Chapter 108: Uzumaki Naruto, You’ve Passed Justice’s Initial Trial
Although Uchiha Ikeizumi’s voice was not loud, Kakashi, who was hiding in the shadows supervising Naruto, still heard it.
This moment.
The expression on Kakashi’s face was almost identical to Naruto’s, and beneath that Anbu mask was a look of astonishment.
Oh no!
Although he knew that the method Uchiha Ikeizumi used to teach Naruto absolute justice would definitely be extremely hardcore and impossible to teach patiently from a lectern like a Ninja Academy teacher.
But… Kakashi realized he had still greatly underestimated the hardcore extent of Uchiha Ikeizumi’s teaching of justice.
Having the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki personally kill a villain trafficking contraband drugs?
At first glance, it didn’t seem like there was anything particularly wrong.
But the problem was that Uzumaki Naruto was still so young, right? Moreover, the task given to him by Hokage was to prevent Uzumaki Naruto from falling into Uchiha Ikeizumi’s absolute justice and to keep this Nine-Tails Jinchuriki from becoming so extreme.
Kakashi was once again forced to reveal himself.
He took a deep breath, made some mental preparations, and directly appeared in front of Uchiha Ikeizumi and Uzumaki Naruto.
Naruto, who was immersed in shock, suddenly noticed someone standing in front of him and couldn’t help but look up.
“Eh? Why is it you again?”
Although Kakashi was wearing an Anbu mask, that head of silver-white hair was too conspicuous.
Making his mask completely useless.
“Uchiha Ikeizumi…” Kakashi organized his words in his mind and spoke with a complicated expression: “Is it necessary to let Uzumaki Naruto come into contact with such a dark world so early? Killing… that kind of thing is too soon for him right now, isn’t it?”
Uchiha Ikeizumi met his gaze and asked flatly: “How old were you when you started killing?”
Kakashi’s tone faltered.
He had become a genin very early, promoted to chunin very early, and was already a jonin at the age of just twelve.
Kakashi’s first kill in life was earlier than anyone imagined.
However.
That time it was a forced counterattack after being ambushed by enemy village ninja.
“It’s not the same.” Kakashi tried to argue: “The ninja world back then was extremely chaotic, and it was very common for ninja under ten years old to go out on missions. You, who went through that era as well, should know this very clearly, right?”
“The ninja world isn’t as chaotic as it used to be. Shouldn’t we… cough! Protect the young ones a little? Especially a seven-year-old child like Uzumaki Naruto.”
Kakashi said many things that went against his usual personality, but if Uchiha Ikeizumi had Sasuke do it… he, Kakashi, wouldn’t intervene.
But the tricky task assigned by Hokage…
Truly left Kakashi utterly helpless.
“The ninja world… is it really not chaotic anymore?” When this sentence rang out, Kakashi couldn’t help but be stunned, because it wasn’t said by Uchiha Ikeizumi.
He looked down at Naruto in front of him.
Naruto looked up, their large and small gazes colliding in mid-air, and Naruto spoke again: “Uncle, you’re the one Grandpa Hokage sent to monitor me, right? Or rather, to monitor the demon fox sealed inside me, right?”
Kakashi fell silent for a moment.
Naruto bit his lower lip and continued: “I don’t know what Grandpa Hokage told you, but choosing to learn justice from Teacher Ikeizumi was my decision! Grandpa Hokage also said he respects my decisions.”
“I don’t think the ninja world is not chaotic now. Because… Teacher Ikeizumi has shown me so much evil in the ninja world these past two days. This evil still exists even without war in the ninja world, and it’s right beside us!”
“When defining whether the ninja world is chaotic or not, do we have to ignore these sins first?!”
“I feel that’s not right!”
Kakashi didn’t expect a child’s questioning to leave him speechless for a moment.
He also realized that Hokage had probably underestimated the influence of Uchiha Ikeizumi’s absolute justice on Naruto, that black-and-white, clear right-and-wrong ideology…
It was too “brainwashing” for a child of this age!
At this moment, even Sasuke, who had always been unconvinced by Naruto, couldn’t help but cast an astonished gaze at Naruto.
“Dead last…”
He vaguely felt that this dead last seemed much more mature than him.
Because if it were him, he absolutely couldn’t say those words.
“Teacher Ikeizumi, please let me personally carry out justice once!” Naruto took a deep breath, having made his mental preparations, and bowed deeply to Uchiha Ikeizumi.
Kakashi was helpless.
‘Hokage, I’ve done my best… If I block it any further, I’ll probably have to fight Uchiha Ikeizumi, and I’ll probably be hated by Teacher Minato’s child.’
He muttered in his heart.
What Kakashi could do was probably only have his last subordinate run back to report this to Hokage. As for whether to stop Naruto, let Hokage decide himself.
If it really needed to be stopped, then let Hokage come himself!
After all…
Hokage had also said to absolutely avoid armed conflict with Uchiha Ikeizumi.
After this thought flashed through his mind, Kakashi’s eyes returned to their listless dead-fish state.
……
Hokage’s Office Building.
“What?!!” Sarutobi Hiruzen, holding a pipe and puffing away with a face full of worry, reacted when the last Anbu ninja came to report the intelligence.
His old face was already twisted in shock.
“How long ago was this?!” Sarutobi Hiruzen lost his composure unprecedentedly, standing up swiftly and even grabbing the Anbu ninja’s collar.
His old face was somewhat flushed from excessive agitation.
The wrinkles on his face were twitching continuously like he was having a seizure.
“Five minutes… ago…”
The Anbu ninja felt his breathing restricted but didn’t dare show any dissatisfaction toward Hokage.
“Five minutes…”
Sarutobi Hiruzen weakly released his hand. At Uchiha Ikeizumi’s “killing spree” speed, five minutes had already passed—everything was probably too late by now?
Sarutobi Hiruzen gritted his teeth: “Didn’t I tell Kakashi to try his best to prevent Ikeizumi’s absolute justice from overly influencing Naruto?”
He didn’t understand how Kakashi had been supervising?
The Anbu ninja said in a low voice: “Hokage, Captain Kakashi has exhausted every non-violent method, but none worked. And… in the end, it was Uzumaki Naruto who proactively asked Uchiha Ikeizumi to let him try carrying out justice once.”
“Uzumaki Naruto also said something at the time…”
Sarutobi Hiruzen closed his eyes and said deeply: “Recite it to me once.”
After the Anbu ninja recited it, Sarutobi Hiruzen opened his eyes.
His eyes were filled only with loss and dismay.
He didn’t know if it was an illusion, but he felt that the Naruto from now on was no longer the one who followed behind him calling “Grandpa Hokage.”
This premonition was very strong.
……
At the same time.
Somewhere in Konoha.
Naruto’s small arm trembled slightly as he gripped a ninja sword.
For his current age, this ninja sword was a bit too heavy for him.
But he still gritted his teeth and held on stubbornly.
When his gaze fell on the Konoha ninja pinned to the ground by several kunai, Naruto couldn’t help but swallow hard, the sweat in his palms unsure if from exhaustion or excessive tension.
“Uchi… Uchiha Ikeizumi!”
At this time.
The Konoha ninja on the ground, now powerless to resist and with blood in his mouth, gritted his teeth: “You… you attacked fellow village ninja without reason. Hokage won’t let you get away with it once he knows!”
Uchiha Ikeizumi said indifferently: “Justice clears the evil of the ninja world—how is that without reason?”
The Konoha ninja tried to struggle, but the kunai pinning him made it more painful the more he struggled.
His face twisted, eyes full of hatred: “What evidence do you have that I’m evil of the ninja world… Without evidence, you label fellow village ninja as sinful. You… you’re clearly using this as an excuse to satisfy your killing desires, right?”
“Cut off your head and send it to the Yamanaka Clan—won’t that be evidence?” Uchiha Ikeizumi’s words left the Konoha ninja speechless.
No!
Shouldn’t there be evidence first before killing? How is it kill first then find evidence? This doesn’t play by the rules!
Is it just based on the rumored eyes that can see past evil and future evil?
Damn it!
How could there be such an outrageous Sharingan Dōjutsu? He’d never heard of any Uchiha ninja having this dojutsu before!
Uchiha Ikeizumi no longer paid attention to this dying, struggling Konoha ninja who kept shouting. He glanced at the completely darkened sky, then at Naruto hesitating with the ninja sword in hand: “Uzumaki Naruto, don’t you dare strike at sin?”
“I… I… I dare!” Naruto bit his teeth hard.
“Voice too small. I can’t hear your belief in justice at all. With such a small voice, do you think you can uphold justice?!” Uchiha Ikeizumi’s stern voice made Naruto’s heart tremble.
He mustered his courage: “I dare!!!”
This shout was at a disturbing-the-peace level. But when nearby Konoha residents couldn’t help but open their doors to scold the brat, they were scared by the scene.
Naruto held the ninja sword high overhead, his movements unstandardized, clearly never systematically trained in swordsmanship.
But for a sharpened ninja sword, as long as it struck a person, it could take a life.
In the instant Naruto fiercely closed his eyes, at the moment the Konoha ninja’s eyes filled with despair…
Naruto swung the sword down heavily.
However…
The next second, Naruto couldn’t help but open his eyes in astonishment, because he felt resistance preventing his ninja sword from swinging down.
He widened his eyes at the fingertips gripping the blade, then couldn’t help following them to Uchiha Ikeizumi standing beside him.
“You’re still too young; you don’t yet qualify to kill.”
Uchiha Ikeizumi said indifferently: “However, I’ve seen your determination to swing the blade at sin.”
Uchiha Ikeizumi exerted slight force.
Naruto couldn’t help but let go.
In Naruto’s dazed gaze, Uchiha Ikeizumi gripped the hilt and stabbed down without hesitation.
Pfft—
The ninja sword pierced the Konoha ninja’s heart below, splashing blood onto Naruto’s small face.
It also snapped him slightly out of his daze.
He stared blankly at Uchiha Ikeizumi’s profile.
“Uzumaki Naruto.” Uchiha Ikeizumi turned his gaze, his eyes meeting Naruto’s bright blue ones: “Your determination to slay sin has passed justice’s first test for you.”
Naruto’s eyes gradually widened, the dazed, stunned look replaced by joy.
So this was Teacher Ikeizumi’s test for him!
Sasuke beside him couldn’t help asking: “If the dead last couldn’t bring himself to do it, would he fail the test?”
He recalled some unfavorable rumors about Uchiha Ikeizumi in the clan: “Would you have killed him then? I heard you once trained two Police Force trainee recruits, and because they didn’t meet your expectations, you killed them…”
These words startled Naruto.
Had he unknowingly walked through the gates of hell?
No!
Teacher Ikeizumi wouldn’t do such a thing, right?
However, Uchiha Ikeizumi’s reply sent chills down Naruto’s spine: “Only one died; the other suffered mental trauma and was hospitalized in Konoha Hospital’s mental illness ward for a long time.”
Naruto: “!!!”
“However…” Uchiha Ikeizumi said indifferently: “The reason for killing him wasn’t that he didn’t meet expectations. It was that a sin-bearing person tried to join the justice faction, polluting justice’s purity.”
Sasuke was stunned, immediately realizing—the Police Force trainee wasn’t a good person, so he was killed!
He believed Uchiha Ikeizumi’s words.
Even Sasuke himself didn’t know why he trusted the man so much.
“Jeez… He scared me too!” Kakashi, hidden in the shadows supervising Naruto, breathed a sigh of relief.
Like Naruto and Sasuke, he had really thought Uchiha Ikeizumi would make Naruto kill personally.
When his gaze fell on the corpse on the ground, Kakashi’s mouth twitched: “Another ninja clan ninja…”
He didn’t know how Hokage would handle this mess.
Uchiha Ikeizumi had offended quite a few ninja clans tonight!
But no matter how much Hokage fretted, it had nothing to do with him.
Kakashi squatted on a rooftop, hands in his pockets, muttering: “At least once Hokage knows Naruto didn’t do it, he’ll probably breathe a sigh of relief? For him, that’s the only good news among countless bad ones.”
……
On the other side.
Sarutobi Hiruzen hadn’t been fretting long when he saw Koharu Utatane arrive hurriedly at the Hokage’s Office Building at night with a dark expression.
“Hiruzen!” Koharu Utatane pushed the door open and was about to say something when she saw a large group of Anbu ninja gathered in the office.
Her arrival… didn’t surprise Sarutobi Hiruzen at all.
Because Ikeizumi had killed two Utatane Clan ninja.
Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed: “I’ve already heard in advance.”
“What a coincidence…” Another voice rang out. Homura Mitokado, escorted by several Mitokado Clan ninja, also arrived in the Hokage’s Office Building at this time: “I thought at this hour only you, Hiruzen, would still be here.”
Koharu Utatane looked at Homura Mitokado and frowned thoughtfully: “You too, because of Uchiha Ikeizumi?”
Homura Mitokado took a deep breath, his eyes shadowed: “My cousin was killed by him, decapitated.”
He asked: “You said ‘too,’ so…”
Koharu Utatane’s face was grim: “Two from the Utatane Clan died!”
The two Konoha high-level advisors exchanged a glance.
Unexpectedly sharing the same misfortune one day.
“Hokage!” Suddenly, someone else rushed in—a clan leader of a small ninja clan in Konoha Village. He complained furiously: “Uchiha Ikeizumi barged into our ninja clan’s compound without a word and killed one of our younger clan members!”
“…Hm?” Just after complaining, he noticed the atmosphere in Hokage’s Office was off.
And why were there so many people here?
“Hiruzen…”
Just as Koharu Utatane was about to say something, Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head to interrupt: “Wait a bit longer; more people will come soon. We’ll talk once everyone’s here.”
Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed wistfully again: “Ikeizumi… he’s killed at least over a dozen tonight. More will come to find me soon.”
Koharu Utatane: “???”
Homura Mitokado: “…”
……
At the same time, Uchiha Clan Compound.
Uchiha Setsuna, rubbing his cane tip while pondering something, suddenly received intelligence from one of his radical faction ninja subordinates.
“Elder Setsuna, Uchiha Ikeizumi killed three Uchiha clan members in the Uchiha Clan an hour ago!”
Uchiha Setsuna’s eyelid twitched, his rubbing motion stopping.
“As expected… That maverick extreme brat would one day turn his cleaver on his fellow clansmen again. I just didn’t expect this day to come so soon! Hmph!”
“Whose people were killed?”
He asked coldly.
If the killed were from Fugaku’s side, the Uchiha Clan moderates leaning outwards, he’d applaud.
The Uchiha ninja reporting hesitated suddenly.
This reaction gave Uchiha Setsuna a bad premonition.
His eyes narrowed: “Speak!”
“Elder Setsuna, the dead are Uchiha Naoto, Uchiha Tadashi…”
Hearing this, Uchiha Setsuna’s anger was already ignited.
He was very familiar with these two names—young Uchiha radicals, both awakened Sharingan, both very promising.
“And Uchiha Hayata.”
When the last name reached Uchiha Setsuna’s ears.
He froze.
Uchiha Setsuna’s arm began to tremble, his face twitching continuously, his turbid old eyes filled with disbelief, intense heart pain making him gasp rapidly, the name “Uchiha Hayata” echoing in his mind.
Until a sudden unfamiliar footsteps sound made him snap up his killing-intent-filled sinister eyes.
“…Fugaku!!!”
The uninvited guest was none other than Uchiha Fugaku.
“Senior Setsuna.” Surrounded by Police Force members, Fugaku looked at Uchiha Setsuna, whose emotions were clearly off, a trace of complexity flashing on his face, but he said firmly: “Uchiha Hayata and the other two were targeted by Ikeizumi because they smuggled and trafficked large quantities of contraband drugs.”
Fugaku said with a stern face: “I think, as Uchiha juniors, they surely couldn’t transport so many contraband drugs to the Uchiha Compound relying only on their three’s power, right?”
Uchiha Setsuna clenched his fists.
He didn’t respond to Fugaku.
Fugaku continued slowly: “Since it’s their wrongdoing, please, Senior Setsuna, let this matter pass. I won’t pursue some of the hidden details.”
“I don’t want to see infighting in the Uchiha Clan.”
……
……
