Chapter 77: Absolute Justice Needs More Believers (Extra Chapter – Please Keep Reading)

“Papa… who is he…?”

Ino, standing beside Yamana Haiichi as they watched Uchiha Iizumi walk away, her small face crinkled with confusion. Finally, she couldn’t hold back and whispered quietly to her father.

Yamana Haiichi turned his gaze away from the retreating figure.

“He’s Uchiha Iizumi.”

He crouched down, meeting his seven-year-old daughter’s eyes with solemn sincerity.

“Ino… sometimes, the adults in the village make mistakes. But Uchiha Iizumi is different. His beliefs, his unwavering conviction—those keep him from ever committing any act contrary to Justice.”

A faint, rare smile tugged at the corner of his stern face.

“He’s one of the few truly good men in Leaf Village. He may use methods you can’t understand—extreme ones—but they’ll never be turned against the innocent.”

Ino nodded slowly, her expression caught between curiosity and uncertainty.

Then, she glanced back at the ruins that had once been her home.

“But… where will we sleep tonight?”

The sight of the deep, jagged scars carved into the Yamanaka Clan Residence by Wind Blades cast a shadow across Yamana Haiichi’s eyes.

His already low regard for Danzō and Root had just plummeted to zero.

…

On the other side, Izumi trailed closely behind Uchiha Iizumi, her heart heavy with guilt. She’d done nothing all night—just a burden, unable to help.

She wanted to be like the Fugaku family's head, to break through the Root Ninja’s blockade. But unlike him, she didn’t stand against Senior Iizumi—she wanted to stand with him.

But that dream was impossible. With her small arms and weak strength, she couldn’t even breach the Anbu Ninja’s encirclement.

Just not dragging her mentor down was already her greatest achievement.

As she glanced up at Iizumi’s profile, she noticed two deep crimson streaks on his cheeks—fresh wounds.

Without hesitation, she pulled a white handkerchief from her pocket, its surface faintly perfumed.

She was about to gather her courage and offer it when—

A soft, disdainful voice echoed from her shoulder.

“Tch… here comes another pest. Smells like trouble. Just the scent makes me want to puke, nya.”

It was Tachibana Jiro, the cat perched on her shoulder.

Then, a familiar voice rang out behind them—Fugaku’s.

“Iizumi…”

Izumi’s brows instantly knitted together.

She had already reached the lowest point in her opinion of Uchiha Fugaku.

How could the clan head stand on the opposite side of her mentor in such a crisis?

Fugaku, watching Iizumi not stop, not even turn, his impassive face flickered with quiet resignation.

“Iizumi… I, too, don’t want to see the Uchiha clan destroyed in a genocide.”

He spoke, his voice low and heavy.

“The root of that tragedy is the conflict between the village and the Uchiha clan.

Only by rooting out that conflict early can we prevent the bloodshed. This is the peace I, as Uchiha Clan Head, have chosen.

To you—doesn’t this, too, count as Justice?”

Uchiha Iizumi’s voice came slowly, like wind through stone.

“You’re asking me to accept your pitiful compromise? Your cowardice dressed up as peace?

Is Justice something you laugh at, just to make it sound brave?”

A dry chuckle followed.

“Almost made me laugh.”

Fugaku fell silent.

There was no reaching him.

The man who sought Absolute Justice through extremism would never understand the cost of restraint.

Iizumi ignored him entirely, walking on.

Izumi and Tachibana Jiro hurried to keep up.

…

Uchiha Iizumi had known—thanks to the God Gift’s alert—that during Danzō’s desperate use of the Izanagi technique to survive, he had consumed four Sharingan eyes.

Tonight, four “Danzō killed” alerts had flashed.

Two were caused by Iizumi’s Molten Release.

The other two must have been due to the Divine Retribution Flame.

But the alerts stopped after only two deaths.

That meant Danzō had evaded the flames—somehow.

Yet, that evasion was an illusion.

The Mangekyō Sharingan had already branded him.

Every second, his soul burned.

Iizumi could feel the burn, the mark etched into his being.

Danzō would never be free.

No matter if he lived or died.

No matter if he stood in the Ninja World or wandered the afterlife—his soul would burn forever.

“Uchiha Izumi.”

The voice cut through the silence.

Izumi’s hand clenched the handkerchief.

“Here!” she snapped, instantly responding.

Uchiha Iizumi’s tone was cold, detached.

“If I ever gave you the chance to kill Shimura Danzō yourself… would you raise your blade against a former high-ranking official of Leaf Village?”

Without hesitation, Izumi answered, “Yes!”

Then came the words she barely understood:

“Then prepare yourself. Danzō’s sins are so vast, they’re like a treasure vault of evil—untouched, unemptied.

For Absolute Justice, he is a Dragon’s Hoard of wickedness.”

He glanced at the anxious girl, his expression unreadable.

“Whether the new seed of Absolute Justice grows strong… depends on what you can dig from the Dragon’s treasure.”

To Iizumi, Danzō was no longer just a man.

He was a living monument to evil.

And if he were to die by the hands of this new Justice… that might be the only value he’d ever offer the world.

Izumi finally realized.

“Wait… he’s still alive?”

Uchiha Iizumi replied, “For now, he’s clinging to life with tricks and lies. But he’s already broken—more than dead. A shell.”

Her eyes widened.

“So… he can’t do any more harm?”

Uchiha Iizumi turned to her.

“Newcomer… a criminal who suffers endless torment, unable to harm anyone anymore.

Do you think Justice still needs to purge him?”

Izumi froze.

She understood—this was a test.

She nodded firmly.

“Yes! If we don’t destroy the evil doers, the innocent can never be avenged!

We are only the enforcers of Justice. We don’t have the right to forgive the guilty for the victims.”

A rare, almost imperceptible nod.

“Correct. You’re barely qualified as a believer of Absolute Justice.”

Even in that cold tone, the praise was real.

…

Meanwhile, Hiruzen Sarutobi exhaled deeply, finally relaxing—only to bypass the Yamanaka clan residence and head straight for the Leaf Village Anbu Base.

An Anbu Ninja had reported Danzō was brought there—but his condition was… off.

As he stepped inside, he heard faint, distorted screams.

Faint. Familiar.

When he reached the sealed chamber, he stopped dead.

There, before him, was half a Danzō.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end