An hour or so later, Izumi realized that what Senior Akainu called "strolling around" really just meant "wandering aimlessly" through Konoha. She hadn't seen him display any professional detective skills, nor had he sought out any clues for the case. She felt like she'd followed him around the entire Hidden Leaf Village, even making a full circuit of the Uchiha compound and lingering in the Hokage Tower.
Izumi was in a complete daze the whole time, utterly baffled by what her senior was doing, and what she was supposed to be doing herself.
Just as Izumi was about to speak, she noticed her senior stopped. Finally! No more aimless wandering! Tears nearly welled up in Izumi's eyes.
"Senior, this is..." However, she quickly realized something was off. Izumi looked forward curiously. Wasn't this the Gekko Clan compound in Konoha?
Konoha had many ninja clans of varying sizes. The Uchiha clan was one of the top, larger clans in Konoha, while the Gekko clan was a smaller one. They comprised a dozen or so ninja and possessed the "Transparent Release" (Tōton) kekkei genkai.
"This is the last visible location we haven't checked," Uchiha Akainu said calmly. "If the culprit isn't here, it can only be those other two places."
"Which two are you referring to?" Izumi was curious how Senior Akainu could determine the culprit just by wandering around, and even more curious about the two places he mentioned.
"Anbu, Root."
Uchiha Akainu's concise answer left Izumi dumbfounded.
"Huh? Uchiha Akainu! You cold-blooded monster who kills without batting an eye, how dare you show your face here!?" Just as Uchiha Akainu was about to step into the Gekko clan compound, a sudden, furious roar echoed from the side.
Turning her head, Izumi saw two Gekko clan ninja, wearing Konoha headbands and chunin vests, rushing over. They quickly blocked Uchiha Akainu's path, their eyes glaring at him, full of hatred.
Izumi noticed the tense atmosphere. "Senior, are they related to you...?"
Before she could finish her question, one of the Gekko clan ninja shouted, "Uchiha Akainu! You'd better stay away from here! The Gekko clan doesn't welcome you!"
Uchiha Akainu's right hand remained on the hilt of his ninja sword. His calm eyes swept over the two, and he said, "Military Police Force is investigating. Unauthorized personnel, step back immediately. Otherwise, it is obstruction of justice. Those who obstruct justice will be killed without mercy."
Uchiha Akainu's tone was equally calm, but the sudden, terrifying aura of malice that rose from him made Izumi's hair stand on end. She saw that her senior's thumb was already pushing against the sword guard! One centimeter of the gleaming silver blade was already exposed!
The two Gekko clan ninja also felt immense pressure. The cold sweat beading on their foreheads and their involuntarily clenched fists told everyone how nervous they were. Yet, in this situation, it didn't make them retreat an inch; instead, the hatred in their eyes intensified.
"Two years ago... it was just like this!" One of the Gekko clan ninja pushed through the pressure, gritting his teeth and glaring. "You bastard! You also said you were investigating a case. You brazenly stormed into the Gekko clan compound... and killed our former head, Lord Gekko Yuichiro! And you also killed two of our uncle elders!"
Izumi's clear, sparkling eyes gradually widened. This... So Senior Akainu and the Gekko clan had such a history! Gah! That must be a blood feud, right?
"Uchiha Akainu, you..."
"No recollection." Uchiha Akainu slowly drew his ninja sword from his waist, and as he leisurely walked forward, he spoke coldly, "I never intentionally remember who I've killed. Those who obstruct [Justice] don't deserve to remain in my memory."
His gaze passed through the gap between the two Gekko clan ninja, falling upon a figure within the Gekko clan compound ahead.
[Gekko Seisui — Last night, dissatisfied with his mother's excessive favoritism toward his elder brother, Gekko Hayate, he argued with her. In a fit of rage, he used a blunt object to kill his mother and secretly disposed of the body in the early hours of the morning. Sin Level: Red Name!]
The crimson red box was extremely prominent in Uchiha Akainu's eyes. This was one of the reasons he drew his sword.
"Three seconds. If you don't move, you die." Uchiha Akainu didn't stop. "Three, two..."
"Bastard! You arrogant fool! Do you really think our Gekko clan will...?"
Uchiha Akainu had already passed the two Gekko clan ninja. He lightly flicked the blood from his ninja sword.
"One."
A pair of calm, unruffled eyes, like those of a judge from hell, watched Gekko Seisui, who stood a short distance ahead, his face filled with terror. At the same time, the sound of bodies hitting the ground in unison came from behind him.
"Newbie, this is your second lesson," Uchiha Akainu said coldly to Izumi, who was completely dumbfounded behind him, as he stepped into the Gekko clan compound. "Anyone who obstructs the [Execution of Justice] is a minion of 'evil,' an enemy of justice. After a warning proves ineffective... kill them without mercy."
Izumi stared blankly at the two headless corpses on the ground, blood splattering. The crimson blood even splashed near her feet. Izumi's pupils trembled slightly.
When she rigidly looked up, she saw Senior Akainu, still holding his blood-stained ninja sword, flicking the blood off the blade as he walked towards a young Gekko clan member.
Izumi didn't know what she was thinking. She, as if possessed, stepped forward, treading on the wet ground, over a pool of blood, leaving a long trail of bloody footprints, and followed Uchiha Akainu into the Gekko clan compound.
In Izumi's mind, a voice kept warning her—Once you go in, there's no turning back. You can't accept Uchiha Akainu's absolute justice. But... she still followed closely behind Senior Akainu, pulling out a kunai and gripping it tightly in her hand.
"Phew, finally got half a day off from Lord Hokage. It's been half a month since I last saw my mother. Perfect timing to pay respects to Father with Mother and Seisui."
This was Gekko Hayate, a direct member of the Third Hokage's Anbu. He was carrying the offerings he'd just bought, heading towards the Gekko clan compound.
However, when he arrived at the compound's entrance, Gekko Hayate froze, the offerings in his hand falling to the ground. In his sight—
Many Konoha villagers besiege around the Gekko clan compound gate, trying to peek inside. But they seemed to be wary of something, not daring to get close, only watching from afar.
In front of the compound gate, two headless corpses were strikingly visible, with their heads lying beside them. The faces on the heads still wore bewildered expressions.
Gekko Hayate vaguely heard some villagers discussing "Uchiha," and "Military Police Force"... And then, he heard a name that made his pupils contract sharply.
—"Uchiha Akainu"!!!
This was his...
Father's killer!
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