Inside the Konoha Police Headquarters.
Uchiha Fugaku blocked Uchiha Chizumi's path with a stern face and loud demand, drawing the attention of the Hyuga main family shinobi—most of whom stood around looking defeated.
"What am I doing? Isn't it obvious?" Chizumi replied calmly, locking eyes with Fugaku. "I'm here to arrest criminals."
"Thirty-four members of the Hyuga main family. The longest sentence is twenty years. The shortest, just a few months."
"Oh, right."
Chizumi paused for a beat, then added, with chilling indifference, "There are also two corpses from the Hyuga. If you have time, feel free to send someone to clean them up."
Right on cue, Jujiro, the ninja cat behind him, piped up: "Meow, just one person will do. There's not much left—just two heads, meow."
Fugaku froze. "…"
What the hell just happened?
He was completely thrown.
Leaning on his cane, Elder Hyuga Mei watched the interaction with a thoughtful frown. He could tell—Fugaku, the Uchiha clan head, clearly didn't get along with Chizumi.
Understandable.
The infamous Uchiha Itachi—the one rumored to one day destroy the entire clan—had already been killed by Chizumi.
So yeah… no way Fugaku would show kindness to his son's killer. The only reason he hadn't lashed out was probably because Itachi's plans had crossed every moral line there was.
Hyuga Mei suddenly tapped his cane, drawing Fugaku's attention.
Normally, he'd stay away from Uchiha clan politics. But right now, he didn't have that luxury. Spending twenty years in prison at his age? He wouldn't survive it.
He'd go from a former clan head to a forgotten corpse in a prison cell.
Coughing softly, he tried to speak. "Fugaku—Clan Head—"
"This is a judgment under Absolute Justice," Jujiro interrupted, casting a disdainful look his way. "And it's backed by the Third Hokage, meow."
Then he turned to Fugaku, blunt and sharp as ever: "Uchiha Fugaku, are you planning to go against Chizumi-sama's justice—and defy the Will of Fire while you're at it?"
Both men froze.
Damn cat.
Hyuga Mei was livid, his sharp gaze snapping toward Jujiro—only to meet the feline's bold stare head-on. No respect. No fear.
"…The Hokage's will," Fugaku muttered, now visibly uncomfortable.
He had stormed in to stop Chizumi, hoping to keep the Uchiha from being blamed. But now it was clear—the Hokage was also backing this crackdown on the Hyuga clan. He was just letting Chizumi be the executioner.
Fugaku was completely stuck.
A cold voice interrupted him. "Captain Fugaku, if you don't mind stepping aside."
A Konoha Police shinobi approached. "We still need to assist Chizumi-sama in documenting the crimes committed by the Hyuga."
"If you're not busy, maybe you can start sorting through old case files. There's still a lot of unresolved justice out there. Just because it's late doesn't mean it should be ignored."
This special jōnin didn't bother hiding his admiration for Chizumi. "Chizumi-sama, don't worry—we'll log every detail. Not a single sentence will be recorded wrong."
It was obvious this shinobi had already become a loyal follower of Absolute Justice. More and more Uchiha police were switching sides after Chizumi revealed Susanoo and took down Itachi.
Hyuga Mei: "…"
Watching it unfold, he finally realized that Fugaku might no longer be the one with real authority in the Uchiha clan.
He looked at the silent, defeated Hyuga Hiashi.
Then back at Fugaku—taking blow after blow without saying a word.
Hyuga Mei gave up completely.
…
Nightfall.
The Hyuga branch family had gathered—hundreds of them, even toddlers as young as three.
Whether it was cruelty or mercy, they'd also brought a few main-family members who hadn't been arrested.
Among them were Hiashi's two young daughters—fragile women and children.
Seven-year-old Hinata sat holding her little sister Hanabi in her arms. Her face was filled with worry, eyes red from crying. She didn't dare look up at anyone.
She already knew—her father had been arrested.
It all happened in a single afternoon. She didn't understand why.
"Hinata-sama," a tired main-family shinobi whispered, crouching beside her. "No matter what they say to you, don't respond. And don't speak unless you have to. If someone insults your father, don't argue. Things aren't what they used to be. He can't protect you now. And I'm just one man—I can't take on the entire branch family."
He was the only main-house special jōnin left.
A nobody until now—never popular, never powerful. He'd never used the Caged Bird Seal. And somehow, he was now the main family's last shield.
Before leaving, Hiashi had begged him to protect Hinata and Hanabi.
It was crushing.
"…Okay." Hinata nodded gently. Then, still confused, asked, "Are Hanabi and I still main family?"
"I don't know," the shinobi said with a complicated look.
Just then, a small figure silently sat beside Hinata.
The jōnin's face shifted. "…Hyuga Neji."
Everyone knew—Neji was the one who brought Uchiha Chizumi into this. To the main family, he was the traitor.
Neji's expression was conflicted.
"I didn't know," he said quietly. "Some of the branch family… are no different from the main family. I thought they wanted equality. But they don't. They just want to be the ones on top."
"There are people in the branch who don't hate being oppressed. They hate that they're not the oppressors."
He let out a long breath.
It was all his young mind could piece together.
"You chose this, Neji," the main-family jōnin said coldly. "You should regret it."
"I don't."
Neji turned, meeting the man's eyes.
"This just proves the darkness inside the Hyuga isn't gone. The main family is guilty. But some in the branch are falling into the same pit."
Neji was trying to see the clan through Chizumi's lens.
Through Absolute Justice.
And he said it—soft but clear:
"It means not enough people died."
With those words, the confusion in his eyes faded.
He didn't need to ask anyone.
He'd made his choice: he couldn't stand with the branch family.
Because siding with them meant skewing his logic, leaning toward their bias.
And that wasn't justice.
…
Konoha Prison.
Hyuga Hiashi never imagined he'd one day wear prison clothes.
He rubbed the rough fabric and looked around the dark, damp cell.
The musty smell made him sigh deeply.
Truthfully, this place couldn't hold him.
He had at least ten ways to break out.
But he couldn't afford the consequences.
The voices of his clanmates still echoed in his mind:
—"Hiashi, you're the Clan Head! Why are you hesitating like this? Your surrender didn't earn mercy—it made him more ruthless!"
—"We could've used the branch members as leverage. Why didn't you give the order?"
—"Nineteen years, Hiashi! I'll be in my sixties by then…"
—"Do you even care about protecting your people? Why did we ever make you clan head?"
—"Heh. After all this, your daughters probably won't need to get the Caged Bird Seal. Was that your plan all along?"
"..."
Hiashi looked ashamed.
They were right.
He hadn't done his job as clan head. He had failed his people.
And he didn't even have the right to argue.
So he said nothing—just sat cross-legged on the cold floor, lost in silence.
…
Later that night…
Sarutobi Hiruzen was working late in his office when Koharu barged in, furious.
"Have you lost your mind, Hiruzen?" she shouted. "You've let Uchiha Chizumi run wild! Even if you want to suppress the Hyuga, how can you do it like this? You're letting him use Absolute Justice as a weapon!"
She took a breath, trying to calm down.
"If you keep relying on Chizumi's extreme worldview, he'll twist the whole village to fit it. Don't you remember the damage his justice already caused?"
Hiruzen tapped the desk with tired fingers.
"Konoha has no one left to rely on but Chizumi," he said quietly.
"Even if I wanted to stop him—what then? Today I stop him, sure. But what about tomorrow? Or next week? Eventually, I won't get there in time. Might as well let him run his course—just this once."
Koharu frowned deeply. "Just know the difference between using someone and depending on them."
She leaned in. "Don't forget—Chizumi has never respected you. To him, you're no different from Danzo or Itachi. The only reason he hasn't acted is because you've got the Anbu around you."
Hiruzen didn't deny it.
Because deep down, he suspected she was right.
Still… I'm the Hokage. How could I be guilty of anything?
"You're overthinking it," he said.
…
Meanwhile, at the Hyuga Clan Hall—
Just like Neji predicted, it had only taken half a day for the branch family to split into factions.
Some were led by respected elders, others by strong jōnin.
Now they were openly fighting in front of everyone.
Neji sat silently on a cushion, watching it all unfold.
Many of them wore the same ugly expressions he'd seen on main-family members.
He stood up.
In a room where everyone else was kneeling, it drew every eye.
One elder tried to smile. "Neji, you're the hero of the day. You—"
Neji cut him off, cold-faced.
"You're not after justice."
"You just want power."
His young voice rang through the hall like a blade.
"Justice will be watching you."
"Do better."
With that, Neji turned and walked out—his face full of disappointment.
He didn't even look back at the stunned faces left behind.
~~~
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