"Seisui... Mother..." Gekko Hayate stared blankly at his younger brother, who lay limp in his arms, devoid of life. His brother's death, and the words he spoke before he died, left Hayate's mind reeling, temporarily stripping him of the ability to think. He looked up vaguely, meeting the gaze of Uchiha Akainu, who had just sheathed his blade. Two lines of sorrowful tears had already fallen without him realizing.
"Your mother's body has likely been taken by other members of the Police Force. Next, the Police Force will invite ninjas from the Yamanaka clan to conduct a joint investigation," Uchiha Akainu said emotionlessly. "If you want to see your mother, you can wait until the joint investigation is over. It should take a day or two."
Mother... was killed...
Uchiha Akainu's words turned "Gekko Seisui's" dying taunt into a grim reality, deepening Hayate's grief. His heart felt as if it were pierced by countless invisible blades. Two years ago, his father died at the hands of Uchiha Akainu. Two years later, his mother died at his younger brother's hands. Now, his brother was also dead, killed by Uchiha Akainu. Of the entire Gekko clan, his direct lineage was now reduced to just him, Gekko Hayate!
Gekko Hayate was utterly lost. He didn't even know if he should seek revenge on Uchiha Akainu. This Uchiha, like a demon, had killed his father, and killed his younger brother... Yet, he was merely carrying out "justice." One could even say Uchiha Akainu had avenged his mother! And... it was an unforgivable matricide!
"Senior Akainu, he seems to be in a lot of pain. His mind looks like it's on the verge of collapsing," Izumi whispered, her face filled with worry. "Will he be okay?"
Uchiha Akainu turned and walked away, slowly saying, "Let him be."
"Oh." Izumi quickly followed.
---
The news that Uchiha Akainu had killed two Gekko clan chunin, stormed into the Gekko clan's compound with his subordinate, and killed "Gekko Seisui," the former head's second son, quickly spread through Konoha like wildfire.
When Hiruzen Sarutobi, puffing on his pipe, heard the news, he was so shocked that he choked and coughed. After finally recovering, Hiruzen immediately took a sip of water. After calming his turbulent thoughts, he asked the Anbu ninja reporting the news in a deep voice, "What was the exact reason?"
Just as the Anbu ninja was about to speak, there was a knock on the door. Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly guessed what was happening. He said, "Come in!"
Sure enough... Uchiha Akainu, who had killed three ninjas, walked openly into the Hokage's office as if nothing had happened, with a cautious little follower behind him.
"The reason is that the criminal 'Gekko Seisui' resisted arrest," Uchiha Akainu stated directly, without even waiting for Hiruzen to ask. "Anyone who dares to resist arrest is no longer a simple criminal. We must strike hard, kill them on the spot, to deter other petty criminals."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression darkened slightly. This wasn't the first time Uchiha Akainu had neglected to address him as "Lord Hokage" upon seeing him. Nor was it the first time he had spoken to him in such a cold, blunt tone. It was as if even he, the venerable Third Hokage, was just another criminal in this child's eyes. This made Hiruzen instinctively uncomfortable.
Fortunately, his emotions were stable. His grim expression faded, and Hiruzen looked at Uchiha Akainu, asking, "A criminal?"
"Uchiha Izumi," Uchiha Akainu said.
"YES! SENIOR!!!"
Izumi took a deep breath. Having prepared herself mentally on the way, she proactively reported to the Hokage on behalf of her senior: "Lord Hokage, Senior Akainu and I this morning..."
The girl's narrative was clear, and her language concise. As she recounted the events in detail, Hiruzen Sarutobi's brows furrowed deeper and deeper.
"Gekko Seisui..." Hiruzen exhaled a deep breath. "I used to hold that child when he was little. But I never imagined he would be... so extremely jealous. To the point of acting on such a terrifying jealousy against his own next of kin..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi believed it. While he couldn't fully grasp some of Uchiha Akainu's methods, one thing he was certain of was that Uchiha Akainu never made a wrong judgment when it came to "justice" and "evil." This child... was like a natural judge, with an almost 100% accuracy rate in determining the truth of a case!
Years ago, Hiruzen Sarutobi had also suspected that Uchiha Akainu was using "executing justice" as an excuse to kill for pleasure. After dozens of investigations that turned up no irregularities, Hiruzen realized that someone could indeed possess such a talent. The Uchiha truly produced an abundance of gifted individuals!
However...
"Akainu!" Hiruzen Sarutobi knocked on his desk, his expression serious. "A matricide resisting arrest, and you killed him with violent means – I can overlook that. But why did you kill two innocent members of the Gekko clan?"
"Those two young men, one twenty-one and one twenty-six. They merely stood in your way, and you killed them? Is harming the innocent still justice?!"
Izumi keenly sensed the tense atmosphere in the Hokage's office. The air around them felt like it was solidifying.
Uchiha Akainu met Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze and said, "I warned them in advance, but since they insisted on obstructing law enforcement, it means they made their choice."
"Unfortunately, they chose to stand on the side of 'evil.' They obstructed justice and condoned wickedness, so they are no longer innocent."
He paused, then continued, "Whether it's Gekko clan ninjas standing in my way, or you, Lord Hokage... I will use absolute justice to clear all obstacles!"
"I will not show mercy!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi stared deeply at Uchiha Akainu, finally sighing and asking, "Akainu, how long have these confrontational conversations, these disagreements in our ideals, been going on between us?"
Uchiha Akainu said, "Five years."
"Five years..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi stood up. With his hands behind his back, he took a few steps, paused, and then asked, "Akainu, you must feel that some situations are developing in the village that no one wants to see, right? Although there are no large-scale conflicts in the ninja world anymore, the waters within Konoha remain turbulent."
"As an Uchiha, you should be particularly sensitive to these matters. So, may I ask you? In your eyes, is justice... on the side of the majority of the villagers? Or on the side of a small minority?"
"If one day, due to circumstances, you are forced to act against justice, would you do it?"
Izumi, standing nearby, felt the atmosphere in the office grow so heavy that the surrounding air seemed to solidify.
"Justice stands with the good people." Uchiha Akainu offered a third answer. He continued, "My stance is justice. I will never betray my stance, nor will I go against the justice in my heart."
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked thoughtful. "The good people..." He gave a slight smile. "Akainu, although your answer differs slightly from Itachi's, it makes me increasingly feel that you and that child Itachi are indeed similar. You both truly love the village."
"Lord Hokage, insulting people is wrong," Uchiha Akainu frowned and corrected him.
Hiruzen Sarutobi: "???"
---