After handing over his patrol duties, Uchiha Qianyu returned home in silence.
He felt not the slightest trace of regret.
Even before the Good Deeds Accumulate Merit System existed, he had already been someone who pushed himself to the extreme—seizing every spare moment to cultivate with ruthless intensity.
At this moment, though matters weighed on his mind, he still did not neglect his training.
Silently closing his eyes, he began practicing the most fundamental technique for all shinobi—chakra refinement.
Gradually, calm returned to Qianyu's heart.
He had never once regretted anything he had done.
Not only because this had always been his belief—
But because, in his eyes, Konoha itself was a city born with original sin.
This was a city of sin.
And that original sin made no distinction between the village's upper echelon, elite shinobi, or its most ordinary civilians.
Selfishness. Ignorance. Greed. Arrogance. Jealousy. Apathy…
There were countless such flaws.
Living here often filled Qianyu with an indescribable sense of oppression.
And the way he vented that oppression was simple—
By enforcing justice in his own way.
Extreme?
He had never once thought himself extreme.
If one really had to say so, then it was this village, this shinobi world, that was extreme—
Not him.
…
The next day, at the police headquarters.
Uchiha Fugaku was rubbing his temples in frustration as he dealt with the mess Qianyu had left behind.
Fortunately, that family of three was now, in a sense, "complete."
They had no close relatives left in the world.
Aside from a few neighbors, there was little room for anyone to lodge complaints.
Fugaku had people properly bury the couple's bodies.
As for their property…
That gambling addict had long since squandered everything.
Aside from an old house, there was practically nothing left.
Even so, just as Fugaku was preparing to deal with the house, several villagers suddenly stepped forward, claiming to be relatives or old friends of the couple. They insisted that the couple had left instructions while alive, saying the old house should be given to them, and so on.
Already overwhelmed, Fugaku had no patience to untangle this mess and simply handed it all over to the most experienced elder, Uchiha Yashiro, to handle.
Just as he was about to finally breathe a sigh of relief, Fugaku suddenly sensed a powerful chakra approaching.
"Hm? This chakra is…"
He shot to his feet and personally went out to greet the visitor.
"Hokage-sama."
The newcomer was none other than the Third Hokage of Konoha, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Pipe in hand, wearing the Hokage hat, his aged face—lined with deep grooves—carried a habitual, kindly smile.
Behind him followed four ANBU shinobi in masks.
"Clan Head Fugaku," Hiruzen said warmly, "I came unannounced—did I disturb the police force's work?"
"Not at all," Fugaku replied quickly. "The Hokage is always welcome."
Hiruzen smiled and casually glanced around.
"That Uchiha Qianyu… he's not here?"
Fugaku naturally knew whom Hiruzen had come for.
"That boy's methods are far too extreme," Fugaku said with a sigh. "Though I know his intentions are for the village's good and for maintaining fairness and justice, this time he really crossed the line."
"So I punished him by ordering him to stay home and reflect."
"Oh?" Hiruzen's heart filled with a cold chuckle.
Fugaku was clearly putting on a show—criticizing Qianyu first, then claiming to have disciplined him, all to preempt blame.
A classic move from an old fox.
"Sigh," Hiruzen said aloud, feigning helplessness. "I know that man acts for the village's sake, though his methods are indeed extreme…"
"Originally, I didn't want to come either. But several villagers brought complaints directly to the Hokage's office. If I didn't show my face, they might think I was deliberately shielding the Uchiha clan."
"In truth, whether Uchiha or ordinary villagers, they're all family to me. How could I favor one over the other?"
"Don't you agree, Clan Head Fugaku?"
Fugaku smiled along.
"Of course. Konoha is one big family. The Hokage is our pillar, our patriarch—naturally impartial."
"It's just that I wonder," Fugaku continued carefully, "what exactly did those villagers say? What were their demands?"
Hiruzen took a deep puff from his pipe, exhaling a slow ring of smoke that spread throughout the headquarters.
"In fact, complaints about Qianyu have come up before—from villagers and shinobi alike. They said his law enforcement was overly harsh, his methods too cruel."
"But I knew he was young and hot-blooded, acting too urgently for the sake of village stability, so I suppressed those complaints."
"However, this time… he truly went too far."
"That couple," Hiruzen said slowly, his aged eyes full of conflict, "their crimes didn't warrant death."
"What do you think, Clan Head Fugaku?"
Fugaku let out a long sigh, looking like a father disappointed in an unruly son.
"What the Hokage says is right."
"Last night's incident happened, and I was furious. I immediately had him summoned back and gave him a thorough scolding."
"Even if that gambling addict was beyond saving—even if he stole his child's life-saving money and caused his own son's death—even if, after the child died, he still wanted to gamble away the family's last savings—even if he was worse than an animal…"
"So what?"
"At most, you arrest him and throw him into prison!"
"How could he be beaten to death on the spot?!"
"And that woman—even if her husband killed their child, even if she didn't seek revenge or report it to the police or the Hokage, even if she still wanted to live with him—so what?"
"Even if she defended that scum, even tried to attack an officer—so what?"
"Could she really hurt a jōnin like Qianyu?"
"So how could he really kill her?!"
Fugaku's face was filled with pain.
"Sigh… Even if this technically complies with the law, it still violates human sentiment!"
"Isn't that right, Hokage-sama?"
Hiruzen's expression darkened slightly, but quickly returned to normal.
"Clan Head Fugaku… does this truly comply with the law?"
"It does," Fugaku replied without hesitation. "When the Second Hokage established the police force, he set down regulations allowing on-the-spot execution for criminals guilty of extreme evil, those who had lost all humanity."
"And if police officers face lethal threats, they may of course retaliate."
"So while Qianyu's actions were extreme… it can't be said he violated the law."
"At most, he was rash and insufficiently tempered—which is why I ordered him to stay home and reflect."
"Rest assured, Hokage-sama. If he doesn't truly reform, I won't go easy on him next time."
For a moment, the entire police headquarters fell deathly silent.
Even Uchiha Tekka and the others stared in shock.
But—
Who was Hiruzen Sarutobi?
He had heard this kind of rhetoric decades ago.
If he pressed further, it would mean tearing off the last layer of pretense.
For now, he had no intention of doing that.
He smiled kindly.
"Since Clan Head Fugaku has already said so, then I'm at ease. I trust you'll handle this impartially."
"I won't disturb you any longer."
"Please take care, Hokage-sama," Fugaku said hurriedly.
Yet as he watched Hiruzen's retreating figure, the smile on Fugaku's face faded, replaced by a heavy shadow.
…
"Hokage-sama, that was clearly sophistry!" several ANBU protested indignantly once they were outside. "Just a few words and he wanted to push all responsibility off Qianyu?!"
Hiruzen only let out a soft chuckle.
"That kind of trick… I figured it out long ago."
"I just don't want to tear my face with the Uchiha yet."
"You really think Fugaku believes he can silence me with this?"
"That's far too naïve."
"And the Hokage's true intention is…?"
Hiruzen's eyes turned cold.
"Soon enough, someone will 'politely knock' on Uchiha Qianyu's door."
"And that someone…"
"…will be from the Uchiha clan itself."