Chapter 89: That Kind of Justice Only Makes Me Want to Vomit (Two-in-One – Request for Subscriptions)

The crimson blood splattered across the ground relentlessly assaulted Hiruzen Sarutobi’s nerves. The lifeless, headless corpse at his feet — its expression frozen in horror — sent icy chills down his spine. A single thought echoed through his mind, over and over: It’s over.

Though never formally written into law, among the elite of the Ninja World, it was an unspoken rule: only the most powerful nobles could wear the Little Straight Robe, the garment reserved for those at the very pinnacle of power. And Hiruzen had just seen with his own eyes — the expensive, finely tailored robe still clinging to the body of the slain man was unmistakably of that style.

There was no longer any hope. His face twisted in silent agony, his wrinkles trembling, his lips quivering. He wanted to speak — to protest, to demand answers — but the words choked in his throat. His face darkened to a shade so grim it looked like death itself had settled upon it.

“Hokage-sama… we arrived too late,” a voice murmured lowly from behind. An Anbu Ninja, his face hidden beneath his mask, spoke. “Even if medical-nin could reattach the head, it would only be a dignified end for a corpse.”

Hiruzen Sarutobi: “….”

“Hokage-sama? You’re the Leaf Village’s Hokage?!” A noble retainer — previously cowed into silence by Uchiha Iizumi’s earlier tirade — suddenly found his voice. He shouted, voice trembling with outrage: “What are you Leaf Village fools planning?! Are you trying to rebel?! The Daimyo gives you massive funds every year, yet your ninja assassinated his second son!”

He pointed frantically at Uchiha Iizumi, spitting venom: “It was this madman from the Uchiha Clan! He murdered Lord Yoyoenin Kyosuke! You killed the Daimyo’s son — do you even understand the consequences?!”

He gasped for breath, then continued: “Not just him — two other noble retainers and a Guardian Ninja Twelve were also killed by this lunatic! He’s completely insane! How dare he even think he has the right to judge the Daimyo’s heir?!”

But then Uchiha Iizumi turned his gaze toward the man — cold, expressionless, eyes like black voids.

The noble’s voice died in an instant. He froze like a duck with its neck wrung. His mouth opened and closed soundlessly, eyes wide with terror. In the end, not a single word escaped.

Hiruzen Sarutobi: “….”

The air around them was thick with tension. Even the sharpest-eyed Anbu Ninja could see it — the Hokage’s fists were clenched so tightly his knuckles had turned white, veins standing out on his hands like ropes. No one knew whether the Hokage was furious at this lowly retainer daring to shout at him — the Third Hokage — or at the fact that Uchiha Iizumi had executed the Daimyo’s son in broad daylight.

“Iizumi.” Hiruzen Sarutobi’s voice was colder than ever before, his eyes dark with a quiet fury. He forced his gaze away from the corpse on the ground. He ignored the trembling noble, refusing to acknowledge him.

Instead, his eyes locked onto Uchiha Iizumi, sharp and unrelenting.

“Huff…” Hiruzen exhaled heavily, struggling to suppress the storm of rage within. His face was rigid as he spoke: “Now… give me your explanation. Are you still going to justify it all with your Absolute Justice? Is this Absolute Justice of yours built on the sacrifice of the Leaf Village’s future — on the destruction of our reputation?”

Hiruzen couldn’t even bear to imagine what would happen if this reached the ears of the fire nation’s elite.

The Leaf Village — the village with the greatest power — has turned on the nobility. They’ve murdered the Daimyo’s son.

In such a case… would the entire fire nation’s ruling class not tremble with fear? Would they still support the Leaf Village? Would they still support him, Hiruzen Sarutobi?

“Iizumi!” His voice rose sharply, teeth clenched. “Yoyoenin Kyosuke — that young man — his father is the Daimyo! The supreme ruler of the Fire Nation! The one who controls the lifelines of every industry in the country! Even if the Leaf Village elects a new Hokage, it will be the Daimyo who chooses who holds the title. Without his backing, Root could never have been established. The ninja of the Fire Nation might still be torn apart by endless civil strife!”

“And you… you today…” Hiruzen’s breath grew shallow. His head spun. His vision blurred.

“Does the Third Hokage really think I should have let him go?” Uchiha Iizumi met his gaze, unflinching. Hiruzen, staring into those deep, endless black eyes, suddenly remembered something — a chilling thought — and instinctively looked away.

“Iizumi,” Hiruzen growled, “by acting on your Absolute Justice, you’ve recklessly sacrificed the future of the Leaf Village. Is that truly just? Without the Daimyo’s funding, the village’s infrastructure, medical care, and jobs — none of it would be secure. This isn’t a problem you can solve with blind killing.”

He paused, voice tightening. “If your Justice causes harm to the village — if it makes life worse for the people here — then tell me… is that Justice… or is it evil?”

These were not just words — they were the raw truth of his soul.

“Hey! You’re the Leaf Village’s Hokage — why are you arguing with this madman? Just arrest him!” One of the nobles snapped, voice cracking with fear.

“Exactly! He killed Lord Kyosuke! Murdering the Daimyo’s son — isn’t that treason?!”

“He should be executed on the spot — for the honor of Lord Kyosuke! And his entire family should be wiped out, to join him in death!”

“Are you protecting your own ninja, Hokage? He’s a murderer!”

“….”

Perhaps Hiruzen’s arrival had given them a sense of safety — a leader to rally behind. But these men weren’t ninja. They weren’t loyal to the Leaf Village Hokage. They were loyal to the Daimyo.

To some ninja, the Daimyo and the Hokage were equals — one held the nation’s economy and people, the other its military. But to these nobles, the Hokage was still one rung below the Daimyo.

So even with their newfound confidence, they didn’t hold back.

Each harsh word made Hiruzen’s brow furrow deeper.

His cold, piercing gaze swept over the retinue. The Third Hokage’s aura couldn’t intimidate Uchiha Iizumi — but it was enough to make the nobles break into cold sweat.

“This is Leaf Village’s business,” Hiruzen said, voice like ice. “I will handle it as I see fit. What right do you have to judge me?”

He stepped forward, face stern. “If you wish to avenge the Daimyo’s son, then go ahead. The culprit is right here. Kill him.”

The nobles: “….”

Silence fell. Seeing them finally quiet, Hiruzen took a deep breath. The anger that had been building inside him — stoked by their insolence — suddenly cooled, just slightly.

When he spoke again, his tone was less rigid.

“Iizumi. Not every crime warrants such extreme punishment. The evil in the Ninja World isn’t eradicated by endless killing. What good is it to slaughter a hundred, a thousand, even ten thousand? The world is vast — how many wicked men are truly just a few?”

“Making the Leaf Village better, giving the people a better life — that can’t be done through mass executions. Too much bloodshed only deepens the rifts. Once the conflict ignites, it breeds even more evil.”

“You killed the Daimyo’s son today. Do you have any idea what chaos this will cause? Even the Daimyo’s heirs — they are untouchable. No one can kill them.”

And to his own surprise, Hiruzen found himself reasoning with Uchiha Iizumi — arguing like a man trying to reason with a storm.

He couldn’t help it. He was afraid. Afraid of the Mangekyō Sharingan. Afraid of what would happen if he confronted Uchiha Iizumi — if he forced a battle between the Hokage and the Uchiha, a war that would inevitably drag the entire clan into the fire.

There were only two choices before him.

And the Third Hokage — the man who had stood at the center of this village for decades — knew exactly which one he would choose.

“Third Hokage,” Uchiha Iizumi said coldly, “if my actions lead to more evil in the world, then it only proves that those who committed the crimes were never truly normal. They were already standing on the opposite side of Absolute Justice from the start.”

“They only needed an excuse to justify their inner darkness. My actions simply gave them that excuse. Such people are already enemies of Absolute Justice — hidden threats within the Ninja World.”

“They are one of the evils that Justice must purge. If Justice retreats, if it hides — if it chooses silence out of fear —”

Uchiha Iizumi narrowed his eyes, voice quiet but deadly.

“Then that kind of Justice… is the only thing that makes me want to vomit.”

“Besides…” He added, “To think you can change a grown man’s mind with a few words? Third Hokage — are you really that confident in your charisma?”

Hiruzen’s face remained stiff. He knew this reaction was inevitable. But every time Uchiha Iizumi turned his words back at him, it ignited a fire in his chest.

Among all the ninja in the Leaf Village, only Uchiha Iizumi dared to speak to the Hokage like this.

And worse — it meant Iizumi’s Absolute Justice was no longer a weapon Hiruzen could control.

Once, Hiruzen had used Iizumi’s unwavering sense of justice to intimidate those with ill intent. Now, he had no idea where that blade would fall.

“By the way,” Uchiha Iizumi said, as Hiruzen stood stunned, “you might want to know — the rest of the people behind you? Everyone except one — in my eyes, they are all Evil Offenders.”

Hiruzen’s pupils contracted. He realized then — Uchiha Iizumi had not sheathed his sword.

“Evil Offenders… must be purged.”

The words fell like a death knell.

Instantly, the Anbu Ninja surrounding Hiruzen snapped into action, forming a tight defensive circle around their Hokage. They knew what kind of power Uchiha Iizumi wielded — they had seen the Mangekyō Sharingan before.

They would not let him use that terrifying eye technique on the Hokage.

Shun.

In a blink, Uchiha Iizumi vanished.

Hiruzen’s instinctive command — “Stop him!” — died in his throat.

He felt the killing intent radiating from the man — cold, precise, inevitable.

And then a terrifying thought struck him: If I order the Anbu to stop him… it will end in a massacre.

That hesitation — that split second — was all Uchiha Iizumi needed.

Like a tiger into a flock of sheep, he moved. His blade swept across the neck of one of the nobles.

As he passed, the head flew into the air.

Hiruzen and the Anbu whirled around.

Their eyes met a scene of horror.

A dozen heads — frozen in terror — were airborne. The bodies, headless, collapsed in silence, blood erupting in a crimson rain. One droplet pierced through the Anbu line, landing on Hiruzen’s Hokage robes.

No screams. No cries of pain.

Only the dull, heavy thuds of bodies hitting the ground.

“Gurgle… gurgle…”

A massive head rolled to a stop at the foot of an Anbu Ninja. The sheer, bone-chilling dread sent chills down even the most hardened warrior’s spine.

— Uchiha Iizumi… this man is terrifying.

That was the unspoken consensus among every Anbu.

Yet not one of them whispered a word of disapproval.

No one dared question his judgment of evil.

And that was why Hiruzen’s face remained so conflicted. He agreed — in his heart — with the Anbu.

“N-no… please… don’t… don’t kill me…”

A broken, trembling voice broke the silence.

Only one noble remained alive — trembling, soaked in blood and filth, his body collapsed in a puddle of his own fear and waste. He stared at Uchiha Iizumi, whose face remained blank, impassive.

Hiruzen watched as Iizumi didn’t even look at him.

The young man turned away, not even glancing back.

“Third Hokage,” he said, voice flat, “do I really need to list their crimes in detail?”

And then he walked away.

Hiruzen: “….”

Blood pooled around his feet, creeping toward him. He opened his mouth — but no words came.

“Hokage-sama…” Uchiha Iizumi’s voice came again.

She stepped forward, holding a small notebook. She tore off a few pages and handed them to an Anbu Ninja.

“This is everything I recorded about Yoyoenin Kyosuke — all from Iizumi-san’s own words. You can give the body to the Yamanaka Clan. They can check the memories — see if they match.”

The Anbu Ninja — his mask hiding his expression — took the pages with a strange, unreadable look. Then he passed them to Hiruzen.

Hiruzen took them. His eyes scanned the neat, precise handwriting.

And finally, he let out a long, silent sigh.

…

…

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end