Konohagakure.
Koharu hurried grim-faced to the Hokage's office. She did not find Hiruzen there, only Homura. Of course, she was not surprised.
The moment she arrived, her expression darkened as she demanded of Homura: "Something this monumental has happened in the Fire Capital—why wasn't I informed beforehand?"
Indeed.
Neither Hiruzen nor Homura had given Koharu any notice.
Even when Hiruzen instructed many before departing the village with the Anbu, Koharu's name had not been among them.
When she learned of the matter, Koharu nearly lost her composure entirely.
Her mood now was extremely foul, and the first thing on her mind was not concern over how far Uchiha Keizumi had gone in the Fire Capital, but rather why she had been kept in the dark.
Homura sighed and said: "Koharu, ever since you took over from Danzō and assumed control of Root, haven't you noticed that you've become far more impatient than before?"
"Hiruzen believed that informing you in advance would only make things more complicated. Besides, haven't you learned of it now?"
Koharu clenched her teeth.
"If not for Uchiha Keizumi being so extreme, would I have any reason to be this impatient every day?"
She drew a deep breath, working to calm herself, before asking: "So—what exactly is the situation now?!"
Homura shook his head. "For now, we don't know. No word has come yet from the Fire Capital. And even if Hiruzen and the Anbu head there, it will take them a full day."
Koharu shifted uneasily, her thoughts in turmoil. "Why would Hiruzen ever let that man leave the village?"
"…It was Sarutobi Asuma."
Homura sighed again. "To lure Uchiha Keizumi out of Konoha, he deceived Hiruzen with an excuse. His rash act has caused consequences that cannot be undone."
Koharu fell silent for a few seconds.
"These younger ones… not a single one of them brings peace of mind!" she said through clenched teeth.
…
"Kakashi, why do you think the Hokage-sama asked us to keep watch on the Uchiha?" Standing atop a building, Might Guy stared toward the Uchiha compound, curiosity pushing him to ask the man beside him.
"I don't know."
Kakashi's reply was expressionless. "There's no need for us to speculate about the Hokage-sama's thoughts. If he gave such an order, then he must have his own reasons."
But though he said this, Kakashi had his own suspicions.
He didn't believe the Daimyō had invited Hiruzen to the Fire Capital.
After all, the Daimyō's second son had died in Konoha.
It was likely that the relationship between the Daimyō and the Hokage had already grown strained.
So then, who could it be that drew the Hokage out of the village personally?
Who had the standing to compel him?
One answer surfaced in Kakashi's mind.
—Uchiha Keizumi!!!
And now, the reason for keeping watch over the Uchiha Clan was likely because the Hokage feared that, in his absence, the Uchiha radicals might make a reckless move.
…
Inside the Uchiha compound.
Several elders of the hawkish faction gathered together, with Uchiha Setsuna naturally seated in the chief position.
"Setsuna, this is the perfect chance!"
One hawkish elder's wrinkled face twitched with excitement as he spoke, his voice feverish. "It's confirmed that Sarutobi Hiruzen has left Konoha with a large number of Anbu! Right now, the village's defenses are at their weakest. If our Uchiha Clan moves in full force, within a single day we could seize control of the entire village!"
"And when Hiruzen returns, he will be forced into the position of merely the Third Hokage of the past! The one ruling Konoha then will be the Fifth Hokage! And the name of that Hokage will be—'Uchiha'!!!"
His impassioned words stirred even Uchiha Setsuna.
Setsuna could not deny his heart was moved.
This opportunity was too rare, like a grand prize suddenly handed to him by the heavens.
Hiruzen was away, Uchiha Keizumi was away, and the Anbu were gone.
What remained was only Root, already crippled early on by Keizumi, and the scattered clans of Konoha, who could never unite. Under these circumstances, this was indeed the perfect moment for a coup.
To Uchiha Setsuna, the saying "One becomes Hokage by earning the recognition of the village" was nothing but nonsense.
In his eyes, the clans of the village simply sided with whoever emerged victorious.
Just like how Uchiha Keizumi had repeatedly defied Hiruzen—
And had repeatedly won.
Didn't the Ino–Shika–Chō side with that brat because of it?
If he, Setsuna, led the Uchiha Clan in a successful coup—if he won—then they too would stand with him.
"Good!!!"
Uchiha Setsuna slapped the table, a flush of excitement rising on his aged face.
Just as he was about to speak again, a sudden commotion erupted outside, drawing a frown to his brow.
Suddenly—
The tightly shut doors of the chamber were forced open. Uchiha Fugaku entered with a group of Uchiha shinobi, his face expressionless.
To Setsuna's astonishment, Fugaku calmly found a seat and sat down.
"Setsuna-senpai, a meeting this important shouldn't be held without the entire Uchiha Clan. So… may I ask, what exactly were you discussing just now?"
Fugaku's tone was cold.
"Fu! Ga! Ku!!"
Setsuna's eyelids twitched violently.
Though Fugaku had said little, Setsuna could see clearly—he was here to disrupt things!
This so-called head of the Uchiha Clan…
Looked more like the Hokage's lapdog!
Faced with Setsuna's furious glare, Fugaku's expression did not change. He was used to it. Moreover, for the Uchiha bloodline to continue surviving in Konoha, he had no choice but to stand by the Hokage.
At the very least, Fugaku believed the Uchiha Clan had not yet been pushed to the point where a coup was inevitable.
Besides, Setsuna's actions would surely agitate Itachi.
And before leaving, the Hokage had personally instructed him to keep a close eye on Itachi.
For that reason—
Fugaku had to step in himself to stop Setsuna's schemes.
The atmosphere in the room instantly grew tense.
As though sparks were about to ignite into fire at any moment.
…
On a street in Konoha, Uchiha Izumi, blood streaming from a gash on her forehead, drove the sharp edge of her ninja blade deep into the chest of a Konoha shinobi.
As her opponent's eyes dimmed with death, Izumi panted heavily.
Her own body was in rough shape—on her left shoulder, a shuriken was buried deep in the flesh.
"Today, in the name of [Absolute Justice], I judge you."
She repeated the very words that her senpai Keizumi had once said, slowly pulling her blade free before shoving the corpse forward with one hand.
[Thud—]
Watching the body crash heavily to the ground, Izumi exhaled slowly. She turned to the stunned Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke and said: "No matter who the evildoer is, no matter their identity—even if they are of the Sarutobi Clan, even if they are the Hokage's kin—[Absolute Justice] will show no mercy, and will never pardon the crimes they commit."
The shinobi she had just slain was, in fact, a Special Jōnin of the Sarutobi Clan.
She had not forgotten the task entrusted to her by Keizumi-senpai.
While carrying out Absolute Justice within the village, she was also to properly instruct those two brats, Sasuke and Naruto.
To make them realize the righteousness of Absolute Justice!
"But…" Naruto swallowed hard, nervously pointing toward another shinobi nearby—his hand severed, lying on the ground and howling in agony. "He… he's not really a villain, is he?"
Naruto remembered it clearly. During Uchiha Izumi's battle with a shinobi of the Sarutobi Clan, another ninja suddenly stepped in, trying to "break up the fight."
But Izumi-senpai had turned her blade on him without a moment's hesitation, slicing off his right hand in a single stroke!
That scene had scared Naruto half to death. He had always thought of Uchiha Izumi as a gentle older sister.
But now he saw—her methods were anything but gentle; they were bloody and merciless.
"I already warned him not to interfere with the execution of justice. Otherwise, he would be cut down without exception. But he chose to ignore me." As Izumi spoke, she pulled the shuriken from her shoulder.
The wound was so deep the bone could almost be seen.
Bearing the pain, she said in a steady, heavy tone: "Since he made his choice, since he stood on the side of evil, then I too must make mine—by abetting evil, he is no longer innocent."
"In the eyes of [Absolute Justice], his actions were nothing but aiding a tyrant. [Absolute Justice] will purge all obstacles standing in its way—no matter who the person is."
These were the very words Keizumi-senpai had once told her.
And now, she was passing them on in turn to Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke, speaking from experience.
It gave Izumi a strange feeling.
She couldn't help herself—always imitating Keizumi-senpai in every detail.
For example…
Even though her shoulder throbbed with pain, she endured it in silence.
Yes! That was how her senpai acted—unyielding to the end!
Still…
So much time had passed already. Why hadn't her senpai returned yet?
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