"Senpai, the bodies have turned to bone, all the evidence should be gone. Where do we even begin to investigate?" Izumi asked meekly.
Uchiha Akainu calmly replied, "Newbie, go back to the Police Force headquarters."
"Huh?" Izumi looked bewildered for a moment.
Akainu continued, "Find a list of all missing persons in Konoha from the last five years and bring it to me. Kijiro, have your cat children and grandchildren thoroughly search Konoha's sewers and collect all bone fragments that look like human remains. I'll wander around the village and see if I can get lucky."
Unfortunately, while the ninja world had techniques to extract DNA from bones, Konoha Village hadn't established a DNA database for its villagers, so they couldn't immediately pinpoint the victims' identities using that method.
Izumi was wondering what kind of luck Senpai expected to find by wandering around the village when she suddenly remembered what he had once told her—that his eyes possessed the ability to see through evil! Gasp! Senpai had found killers this way several times before!
Izumi swept away her hesitation and quickly replied, "Yes, Akainu-senpai!"
Kijiro also chimed in, "Yes, Lord Akainu!"
Izumi hurried back to the Uchiha clan compound, intending to quickly enter the Police Force building, when a familiar figure suddenly appeared in front of her, making her pause. She shook her head in disbelief, closed her eyes for a full two seconds, then reopened them. But the figure in front of her was still there.
"...Itachi-kun?" Izumi couldn't help but ask tentatively.
She watched as the figure turned around, revealing a familiar face that greeted the young girl's eyes—it was indeed the Uchiha clan head's eldest son, Uchiha Itachi!
"Oh, it's Izumi," Uchiha Itachi suppressed his rather heavy emotions, looking at his only friend, and forced a polite smile.
Izumi immediately lit up with joy. "Itachi-kun, it really is you! Why didn't you say you were back in Konoha? I thought you were still on a ninja mission outside the village."
Uchiha Itachi managed a weak smile. "I just got back not long ago."
He felt no joy at reuniting with his friend. Because in the short time he'd been back in the village, he had already realized that the conflict between the village and the Uchiha clan was becoming increasingly irreconcilable. The biggest, most irreconcilable point of contention recently was Uchiha Akainu killing Lord Hokage's eldest son, Sarutobi Shin'nosuke! He could already feel a dark gloom enveloping the Uchiha. It was like a cage trapping all Uchiha within it, with no one able to struggle free.
If this conflict continued to escalate, leading the village to resort to desperate measures… the Uchiha clan would absolutely cease to exist! And the Uchiha clan's retaliation would cause immense losses to Konoha, severely weakening the village, and utterly disappointing Lord Hokage and the others.
By then… Sasuke…
One bad thought after another swirled in Uchiha Itachi's mind, causing a cloud of gloom to fall over his eyes. His mood grew even heavier.
"Itachi-kun, is something bothering you?" Izumi keenly sensed that Uchiha Itachi's expression was a bit off. "Is it because your Anbu mission didn't go smoothly? Or something else?"
Uchiha Itachi snapped back to reality, shaking his head expressionlessly. "...It's nothing."
Itachi then suddenly noticed Izumi's attire: the Uchiha Police Force combat uniform. He remembered that Izumi had only graduated from the Ninja Academy a little over half a month ago.
Uchiha Itachi changed the subject, allowing his turbulent thoughts to calm slightly. He asked in an unruffled tone, "Did you join the Police Force? Are you getting used to it?"
Izumi nodded, a confident smile on her face. "Yes! I'm currently just a Police Force trainee and still need a long assessment period to become a full member. Even though it's incredibly tiring, I'm pretty much getting used to it! After all, Akainu-senpai is only strict on the surface; he's actually quite caring towards his subordinates."
Uchiha Itachi paused. "Akainu… Senpai?"
Izumi's smile stiffened slightly. Darn it, she thought. It must be because I was so tired yesterday and didn't sleep well, causing my memory to decline. She had actually forgotten that Akainu-senpai and Itachi-kun didn't get along!
"Is it Uchiha Akainu?" Uchiha Itachi asked.
"...Yes." Izumi nodded stiffly. She wished she could smack herself on the head right now.
Uchiha Itachi remained silent for a moment, then decided to warn his last remaining friend. "Izumi, I hope you don't think I'm talking too much. Uchiha Akainu's ideology is sometimes too extreme. Shisui, he…" He paused for half a second, took a deep breath, and continued, "Shisui once told me that Uchiha Akainu's allegiance isn't to the Uchiha, nor to Konoha, but solely to himself. He's the kind of person who not only harms those who oppose him but also those around him. Especially his [Absolute Justice]; it will bring big trouble to the Uchiha."
"Akainu-senpai's [Absolute Justice] won't bring any trouble to the Uchiha clan!" Izumi blurted out almost instinctively upon hearing Uchiha Itachi's words.
Uchiha Itachi was stunned.
Izumi was also stunned. She pursed her lips, clutching the hem of her clothes. "I don't know what conflict Akainu-senpai and Itachi-kun had. But, I want to say that Akainu-senpai's Absolute Justice hasn't done anything wrong."
"He's also diligently fulfilling the responsibilities and duties of a Police Force ninja. He's been quietly upholding [Justice] alone, and he's constantly suppressing the corrupt practices in Konoha."
"It's just that everyone's understanding of Senpai is too shallow, and Senpai's personality is such that he doesn't want to say things he considers meaningless, which leads to many misunderstandings about Akainu-senpai."
"I believe that these misunderstandings will disappear one day!"
Izumi wasn't sure why she was explaining all this to Itachi-kun. Perhaps it was because she had chosen to follow Senpai's [Absolute Justice], and thus unconsciously wanted to defend [Absolute Justice]. She also unconsciously wanted to defend Akainu-senpai.
Uchiha Itachi gazed at the girl's hesitant yet earnest expression. His own expression remained unchanged. "Have you decided to follow that man's very extreme ninja way?"
"Yes!"
Izumi's small face was serious. "Since Ninja Academy, I've always wanted to catch up to a Konoha genius like you, Itachi-kun. But my talent is ordinary; I only graduated from the Academy at twelve, and I didn't have much of a plan for my future…"
"But I believe I can realize my value in Konoha in another way! After meeting Akainu-senpai and gradually understanding his character, I gained a clear understanding of how to realize my life's purpose."
"Itachi-kun, using [Absolute Justice] to purge the 'evil' of the ninja world—that is my ninja way, Uchiha Izumi!"
Uchiha Itachi was silent for a moment.
"Is that your resolve, then?" he said expressionlessly. "It certainly has spirit. However, your path is misguided…"
"Meow, newbie, what are you doing?" A strangely accented voice suddenly interrupted Uchiha Itachi. A black ninja cat stood on the eaves nearby. It spoke to Izumi, "Grandfather Kijiro sent me to check on you. Did you get the missing persons list, meow?"
"Huh! You're that ninja cat guarding the sewer entrance from before, right?" Izumi looked up and quickly said, "Ah! Wait for me, I'm going now!"
Watching Izumi hurry into the Police Force building, Uchiha Itachi averted his gaze, then shifted his calm eyes to the black ninja cat. The black ninja cat stared back at him.
"Uchiha Itachi…" The fur on the ninja cat's back bristled slightly, and it instinctively took a few steps back—ninja cats associated with Uchiha Akainu, like Akainu himself, weren't fond of Uchiha Itachi, the clan head's eldest son. One might even say they were a bit hostile.
Uchiha Itachi hesitated. Ultimately, he chose not to use his Sharingan to interrogate the ninja cat for information about Uchiha Akainu.
"Tell Uchiha Akainu for me," Uchiha Itachi slowly said to the ninja cat, "that what he's doing will only deepen the conflict between the village and the Uchiha clan. Eventually, it will lead to an irreversible situation. I hope he can consider the village's position and the preciousness of peace."
"Meow! Lord Akainu! Bad news!"
The black ninja cat didn't stay to wait for Izumi because it rushed back to inform Uchiha Akainu. The ninja cat panted, urgently saying, "Lord Akainu, Uchiha… Uchiha Itachi has returned to the village, meow!!!"
"He's a Konoha ninja; isn't it normal for him to return to the village?" Uchiha Akainu's emotions remained unperturbed.
The ninja cat paused. It said, "But Lord Akainu, didn't you say before that Uchiha Itachi would commit unspeakable atrocities? Lord Akainu has the power to see the future evil in others, right? And your power has never been wrong."
Uchiha Akainu paused his steps and said, "If you knew someone would commit unspeakable evil in the future, but they haven't yet done so, what would you do?"
The ninja cat looked troubled. "I'm just a ninja cat; my brain can't handle such profound questions…"
"Perhaps…" the black ninja cat meekly offered, "I would try to stop it?"
Uchiha Akainu said, "I advised the clan head and his wife to get Uchiha Itachi's head checked; their eldest son's mind is definitely deeply troubled. I also told Uchiha Shisui that if he saved Uchiha Itachi, he would regret it."
"I've taken many 'preventative' measures. If the person still willingly descends into the abyss and becomes a beast, then all I can do is purge the evil with [Absolute Justice]."
Suddenly, a loud shout echoed from not too far away, reaching his ears.
"Senpai! The mi… missing persons list has been found!!!"
The Uchiha girl, clutching a document in both hands, arrived.
read more inpatreon
belamy20