"Lord Hokage, the Uchiha Military Police Force must be restrained!"
Inside the Hokage's office, Sarutobi Hiruzen, having just finished handling half his official documents, patiently listened to a ninja's complaint:
"Today, members of the Uchiha Military Police Force injured someone openly in broad daylight! They severed a civilian's leg and dragged him through the street, leaving a blood trail hundreds of meters long."
"Many villagers witnessed this, including children. Lord Hokage, such conduct seems beyond the scope of law enforcement, doesn't it?"
"Such enforcers only unsettle the village further."
The ninja, lacking significant status or extraordinary power in the village, dared to complain directly to the Hokage only because he shared the Sarutobi name—he was a junior relative.
Hiruzen furrowed his brow and asked, "What is the condition of the injured man?"
The ninja shook his head, "I was so disturbed by the Uchiha's arrogance that I came to you, Lord Hokage, without checking the man's condition. But..."
"A person with a severed leg who does not receive prompt treatment likely won't survive long."
Hiruzen's brow tightened.
Suddenly, he asked, "Who among the Uchiha were present?"
The ninja hesitated, "Uchiha Ikeizumi... and an unfamiliar Uchiha girl."
"Ikeizumi?"
Hiruzen's expression relaxed. Amid the astonished gazes of his junior relatives, he clasped his hands behind his back and said softly, "If it's Ikeizumi, then he must have his reasons."
"But, Lord Hokage..."
Hiruzen cut him off, "You rushed here to complain because you're worried about your bathhouse business, aren't you?"
"Go back. This is the Military Police Force's matter. I trust Ikeizumi will soon explain. After all, he's always been so unorthodox."
Hiruzen paused and characterized Ikeizumi's conduct: "Ikeizumi's methods are extreme, but he has never committed a fundamental mistake."
"...Yes, Lord Hokage."
The disappointed Sarutobi junior left in frustration.
"Ikeizumi..." Hiruzen looked out the window. "Do you love the Will of Fire more, or your so-called [Absolute Justice]? I have always thought you and Itachi were alike—both Uchiha who deeply love the village."
He murmured to himself.
...
Meanwhile, in a remote Konoha residence, Izumi, panting slightly, released the body whose skin had been rubbed raw.
She had intended to leave the corpse temporarily, but without orders from her senior...
She worried that abandoning the criminal's body without permission would anger him.
Thus, muttering "sorry" in her heart, she steeled herself and dragged the body, following Ikeizumi.
She dared not look back at the corpse, imagining it must be a gruesome sight.
"Do you think he's pitiful?" Ikeizumi saw through Izumi's thoughts. Her small expression betrayed her feelings.
He said, "There are worse off than him—in that well."
He looked at the dry well covered by a cement slab, his tone darkening as he ordered, "Retrieve the child's corpse from the well."
Izumi was startled by Ikeizumi's voice.
"Yes, Senior!"
She ran over and suddenly smelled a pungent odor.
Is this the smell of a corpse?
Preparing herself mentally, she carefully removed the cement slab. The stench was overwhelming, causing her to instinctively hold her breath, though her eyes still stung.
She gritted her teeth and leapt aside.
Before hitting the bottom, she used chakra to adhere her feet to the well walls, avoiding stepping on the child's body.
In the sunlight, she saw a bundle wrapped in a quilt, inside which something lay.
She had a vague suspicion.
Not long after, Izumi carried the foul-smelling bundle out of the well and gently placed it on the ground.
"If you feel like vomiting, do so. The first time smelling a corpse is like this; even some ruthless ninjas cannot suppress the physical reaction," Ikeizumi remarked, glancing at Izumi's nearly contorted face.
Izumi shook her pale face.
She could not explain it but instinctively felt it was inappropriate to behave so disrespectfully before such a pitiful child—even if the child had been killed.
Then she saw Ikeizumi approach, squat down, and unwrap the quilt.
Izumi's pupils trembled.
She quickly turned her head away.
—She vomited.
Though she did not want to, and even felt empathetic sorrow, the physiological nausea overwhelmed her, and she vomited her breakfast.
"Look at her," Ikeizumi commanded.
Izumi wiped her mouth.
She looked back, her trembling gaze fixed on the small corpse.
Ikeizumi squatted and said, "There are no fewer than a dozen blunt force trauma marks; multiple fractures on hands and feet; many parts mangled; blood seepage on nose, ears, and mouth; internal organs likely severely damaged."
He stood and continued, "The fatal injury is a ligature mark on the neck. This child died painfully, having endured at least an hour of torment before death."
Izumi whispered in shock, "An hour... If the child had screamed during that hour, someone nearby would have come to help, right? There are neighbors around..."
Ikeizumi simply said, "The one who hurt her was her biological father. Perhaps to her, he was the person she loved most."
Izumi was stunned.
"Uchiha Izumi."
"Ah? Here!!!" Izumi hurriedly stood and shouted.
Ikeizumi fixed his gaze on her eyes, questioning each word, "Do you still think that man is pitiful?"
Izumi pressed her lips, lowering her head.
"Senior, I was wrong."
Ikeizumi said, "What the Uchiha Military Police Force must do is eradicate all such 'evil.' Only by enforcing our [Justice] with absolute and thorough methods can we suppress the pathological corruption plaguing the ninja world."
"Bring back the two corpses to the Military Police Force. Your performance today was unsatisfactory, but fortunately not to the extent that I want to kill you. Tomorrow, assemble at Ichiraku Ramen."
Izumi shivered.
"Yes, Senior."