Chapter 59: Uchiha Itachi Is Deeply Reviled

“Have you managed to identify who’s spreading the slander against Itachi throughout Leaf Village?”

Inside the Hokage’s office, Hiruzen Sarutobi stood with Uchiha Itachi and an Anbu Ninja.

Hiruzen, hands clasped behind his back, faced the window, his expression dark and brooding. He didn’t turn around as he spoke.

The Anbu Ninja bowed his head. “We haven’t pinpointed the source yet… but it seems the rumors originated within the Uchiha Clan itself.”

Hiruzen exhaled heavily, a slow, weary breath. He turned, stepping toward Uchiha Itachi. His voice carried regret.

“Itachi… I’m sorry. I failed to detect the spread of this slander in time. I should have acted sooner to stop it.”

This morning, Hiruzen had personally urged Itachi to forget everything he’d said to Uchiha Iizumi—and to keep the matter completely quiet. His intention? To conceal the so-called “Future Evil.”

But no one could have predicted…

In just half a day, the rumors about Itachi’s supposed “Future Evil” had spread like wildfire through the entire village. And with countless people adding their own embellishments, the whispers had twisted into outright lies.

Yet Uchiha Itachi remained calm. He shook his head gently.

“Hokage-sama… I don’t mind. My reputation means little compared to the peace and safety of Leaf Village.”

He looked down at his own hands, hanging limp at his sides.

“In truth… it’s not entirely bad. It gives me a chance to grow accustomed to being hated—mocked, scorned, reviled by countless people.”

Hiruzen stared, stunned.

This boy… he truly believes, without doubt, that he will one day destroy the Uchiha Clan.

…

When Uchiha Sasuke returned alone to the Uchiha Compound, his steps were unsteady. His small face was still streaked with faint, half-dried tear tracks. His eyes, once bright and lively, were bloodshot, the whites tinged with red. His expression was hollow—lifeless, as if all light had been drained from his gaze.

As he entered the compound, he immediately felt the weight of countless stares fixed upon him.

It made his skin crawl.

“That kid… the younger brother of that bastard Uchiha Itachi, right? Sasuke, was it?”

“He’s blood kin to Itachi. Hey, could he really be planning to kill us all, too? Keeping him in the Clan is nothing short of a disaster.”

“I heard the two were close. Maybe we should seize him—use him as leverage against Itachi.”

“Do you think he’ll end up dead at Itachi’s hands? I remember… that monster killed his own parents.”

Whispers, barely audible, slithered into Sasuke’s ears.

Cold sweat broke across his skin.

He couldn’t defend his brother. He couldn’t argue. He couldn’t even stand on the street for long—no matter that it was still within Uchiha territory.

He broke into a hurried walk, head down, fleeing toward his home.

…

“…Fugaku,” Mikoto Uchiha said softly, her eyes fixed on her husband, who stood silent and still. “You already knew, didn’t you?”

Today, the Uchiha Compound had been flooded with visitors. Some came furious, demanding answers. Others came confused, seeking clarity. But in the end, each had been dismissed—either sent away with empty words or brushed off with polite indifference.

Mikoto had lived with Fugaku for years. She knew the truth—when he spoke to the clan members, he was lying. Even fragments of their conversations had told her everything.

Fugaku finally sighed. He looked down at his own clenched fists, then spoke, voice low.

“I found out this morning. I was with Itachi when we went to see Iizumi… and I heard it with my own ears. You know as well as I do—though Iizumi holds a bias against Itachi, he never lies.”

Mikoto froze. Her legs gave way. She staggered, as if drained of all strength.

Fugaku rushed to catch her.

“…Iizumi…,” she whispered, her lips pale. “Did he… say anything more specific about the future?”

Her voice trembled. “In that future… did Itachi… kill Sasuke too?”

Fugaku shook his head. “Not Sasuke.”

That morning, Fugaku had heard no mention of Sasuke as a victim of the massacre.

Then, abruptly, he paused.

His eyes widened slightly.

“He didn’t mention Iizumi either.”

At that moment, a faint, ragged breath echoed from outside the door.

Both turned.

There, leaning weakly against the doorframe, stood Sasuke—pale, trembling, eyes filled with tears, gasping for air.

“I…” Sasuke bit down hard on his lip until it bled. The metallic taste of blood filled his mouth as he forced the words out. “I know… too.”

Fugaku stared, stunned.

Silence.

Then, a long, heavy sigh.

…

Thwip!

A sharp slash—two arms severed instantly from the body of a Root Ninja disguised as a Leaf civilian.

Izumi moved swiftly behind Uchiha Iizumi, throwing two kunai with perfect precision. They pierced the man’s feet into the ground.

The pain was excruciating. The Root Ninja shuddered violently.

“Third one today…” Izumi wiped a bead of sweat from her brow. Since splitting from Sasuke, she had been hunting down the Root Ninjas Danzō had sent out to spread the rumors.

Though spreading false rumors wasn’t punishable by death, their past crimes were.

As Iizumi’s mentor had said:

“The entire Root is guilty—except for the war orphans newly recruited and brainwashed. Every one of them deserves to die. None would be innocent.”

So Izumi had no hesitation.

She trusted Iizumi’s judgment completely.

She watched as the Root Ninja, bleeding out, collapsed to the ground—already dying. He wouldn’t last a minute. No need to save him.

“You do it,” Iizumi’s voice came, cold and distant.

Izumi stepped forward without pause. She drew her blade and slit the man’s throat in one smooth motion.

—I am executing Absolute Justice.

She repeated the thought in her mind.

But then… a strange sensation crept over her.

She felt… stronger.

Not just physically—something deeper. A strange, unnatural surge within her.

It frightened her.

What if… this was her true nature?

What if she wasn’t a warrior of justice—but a creature born for slaughter?

“P-Precious… my body…” She tried to speak, to voice her unease to her mentor.

But before she could finish, Iizumi spoke again—cutting her off, as always.

“It’s a gift of Absolute Justice,” Iizumi said calmly. “Without absolute strength, how can you carry out Absolute Justice in the Ninja World?”

…

…

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end