Chapter 25: This Is The Night Of Execution Belonging To Absolute Justice
Uchiha Mikoto recognized Uchiha Ikeizumi, not only because he was renowned in the Uchiha Clan, but also because three years ago, he had a conflict with Itachi.
As far as she knew, if Uchiha Shisui hadn’t been by Itachi’s side that time, Itachi might have been in trouble.
After a brief moment of shock, Uchiha Mikoto immediately reacted and reached out to pull Sasuke up.
Her eyes immediately showed some distance and vigilance.
“Ikeizumi, Sasuke was just a bit reckless; he didn’t violate any law of Konoha.” Uchiha Mikoto worried that this extreme clansman in front of her would harm the young Sasuke.
However.
But Uchiha Mikoto found that Uchiha Ikeizumi just glanced faintly at her, didn’t even say a word, and left.
It was as if her vigilance and tension were self-indulgent.
Hmm…
She didn’t sense any hostility from Uchiha Ikeizumi either.
“Senior Ikeizumi, wait for me.” Izumi quickened her pace to follow.
“Mom, who is he? He looks so cold.” The seven-year-old Sasuke had displeasure written all over his little face.
“He…”
Uchiha Mikoto thought about her words and replied, “He’s someone who doesn’t fit in. Sasuke, remember not to get too close to him.”
Sasuke asked in doubt, “Why?”
Uchiha Mikoto recalled Itachi’s experience from back then and said thoughtfully, “I’m not sure about the details. I only know that person is very dangerous. If you really want to know, you can ask Itachi when he returns. Itachi… is somewhat familiar with Uchiha Ikeizumi.”
“Huh?”
But Sasuke’s attention was elsewhere: “Brother is coming back?”
Uchiha Mikoto smiled and nodded, “Yes, his ninja cat returned to the village yesterday first and told me he’s coming back the day after tomorrow.”
But the smile on her face seemed a bit forced.
It was certainly good that Itachi could safely return after completing the village’s mission.
But…
There was still a Uchiha Ikeizumi in the village!
If those two happened to run into each other, who knew what would happen.
Uchiha Mikoto felt some worry.
……
Night.
Izumi dragged her utterly exhausted body home. The tension in her that had been strung tight like a bowstring could finally relax. She lay weakly on the sofa, feeling like her body had been completely drained.
The experiences of this day were too “eventful.” She felt like her brain couldn’t process it all.
She was clearly just a Konoha genin who had graduated not long ago!
“By the way, how did Senior end up on the path of「 Absolute Justice」…”
Finally having some idle time, Izumi couldn’t help but let her thoughts wander.
“Are you very curious?”
“Mm…” Izumi instinctively responded.
“Hm?” She suddenly realized this wasn’t her mother’s voice.
But…
Senior Ikeizumi’s voice!
“Eh!!!”
Izumi was so startled she shot up into a sitting position and hurriedly looked toward the direction of the voice—only to see Senior Ikeizumi somehow half-squatting on the windowsill of an open window in her home. That pair of calm eyes looking over always made people hard to read; at least Izumi could never guess what Senior was thinking.
No!
Shouldn’t the point be why Senior was here?
Uchiha Ikeizumi said, “Kijiro discovered new case details. I was passing by your place, so I brought you along. Plus, for you, this should count as a rare real combat opportunity.”
An orange cat’s big round face appropriately poked out from the corner of the window: “Meow! Rookie! Hurry up!”
As expected of Senior’s ninja cat; it was just as decisive and swift!
Izumi hurriedly stood up: “Got it, Senior!”
She quickly shouted toward the kitchen: “Mom, no need to make my dinner! I’ll eat out tonight!”
Izumi packed her ninja tools and decisively jumped out the window.
Only then did Izumi suddenly realize, and she couldn’t help but pause: “Re… real combat?”
Uchiha Ikeizumi simply said, “Follow me. This time we’re going outside Konoha Village.”
Eh? Outside Konoha?!
Izumi’s mind was filled with one doubt after another, but this didn’t seem like the moment to ask.
She could only give it her all to keep up.
……
“Meow! Rookie, my children discovered a secret base outside the village!” Luckily, the ninja cat Kijiro was explaining to Izumi: “It looks a bit like an experimental base, about a dozen kilometers from Konoha.”
Izumi tightly followed Uchiha Ikeizumi and Kijiro as they continuously leaped and maneuvered across rooftops.
Breathing slightly heavily, she curiously asked, “Senior Kijiro, how did you confirm there was a case happening in that base?”
“All from experience!”
The ninja cat Kijiro’s voice had a strange, sharp tone: “Rookie, I’ve followed Lord Ikeizumi for a full five years, meow! I’ve inherited at least one percent of Lord Ikeizumi’s experience and skills! Of course, it’s mainly because my children spotted Anbu-dressed ninjas entering and exiting the secret base.”
“These kinds of mysterious bases involving Root or Anbu and such are usually not good places, meow.”
Kijiro said confidently, “Because Lord Ikeizumi once said that in Konoha’s Anbu and Root, there are almost no good people!”
“Kill them all, and there might be some innocents. But kill every other one, and there will definitely be many who slip through the net!”
Izumi secretly swallowed.
She vaguely realized what Senior Ikeizumi meant by “real combat.”
Senior wouldn’t try to storm an Anbu secret base in a bit, would he?
“Rookie, a heads-up for you.”
Uchiha Ikeizumi’s voice came through the gusts of night wind, not entirely clear, but Izumi still listened intently.
“Don’t think that because Anbu is the Hokage’s secret force, they’re a positive presence in Konoha. If you view Anbu with that kind of filter, you’ll have a hard time ahead. Whether Root or Anbu, they’ve always been one of the places in the Ninja World that gathers the most ‘evil.'”
Izumi’s heart tightened, and she hurriedly replied, “I understand, Senior Ikeizumi!”
She also vaguely felt that Senior Ikeizumi’s words had another layer of meaning.
—Don’t have a filter for the Hokage either.
Izumi suddenly thought of a key point and blurted out in shock: “Senior Ikeizumi, is tonight’s ‘case’… really within the Police Force’s law enforcement scope?”
Uchiha Ikeizumi replied without turning back: “Within the「 Justice」 law enforcement scope.”
Hiss!
Senior Ikeizumi truly didn’t care about the village’s rules or the Police Force’s regulations.
Was tonight a night of「 Justice」 enforcement belonging to Senior himself?
“Wrong.” Uchiha Ikeizumi’s voice drifted over faintly: “This is a night of execution for「 Absolute Justice」. Since you chose me as your reviewer, you need to get used to it, rookie. There will be many such nights, and they will be long.”
Izumi: “!!!”
Senior Ikeizumi really had mind-reading powers, huh!
She felt a bit creeped out.
“Meow, it’s because you’re too easy to read, girl. You can’t hide your thoughts at all; everything in your mind shows on your face and in your tone, meow.” Kijiro quietly added the knife.
Izumi: “…”
Even a cat could see what she was thinking?
Izumi was greatly shaken.
In her dazed and bewildered emotion, she suddenly realized she had unknowingly followed Senior Ikeizumi out of Konoha.
Konoha Village was already several hundred meters behind them.
……
……
