Uchiha Chizumi did not accompany Izumi back to the Uchiha Police Force compound.
He headed instead toward the very seat of Konoha's power—the Hokage Tower!
After reaching the tower, Chizumi, clearly familiar with the place, went straight to the Hokage's office.
He knocked lightly; when a voice inside said, "Come in,"
Chizumi pushed the door open and stepped inside.
—His movements were so practiced it was obvious he did this often.
"Chizumi, huh…"
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked up and saw a young man with black hair whose looks were outstanding even by Uchiha standards.
Setting the document in his hands aside, he sighed.
"I've lost count of how many times I've reminded you: sometimes you don't have to cling to iron‑fisted methods. Law enforcement should be firm, yes, but it should also have warmth.
"The Ninja World War ended years ago, and we're not in any special emergency now. Everyone is hoping for a brighter future; the Uchiha could ease up a little on how hard they crack down."
He lectured patiently, then asked of his own accord, "So what caused such a commotion this time?"
Hiruzen did not mention the complaints lodged against Chizumi.
He knew that even if he did, Chizumi wouldn't care.
He had watched this child grow up with his own eyes; once he noticed how different Chizumi was from other Uchiha, he had met with him often.
He believed he understood Chizumi very well.
Yet for some reason, Hiruzen kept feeling that the look the youngster gave him was… a bit strange.
Hmm…
Probably just my imagination, right?
Chizumi shifted his meaningful gaze away from the red square floating above Hiruzen's head, met the Hokage's eyes, and said, "Konoha civilian Akiyama Jirō—two days ago, after losing at gambling, he got drunk, assaulted his own four‑year‑old child, and the child died from it. The victim's body is being brought to the Police Force as we speak."
Hiruzen's brows knit tightly. "A murder case…"
He did not even question the truth of Chizumi's statement.
Exhaling, Hiruzen spoke with patience:
"Chizumi, next time you encounter something like this, you should let the legal instruments of the Land of Fire be the weapon that punishes the criminal.
"Your habit of meting out heavy punishment on your own has stirred a lot of discontent. Sometimes even I, the Hokage of Konoha, have trouble suppressing those voices."
Expressionless, Chizumi replied, "Lenient laws only aid and abet evil. Absolute Justice is the only way to sweep away every demon and monster."
Hiruzen was momentarily choked for words.
He gave a wry smile; he himself had forgotten how many times scenes like this—being talked back to by Chizumi—had happened.
"Hokage‑sama,"
Just before turning to leave, Chizumi added,
"There's one more thing you were wrong about. My enforcement has always carried warmth—warmth as fervent as lava in a volcano."
With that—
He left without even taking the time to bid farewell.
Hiruzen: "…"
Warm like lava? Doesn't that mean whoever touches it dies?
Oh, right!
Hiruzen suddenly remembered there was something even more important he meant to ask Chizumi: he wanted to know Chizumi's view of the clan's increasingly rebellious mood.
"Forget it…"
Hiruzen had a feeling it wouldn't be long before Chizumi would show up in the office again for the exact same reason.
…
Leaving the Hokage Tower, Chizumi made a stop at the Uchiha Police Force.
Izumi was nowhere in sight.
Suddenly, a curious voice called from the side:
"Chizumi, that new recruit you're mentoring—the one named 'Uchiha Izumi'—is she still alive?"
Among the Uchiha, the girl Izumi was actually quite well‑known—the only half‑blood Uchiha: practically a rare species.
Chizumi glanced over and saw the speaker was another Police Force member. The face looked familiar, but he couldn't remember the name.
"Alive,"
he answered concisely.
Those two syllables seemed to shock everyone; many nearby officers stared in surprise.
Around them, whispers began to spread.
"Hey, really? I recall this guy Chizumi had trained two recruits before. One poor sap disobeyed orders on day one and got killed; the other, rumor says, awakened their Sharingan from the stress on the first day but ended up with severe mental illness."
Clearly that speaker had no accurate grasp of the Uchiha's infamous hereditary instability.
"Tsk, this is rare! Could that half‑blood genin actually be tough?"
"She's only lived through today. Maybe tomorrow she'll be dead."
"Come to think of it… Chizumi once killed a clansman. Why did the clan head let such vile conduct slide? Even let the guy keep working as a Police ninja?"
"I heard the clansman he killed was found to have done something unspeakable. The clan head sealed the details; probably only he and Chizumi know what really happened."
"Bah, a worthless loser. Dead is dead. Why bother discussing it?"
"…"
All the hushed gossip stirred no emotion in Chizumi.
He merely swept a light glance over his coworkers, letting his gaze rest for a moment on the white rectangles floating above their heads.
[Uchiha Kaede—Nine days from now, during the capture of a thief, will quietly pocket the stolen goods and submit a false report. Sin rating: White Name.]
[Uchiha Ren—Three days from now, will begin an illicit affair with colleague Uchiha Momoba's husband. Sin rating: White Name.]
[Uchiha Natsuki—Half a month from now…]
[…]
To Chizumi, among the entire Police Force—and even all of Konoha's shinobi—only a very small minority lacked either a White Name or a Red Name over their heads.
So few, perhaps just over thirty percent of the village's ninja.
But Absolute Justice was not Blind Justice, nor some pathological ideal of slaughtering every ninja in the world.
Even knowing someone might one day fall into evil, Chizumi was not so foolish as to snuff out a life while it was still in the cradle.
Experience had taught him that future misdeeds are not absolute; they can change when certain events intervene.
How did he gain such an odd experience? …
Well, people stumble as they grow.
Although Chizumi felt no ripple inside, his earlier gaze nonetheless caused the whispers to fade to silence.
One by one, the officers fell quiet, faces faintly uneasy.
They couldn't say why… but it felt like pins were pricking their backs—as if something had its sights on them.
…
"Chi… Chizumi‑senpai!"
A breathless, exhausted girl's voice drew close from afar.
"I…
"I brought the corpse back!"