Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned.
"A missing-nin is a shinobi who has betrayed the village and fled."
Qianyu replied calmly,
"Anyone who betrays the village is a missing-nin. Do we really have to wait until they escape before taking action?"
"By then, wouldn't it already be too late?"
"Hokage-sama, at the moment Orochimaru was discovered conducting forbidden human experiments, wasn't he already a missing-nin?"
"Did you really have to let him flee Konoha before it 'counted'?"
Hiruzen almost spat blood.
Of all possible examples—
Why did it have to be Orochimaru?!
Wasn't this slapping himself in the face?!
He knew perfectly well that Orochimaru had already betrayed the village back then.
Yet because of teacher–student sentiment, he had let him go.
That mistake was the greatest stain of his life.
With Qianyu saying this, Hiruzen had nothing he could say in response.
He took a long puff from his pipe, then slowly exhaled.
"Even if what you did regarding Hiyū can be considered correct…"
"Killing Jirō is still indefensible."
"Even if he deserved death, he should not have been executed publicly without a trial."
Qianyu fell silent for a moment.
"Hokage-sama, by saying that, you're admitting Sarutobi Hiyū was already a traitor."
"Since that's the case, how could I trust him to handle Jirō's matter impartially?"
"If I hadn't killed Jirō, should I have just let Hiyū cover everything up?"
"Precisely because it was a public execution, the watching shinobi and villagers applauded."
"That strengthened their sense of belonging to Konoha."
"Otherwise—"
"If Hiyū and his son had been allowed to continue acting recklessly, the villagers would have completely lost faith in the village."
Sarutobi Shinnosuke couldn't help but scoff.
"Hmph. What clever sophistry."
"This isn't sophistry," Qianyu said calmly.
"These are my honest words."
"If the villagers no longer believe that justice exists in the village…"
"Then this village has no future."
He looked directly at Hiruzen.
"What do you say, Hokage-sama?"
Hiruzen remained silent.
After a long pause, he finally spoke in a low voice.
"No matter how you justify it, Qianyu, you've made this matter far too big."
"I may understand you, but the villagers and other shinobi may not."
"So let's do this."
"For the time being, you are suspended from the Police Force."
"Lie low for a while. Once the storm passes, you can return."
He turned to Fugaku.
"Clan Head Fugaku, what do you think?"
Fugaku frowned.
"Hokage-sama, this—"
Qianyu interrupted calmly,
"Then let's do as the Hokage wishes."
After saying that, he turned and left.
Fugaku sighed.
"…Very well. We'll do it this way."
He followed after Qianyu.
Sarutobi Shinnosuke watched their retreating figures, his expression dark.
"Hokage-sama, are we really just letting him go like this?"
"The clan won't let this rest…"
Hiruzen replied coldly,
"Of course we won't let him go."
"But now is not the time to kill him."
"Then what should we do?"
Hiruzen pondered.
"I remember Uchiha Qianyu seems to have no family… and very few friends."
"That's true. With his personality, even within the Uchiha clan he's too extreme for anyone to approach."
"But he does have quite a few fanatical followers…"
Hiruzen's eyes lit up slightly.
"Then start with those followers."
Shinnosuke immediately understood.
"The Police Force, huh… Accidents happen. Dangerous missions are normal."
"I understand."
...
Qianyu temporarily handed over his Police Force duties.
Under the complicated gazes of others, he left the compound.
He returned home.
No sorrow.
No resentment.
He quickly immersed himself once again in cultivation.
Killing Sarutobi Hiyū had earned him 100 merit points, the highest single gain in history.
He invested all of them into his Sharingan.
His ocular power now reached 473 points.
He was already halfway to awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Even with only three tomoe, his ocular power far surpassed that of ordinary shinobi.
The Uchiha's Sharingan was driven by extreme emotions.
Though Qianyu claimed to be cold and emotionless—
His extreme sense of justice itself was an emotion.
Fighting in the name of absolute justice allowed him to unleash terrifying ocular power.
The Sharingan possessed three fundamental abilities:
Observation.
Copying.
Genjutsu.
Qianyu possessed all three.
However, every Uchiha's Sharingan differed in emphasis.
Qianyu's strongest point—
Was observation.
Especially in battle.
He could completely read every enemy movement and, to a certain extent, even predict their next action.
His copying ability was average.
His genjutsu talent was not outstanding—
But his ability to break genjutsu was already perfected.
Of course, this "not outstanding" was only in comparison to his monstrous observational ability.
The Sharingan was still the Sharingan.
He still possessed powerful genjutsu capability.
As Qianyu quietly cultivated, he replayed the previous battle.
Sarutobi Hiyū had not been weak.
His swift victory had relied on three factors.
First—terrifying observational power from the Sharingan, allowing him to precisely evade attacks and predict responses.
Second—an unexpected Lightning Release disguise technique, catching Hiyū off guard with overwhelming force.
And finally—
His greatest strength: swordsmanship.
"Observation-focused Sharingan."
"Refined swordsmanship."
"This is my current foundation."
"If I want to improve further…"
"Beyond ocular power, chakra, and ninjutsu—"
"There's one more path I'm truly looking forward to…"
What Qianyu wanted—
Was to channel Lightning Release directly into his katana.
To create a combat style of ultimate destructive power.
Lightning Release swordsmanship.
Techniques like Chidori Blade or Vacuum Blade followed this same principle.
Even Fire Release could be fused with swordplay—such as Shisui's Flame Sword technique.
But for Qianyu—
Lightning suited him best.
"Since I'm suspended for now…"
"I'll focus on developing Lightning Release sword techniques."
"Justice without power—"
"Is worthless."
...
During the days of Qianyu's suspension, the village seemed much quieter.
However, although Hiruzen removed Qianyu from the Police Force—
He could not silence public opinion.
In the eyes of many villagers and shinobi—
Uchiha Qianyu was no longer a twisted madman.
Instead, he had become an anti-hero—
Someone who would stop at nothing to enforce justice.
Within the Uchiha clan, his fanatical followers grew ever more numerous, their emotions steadily rising.
And that dark undercurrent—
That black flame smoldering beneath the surface—
Filled Hiruzen with deep unease.
And so—
A conspiracy targeting Qianyu quietly began to unfold.
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