Uchiha Mikoto recognized Uchiha Akainu, not just because of his "notoriety" within the Uchiha clan, but also because he'd had a conflict with Itachi three years prior. As far as she knew, if Shisui Uchiha hadn't been with Itachi then, Itachi might have been in serious trouble.
After a brief moment of surprise, Uchiha Mikoto immediately reacted, reaching out to pull Sasuke up. Her eyes instantly held a hint of distance and caution.
"Akainu, Sasuke was just a little impulsive; he didn't break any of Konoha's laws," Uchiha Mikoto said, worried that this extreme clan member might harm young Sasuke.
However, Uchiha Mikoto noticed that Uchiha Akainu merely glanced at her indifferently, not even speaking, before leaving. It was as if her caution and nervousness were all in vain. Hmm... she didn't sense any hostility from Uchiha Akainu either.
"Akainu-senpai, wait for me!" Izumi quickened her pace to catch up.
"Mom, who was that? He seemed so cold," seven-year-old Sasuke's face was filled with displeasure.
"He..." Uchiha Mikoto thought for a moment before answering, "He's not a very sociable person, Sasuke. Remember not to get too close to him."
Sasuke asked, "Why?"
Uchiha Mikoto recalled Itachi's experience back then and mused, "I'm not exactly sure, but I only know he's very dangerous. If you really want to know, you can ask Itachi when he gets back. Itachi... is quite familiar with Uchiha Akainu, I suppose."
"Huh?" Sasuke's attention, however, was elsewhere: "Brother's coming back?"
Uchiha Mikoto smiled and nodded: "Yes, his ninja cat returned to the village yesterday and told me he'd be back the day after tomorrow." But her smile seemed a bit forced.
It was certainly good news that Itachi could return safely after completing his village mission. However... there was still Uchiha Akainu in the village! If the two of them happened to run into each other again, she couldn't imagine what might happen. Uchiha Mikoto was somewhat worried.
A Night of Execution
Later that night, Izumi dragged her exhausted body back home. The tension she'd held all day finally released as she collapsed weakly onto the sofa, feeling completely drained. The day's events had been too "exciting," and she felt like her brain couldn't quite process it all. She was just a Konoha Genin who had only recently graduated!
"Speaking of which, how did Senpai end up on this path of 'absolute justice'..." Now that she finally had some free time, Izumi couldn't help but wonder.
"Are you curious?"
"Hmm..." Izumi instinctively hummed in response.
"Huh?" She suddenly realized it wasn't her mother's voice. It was... Akainu-senpai's voice!
"Eh!!!" Izumi shot upright in fright and frantically looked in the direction of the voice—only to see Akainu-senpai half-crouched on the windowsill of her open window. His calm eyes, always looking over, were so inscrutable; at least, Izumi could never guess what her Senpai was thinking.
Wait! The main point shouldn't be why Senpai was here, should it?!
Uchiha Akainu said, "Kijiro found a new case. I just happened to be passing by your place, so I thought I'd pick you up. Besides, this should be a rare real-world combat experience for you."
A large, round, orange cat face appropriately peeked out from the corner of the window: "Meow! Rookie! Hurry up!"
As expected of Senpai's ninja cat, it was just as decisive!
Izumi hastily stood up: "Understood, Senpai!" She then quickly called out to the kitchen, "Mom, you don't have to make dinner for me! I'll eat out tonight!"
Izumi packed her ninja tools and decisively jumped out the window. It was only then that Izumi suddenly realized something and paused, "R-real-world combat?"
Uchiha Akainu simply stated, "Keep up. We're leaving Konoha Village this time."
Eh? Leaving Konoha?! Izumi's mind was filled with one question after another, but this didn't seem like the time to ask. She could only try her best to follow closely.
Beyond Konoha's Boundaries
"Meow! Rookie, my kids found a secret base outside the village!" Fortunately, the ninja cat Kijiro was there to explain to Izumi: "It looks a bit like an experimental base, about a dozen kilometers from Konoha."
Izumi followed closely behind Uchiha Akainu and Kijiro, constantly leaping and moving across rooftops. She was slightly out of breath but asked curiously, "Kijiro-senpai, how did you determine there was a case at that base?"
"Purely by experience!"
The ninja cat Kijiro's voice had a strange, high-pitched tone: "Rookie, I've been with Akainu-sama for five whole years, meow! I've inherited at least one percent of Akainu-sama's experience and abilities! Of course, mainly it's because my kids saw ninja dressed as ANBU entering and exiting the secret base."
"These mysterious bases, involving things like Root or ANBU, usually aren't good places, meow." Kijiro asserted confidently, "Because Akainu-sama once said that there's almost no good person in Konoha's ANBU or Root!"
"If you kill them all, there might be some innocent ones. But if you kill every other one, there will definitely be many who slip through the net!"
Izumi secretly gulped. She vaguely understood what Akainu-senpai meant by "real-world combat." Was Senpai planning to forcibly enter an ANBU secret base later?
"Rookie, a word of advice," Uchiha Akainu's voice, carried by the night wind, wasn't perfectly clear, but Izumi tried hard to listen.
"Don't assume that because ANBU is the Hokage's secret force, they are a positive presence in Konoha. If you view ANBU through that filter, you'll have a very hard time ahead. Both Root and ANBU have always been among the places that gather the most 'evil' in the ninja world."
Izumi's heart tightened, and she quickly responded, "I understand, Akainu-senpai!" She also vaguely felt that Akainu-senpai's words had another layer of meaning.
— Don't have a filter for the Hokage.
Izumi suddenly thought of a crucial point and blurted out in astonishment: "Akainu-senpai, tonight's 'case'... is it really within the jurisdiction of the Police Force's enforcement?"
Uchiha Akainu didn't turn his head and replied, "It's within the jurisdiction of [Justice]."
Hiss! Akainu-senpai really didn't care about the village's rules or the Police Force's regulations. Was tonight Senpai's own night of executing [Justice]?
"Wrong," Uchiha Akainu's voice came faintly: "This is the execution night of [Absolute Justice]. Since you chose me as your auditor, you'll have to get used to it, rookie. There will be many such nights, and they will be long."
Izumi: "!!!" Akainu-senpai really can read minds, can't he?! She felt a bit unnerved.
"Meow, you're just too easy to read, young lady. You can't hide your thoughts at all; everything you're thinking is written all over your face and in your tone, meow," Kijiro added quietly.
Izumi: "..." Even a cat could tell what she was thinking? Izumi was quite disheartened.
In her dazed and bewildered state, Izumi suddenly realized that she had unknowingly followed Akainu-senpai out of Konoha. Konoha Village was already several hundred meters behind them.