Chapter 41: Justice That Is Already Late Cannot Continue To Be Late
The next day.
Sarutobi Hiruzen had changed into mourning clothes early. Today was the day his eldest son Sarutobi Shinnosuke was to be buried. Whether it was the heavens being unkind or not, a drizzling fine rain was falling.
“Let’s go to the Konoha Public Cemetery.”
Sarutobi Hiruzen said in a heavy mood, then took the lead walking ahead, letting the rainwater fall on his body.
Behind him followed Sarutobi Shinnosuke’s wife “Sarutobi Fujiko” and their son “Sarutobi Konohamaru”.
At the same time, a crowd of Sarutobi Clan members followed closely behind.
In addition.
There were only a few of Sarutobi Shinnosuke’s friends from his lifetime left.
The funeral of the Hokage’s eldest son should actually have invited more people.
But…
Negative rumors about Sarutobi Shinnosuke in the village were intensifying. Even though Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, wanted to curb public opinion, he found he couldn’t control it at all.
The more public opinion was suppressed, the more the villagers believed the rumors were true.
This could be considered a traditional skill of Konoha’s unruly civilians.
In this situation, it wasn’t suitable to make the funeral too grand.
After all, in the eyes of many Konoha villagers—a “villain” who relied on his father being the Konoha Hokage to do evil—if a grand funeral was held for him after death… wouldn’t that be too unfair to the victims?
Helpless.
Considering the village’s negative public opinion, Sarutobi Hiruzen could only keep everything as simple as possible, inviting only some of Shinnosuke’s friends from his lifetime.
Not long after.
Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others arrived at the Konoha Public Cemetery, and the Konoha Funeral Home had already transported Sarutobi Shinnosuke’s coffin here.
“Hokage, can I take another look at him?”
Sarutobi Fujiko held Konohamaru’s small hand, tears in her eyes.
“Mm.” Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded heavily.
“Mommy, why is Daddy lying here…” The three-year-old Konohamaru asked in confusion.
His words were a bit unclear.
Tears finally welled up in Sarutobi Fujiko’s eyes uncontrollably. She said through tears, “Konohamaru, your father is asleep. It’s just that this time, he’s going to sleep for a very, very long time. When you grow up, you’ll know why he’s sleeping so long.”
……
Not far away.
Several Konoha Funeral Home staff were whispering.
“That woman is the Hokage’s daughter-in-law? She’s really beautiful… Hey, Yamada, are you dazed? I advise you not to have any crooked thoughts. She might be a ninja who could crush you with one finger.”
“Yamada? You’ve been acting weird these past two days. I call you and you don’t respond. You didn’t really fall for the Hokage’s widow, did you?”
Yamada shuddered out of his daze and quickly retorted, “Don’t talk nonsense! If the Hokage hears that, you’ll get me in big trouble.”
He suppressed his restless thoughts and said again, “The time should be about right. It’s time to bury the coffin, right?”
His companions nodded in agreement: “Indeed.”
However.
Just as the funeral home staff were about to walk over, an unexpected commotion suddenly occurred.
They vaguely heard someone arguing.
——”Hey! Uchiha Ikeizumi! What are you doing here? You’re not welcome here today!”
——”Uchiha Police Force enforcement. No outsiders may obstruct. Otherwise, kill without mercy.”
——”You!!!”
“Uchiha Ikeizumi? Sounds familiar…” One funeral home staff member muttered while stroking his short beard on his chin. Then he noticed the “Yamada” next to him seemed off and asked doubtfully, “Hey, Yamada, why is your face so pale!?”
“No… nothing…” Yamada’s lips were trembling slightly.
The smile he forced was uglier than crying: “I just got rained on, maybe… maybe I caught a chill…”
Yamada was screaming “impossible” wildly in his heart.
It was absolutely impossible that his actions from four years ago had been exposed!
Maybe…
Maybe it was just a coincidence.
After all, the Konoha Village was so small. That plague god from the Uchiha Police Force showing up anywhere was perfectly reasonable, right? Him having bad luck and running into him today was also reasonable, right?
Moreover, he had handled it so cleanly back then, and for four consecutive years, no one from the Police Force had come looking for trouble.
How could it possibly be exposed?!
……
On the other side.
Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others also noticed the commotion there. When he vaguely heard the name “Uchiha Ikeizumi,” the expression on Sarutobi Hiruzen’s face visibly darkened a bit.
When he saw his daughter-in-law, who had been kneeling by the coffin, suddenly stand up silently…
Sarutobi Hiruzen’s heart skipped a beat.
He feared that Sarutobi Fujiko, having endured the pain of losing her husband, might do something irrational.
He said, “I’ll go take a look. Fujiko, stay here and accompany Shinnosuke on his final journey.”
Sarutobi Hiruzen took a deep breath and hurried toward the direction of the commotion with two Anbu guards.
Sure enough.
He saw the person he least wanted to see during this time.
—Uchiha Ikeizumi!
“Hokage.” The Sarutobi Clan ninjas blocking Uchiha Ikeizumi immediately stepped aside upon seeing Sarutobi Hiruzen and greeted him respectfully.
Sarutobi Hiruzen walked forward slowly. He stood in front of Uchiha Ikeizumi, less than two meters apart.
“Ikeizumi…”
Sarutobi Hiruzen said with a complicated expression, “You should know that after doing that kind of thing, you shouldn’t be here. Your presence will only provoke many people and cause unnecessary conflict.”
“If you want to pay respects to Shinnosuke…”
The drizzling rain made it hard to see Sarutobi Hiruzen’s eyes. He paused, then continued, “You can come tomorrow. Today… let’s leave it.”
The moment he saw Uchiha Ikeizumi appear at Shinnosuke’s funeral, the anger in Sarutobi Hiruzen’s heart actually eased a bit.
At least, Uchiha Ikeizumi still remembered their master-disciple bond from back then.
At least, he was willing to come send Shinnosuke on his final journey.
It seemed Uchiha Ikeizumi hadn’t become so extreme as to disown all family ties; it was just that his Absolute Justice was too extreme.
In the past, before Uchiha Ikeizumi’s “blade” fell on Sarutobi Hiruzen, Sarutobi Hiruzen felt that even if Uchiha Ikeizumi was a double-edged sword, as long as he used him well, Uchiha Ikeizumi would be an extremely excellent elite ninja of Konoha.
But.
When Uchiha Ikeizumi, this double-edged sword, wounded Sarutobi Hiruzen.
He suddenly felt that Uchiha Ikeizumi’s Absolute Justice was so extreme that it made him very uncomfortable.
However.
Uchiha Ikeizumi’s reply surprised Sarutobi Hiruzen: “Third Hokage, perhaps one day I will come pay respects to Teacher Shinnosuke, but not today. I’m here to execute justice.”
An alarm suddenly rang in Sarutobi Hiruzen’s heart. The two Anbu guards following behind him also narrowed their eyes.
The atmosphere at the scene became subtle with those words from Uchiha Ikeizumi.
Execute… justice?!
What did that mean?
“Uchiha Izumi.” At this moment, Uchiha Ikeizumi said.
“Here!!!” The Uchiha girl’s shout almost made Sarutobi Hiruzen think Uchiha Ikeizumi was about to tear face with Konoha.
Until he saw Izumi walk out from behind Uchiha Ikeizumi.
Sarutobi Hiruzen’s old face darkened slightly, not understanding why this Uchiha girl suddenly shouted like that.
Uchiha Ikeizumi said, “You speak.”
“Yes! Senior Ikeizumi!”
Izumi mustered her courage, suppressed her nervousness, and took the initiative to say to the Hokage, “Hokage, Senior Ikeizumi discovered an extremely heinous murder and dismemberment case. Yesterday and this morning, the senior has already investigated many suspects. Now, only the last suspect remains uninvestigated—’Yamada Binjiro’ from the Konoha Funeral Home!”
Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned: “Dismemberment case?”
Izumi nodded: “The victims are a mother and daughter. The perpetrator dismembered the corpses and threw the body pieces into Konoha’s sewer. Although Senior Ikeizumi could only find some corpse bone fragments, he identified the victims’ identities from the bone fragments.”
“We have been following leads to investigate suspects continuously. Now, only Yamada Binjiro remains as the last one.”
Sarutobi Hiruzen was silent for a moment.
He had to admit that he acknowledged Uchiha Ikeizumi’s case-solving ability, and it was 100% acknowledgment.
However…
“Ikeizumi.” Sarutobi Hiruzen said in a deep voice, “Today is the day Shinnosuke is buried. Let him have his final peace. If you want to arrest someone, wait until the funeral is over.”
Uchiha Ikeizumi said expressionlessly, “Third Hokage, justice has already been delayed for four years. Do you want it delayed further?”
“Justice that is already late cannot continue to be late.” His eyes stared straight into Sarutobi Hiruzen’s: “Or in the Third Hokage’s eyes, is the posthumous peace of a villain who has fallen into the abyss more important than the already delayed justice for two innocent victims?”
Sarutobi Hiruzen clearly saw hostility in those eyes.
No…
Rather than saying he captured it, it was hostility that Uchiha Ikeizumi openly and unabashedly revealed!
Sarutobi Hiruzen’s old face tensed slightly, and he said firmly, “Ikeizumi, give me face. Whatever it is, we’ll talk tomorrow.”
Uchiha Ikeizumi said, “If the Third Hokage’s face could turn back time and resurrect the dead, I would give you that face.”
Sarutobi Hiruzen had already seen Uchiha Ikeizumi’s right hand on the hilt of his ninja sword.
The Anbu ninjas behind him also quickly gripped their hilts.
The already subtle atmosphere instantly became tense.
“Ikeizumi, I am the Hokage…”
Click—
Sarutobi Hiruzen’s eyelid twitched because Uchiha Ikeizumi’s thumb had pushed open the ninja sword’s guard. The inch of snow-silver blade exposed was particularly glaring in Sarutobi Hiruzen’s eyes.
This was simply a mad dog not under his control as Hokage!
Even Danzo wouldn’t dare be this tough with him, Sarutobi Hiruzen!
Sarutobi Hiruzen’s mood was extremely bad, his face visibly darkening: “Must it come to that point?”
Uchiha Ikeizumi had already drawn his ninja sword.
The two Anbu guards immediately drew their swords without hesitation.
They quickly blocked in front of Uchiha Ikeizumi.
“Put them away!” But Sarutobi Hiruzen’s gritted-teeth command made the two Anbu guards pause.
“Hokage?”
“Put them away!” After Sarutobi Hiruzen repeated it, the two Anbu guards had no choice but to sheathe their swords, though the vigilance in their eyes didn’t fade.
As long as Uchiha Ikeizumi made any move, they would act immediately.
Sarutobi Hiruzen then gave Uchiha Ikeizumi a deep look.
Ultimately, he turned and left silently.
“Senior Ikeizumi, we…” Izumi, startled by the tense atmosphere, spoke weakly.
Uchiha Ikeizumi interrupted expressionlessly, “Go in and arrest him.”
“Yes! Senior!”
……
……
