Chapter 12: Capturing the Jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails, Uzumaki Naruto

It wasn’t until Uchiha Iizumi had left with the young Uchiha girl that Hiruzen Sarutobi could still not figure out what he had done to provoke such a reaction.

He took a pinch of tobacco, placed it on his pipe, struck a match, and lit the tobacco with a soft puff. The faint smoke curled around his weathered face like a shroud.

“Hmph…” he muttered, voice low. “Now it’s clear—this child, Iizumi, won’t pose a threat to the Leaf Village. Are you satisfied, Danzō?”

As the words left his lips, a figure emerged from the corner of the office.

An ANBU guard—yet after only a few steps, its form began to shift.

It melted into the shape of an old man wrapped in bandages, one eye visible, his presence chilling and grim. This was the master of the Leaf’s secret shadow—Root.

The ninja world’s infamous magnet for scandal and blame.

—Shimura Danzō.

“From the moment Uchiha Iizumi entered the room, he looked directly at me,” Danzō said, his single eye narrowed. “He must’ve recognized me at once.”

He turned toward the door, his gaze sharp, his hostility and detachment unhidden.

“Hiruzen,” he continued, “you can’t be certain he didn’t say those things because he saw me. This is a man whose actions are extreme—so utterly depraved it’s visible to the naked eye. A true Uchiha.”

“Didn’t you hear him?” Danzō pressed. “Even if the Hokage stood before him, he’d draw his blade. A child like this—born with such evil in his blood—should never exist in the Leaf Village.”

Hiruzen’s brow furrowed. “Danzō, I know what you’re after. You’re not touching Iizumi. He’s one of the ones I’ve chosen—on par with Itachi.”

“His methods may be extreme, but they’ve brought a new kind of justice to the village. It’s forced the schemers and the corrupt to keep their heads down.”

Hiruzen tapped the desk. “Iizumi’s presence is a double-edged sword. But right now, the benefits outweigh the risks.”

“Hmph.” Danzō let out a cold, venomous snort. “Benefits? That’s just your weakness. You only say that because it was the Tsukikage clan that died today.”

“Would you still speak so lightly if it had been a member of the Sarutobi clan?” he asked.

Hiruzen’s voice remained calm. “I judge by principle, not personal ties.”

Danzō almost laughed—almost. “Letting a born monster like this walk freely through the village, enforcing his twisted ‘Absolute Justice’—you’re playing with fire. One day, you’ll regret it, Hiruzen.”

He stared deeply into the Hokage’s eyes.

Hiruzen met his gaze, voice steady. “Danzō, you’ve never understood your place. In the Leaf Village, I am Hokage. You are merely the shadow—the unseen hand.”

“I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again: Iizumi is off-limits. And don’t forget—Root exists only by my tolerance. One word from me, and it vanishes.”

Hiruzen narrowed his eyes. “I am the Hokage. My authority is absolute. You wouldn’t want to test that, would you?”

Danzō’s eyes widened. “Monkey… you—”

“Hmph!”

Silence. Words had failed.

Danzō turned sharply, his face a mask of suppressed fury, and strode out without another word.

Thud—

The door slammed behind him with such force it echoed through the office.

The anger he’d restrained was barely contained.

…

“Has Iizumi returned yet?”

At the Uchiha Police Force, Uchiha Fugaku stared at four lifeless bodies, his expression grim.

“No,” replied a Uchiha forensic officer.

Fugaku exhaled slowly. “He’s struck again—this time at another Leaf clan. If this continues, the rift between the Uchiha and the village… it’ll spiral out of control.”

That was his greatest fear.

Truth be told, Iizumi’s actions—though extreme—were often correct. Correct to the point where even Fugaku struggled to find fault with them.

But for the Uchiha clan, already battered by the aftermath of the Nine-Tails’ attack, such righteousness was like a death sentence.

The clan had been under suspicion ever since the incident.

Many clans that had once tolerated—or even tolerated—relations with the Uchiha had grown distant.

The Uchiha’s reputation among ordinary villagers had only worsened.

This external pressure only fueled the hawkish faction within the clan, who relentlessly pressured Fugaku to act.

Today, several Uchiha elders had come to him in secret, demanding a full-scale plan to overthrow the village leadership.

“…Ah,” Fugaku sighed. “Is there truly no one in this entire clan who doesn’t drive me to despair? Not even my eldest son, Itachi… and now Shisui is gone.”

…

“U-U-Uchiha Iizumi’s here!!!”

At that moment, a trembling, panicked cry shattered the quiet of a Leaf Village street.

The thief mid-robbery froze. His face drained of color. He shoved the stolen wallet back into its owner’s bag with trembling hands, then dropped to his knees—bowing in the most abject “earth prostration” position, face pressed to the ground.

“I surrender! I confess! I’ll tell the Investigation Corps everything—I’ll admit to every crime I’ve ever committed! Please… don’t kill me!”

His body drenched in sweat, he screamed in terror.

On the other side of the street, a pair of villagers who had just been shouting obscenities at each other in a heated argument instantly transformed.

They locked arms, calling each other “brother” with exaggerated warmth—no trace of their earlier rage.

A man who had just casually tossed trash into the gutter snatched it back up, stuffed it into his pocket, and hurried away.

“…That’s… insane,” Izumi murmured, eyes wide. “I never realized Iizumi-sama had this kind of reputation in the village.”

She’d spent most of her time studying at the Academy—never paying attention to the world outside.

But now she understood: if Iizumi-sama walked the streets even once a week, the village’s crime rate would plummet by several percentage points.

“Hey, you little brat! Stop right there!!!”

Then—another voice roared, furious.

“Who’d stop? If you catch me, I’m so dead!” came a high-pitched, panicked reply.

An adult’s voice. A child’s voice.

Izumi turned.

She saw a golden-haired boy sprinting wildly down the street, panicked and disoriented, throwing random objects—sticks, rocks, scraps—over his shoulder to slow his pursuer.

The chaos scattered bystanders, who fled in terror.

As the boy raced past her, Izumi caught a glimpse from the corner of her eye.

In a flash, Iizumi-sama’s hand shot out.

The boy was yanked mid-run—suspended in the air, utterly still.

Caught.

…

…

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end