Chapter 43: You're Not Regretting—You're Just Afraid of Dying

"Kill him."

The cold, emotionless words from Iizumi Senior sent a subtle chill through Izumi’s palms. She knew—without a doubt—that Iizumi Senior never joked.

She understood perfectly well: whether it was interrogating a criminal or executing one, her mentor was testing her unwavering commitment to Absolute Justice.

Memories flooded her mind—the photo of the "Yamada family" mother and daughter from the missing file. The gentle smiles on their delicate faces. The broken bones pulled from the Leaf Village Sewers. And now, Yamada Toshikuro’s defiant, unrepentant expression just moments ago.

Her eyes, once clouded with hesitation, had hardened into absolute resolve.

"Yes, Senior!"

As she spoke, she felt the release of the Sharingan’s genjutsu.

Yamada Toshikuro staggered back into reality, his mind reeling from the endless torment of hallucinations. He was trembling, eyes wide with terror, his pants soaked with fear, snot and tears streaming down his face in a grotesque mess. His expression was so distorted, so utterly broken, it was unbearable to look at.

Izumi didn’t know what horrors Iizumi Senior had shown him.

All she heard was his frantic, trembling muttering.

All she saw was his body writhing, scrabbling on the ground, smearing mud, blood, and urine across his own face like a madman.

"Please don’t kill me… I’m sorry… I regret it… I won’t do it again… I beg you… I truly regret it… I know I was wrong… I’m sorry… I’m sorry!"

Izumi had never seen a human reduce themselves to such abject, soul-crushing desperation—just to survive.

"Did you ever think," she said, her voice sharp as steel, her grip on the kunai white-knuckled, "that the mother and daughter you murdered—did they not scream for mercy, just as you are now?"

"Did they beg you?"

"And did you spare them?"

Her knuckles cracked under the pressure.

"You’re not regretting."

"You’re just afraid of dying."

"Scum!"

Pfft—

The kunai pierced Yamada Toshikuro’s chest. Following the technique she’d learned in the Academy, she twisted her wrist violently, then pulled the blade free in one smooth motion—immediately stepping to the right.

A geyser of crimson blood erupted from the wound—just barely missing her.

She watched, expressionless, as his eyes lost focus. His body collapsed. No breath. No pulse. No life.

[Ping!] Congratulations! Your Absolute Justice disciple has successfully executed a "Red Mark" criminal! Your chakra has increased slightly! Reward unlocked: Dissection Experience Book ×2!

[Bonus!] Uchiha Izumi also gains a small chakra boost!

"Iizumi Senior," Izumi exhaled deeply, letting the rain wash over her blade.

A strange sensation lingered—after each execution, a peculiar lightness, a strange sense of satisfaction in her body.

She’d felt it before, two days ago, in the Secret Research Base.

A shiver ran down her spine.

Could I… be some kind of hidden, born killer?

The thought chilled her. She shook her head sharply, trying to clear it.

Then she asked, voice barely above a whisper:

"Senior… what should we do with the body?"

"Let the Investigation Corps collect it."

"Yes, Senior."

...

The mourners at the Leaf Village Funeral Parlor were frozen in silence.

Even though they knew the Hokage-sama lay buried within the cemetery, they still felt no sense of safety.

Yet, oddly, amidst the suffocating fear, they felt… strangely at ease.

Izumi noticed the shift in their expressions—fear, yes, but now tinged with something else.

She pressed her lips together, then spoke.

"Yamada Toshikuro murdered his brother’s wife and daughter. He dismembered them, then dumped the remains into the Sewers. For four years, the Investigation Corps failed to uncover the truth. He lived freely, unpunished—until today."

"Justice for this mother and daughter has finally arrived. This is a failure of the Uchiha Police Force. But I swear—so long as we uphold Absolute Justice, such tragedies will become fewer and fewer."

She wasn’t sure if her words had any effect.

But the fear in their eyes lessened—just slightly.

In its place, a new confusion took root.

She didn’t know what else to say.

So she ended with one final statement:

"In time, the Ninja World will be cleansed by Absolute Justice—and grow ever better."

Then she turned and hurried to follow Uchiha Iizumi.

Walking behind him, head down, Izumi trembled. The courage she’d shown moments ago had vanished. Her voice was barely audible, like a mosquito’s buzz.

"I’m sorry, Senior… I spoke without permission… I said things I shouldn’t have…"

Only now did she realize—she’d just criticized the Uchiha Police Force.

But there was no reprimand.

No word at all.

"...Senior?" she dared to ask.

Uchiha Iizumi’s voice remained flat, unshaken.

"You just told the truth."

...

After the infamous Uchiha Police Force “Plague Bringer” had disappeared into the rain, the mourners exchanged uneasy glances—then quickly glanced down at the corpse at their feet.

Two things became clear:

—They were safe. Uchiha Iizumi wouldn’t bother them. He was gone. They could breathe again.

—Yamada Toshikuro had been a monster. A truly vile killer.

"Gulp." Someone swallowed hard, breaking the silence.

"That Yamada guy… he actually did that? I used to drink with him all the time… I’ve been walking around in danger every single day?"

"From the Uchiha ninja… he didn’t just kill them—he dismembered them!"

"Wait… how did we never see this side of him?"

"How could he hide it so well? Lucky we caught him… well, he wasn’t really caught, was he?"

"Ah… so those two Uchiha were here to investigate."

"Still… that ‘Plague Bringer’ doesn’t look half as terrifying as the rumors say. I heard he kills anyone he walks past. But… we’re all still alive."

"..."

The whispers swirled among them. For a moment, they forgot to lower the coffin of Hiruzen Shintetsu into the ground.

It wasn’t until a stern-faced member of the Sarutobi clan strode forward, his brow furrowed.

He glanced at Yamada’s corpse, muttered under his breath:

"The Uchiha was right again."

He meant the man’s near-perfect case-solving record.

Then he turned to the others.

"It’s time to bury him."

Only then did the mourners snap back to reality.

...

Meanwhile, as Uchiha Iizumi stepped out of the Leaf Village Cemetery, a bright orange Ninja Cat darted toward him.

"Iizumi-sama! Sōyǎn is looking for you, meow!"

Tachibana Jiro spoke in a rush.

"...Sōyǎn?" Izumi blinked, startled.

Tachibana Jiro grinned.

"That’s right—Uchiha Fugaku. You gave him that nickname years ago. Back when… maybe seven or eight years ago?"

Izumi’s eyes widened.

Fugaku Clan Head…

…a coward?

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end