Antihero!

"Shisui, if a fight had really broken out just now, what would you have done?"

"I..."

Uchiha Shisui hesitated for a moment, then shook his head. "It wouldn't have."

"I wouldn't have let the Uchiha clan go to war with Konoha."

Fugaku Uchiha frowned.

He did not give an answer.

Nor did Fugaku press him further.

"Qianyu, come with me to see Lord Hokage."

Qianyu did not refuse and simply nodded.

Inside the Hokage's Office, Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression turned exceedingly grim after hearing Shinnosuke Sarutobi's report.

He slammed his hand against the desk, trembling with rage.

"That idiot Hiogo!"

"He's utterly hopeless! He actually did something this stupid, and even killed three Anbu!"

"He got exactly what he deserved!"

Shinnosuke Sarutobi said solemnly, "Father, no, Lord Hokage..."

"Even so, we can't just let the father and son die at the Uchiha's hands for nothing!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi closed his eyes, then opened them again.

"Of course not!"

"Lord Hokage, Fugaku Uchiha and Uchiha Qianyu have arrived."

"Let them in."

"Yes."

Fugaku pushed the door open and entered first. "Lord Hokage, I've brought Qianyu."

Qianyu followed behind him, his expression as calm as ever.

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at him, his face immensely grave.

"Clan Head Fugaku, at the Police Force, you said you would strictly discipline Qianyu. Yet he has now killed Sarutobi Jiro and Sarutobi Hiogo in succession. Even if that father and son were truly guilty of monstrous crimes, did that give him the right to kill people in the village without a trial?"

"By now, shouldn't you give me an explanation?"

Just as Fugaku Uchiha was about to speak, Hiruzen Sarutobi waved a hand.

"I don't want to hear any more empty words."

Fugaku frowned.

But Qianyu spoke instead. "Lord Hokage, where was I wrong?"

"You..."

Qianyu cut him off. "If the Uchiha led a squad into the Sarutobi clan's territory in broad daylight today and declared war, what would the Sarutobi clan do?"

"Would they offer no resistance and let themselves be slaughtered?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi said heavily, "I do not want any ninja or clan in the village to kill each other. That is my duty as Hokage."

"Exactly. I thought the same, which was why I killed Sarutobi Hiogo and prevented the Uchiha clan and the Sarutobi clan from slaughtering each other."

Hiruzen Sarutobi: "..."

"You're twisting logic."

"Not at all. If I hadn't captured the leader first and killed Sarutobi Hiogo, he, having gone completely mad, would only have caused an even greater tragedy. If the two great clans went to war then, regardless of who won or lost, Konoha would be the ultimate loser."

He glanced at Shinnosuke Sarutobi. "Sarutobi Hiogo killed three Anbu, didn't he?"

Shinnosuke Sarutobi remained silent.

"Were we supposed to let him kill Uchiha clansmen before we could truly fight back?"

"Lord Hokage, there is no such logic in this world."

"Sarutobi Hiogo had already become a criminal of Konoha, and he had lost his mind. Killing Anbu was tantamount to treason and rebellion in any village. Any village would have wanted him dead as soon as possible."

"The one I killed was not the head of the Sarutobi clan, but merely a madman and a rogue ninja."

"And I will never admit that killing a rogue ninja was wrong."

Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shinnosuke Sarutobi both could not help frowning.

His argument was forceful sophistry, but it was not entirely without merit.

Sarutobi Hiogo's position as clan head had been personally stripped away by Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Those three Anbu ninja had indeed been killed by his own hand.

On top of that, he had led a large force into Uchiha territory without permission and been killed in return by Qianyu. There truly was nothing to say...

Most importantly...

Sarutobi Hiogo had made such a major move, leading dozens of Sarutobi clan ninja toward Uchiha territory. Nearly every clan ninja in the village had seen it...

There was no way to conceal it!

"That damned idiot!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi could not help viciously cursing again in his heart!

Anti-hero!

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned. "A rogue ninja is a ninja who betrays and flees the village."

Qianyu said solemnly, "A ninja who betrays the village is a rogue ninja. Must we wait until he escapes the village before taking action? Wouldn't that be too late?"

"Lord Hokage, the moment Orochimaru was discovered secretly conducting human experiments, hadn't he already become a rogue ninja? Did we have to let him escape Konoha before it counted?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi nearly coughed up blood.

Of all the examples he could have used, he had to use Orochimaru!

Wasn't that just slapping his own face?!

He had known Orochimaru was already a rogue ninja, yet still let him go because of their bond as master and disciple. That was arguably the greatest stain of his life...

Now that Qianyu had put it that way, Hiruzen Sarutobi had no response at all.

He could hardly say, yes, only fleeing counted as becoming a rogue ninja, so that was why I let Orochimaru go...

Hiruzen Sarutobi took a puff from his pipe, then exhaled.

"Even if you handled Hiogo's matter well, you still cannot justify killing Jiro."

"Even if he deserved to die, he should not have been publicly killed without interrogation."

Qianyu fell silent for a moment.

"Lord Hokage, then you also acknowledge that Sarutobi Hiogo was a rogue ninja."

"Since that was the case, how could I trust him to handle that matter impartially?"

"Should I have spared Sarutobi Jiro and allowed Sarutobi Hiogo to protect him?"

"It was precisely because it was a public execution that the watching ninja and villagers applauded in approval. Only then would they feel a stronger sense of belonging toward Konoha. Otherwise..."

"If Sarutobi Hiogo and his son had been allowed to wreak havoc, the villagers would only have completely lost faith in Konoha."

Shinnosuke Sarutobi could not help snorting. "What clever words!"

"These are not clever words. They are my heartfelt truth."

"If the villagers no longer believe that justice still exists in the village..."

"Then this village has absolutely no hope."

Qianyu looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi. "What do you think, Lord Hokage?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi remained silent.

After a moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi said solemnly, "No matter what, Qianyu, you have made too great a fuss of this matter."

"I may be able to understand you, but those ninja and villagers may not."

"How about this? For the time being, do not work in the Police Force."

"Keep a low profile for a while. Once the heat dies down, you can return."

"Clan Head Fugaku, what do you think?"

Fugaku Uchiha frowned. "Lord Hokage, this..."

But Qianyu was unconcerned. "Then let's do as Lord Hokage says."

After saying that, he turned and prepared to leave.

Fugaku sighed. "All right, then that's how it will be..."

He followed him out as well.

Shinnosuke Sarutobi watched the two men's retreating figures, his face extremely grim.

"Lord Hokage, are we really just letting him off like this?!"

"The clan will never let this go..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi said coldly, "Of course we won't let him off."

"But now is not the time to kill him."

"Then what should we do?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi pondered. "I recall that Uchiha Qianyu seems to have no family and few friends..."

"Indeed. With his personality, he is too extreme even within the Uchiha clan. Who would dare get close to him?"