Naruto: Uchiha's Absolute Justice

Chapter 37: There's an Unbridgeable Wall Between Humans and Beasts

Upon returning to Konoha, Itachi Uchiha did not rush back to the Uchiha clan compound but instead first headed to the Hokage Building.

He first sought out the Third Hokage.

Knock, knock, knock—

As Itachi Uchiha knocked on the office door, when Hiruzen Sarutobi's weary "Come in" sounded from within, Itachi Uchiha and his two subordinates pushed the door open and entered.

"Hokage-sama."

Itachi Uchiha's hands hung down, his tone serious: "The mission you assigned has been successfully completed. Itachi Uchiha, Ōsawa Hyūga, and Amakawa Sarutobi have returned to the ANBU."

"…It's Itachi."

Hiruzen Sarutobi slightly lifted his head, attempting to force a smile, but couldn't.

He said, "No teammates were lost. You did very well."

Itachi Uchiha keenly sensed that the atmosphere was somewhat off.

He also felt that the Hokage's emotions were a bit strange.

"Hokage-sama, has something happened in the village?"

He proactively asked.

Hiruzen Sarutobi remained silent for a moment, then said, "The funerals for Shin'nosuke and many ANBU ninja will be held this afternoon. Itachi, Ōsawa, Amakawa. You three have returned just in time. If you wish to attend the funerals, please go back, change, and then gather at the Konoha cemetery."

He didn't explain what had happened, but the information in his words still caused Itachi Uchiha to pause.

Shin'nosuke… funerals for many ANBU ninja…

He felt the former name sounded familiar; as for the latter, how significant must the incident have been to result in the sacrifice of so many ANBU?

Itachi Uchiha considered for a moment, but ultimately chose not to press further.

Since the Hokage-sama was unwilling to speak, there must be a reason for his reluctance.

He did not overstep his bounds.

"Hokage-sama, I'll take my leave now," Itachi Uchiha said.

"Mm."

....

After leaving the Hokage Building, Itachi Uchiha prepared to return to the Uchiha clan compound.

On the way, he suddenly heard some people discussing something.

He quietly walked over to them.

After listening for a while.

He finally realized why the Hokage-sama was in a negative mood, and he finally understood why the name "Shin'nosuke" sounded so familiar—he was the Hokage-sama's eldest son!

"Uchiha Ikeizumi… killed many ANBU, and also killed the Hokage-sama's eldest son… and all of this was because Senior Shin'nosuke did many wrong things he shouldn't have… Indeed, that Uchiha Ikeizumi would not tolerate such 'wrongdoings'."

Itachi suddenly fell silent.

Uchiha Ikeizumi…

That name made him vaguely recall some unpleasant memories.

That man, once like Shisui, was hailed as the "twin genius stars" of the Uchiha clan. Even on the battlefields of the Third Great Ninja War, his reputation was on par with Shisui's.

Yet, such a member of the Uchiha clan seemed entirely out of place within the entire Uchiha, and even the entire Konoha Village!

At first.

Itachi Uchiha thought Uchiha Ikeizumi and he were the same type of person, as they were both so out of place.

However…

—"You and I are not the same kind of person. There is an unbridgeable wall between humans and beasts, Itachi Uchiha."

A cold remark once from Uchiha Ikeizumi. For some reason, it emerged in Itachi Uchiha's mind.

—"Shisui, you'll regret protecting him."

And this sentence was what Ikeizumi said after Shisui appeared in time to save him when he was almost killed by Ikeizumi.

Itachi Uchiha's calm eyes flashed with a hint of complexity.

Among the entire Uchiha clan, the person he understood the least.

Was probably Uchiha Ikeizumi.

Another part of Konoha.

"Lord Ikeizumi, there's a case! Meow!" Kijirō, with slightly bent limbs, leaped onto Izumi's head. After licking his paws, he said to Uchiha Ikeizumi, "My children found something incredible in the village's sewers, meow!"

Izumi weakly raised her hand in protest: "Senior Kijirō, when reporting cases to Senior Ikeizumi from now on, could you please not jump on my head…?"

"Meow, rookie, I'm testing your reflexes! When you can dodge me, you'll definitely be a Jonin!"

Uchiha Ikeizumi directly interrupted the cat and girl with a poker face: "Be specific. And lead the way."

Kijirō led the way, quickly saying, "It's human bones, meow, but the bones are very fragmented, and only a small portion. From my experience, this should be a human jawbone."

"My children searched everywhere in the sewers and found other bones on the other side, also part of a body, possibly from the same deceased person, meow."

"But no more can be found. They might have been washed away, or perhaps hidden elsewhere."

Izumi was startled: "Dis… dismemberment?!"

Izumi suddenly thought of something. She hesitated: "Since they are already bones, then they must have been dead for a long time. Are they fragments of bodies from outside village ninja during the war? After all, if bodies fell into the sewers, perhaps the village didn't have time to clean them up?"

"Oh? You've learned to analyze and think, rookie!" Kijirō patted Izumi's head: "Progress!"

"Let's go down and see," Uchiha Ikeizumi said calmly.

Not long after.

The ninja cat Kijirō led Uchiha Ikeizumi and Izumi to a somewhat secluded street within Konoha Village.

It leaped down from Izumi's small head, and Izumi quickly took the opportunity to straighten her disheveled hair.

"It's here."

Kijirō pointed to the opened manhole cover.

Beside the manhole cover, two other ninja cats stood guard.

"Lord Ikeizumi! Lord Kijirō!" x2

The two ninja cats spoke human language to greet them.

"Lord Ikeizumi, why don't I have my children bring up the bones… eh?" Kijirō had just finished speaking when he saw Uchiha Ikeizumi, without a word, jump directly into the sewer.

"Lord Ikeizumi, wait for me! Meow!"

It immediately followed.

"Ah? Senior Ikeizumi, wait for me!" Izumi also quickly jumped in.

....

"…The smell is awful." The moment Izumi followed and jumped down, she suddenly regretted it a little.

She couldn't describe the smell pervading the air.

The pitch-black environment, where she couldn't see her own hand, made her even more uncomfortable.

Suddenly.

She saw a faint light appear, and in the blink of an eye, the light filled her entire field of vision.

Hiss! Senior Ikeizumi's hand had turned into lava!

That light was the glow emanating from the lava!

"Lord Ikeizumi, it's this," As Kijirō's voice fell, Izumi also quickly leaned closer, looking intently.

"This is…" Izumi saw a palm-sized white bone placed on a relatively clean spot on the ground.

She also saw Senior Ikeizumi directly pick up the bone.

"The death occurred no more than five years ago."

Uchiha Ikeizumi said indifferently: "It has nothing to do with the war; this is a case of murder and dismemberment. The time it happened should be within the range of three to five years ago."