Chapter 84: Our Leaf Village Troublemakers Are Just Like This

"They say that cursed Uchiha scum was at it again last night—got into another brawl. Even the Yamanaka Clan's compound got destroyed. Now they're temporarily staying with the Nara Clan!"

"Man, the noise last night was terrifying... I didn't get a wink of sleep all night."

"The Hokage should just kick Uchiha Iizumi out of Leaf Village! What right does he have to claim he's enforcing Justice, disrupting our peace and quiet like this?"

"Hey, you wouldn't happen to have something to hide, would you? Afraid he'll catch you?"

"Rumor has it quite a few people died in that fight..."

"Ugh, all these ninja ever do is fight among themselves."

"..."

"Wow, word travels fast," Izumi muttered, shaking her head with a mix of irritation and disbelief. "Izumi-sama's been upholding Justice across the Ninja World all along. He hasn't touched a single innocent soul—why are they blaming him like this?"

Tachibana Jiro sighed. "Leaf Village’s had televisions in every household for years now. What happened last night was all over the morning news. You're a rookie in the Investigation Corps—shouldn’t you know better than to ignore the news? And as for these people... are you really new to the kind of gossip-mongering this village thrives on? They’ve always been like this—jumping at shadows. That’s why Hatake Shūmatsu ended up driven to suicide by public pressure."

Just as Izumi opened her mouth to protest, her eyes locked onto a familiar figure ahead.

"Ah—there’s Izumi-sama!!!"

She dashed forward, then instinctively counted the seconds in her head.

Phew… barely made it on time.

She exhaled in relief.

But then she froze.

Her eyes widened.

Izumi-sama was… holding a half-grown boy with wild golden hair by the scruff of his shirt.

That wasn’t…

"Naruto Uzumaki?!"

Izumi stared in shock at the terrified Naruto, who looked utterly defeated. She knew he’d been thrown into Leaf Village Prison after that incident. How was he out here?

"Per—Permit me to ask, sir… what’s he doing here?"

"Third Hokage used his clemency power to release him," Uchiha Iizumi replied flatly, still holding Naruto like a sack of rice.

Naruto’s face crumpled. "Hokage Grandpa already pardoned me! I haven’t done anything wrong lately! Please, just let me go! I know I messed up—Grandpa even scolded me!"

He hadn’t expected this.

He’d just wanted to enjoy a lazy weekend, finally free from school—just to buy that limited-edition ramen he’d been craving for ages.

Who could’ve guessed… he’d run into this guy at the crack of dawn?

And worse—the guy saw him!

So when he tried to flee, it was over before it began.

Now, under Uchiha Iizumi’s cold gaze, Naruto’s voice dwindled, shrinking to a trembling whisper.

Because the pressure from this man… was infinitely worse than anything the Hokage had ever given him.

The boy was already traumatized.

"So, even with the Third Hokage shielding you with his favor, the prison couldn’t hold you," Uchiha Iizumi said, voice like stone.

Naruto’s face drained of color.

No… not jail… but if I’m not locked up… does that mean he’s going to kill me?

His legs gave out. He collapsed onto the ground, frozen in terror.

"Naruto Uzumaki," Uchiha Iizumi said, his tone as lifeless as a blade. "Do you see this street?"

"Starting today, you’ll come here every day—six months. You’ll clean the entire block by yourself. If you miss even one day, it’s another six months. No exceptions."

"Small evils are still evils. Your past actions aren’t enough to deserve death—but if you’re not taught a lesson now, that small evil will one day become something far worse. And when that day comes… I won’t hesitate to kill you."

Uchiha Iizumi didn’t believe in fate.

He’d already disrupted the balance of the Ninja World enough.

In the tangled web of countless butterfly effects, could Naruto Uzumaki really end up as the hero of the original story?

Could he follow the path laid out in the original tale?

Better to stop it now.

Better to correct the course before it went off track.

No room for chance.

No room for possibility.

Naruto blinked, tears welling in his eyes.

Almost reflexively, he asked, "Y-You’re not… going to kill me?"

The moment the words left his mouth, he wanted to slap himself.

Why did I say that?!

Uchiha Iizumi glanced at him.

"Absolute Justice isn’t Blind Justice. Blind Justice only turns Justice into a horror worse than any criminal’s evil. Your past misdeeds, and your future—completely uncertain—warrant the harshest punishment I can offer: forced labor. That’s the limit."

Naruto stared blankly.

He didn’t understand.

Not really.

---

Meanwhile, a group approached the Leaf Village gates.

"Your Excellency, please rest at the Leaf Village Reception Inn first. I’ll go inform the Hokage immediately," said a ninja, bowing respectfully to a well-dressed, portly young man.

The young man wiped sweat from his brow, fanning himself with a silk fan. "You should’ve known I was arriving today. Why wasn’t I prepared?"

The ninja lowered his head. "Forgive us, Your Excellency. Lately, there’ve been many disturbances within the village. The Hokage has been overwhelmed with duties, and some matters may have slipped through the cracks."

"I’m truly sorry. The Hokage will surely come to greet you personally and apologize."

The young man narrowed his eyes, but said nothing more.

The ninja were the true wielders of force in this world. The daimyo’s role was merely to maintain order and economy. To go to war with the ninja? That would be suicide.

"Wait," the man suddenly changed tone, his free hand idly stroking his chin. "Where’s your village’s Casino? Show me the way—I’d like to take a look."

"Casino…?" The Leaf ninja flinched.

He remembered Tsunade Konoha’s strict warning.

"Your Excellency, I beg you—please avoid the Casino, the Bathhouse, and any such places."

The young man scowled. "Why? What’s so dangerous about them?"

The ninja took a deep breath. "Because… there’s a certain ninja in the village. If he meets you… he might not hesitate to—"

"…kill you."

The young man blinked.

"…What?!"

"Your village has a ninja who dare to kill a daimyo’s envoy?!"

A middle-aged man in servant’s garb interjected in disbelief. "Are you serious? This man’s wandering the streets like a common criminal? Why isn’t he arrested?"

"If he harms you, your village would be responsible. Do you think you can afford that?"

The ninja’s lips twitched.

How could he know why the Hokage tolerates Uchiha Iizumi?

He had no choice but to explain:

"Leaf Village doesn’t arrest ninja without cause. And the one I speak of… is one of our own enforcers."

The young daimyo tightened his grip on his fan.

Unease prickled his spine.

"…What’s his name?"

"Uchiha Iizumi," the ninja replied.

---

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end