"Dad, who was that guy...?" Ino, accompanying Inoichi Yamanaka as they watched Akainu Uchiha turn and walk away, her small face filled with confusion, finally couldn't help but quietly ask Inoichi.
Inoichi withdrew his gaze and said, "His name is Akainu Uchiha."
Then, he half-knelt, speaking earnestly to his seven-year-old daughter: "Ino, sometimes the adults in the village make mistakes, but Akainu Uchiha is different. That man's conviction and persistence mean he won't make any mistakes that go against justice."
Inoichi's usually serious face managed a small smile. "Because he's one of the few truly good people in Konoha. He might use some extreme methods that you can't understand, but those methods will never target kind people."
"So, Ino, when you grow up, you should also become a kind person!"
Ino nodded, seeming to understand yet not quite. Then, she couldn't help but look back at their "home," now reduced to ruins, and asked with a pout, "But... where are we going to sleep tonight?"
Witnessing the terrifying gouges carved into the Yamanaka clan compound by the wind blades, a shadow flickered in Inoichi's eyes. He already had little fondness for Danzo and Root, but now his impression of Root had plummeted straight into negative territory.
Meanwhile, Izumi, carefully trailing behind Akainu Uchiha, felt a pang of guilt. She hadn't been able to do anything useful all night. She wanted to rush into the Root shinobi's encirclement like Lord Fugaku, but not to oppose Senior Akainu, but to stand with him. Alas, it was just wishful thinking; her small frame and meager strength were no match for the Anbu's cordon. Not being a hindrance to Senior Akainu was already her absolute limit.
Izumi looked up at Akainu Uchiha's profile, noticing the two stark crimson bloodstains on his cheek. She quickly pulled out a white handkerchief with a faint, pleasant scent from her pocket. Just as she was gathering her courage to offer the handkerchief to Senior Akainu... she suddenly heard footsteps approaching from behind.
"Tch..." Izumi heard Kijirō, perched on her shoulder, scoff disdainfully, "An annoying cat-hater is here. Just smelling him makes my fur bristle, meow."
Then, Izumi heard Fugaku's voice from behind: "Izumi..."
Izumi's delicate brows furrowed in response. Tonight... her impression of Fugaku Uchiha had reached an all-time low. Izumi couldn't fathom how Fugaku, as the clan head, could stand on the opposing side of Senior Akainu during such a fundamental conflict.
Fugaku, seeing that Akainu Uchiha hadn't stopped, as if he hadn't heard him, a helpless expression flickered across his impassive face. "Akainu, like you, I don't want to see the future Uchiha die in a clan massacre," Fugaku said gravely to the retreating back, voicing his deepest thoughts: "And the source of that massacre is the conflict between the village and the Uchiha clan."
"Only by eradicating this conflict beforehand can we prevent tragedy. This is the peace I, as the Uchiha clan head, uphold. In your words, isn't this also a form of justice?"
Akainu Uchiha's voice slowly responded: "Are you asking me to agree with your pathetic compromises and cowardice towards the evil of the shinobi world?"
"Is 'justice' coming from your mouth some kind of 'try not to laugh' challenge?" he continued. "You almost made me crack a smile."
Fugaku fell silent. It seemed that Akainu, who pursued 'Absolute Justice' through extreme means, would never understand his perspective.
Akainu Uchiha didn't bother to respond further. He simply walked on. Izumi and Kijirō hurried to follow him.
Akainu Uchiha, through the prompts from his "Golden Finger" about killing "red-name" targets, knew exactly how many Sharingan Danzo had used during his "Izanagi" secret technique to survive. Tonight, a total of four notifications of Danzo being "killed" popped up. Two of those were from Akainu Uchiha's Lava Release. The remaining two were definitely from the "Heaven's Retribution Flames."
However, the "kill" notifications stopped after Danzo was burned only twice, meaning the Heaven's Retribution Flames were somehow evaded. But this "evasion" couldn't truly escape the Heaven's Retribution Flames. Danzo had already been deeply marked by the Mangekyo Sharingan. Every second, he would have to pay the price for his sins. Akainu Uchiha could subtly feel the location of the brand.
Danzo's soul would be burned every moment. He would experience the agony of soul-burning for all eternity. This bone-chilling pain was inescapable, whether he was alive or dead, whether in the shinobi world or the pure lands.
"Izumi,"—Izumi, clutching her handkerchief, startled at the sound of Akainu Uchiha's voice.
She immediately responded, "Present!!!"
Akainu Uchiha asked indifferently, "If one day, I give you the chance to personally kill Danzo Shimura, would you dare to strike down a former Konoha elder with your blade of justice?"
Izumi answered without hesitation: "Yes, I dare!!!"
Then, she heard Senior Akainu say something she didn't quite understand: "Then you can start preparing now. The countless 'evils' within Danzo are, for 'Absolute Justice,' an 'evil dragon's treasure' that has yet to be fully unearthed."
Akainu Uchiha glanced at the nervous young girl, his voice utterly flat: "Whether the sprout of 'Absolute Justice' can grow strong depends on what you can excavate from that evil dragon's 'treasure.'"
Danzo's nature had changed in Akainu Uchiha's eyes. If he could die at the hands of a new sprout of 'Absolute Justice,' that would be the only value Danzo would contribute to the shinobi world.
It was then that Izumi vaguely realized something. "Senior, Danzo is still alive?"
Akainu Uchiha replied, "He's barely clinging to life with some petty tricks, but he's likely worse than dead, a complete cripple."
Izumi gasped in understanding, then thoughtfully mumbled, "So he can't commit any more evil acts..."
Akainu Uchiha suddenly asked, "Newcomer, a villain who is enduring extreme torture every moment, and who can no longer commit evil. Do you believe justice still needs to purge him?"
Izumi startled. She realized Senior Akainu was testing her.
"Yes, it does!"
Izumi nodded firmly, her small face serious. "If we don't kill the villain, we can't bring justice to the innocent! We are merely the executors of justice; we have no right to forgive the perpetrator on behalf of the victims!"
"Correct. You are, just barely, a qualified believer in 'Absolute Justice.'"
Akainu Uchiha didn't stint on praise, even if his tone remained cold.
Meanwhile, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had finally breathed a sigh of relief, didn't return to the Sarutobi clan compound first. Instead, he went to the Konoha Anbu headquarters. This was because an Anbu shinobi had informed him that Danzo had been taken to the Anbu headquarters, but Danzo's condition was quite unusual.
As soon as Hiruzen Sarutobi walked in, he heard faint, agonizing screams. The voice sounded familiar to him. When he reached a certain secret room, Hiruzen Sarutobi froze completely.
Because he saw 0.5 of a Danzo.