This Road Is Closed—Whoever Comes Dies (Please, Please Keep Reading!!!)

Inside the Root Base.

Danzo glowered darkly at the retreating backs of Sarutobi Hiruzen and the Anbu Ninja.

Only after they had completely vanished from sight—

did Danzo's emotions finally erupt.

"Bas—tard!!!"

All the research materials concerning Wood Style and the Sharingan had been extorted away by that bastard Monkey.

He had even been forced to hand over the remaining two Three-Tomoe Sharingan that had yet to be transplanted into his body.

He had painstakingly led Root to secretly acquire every one of those Sharingan during the Third Shinobi World War.

And now, not only had Uchiha Chisen wasted one Sharingan,

but that bastard Monkey had extorted two more from him!

This was the explanation Monkey wanted—one that satisfied him.

And—

before leaving, Sarutobi Hiruzen had given Danzo a warning, or rather, a threat.

—"Danzo, do not let this old man learn of anything similar happening again. The first time, this old man tolerated you because you have indeed made many contributions to Konoha. Next time, this old man will have no such patience. If there is a next time, you can give up your position as Root's leader."

Recalling Sarutobi Hiruzen's words, Danzo clenched his fists tight.

"Root is clearly the root I raised with my own hands, pouring my heart and soul into it. What right does he have to threaten my position in Root?!"

He ground out each word through clenched teeth.

"Bastard Monkey! And that Uchiha brat, evil from birth!!!"

Just then—

a Root intelligence officer hurried back to the Root Base and immediately reported the new intelligence to Danzo.

"Lord Danzo, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Uzumaki Naruto, was taken to the Military Police Force Building by Uchiha Chisen! It is said this happened with the tacit approval of the Third Hokage."

Danzo: "???"

Inside the Uchiha Compound.

"Uchiha Chisen took that Demon Fox brat to the Military Police Force Building?"

An Uchiha ninja's eyes lit up at once. With an eager gleam in his gaze, he said, "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! It is said that the Nine-Tails Fox from back then was sealed inside that brat—he is the Jinchuriki!"

"If we can control the Jinchuriki's power, which of those old undead fools in the village's high council would dare raise their voice at the Uchiha Clan?"

He said excitedly, "Who would have thought that Uchiha Chisen, who usually seems so out of place, so antisocial, and even often clashes with his own clansmen..."

"would actually be so reliable when it mattered!"

Uzumaki Naruto was most likely the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki—something that appeared to be a "secret" known only to the Konoha High Council.

But no one was stupid. Rumors had always circulated throughout the village that the brat was the Demon Fox Incarnation, a harbinger of disaster.

Most rumors did not arise from nowhere.

With just a little thought, it was obvious that he had an inseparable connection to the tailed beast, the Nine-Tails Fox.

At that moment, another Uchiha ninja beside him frowned and sneered. "I heard Uzumaki Naruto is in Lord Fugaku's office. Given Lord Fugaku's personality... heh, do you think he would let us use the Jinchuriki to intimidate the village's high council?"

"That is Fugaku the Fierce Eye, the man who 'considers the bigger picture'!"

Another Uchiha ninja gritted his teeth. "Hmph! Patriarch Fugaku is simply too indecisive! But if we gather some clansmen and put a little pressure on him, could he really refuse?"

"If we possess the Demon Fox's power, the coup plan we have been plotting can be carried out ahead of schedule."

"We can ask Elder Setsuna to step in!"

"..."

There were more than twenty Uchiha ninjas gathered together.

Every one of them belonged to the Uchiha Clan's Hawk faction.

They all regarded Uchiha Setsuna—the senior Uchiha Hawk elder who had once attempted a coup, been imprisoned by the Second Hokage for many years as a result, and was only released in recent years—as their core.

However, this younger group of Uchiha Hawks was still too slow to react.

Several Uchiha Hawk Elders led by Uchiha Setsuna—

had already rushed straight for the Military Police Force Building!

However...

"Uchiha Chisen, what do you mean by this?!" Uchiha Setsuna, who was about the same age as Sarutobi Hiruzen, leaned on a cane as he stared fixedly at Uchiha Chisen, who stood in the middle of the street blocking his path.

"Ch-Chisen-senpai, what are you..." Izumi, who was following behind Uchiha Chisen, stared at him in stunned disbelief as well.

Before their eyes—

Uchiha Chisen directly drew the Ninja Sword from Izumi's waist, then stood quietly in the street of the Uchiha Compound with the blade in hand.

In an instant, the atmosphere became taut with hostility.

The guards brought by the Hawk Elders also stepped forward one after another, confronting the suddenly appearing Uchiha Chisen.

Uchiha Chisen paid no attention to Uchiha Setsuna's questioning. His expression remained calm as he said to Izumi beside him, "Rookie, if a conflict occurs between 'evil' and 'evil,' and that conflict can make them both suffer losses—or even perish together..."

"but that conflict will affect many people who should never have been affected. Do you think [Absolute Justice] should stand by and do nothing, or should it stop this from happening?"

Izumi froze.

She racked her brain, twirling a lock of hair around her fingertip as she cautiously answered, "Senpai, that question is too profound... but I don't think [Absolute Justice] should be so heartless."

Her courage gradually rose. "If... if I were the one deciding, I would choose to stop it!"

Eh, wait...

Chisen-senpai would not ask her this for no reason.

And considering what Chisen-senpai was doing now—

Gasp!

Could it be that, in senpai's eyes, these elderly Uchiha Clan elders before them were also embodiments of "evil"?

Then who was the other "evil"...

Which side was it? Lord Fugaku's? Or the Hokage's?

Izumi swallowed quietly.

"Rookie, you only got half of it right." Uchiha Chisen said slowly, "[Absolute Justice] has no room for personal feelings. It must be carried through with utterly ruthless methods. The reason this must be stopped—is that [Absolute Justice] does not permit any 'evil' to strut about before its eyes."

"Even if you know that letting 'evil' fight 'evil' would bring [Justice] nothing but benefits and no drawbacks... allowing 'evil' to act wantonly before your eyes is already a betrayal of [Absolute Justice]."

"Rookie, never entertain the idea of indulging one 'evil' so that it can destroy itself together with another 'evil.' If the slightest mishap occurs and they fail to destroy each other..."

"then this approach will only allow one of those 'evils' to expand in power until even [Absolute Justice] can no longer suppress it."

The Uchiha Hawks' coup plan was not "evil" to Uchiha Chisen, because it was only a plan.

But the wanton behavior during the coup, their trampling of justice, their twisted and diseased actions...

were "evil" in Uchiha Chisen's eyes.

The reason he knew so clearly was entirely because of the red-and-white boxes before his eyes.

"Evil" was displayed within them in full clarity.

Only then did Uchiha Chisen spare a glance for Uchiha Setsuna, whose expression kept shifting.

But the words he spoke made Uchiha Setsuna's fury surge.

"This road is closed."

"Whoever comes dies."