Naruto: Uchiha's Absolute Justice

Chapter 38: What I Can Do Is Purge Evil with Absolute Justice

"Senior, the body has become bones, and all the evidence must be gone. Where should we start investigating?" Izumi meekly asked.

Uchiha Ikeizumi calmly said, "Rookie, go back to the Police Force."

"Huh?" Izumi was momentarily confused.

Uchiha Ikeizumi continued, "Find the list of all missing persons in Konoha within the last five years and give it to me. Kijirō, have your ninja cats thoroughly search Konoha's sewers and collect all suspected human bone fragments. I'll wander around the village and see if I can try my luck."

Unfortunately, while the ninja world possessed techniques to extract DNA from bones, Konoha Village had not established a DNA database for its villagers, making it impossible to immediately identify victims through this method.

Izumi was wondering what kind of luck Senior could encounter by wandering around the village, when…

She suddenly recalled Senior telling her that his eyes possessed the ability to see through evil!

Hiss! Senior had found murderers this way several times before!

Izumi cast aside her hesitation and quickly replied, "Yes, Senior Ikeizumi!"

Kijirō also said, "Yes, Lord Ikeizumi!"

....

Izumi hurried back to the Uchiha clan compound. Just as she was about to quickly enter the Police Force building, a familiar figure suddenly appeared in front of her, making her pause.

She shook her head in disbelief, closed her eyes for a full two seconds, and then reopened them.

But the figure in front of her remained.

"…Itachi-kun?" Izumi couldn't help but tentatively ask.

She saw the other person turn around.

A familiar face entered the young girl's vision—it was indeed the eldest son of the Uchiha clan head, Itachi Uchiha!

"It's Izumi," Itachi Uchiha suppressed his rather heavy feelings, looking at his only friend, and forced a polite smile.

Izumi immediately said with surprise, "Itachi-kun, it's really you! Why didn't you say anything about returning to Konoha? I thought you were still on a ninja mission outside the village."

Itachi Uchiha managed a smile, "I just got back not long ago."

He had no joy in reuniting with a friend.

Because in the short time since his return to the village, he had already realized that the conflict between the village and the Uchiha clan was becoming increasingly irreconcilable.

The most significant point of irreconcilable conflict recently was that Uchiha Ikeizumi had killed the Hokage-sama's eldest son, Shin'nosuke Sarutobi!

He could already feel the dark gloom enveloping the Uchiha.

Like a cage, trapping all the Uchiha within, with no one able to struggle free.

If this conflict continued to escalate, leading to the village having to resort to special measures… the Uchiha clan would definitely cease to exist!

And the Uchiha clan's retaliation would cause severe losses to Konoha, gravely wounding the village, and utterly disappointing the Hokage-sama and others towards the Uchiha clan.

By then…

Sasuke…

One bad thought after another swirled in Itachi Uchiha's mind, causing his eyes to cloud over with a hint of gloom.

His mood grew even heavier.

"Itachi-kun, is something bothering you?" Izumi keenly felt that Itachi Uchiha's expression was a bit off: "Is it because the ANBU mission didn't go smoothly? Or something else?"

Itachi Uchiha snapped back to reality, shaking his head expressionlessly: "…Nothing."

Itachi Uchiha then suddenly noticed that Izumi's attire was the Uchiha Police Force's combat uniform.

He remembered that Izumi had only recently graduated from the Ninja Academy half a month ago.

Itachi Uchiha changed the subject, allowing his turbulent thoughts to calm slightly. He asked without much emotion, "Have you joined the Police Force? Are you getting used to it?"

Izumi nodded, a confident smile on her face: "Yes! Currently, I'm just a Police Force apprentice. I still need a long assessment period to become a full member. Although it's very tiring normally, I'm sort of getting used to it! After all, Senior Ikeizumi is only strict on the surface; in reality, he's quite caring towards his subordinates."

Itachi Uchiha was stunned: "Ikeizumi… Senior?"

Izumi's smile stiffened slightly.

Oh no, it must be because she was too tired yesterday, and didn't sleep well last night, causing her memory to decline.

She actually forgot that Senior Ikeizumi and Itachi-kun didn't get along!

"Is it Uchiha Ikeizumi?" Itachi Uchiha asked.

"…Yes."

Izumi nodded stiffly.

She now wished she could flick herself on the forehead.

Itachi Uchiha paused in silence for a moment, then finally chose to warn his last remaining friend: "Izumi, I hope you don't think I'm speaking too much. Uchiha Ikeizumi's ideals are sometimes too extreme. Shisui… "

He paused for half a second, took a deep breath, and continued: "Shisui once told me that Uchiha Ikeizumi's stance belongs not to the Uchiha, nor to Konoha, but only to himself. He is the kind of person who will not only harm those who oppose him, but also those close to him. Especially his [Absolute Justice], it will bring big trouble to the Uchiha."

"The [Absolute Justice] Senior Ikeizumi believes in won't bring any trouble to the Uchiha clan!" Upon hearing Itachi Uchiha say those words, Izumi almost instinctively blurted out.

Itachi Uchiha froze.

Izumi also froze.

She pursed her lips, fiddling with the hem of her clothes, and said, "I don't know what conflict Senior Ikeizumi and Itachi-kun had. But, I want to say that Senior Ikeizumi's absolute justice has never done anything wrong."

"He is also dutifully fulfilling the responsibilities and obligations of a Police Force ninja. He has always silently upheld [Justice] alone, and has always suppressed the corrupt practices within Konoha."

"It's just that everyone's understanding of Senior is too shallow, and Senior's personality is such that he doesn't like to say things he deems meaningless, which has led to many misunderstandings about him."

"I believe that these misunderstandings will one day disappear!"

Izumi didn't know why she was explaining all this to Itachi-kun.

Perhaps it was because she chose to follow Senior's [Absolute Justice], and subconsciously wanted to uphold [Absolute Justice].

And subconsciously wanted to protect Senior Ikeizumi.

Itachi Uchiha gazed at the young girl's hesitant yet earnest expression. His expression remained unchanged as he said, "Have you made up your mind to follow that man's extreme ninja way?"

"Yes!"

Izumi said with a serious small face, "Ever since Ninja Academy, I've always wanted to catch up to geniuses like you, Itachi-kun. It's just that my talent is ordinary, I only graduated from the academy at twelve, and I had no plans for my future… "

"But I believe I can realize my value in Konoha through another means! After meeting Senior Ikeizumi and gradually understanding his character, I gained a clear understanding of how to achieve my life's purpose."

"Itachi-kun, using the means of [Absolute Justice] to purge the 'evil' of the ninja world—that is my ninja way, Izumi Uchiha!"

Itachi Uchiha was silent for a moment.

"Is that your resolve?" he said expressionlessly, "It certainly has spirit. However, your path is misguided…"

"Meow, rookie, what are you doing?" A strangely accented voice suddenly interrupted Itachi Uchiha.

A black ninja cat stood on the eaves of a nearby house.

It spoke to Izumi in human language, "Grandfather Kijirō sent me to supervise you. Have you gotten the list of missing persons, meow?"

"Eh! You're that ninja cat who was guarding the sewer entrance earlier, right?"

Izumi looked up and quickly said, "Ah! Wait for me, I'm going now!"

Watching Izumi hurry into the Police Force building.

Itachi Uchiha withdrew his gaze, then shifted his calm eyes to the black ninja cat.

The black ninja cat was also gazing at him.

"Itachi Uchiha…" The ninja cat's fur on its back bristled slightly. It unconsciously retreated a few steps—ninja cats associated with Uchiha Ikeizumi, like Uchiha Ikeizumi himself, were not fond of Itachi Uchiha, the clan head's eldest son.

One could even say they were somewhat hostile.

Itachi Uchiha hesitated for a moment.

Ultimately, he chose not to use his Sharingan to interrogate the ninja cat for information about Uchiha Ikeizumi.

"Tell Uchiha Ikeizumi for me."

Itachi Uchiha slowly said to the ninja cat, "His actions will only deepen the conflict between the village and the Uchiha clan. By then, an irreversible situation will arise. I hope he can consider the village's stance, and also the preciousness of peace."

.....

"Meow! Lord Ikeizumi! Bad news!"

The black ninja cat didn't stay to wait for Izumi, as it quickly rushed back to inform Uchiha Ikeizumi.

The ninja cat panted, urgently saying, "Lord Ikeizumi, Uchiha… Uchiha Itachi has returned to the village, meow!!!"

"He's a Konoha ninja, isn't it normal for him to return to the village?"

Uchiha Ikeizumi's emotions remained undisturbed.

The ninja cat was startled. It said, "But Lord Ikeizumi used to say that Uchiha Itachi would commit unspeakable evil deeds, meow? Lord Ikeizumi originally has the power to see others' future evil, right? And your power has never been wrong."

Uchiha Ikeizumi paused slightly, then said, "If you knew a person would commit unspeakable evil in the future, but they haven't yet had the chance to do so, what would you do?"

The ninja cat was distressed: "I'm just a ninja cat, my brain can't handle such profound questions…"

"Perhaps…"

The black ninja cat meekly said, "I'd try to stop them?"

Uchiha Ikeizumi said, "I advised the clan head, and also the clan head's wife, to have Uchiha Itachi's mind checked, that their eldest son's mind is definitely very sick. I also told Uchiha Shisui that he would regret saving Uchiha Itachi."

"I've taken many 'pre-emptive' measures to stop things. If the other party still willingly descends into darkness and becomes a beast, then what I can do is purge evil with [Absolute Justice]."

Suddenly.

A loud shout from the distance reached their ears.

"Senior! Miss… missing persons list found!!!"

The Uchiha girl, hugging a stack of documents, came rushing over.