Absolute Justice: Uchiha’s Crusade

Hearing Uchiha Keizumi's seemingly incoherent statements, Nauma—gripping his ninjatō—grew increasingly nervous and confused.

"What kind of nonsense is this guy spouting?"

Nauma had a strong feeling—someone like Uchiha Keizumi wouldn't say such things for no reason.

Until he heard a clack from behind.

Nauma was stunned.

When he glanced back, he saw Kyōsuke—

The son of the daimyō of the Land of Fire, a man with immense power and status—

Now showing an expression as if he had seen a ghost in broad daylight!

And the retainers Kyōsuke brought along—

Their faces looked no different from his!

What does that mean?

Just as this question rose in Nauma's mind, Uchiha Keizumi's next words answered it: "Kyōsuke—these are the sins you have committed in your 24 years of life. Such heinous crimes should be cleansed by Justice!"

Nauma: "!!!"

No way!

This daimyō's son, who seemed carefree and friendly—had committed such atrocities?!

No—

The real question was—

How did Uchiha Keizumi know all this?

Was he just making it up?

But if he was just making it up—

Why were they reacting this way?!

At that moment, Kyōsuke was visibly shaken.

His pupils trembled like a tectonic quake, his disbelieving, horrified gaze fixed on Uchiha Keizumi.

—How the hell does he know all this?!

That silent roar in his mind made clear just how shaken he was.

Cold sweat beaded on Kyōsuke's forehead.

With every step Uchiha Keizumi took toward him, Kyōsuke instinctively took a step back.

A creeping sense of dread surged through his entire body, shattering all the calm arrogance he once held.

His first reaction was to shoot a furious look at his own retainers.

"Kyōsuke-sama…"

One of them swallowed hard and hurriedly whispered, "We would never betray you. And we don't even know who this man is… We have no idea how he found out…"

Nauma stood there silently, his hand gripping his ninjatō tightly.

There was nothing left to say.

It was true—you can know someone's face but never their heart.

This son of the daimyō was no noble soul.

But even so…

"Uchiha Keizumi!" Nauma called out sharply, warning him: "This man is a direct envoy of the daimyō of the Land of Fire. He is an honored guest of Konohagakure's Third Hokage—an elite of the Land of Fire!

If you don't want to spark a conflict between the daimyō and the village, stop right there! Do not take one step closer to Kyōsuke-sama!"

After all, he had accepted the mission entrusted to him by the daimyō—

He had to protect Kyōsuke.

He could only grit his teeth and hold the line.

As an elite jōnin, he wasn't that much weaker than Uchiha Keizumi—the so-called 'Lava Release Beast.'

At the very least, he could hold out until the Hokage arrived.

"Kyōsuke-sama, take the others and fall back now," Nauma said coldly.

"From this point forward, it's a matter for shinobi."

One of the retainers cried out in a panic, "Hey, Nauma! You have to stop that madman!"

"…I'll do my best."

...

Elsewhere—

"…Naruto?!"

On his way to meet the daimyō's envoy, Sarutobi Hiruzen suddenly caught sight of a small, all-too-familiar figure.

But—

What on earth is Naruto doing?

A flicker of confusion passed through Hiruzen's eyes.

In his line of sight, Naruto was walking up and down the street, one hand holding a broom, the other gripping a dustpan.

He was sweeping furiously left and right, dripping with sweat, utterly exhausted.

Hiruzen walked over to him.

Seeing the boy's bitter, frustrated face as he cleaned the street, the old man gently patted him on the head.

Startled, Naruto turned around—and the moment he saw who it was, his eyes lit up with joy.

"Gramps Hokage!!!"

"Naruto, is this… another one of your pranks?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression turned slightly strange.

The joy on Naruto's face instantly vanished, replaced by visible frustration and dejection. He told Hiruzen everything that had happened, word for word.

Hiruzen's brows furrowed as he listened.

"Keizumi… contacted you? Naruto, did he do anything to you?"

The jinchūriki of Konoha coming into contact with a Mangekyō Sharingan wielder—Hiruzen couldn't help but feel concerned.

Naruto muttered in reply, "He picked me up, then put me down. Then he told me to clean this whole street for six months…"

His tone was full of grievance—like a student complaining to a teacher.

He looked at Hiruzen hopefully, eyes pleading for the Hokage to protect him one more time.

But what he didn't expect was for Hiruzen to respond like this: "That's not a bad thing. It might help you calm down a bit. Better than having another villager run to me to report one of your pranks again."

Naruto felt like the sky had just collapsed.

After saying goodbye to Naruto, Hiruzen walked a dozen meters away, deep in thought. But his worry hadn't completely eased.

When his eyes glanced toward a certain corner behind him, the ANBU shinobi assigned to monitor Uzumaki Naruto immediately revealed himself.

"Hokage-sama," the ANBU reported succinctly,

"I didn't see Uchiha Keizumi activate his Sharingan. He simply gave Uzumaki Naruto a bit of discipline."

"Hmm…"

Only then did Sarutobi Hiruzen feel somewhat reassured. But his brow quickly furrowed again.

"If you saw Keizumi making contact with Naruto—why didn't you stop him?"

The ANBU: "…"

Hiruzen: "…"

"Ahem!"

Coughing lightly, Hiruzen recalled what had happened last time—

When an ANBU operative stepped in to confront Uchiha Keizumi over Naruto, it stirred up no small commotion in the village.

Even Danzo got dragged into it, and two Root shinobi died as a result.

Sending this ANBU to confront Keizumi again… would indeed be asking too much.

"For now, try to prevent Naruto from coming into contact with the Uchiha clan."

Hiruzen paused for a few seconds, then gave the instruction.

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

...

[Clack—]

At the exact moment Uchiha Keizumi's left hand pressed against the tsuba of his ninjatō, causing the blade to lift precisely 1 centimeter from the scabbard—

Nauma's sharp eyes caught the movement, and he instantly realized:

Uchiha Keizumi had no intention of heeding his warning.

Damn it…

Does this extreme 'Lava Release Beast' truly have no concept of status or hierarchy?!

That's the daimyō's son he's going after!!!

Nauma quickly formed a one-handed seal, lightning-nature chakra crackling around his palm.

With a swift motion of his fingertips across the edge of his ninjatō, a sharp [Zzzt] echoed as the blade was instantly enveloped in crackling arcs of electricity—

Lightning that flickered like the fangs of a wild beast.

"Strike first to gain the advantage!"

[Whoosh—]

Gritting his teeth, Nauma burst forward, trailing streaks of lightning in his wake as he slashed his electrified ninjatō straight at Uchiha Keizumi!

[Clang!]

The clash of metal rang out—

Two blades collided midair, grinding violently against each other as a burst of sparks exploded from the contact point.

Nauma twisted his blade mid-motion and knocked Keizumi's weapon aside.

Then—

He drove his sword swiftly into the ground.

Releasing the hilt, both palms slapped together.

Buy time—

That was the only thought anchoring Nauma's heart.

He didn't believe he could defeat Uchiha Keizumi in a flash duel.

But if he could just delay him…

In the very next instant—

Bolts of lightning surged outward, converging into a cage of electric arcs that shot toward Keizumi, aiming to trap him completely.

At that same moment—

Keizumi's right arm, flowing with molten lava…

Struck forward with explosive force!

Nauma's eyes widened in disbelief as he watched that lava-forged arm tear straight through the lightning.

Even though the chakra-infused lightning blasted against it with all its might—splattering molten rock and leaving impact craters—

Keizumi's expression didn't change in the slightest.

"…Shit!!"

Nauma quickly yanked his sword back to guard—

But the instant the blade touched that searing magma, it melted on contact.

Even the Lightning Release chakra coating it was utterly useless.

[BOOM!!!]

The molten arm—burning at terrifying temperatures and extending like a piercing lance—

Shot through Nauma's chest in a blink.

The flak vest he wore as a shinobi offered no protection.

In the face of that relentless lava, it crumbled like wet paper.

In an instant, the unbearable heat cooked his internal organs alive.

Nauma's bloodshot eyes bulged in shock and agony.

"Gah—!"

He coughed up a mouthful of blood—

Already charred solid from the heat.

"Police Force enforcement. Those who obstruct officers… are to be executed on the spot."

At that moment—

He finally heard Uchiha Keizumi's voice, up close.

Finally witnessed firsthand the sheer gulf between himself—

And the Uchiha genius known for his dual kekkei genkai, whose reputation stood side by side with Shisui of the Body Flicker.

The gap between them—

Was far too vast.

When Uchiha Keizumi withdrew his arm, Nauma's eyes had already lost their light. His body collapsed limply to the ground, a massive gaping wound tearing clean through his torso.

Uchiha Keizumi's expression didn't change in the slightest. As one of the Twelve Guardian Ninja, this man hadn't struck him as any more dangerous than an elite jōnin from Root.

His gaze then shifted forward—toward the fleeing figures whose backs were all he could see now.

Yes.

The very moment Nauma had attacked Keizumi, a primal survival instinct had kicked in among the entourage, prompting them to scramble in panic and drag Kyōsuke away.

In just those few short seconds, they had already bolted more than 100 meters, their cries echoing frantically through the air.

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