Chapter 98: Uzumaki Naruto No Longer “forgives” Villains!
Uchiha Ikeizumi’s slash was extremely fast, so fast that Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn’t stop it. The moment his anxious “wait” escaped his lips, Sarutobi Hiruzen saw blood spray in front of him.
The arterial blood sprayed extremely far and extremely high, with a few drops even splattering onto Sarutobi Hiruzen’s face.
Under everyone’s watchful eyes, a not-so-large head slowly rolled across the ground, its frozen expression full of unresolved terror.
【Ding! You have successfully executed Absolute Justice once! Your Chakra has gained a small boost! Congratulations, you have successfully obtained: “Shadow Clone Jutsu” Experience Book ×5!】
A headless corpse toppled sideways to the ground, its severed neck facing exactly where Naruto stood.
The gushing blood soaked Naruto’s feet red.
The warm sensation of the blood made Naruto hurriedly stumble back.
He stared in utter shock at the headless corpse.
Naruto never imagined that he had only instinctively said “deserves” amid his severely shaken moral views, and that terrifying man had killed without hesitation!
This this this…
He really killed!
Naruto’s pupils trembled slightly, even though he had already seen corpses and Uchiha Ikeizumi kill a Root Ninja before.
But.
This time, it seemed because of him, Uzumaki Naruto, that the terrifying man had suddenly acted to kill. If he hadn’t blurted out “deserves” on a whim, the other probably wouldn’t have punished and killed the villain in such a bloody way, right?
The myriad thoughts surging in his mind made Naruto somewhat uneasy.
“What are you afraid of, Uzumaki Naruto?” A sudden icy question stunned Naruto for a moment.
He suddenly realized his view was blocked. Looking up, he was shocked to find the terrifying man standing right in front of him!
He hadn’t even noticed when the other had approached!
As Naruto hurriedly tried to explain.
Another string of questions rang out.
“Are you afraid of sin? Or afraid of justice? Or do you think justice shouldn’t punish sin in this way?”
Naruto swallowed hard, feeling immense pressure, greater than when Iruka-sensei called him to the podium to answer questions. His palms were already oozing cold sweat.
Naruto himself didn’t know why he was so nervous.
“I… I just didn’t expect your「Absolute Justice」 to be… so absolute…”
His voice trembled as he answered.
Uchiha Ikeizumi stared coldly at this Asura Chakra reincarnator and countered indifferently: “If you have a better solution than ‘a life for a life’ that lets the innocent dead rest in peace, then you can share your plan.”
Naruto opened his mouth.
But he couldn’t talk his way out.
Because he thought again of that family of four’s horrific state. At the moment death came, they must have been utterly terrified and in pain, right? They were a happy family of four, yet overnight became four horrific corpses.
And the villain who killed hadn’t even admitted it moments ago, showing no guilt whatsoever.
Though the villain had appeared extremely panicked and fearful…
His fear was only because his deeds were exposed, not because he regretted the evil deed he had committed.
Was there really a better solution than “a life for a life”?
Naruto realized the only plans he came up with after racking his brains were two.
—Forgive him.
—Kill him.
“We who haven’t personally experienced the victims’ pain and despair before death have no right to forgive any villains on their behalf.” Uchiha Ikeizumi’s voice rang out again, as if reading Uzumaki Naruto’s mind: “Forgiving the evil of the Ninja World is something「Absolute Justice」 will never do. Because that would mean「Absolute Justice」 compromising with sin.”
“Uzumaki Naruto, put away the word ‘forgive’ in your heart.” Uchiha Ikeizumi’s sharp gaze made Naruto not dare miss a single word.
“Justice has the right to seek justice for victims, but no right to forgive perpetrators on their behalf—this, you must etch forever in your heart, deeply in your memories.”
“Once you forgive sin on behalf of victims, you yourself are ‘evil’! Because you’re enabling evil!”
One firm, decisive sentence after another hammered into Naruto’s young heart.
This “black-and-white” extreme rhetoric made Sarutobi Hiruzen and Uchiha Fugaku frown slightly. But it was so irrefutably correct that they couldn’t rebut it.
However, for a seven-year-old kid…
This “black-and-white” rhetoric was just right, as it was exactly what they could understand.
“Forgiving villains on behalf of victims…”
“Makes oneself evil…”
Naruto’s eyes widened as a strong sense of shame surged. Moments ago, “forgive” had indeed popped into his mind, meaning such thoughts shouldn’t even arise?
Having such thoughts…
Makes him no different from the villain?
Shame and guilt made Naruto desperately memorize every word the terrifying man before him said. After all, even Grandpa Hokage hadn’t refuted, so it must all be correct, right?
Myriad thoughts flashed through his mind, and Naruto quickly straightened up, blurting: “I… I get it!”
Sarutobi Hiruzen: “…”
This is a big problem now! Naruto! You can’t get it!
Just as Sarutobi Hiruzen wanted to speak, Uchiha Ikeizumi spoke again: “Uzumaki Naruto, you had better remember what you just said. Never forgive sin, never become something even you find repulsive.”
“I… I will! I’ll definitely remember! Though I’m not great at studying, don’t underestimate me on this!” Naruto’s dirty little face finally showed a serious expression.
It also revealed his Uzumaki Naruto “caliber.”
“Um…”
The courage and caliber Naruto mustered this time didn’t flag so quickly. He looked up, meeting Uchiha Ikeizumi’s eyes directly, his blue eyes full of longing as he voiced the thoughts bubbling in his heart.
“I don’t know why… maybe I don’t want the village to become something I don’t recognize, maybe I want to do something for the village, maybe I don’t want the evil of the Ninja World to affect Konoha Village.”
“I don’t want to see another ‘Utatane Ryuji’ type in the village, nor more innocents persecuted by the evil of the Ninja World…”
“Persecuted.” Uchiha Izumi supplemented for the suddenly lost-for-words Naruto from the side.
“Right!”
Naruto hurriedly continued: “So, I don’t want to attract everyone’s attention in the village with pranks anymore, because that only troubles everyone! If I trouble them, doesn’t that make me a form of evil too?”
He bowed deeply to Uchiha Ikeizumi, shouting with his head lowered: “Please teach me true「justice」! I want to gain everyone’s recognition in the village through「justice」! I also want to make Konoha free of sin through「justice」, so the village has no more villains killing without cause!”
“After all… I told Grandpa Hokage I want to become Konoha’s Hokage, but pranks only trouble everyone. Maybe「justice」 is what will make them recognize me, but I’m absolutely not learning「justice」 just to become Hokage!”
“In short, though I can’t remember your name yet, please teach me! I can pay tuition!”
“Even if it means enduring lots and lots of hardship, that’s no problem!”
Seven-year-old Naruto shouted at the top of his lungs.
By the end, his throat was even a bit hoarse.
……
“Meow, this kid’s got spirit!” After a sigh, Kijiro teased Izumi beside him: “He’s accepting Ikeizumi’s「Absolute Justice」 way easier than rookie you back then! I remember clearly, it took you days to fully accept Ikeizumi’s Absolute Justice.”
Izumi’s fair, delicate face flushed with embarrassment.
Kijiro rubbed his furry chin, muttering: “Speaking of, do younger kids accept Ikeizumi’s Absolute Justice more easily? If so, maybe we could…”
Kijiro quietly glanced at Sarutobi Hiruzen a few meters away.
It didn’t continue muttering, as the thought in its mind might instantly trigger the Third Hokage.
“Naruto…” Sarutobi Hiruzen didn’t know what a Ninja Cat was thinking. He suddenly couldn’t get the words out, though he could roughly see Naruto’s state of mind.
—Craving recognition from everyone in the village; indignant at the sin seen today; ashamed of his forgiving thoughts; guilty over past pranks troubling villagers; admiring Ikeizumi’s「justice」.
These states of mind combined made him shout those words.
Making him fall completely into Ikeizumi’s grand net of justice.
The moment Naruto loudly expressed his thoughts.
If he, Sarutobi Hiruzen, spoke up now to refute Naruto and tell him not to follow the path he described, it would likely only trigger Naruto’s rebellious psychology again.
It would also make the Nine-Tails power, already unstable and nearly erupting today, even more unpredictable.
Sarutobi Hiruzen realized he could only stay silent!
Any more words would be pointless! The consequence of arriving just ten minutes late was hard for Sarutobi Hiruzen to accept.
Was Ikeizumi’s justice really that appealing?!
Clearly, Ikeizumi’s justice wasn’t realistic at all—any normal person could see it was overly extreme and idealistic.
Why was this happening?
Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn’t figure it out.
Uchiha Fugaku, whose presence had faded into the background, showed a trace of worry in his eyes. In the end… the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki was influenced by Ikeizumi’s extreme justice ideals. In this case, would the Hokage become suspicious of the Uchiha Clan?
Hmm… probably not? After all, back in the morgue, the Hokage had already approved of his actions, right?
Uchiha Ikeizumi watched the deeply bowing Uzumaki Naruto.
The atmosphere at the scene fell into an eerie silence.
Only the faint gurgling of blood from the headless corpse remained.
“After cleaning the streets every day, come find me.” Uchiha Ikeizumi said to Naruto.
Naruto: “!!!”
Joy instantly lit up Naruto’s anxious little face. He quickly straightened up and bowed deeply again, this time even lower.
“Uzumaki Naruto! Please take care of me!”
He said excitedly.
……
As everyone silently witnessed this, Elder Koharu, who had left earlier, returned, bringing a group of Root Ninjas barging into the Uchiha Clan Compound again.
Her domineering attitude, ignoring the Uchiha Clan’s opinions, made Uchiha Ninjas glower at Elder Koharu and the others.
Some more impulsive Uchiha Ninjas had even reached for the hilts of their ninja swords at their waists!
Fugaku’s heart tightened. He stepped forward in time, blocking his clan members, and asked Elder Koharu: “Elder Koharu, what brings you back to the Uchiha Clan?”
“Something!”
Elder Koharu replied coldly, then immediately asked Sarutobi Hiruzen: “Hiruzen, I heard your Anbu brought a child from the Utatane Clan to the Uchiha Clan Compound? What is this about? Where is he?”
Yes.
After learning earlier that a clan member had been taken by Anbu, Elder Koharu had an ominous foreboding and couldn’t sit still.
Moreover, she wanted to check on Uzumaki Naruto and see what tricks Uchiha Ikeizumi was playing.
Sarutobi Hiruzen: “…”
The silence from her old friend made Elder Koharu’s ominous premonition grow stronger, leaving no time to first check the compound’s situation. But just as she wanted to say more, she suddenly spotted a pool of crimson blood on the ground not far ahead, and even a headless corpse lying there!
Elder Koharu’s heart jolted.
She couldn’t help shifting her gaze to Uchiha Ikeizumi, whose ninja sword remained unsheathed, its bloodstains particularly eye-catching.
This guy killed someone?!
That headless corpse was probably Uchiha Ikeizumi’s handiwork?
As expected…
Uchihas had few normal people. Even Uchiha Ikeizumi, who preached「Absolute Justice」, was an extreme psychopath who killed in public without blinking.
Wait!
Hold on!
Elder Koharu suddenly noticed something off about the headless corpse—its build didn’t look like an adult’s.
Elder Koharu’s pupils trembled as an unthinkable thought flashed: “Hiruzen, this corpse…”
“Koharu, your clan member made a mistake.” Sarutobi Hiruzen, sighing, put it mildly: “This child named Utatane Ryuji… committed an error no child his age should. His jealousy twisted his mindset, leading to an irreparable mistake.”
He couldn’t say in front of Naruto that Ikeizumi was wrong, because Naruto had already accepted Ikeizumi’s「justice」.
If he said killing Utatane Ryuji to execute justice for the dead was overly extreme, it would equate to negating Naruto’s choice.
Given Naruto’s near-rampage today…
Sarutobi Hiruzen knew he had to go along with Naruto’s grain.
He absolutely couldn’t stimulate the child further.
At least…
Not today.
Elder Koharu: “!!!”
……
Meanwhile.
Outside Konoha.
Sarutobi Asuma didn’t know Uchiha Ikeizumi had stirred up another storm in Konoha Village. After spending a full day and night without rest, he finally arrived in the Capital of the Land of Fire from Konoha Village.
As one of the Twelve Guardian Shinobi, Asuma held a top-tier status among them.
Naturally, he easily gained an audience with the Daimyo of the Land of Fire.
“Asuma, I’ve heard about your brother, and I’m deeply sorry.” The luxuriously dressed Daimyo of the Land of Fire sighed first and said to Asuma: “If you’re not feeling well, I can approve half a month of leave. You didn’t need to rush back so soon.”
“By the way, did you run into Kyusuke on the road? That child was so proactive for the first time, taking on the ‘Daimyo’s Envoy’ task. I even asked Nan Wu to protect him. I hope he didn’t cause trouble on the way…”
“After all, as you know, that child’s personality is too erratic. He’s never given me peace from childhood.”
Asuma fell silent.
From the Daimyo of the Land of Fire’s chatter, it was clear Konoha’s events hadn’t reached him yet.
Logically… the news shouldn’t travel this slowly.
After all, the Ninja World now had remote communication devices.
The Daimyo not receiving word meant only one possibility: the old man deliberately hadn’t notified him immediately, likely for some political balance or other reasons that made Asuma feel deeply repulsed.
Precisely because he couldn’t stand Konoha’s politicized atmosphere, Asuma rarely stayed in Konoha.
‘Sorry, old man… I understand your approach, but I don’t agree with its correctness. Uchiha Ikeizumi has clearly threatened Konoha… you shouldn’t let such a threat remain in the village.’
After these thoughts flashed, Asuma looked up.
He took a deep breath and interrupted in a deep voice: “Daimyo… please accept my condolences.”
The Daimyo of the Land of Fire, mid-sentence, froze.
The Daimyo’s heart tightened sharply. Asuma’s extremely heavy expression made him realize something was wrong.
“Asuma, what do you mean by ‘condolences’?” The Daimyo could no longer stay calm and immediately asked: “Did something happen to Kyusuke?!”
“Daimyo, Lord Kyusuke… died in Konoha Village.”
Asuma continued bombshell-style: “He didn’t die of illness or accident, but was killed by a Konoha Ninja named Uchiha Ikeizumi.”
“And…”
“Nan Wu is dead too. Of over a dozen vassals, only one survived. But he was so traumatized he’s mentally unstable, can’t even speak properly—probably why the news didn’t reach you immediately.”
……
……
