Midnight
Two shinobi from the Utatane clan, reeking of sake, stumbled back to their clan compound, leaning on each other for support.
One of them let out a drunken burp, his face flushed and his words slurring. "Didn't you just say Koharu-sama's been so pissed off at that Uchiha Akainu guy that she can't eat or sleep?"
"Hic! So why doesn't she just take him out? I mean, she's a high-ranking Leaf advisor, and I heard she's taken over the Root organization…"
"Dealing with one Uchiha should be easy, right? Even if he's some kinda… Lava Beast or whatever."
The other shook his head, exhaling a foul cloud of alcohol. "You've been out of the village for half a year, so you probably don't know how scary Uchiha Akainu is. You wanna know why Koharu-sama took over Root? Because Akainu killed Danzo Shimura!"
"That fight shook the whole village. He practically wiped out half of Root's ninjas. When Koharu-sama took over, she had to scramble to recruit new members just to keep the organization running."
"A guy who killed a Leaf higher-up and still walks free in the village—without the Hokage lifting a finger against him—says it all. Taking him down is no walk in the park for Koharu-sama."
He paused, his drunken haze shifting to another topic.
"Hic! These past few days, Koharu-sama's been investigating clan members who've done wrong. I heard she's planning to move those troublemakers out of the village temporarily…"
"Otherwise, if they run into Uchiha Akainu, they're done for. No escaping—they'd be dead meat."
"Speaking of, you didn't do anything shady while you were away, did you? If you did, you better report it to the clan elders quick."
"That way, they can arrange for you to get out—"
His words cut off abruptly.
His bleary, drunken eyes widened in shock as he looked up at a figure standing atop a building's upturned eaves.
The silhouette stood silently, a pair of crimson Sharingan eyes gazing down at the Utatane clan compound.
That cold, detached stare felt like it was looking at a pile of corpses.
A bone-chilling dread washed over him, sobering him up a bit.
"Sharingan… Uchiha…" He swallowed hard, squinting to make out the face shadowed against the moonlight.
"Hey! Who're you?!" his equally drunk companion shouted, oblivious to the sleeping clansmen around them. "Hic! This is the Utatane clan compound, you Uchiha—"
Shunk!
A kunai suddenly pierced through his back, straight through his heart. The frail flesh couldn't withstand the sharp blade, and his words died in his throat.
The kunai twisted, then was slowly pulled out by a pale, slender hand.
Blood sprayed from the wounds, front and back, splattering onto the other Utatane shinobi nearby.
The warm, sticky blood made him freeze.
He reached up, touching the blood on his face.
"…Blood!!!" The drunken haze shattered as terror snapped him awake.
He spun around and saw a teenage girl in an Uchiha Police Force uniform wiping the blood off her blade.
A ninja cat perched on her shoulder, and a short-haired female ninja stood beside her.
He overheard the short-haired ninja ask, "How… did you know he was an evildoer?"
The girl replied, "As long as we're devoted enough to [Absolute Justice], we receive Akainu-senpai's gift. This… is the Sharingan technique he gave me, letting me see the sins of others. But I need to focus hard to see it—Akainu-senpai can spot it with a single glance."
"Later, I'll point out the evildoers. We just need to work together to take them all out. We've got tonight only, so we need to move fast. Once we're done with the Utatane clan's evildoers, we head straight to the Mitokado clan."
The short-haired ninja nodded. "Got it."
The surviving Utatane shinobi's eyes widened. "!!!"
"Akainu-senpai"? Akainu… Oh no! Was the man on the rooftop Uchiha Akainu?!
Were these two kunoichi his subordinates?
As his clansman's body slumped to the ground, his flushed, drunken face paled with horror.
Panic and fear surged in his chest.
Just as he thought he was next, the two kunoichi brushed past him.
Right!
He hadn't done anything wrong…
Wait!
The Utatane clansmen flagged for their crimes hadn't been moved out of the compound yet! Should he shout to wake them up?
The thought flashed through his mind, but when he glanced up at Akainu, those crimson three-tomoe Sharingan locked onto him.
Gulp!
He swallowed hard.
If he dared to yell, his head would probably roll the next second.
…
That night, Koharu Utatane had a nightmare.
She dreamed she'd finally clashed with Uchiha Akainu, leading the entire Utatane clan and Root in a life-or-death battle against him.
But the "Lava Monster" was too terrifying. She watched helplessly as Root members and Utatane clansmen fell one by one under his molten onslaught.
The Utatane clan turned into a sea of blood.
The stench of blood lingered in her nose.
Wait…
Why did the blood smell so real?
Koharu snapped awake, heart pounding. Realizing it was just a dream, she sighed in relief—only to freeze. "Why can I still smell blood?"
The thick scent of blood hit her again.
A sinking feeling gripped her. She threw off her blankets, tossed on a robe, and rushed outside. The sight before her stopped her cold.
Under the moonlight, Utatane shinobi lay dead in pools of blood, their wounds gushing.
Some had their throats slit, others were stabbed through the heart, and a few looked like they'd been bitten by a venomous snake.
She saw an Utatane Special Jonin frantically parrying an attacker's strikes, only for another to hurl a kunai that buried itself in his throat.
"Gurgh!"
The Special Jonin staggered back, one hand clutching his blade, the other pressing his bleeding neck. He stumbled, then collapsed.
In the moonlight, Koharu recognized the attackers' faces.
"Mitarashi Anko!!!"
"Uchiha Izumi!!!"
Her voice trembled with rage as she spat their names, her cloudy eyes blazing with murderous intent. But then she looked up and saw him.
"Uchiha Akainu!!!"
The last person she ever wanted to see.
When Akainu's Sharingan turned toward her, she froze. She knew how terrifying his Mangekyo Sharingan was.
Danzo's gruesome fate still haunted her.
"Uchiha Akainu! What are you doing?!" Koharu averted her gaze, refusing to meet his eyes, her face twisted as she shouted.
"Delivering justice," came his curt, four-word reply, piercing the blood-soaked silence of the night.
Koharu's forehead veins throbbed.
She wanted to glare at Akainu with all her hatred, but fear of his Mangekyo kept her eyes on Anko and Izumi. "Anko! I personally raised you to be an elite Leaf Special Jonin! Are you betraying me?!"
Anko paused, then took a deep breath, her face serious. "Koharu-sama, as a high-ranking Leaf advisor, you've turned a blind eye to the crimes of some of your clansmen. Before you question my loyalty, shouldn't you ask yourself—are you truly loyal to the Will of Fire?"
"Where leaves dance, the fire burns eternal, illuminating the village and nurturing new growth—that's the Will of Fire set by the First Hokage. But if some of those leaves have become parasites, eating away at the tree and its sprouts, shouldn't they be pruned?"
"As a senior advisor, have you done that? If you had, why are there so many evildoers in the Utatane clan? Are you really upholding the Will of Fire?"
Koharu: "???"
She hadn't expected her accusations to be met with Anko's barrage of questions!
A junior Leaf ninja daring to question her, a senior advisor, about her loyalty to the Will of Fire?
What gave Orochimaru's former student the right to challenge her?
When had she ever been disloyal to the Will of Fire?
As Koharu opened her mouth to snap back, Akainu's voice cut through, freezing her. "So, you're obstructing justice?"
"Obstruct justice, and you die."
The words sent a mix of rage and fear through her.
"…You!!!"
At that moment, other Utatane shinobi, woken by the commotion, rushed out. Seeing the blood and bodies, they were as shocked and furious as Koharu had been.
But when they saw Akainu, their anger faltered.
"Koharu-sama?" one shinobi ventured, swallowing hard, looking to her for guidance.
It was as if he was saying: Just give the order, and we'll fight, even if it's Uchiha Akainu.
Koharu: "…"
A shred of rationality told her that even the entire Utatane clan wouldn't stand a chance against this extremist.
Blocking him was a death sentence.
"Uchiha Akainu…" Koharu's teeth nearly cracked from clenching. "I'll never forget this blood-soaked night!"
But she realized Akainu was ignoring her.
She heard him speak calmly to Izumi, Anko, and the ninja cat. "Next stop, Mitokado clan. After that, Sarutobi clan."
"Yes, senpai!" Izumi replied without hesitation.
Koharu froze.
Mitokado clan… Sarutobi clan…
Wait!
Was he…?
Watching the "murderers" who'd stormed the Utatane compound and killed her clansmen walk away, Koharu snapped into action. "You lot, gather the bodies! Don't hand them over to the Yamanaka clan or the Police Force!"
"You few! Run to the Mitokado clan! Get there as fast as you can and warn Homura before Akainu does!"
"You—head to the Root base! By my authority, mobilize all Root members immediately!"
"The rest of you, come with me to find Hiruzen! Akainu's lost it—we have to stop him, or he'll destroy the Leaf's entire order! That brat's the village's biggest parasite!"
"Yes, Koharu-sama!" The surviving Utatane shinobi, shaken but determined, sprang into action.
…
"Hurry, faster!" Three Utatane Chunin raced toward the Mitokado clan compound, wishing they had extra legs, panting but refusing to stop.
The scenery blurred past them as they leaped from rooftop to rooftop.
After what felt like forever, the Mitokado compound came into view.
"Huff, huff…" one panted, gasping. "Did we… did we beat Uchiha Akainu here?"
But a breeze carried the stench of blood, delivering grim news.
The three exchanged horrified glances, swallowed hard, and rushed forward.
The Mitokado compound's gates were wide open.
Through them, they saw the carnage inside.
They froze.
"You're too late…" Homura Mitokado glanced at the three, his face a mix of emotions. He sighed deeply, looking years older. "I investigated my clan for wrongdoers and warned them repeatedly to confess everything."
"But some thought they could hide it… and this is the consequence." He sighed again, his eyes clouded with sorrow, fixed on seven neatly arranged bodies.
"Go straight to Hiruzen," Homura said, waving them off. "If the Sarutobi clan wants to avoid this fate, they'll need more ninjas there to stop Akainu."
His voice was weak, less like a senior advisor and more like a broken old man.
The three Utatane shinobi could hear a trace of fear in his tone.
Homura-sama's scared!
…
"Lady Tsunade, didn't we agree that money was for supporting the Tanigakure Street orphans until they grow up? But… you've already lost ten million ryo at the Leaf's casino tonight!"
In the dead of night, the only places still open in the Leaf were entertainment spots like casinos.
Shizune, clutching her piglet Tonton, followed Tsunade with a pained expression. "Lady Tsunade, if you keep gambling, you'll burn through those millions!"
"Relax, relax!" Tsunade waved her off irritably. "As long as those orphans are in the Leaf, the old man will cover their expenses. We don't need to—huh?!"
She stopped mid-sentence, her eyes catching something in the distance.
Her gaze narrowed, the frustration of losing ten million ryo fading as curiosity took over. "Is that… Uchiha Akainu? Who are those two kunoichi with him? What's that kid up to in the middle of the night?"
"Uchiha Akainu?" Shizune blinked, following Tsunade's gaze, but only caught fleeting shadows disappearing into the distance.
She sniffed the air. "Lady Tsunade, I smell blood!"
"Shizune, follow me." Tsunade vanished in a Body Flicker.
"Huh?!" Shizune stammered, then rushed after her. "Lady Tsunade, wait for me!"
…
Hiruzen Sarutobi was deep in sleep when Koharu Utatane and several Utatane shinobi barged in, yanking him from his dreams.
His face grim, Hiruzen stepped outside, taking a deep breath.
He'd just returned from the Fire Country's capital, dealt with a mess of problems all day, and only wanted a good night's sleep. Apparently, even that was too much to ask.
Facing Koharu and her anxious, panting clansmen, Hiruzen frowned. "What's going on? Why come to me this late? You're running Root now, Koharu—you don't need my input to handle things."
Catching her breath, Koharu's face darkened. "If I could handle it, I wouldn't be here. And this concerns you, Hiruzen, so I had to come."
"Concerns me?" Hiruzen's heart sank. "Did something happen to Naruto?"
"It's Uchiha Akainu!" Koharu practically growled, her teeth grinding.
She recounted the night's horrors at the Utatane compound.
Under Hiruzen's stunned gaze, she continued, "His next target is the Mitokado clan! Then the Sarutobi clan! He's gone mad, Hiruzen! This is the 'justice' you've indulged! His [Absolute Justice] has already killed your two sons, and now he's coming to wipe out your clan!"
"He's probably at the Mitokado clan already! Tonight, he, Uchiha Izumi, Mitarashi Anko, and that ninja cat killed thirteen of my clansmen, including two young kids!"
"If they can kill children, do you think he'll spare the Sarutobi clan? Or do you believe your clan is clean in his eyes?"
Koharu's venomous words sobered Hiruzen.
If Akainu was, as she said, set on massacring the Utatane, Mitokado, and Sarutobi clans tonight…
Hiruzen wouldn't stand for it!
These three clans were the backbone of the Leaf—and his power base as Hokage.
If they were decimated, the clans' strength—and the Leaf's—would take a massive hit.
The consequences for the village would be catastrophic!
And more than that…
This involved his own Sarutobi clansmen! Did he not know some of them operated in gray areas?
Of course he did. He knew what they were up to.
But those clansmen acted for the Sarutobi clan's sake—and the Leaf's.
Was Akainu going to kill them too? Their methods might be unorthodox, but they were the village's heroes!
By his logic, how many "good" people were left in the Leaf?
"Guards!" Hiruzen barked. Anbu appeared from the shadows. His face grave, he ordered, "Summon all Anbu! Work with Root to stop Akainu's actions tonight!"
"Yes, Lord Hokage!"
"Stop?" Koharu took a deep breath, glaring. "Hiruzen, you're still just stopping him? Even now, you won't take harsher measures? Where's the iron-fisted Leaf hero who dominated the ninja world?"
Her clan had lost so many, her pride trampled by Akainu without mercy.
How could she accept him walking away unscathed?
That brat had to pay for his recklessness!
"This is the Leaf!" Hiruzen snapped. "When did you become like Danzo, blinded by short-sighted rage, ignoring the village's safety? If we clash with Akainu here, what happens?"
"Half the village would burn! How many civilians would die? How many ninjas? How many buildings would collapse? How many roads destroyed? The losses—direct and indirect—would be astronomical!"
Hiruzen's taut nerves seemed to loosen as he sighed heavily. "Koharu… what can the Leaf do but compromise? You've seen the damage he causes when we let him loose."
Koharu's rage snapped a tooth, blood trickling from her mouth, her eyes bloodshot. "Then find a way to exile him from the Fire Country! As Hokage, you can do that, right, Hiruzen?"
"While you're thinking of the village, think of us too! His [Absolute Justice] will pick us off one by one!"
"Me, Homura, you… one day, we'll be his targets. He won't stop at our clansmen!"
As Koharu's emotions boiled over, some Anbu arrived, followed by the fastest Root members.
The commotion, even in the dead of night, stirred other clans and ninjas across the Leaf.
…
"Those are Anbu, right?" Inoichi Yamanaka watched a dozen shadows vanish in the distance. After a moment's thought, he said, "I don't know what's going on, but following them shouldn't hurt."
Shikaku Nara, also roused by the noise, added, "That's the direction of the Sarutobi clan compound. Maybe the Hokage's just mobilizing Anbu."
Then, a small figure caught their attention.
A calico ninja cat sauntered up.
"Inoichi-sama, Jiro-sama requests you handle tonight's bodies. There are about twenty, split between the Utatane and Mitokado compounds."
The cat paused, then continued in its odd, non-human tone, "Jiro-sama also says, after collecting those, you'll need to head to the Sarutobi compound. There'll be plenty of bodies to clean up there soon."
Inoichi: "!!!"
Shikaku: "!!!"
Inoichi exhaled, a wry smile on his face. "I was just curious enough to check it out. Now I have to go."
His smile faded, replaced by a serious look. "Akainu probably won't go after the Hokage himself, but he's targeting his clansmen."
"The Hokage won't let that slide. We need to be there."
Shikaku glanced at the moon. "Call Choza too. Only with the Ino-Shika-Cho trio together can we put pressure on the Hokage. I never thought Akainu would target these three clans."
His expression shifted subtly. "If the Utatane, Mitokado, and Sarutobi clans get hit by his [Absolute Justice], their strength and influence in the Leaf will plummet."
"And our Ino-Shika-Cho clans' status will shoot up by default."
After all, weaker rivals meant stronger standing for them.
Would the weakening of these clans hurt the Leaf? Shikaku didn't think so—Akainu's growing power and [Absolute Justice] made up for it.
He clapped Inoichi's shoulder. "For now, [Absolute Justice] looks like a solid path. Don't think the Nara clan's motives are impure—I'm the clan head, so I've gotta look out for our people."
"Let's go. Akainu needs us."
…
Uchiha Clan Compound
Fugaku couldn't sleep. At dinner, he and his wife, Mikoto, had a heated disagreement, nearly turning into a full-blown fight.
While out clearing his head, he spotted an Anbu flash by.
In that brief moment, Fugaku felt the ninja glance at him.
Though they wore a mask, the eyes felt familiar.
"…Itachi?"
Fugaku hesitated, about to call out, when Itachi stopped and turned, standing three meters away.
"Father, this is the Hokage's order," Itachi said flatly, answering Fugaku's unspoken question. "It's related to Uchiha Akainu, but I don't know the details."
With that, he sped off, vanishing in a blink.
"Akainu… the Hokage…"
A bad feeling gripped Fugaku, and he chased after him.
…
"Child of Prophecy…"
"Savior…"
Jiraiya rubbed his chin, yawning tiredly.
He walked alone down a Leaf street, staring at the dim streetlights.
"Naruto Uzumaki? Sasuke Uchiha? Or maybe Uchiha Izumi? Or… Uchiha Itachi?"
These were his top candidates, mainly because of their young age.
The oldest, Izumi and Itachi, were only twelve.
But his gut told him the future Child of Prophecy, the savior, probably wasn't an Uchiha—their mental stability was too shaky.
That left one option: Minato's orphan, the Leaf's Nine-Tails Jinchuriki—Naruto Uzumaki.
Jiraiya's eyes flickered with complexity. He'd once trained Minato as a potential Child of Prophecy, only for the Fourth Hokage to die young.
Could Minato's son be the one?
"Blue eyes… well, Naruto fits that perfectly. Speaking of, I haven't seen Minato's kid since I got back."
As Jiraiya mulled this over, a familiar scent snapped him alert.
"Tsunade?!"
He looked up, but her figure was gone, replaced by a panting Shizune.
"Lady Tsunade, s-slow down!"
"I… I can't keep up…"
"Huh?!"
Sweaty and breathless, Shizune froze when she saw Jiraiya. "Lord Jiraiya?!"
Jiraiya frowned. "You're Tsunade's student, right? What's got her in such a rush?"
Shizune hesitated, then figured Jiraiya and Tsunade were comrades, so it was fine to share. She quickly explained.
"Uchiha Akainu?" Jiraiya's brows furrowed, sensing something big was brewing. "I'm coming too."
"Huh?" Shizune blinked, confused.
…
"Where are those kids going?" Tsunade muttered, trailing them. "Don't tell me they're off to 'deliver justice' somewhere. This is the Leaf Village! He wouldn't dare cause a scene like in Tanigakure Street or the Fire Capital, would he?"
As she pondered, she saw Akainu and his group stop.
Then it hit her where they were.
"Hey, hey, hey…" Tsunade's eyes widened. "Isn't this the old man's place? The Sarutobi clan compound?"
A shocking possibility dawned on her.
Is Uchiha Akainu here to deliver justice to the Hokage?!
No way! She shook her head. "That kid's tough, but he's no match for the old man. Even if they're evenly matched, it'd be one-on-one, and in the Leaf, he'd never get that chance."
Still, she decided to keep following.
…
Sarutobi Clan Compound
Hiruzen, his face grim, sensed something. Koharu and several skilled Anbu nearby felt it too.
Among the Anbu, Kakashi's droopy eyes locked onto a figure that made his scalp tingle and his heart reel with both shock and awe—Uchiha Akainu!
He's really here!
Hiruzen and Koharu turned their gazes to Akainu, their faces darkening.
"Akainu," Hiruzen said, his expression stern, stepping forward under the Anbu's protection. "Koharu told me what you've done tonight! I never thought my tolerance would make you this reckless."
"You killed over a dozen Utatane shinobi, several Mitokado shinobi, and now you've marched into the Sarutobi clan's home! Akainu, do you realize your actions are barely different from a rogue ninja's?"
"With one order, I could brand you a traitor to the Leaf. Every ninja in the village would see you as the enemy!"
Hiruzen's voice was cold. "If you still see yourself as a Leaf ninja, turn around and leave! Reflect on what you've done tonight!"
Koharu nodded approvingly at first, but his last words made her mind reel.
Hiruzen… is still indulging Akainu? At a time like this, shouldn't he be exiled from the Leaf? From the Fire Country?
As Koharu opened her mouth to protest, she noticed someone unexpected behind Akainu, alongside those two infuriating girls.
"…Tsunade?!"
It clicked why Hiruzen had said that.
He must've spotted Tsunade right away.
And he knew Tsunade had some approval for Akainu's [Absolute Justice].
Her presence probably pressured him.
Why was Tsunade here? Did Akainu bring her to intimidate Hiruzen?
"Lady Tsunade… L-Lady Tsunade…" Shizune's voice approached, followed by another unexpected figure.
"Jiraiya?!" Koharu's eyes widened.
But Jiraiya's arrival might work in their favor. He might not hate [Absolute Justice] like she did, but he likely didn't fully support it either.
Jiraiya's complex gaze settled on Akainu's back. "Akainu, don't tell me you're here to take on the Hokage."
His words let Koharu breathe easier.
Good! Not every young ninja in the village is on Akainu's side. Some are with us.
"Ah, quite the party! It's the middle of the night, but looks like no one's sleeping!" Shikaku Nara's voice cut in.
Koharu's face soured again.
The Ino-Shika-Cho clans—those traitors! Hiruzen's been so good to them, and they betray him?!