Uchiha Keizumi's voice wasn't loud, but the hidden observer—Kakashi—still heard him clearly.
In that moment—
The expression beneath Kakashi's ANBU mask was nearly identical to Naruto's: stunned and wide-eyed.
Damn it!
He'd known that Uchiha Keizumi's way of teaching [Absolute Justice] would be hardcore. There was no way it'd resemble a lecture in a ninja academy classroom.
But… Kakashi realized he had still underestimated just how hardcore Keizumi's method would be.
Having the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki personally execute a criminal involved in the trafficking of forbidden drugs?
At first glance, that didn't seem entirely unreasonable.
But the problem was… wasn't Uzumaki Naruto still just a child? Not to mention, the Hokage had specifically assigned Kakashi to prevent Naruto from falling into Uchiha Keizumi's [Absolute Justice], to keep the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki from becoming too extreme.
Once again, Kakashi had no choice but to step in.
He took a deep breath, mentally steeling himself, and revealed his presence—appearing directly in front of Uchiha Keizumi and Uzumaki Naruto.
Naruto, still reeling from shock, suddenly noticed someone had appeared before him, causing him to instinctively look up.
"Eh? It's you again?"
Even though Kakashi wore an ANBU mask, that spiky silver hair of his was far too conspicuous.
It rendered the mask completely pointless.
"Uchiha Keizumi…" Kakashi gathered his thoughts and spoke, his expression complicated. "Is it really necessary for Uzumaki Naruto to be exposed to such darkness so soon? Killing someone… at his age, isn't that far too early?"
Keizumi met his gaze, his tone calm as he asked, "How old were you when you first killed someone?"
Kakashi was momentarily silenced.
He had become a genin at an early age, was promoted to chūnin shortly thereafter, and by the age of twelve, he was already a jōnin.
His first kill had come even earlier than most would imagine.
But—
That first kill had been a forced counterattack, after being ambushed by enemy village shinobi.
"That's different," Kakashi tried to explain. "The ninja world back then was chaotic. It was completely normal for ninja under ten to be sent on missions. You should know that better than anyone—you lived through it too."
"But the ninja world today isn't as chaotic as it used to be. Shouldn't we… cough… be a little more protective of the younger generation? Especially someone like Uzumaki Naruto, who's just seven years old."
Kakashi was saying things he normally wouldn't, things that didn't sit well with his usual personality. If Uchiha Keizumi had made Sasuke do it, Kakashi wouldn't have interfered at all.
But the task the Hokage had given him—
It left Kakashi feeling utterly helpless.
"…Is the ninja world really not chaotic anymore?"
When that question rang out, Kakashi froze.
Because it hadn't come from Uchiha Keizumi.
He looked down and saw Naruto staring up at him.
Their gazes met in midair.
Then Naruto spoke again. "Old man, you're the one Grandpa Hokage sent to spy on me, aren't you? Or maybe to keep an eye on the demon fox sealed inside me?"
Kakashi fell silent for a moment.
Then he heard Naruto bite his lower lip and speak again: "I don't know what Hokage-ojiichan told you, but choosing to learn [Justice] from Keizumi-sensei—that was my decision! And Hokage-ojiichan said he would respect whatever decision I made."
"I don't think the ninja world isn't chaotic. Because… these past two days, Keizumi-sensei has shown me just how much evil still exists in the ninja world. Even without war, that evil hasn't disappeared—it's still here, right beside us!"
"When judging whether the world is truly at peace, are we supposed to ignore all that evil first?!"
"That just doesn't feel right to me!"
Kakashi hadn't expected to be left speechless by a child's question.
He was beginning to realize that perhaps the Hokage had underestimated the influence Uchiha Keizumi's [Absolute Justice] could have on Naruto. That uncompromising worldview—strictly black and white, right and wrong…
For someone at Naruto's age, it was dangerously persuasive.
Even Sasuke, who usually looked down on Naruto, couldn't help but cast a shocked glance in his direction.
"Dobe…"
For a brief second, he felt like this dobe was far more mature than he was.
Because if it were him, there's no way he could have said those words.
"Keizumi-sensei, please—let me carry out justice with my own hands!"
Naruto took a deep breath. He had already made up his mind, and then bowed deeply to Uchiha Keizumi.
Kakashi was utterly helpless.
'Hokage-sama… I've done all I can. If I try to stop this any further, I'll probably end up fighting Uchiha Keizumi—and I'll likely make the Fourth's son hate me too.'
He muttered inwardly.
At this point, the only thing Kakashi could do was let the last remaining subordinate rush back and report the situation to the Hokage. As for whether Naruto should be stopped or not—that decision would be up to the Hokage himself.
And if it really came to stopping him…
Then the Hokage would have to do it himself.
After all—
The Hokage had explicitly said: under no circumstances should anyone engage Uchiha Keizumi in a violent conflict.
That thought flashing through his mind, Kakashi's gaze returned to that signature lifeless, dead-fish look.
...
Hokage Tower.
"What?!!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen, clutching his smoking pipe, face clouded in grief, was puffing away in silence when the final ANBU agent arrived with the report.
The old man's face twisted in shock.
"When did this happen?!"
In an uncharacteristic loss of composure, Hiruzen shot up and even grabbed the ANBU agent by the collar.
His face was flushed with emotion.
The deep wrinkles across his features twitched uncontrollably, like a man in seizure.
"Five… five minutes ago…"
The ANBU agent was struggling to breathe but didn't dare show the slightest trace of dissatisfaction toward the Hokage.
"Five minutes…"
Hiruzen slowly released his grip. At Uchiha Keizumi's typical pace when he went on a "justice rampage," five minutes was more than enough for things to spiral out of control.
It was probably already too late.
Clenching his teeth, Hiruzen growled, "Didn't I tell Kakashi to do everything he could to stop Keizumi's [Absolute Justice] from influencing Naruto too deeply?!"
He couldn't understand—what kind of supervision had Kakashi actually been doing?
The ANBU ninja replied quietly, "Hokage-sama, Captain Kakashi tried every possible non-violent means, but none of them worked. And in the end… it was Uzumaki Naruto who personally requested Uchiha Keizumi to let him carry out a mission of justice."
"At the time, Uzumaki Naruto also said something else—"
Sarutobi Hiruzen shut his eyes and said in a low voice, "Repeat it for me."
After the ANBU ninja recited Naruto's words, Hiruzen slowly opened his eyes.
His gaze now held only a deep sense of loss.
He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he couldn't help feeling that from this moment on, Naruto would no longer be that same boy who used to follow behind him, shouting "Hokage-ojiichan."
That feeling... was overwhelming.
...
Elsewhere in Konoha.
Naruto's forearm trembled slightly as he gripped the ninja blade in his hand.
At his current age, a blade of that length was still too heavy for him.
But he gritted his teeth and forced himself to hold it steady.
When his gaze fell on the Konoha ninja pinned to the ground by several kunai, Naruto swallowed hard. The sweat in his palm—he wasn't even sure if it was from exhaustion or sheer nervousness.
"U-Uchiha Keizumi!"
At that moment—
The Konoha ninja, bleeding from the mouth and lying helplessly on the ground, clenched his teeth and spat, "You… you attacked a fellow village ninja for no reason. Once Hokage-sama hears about this, he won't let you off!"
Uchiha Keizumi replied flatly, "Justice purges the evil in the ninja world—how is that without reason?"
The Konoha ninja tried to struggle, but the kunai pinning him down only made the pain worse with every movement.
His face contorted in hatred as he glared up and shouted, "And what proof do you have that I'm some evil of the ninja world?! Without evidence, you brand a fellow ninja as wicked—you're just using this as an excuse to indulge your own bloodlust, aren't you?!"
"Cut off your head and deliver it to the Yamanaka Clan. Wouldn't that count as evidence?"
That one line from Uchiha Keizumi left the man choking on his words.
No—wait!
Shouldn't you have evidence before you kill someone? How is it that you kill first, then look for evidence? That's not how it's supposed to work!
What, are you relying on that rumored eye technique—the one said to see the past and future sins of others?!
Damn it!
How could such a ridiculous Sharingan ability exist? There's never been any Uchiha with something like that before!
But Uchiha Keizumi no longer spared the struggling Konoha ninja even a glance. His gaze shifted to the now-darkened sky, then turned toward Naruto, who stood frozen, hesitant, still holding the blade.
"Uzumaki Naruto. Are you afraid to strike down evil?"
"I… I… I'm not!" Naruto shouted, biting down hard on his lip.
"Too quiet. I can't hear your conviction in justice at all. With a voice that small—do you really expect to uphold justice?!"
Keizumi's harsh voice sent a jolt through Naruto's mind.
He summoned all his courage and roared: "I'm not afraid!!!"
The shout was loud enough to disturb the peace. Several Konoha residents, annoyed by the noise, slid open their doors to scold whichever child was causing trouble—
But were immediately stunned by the sight before them.
There stood Naruto, gripping a ninja blade high above his head. His stance was untrained and unrefined—clearly, he had never formally studied kenjutsu.
When it comes to a sharpened ninja blade—so long as it strikes a human body, it's enough to take a life.
The moment Naruto squeezed his eyes shut, and just as despair filled the pinned Konoha ninja's face—
Naruto brought the blade down with force.
But—
In the very next instant, Naruto's eyes snapped open in shock. He felt a resistance holding back his strike—the blade refused to fall.
Startled, he looked down at the fingers gripping the blade's spine… and followed them to the figure standing beside him—Uchiha Keizumi.
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