After handing over his patrol duties, Uchiha Qianyu returned home in silence.
He showed no sign of relaxation.
Even before the Merit Accumulation System had awakened, he was already the kind of person who pushed himself to the extreme—seizing every spare moment to cultivate.
Now, despite the turmoil weighing on his mind, he did not neglect his training in the slightest.
He closed his eyes and began practicing the most fundamental technique of all ninja—
chakra refinement.
Slowly, his heart settled.
Qianyu had never once regretted his actions.
Not only because they aligned with his convictions—
But because, in his eyes, Konoha itself bore original sin.
This was a city of sin.
That sin was not limited to the village leadership, elite ninja, or ordinary civilians.
Selfishness.
Ignorance.
Greed.
Arrogance.
Jealousy.
Indifference.
Such vices were everywhere.
Living here filled Qianyu with a suffocating pressure he could scarcely describe.
And the way he released that pressure—
Was by enforcing justice in his own way.
Extreme?
He never believed himself to be extreme.
If anything—
What was extreme was this village.
This ninja world.
Not him.
The next day, at the Police Force headquarters.
Uchiha Fugaku was overwhelmed, dealing with the mess Qianyu had left behind.
Fortunately, that family of three was… complete.
They had no surviving relatives.
Aside from a few neighbors, no one could truly lodge a formal complaint.
Fugaku ordered the couple's bodies to be properly buried.
As for their property—
The gambling addict had squandered everything long ago.
Other than an old house, there was nothing left.
Even so, when Fugaku prepared to deal with the house, several villagers suddenly appeared, claiming to be close friends or relatives of the deceased, insisting the couple had promised the house to them.
Already exhausted, Fugaku had no patience to untangle such nonsense.
He handed the entire matter over to the most experienced elder—
Uchiha Yashiro.
Just as Fugaku was about to breathe a sigh of relief—
He sensed a powerful chakra approaching.
"…This chakra is—?"
He stood up at once and personally went out to greet the visitor.
"Hokage-sama."
The newcomer was none other than the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen.
He smoked his pipe, wore the hat symbolizing the Hokage, and carried his usual kindly smile upon a deeply wrinkled face.
Behind him stood four ANBU ninja wearing strange masks.
"Clan Head Fugaku," Hiruzen said gently,
"I hope my sudden visit hasn't disrupted the Police Force's work."
"Of course not," Fugaku replied politely.
"The Hokage is always welcome."
Hiruzen smiled and casually scanned the surroundings.
"Is Uchiha Qianyu not here?"
Fugaku knew exactly why he had come.
"That fellow went too far," Fugaku said with a sigh.
"Though I know his intentions were for the village and for justice, this time he truly crossed the line."
"So I ordered him to remain at home and reflect."
"May I ask—did the Hokage also come regarding this matter?"
Hiruzen sneered inwardly.
Fugaku had spoken first, condemned Qianyu while subtly praising him—clearly trying to block Hiruzen's words in advance.
A trick Hiruzen had mastered decades ago.
"Sigh… I understand that man also acted for the village," Hiruzen said mildly.
"Though his methods were indeed extreme."
"I originally didn't plan to come, but several villagers lodged complaints directly with the Hokage's Office."
"If I didn't show up, they might think I'm favoring the Uchiha clan."
"In truth, whether Uchiha or ordinary villagers—
to me, they are all family."
"Wouldn't you agree, Clan Head Fugaku?"
Fugaku smiled along.
"Of course. Konoha is one big family, and the Hokage is its pillar. Naturally, you treat everyone equally."
"May I ask—what exactly did those villagers demand?"
Hiruzen drew deeply from his pipe and slowly exhaled a cloud of smoke that spread throughout the room.
"In the past, many villagers and ninja have complained that Uchiha Qianyu enforces the law too harshly, that his methods are cruel."
"But I knew he was young and passionate, acting for stability, so I suppressed those complaints."
"This time, however… he truly went too far."
"That couple's crimes did not warrant death."
"Don't you think so, Clan Head Fugaku?"
Hiruzen's aged eyes were filled with visible hesitation.
Fugaku let out a long sigh, looking pained.
"The Hokage speaks the truth."
"When the incident occurred last night, I was furious. I immediately summoned him back and scolded him harshly."
"Even if that gambling addict was beyond saving—
even if he stole his child's life-saving money, killed his own son, and still wanted to gamble away the family's last coins—
even if he was worse than a beast…"
"So what?"
"At most, you arrest him and lock him up!"
"Why kill him on the spot?!"
"And the woman—
even if her husband killed their child and she didn't report him, didn't seek justice, still wanted to live with him—
even if she defended such a man and even attacked an officer—
so what?!"
"Could she really injure a Jonin like you?!"
"Why did you really kill her?!"
Fugaku looked heartbroken.
"Sigh… Even if your actions were technically lawful, they were still devoid of human sentiment."
"Wouldn't you agree, Hokage-sama?"
Hiruzen's expression darkened briefly.
Then returned to calm.
"Clan Head Fugaku… were those actions truly lawful?"
"They were," Fugaku replied smoothly.
"When the Second Hokage established the Police Force, he set down regulations."
"In cases of extreme evil and inhuman crimes, officers may adapt and execute on the spot."
"And when an officer's life is threatened, retaliation is permitted."
"So… while Qianyu's actions were extreme, they did not violate the law."
"One can only say he is young, impulsive, and in need of refinement."
"That's why I punished him with reflection at home."
"Rest assured, Hokage-sama—if he fails to reform, I will not be lenient again."
Silence filled the headquarters.
Even Uchiha Yakumi and the others stared in disbelief—it was the first time they had heard their clan head speak so extensively.
But Sarutobi Hiruzen was no fool.
Fugaku's ornate rhetoric—criticizing while praising—was something Hiruzen himself had mastered long ago.
And once such shameless logic was laid out—
Continuing the argument would mean tearing the relationship apart entirely.
Hiruzen was not ready for that yet.
He smiled warmly.
"Since Clan Head Fugaku has spoken so clearly, I'm relieved."
"I trust you'll handle this fairly."
"I won't trouble you further."
"Please take care, Hokage-sama," Fugaku said quickly.
As he watched Hiruzen depart, Fugaku's face—despite appearing victorious—was shadowed by unease.
"Hokage-sama, that Uchiha Fugaku was clearly twisting logic!"
"Are we really letting Uchiha Qianyu escape responsibility just like that?!"
The ANBU were indignant.
Hiruzen scoffed.
"That little trick? I perfected it decades ago."
"I simply don't wish to tear my face with the Uchiha clan yet."
"Uchiha Fugaku… you think that was enough to silence me?"
"How naïve."
"Hokage-sama, then you intend to…?"
"Hmph. Someone will strike Uchiha Qianyu hard."
"And that someone…"
"…will be from the Uchiha clan itself."