Chapter 108: Naruto Uzumaki, You Have Passed Justice's Preliminary Trial (5000 words)

Uchiha Iizumi’s voice was quiet, barely more than a whisper—but even so, it cut through the silence like a blade. Hidden in the shadows, Kakashi had heard every word.

At that moment, the expression on Kakashi’s face mirrored Naruto’s perfectly—wide-eyed, stunned, utterly caught off guard. Beneath the Anbu mask, his usual deadpan gaze had flickered with genuine shock.

Damn it.

He had known that Uchiha Iizumi’s method of teaching Absolute Justice through Zetsu would be harsh—far removed from the gentle, lecture-style instruction of the Ninja Academy. But even so, Kakashi had severely underestimated just how extreme it truly was.

Sending a Nine-Tails Jinchūriki—still just a child—to personally execute a criminal involved in smuggling banned substances?

On the surface, it didn’t seem that unreasonable.

But Naruto was only seven. And the mission Hiruzen Sarutobi had entrusted to him—protect Naruto from falling under Uchiha Iizumi’s Absolute Justice, keep the Nine-Tails vessel from hardening into something cold and ruthless—had already proven far more difficult than he’d anticipated.

Kakashi could no longer hide.

He took a deep breath, steeling himself, then stepped forward—fully revealing himself before Uchiha Iizumi and Naruto Uzumaki.

Naruto, still reeling from the gravity of what he’d just been told, snapped his head up at the sudden presence.

“Huh? Again? It’s you?”

Even with the Anbu mask obscuring his face, Kakashi’s silver hair was impossible to miss. The color alone gave him away instantly.

“Uchiha Iizumi…” Kakashi gathered his thoughts, his tone strained and conflicted. “Do you really think it’s necessary to expose Naruto Uzumaki to such a dark world this early? Killing… that kind of burden—it’s too much for a child like him. It’s far too soon.”

Uchiha Iizumi met his gaze with calm indifference. “At what age did you first take a life?”

Kakashi faltered.

He’d become a genin at a young age. Promoted to chūnin early. And by twelve—just a child himself—he’d already earned the rank of jōnin.

His first kill had come not by choice, but in desperate self-defense—after a village enemy ambushed him in the night.

“This was different,” Kakashi insisted. “The ninja world back then was chaos. Children under ten were sent on missions all the time. You know that as well as I do.”

He paused, then added, almost bitterly, “Now, things are different. The world isn’t as violent anymore. Shouldn’t we… protect the young? Especially someone like Naruto Uzumaki—just seven years old!”

The words felt alien on his tongue. He’d never spoken like this before. He would have never intervened if it had been Sasuke being pushed toward such a trial.

But this was the Hokage’s order—a task too delicate to risk failing. And Kakashi, for the first time in his life, felt utterly helpless.

“Is the ninja world really not chaotic anymore?” came the voice.

Kakashi froze.

The words hadn’t come from Uchiha Iizumi.

He looked down.

Naruto stood there, eyes wide, jaw clenched. The two stared at each other—small boy and masked man—across the space between them.

Then Naruto spoke again, voice quiet but firm.

“Old man… you’re here because Hokage-sama sent you, aren’t you? Or maybe you’re here to watch me—and the fox sealed inside me.”

Kakashi didn’t answer.

Naruto bit his lower lip, then continued.

“I don’t know what Hokage-sama told you. But choosing to learn Justice from Iizumi-sensei… that was my decision. And Hokage-sama himself said he respects my choices.”

He paused, then added, voice rising slightly.

“I don’t believe the world is peaceful. Because… I’ve seen the evil in it these past two days. It doesn’t need war to exist. It’s already here. Right around us.”

He looked up, eyes blazing with a fire far too intense for a child.

“Can we even call the world ‘peaceful’ if we pretend these crimes don’t exist?”

Kakashi was speechless.

For the first time in years, he felt utterly outmatched—not by strength, but by truth. He realized now that the Hokage had underestimated just how powerful Uchiha Iizumi’s Absolute Justice truly was. Its doctrine was black-and-white, unyielding, absolute. For a child’s mind, it wasn’t just teaching—it was brainwashing.

Even Sasuke, who had always looked down on Naruto as the class’s weakest, now stared at him in stunned disbelief.

The dead-last… he thought, he’s… older than me.

He couldn’t even imagine saying such things. Not in front of Uchiha Iizumi. Not in front of anyone.

“Sensei!” Naruto suddenly declared, stepping forward, his voice trembling but resolute. “Let me… let me execute Justice myself!”

He bowed deeply, his small frame trembling with determination.

Kakashi let out a long, silent sigh.

Hokage-sama… I’ve done everything I can. If I try to stop this now… I’ll have to fight Uchiha Iizumi. And if I do, Naruto will hate me. He’ll hate me for betraying his choice.

He could only do one thing now.

He’d send one last Anbu agent back to the Hokage Tower with the news.

Let the Hokage decide whether to stop it.

Because… he’d been told not to engage in open conflict with Uchiha Iizumi.

So Kakashi turned, his posture once again lifeless, eyes dull and hollow—just like the fish staring up from a bowl.

---

Hokage Tower.

“What?!”

Hiruzen Sarutobi, sitting at his desk with a pipe clenched between his teeth, his face shadowed by smoke and worry, nearly choked on his breath when the final Anbu ninja delivered the report.

His wrinkled face twisted in disbelief.

“How long ago?” he demanded, rising so fast his chair screeched against the floor. He grabbed the Anbu ninja’s collar, his hands trembling with fury and dread.

“Five… five minutes ago,” the ninja stammered, breathless.

“Five minutes…”

Hiruzen released him, his body sagging. Five minutes. In the hands of Uchiha Iizumi, that was more than enough time.

“I told Kakashi to do everything he could to prevent Iizumi’s influence from corrupting Naruto!” he growled, voice cracking. “How did he fail so completely?”

The Anbu ninja lowered his head. “Hokage-sama… Kakashi tried every non-lethal method. He argued. He pleaded. But… it was Naruto himself who asked to perform Justice.”

Hiruzen closed his eyes.

“…What did he say?”

The ninja repeated it.

And when he finished, Hiruzen’s eyes snapped open.

They were empty. Hollow.

For the first time in decades, he felt a deep, chilling certainty.

This is the end of the boy I used to know.

The Naruto who used to follow him around, calling him “Grandpa Hokage” with a grin on his face… that child was gone.

And no amount of will could bring him back.

---

Leaf Village – A Hidden Alley.

Naruto clutched the ninja sword with both hands, his small arms trembling.

The blade was too long, too heavy for his frame. But he held on—teeth gritted, jaw locked.

His eyes were fixed on the man lying on the ground, pinned by multiple kunai. Blood seeped from his mouth, his breathing ragged. The Leaf Village ninja had no strength left.

“You… you’re murdering a fellow Leaf ninja!” the man gasped, blood bubbling at his lips. “Hokage-sama will never forgive you!”

Uchiha Iizumi didn’t flinch.

“Justice purges evil from the world,” he said coolly. “Was that unjustified?”

The man tried to move, but the kunai held him fast. Each twitch sent pain shooting through his body.

“You have no proof!” he spat. “You’re just killing me because you want to! You’re using Justice as an excuse for your bloodlust!”

A pause.

Then Uchiha Iizumi replied, voice calm, almost casual:

“Cut off his head. Send it to the Yamanaka Clan. Now you have proof.”

The man’s eyes widened.

What?! You kill first… and then look for evidence?!

That wasn’t justice. That was madness.

How can someone have a Sharingan that sees both past and future evil?! he thought, panic rising. I’ve never heard of such a technique… no one in the Uchiha Clan ever had this power!

Uchiha Iizumi turned away, no longer listening.

He glanced at the sky—dark, almost black.

Then back at Naruto.

“Naruto Uzumaki… are you afraid to strike down evil?”

“I… I…” Naruto stammered, voice cracking.

“Louder!” Iizumi snapped. “I can’t hear your faith in Justice!”

Naruto took a breath. He closed his eyes.

“I am!” he roared, voice raw and loud enough to echo through the alley.

The cry startled nearby villagers. One woman pulled open her door, ready to scold the noisy child—until she saw the scene.

Naruto, small and trembling, raised the sword high. His stance was clumsy, untrained. But the blade was sharp. The moment it touched flesh, it would end a life.

With eyes shut tight, Naruto swung.

Thud.

The blade met resistance.

He couldn’t bring it down.

His eyes flew open.

His fingers were still gripping the hilt—but someone else’s hand was holding it.

Uchiha Iizumi.

“I’m… not strong enough,” Naruto whispered.

“You’re too young,” Iizumi said, voice flat. “You’re not ready to take a life.”

Then, with a single, fluid motion, he took the sword and drove it straight into the man’s chest.

Pshhhk.

Blood sprayed—warm, crimson—splattering across Naruto’s face, his clothes, his hands.

He recoiled, stunned, his breath shallow.

He stared at Iizumi’s profile—cold, unmoved, eyes like ice.

“Naruto Uzumaki,” Iizumi said, turning to face him. Their eyes met—blue and black, two worlds colliding.

“You have the courage to draw the sword against evil. That is enough.”

Naruto’s breath caught.

His eyes widened.

So… this was the test?

He hadn’t killed. But he’d tried. He’d wanted to.

And that was enough.

Beside him, Sasuke muttered, “If he hadn’t done it… would he have died?”

He remembered the rumors—how Iizumi had once killed two Investigation Corps trainees who failed to meet his standards.

Naruto paled.

Did I just… almost die?

But then Iizumi spoke again.

“Only one died. The other… was driven mad. Spent months in the hospital’s psychiatric ward.”

Naruto’s breath hitched.

“But… why?” he whispered.

“Because the one who died was evil. The other… tried to join Justice, but carried sin within. He sought to corrupt the pure. That is why he was punished.”

Sasuke blinked.

So… he wasn’t just killing anyone. He was judging them.

And somehow… he believed it.

Kakashi, still hidden on a rooftop, exhaled.

Phew.

He’d genuinely thought Iizumi was going to force Naruto to kill.

But he hadn’t.

At least… the Hokage won’t have to deal with a dead child on his hands.

He stared at the body on the ground.

Another ninja from a prominent clan.

How many families will Iizumi offend tonight?

He didn’t care.

All he cared about was that Naruto hadn’t committed murder.

And that… was one small victory.

---

Hokage Tower – Later.

Hiruzen hadn’t even had time to process the news when the door burst open.

Tsunade Konoha stormed in, her face grim, her fists clenched.

“Hiruzen!”

She stopped mid-sentence.

The room was full of Anbu—dozens of them. The air was thick with tension.

Hiruzen sighed.

“I already know.”

Tsunade narrowed her eyes. “You’re not surprised?”

“Two members of the Shimura Clan,” he said quietly. “Iizumi killed them.”

Tsunade’s expression darkened.

“Then it’s true…”

Another voice cut through the silence.

Hyūga Menji stepped forward, flanked by several members of the Hyūga Clan, his face carved with sorrow.

“My cousin… was killed. His head was severed.”

He looked at Tsunade.

“You said ‘also’… did you know?”

Tsunade nodded. “Two Shimura. Two dead.”

They stared at each other—two elders, two pillars of the village, now united in grief.

Then the door burst open again.

A small clan leader from the outskirts of the village rushed in, furious.

“Uchiha Iizumi broke into our compound! Killed one of our young! No warning, no trial!”

He stopped.

He looked around.

The room was too quiet.

Too full.

“…What’s going on?”

Tsunade opened her mouth.

But Hiruzen held up a hand.

“Wait. There’s more. More are coming.”

He looked at the ceiling.

“Iizumi killed at least a dozen tonight. And more will arrive. I can feel it.”

Tsunade’s eyes widened.

Hyūga Menji’s jaw clenched.

The weight of the night pressed down on them all.

---

Uchiha Compound – Deep within the Clan’s Hidden Chambers.

Uchiha Setsuna sat in silence, his fingers tracing the carved wood of his cane. The air was still.

Then, a voice from the shadows.

“Setsuna Elder… Uchiha Iizumi killed three of our own—just an hour ago.”

Setsuna’s eyes snapped open.

His fingers stilled.

So it’s begun.

“He’s finally turned on his own blood,” he muttered, voice low. “I knew that reckless boy would one day cut down his own kin. But I never thought it would happen so fast.”

He turned sharply.

“Who died?”

The messenger hesitated.

“Uchiha Chitō… Uchiha Masaru…”

Setsuna’s face darkened.

Two of the strongest. Both awakened Sharingan. Both promising.

Then came the final name.

“Uchiha Hayato.”

Silence.

Setsuna’s body trembled. His cane clattered to the floor.

His breath came in sharp gasps.

Hayato…? No… that can’t be…

The name echoed in his mind.

No… no…

A footstep.

Then another.

The door opened.

Uchiha Fugaku stepped in, flanked by his Investigation Corps.

Setsuna turned, eyes burning with fury.

“Fugaku… what is this? You dare come here? After what he did?”

Fugaku’s face was calm. “Iizumi acted within Justice.”

Setsuna snarled. “They were our people!”

“Yes,” Fugaku said. “But they were smuggling massive quantities of banned drugs. Iizumi found them. He judged them. He executed them.”

He looked Setsuna in the eye.

“Would you have let them go? Would you have allowed the poison to spread through our village?”

Setsuna’s fists shook.

He didn’t answer.

Fugaku continued.

“They were guilty. The evidence was clear. Iizumi didn’t act out of rage. He acted out of duty.”

He paused.

“Let this end here, Setsuna Elder. I won’t let this turn into civil war.”

For a long moment, the two men stared at each other—old and young, tradition and change, peace and fire.

Then, slowly, Setsuna lowered his head.

“…Let it be.”

But in his heart, a storm raged.

Because he knew—this was only the beginning.

And the Uchiha Clan, once proud, would never be the same.

---

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end