Chapter 58: Iizumi-sama Is the Only Light Worth Trusting

When Sasuke saw a corpse—its head missing half of its skull—slump lifelessly to the ground, his face turned pale with terror. Even more chilling was the sight of the one remaining eye, still wide open, staring directly at him as if it could see through him.

A shiver ran down his spine.

"K-kill... someone's been killed..."

Nearby, Leaf Village civilians trembled in fear, stammering, "H-Hurry—go tell the Uchiha Investigation Corps!"

"We are the Uchiha Investigation Corps!" Iizumi took a deep breath, then stepped forward and declared aloud—her voice sharp, unwavering—leaving the crowd utterly silenced.

Yes…

The killer was one of the Uchiha Investigation Corps.

What good would it do to call for help from another Investigation Corps if the very ones enforcing justice were the ones who had struck?

Izumi noticed the fear still etched on many faces. She raised her voice again.

"The man executed was Yoneda Kei'ya. A ninja who abandoned the Will of the Fire Nation, who took innocent lives. His crimes include—without limitation—illegal drug trafficking, murder, and desecration of corpses.

And above all, he attacked us earlier, attempting to resist arrest by force. My senior, Uchiha Iizumi, had no choice but to execute him on the spot, in the name of Absolute Justice."

Perhaps her words rang with such righteous conviction.

Perhaps the authority of the Investigation Corps and the legitimacy of their enforcement made dissent impossible.

Or perhaps it was simply the weight of the name Uchiha Iizumi—a name so feared it could silence even the most restless child.

Slowly, the civilians' panic began to ease.

Relief flickered in Izumi’s heart.

"Senior… what now?"

Though she’d stood tall before the villagers, her voice faltered the moment she turned to her senior.

"There will be a Ninja Cat returning to the Investigation Corps to report and retrieve the body," Uchiha Iizumi said, voice calm, almost detached.

Izumi watched as a small black cat crouched in the alley’s shadow darted away with surprising speed.

These Ninja Cats… they must be Iizumi-sama’s most trusted allies and most loyal assistants.

Wait—no!

No, I am Iizumi-sama’s most trusted assistant!

She straightened her posture, regaining her resolve.

…

After Uchiha Iizumi left the street, the Leaf Village civilians, too afraid to speak loudly before, finally mustered the courage to approach the lifeless body.

"Damn… he really didn’t even get a clean death. How many has Uchiha Iizumi killed this month?"

One man shuddered. "Is he a law enforcer… or a murderer?"

"I heard he has the ability to see 'Evil of the Past and Future.' The Sharingan’s already unnatural. Maybe he really did see the evil in this man. And he’s always been a man of fierce justice."

"The girl said he killed people. If he was caught by the Investigation Corps, then… he deserved it."

"But isn’t this too extreme? Why not just arrest him first? What if they’re wrong? What if he’s innocent?"

"...The man won’t kill the innocent. He’s not as terrifying as you think. He only strikes down those who are truly guilty. You don’t need to fear him."

As the murmurs swirled, a single, jarring voice cut through the air.

Everyone turned toward the speaker.

It was a man—his expression hollow, his posture broken.

He didn’t care about the stares, the judgment, the whispers.

All he cared about was that Iizumi-sama was being misunderstood.

With trembling hands, he pulled back his sleeve, exposing the scarred flesh of his arm—his own wound, a permanent reminder of his pain.

"I wouldn’t have known how to punish those three bastards if it weren’t for Iizumi-sama," he said, voice cracking. "He brought justice to my fiancée—she was murdered, raped, and left to die. I didn’t know how to fight back… until he came."

Tears welled in his eyes. He clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles turned white.

"You think he’s harsh because he kills swiftly. But do you know… in my life—already lost in darkness—Iizumi-sama is the only light I believe still exists in justice?"

"So please… don’t misunderstand him! He’s never our enemy. Not us, ordinary people who’ve done nothing wrong!"

…

Sasuke, still dazed and stumbling behind Iizumi, faintly heard the man’s words from afar.

He didn’t even know why he’d followed Iizumi in the first place—after all, the man had terrified him beyond reason.

But now, his heart pounded wildly in his chest.

"Sasuke-kun. I’m sorry. That unexpected incident… I never got to answer your earlier question about the rumors concerning your brother, Uchiha Itachi."

Izumi’s voice snapped him back to reality.

He turned to her, heart racing.

And then—something struck him.

Her tone… the way she spoke of Itachi…

She no longer called him Itachi-kun.

Not anymore.

That affectionate, familiar name—once used so casually—was gone.

Now it was just Uchiha Itachi.

Cold. Formal. Distant.

Izumi’s voice dropped, heavy with sorrow.

"Sasuke-kun… what you heard today—half of it was rumor. The other half… was the truth."

Sasuke froze.

His breath caught.

"Wh-what… what part… is true?"

At first, Iizumi hesitated.

Telling the truth to Sasuke—this boy, the Future Evil’s victim—felt cruel.

But then she thought:

He deserved to know.

He had to know the truth about his brother.

"Iizumi-sama possesses the power to see Future Evil," she said quietly.

"He saw your brother’s future.

In one year… Uchiha Itachi will wipe out the entire Uchiha clan."

Sasuke’s face paled, his eyes wide with horror.

"In one year… your father… your mother… your friends… your relatives… they will all die.

All at the hands of Uchiha Itachi.

All by his own blade."

She paused.

"Your father, Fugaku Clan Head, knew.

Your brother, Uchiha Itachi, also knew.

They both believed in Iizumi-sama’s vision."

"Your father believed his eldest son would destroy the clan… and still chose to protect him."

"Your brother… he knew what he would become.

And he said plainly—he would not regret it."

Izumi stopped.

She turned to face Sasuke, bending slightly at the waist, her eyes locking onto his.

Two pairs of eyes met—hers calm, deep, unwavering.

His—filled with tears, trembling with disbelief.

"Sasuke-kun… this is the Future Evil of Uchiha Itachi.

He will kill nearly every member of the Uchiha clan."

"This may not be the answer you wanted."

"I’m sorry… Sasuke-kun."

"But… this is the truth."

…

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end