Recognition of Absolute Justice

Recognition of [Absolute Justice]

Meanwhile.

Seeing that night had fully fallen, Sarutobi Hiruzen rubbed his aching brow and let out a heavy sigh. Yet the gloom lingering on his aged face was not so easily dispelled.

Today, he had originally wanted Sarutobi Shinosuke to quietly complete his final journey.

But who could have expected Uchiha Chisen to emerge halfway through?

Sarutobi Hiruzen held deeply complicated feelings toward everything Uchiha Chisen had done today.

From a public standpoint, he should have supported Uchiha Chisen in carrying out justice. After all, what "Yamada Binjiro" had done had pierced straight through the bottom line of the Laws of the Land of Fire. Even if Chisen's methods had been somewhat extreme, going so far as to have his subordinate kill the man directly...

Sarutobi Hiruzen still felt that Uchiha Chisen had done nothing wrong.

But.

From a private standpoint, he was Sarutobi Shinosuke's father. For such an incredibly discordant incident to occur at his eldest son's funeral was a tremendous provocation and blow to any father.

Not to mention, Chisen was the one who had killed Shinosuke!

"Whew..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen murmured, "But Konoha cannot withstand a civil war with no prior preparation. There are already fewer and fewer pillars in the village capable of shouldering such a burden... Chisen is one of the few among the younger generation who can bear it."

"Even if the Uchiha Clan cannot produce a Hokage, he could one day take Danzo's place, or Homura's, or Koharu's."

It was precisely this dilemma, with no way forward or back.

That left even him unable to make sense of what he was feeling.

Sarutobi Hiruzen gathered himself from his foul mood.

He prepared to leave the Hokage Building.

But just then, an Anbu Ninja suddenly leaped in through the open window. Half-kneeling before Sarutobi Hiruzen, he quickly reported, "Lord Hokage, Uchiha Chisen killed his only living relative, 'Uchiha Onigawara,' today."

Sarutobi Hiruzen halted.

"Uchiha Onigawara... Was he the one suspected of brutally murdering two Anbu comrades while carrying out a mission outside the village?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen was no stranger to the name Uchiha Onigawara.

The man had once been a member of the Anbu as well.

And Sarutobi Hiruzen himself had ordered Uchiha Onigawara suspended pending investigation.

"Yes." The Anbu Ninja nodded.

Sarutobi Hiruzen muttered, "Since Chisen killed him, that means this old man did not wrongfully accuse him."

Thinking of something, he immediately asked, "Was Uchiha Onigawara Chisen's only living relative?"

"Yes."

The Anbu's answer was identical to before, though there was a faint, nearly imperceptible fluctuation in his emotions.

Clearly, even a battle-hardened Anbu Ninja had been shocked by what Uchiha Chisen had done.

Sarutobi Hiruzen fell silent as well.

"Absolute Justice that spares not even one's kin..." After an unknown length of silence, he finally uttered those words with a complicated expression.

Sarutobi Hiruzen vaguely understood what Uchiha Chisen's [Absolute Justice] truly was.

"Whew..."

"Chisen, it is because you are too outstanding, and because you uphold justice too steadfastly, that this old man cannot regard you as his enemy merely because of the hatred born from what happened to Shinosuke..."

"Hmph! As expected, an Uchiha brat born evil! Someone who would not even spare a blood relative has already become an emotionless killing machine. The evil bloodline flowing through the Uchiha Clan should never have existed in this world!"

Elsewhere, Danzo had also received word from a Root Ninja.

"The eyes of the Uchiha Clan harbor an evil power beyond the imagination of ordinary people. Such power requires an immensely powerful mental stimulus for there to be even a chance of awakening it."

Danzo's eyes narrowed, suspicion and danger flickering in his gaze.

He was judging Uchiha Chisen's actions from the most malicious possible perspective.

He suddenly thought of Uchiha Shisui.

Shisui's eyes possessed the most evil power spoken of in Uchiha Clan legend. It was precisely because Uchiha Shisui had invited disaster by possessing such a treasure—and a "crime" so great that the entire Konoha High Council feared it—that Danzo had been unable to resist making a move against him.

And had attempted to seize the Mangekyō Sharingan!

Now... Danzo began to suspect whether Uchiha Chisen had awakened a Mangekyō Sharingan similar to Uchiha Shisui's.

Did he possess that evil power that sent chills down one's spine just hearing about it?

Feeling the faint stabbing pain that occasionally came from his left ear.

While wary in his heart, Danzo could not help but feel his fury rise. Grinding his teeth hard enough to crack them, he growled, "Monkey, if you had not stopped this old man that day, this old man would have strangled this evil Uchiha brat who threatens the village in the cradle long ago!"

His anger was not directed solely at Uchiha Chisen.

It also spilled over onto Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Even though Danzo knew full well that the odds of Uchiha Chisen awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan were not high—otherwise, after all these years, he would not have encountered only one Uchiha Shisui.

But once such a suspicion emerged in his heart, there was no suppressing it.

Like weeds continuously taking root and sprouting within Danzo's heart.

Leaving his expression dark and uncertain.

"Uchiha Chisen..."

"Sharingan..."

"This is the second time I've killed someone today!" Izumi soaked her entire body in the bathtub, her hair fanning out across the steaming water behind her.

Only the top half of her head remained above the surface, making her muttered words sound like nothing but "glub glub."

Izumi remembered the first time she killed someone clearly. Back then, she had been anxious and unsettled the entire night.

Even after returning home, she had worried that the Anbu would come arrest her.

Now, she seemed to have gotten used to it.

She realized she no longer felt even the slightest unease. Even the discomfort of killing someone had long since faded away.

"And..."

She gently covered her chest and raised her head from the water, murmuring to herself in confusion, "Why do I feel a kind of secret delight? I'm not some deranged killer. It definitely isn't because I killed someone that this strange feeling appeared, right?"

Izumi stood up and stepped out of the bathtub. After briefly rinsing the foam from her body, a flash of inspiration crossed her mind.

She suddenly understood.

"—It's recognition!"

She realized that the reason she felt secretly delighted was because she had discovered that, within the Uchiha Clan, there were people besides herself who recognized Senior Chisen's [Absolute Justice]!

And there were quite a few of them!

After all, on her way home after bidding farewell to Senior Chisen today, she had heard many people discussing him.

And it had not been negative discussion!

Even if they had merely developed a strange admiration for strength because of Senior Chisen's overly extreme methods.

Still...

At least it was a good start.

"Father, I want to meet Uchiha Chisen."

At the dinner table, Uchiha Itachi spoke solemnly to Fugaku.

Recommending a friend's new Naruto novel!

"Naruto: Becoming Tsunade's Golden Finger at the Start"

Bai Mu transmigrated into "Naruto," but lost his physical body. Fortunately, his soul could bind to a host. As long as the host completed his tasks and worked for him, he could obtain everything from all worlds, restore his physical body, and embark on the path to invincibility.