightmare."
"For Nauma's sake, no one backs out. We finish this. No matter what."
Asuma was about to say something—when the air shifted.
Hot.
The wind suddenly carried the sting of sulfur.
The temperature was climbing.
His instincts screamed.
He shouted:
"Everyone stay alert! Uchiha Chizumi is about to strike back!"
His voice had barely left his mouth when—
WHOOSH.
A wave of molten heat roared toward him.
In his eyes—a wall of crimson magma came flying fast.
Too fast.
Too hot.
Too lethal.
He felt the taste of death hit his throat.
"Thousand-Armed Murder!"
Chiriku reacted instantly, activating his chakra.
Golden arms burst from his back in a radiant explosion, taking the shape of a divine Kannon figure.
Hundreds—no, thousands—of chakra fists flew forward, smashing into the lava wave.
The ground exploded from the impact, chunks of earth flying everywhere.
But Chiriku's expression suddenly changed.
"Wait... something's wrong!"
"That's not the real one—it's a magma clone!"
He whipped around—too late.
Another blast of heat hit him from the side.
He barely turned his head when his vision blurred—
Chizumi was already on top of him.
He'd closed the distance instantly—his right arm now transformed into a terrifying molten beast, like a hound made of living lava.
The arm punched forward—fast, brutal, precise.
Chiriku slapped his hands together in desperation.
"Buddha Bell!"
A massive golden chakra bell formed to protect him—
CRACK!!!
The lava-beast arm tore through it like paper.
Before Chiriku could even process what happened—those fiery jaws sank into his chest.
His eyes widened in shock.
~~~
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