After all, that idiot father and son had stirred up such public outrage that even if Uchiha Qianyu's methods were extreme, those so-called victims and onlookers would probably think he had done a fine job.
The potential fallout of this matter also gave Hiruzen Sarutobi a terrible headache.
But this was what he told Uchiha Shisui...
"Shisui, I understand the people you mentioned."
"Qianyu may indeed have helped them, rid them of disaster, and punished evildoers, but..."
"If everyone were like him, able to kill directly without trial, with all judgments of guilt based solely on the so-called justice in their own hearts, what kind of chaos would this village, this world, become?"
"Today, a gambling addict deserves to die for being addicted to gambling. Tomorrow, does someone who steals chickens and dogs deserve to die?"
"Today, someone deserves to die for accidentally killing an innocent person. Tomorrow, does an innocent person falsely accused of being a criminal deserve to die?"
"Do not worship one person's justice."
"Do not worship a lone hero who does whatever he pleases."
"Worship those who use just means to carry out justice..."
Uchiha Shisui fell into thought.
"Lord Hokage, I understand..."
"It seems my thinking was still too naive. I was easily stirred up by that man Uchiha Qianyu's words..."
"Thank you, Lord Hokage, for setting me straight and clearing away my confusion."
Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled gently. "It is best that you understand."
"You and Itachi are both good children, and you are also the best candidates to resolve the conflict between the village and the Uchiha clan."
"So..."
"I would like to ask something of you."
Uchiha Shisui hurriedly said, "Please give your orders, Lord Hokage."
"I hope you can do everything in your power to restrain the Uchiha clan's rising fighting spirit!"
Uchiha Shisui's heart jolted.
This was the first time Lord Hokage had spoken so plainly.
Clearly, this showed that he trusted him more and more.
Uchiha Shisui felt the weight of his responsibility, yet he also felt an inexplicable sense of pride.
"Please rest assured, Lord Hokage. I will give everything I have to accomplish it!"
"Mm, then I can rest easy..."
The smoke ring Hiruzen Sarutobi exhaled spread throughout the room.
The rotten, stale smell grew even stronger.
"Captain Qianyu, if..."
"One day, Yamamoto and I made a mistake, would you kill us without hesitation too?"
During their patrol, Uchiha Aoki, who had been following behind him, suddenly asked.
"I would."
Qianyu answered coldly.
Uchiha Aoki and Uchiha Yamikaze exchanged glances and revealed faint bitter smiles at the same time.
"You really are cold-hearted..."
"Is there nothing else in the captain's heart besides justice?"
"There is."
"What is it?"
"The strength needed to carry out justice."
"..."
"Then what about companions? Friends? Clan members?"
Qianyu swept over Konoha like a vulture, speeding onward as his sharp eyes scanned the entire village. In his eyes, that sin and darkness were like rotting flesh—his prey and sustenance.
"What the other clan members think does not matter."
"But you and I are first members of the Police Force responsible for law enforcement, and only then are we Uchiha clan members."
"If you speak of the Uchiha every day, then you have already planted the seed of injustice in your heart."
The two fell into thought.
"Though what Captain says makes sense, we are human after all. I am afraid it is simply impossible to completely cast aside the bonds and emotions of family..."
"That is why this ninja world needs my existence."
"Captain really is a heartless law enforcement machine..."
"I wonder what we subordinates are in Captain's eyes?"
Qianyu suddenly stopped walking.
Aoki and Yamikaze froze, then barely managed to stop as well.
"What is it, Captain?"
Qianyu turned and glanced at them.
"Rather than subordinates, or perhaps younger brothers, I would rather regard you as..."
"Followers who can inherit and carry forward my will."
"Of course, perhaps that is only my wishful thinking."
"After all, you were born in this ninja world. The soil you grew from is completely different, and many ideas have already taken deep root."
"But if I can influence you a little more, make you understand my methods a little better, then perhaps there will be a little hope."
Aoki said, "I know everything Captain has done was for justice, but do you not think your methods really are a little too extreme?"
Qianyu said, "Of course they are extreme. To correct an imbalance, one must overcorrect."
"Otherwise, you will never see hope."
Yamikaze was silent for a moment. "I understand, Captain Qianyu. I am willing to follow in your footsteps and create a new world that purges sin in the name of justice!"
Aoki said as well, "So am I!"
Qianyu nodded.
Though his methods appeared extreme, he ultimately had some supporters behind him.
And these people, just like himself, would possess fanatical power once awakened.
In Qianyu's eyes, this tiny bit of light was a spark that could start a prairie fire.
"Clan Head, Lord Jiro's body has been prepared. What do you think..."
"When should we bury him?"
Sarutobi Hiogo glanced at the corpse covered by a layer of white cloth. Though the head and body had barely been joined together, that line of blood still seeped through, staining the white cloth red.
He clenched his fists fiercely.
"No, there is no need for burial."
"Before that, I want that beast Uchiha Qianyu to be buried alongside Jiro!"
The Sarutobi clan members were all greatly alarmed.
"Clan Head, this... this may be..."
"Lord Hokage instructed us not to act rashly. If we act recklessly, it may completely trigger a conflict. The Uchiha clan is already a powder keg; once ignited, the consequences will be unimaginable..."
"Clan Head, please reconsider..."
"Impudence!"
Sarutobi Hiogo flew into a rage. "Do you think that just because Lord Hokage said he would remove me as clan head, you people can come here and lecture me, educate me now?!"
"Th-this subordinate would not dare..."
"When has our Sarutobi clan ever been bullied by outsiders like this?!"
"Can you really endure an Uchiha killing one of our clan members?!"
"Jiro may indeed have been in the wrong, but who gave Uchiha Qianyu the authority to execute first and report later? What right did he have to kill him directly without any trial or Lord Hokage's judgment?!"
"Today, he can kill Jiro in public. Tomorrow, the Uchiha clan can ride roughshod over our Sarutobi clan. Must we be reduced to being slaughtered by others?!"
His words immediately stirred the hatred and fury of many clan members.
"Clan Head is right!"
"We must teach the Uchiha clan a lesson!"
"That is right! They must hand over the murderer, or we will let them know who truly is Konoha's number one clan!"
For a time, righteous indignation surged and their blood boiled.
Though Sarutobi Hiogo was no longer clan head in name, the prestige, authority, and loyal forces he had accumulated over the years were still far from insignificant.
Now, he personally led the way, accompanied by twenty or thirty fanatical Sarutobi clan members, as they charged toward the Uchiha clan's territory.
Sarutobi Hiogo gripped the katana in his hand tightly. In his mind, he rehearsed countless times the image of his blade cutting through Uchiha Qianyu's neck...
"Jiro, wait a little longer..."
"Very soon, Uchiha Qianyu will join you in the Pure Land of the underworld!"
Before you continue