"Uchiha Akainu? Sounds familiar…" Choji Akimichi mumbled, munching on his potato chips, trying to catch a fleeting spark of recognition in his mind. Before he could pin it down, a ninja cat sauntered up from behind him.
"Whoa, that's one chubby cat!" Choji couldn't help but blurt out, only to freeze as another figure approached.
He noticed Shikamaru, standing nearby, looking like he'd just seen a ghost, too spooked to even speak.
"Uchiha Akainu…"
Still a chubby little kid, Choji tilted his head up to gape at the man in the Uchiha Police Force uniform standing before him.
"Huh?!"
The spark in his mind finally clicked, and Choji's small eyes widened into saucers, his round face a mix of shock and panic. The half-eaten bag of chips slipped from his hands, hitting the ground with a soft thud, but he didn't even notice.
He also spotted a female ninja trailing behind Uchiha Akainu.
It finally hit him!
In that moment, something else dawned on Choji. He scrambled to pick up the dropped chips, then grabbed a broom nearby, suddenly sweeping the ground with exaggerated diligence.
Only when the terrifying man's silhouette finally vanished from sight did Choji slump to the ground, sweating buckets.
Shikamaru stopped moving too.
He stared into the distance, letting out a relieved sigh and wiping the cold sweat from his forehead. "Just a couple days ago, the village was buzzing about him killing the Fire Country's Daimyo. Shouldn't he still be in the capital? How's he back so fast?" he muttered.
Even though Shikamaru knew his Nara clan had some faint connection to Uchiha Akainu's [Absolute Justice], that didn't stop him from being a little scared of the guy.
A man's reputation casts a long shadow.
And that man wasn't the type to go easy on anyone—not even a seven-year-old kid!
"The village is probably gonna see more bodies soon," Shikamaru murmured under his breath.
…
The news of Uchiha Akainu's return to the Hidden Leaf spread like wildfire. By the next morning, the entire village was buzzing with shock.
"Akainu-senpai!!!"
A teenage girl rushed to meet Uchiha Akainu, panting slightly. She quickly bowed in apology. "Last evening, I had no idea you'd returned, senpai. I'm so sorry for not greeting you right away!"
"Meow, what about me?" Jiro, the ninja cat, chimed in. "Don't tell me you forgot to welcome me, rookie!"
Izumi bowed again, flustered. "I'm so sorry for forgetting to greet you too, Jiro-senpai!"
Jiro seemed pleased, his cat eyes narrowing smugly.
Then, Izumi remembered something. "Senpai," she said to Akainu, "the other night…"
She recounted everything that happened at the recent Uchiha clan meeting, leaving out no details—especially the fact that many Uchiha had started to embrace [Absolute Justice].
Akainu listened, then commented coolly, "What a pointless meeting. One side's obsessed with power struggles, the other's chained by the Leaf's restrictions. With their narrow vision, they'll never earn the clan's full support."
"Oh, by the way, senpai," Izumi added, "the three Uchiha Jonin who spoke up first that night came to me afterward. They said they'd like to meet you if they get the chance."
"I think they're ready to follow you. Otherwise, they wouldn't have openly challenged and mocked Elder Setsuna and Clan Leader Fugaku in front of everyone."
Akainu gave a slight nod. "Tell them they can meet me anytime."
"But…" he continued, his tone icy, "[Absolute Justice] isn't some ninja game or a tool for them to stand out. If they choose to follow it, they'd better be ready to uphold justice, even at the cost of their lives. And they should know that if they ever taint or betray justice, [Absolute Justice] will judge them too. Justice spares no one—not even its believers."
Izumi's face turned serious. "Yes, senpai!"
Then, curiosity got the better of her. "Senpai, who's that?"
Her gaze shifted to a short-haired female ninja standing quietly nearby. The woman seemed like she wanted to approach, and it looked like she and Akainu knew each other.
Noticing she'd been spotted, Mitarashi Anko stepped forward and introduced herself. "Mitarashi Anko, Special Jonin of the Hidden Leaf. And… also a criminal."
Izumi's eyes widened in shock as Anko turned to Akainu. "I know I still have over two years left in the Leaf's prison, but I want to atone for my crimes in another way—like that kid, Naruto Uzumaki!"
Clearly, since returning to the village the day before, Anko had been frantically digging up everything she could about Uchiha Akainu. She wasn't sure why she felt compelled to learn about her old ninja academy classmate, but the more she uncovered, the more awestruck—and admiring—she became.
His [Absolute Justice] was pure, untainted by even the slightest impurity!
That admiration gradually turned into a sense of approval she hadn't expected. When she realized she had no objections to Akainu's [Absolute Justice], she knew she'd been won over by his sense of justice.
It reminded her of how she used to admire Orochimaru.
But Uchiha Akainu and Orochimaru were worlds apart.
The latter had fallen into depravity, driven by his desires.
The former… might never stray down that path.
"I'm not saying this just to avoid prison," Anko said, gritting her teeth under the weight of Akainu's gaze but holding his eyes firmly. "I'm serious about this! In the Fire Country's capital, I saw how countless the ninja world's sins are. If no one steps up to fix this twisted, broken world, it'll never get better!"
"More and more people will go astray, becoming villains like Orochimaru. I… huff! I don't want to see another Orochimaru in this world!"
"My resolve is absolute! It's stronger than my faith in the Will of Fire!"
Every word Anko spoke came from the heart, without a trace of pretense.
Ever since Orochimaru abandoned her and erased her memories, Anko's life had been a haze of aimlessness. Even when Akainu threw her into prison over two years ago, she'd felt lost.
But now, she knew what she had to do.
She was fighting for a chance.
The air grew still. Just as Anko's nerves started to fray, Akainu's voice broke the silence. "Atone for your not-so-grave sins by following [Absolute Justice]? If you can pass the test of justice, it's not impossible."
Anko's anxious face lit up with wild joy. Afraid he'd change his mind, she blurted, "I'll pass any test you give me!"
"I'd give my life for it!" she added, deadly serious.
Akainu's expression remained cold. "Just remember what you said."
"Uchiha Izumi," he called.
"Here!!!"
Izumi snapped to attention, her voice loud and full of energy.
"Back to the Uchiha clan compound," Akainu ordered.
"Yes!"
Izumi nodded vigorously, then couldn't help but ask, "Senpai, what are we doing?"
"Delivering justice," Akainu said flatly. "Target: Uchiha Setsuna."
Izumi's eyes widened. "!!!"
He glanced at Anko. "You're coming too. This is your first test."
Just the first test?
So strict!
Anko's heart skipped a beat. The name "Uchiha Setsuna" rang a bell, but she couldn't quite place it.
"Yes!" she replied, mimicking Izumi.
…
Uchiha Clan Compound
"Uchiha Akainu… that brat's back?" Elder Setsuna's already stormy face darkened further. If it weren't for Akainu, he could've forced Fugaku out as clan leader during the meeting the other night and taken the role himself.
Instead, that so-called [Absolute Justice] had somehow brainwashed a bunch of younger Uchiha!
Because of him, at least a fifth of the clan walked out of the meeting.
Add to that the portion still loyal to Fugaku, and even if Setsuna had pushed forward, he wouldn't have had enough votes.
To Uchiha Setsuna, Uchiha Akainu was a rotten apple spoiling the barrel!
Time and again, he'd ruined Setsuna's plans!
And Setsuna hadn't forgotten—Akainu was the one who killed his grandson!
Not even a body was left behind!
Old grudges and new hatreds piled up, making Setsuna's blood boil. He clutched his aching chest, muttering, "I thought I'd live another decade, but this anger's gonna shave it down to five or six years."
A sudden thought struck him. "Could that brat pin my grandson's drug trafficking on me? I didn't directly get involved, but I did pull some strings for Hayata behind the scenes… With that kid's extreme ways, he's bound to come after me, isn't he?"
The moment the idea hit, Setsuna's sense of security plummeted.
He knew Akainu wouldn't hesitate to kill even his own kin!
The Fire Country's Daimyo meant nothing to him.
What was an Uchiha radical elder in his eyes?
Gripped by unease, Setsuna summoned a dozen young Uchiha radicals to surround him, ensuring his safety.
Only then did he feel a sliver of reassurance.
…
Meanwhile, as Akainu headed toward the Uchiha compound, a voice called out, stopping him in his tracks. "Hey, kid! You're finally back."
Izumi blinked, confused. Kid? Are they talking about me? But I've been in the village this whole time!
Wait!
Her eyes widened as she turned to see a bold, curvaceous woman standing not far away. Next to her was a shy-looking ninja in black, cradling a pink piglet. And behind them stood an old man with spiky white hair, wearing wooden clogs—a sleazy-looking guy.
What a weird trio!
How had she not noticed them in the village these past few days?
"Meow, it's Lady Tsunade!" Jiro's voice cut through, answering Izumi's confusion. "And… that guy back there, that's gotta be Jiraiya, one of the Legendary Sannin, right?"
"Hahaha! Even a ninja cat knows who I am!" Jiraiya let out an exaggerated laugh, puffing up with pride. "That's right, I'm the one and only Jiraiya, the Toad Sage!"
Jiraiya… Tsunade…
The names clicked in Izumi's head, and her eyes grew even wider.
The Legendary Sannin!!!
Before she could process her shock, Tsunade spoke again. "Kid, I've settled those seventy-nine orphans in the Leaf Village's orphanage. Your Sharingan genjutsu worked wonders—they don't remember their trauma, and it's erased their psychological scars."
Tsunade strolled over casually, giving Akainu a friendly pat on the shoulder. "But I didn't expect you to pull off something that big after wiping out Tanigakure Street."
"You took out the Fire Country's Daimyo! And all those noble families, without even blinking."
Izumi tensed. Are these two Sannin here to call out Akainu-senpai?
But Tsunade's next words threw her off. "Kid, you're something else!" she said with a grin. "I've been telling those two old fogies you did nothing wrong. Don't you think you owe me a thank-you?"
"Meow, by 'old fogies,' Lady Tsunade means Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado, right?" Jiro interjected. "Even if you didn't defend Akainu-sama, they wouldn't dare say anything to his face."
Akainu's gaze, however, drifted past Tsunade to land on Jiraiya.
Jiraiya's complicated expression met his. "Uh… we met once, right? Not long after the Third Ninja War ended?"
Jiraiya scratched his head. Back then, he'd been searching for the Child of Prophecy foretold by the Great Toad Sage and had briefly considered Akainu, a rare ninja with two kekkei genkai. But after observing him, Jiraiya found the kid's personality too extreme and moved on.
He never imagined…
Years later, Akainu had only grown more extreme.
"We did meet," Akainu said coolly. "I kept feeling someone tailing me back then. Thought it was a human trafficker until you showed up."
Cough, cough! Jiraiya choked awkwardly.
Before he could explain, Akainu dropped a bombshell. "You were probably tailing me because you thought I might be the so-called Child of Prophecy, right? Testing if your hunch was correct."
Jiraiya froze. "!!!"
If his earlier expression was playful, the shock on his face now was raw and unfiltered.
He stared at Akainu, disbelief in his eyes, like he'd seen a ghost in broad daylight.
"Child of Prophecy?" Tsunade frowned, glancing at Jiraiya. "What's that about?"
Jiraiya didn't answer. Taking a deep breath to steady himself, he asked, his voice heavy, "Where did you hear that?"
"Have you been to Mount Myoboku?" he pressed.
"Never," Akainu replied bluntly, leaving Jiraiya stunned.
Akainu continued, unfazed. "There are few secrets in the ninja world I don't know."
He went on, "If you're banking on some Child of Prophecy to bring peace or destruction to the ninja world, you're wasting your time. The one you're looking for will uphold justice and peace in the ninja world without needing you as a mentor. Once all the world's evils are eradicated, peace will come naturally."
His words hit Jiraiya like a thunderbolt.
Jiraiya's eyes widened, his breathing quickening.
Uchiha Akainu… not only does he know I'm searching for the Child of Prophecy, but he knows who it is?!
How could he know so much? Was there someone else in the ninja world with the power to see the future, besides the Great Toad Sage?
Wait!
Jiraiya's mind raced. He'd heard in the village that Akainu's Sharingan could see the "sins of the past" and the "sins of the future."
The "sins of the future" carried a prophetic quality!
Had Akainu foreseen the Child of Prophecy too? Was his vision even clearer than the Great Toad Sage's, pinpointing the exact person?
Jiraiya stood there, utterly floored.
…
Hokage's Office
"Uchiha Akainu's back, unscathed," Koharu Utatane said, gazing out at the village's rooftops with a hint of disappointment. "In the end, Hiruzen didn't touch him. He's still indulging him."
"Letting this uncontrollable [Absolute Justice] run free will backfire. One day, even the Anbu and Hiruzen combined won't be able to rein him in. Hiruzen will regret this."
Her tone was certain when she said "regret."
Homura Mitokado coughed. "Hiruzen has his reasons. Besides, the reports say the Daimyo's eldest son stopped him."
Koharu scoffed. "If Hiruzen, as Hokage, really wanted to take down Akainu, how could the Daimyo's son—not even officially the new Daimyo—stop him?"
"And the eldest son was probably threatened by Akainu! Why else would he let his father's killer walk free?"
"Who could stand seeing their family's murderer strut around?" Homura added dryly, "Hiruzen could."
Koharu fell silent for a moment, then gritted her teeth. "Exactly! It's Hiruzen's endless indulgence that's let that brat spiral out of control!"
"Hiruzen's grown old."
But she only vented her frustration. She had no intention of replacing the Hokage.
After all, she, Hiruzen, and Homura were bound by inseparable interests.
…
Ninja Academy
Listening to Iruka Umino drone on about shuriken-throwing techniques he'd long memorized, Sasuke leaned over to Naruto, whispering, "Dead-last, we've been following Sensei Akainu's [Absolute Justice] for a while now. Why haven't we gotten any stronger?"
"Stronger?" Naruto rubbed his chin, thinking. "I remember Izumi-senpai saying that those who follow [Absolute Justice] get a power boost from it after taking down evildoers."
Sasuke paused, mulling it over. "Killing evildoers… that's how we get justice's gift…"
He looked at his small, soft hands—hands that had never killed an evildoer, let alone a chicken.
Sasuke's lips tightened. He took a deep breath. "Dead-last, let's sneak out tonight without Izumi-senpai and act on our own!" His face was serious. "She's been showing us what delivering justice looks like, but she's always the one finishing off the bad guys."
"If we take down evildoers, won't we get that [Absolute Justice] boost too? Couldn't we become as strong as Izumi-senpai?"
"Why do you want to get strong so bad?" Naruto asked, then his eyes lit up. "Is it because of that guy?"
Sasuke clenched his fists and nodded.
Ever since Itachi Uchiha visited the academy, Sasuke had been plagued by nightmares.
Night after night, he dreamed of the Uchiha clan's annihilation.
And every time, he was too weak to stop Itachi.
He craved justice—and the strength to back it up.
Sasuke saw no conflict in that.
"Alright!" Naruto smacked his fist into his palm, buzzing with excitement but keeping his voice low. "Let's do it!"
Then he frowned. "Wait, did you just call me 'dead-last' a bunch of times?"
Sasuke looked away, guilty.
Sometimes, all it takes is two kids to spark a wild idea.
…
"Akainu, who's the Child of Prophecy?" Jiraiya couldn't contain his urgency. "According to the Great Toad Sage's prophecy, the Child of Prophecy will make a choice that leads the ninja world to peace or destruction!"
"The Great Toad Sage said they'd be my star pupil, a revolutionary who'd shape the ninja world's future!"
Panting, Jiraiya spilled the truth behind his years of searching. "If this Child of Prophecy exists, I need to guide them to the right path, to make the right choice."
"So, tell me—who are they?!"
As Jiraiya waited eagerly for Akainu's answer, he racked his brain for details of the prophecy.
"A blue-eyed boy who laughs while calling the name of the nine-headed beast."
Nine-headed beast…
Blue-eyed boy…
Jiraiya started mentally sifting through everyone Akainu might know who fit that description.
But his passionate speech left Akainu and Jiro unfazed. Izumi, Tsunade, Shizune, and Anko, however, were floored.
"Jiraiya," Tsunade said, frowning, "you never told me or Orochimaru about this."
Shizune murmured, "The Child of Prophecy… someone who could bring peace or destroy the ninja world."
Anko felt like she'd stumbled onto something huge.
Izumi, meanwhile, thought this "Child of Prophecy" sounded sketchy.
And that Great Toad Sage? Didn't seem legit.
From what Akainu-senpai had said, it was clear he didn't buy into this prophecy nonsense either.
Akainu-senpai believed justice alone could bring peace to the ninja world.
"Is telling you worth it?" Akainu's curt reply nearly short-circuited Jiraiya's brain.
Snapping back, Jiraiya blurted, "Of course it's worth it! The Child of Prophecy holds the power to change the ninja world!"
"So you'd entrust the ninja world's future, everyone's fate, everything, to some so-called Child of Prophecy? That's your vision, Jiraiya?"
Akainu locked eyes with the Sannin, calm and unshaken by Jiraiya's urgency.
"You don't even see why this twisted, broken ninja world became this way," Akainu said coolly. "It's not the Child of Prophecy's birth that changes the future. A sick, distorted world will naturally produce people trying to fix it."
"But most get corrupted by the world's twisted ideals, so their ideas of change are just as warped."
He paused, then continued, "The moment this broken world is set right, anyone could be the Child of Prophecy, making the right choices."
With that, Akainu turned and headed for the Uchiha compound, ignoring the Sannin.
Jiro, Izumi, and Anko hurried after him.
"Akainu—" Jiraiya started, but Tsunade cut him off.
"Enough!" she said. "Didn't you hear him? To him, the Child of Prophecy isn't special. He believes once his [Absolute Justice] wipes out all the world's evils, everyone's mindset will become normal."
"And in that world, countless 'Children of Prophecy' will rise, bringing lasting peace without destruction."
Tsunade paused, then added, "I don't know what that toad told you, but pinning the ninja world's future on one person? That's just irresponsible. This world doesn't belong to one person."
Jiraiya stood frozen as Tsunade and Shizune walked away, leaving him alone on the street.
"My vision… is too small?" he muttered, lost in thought.
…
Uchiha Clan Compound
"It's been a while, meow. Feels like a lot of Uchiha are giving Akainu-sama weird looks!" Jiro, perched on Izumi's shoulder, picked up on the stares around them.
"Probably because of that failed clan meeting," Jiro mused. "From what the rookie said, Akainu-sama didn't even show up, yet he tanked the whole thing from afar, ruining someone's plans."
Izumi nodded. "Yeah, lately, more people in the village—and especially the Uchiha—are starting to support Akainu-senpai's [Absolute Justice]."
As she spoke, she noticed Akainu suddenly stop.
Caught off guard, she nearly bumped into him but managed to halt in time.
Looking up, she saw Uchiha Fugaku, the clan leader whose title was now more symbolic than real, standing in their path.
"Akainu…" Fugaku's eyes held a complex mix of emotions. "Why are you putting the Uchiha clan in this position? The clan was already on edge, and I'd managed to ease the tension a bit. But you've pulled it tighter."
"Killing the Hokage's son, the Daimyo's second son, the Daimyo himself, and countless Fire Country nobles… Your actions, driven by your [Absolute Justice], make others see the Uchiha as the ones behind those deaths. The village's leadership no longer trusts us."
"And Setsuna's faction, pushed by your actions, has been forced to speed up their plans. As clan leader, I no longer have the power to fix this."
Fugaku let out a heavy sigh, unloading the pressure that had been crushing him.
In his eyes, Akainu was the source of it all.
Without his extreme actions, Fugaku believed he could've balanced the clan's relationship with the village.
But to his surprise, Akainu didn't even look at him.
A hand landed on Fugaku's shoulder, gently but firmly pushing him aside.
"Don't block the way," Akainu said coldly.
The exchange happened on the clan compound's main street, in full view of other Uchiha. Though they couldn't hear the words, they saw Akainu brush past their clan leader without a shred of respect.
Fugaku stood stunned for a moment, then spun around, staring at Akainu's retreating figure.
He overheard Akainu addressing Izumi and Anko. "Check your ninja tools. Prepare to deliver justice."
Deliver… justice?!
Fugaku's heart skipped a beat. He knew Akainu's "justice" always meant blood.
And here, in the Uchiha compound, was Akainu about to raise his blade against his own clan again?!
Then Fugaku noticed… Akainu was heading toward Setsuna's residence.
Coincidence?
…
"Elder Setsuna, Uchiha Akainu's back in the compound!"
The news sent Setsuna, already on edge, into a full-blown panic.
But seeing the dozen Uchiha radicals around him, he masked his unease with a cold snort. "Hmph. That selfish brat, with his so-called ninja way, has dragged the entire Uchiha clan into a pit we can't climb out of. One day, he'll be nailed to the clan's pillar of shame."
"He's done this and doesn't even realize it, strutting back to the village and the clan like it's nothing. His [Absolute Justice] has probably brainwashed him!"
His words made a few of the Uchiha around him shift uncomfortably, wanting to speak but holding back. Setsuna was, after all, the radical faction's leader.
Just as he was about to continue, a voice from outside nearly stopped his heart.
"Uchiha Akainu? What are you doing here?"
Hiss!
Setsuna sucked in a breath, his fear and panic impossible to hide. "That brat's here?"
He desperately hoped it was a prank.
But then Akainu's cold voice echoed faintly from outside. "Uchiha Police Force, delivering justice. All bystanders, clear out—or face death."
Setsuna's eyes widened. "!!!"
How?!
Had he jinxed himself? Had that extreme brat really traced his grandson Hayata's drug trafficking back to him?
All he'd done was turn a blind eye, letting them smuggle banned substances into the compound and bending some rules for Hayata.
Was that enough to make him an evildoer in Akainu's eyes?
Did his [Absolute Justice] demand Setsuna's head too?
Setsuna's face twisted with dread. He growled through clenched teeth, "Tell the others outside not to let that brat in!"
He refused to believe Akainu would attack innocent clansmen just for blocking his path.
But then…
"Elder Setsuna…" one of the radicals reported urgently. "The ninjas outside didn't stop him. They let Uchiha Akainu through!"
Setsuna: "???"
What?!
I called you here to protect me from that lunatic's extreme justice, and you let him in?!
Are you kidding me?!
Fuming, Setsuna's face contorted. He looked up, his cloudy eyes sharpening as they locked onto the young man before him.
"Uchiha… Akainu!!!"
Akainu stared back, his gaze fixed on a glaring red box hovering above Setsuna's head.
In a cold, emotionless voice, like a judge from the underworld, Akainu stepped forward slowly, listing crimes that sent chills through the air. "Uchiha Setsuna. Sixty-one years ago, you killed your own sister to awaken your Sharingan."
"Fifty-eight years ago, to evolve your two-tomoe Sharingan to three, you married a woman and strangled her the night she gave birth to your son."
"Fifty years ago, when another Uchiha's ideals clashed with yours and you couldn't outargue them, you killed them in a rage and destroyed the body, staging it as a 'disappearance.'"
"Forty-seven years ago…"
"Forty-four years ago…"
Akainu's voice was quiet but clear, each word cutting through Setsuna's mind, dragging up memories long buried—memories even Setsuna had nearly forgotten.
He realized, dazed, that he had done those things before the Second Hokage threw him in prison.
How could this kid's eyes see so far into the past? Decades-old crimes!
And as Akainu kept speaking, Setsuna noticed the other Uchiha's stares growing stranger.
He started to sense things were about to go very wrong.