Uchiha Chiyu handed over his patrol duty and silently returned home.
He didn't slack off in the slightest.
Even before obtaining the "Do Good and Accumulate Virtue" system, he was already a workaholic—grabbing every bit of free time to train.
Right now, despite having a lot on his mind, he still didn't neglect his practice.
He quietly closed his eyes and focused on the most fundamental technique for all shinobi: chakra refinement.
Little by little, Chiyu felt himself calming down.
He never regretted his actions—not just because they aligned with his original convictions, but because, in his opinion, Konoha itself was built on original sin.
It was a Village of Sin.
This inherent guilt didn't stem solely from the village's leadership or elite shinobi—it extended to the most ordinary villagers as well.
Selfishness, ignorance, greed, arrogance, envy, indifference… these vices were everywhere.
Living here often made Chiyu feel suffocated. His way of releasing that pressure was to carry out his own brand of justice.
Extreme?
He didn't see himself as extreme at all. If anything, to him, the real extremity lay in this village, in this ninja world—not in himself.
…
The next day, at the police force headquarters…
Uchiha Fugaku was tearing his hair out trying to clean up Chiyu's mess. Luckily, the entire family of three that Chiyu had killed had no other relatives or close connections. Aside from a few neighbors, there really wasn't anyone else who could complain.
Fugaku sent people to see that the couple's remains were properly buried. As for their estate… that compulsive gambler had already squandered everything. Aside from an old house, they had nothing left.
Even so, when Fugaku tried dealing with the house, a few villagers suddenly sprang up, claiming to be old friends or relatives of the couple—insisting that the two had wanted them to inherit it.
Already overwhelmed, Fugaku had no inclination to deal with such tangled claims. He simply handed it all over to the most experienced uchiha, Uchiha Yashiro, to handle.
Just when he was ready to take a breather, he sensed a powerful chakra approach.
"Hm? That chakra…?"
He jumped to his feet and hurried outside to greet the arrival.
"Lord Hokage."
It was none other than Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage of Konoha. He was puffing on his pipe, wearing the trademark Hokage hat. His wrinkled face bore its usual kind and gentle smile. Four ANBU with strange masks followed behind him.
"Patriarch Fugaku, I hope I'm not interrupting the police force's work by coming here unannounced?"
"Not at all. If the Hokage wishes to visit, you're always welcome," Fugaku replied.
Hiruzen smiled, glancing around casually. "Is Uchiha Chiyu not here?"
Naturally, Fugaku knew who he had come for.
"That fool's methods are way too extreme. I do know he's doing it all for the good of the village and in the name of justice, but this time he really crossed the line. So, I've ordered him to stay at home and reflect.
"Am I right to assume that's why you're here, Lord Hokage?"
Hiruzen gave a silent, inward scoff. Fugaku was already criticizing Chiyu on the surface, while at the same time defending him as "acting for the village's sake" in one breath, clearly aiming to head him off. As an old fox himself, Hiruzen saw right through the tactic.
"Ah, well, I know the man means well for the village, even if his methods are extreme… I wouldn't have come in person, except some villagers brought their complaints directly to my office. If I didn't show up, they might think I'm shielding the Uchiha clan.
"In truth, whether it's the Uchiha or ordinary villagers, to me they're all like family. I'd never favor one side over the other. Wouldn't you agree, Patriarch Fugaku?"
Fugaku forced a smile. "Of course. Konoha is one big family, and you, Lord Hokage, are the pillar of our community—the head of our household, so to speak. You treat everyone equally, no question about it.
"So, what exactly did those villagers say? What are they asking for?"
Hiruzen took a deep drag on his pipe and then exhaled a thick ring of smoke. It drifted across the headquarters, spreading through the room.
"In the past, there have been plenty of villagers and shinobi complaining about Uchiha Chiyu—saying his enforcement is too harsh, and his methods too cruel. But I knew he was young, hot-blooded, and just trying to uphold peace in the village, so I let it slide.
"But this time, he's gone too far… Those two people he killed—it didn't really warrant the death penalty, did it?
"What do you think, Patriarch Fugaku?"
His lined face betrayed a sense of conflict.
Fugaku let out a long sigh, looking deeply troubled. "You're absolutely right, Lord Hokage. After this happened last night, I was furious. I immediately had him brought in, gave him a tongue-lashing, and really let him have it.
"Even if that gambler was beyond saving—even if he took the money meant to keep his own child alive, causing the boy's death—even if, after his son died, he still planned to gamble away what little remained—even if he was a complete scumbag, so what?
"At worst, we could have arrested him and thrown him in prison. Why kill him outright?
"And as for that woman, even if her husband caused their child's death, she didn't seek revenge, didn't report it to the police force or to you, Lord Hokage. She even wanted to stay with him. And when that scumbag died, she still protected him, trying to attack the police in a rage. But so what?
"Could she really have hurt you? Why did you have to take her life?
"Sigh… even if it all fits within the law, it still goes against common decency, don't you think, Lord Hokage?"
Hiruzen's face darkened slightly, then resumed its calm.
"Tell me, Patriarch Fugaku, does it truly fit within the law?"
"It does, in fact. Back when the Second Hokage created the police force, he set forth a series of regulations—among them, a clause that if a criminal commits monstrous crimes, utterly devoid of conscience, the police may respond as necessary, on the spot. It also says if a member of the police force faces a life-threatening situation, they may retaliate.
"So, while Chiyu was certainly extreme, he didn't exactly break the law. He's just a bit impulsive, is all. So, I've ordered him to go home and reflect. If he doesn't make some serious changes this time, I won't go easy on him!"
For a moment, the entire police headquarters fell silent.
Uchiha Yakumi and the others listened with wide eyes—this was the first time they'd heard Fugaku pontificate at length, and they were somewhat stunned.
But who was Sarutobi Hiruzen? He'd been dishing out these fancy lines decades before Fugaku had even started. Fugaku's mixture of fake scolding and hidden praise was a thinly veiled attempt to smooth things over—and if Hiruzen wanted to push back, he'd have to tear down the facade entirely.
For the moment, Hiruzen had no intention of doing that. So he put on his warmest smile.
"Well, if Patriarch Fugaku has it all handled, I feel much better. I trust you'll handle this fairly. I won't intrude any longer, then."
Fugaku promptly replied, "Take care, Lord Hokage."
Watching Hiruzen leave, Fugaku's face—despite having seemingly won this round—was shrouded with gloom.
…
"Lord Hokage," one of the ANBU said, seething with righteous anger, "Fugaku was obviously making excuses! What, he thinks a few words can absolve Uchiha Chiyu?"
Hiruzen snorted, unimpressed. "He can play these tricks all he wants—I used them back in my day. For now, I'm simply not ready to burn bridges with the Uchiha.
"Fugaku thinks this will shut me up? He's too naive."
One of the ANBU glanced over. "Lord Hokage, does that mean…?"
"Hmph. Someone's going to hit Uchiha Chiyu hard. And that 'someone'… will be one of his own clan."