Hyuga Neji's words hit like a bomb. Both Hyuga Jinsuke and the main-branch special jōnin standing next to him looked visibly shaken.
No one had expected it. The person who dragged Uchiha Chizumi into this storm… was just a kid from the Hyuga clan still attending the Ninja Academy.
Neji sounded like he was standing on some high moral ground, spouting righteous ideals.
But to them, it was obvious—this was about his father. Neji still held a deep grudge against the main family.
And this? This was his revenge.
"That traitorous little Byakugan brat! Has he forgotten his own damn name?!"
"What did Hizashi even teach him before he died?"
"If he can betray the clan today, what's to stop him from turning on Konoha tomorrow?"
Jinsuke cursed silently, glancing at Chizumi, who stared at him without a shred of emotion.
His nerves, already frayed, were now close to snapping. Cold sweat seeped down the creases of his aging face.
Driven by raw survival instinct, Jinsuke tried to seize control.
"Uchiha Chizumi! You're really going to believe the nonsense of some kid who hasn't even graduated? With those eyes of yours that can see people's evil—you must know I've done nothing wrong!"
He doubled down.
"That branch elder, Hyuga Yokogari, who died last night—he was old. He had a chronic illness. We looked into it. It was definitely a health-related death!"
"It was all natural causes! He—"
He stopped.
Chizumi's voice cut in, cold and direct:
"Hyuga Jinsuke. Fifty-seven years ago, you raped and murdered a woman from the branch family, killed her husband, and chopped up their bodies before dumping them in a river to feed the fish."
It was like a lightning strike. Jinsuke staggered.
Yeah… now that it was mentioned… he had done that. But that was before Konoha even existed. Back then, the ninja world was chaos. Nobody cared. It wasn't even considered a crime at the time.
"That was a different era!" he shouted in desperation. "Morality and justice change with the times!"
"Besides, since then, I've done nothing wrong! I've worked hard for the Hyuga and Konoha!"
Chizumi wasn't listening. His face didn't flinch. Not a single muscle moved.
"Last night, you activated the Caged Bird Seal on Hyuga Yokogari. He begged you to stop. Swore he'd stop researching the seal. But you didn't stop. You tortured him—for thirty full minutes."
Chizumi's eyes were empty. Not even disgust. Just cold.
It didn't feel like he was looking at a human being. More like a piece of trash he was about to throw away.
The branch family boy—Yokogari's grandson—stared at Jinsuke like he couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"…You tortured my grandfather for half an hour?"
Jinsuke's back was soaked in sweat now. He stammered:
"How was I supposed to know if he was lying?! And besides—ninja bodies are stronger than normal people's. Even old ones. He could've handled thirty minutes! If he couldn't, he would've died earlier!"
Thirty minutes…?
Handled it?
Neji felt something snap in his chest.
Back then, his own father, Hizashi, was hit with the Caged Bird Seal for less than a minute… and even that had left him drenched in sweat, shaking in pain.
He couldn't even imagine what thirty minutes felt like.
That wasn't punishment.
That was torture.
That was the main family treating the branch family like their lives didn't matter.
Chizumi crushed the excuse.
"You stopped after thirty minutes. But it was too late. The pain triggered Yokogari's illness—he died of a heart attack. Your actions dragged you into the depths of sin."
Jinsuke's pupils shook.
"Absolute Justice has judged your crimes. The sentence is clear—your life for his."
Jinsuke trembled violently.
His old body erupted with one final burst of strength. He shoved aside the special jōnin in his way and ran—full speed—back toward the Hyuga compound.
"Help! Somebody help me!"
"Hiashi! Clan Head!!"
"Please! I'm begging you!"
His panicked screams echoed through the compound.
Branch family shinobi rushed out to see what was happening—only to be stunned when they realized it was Elder Jinsuke crying for help.
Even main-branch shinobi rushed over, concerned.
"Elder Jinsuke, what's wrong?"
Hiashi stepped out of the main hall without hesitation.
"Elder Jinsuke…"
Just as Hiashi was about to step forward and scold Jinsuke for not leaving sooner, he noticed a group of figures walking straight into the compound.
He froze.
Even his voice caught in his throat.
"Chizumi…"
"Hiashi! He says I have to die!" Jinsuke shouted, running toward him like a man drowning. He didn't even notice the way Hiashi's expression stiffened.
"Hiashi! Neji betrayed us! He turned on the main family! And Chizumi, he—!"
Suddenly, Jinsuke felt the ground beneath his feet tremble. Something was rising—breaking through the earth.
He looked down.
Thick roots burst out of the ground and coiled around his legs.
"What the—?!"
Hiashi's eyes narrowed. He activated the Byakugan.
The only chakra fluctuation in the area was from Uchiha Chizumi.
The roots climbed with terrifying speed.
Before anyone could react, they wrapped around Jinsuke's neck—tightening like a noose.
"Hiashi… save—"
His final words were cut short.
THUMP
With a sickening crunch, the roots crushed his body from the neck down—literally exploded it. Blood and bone sprayed across the courtyard. Splashes hit Hiashi's face and stained his robe.
The blood-soaked roots stood tall and unmoving—like a grotesque piece of modern art.
Jinsuke's head dropped, rolled a few feet, and landed face-up in a pool of red, his final expression frozen in horror.
Silence.
Only the soft drip of blood from the roots remained.
"…Wood Release,"
Kakashi, who had snuck into the compound, widened his eye in shock.
He knew what he saw—this wasn't genjutsu. Chizumi had used Wood Release.
Sharingan. Lava Release. Now Wood Release too?
"That's three… and they're all top-tier bloodline limits…"
In all his time observing Chizumi, Kakashi had never seen him use Wood Release. Not once.
Now, the only question left was—where did it come from?
Hiashi was just as stunned. He wiped the blood from his face, stared at the severed head, then looked at the horrifying root structure in the middle of his compound.
His heart was pounding.
Uchiha Chizumi had just executed a respected elder from the main family.
Right in front of the clan head.
And dozens of people had witnessed it.
There were at least thirty Hyuga shinobi in the courtyard already—and more were still arriving.
Then, Chizumi looked at Hiashi. That cold, empty gaze made Hiashi's heart sink.
Before he could say anything, someone screamed—
"Father!!"
Jinsuke's son ran into the courtyard. Just as he was about to step onto the bloodied ground, he stopped.
His entire face froze as he stared at his father's severed head.
Barely ten minutes ago, his father was giving him instructions.
Now?
He was just a head on the floor.
"Huh… another bonus," Chizumi said flatly.
Hiashi's pupils constricted.
…
Sarutobi Hiruzen had just received word from Yamanaka Ryoshin.
Uchiha Chizumi had gone to the Hyuga compound.
His brow furrowed deeply. "Homura… are you sure the Hyuga clan handled this situation properly?"
Mitokado Homura sighed. "The main family thinks they did. Their solution? Have Jinsuke quietly step down, remove him from the clan's inner circle, and send him out of the village."
He added, "Hiruzen… you and I both know what that means. An old man over eighty being sent out of the village? There's no telling if he'd live another two or three years. At his age, death can come at any time."
Hiruzen went silent for a moment. "So… a cold, quiet cover-up."
He tapped his pipe against the edge of the desk, expression grim.
"The main branch's approach might appease the branch family for now. Might avoid open conflict within the clan. But…"
He looked out the window.
"…Chizumi isn't someone who accepts this kind of compromise. If he's decided Jinsuke is guilty… then nothing less than Jinsuke's death will satisfy him."
He sighed again, slower this time.
The truth weighed heavily on him.
"At this point… I probably understand Uchiha Chizumi better than I understand the Will of Fire."
Homura didn't argue.
"If Jinsuke had taken your warning seriously," Hiruzen continued, "he'd be long gone. Dozens of kilometers from Konoha by now. Chizumi would've shown up to an empty house."
Homura's voice was calm, almost indifferent.
"And if Chizumi had chased him outside the village… that might've given Konoha some much-needed breathing room."
Hiruzen froze.
He hadn't considered that.
…
Before Hyashi could even process what was happening, Uchiha Chizumi calmly turned his gaze to Jinsuke's son.
"Hyuga Kenjiro," he said flatly.
Kenjiro froze. His face flickered from confusion to rage to disbelief.
"For the past ten years, you've partnered with Gato to smuggle illegal drugs from the Land of Water to the Land of Fire. You've trafficked hundreds of tons of contraband across that sea route."
"Nine years ago, you murdered a branch family shinobi who tried to stop you. Then you staged the scene and claimed he was killed by enemy agents to deceive the clan head."
As Chizumi read off each charge—calm, measured, merciless—the blood drained from Kenjiro's face.
Hiashi, still reeling from what just happened, looked at him sharply.
"Nine years ago… that branch clan member who was killed—was that really you?!"
"You used the Hyuga name to smuggle drugs with Gato?!"
Kenjiro broke into a cold sweat. "Hiashi-sama, this is all one-sided! He's twisting—"
"Two months ago," Chizumi interrupted, "you sold several tons of that same contraband to Uchiha Hayata and others. That shipment flooded Konoha's streets."
Kenjiro's words died in his throat. He couldn't refute any of it. Chizumi's eyes saw right through him—just like his father had warned.
And the worst part?
Every word was true.
Behind Chizumi, Neji stood watching silently.
Chizumi slowly reached for the hilt of his blade. The mirror-bright metal reflected Kenjiro's fear—and Hiashi's hesitation.
Kenjiro may have been a special jōnin, but he wasn't foolish. He glanced at the blood and flesh still dripping from the roots where his father had stood moments ago.
This wasn't just any Uchiha.
This was a monster.
"Chizumi! This is the Hyuga compound! Hiashi-sama is right next to me!"
He grabbed Hiashi's sleeve, clinging like a drowning man clutching driftwood.
"You're not really going to execute me in front of the clan head, are you?!"
But then Hiashi moved.
With a slight motion, he pulled his arm away, brushing off Kenjiro's grip like dust.
Kenjiro froze.
Then he heard Chizumi's voice, sharp and cutting:
"So… you're going to protect him, Hiashi?"
Hiashi was silent for a long moment. Dozens of Hyuga—main and branch—watched him closely.
Finally, Hiashi sighed.
And with that one breath, the pressure he'd carried as clan head—his authority, his stance—collapsed completely.
He said nothing.
But his silence was louder than any answer.
Everyone in the courtyard knew exactly what he had just decided.
"W-Wait! Hiashi-sama! I'm from the main family! My father was an elder!"
"You can't abandon me! I gave part of my earnings back to the clan!"
"Hiashi-sama?! HIASHI-SAMA!!"
SHHNK—
Kenjiro's head was sliced clean off.
Blood sprayed across Hiashi's right cheek and soaked half of his robes.
The severed head landed awkwardly—bouncing once before smacking directly into Hiashi's shoulder with a dull thud.
And just like that, Hiashi's heart dropped into the abyss.
…
Meanwhile…
In the dense, swirling fog, the edge of a massive blade shimmered in the reflection of a Mist Anbu's wide eyes.
SHNK!
In an instant, half his head was gone.
Biwa Jūzō swung his Executioner's Blade clean through the man, then turned sharply. Uchiha Chizumi's wood clone was surrounded by two more Mist Anbu.
They closed in fast, hidden by layers of mist, each armed with bizarre weapons unique to Kirigakure.
"Damn it!"
Jūzō could barely make out the silhouettes. He jammed his blade into the ground and began weaving hand signs to assist.
But before he could intervene—
Chizumi's wood clone flicked out a scroll from his wrist and leapt into the air.
"Seal of Fire Release—UNLEASH!!"
The scroll exploded open.
A tidal wave of molten lava surged out, pouring downward like a firestorm.
One Anbu was swallowed instantly—vaporized, armor and all—without even time to scream.
The lava hit the ground with such intensity it ignited the soil itself.
The second Mist Anbu's pupils contracted. The sheer heat in the air forced his eyes to narrow as he stumbled back, terrified.
"Water Style: Wild Water Bullet!!"
Jūzō's jutsu launched like bullets—each droplet tore into the Anbu's body, erupting in sprays of blood.
The man dropped to his knees, coughing blood inside his mask.
Before he could move, Jūzō's massive blade was already resting on his shoulder.
"The Fourth Mizukage sent you, didn't he?"
The fog thinned.
The Anbu coughed violently. His mask slid off—revealing a twisted, bloody grin.
"Cough… Biwa Jūzō… You traitors won't last long. Even if we failed, the Fourth will send more…"
SHNK!
Jūzō didn't hesitate. He slit the man's throat with a cold expression.
"The Blood Mist has brainwashed you all into killers with no soul."
He exhaled and turned to the wood clone.
"Seems like Chizumi gave you plenty of tricks."
The clone landed lightly beside the lava, avoiding the heat.
"You joined the Akatsuki, and yet the Fourth is still trying to kill you. But it's not really his idea. This is all Obito's doing."
Jūzō blinked. "Obito? What's he got to do with this?"
"Your Fourth Mizukage has long been under Obito's control—through his Mangekyō Sharingan. The entire Blood Mist era was engineered by him. He used the Mizukage as a puppet to reintroduce the blood-soaked regime."
"This Anbu squad was just a backup plan. If the first attempt on your life failed, these guys were here to finish the job."
"…"
Jūzō was stunned.
The Fourth Mizukage… a puppet?
Obito… the one behind the Blood Mist?
For a long moment, Jūzō didn't know how to respond.
But the logic checked out. Chizumi knew more about the Akatsuki than most. If he claimed Obito was pulling the strings… it made too much sense to ignore.
Jūzō's grip tightened on the Executioner's Blade.
His eyes filled with fury.
"So that bastard… he's the one who started it all…"
His teeth clenched.
He'd seen firsthand what the Blood Mist had done to his village. To his people.
The slaughter of entire clans. Kids forced to kill classmates to graduate. Oppression. Isolation.
It turned Kirigakure—and all of the Land of Water—into the darkest place in the ninja world.
He had fled because he couldn't take it anymore. Even as one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, he couldn't stomach it.
And now… the true enemy had a name.
He stared down at the corpse bleeding at his feet.
"Uchiha Chizumi," he muttered. "You must know why Kirigakure is called the Bloody Mist."
"If you were one of us… if you'd seen everything we endured… what would your 'Absolute Justice' tell you to do?"
The wood clone's voice was calm. Cold.
"Are you asking because you want my approval?"
Jūzō flinched.
Somehow, this clone could see straight through him—through his guilt, his hesitation.
"The real me wouldn't have made the same cowardly choice you did," the clone said. "Running from evil doesn't make it go away."
"When you believe in Absolute Justice, there's no room for avoidance. You don't run—you purge. My real self would wipe out everything tainted in Kirigakure and the Land of Water—ruthlessly and completely."
"That kind of corruption? That level of sickness? It doesn't deserve leniency."
"To correct something that twisted… you must overcorrect."
Jūzō fell silent.
He had always believed that defecting had taken courage.
That resisting the Blood Mist had made him different.
But in Chizumi's eyes, that was cowardice.
And honestly… he couldn't argue.
"Escape… Cowardice…" he murmured.
He sheathed his Executioner's Blade.
Then looked at the clone, face complicated.
"Maybe one day… you should visit the Mist."
"If you really want to change the world with justice… start with the darkest place first."
"Kirigakure. The Land of Water."
He paused.
"It's worse than Konoha—ten, maybe a hundred times worse. You've never seen human nature twisted like that. From nobles to ninja, civilians to beggars… everyone's sick. And the disease is terminal."
He gave a bitter smile.
"If I'd met you earlier, maybe I wouldn't have joined the Akatsuki. Yeah, you're extreme… but I can see it now. Your extremism is focused."
"You only destroy what's evil."
"Your brand of justice… it speaks to me more than theirs ever did."
~~~
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