Naruto: Uchiha's Absolute Justice

Chapter 43: Uchiha Ikeizumi's Blood Relatives

Izumi found it hard to reconcile Clan Head Fugaku's stern, poker face with the word "coward."

After all, in her eyes, Fugaku Uchiha still had a strong, oppressive presence.

Even standing before the clan head, she could feel the pressure.

"Kijirō, why would Clan Head Fugaku be looking for Senior Ikeizumi?" Izumi pushed away her strange thoughts. A sudden curiosity dispelled much of the malice from the recent killing. She asked again.

"Rookie, you should call me Senior, meow! I've been following Lord Ikeizumi for many years longer than you have!"

Kijirō emphasized, somewhat displeased.

He then replied, "I'm not entirely sure about the specifics, but it seems to be about a case?"

Izumi's heart skipped a beat.

Could it be that Clan Head Fugaku's intelligence was so good that he already knew Senior Ikeizumi and she had forcefully crashed the Hokage-sama's eldest son's funeral, and that she had executed a piece of scum at the funeral?

Was Clan Head Fugaku planning to summon them back for questioning and punishment?

Izumi felt uneasy.

Compared to Uchiha Ikeizumi, who no longer cared about Clan Head Fugaku's position, Izumi actually still held a degree of fear and respect for Fugaku Uchiha.

Not long after.

They returned to the Uchiha clan compound, and the ceaseless drizzle finally stopped.

Izumi shook the water from her head, feeling increasingly unsettled as she followed Senior Ikeizumi into the Police Force building.

Then, she saw Senior Ikeizumi push open the door without knocking and walk directly into Clan Head Fugaku's Police Force office.

Izumi had no choice but to brace herself and follow.

"Lord Fugaku," she greeted politely, but she noticed that Senior Ikeizumi next to her remained silent.

"Hm."

Fugaku nodded to Izumi, then looked at Uchiha Ikeizumi, his impassive face holding a complex gaze as he said, "Ikeizumi, I have some bad news. You might need to prepare yourself."

"Speak," Uchiha Ikeizumi said directly.

Fugaku hesitated, then said, "Do you know Uchiha Onigawara?"

Uchiha Ikeizumi lifted an eyebrow.

Fugaku sighed, his face clouded over, and slowly said, "Something happened to him. A month ago, when he went on a mission outside the village with two companions, only he returned. His excuse at the time was that his two companions were killed by enemies."

"But, after the Police Force investigation. It was actually him who killed his two companions. Moreover, it wasn't in self-defense, but a deliberate, morbidly malicious torture and killing."

"Ikeizumi, he's related to you by blood, which is why I called you here to ask for your opinion."

If it were just an ordinary member of the Uchiha clan, Fugaku could have handled it himself.

However…

When the individual involved was connected to Uchiha Ikeizumi.

Things became complicated.

"Related to Senior Ikeizumi by blood…" Izumi, who was behind him, was stunned for a moment. She had always thought that Senior Ikeizumi was all alone within the Uchiha clan, with no family ties.

"Meow, it's just that Lord Ikeizumi is too lazy to contact them."

Kijirō saw through the young girl's undisguised confusion.

It leaped onto the girl's shoulder, its weight making Izumi's left shoulder sink slightly.

Kijirō whispered, "Uchiha Onigawara is Lord Ikeizumi's deceased mother's younger brother. But he's not a member of the Uchiha Police Force; like Itachi Uchiha, he's an ANBU ninja."

"But it seems that because of a mission a month ago, his two companions died under suspicious circumstances, and he was temporarily suspended for investigation."

Izumi suddenly understood.

Only then did she realize that Senior Ninja Cat Kijirō knew so much strange information!

He even knew things like this!

"Is the evidence conclusive?" Uchiha Ikeizumi simply asked, without even a hint of doubt. Fugaku also saw not the slightest trace of anger on the young man's face.

Fugaku said, "That's what his confession states."

"Then kill him."

"Good… Huh?"

Fugaku suddenly reacted, his poker face finally showing a ripple of surprise. He looked at Uchiha Ikeizumi in astonishment, reminding him, "Ikeizumi, he's your mother's younger brother. If we're talking about seniority, he's your maternal uncle, and you're his nephew."

Uchiha Ikeizumi asked, "Does that have any bearing on 'kill him'?"

Fugaku was momentarily stunned, then hesitated: "At least go see him with your own eyes, to make sure there's no misjudgment?"

Uchiha Ikeizumi said, "If such a minor matter could lead to misjudgment, the Police Force might as well disband."

Fugaku: "…"

He was a bit stumped by Uchiha Ikeizumi at the moment. Could he be so cold-blooded even towards his own blood relatives?

However.

Thinking back, he had never seen Uchiha Ikeizumi in conflict with his blood relatives before, so there was indeed no precedent for him to understand Ikeizumi's views on this matter.

Now, Fugaku understood—Uchiha Ikeizumi would wield the butcher's knife without hesitation, even against his closest blood relatives!

But at that moment, he heard Uchiha Ikeizumi say, "If I were to condone him living on in this world simply because of his close relation to me, then [Absolute Justice] would become a joke in the ninja world."

Was it because of the Absolute Justice he believed in again?

Fugaku remained silent for a moment, then slowly said, "Ikeizumi, you should still go…"

—BOOM!

A sudden, deafening roar shook the Police Force building, cutting off Fugaku's words.

Fugaku's expression changed slightly.

Izumi nearly lost her footing.

Then, a Police Force member burst in, frantically reporting, "Lord Fugaku! Something's happened! Uchiha Onigawara killed one of the clan members guarding him and escaped by breaking through the detention cell wall!"

Fugaku shot up to his feet.

His expression was extremely grim.

While many Uchiha clan members' mental states were inherently unstable, a person like Uchiha Onigawara, who not only tortured and killed his ANBU comrades but also murdered the Police Force member guarding him just to escape… was an extreme case, a rare occurrence even within the Uchiha clan, perhaps once in a decade.

Fugaku had never imagined the man would be so brazen! Doing this was practically tearing ties with both the village and the Uchiha.

That meant…

—Uchiha Onigawara was going to defect from Konoha!

At a time when there were serious misunderstandings between the village and the Uchiha.

If a Uchiha clan ninja were to defect from Konoha.

The entire Uchiha clan would never be able to clear their name, even if they jumped into the river.

"Order all Police Force members to act immediately! Apprehend Uchiha Onigawara!" Fugaku gritted his teeth, his face dark: "At all costs, make sure to stop him before he leaves Konoha!"

"Ikeizumi, you too… Hm?"

Only then did Fugaku realize with surprise that Uchiha Ikeizumi, who had just been in the office, was already gone.

"Meow, Lord Ikeizumi left five seconds ago."

Kijirō said, licking his paws.

...

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