Chapter 5: [Absolute Justice] Is Not [Blind Justice]

Uchiha Iizumi did not return to the Uchiha Police Force headquarters with Izumi.

Instead, he headed straight for the Leaf Village Power Center—the Hokage Tower.

Arriving at the tower, he moved with practiced ease through the corridors, making his way without hesitation to the door of the Hokage’s office.

A single, light knock.

Inside, a voice called, “Enter.”

Uchiha Iizumi pushed the door open.

—His movements were too smooth, too familiar, as if he’d done this countless times before.

“Pool Spring…” Hiruzen Sarutobi looked up from his desk and saw a young man whose face was striking even among the Uchiha clan’s elite standards—dark hair, sharp features, an air of quiet intensity.

The Hokage set down his documents with a sigh.

“Old man, I’ve told you this so many times already… You don’t always have to rely on iron-fisted methods. Law enforcement needs strength—but also compassion.”

He leaned forward, his tone earnest.

“The Ninja World War ended years ago. This isn’t some crisis era. Everyone’s hoping for peace, for a better future. The Uchiha Clan’s enforcement could afford to ease up a little.”

He continued, gently but firmly, then asked: “So what’s this big incident about this time?”

Hiruzen did not mention that Uchiha Iizumi had been formally complained about.

He knew it wouldn’t matter. Not to Iizumi.

He’d watched this boy grow up. And more than that—he’d noticed how different the boy was from the rest of the Uchiha.

That’s why he’d made a point of speaking with him often.

He thought he knew Iizumi.

Yet… for some reason, the boy’s gaze—when it met his—felt… off.

Hmm.

Must be my imagination.

Uchiha Iizumi shifted his gaze from the red square floating above Hiruzen’s head and locked eyes with the Hokage.

“Leaf Village civilian Akiba Jiro,” he said, voice calm, “was arrested two days ago for gambling losses. He became drunk and assaulted his four-year-old child, resulting in death. The body is currently being transported back to the Police Force.”

Hiruzen’s brow furrowed.

“A murder case…?”

He didn’t even question the truth of the words.

Sighing, the Hokage said patiently, “Izumi, next time you encounter something like this, you should let the legal documents of the Land of Fire be the instrument of justice.”

“Your personal use of excessive force has already caused unrest. Even I, the Hokage, struggle to silence the voices of protest.”

Uchiha Iizumi remained expressionless.

“Gentle laws only become tools for the wicked. Only [Absolute Justice] can purge every demon and monster from this world.”

Hiruzen paused, caught off guard.

He let out a dry chuckle.

He’d almost forgotten how often this kind of reply had left him speechless.

“Hokage-sama,” Iizumi said, turning to leave, “you were wrong about one thing.”

He didn’t look back.

“My enforcement has always had warmth. Like lava beneath a volcano—burning, intense, but alive.”

And with that, he walked out—without so much as a farewell.

Hiruzen stared after him.

…

Like lava beneath a volcano…

That didn’t sound like warmth.

That sounded like death upon contact.

Then—suddenly—it hit him.

There was something far more urgent he needed to ask.

He wanted to know Iizumi’s stance on the rising tensions within the Uchiha Clan—the growing unrest, the defiance, the simmering rebellion.

But he paused.

A feeling stirred in his gut.

He’ll be back.

Soon.

And under the same circumstances.

…

Outside the Hokage Tower, Uchiha Iizumi made a brief stop at the Uchiha Police Force headquarters.

He didn’t see Izumi.

Then, from the side, a curious voice asked:

“Pool Spring… the recruit you brought in for the selection exam—the one named ‘Uchiha Izumi’… is she still alive?”

Uchiha Izumi, the half-blooded girl, was well known among the Uchiha.

A rare specimen—half Uchiha blood, a living anomaly.

Iizumi glanced over.

The speaker was another officer in the Uchiha Police Force. His face looked familiar, but Iizumi couldn’t recall his name.

“Yes,” he said simply.

Just two words.

But they seemed to strike a chord.

Around him, several officers froze, eyes widening.

Whispers began to ripple through the group.

“Wait… really? I remember Pool Spring had two trainees before. Both died.”

“One was killed on Day One for disobeying orders.”

“The other… he awakened his Sharingan on the first day, but the trauma drove him mad. Now he’s confined in the clan’s psychiatric wing.”

Clearly, this man had no real understanding of the Uchiha clan’s inherited mental afflictions.

“Huh… surprising. So the half-blood rookie actually survived?”

“She only made it through today. Tomorrow, she’ll probably be dead.”

“Seriously… Izuhiha Iizumi killed a fellow clan member before. Why hasn’t the Clan Head punished him? Why let him keep serving as a police ninja?”

“I heard the man he killed was involved in something… deeply shameful. But the Clan Head sealed the truth. Only the Head and Iizumi know what really happened.”

“Pfft. A useless nobody. Dead’s dead. Why care?”

…

The murmurs didn’t affect Uchiha Iizumi.

He gave a quiet glance around, his eyes lingering briefly on the floating white squares above the heads of his colleagues.

【Uchiha Fū — Nine days from now: During a theft arrest, secretly pocketed the stolen goods and submitted a falsified report. Guilt Level: White Mark!】

【Uchiha Ren — Three days from now: Engaged in an affair with the husband of colleague Uchiha Momoha. Guilt Level: White Mark!】

【Uchiha Natsuki — Fifteen days from now…】

【…】

Among the Uchiha Police Force—and indeed, among all the ninja of the Leaf Village—only a small fraction had no White Mark or Red Mark hovering above their heads.

Fewer than 30% of the village’s ninja.

But [Absolute Justice] was not [Blind Justice].

It was not the twisted, nihilistic justice that sought to exterminate every soul in the Ninja World.

Even if Iizumi saw the future crimes that would stain certain souls—knowing their evil paths were already set—he would not, in his wisdom, kill them before they’d even acted.

Experience had taught him: future evil was not fate.

It could change—shifted by a single moment, a single choice.

And as for how he’d come to know this?

Well… everyone learns through trial and error.

Though his face remained unreadable, his gaze alone had silenced the whispers.

One by one, the officers fell quiet.

Their expressions grew uneasy.

They didn’t know why.

But they felt it.

Like something was watching them.

Like a shadow had just passed through.

…

“P-Pool Spring Senior!” came a breathless, exhausted voice from afar.

A young girl arrived, panting, her face flushed.

“I… I brought the body back!”

…

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end