"Did you hear? That menace from the Uchiha clan, Uchiha Akainu, got into another fight last night. Even the Yamanaka clan's compound was wiped out! Now the Yamanaka are temporarily staying with the Nara!"
"Man, the commotion last night was insane... I couldn't sleep a wink."
"Hokage-sama should really just kick Uchiha Akainu out of the Leaf! Why should his 'justice' disrupt our peace and quiet?"
"Hey, are you just saying that because you've done something wrong and you're scared Akainu will catch you?"
"They say quite a few people died in that fight last night..."
"Honestly, these ninja just keep fighting among themselves."
"..."
"Wow, news travels fast!" Izumi exclaimed, then grumbled with a hint of annoyance, "Akainu-senpai is always upholding justice in the ninja world, and he hasn't done anything to people who haven't committed crimes. Why are they talking about him like that?"
"The Leaf has had TVs in every home for a few years now, rookie," Jirou Tachibana chimed in. "What happened last night was all over the morning news. As a Genin in the Police Force, don't you know how to get information from TV or newspapers?"
"As for their gossiping... is this your first day getting to know these Leaf villagers? They always jump to conclusions. Otherwise, Hatake Sakumo wouldn't have been driven to his death by public opinion back in the day."
Just as Izumi was about to mumble something, a familiar figure not far ahead caught her eye.
"Ah—it's Akainu-senpai!!!"
Izumi finally spotted Uchiha Akainu. She quickly ran over, then mentally counted the time.
Realizing she had just barely avoided being late, she let out a sigh of relief.
"Huh?"
But she quickly noticed Akainu-senpai was carrying a scruffy, blonde-haired kid by the collar.
Isn't that...
"Naruto Uzumaki?!" Izumi exclaimed, looking at the utterly despairing Naruto. She remembered this poor kid was thrown into the Leaf's prison by Akainu-senpai, right? What was he doing here?
"Senpai, he..."
"The Third Hokage used his Hokage's pardon to release him," Uchiha Akainu stated, still holding Naruto with one hand, his expression blank.
Naruto's face was crumpled in a desperate, panicked expression. "Hokage-jiji already pardoned me, and I haven't caused any trouble lately! Please, let me go... I really learned my lesson, Hokage-jiji already chewed me out..."
Naruto never expected to be this unlucky.
It was finally the weekend, no school, and he just wanted to go out and buy that limited-edition instant ramen he'd been eyeing.
Who would've thought...
He'd run into the person he least wanted to see first thing in the morning! The worst part was that the guy spotted him too!
So...
After Naruto's failed escape attempt, he ended up in this predicament.
However, under Uchiha Akainu's gaze, Naruto's voice grew softer and softer until it was barely a whisper.
This was because the pressure Uchiha Akainu put on him was countless times greater than anything Hokage-jiji ever dished out.
Naruto was already traumatized.
"It seems that with the Third Hokage's favoritism and covering for you, the Leaf prison can't hold you." Uchiha Akainu's words, far from relieving Naruto, made his face turn chalk-white.
No... if he's not putting me in prison, does that mean he's just going to straight-up kill me?!
Naruto's legs felt like jelly.
When Uchiha Akainu let go, Naruto dropped to the ground with a "thud," then sat there paralyzed, like he'd been scared silly.
"Naruto Uzumaki, see this street?" Uchiha Akainu said indifferently. "Starting today, you'll come here at this time and clean the entire street by yourself. You'll do this for six months. If you miss a single day, you'll sweep for another six months."
"Even small evils are still evil. While your crimes aren't punishable by death, if you don't learn a lesson, your small evils will eventually fester into great ones. If that day ever comes, I won't hesitate to kill you."
Uchiha Akainu never blindly believed in the original story's progression.
His very existence had already stirred up enough hurricanes in the ninja world.
With countless butterfly effects intertwining, could Naruto Uzumaki truly remain like his original counterpart? Could he truly follow the original story's path?
Rather than letting Naruto Uzumaki develop into a Menma Namikaze, it was better to correct him now with absolute measures.
To cut off all possibilities.
Naruto paused, blinking his tear-filled eyes, and almost instinctively asked, "You... you're not going to kill me?"
As soon as he blurted that out, Naruto wanted to slap himself.
Argh, why did I have to open my big mouth?!
Uchiha Akainu glanced at him, then slowly said, "Absolute Justice isn't blind justice that kills without reason. Blind justice only turns justice into a calamity more terrifying than any villain. Given your past minor misdeeds and a future slate of evil that's still blank, labor reform is the maximum punishment."
Naruto listened, utterly bewildered.
---
Meanwhile, a group of people entered the Hidden Leaf through its main gate.
"Esteemed Emissary, please rest at the Leaf's reception inn first. I will go inform Hokage-sama," a ninja said to a luxuriously dressed, plump young man.
The young man was sweating profusely, fanning himself with a folding fan. "Shouldn't you have known I'd be arriving in the Leaf today?" he complained.
The ninja bowed apologetically. "There have been many internal disturbances in the Leaf these past few days, so Hokage-sama might have overlooked some matters while dealing with his myriad official duties."
"My deepest apologies, Esteemed Emissary. Hokage-sama will surely come to greet you personally with his apologies very soon."
The young man narrowed his eyes but said no more.
Ninja, after all, were the absolute wielders of power in this world.
The Daimyo's role was merely to maintain economic stability and order.
Breaking ties with the ninja would never end well.
"Wait a moment." The young man suddenly changed the subject, his fingertips rubbing together idly, asking with interest, "Where's your Leaf Village's casino? Point the way, I want to take a look."
"Casino..."
The Leaf ninja's eyelid twitched. Remembering the instructions from Elder Koharu Utatane, he quickly interjected, "Esteemed Emissary, please, you absolutely must not approach the Leaf's casino or bathhouses, or similar establishments."
The young man frowned deeply. "Why?!"
"Because..." The Leaf ninja took a deep breath. "There's a very... unique ninja in the village. If he were to encounter you, Esteemed Emissary, he might not hesitate..."
"...to kill you!"
The young man: "...???"
"Your Leaf Village... has a ninja who would dare to kill an emissary sent by the Daimyo?!"
A middle-aged man dressed as a retainer chimed in incredulously, "Are you saying such a dangerous person is just wandering freely in the streets? Hey, why isn't this guy locked up?
"What if he's so audacious as to harm the Esteemed Emissary? Can your Leaf Village... bear that responsibility?"
The Leaf ninja's mouth twitched. How was he supposed to know why Hokage-sama was so lenient with Uchiha Akainu?
Left with no choice, he could only explain, "The Leaf doesn't arrest ninja who haven't committed crimes without reason. Furthermore, the person I'm referring to is one of the Leaf's enforcers himself."
The young Daimyo's emissary clutched his folding fan, a faint unease settling in his heart as he frowned and asked, "What's his name?"
"Uchiha Akainu," the Leaf ninja replied.
---