At this point, even the ANBU probably hadn't accurately tallied how many casualties there were at the secret research facility last night. However, Uchiha Akainu knew the exact number: sixty-three deaths! The ANBU ninja and researchers were almost evenly split.
After being scoured by the lava flow, more than half of the secret research base was "cleansed" by the scorching magma. He didn't leave a single "red name" alive—except for the ANBU ninja who arrived later.
The "rewards" Akainu received from the researchers in the secret base were mostly "research knowledge," primarily related to the Sharingan and Wood Style cells. In addition, there were many human experimentation research results that made Akainu frown in disgust, making him feel like his mind had been tainted.
However, the "rewards" from the "red name" ANBU ninja were much more normal, consisting of Ninjutsu or Taijutsu experience scrolls.
"And, Shinnosuke-sensei's 'legacy.'"
"S-rank Sealing Jutsu... Three-Way Deadlock."
There wasn't a hint of a smile on Uchiha Akainu's face. No matter how many times he received rewards from "red names," he never felt surprised or joyful. The more "red names" there were in the ninja world, the stronger he could become in executing justice, but it also meant the ninja world was becoming increasingly sick.
Uchiha Akainu shed his attire and stepped into the bathroom. He turned on the faucet, letting the scalding hot water, enough to burn normal skin, pour over him. Uchiha Akainu kept his scarlet Three Tomoe Sharingan open. Even as the scorching water dripped into his eyes, it had no adverse effect.
"Shinnosuke-sensei, when justice is confined to the立场 of Konoha Village, it ceases to be justice. Only by purging the entire ninja world with [Absolute Justice] will there not be more and more people like you, who are lost in the abyss without realizing it," he murmured.
The next day.
Morning.
Izumi woke up startled by a nightmare again. This time, she dreamt that the Hokage, with a single command, led thousands of ANBU ninja to apprehend her and Senior Akainu. The most severe tortures in the entire village awaited them! Even her mother, who was her only family, was implicated and became a prisoner of the village.
Then... Izumi woke up, terrified.
The first thing she did upon waking was to quickly get up. She pulled back the curtains and cautiously peeked outside, finding no ANBU ninja staking out. Only then did she let out a sigh of relief.
"It was just a dream!" Izumi still felt a lingering dread.
She patted her cheeks, quickly washed up, changed, ate breakfast, and after bidding farewell to her mother, Uchiha Hazuki, as soon as she stepped out, something suddenly hit her.
"Huh!"
"Senior Akainu didn't say where we were supposed to meet last night!"
Should she go to the Ichiraku Ramen shop Senior Akainu mentioned a few days ago? What if he wasn't there? Hmm...
"I'll just go to his house," Izumi decided, planning to ask some of the uncles and aunties in the Uchiha compound. The Uchiha compound wasn't that big; she was sure she could find out where he lived!
However, Izumi suddenly noticed that the atmosphere in the Uchiha compound felt off. Early in the morning, many people were gathered in small groups, seemingly engaged in a heated discussion. Izumi, curious, moved closer to listen.
"I heard the Third Hokage's eldest son died... Do you know if that news is true or false? Lots of people are talking about it this morning, and I heard the one who killed the Third's eldest son was Uchiha Akainu!"
"Who knows! I just heard about it too."
"Uchiha Akainu... This guy, he killed a Root ninja before, and now he's killed the Hokage's eldest son. I think this guy supports our Uchiha standing up against the higher-ups, right?"
"But I heard that Elder Setsuna and some other radical elders offered him an olive branch, but he refused."
"Speaking of which, if Uchiha Akainu killed the Hokage's eldest son, will the village use this opportunity to move against us Uchiha?"
"Tch, that annoying guy really knows how to stir up trouble..."
"..."
Izumi was sweating from eavesdropping. Crap! How did this whole thing spread so quickly last night? It had only been one night and half a morning, right? Izumi instinctively felt that something was off, as if someone deliberately leaked this information to the villagers, but she had no proof.
Izumi walked intermittently, stopping to ask questions along the way, and finally found out where Uchiha Akainu lived.
"This is Senior Akainu's house?" She looked up, confused, at the unremarkable two-story house before her. It felt a bit too plain.
"You're quite early today, newbie." A sudden voice almost made Izumi jump. She turned around to see Senior Akainu standing behind her, she didn't even notice him approach!
Izumi quickly replied, "I'm already at zero points in Senior Akainu's eyes. If I were late again, I'd probably be in negative points. So... so I wanted to leave early."
Uchiha Akainu nodded. "Let's go."
"Yes, Senior!"
Izumi cautiously followed behind Uchiha Akainu. She was a little worried that Senior Akainu might hear some of the less friendly remarks from other clan members, and her fears were quickly realized. She and Senior Akainu walked past a few Uchiha ninja who seemed so engrossed in their discussion that they didn't notice them. The content of their discussion was, of course, the rumors from last night.
As Izumi walked past, her brows suddenly furrowed. After a worried glance at Senior Akainu's back, she suddenly gritted her teeth, turned around, and spoke up. "What are you talking about?! Senior Akainu didn't just kill the Hokage's eldest son for no reason! He's not some monster! He was executing justice!"
Oh... oh no...
Izumi almost stopped breathing. She never thought she would impulsively argue with others without thinking. When she realized that the few Uchiha ninja, who were discussing intensely, looked at her with puzzled expressions, Izumi broke out in a cold sweat.
But... those Uchiha ninja were even more nervous than she was. Their faces all stiffened, because they finally noticed that Uchiha Akainu was right in front of them!
Izumi, having already committed, declared, "The Hokage... the Hokage's eldest son, he was in charge of a secret research base! And he conducted many illicit experiments!"
"He even killed Konoha Village volunteers who willingly became test subjects! He also abducted many war orphans to use as test subjects! His hands are stained with blood, and his soul was long corrupted by evil!"
"Good is good, and bad is bad! He was bad! Even if he was the Hokage's eldest son, it... it doesn't change that fact! Even the Hokage's eldest son himself admitted it!"
"Such a person has been freely walking in Konoha, and no one has ever dared to bring him to justice."
"Don't you find that tragic? Instead, you're saying Senior Akainu just kills people for no reason?!"
"What are you even doing!!!"
Oh...
Oh no!
Izumi realized that she had impulsively and excitedly defended her senior. She had inadvertently blurted out what seemed to be secrets.
Hiss.
She felt like she might have just ruined the Hokage's eldest son's reputation too.
Would what she just said spread throughout all of Konoha in an instant?