Absolute Justice Is Not Blind Justice

[Absolute Justice] was not [Blind Justice].

Uchiha Chisen did not return to the Konoha Military Police Force headquarters with Izumi.

Instead, he headed toward Konoha's center of power—the Hokage Building!

After arriving at the Hokage Building, Uchiha Chisen made his way to the Hokage's office door with practiced ease.

He knocked lightly. When a voice from inside said, "Come in,"

Uchiha Chisen pushed the door open and entered.

—His movements were far too familiar, as though he did this often.

"Chisen..."

The moment Sarutobi Hiruzen looked up, he saw a black-haired young man whose looks ranked among the finest even within the Uchiha Clan.

Setting down the documents in his hand, he sighed. "I've lost count of how many times I've reminded you. Sometimes, you don't need to cling so stubbornly to iron-fisted methods. Law enforcement should have strength, but it should also have warmth."

"The Shinobi World War ended many years ago. This is no longer an extraordinary time. Everyone is looking forward to a better future, so the Uchiha Clan can ease up a little on the intensity of its enforcement."

After patiently and earnestly advising him, he took the initiative to ask, "What caused such a huge commotion this time?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen did not mention the complaints against Uchiha Chisen.

He knew that even if he did, Uchiha Chisen would not care.

After all, he had watched this child grow up. Especially after noticing how completely different he was from the other Uchiha, Sarutobi Hiruzen had interacted with Uchiha Chisen frequently.

He believed he understood Uchiha Chisen very well.

Yet for some reason, Sarutobi Hiruzen always felt that the way this child looked at him was somewhat strange.

Hmm...

It was probably just an illusion, right?!

Uchiha Chisen shifted his meaningful gaze away from the red box above Sarutobi Hiruzen's head. Meeting Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes, he said, "Konoha civilian Akiyama Jiro, after losing a gambling bet two days ago, became drunk and injured his four-year-old child, resulting in the child's death. The victim's body is currently being brought back to the Military Police Force."

Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned deeply. "A murder case..."

He did not even question the truth of Uchiha Chisen's words.

Sarutobi Hiruzen let out a breath and patiently said, "Chisen, if you encounter something like this again, you should let the Land of Fire's legal code become the weapon that punishes criminals."

"Your unauthorized use of excessive force against criminals has already stirred dissatisfaction among many people. Sometimes, even I, Konoha's Hokage, find it difficult to suppress those voices."

Expressionless, Uchiha Chisen said, "Lenient laws only become murderous tools that abet evil. [Absolute Justice] is what can sweep away every demon and monster."

Sarutobi Hiruzen choked on his words.

He gave a bitter smile. He seemed to have lost track of how many times Uchiha Chisen had retorted to him like this.

"Hokage."

Before turning to leave, Uchiha Chisen said to Sarutobi Hiruzen, "There is one more thing you got wrong. My law enforcement has always had warmth—warmth as intense as lava in a volcano."

With that said, he left without even bidding Sarutobi Hiruzen farewell.

Sarutobi Hiruzen: "..."

As intense as volcanic lava? Didn't that mean whoever touched it would die?

Right!

Sarutobi Hiruzen suddenly remembered that there was something more important he needed to ask Uchiha Chisen. He had wanted to ask what Uchiha Chisen thought about the increasingly intense resistance brewing within the Uchiha Clan.

"Forget it..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen had a feeling that before long, Uchiha Chisen would come to the Hokage's office again for the same reason.

After leaving the Hokage Building, Uchiha Chisen made a trip to the Konoha Military Police Force.

He did not see Izumi.

Then, a curious voice suddenly sounded from the side. "Chisen, that recruit trainee you brought in... the one called 'Uchiha Izumi'—is she still alive?"

Uchiha Izumi was actually rather well-known within the Uchiha Clan.

The only half-blood Uchiha—she could be considered a rare specimen.

Uchiha Chisen glanced over and saw that the speaker was also a member of the Konoha Military Police Force. The man's face looked vaguely familiar, but Uchiha Chisen could not remember his name.

"Alive."

His answer was brief.

Those two words seemed to shock everyone. Quite a few nearby members of the Konoha Military Police Force turned to look over in surprise.

Whispers of discussion gradually rose around them.

"Hey, hey, seriously? I remember Chisen had two trainees before. Those two unlucky guys... one was killed on the first day for disobeying his orders; the other was supposedly driven to awaken his Sharingan on the first day of the assessment, but was also driven into severe mental illness because of it."

Clearly, this person had no proper understanding of the Uchiha Clan's hereditary mental illness.

"Pfft, how rare! Could that half-blood Uchiha Genin actually be a newcomer with 'potential'?"

"She only survived today. Maybe she'll be killed tomorrow."

"Come to think of it... Uchiha Chisen killed a clansman before. Why did the clan head turn a blind eye to such vile conduct? He even let this guy remain a ninja in the Military Police Force?"

"I heard the clansman he killed was found to have done something unspeakable. But the clan head sealed off the information. What exactly happened is probably known only to the clan head and Uchiha Chisen."

"Tch, a piece of trash died, so what? What's there to discuss?"

"..."

The hushed gossip stirred no emotional reaction in Uchiha Chisen.

He merely swept his gaze over those colleagues, his eyes lingering briefly on the white boxes floating above their heads.

Uchiha Kaede—Nine days from now, while apprehending a thief, he would secretly pocket the stolen goods and submit a false case report to the Military Police Force. Sin Level: White Name!

Uchiha Rei—Three days from now, she would engage in an immoral affair with her colleague Uchiha Momoha's husband. Sin Level: White Name!

Uchiha Natsuki—Half a month from now...

Among the members of the Konoha Military Police Force—and even among all the ninjas in Konoha—only a very small number lacked either a White Name or Red Name above their heads in his eyes.

Their numbers were so scarce that they might account for only a little over thirty percent of the village's ninjas.

However, [Absolute Justice] was not [Blind Justice], much less the deranged sort of justice that slaughtered every last person in the Shinobi World.

Even if he knew someone might fall into the abyss of "evil" over some incident in the future, Uchiha Chisen was not foolish enough to want to snuff out their life in the cradle.

His past experience had told him that future evil deeds were not absolute certainties. They could change with the occurrence of certain twists and turns.

As for why he had such strange experience...

Well, everyone went through trial and error while growing up.

Although Uchiha Chisen's heart remained utterly unmoved, the look in his eyes still caused the group's whispers to grow quieter and quieter.

Until these members of the Konoha Military Police Force stopped whispering altogether, their expressions somewhat strained.

They did not know why... but they felt as though needles were pricking their backs!

As if something were watching them.

"Ch-Chisen-senpai!" The girl's breathless, weary voice suddenly drew closer from afar.

"I..."

"I brought the corpse back!"