Chapter 13: Uchiha Iizumi! What Are Your Intentions!

Today, Naruto Uzumaki had once again pulled off a prank—his usual attempt to grab attention in the village.

The prank succeeded.

But so did the emotional damage.

Now, the nine-tailed jinchūriki was being chased through the streets, fleeing for his life.

He’d barely made it this far, but he was certain—if he just ran two more blocks, he’d finally shake off the old bun shop owner, that perpetually exhausted man who’d been delivering grain rations to his wife for years, his health steadily deteriorating.

But then—

As he let out a silent laugh of triumph, his feet suddenly stepped into nothingness.

A sharp tug at the back of his shirt lifted him off the ground like a ragdoll.

Oh no…

Caught!

The bun shop owner arrived, panting, his face lit with relief—until his eyes landed on the face of the young man holding Naruto aloft.

His expression froze.

His grip on the rolling pin slackened.

It fell from his hand, unnoticed.

“U-Uchiha…?” he stammered, voice trembling.

“Uchiha?” Naruto, dangling helplessly in midair, twisted his head upward, struggling futilely.

…Don’t know him.

The guy looked cold.

And worse—when those dark eyes scanned him, it was like being examined by a scientist observing a rare specimen.

“What did he do?” Uchiha Iizumi asked, voice calm, unwavering.

“He… he…” The bun shop owner’s face drained of color, sweat beading across his forehead.

“Speak the truth,” Uchiha Iizumi urged.

Gulp.

Under an invisible pressure, the man swallowed hard, then whispered, “He… he switched the wheat flour in my shop with protein powder.”

Naruto mumbled from above, “Protein powder can make buns… and it’s good for building muscle, you know.”

The bun shop owner’s face turned red with fury. “You little brat—”

But then he saw Uchiha Iizumi’s face—blank, emotionless, utterly unreadable.

The rage died in his throat.

He clamped his mouth shut, swallowing his words back down.

Too terrifying… Why did I have to run into the infamous curse of the Uchiha clan?

It’s all this fox-boy’s fault!

Uchiha Iizumi gave a slight nod.

“Doing something like that…?”

His voice remained level.

“The child’s guardian is the Hokage. Go to the Hokage and demand compensation. Tell him I sent you. If the Hokage refuses, I’ll handle it myself.”

With that, he lifted Naruto higher—still dangling—turning to leave.

The bun shop owner was stunned.

Naruto was stunned.

The entire street was stunned.

“Wait—where are you taking me?!” Naruto flailed, arms and legs kicking wildly. “I’m already caught! Can’t you just put me down?!”

Uchiha Iizumi raised his arm, hoisting Naruto a full meter off the ground.

They stared at each other—man and jinchūriki, face to face.

The coldness in those eyes froze Naruto’s blood.

“You committed a crime,” Uchiha Iizumi said, voice like stone.

“Age doesn’t matter. Gender doesn’t matter. Everyone must answer for their actions.

Your prank caused financial loss. It damaged my shop’s reputation.

And your chaotic run-through the village disrupted order, ruined the streets, and caused public nuisance.”

He paused.

“By Leaf Village law alone, you’d be sentenced to two weeks in jail.

But since you’re in my hands… that punishment becomes three months.”

Seven-year-old Naruto’s world shattered.

“Jail…?”

“Three months in jail…?”

His face went pale.

He was frozen in shock.

…

“Oh no—Nine-Tails Jinchūriki has made contact with an Uchiha!”

At that moment, an elite Anbu ninja monitoring Naruto’s movements paled.

His mind reeled.

He’d just made a catastrophic mistake.

His duty wasn’t just surveillance—it was damage control.

No matter how much trouble the boy caused, he had to clean up after him.

He’d just returned to the bun shop to replace the protein powder with real flour—just a quick detour.

But in that momentary absence…

The jinchūriki had been seized by an Uchiha.

He knew that uniform.

Uchiha Police Force.

And he’d seen with his own eyes—Naruto’s face locked in a stare with Uchiha eyes.

The Sharingan.

The legendary eye that could control the Nine-Tails.

If the Nine-Tails had broken loose again…

It would be his negligence that triggered the disaster.

He’d be the one blamed for the destruction of the village.

Without hesitation, the Anbu ninja abandoned all caution.

He had to act.

He vanished in a flash—reappearing in front of Naruto, voice sharp.

“Let him go!”

In full view of bystanders, the masked Anbu appeared without warning.

One hand gripped the hilt of his blade, the other reached out, trying to snatch Naruto away.

Uchiha Iizumi twisted his arm sharply to the side.

The Anbu’s hand closed on empty air.

Naruto shrieked as the sudden motion nearly threw him off balance.

“Anbu?!” Iizumi’s voice cut through the air, cold and precise.

She recognized the mask—the fox-shaped visage was unmistakable.

A chill ran down her spine.

Something’s wrong.

“Uchiha! What are you doing?!” The Anbu’s voice crackled with fury beneath the mask.

“You know what this child represents! Tell me you don’t—Wait… Uchiha Iizumi?!”

The Anbu stared, stunned.

The one holding the jinchūriki was Uchiha Iizumi—one of the rare Uchiha who maintained a close, almost friendly relationship with the Hokage.

Not just any Uchiha.

Someone who met with the Hokage regularly.

Uchiha Iizumi’s eyes flicked to the white square on the Anbu’s headband.

His gaze sharpened—icy, dangerous.

“Are you interfering with the Investigation Corps’ enforcement?” he asked.

“Yamada Ryosin?”

The Anbu froze.

He… knows my name?

He knows my face?

I’m masked. We’ve never met.

But the look in Iizumi’s eyes—something primal, something lethal—made him hesitate.

He’d heard rumors.

Whispers about Iizumi—the one they called Absolute Justice.

The one who never blinked.

The one who never backed down.

Best not to push it.

He exhaled sharply, forcing himself to calm.

“Uchiha Iizumi,” he said, voice low, controlled.

“The Investigation Corps’ enforcement… this is just a child. A normal, ordinary boy. Isn’t that right?”

He emphasized ordinary, almost pleading.

Uchiha Iizumi didn’t flinch.

“He is the one I caught.”

The Anbu blinked.

…What?

This is getting worse.

Just as the Anbu struggled to think, a sudden, guttural roar tore through the air—furious, venomous, echoing from down the street.

“You evil Uchiha brat! What are you doing?! What is your evil clan’s true intention?!”

The Anbu turned, stunned.

Who…?

Who’s even more panicked than me?

And then he saw her.

There, standing in the distance—her posture rigid, eyes blazing with fury—was Shimura Danzō.

…

…

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end