"Tch... I never thought I'd end up wearing a Rain Village headband one day, along with this ridiculous gas mask. It's pissing me off... and it's totally killing my vibe."
In the Land of Fire, near Konoha.
Juzo Biwa, sporting a black gas mask, was full of frustration.
He hadn't expected that, shortly after joining that weird organization, he'd get slapped with such a bizarre mission.
—Pretend to be an envoy from the Rain Village heading to Konoha, and use the opportunity to make contact with "Uchiha Akainu."
He glanced at the few Rain Village chunin tagging along beside him.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
Akatsuki's control over the Rain Village was way beyond what he'd imagined—these Rain ninjas were ridiculously obedient to that woman's orders. When she gave commands, they didn't even question it one bit.
Looks like...
He'd joined one hell of an organization. He just couldn't figure out why that woman wanted him to sneak into Konoha and probe the "Lava Release Beast" for secrets about "Uchiha Madara."
Uchiha Madara...
Wasn't that legendary guy long dead?
Juzo's mind flashed back to some of what Konan had told him.
—"This is a top-secret mission for the organization. Only me, the leader, and you know about it. You can't tell anyone the purpose—not even other Akatsuki members. Stay silent."
—"Konoha's Uchiha Akainu knows secrets about 'Uchiha Madara.' I need you to get those secrets."
—"Why you? Sure, you're known across the ninja world for your cruelty, but that's only on the battlefield, and only against enemy villages. In Uchiha Akainu's eyes, you're not a villain."
—"From what Akatsuki's intel shows, Uchiha Akainu can't tolerate thugs who burn, kill, and pillage. If one shows up in front of him, he'll kill them without hesitation."
—"The others in Akatsuki aren't suited for this. Their sins are too deep to wash away. If they appeared before him, he'd see them as enemies right away."
—"Remember, silence to everyone."
—"Once this mission's done, you'll be a core member—not just some newbie who joined recently."
As those words echoed in his head, Juzo scowled and pursed his lips in annoyance.
One of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
And he doesn't even count as a "villain"?
But...
That woman wasn't wrong. Juzo's cruelty was reserved for the battlefield. Outside of that, he kept it locked down tight—it never spilled over to unrelated people.
"So, in that 'Lava Release Beast's' eyes, ninjas who kill enemies for their country on the battlefield aren't villains? Or as long as you don't hurt innocent civilians, you're good?"
Juzo clicked his tongue.
"Absolute justice, huh? What a weird philosophy. Uchiha Akainu's one strange Konoha ninja."
He casually asked one of the Rain chunin nearby, "How much longer till we reach Konoha?!"
The Rain chunin replied, "Two days."
...
"Uchiha Akainu knows too many of my secrets. If he spills them, everything I've done... all my preparations will go to waste."
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the ninja world.
Obito Uchiha sat on a large rock covered in moss.
His tone was icy as he said, "Especially if Nagato and Konan realize I'm not 'Uchiha Madara,' or even learn about my Mangekyo Sharingan abilities... Nagato might not react much, but that woman Konan—she'd probably come after me."
"Every time she looks at me, something's off. That wariness, that distrust—I can feel it faintly. And... I suspect Uchiha Akainu knows more than that. He might know even deeper secrets about me."
At that, he turned to the black-and-white figure in front of him—Zetsu. "He might even know about you. That's why I need Akatsuki's power to investigate that guy."
"I need to get intel on him, then wipe him off the map—completely eliminate this nagging threat that's making me uneasy."
Zetsu pondered for a moment. "Obito, when you suggested investigating Uchiha Akainu, they might've realized he knows something important."
"Neither Nagato nor Konan will investigate the way you want. They'll probably do their own secret digging, trying to figure out your motives."
Obito frowned. "Unlikely. What motives could they think I have?"
Zetsu shook his head. "You said it yourself—Konan's super wary of you. In my view, every move you make looks suspicious to her, like it's got ulterior motives. Especially as 'Uchiha Madara,' why would you suddenly want to check out some Uchiha junior?"
Obito's expression darkened.
He thought he'd been cautious enough about Konan's distrust.
Is that woman's mind really that sharp?
Zetsu continued, "As long as she's got that doubt, she'll definitely start investigating from there. Obito, I told you not to rush things."
Zetsu's eyes held a hint of helplessness. The Uchiha Obito in front of him was only in his early twenties.
To someone like Zetsu, who'd lived for over a thousand years, Obito's actions were way too hasty—bordering on childish—which had led to this passive situation.
In the end...
Obito was just a cheap substitute for Uchiha Madara.
He wasn't even one-tenth the man Madara was.
Now that Obito's impatience had created a potential leak, Zetsu had to step in and calm him down, keep him from getting more reckless...
If it were Madara, Zetsu wouldn't have to deal with this headache.
Zetsu sighed inwardly.
"But it might not be a big deal," Zetsu said. "Konan might not find anything. After all, even we don't know why Uchiha Akainu knows so much. By the time she figures out what we're up to and starts making other plans, it'll be too late."
Obito relaxed a bit.
Zetsu suggested, "Obito, if you want to investigate Uchiha Akainu—or even kill him—going after him directly will be tough. The guy's got some skills."
"But..."
"If he were alone, it'd be hard to find a weakness. But he's got a subordinate—that Uchiha kid who awakened the three-tomoe Sharingan earlier than anyone in clan history."
"Uchiha Izumi!" Obito didn't need Zetsu to finish; he narrowed his eyes and said the name slowly.
...
Konoha, Hyuga Clan Grounds.
Uchiha Akainu was gone, Hiruzen Sarutobi was gone, the ANBU were gone.
All that remained were the silent Hyuga clansmen and the blood-soaked body of a young Hyuga.
Feeling the stares from his clan, Hiashi Hyuga sighed inwardly but kept his face neutral. "Take the body inside. We'll find a day to give him a proper burial."
"Lord Hiashi..."
One Hyuga ninja tried to speak, but Hiashi cut him off coldly. "This matter ends here. Pretend it never happened. Digging deeper won't do the Hyuga any good."
"The result would be the Nine-Tails jinchuriki, the Hokage, Uchiha Akainu, or the Uchiha clan... all standing against us."
Just imagining that made Hiashi shiver.
The Hyuga always boasted about being Konoha's top clan, but that was only after the Uchiha had been sidelined by the village. Before that, the Uchiha were undeniably number one.
If the Hyuga got pushed out by all sides too...
Hiashi didn't dare think about what a once-great clan like theirs would become—a third-rate one?
They'd endured the Cloud Village incident all those years ago, acting like nothing happened.
Today, it was just a branch family kid who died.
The Hyuga could swallow this without issue.
"Take the child back." Facing the stares, Hiashi's tone grew colder as he reiterated.
"...Yes!"
Word of what happened outside the grounds spread quickly through the Hyuga clan.
A major Konoha clan, right at their own doorstep, had one of their kids killed.
Normally, they'd demand justice from the Hokage and the killer, right?
But their clan head chose to swallow his pride.
Anyone would be fuming!
"Even if that Uzumaki Naruto's likely the Nine-Tails jinchuriki, and that Uchiha kid's really the Uchiha clan head's second son... does that mean they can kill a Hyuga kid in broad daylight? Can they just ignore Fire Country laws?"
One Hyuga ninja gritted his teeth. "The Hokage's always reminding clans like us to follow the rules. We've been model citizens, so why do the rule-breakers get to trample us, and we can't fight back?"
He got more heated. If he were an Uchiha, he'd probably be awakening his Sharingan from the rage. "The one killed was our clansman! He was just a kid! Even if he did something wrong, he didn't deserve death!"
Nearby, a cold-faced Hyuga branch jonin stood with arms crossed, expressionless. "In the Hokage's eyes, the Hyuga are probably just tools."
Someone muttered, "The Hokage won't stand up to Uchiha Akainu, but he sure gives us attitude..."
"That's because Uchiha Akainu's strong enough. If the Hyuga had that kind of power, we'd be the real top clan, surpassing the Uchiha. Then the Hokage would treat us differently."
"..."
The grumbles died down as Hiashi "happened" to pass by.
Hearing his clansmen's frustrations, Hiashi felt helpless.
If the Hyuga had someone like Uchiha Akainu, the Hokage would indeed treat them differently—but in a bad way.
His people probably didn't get why the Uchiha were sidelined.
They were too strong, with enough clout to challenge certain people's control over Konoha!
Hiashi had chosen restraint at the last moment to avoid the Hyuga becoming a target like the Uchiha.
Sticking out too much wasn't good.
Unfortunately, some of the younger ones might not understand his intentions. But once they grasped Konoha's politics, they'd see his good intentions.
Hiashi wasn't like Uchiha Setsuna, aiming to lead the Hyuga to greater glory.
Nor like Uchiha Fugaku, trying to balance the Uchiha and Konoha.
He just wanted to keep a low profile... that way, no matter who became Hokage, the Hyuga would stay one of Konoha's top clans.
But his attitude was all seen by Hyuga Neji.
"The main family..."
"Father..."
Neji watched Hiashi's retreating figure, clenching his fists and taking a deep breath. After thinking for less than two seconds, he turned and left the Hyuga grounds.
He remembered Uzumaki Naruto heading in this direction.
As for why not go straight to Uchiha Akainu?
A deep-seated fear in Neji's heart unconsciously ruled out that option.
Even he didn't know why.
...
Uchiha Clan Grounds.
After Yamanaka Yoshinobu dropped Naruto home and brought Sasuke back to the Uchiha, the sky was fully dark.
Sasuke watched the ANBU ninja body-flicker away, a flash of envy in his eyes for the ANBU's skill.
But it faded quickly.
Sasuke knew he'd be that strong one day—stronger, even! His goal wasn't some minor like Yoshinobu; it was Uchiha Itachi!
"That dead-last was right... executing justice really does get you a gift from 'absolute justice'!" Sasuke's eyes held shock as he muttered to himself.
He clearly remembered the moment his sharp kunai pierced that Hyuga villain's back.
When the guy died, Sasuke felt a surge of power not his own flood his body, instantly turning into his own strength.
The most obvious change? His chakra reserves grew!
It blew Sasuke away.
Killing one villain gave more gains than a month of hard training!
This...
Was absolute justice?
In a daze, Sasuke wandered home without realizing it. As he stepped inside, something hit him—he jolted, looking down at his bloodstained hands.
Before he could clean up, his mother's voice rang out: "Sasuke, why are you so late tonight? Did you hear Akainu's back and go see him? You... Huh? Sasuke, why's there so much blood on you? Are you hurt?"
Soon after.
At the dinner table, Sasuke sat upright on one side, freshly cleaned and in new clothes.
To his left, his mother's worried gaze; to his right, his father's stern one.
The pressure was intense.
Thinking it over, he figured today's events couldn't be hidden—his parents would find out anyway.
So Sasuke quietly spilled the truth, but he kept the part about absolute justice's "gift" to himself.
Before Mikoto Uchiha could react, Fugaku couldn't hold back.
"Sasuke... you killed someone in the village?!"
Fugaku took a deep breath, his stone face showing disbelief as he looked at his troublesome second son. "And it was a Hyuga kid?!"
"...Yes."
Sasuke bowed his head lower; his father's strict authority wasn't easy to shake off.
"The Hokage was there too?" Fugaku felt utterly exhausted. "And you did it with Uzumaki Naruto?!"
"...Yes."
Sasuke's response made Fugaku close his eyes in pain.
Great, now even his second son was stabbing the Uchiha in the back, making it harder for the clan to earn the higher-ups' trust!
With both his sons so extreme, even with Setsuna dead, could the Hokage trust him? Trust the Uchiha?
As Fugaku opened his eyes, ready to scold in anger, Mikoto interrupted.
"Fugaku, once you knew Sasuke chose to follow Akainu's absolute justice, you should've seen this coming. You understand Itachi—why not Sasuke?"
Mikoto sided with Sasuke.
"You said you're proud of Itachi, even if he does what Akainu prophesied. His resolve makes you proud."
"Now, Sasuke's showing his own resolve. It might not match Itachi's in your eyes, but it's his. When he acts for the absolute justice he believes in..."
"As his father... shouldn't you be proud of him?"
"Plus, Sasuke didn't do anything wrong. If he had, the Hokage would've stopped him from coming home."
Her words made Sasuke lift his head a bit.
"Mikoto, you're spoiling him!" Fugaku frowned. "He's not like Itachi—Itachi's for Konoha; Sasuke's for Akainu."
"But Akainu's for the ninja world," Mikoto countered. "Sasuke's following a path for peace and stability in the ninja world. Does his resolve really fall short of Itachi's?"
Mikoto paused, then added, "Besides, if anyone's spoiling, it's you with Itachi."
Fugaku's frown deepened. He felt like his wife was always leaning toward Uchiha Akainu.
Sasuke suddenly noticed... the conversation between his parents had a tense vibe.
Both seemed to be holding back anger, restrained by their marriage, not letting it show.
...
Meanwhile.
Naruto's place.
"This should be the guy's house, right?" Neji looked up at the simple residence. He'd lost Naruto halfway and asked around, stumbling his way here.
But standing there, Neji froze, a doubt creeping in—why am I here?
He'd left the Hyuga grounds because he couldn't stand the clan being run by the weak main family.
It stirred up his hatred too.
In that mood, he remembered what Uzumaki Naruto and that Uchiha Sasuke said earlier.
"I remember..."
Staring at the building, Neji muttered, "I'm interested in their philosophy. It lines up with a lot of my thoughts—even stuff I never considered but makes total sense."
"No..."
"'Interested' is just me saving face. Truth is, their philosophy sparked a longing in me."
Alone in front of Naruto's house, Neji faced his true feelings.
The faint confusion on his face cleared.
What Neji didn't know was, as he murmured those words, Yamanaka Yoshinobu—still watching Naruto from the shadows—held back from intervening.
Before, as a Hyuga, Neji seemed suspicious to Yoshinobu.
Maybe even here for revenge on the jinchuriki?
Oblivious, Neji took a deep breath.
He stepped forward.
And rang the doorbell.
The dull, raspy "ding-dong" suggested the bell was old and hadn't been replaced in ages.
"Hang on a sec!" A startled yell from inside, followed by crashes—like someone tripped, grabbed furniture to stand, then knocked it over.
Click...
The door opened.
"Eh?"
Naruto's face was full of surprise. Before opening, he'd guessed a bunch—Hokage, Teacher Akainu, Smug Sasuke, Iruka-sensei, Senior Izumi, the ninja the old man assigned to watch him...
All wrong.
"You're..."
Naruto looked suspicious, then noticed Neji's unique pale eyes!
Naruto went on alert.
He stepped back half a step, ignoring his aches, ready for a fight. "Your eyes look like Hyuga's. Hey! You here for revenge?"
"No."
Neji said flatly. "That guy got killed by you because he deserved it—his own fault, and he wasn't skilled enough. Plus, it was his fate."
"A pitiful caged bird... dying by an outsider's hand is better than by his clan's. At least his soul's free."
Naruto: "???"
He got the first part, but the rest was gibberish!
"You... wanna come in?" Naruto was thrown off.
"No need."
Neji's Byakugan locked on Naruto's blue eyes, his face serious. "How do you tell if someone's a villain? Or if their actions are evil? Using vicious methods to brand a horrible seal on your own clansmen—does that count as evil that deserves punishment?"
Naruto: "???"
Faced with question after question, Naruto brainstormed for a bit.
He hesitated, then said, "Obviously, someone who does bad stuff is a villain! Bad things done by villains are evil acts! Especially if it hurts innocents, directly or not—if it's with malicious intent, it's definitely bad!"
"As for that vicious seal... if it's really that bad and hurts a lot of innocents, the one who did it isn't a good person, right?"
Seeing Neji's icy face shift oddly, Naruto added quickly, "Assuming you're telling me everything without hiding details."
"And it'd be best if Teacher Akainu checked. He can see people's past and future evils."
"...Teacher Akainu?" Neji snapped back, catching the title.
"Yeah, the famous Uchiha Akainu!"
Naruto grinned. "Even the old Hokage can't argue with him sometimes!"
Neji asked, "Is he your teacher?"
Naruto nodded. "My teacher on the path of justice!"
"Justice..."
Neji mulled over the word.
"Whew!" He exhaled heavily. "I think I get it now."
With that, he turned to leave.
Before going, Neji added coldly, "Don't wonder why I came. I just wanted to learn about him through you. The 'him' is your Teacher Akainu."
Naruto: "..."
"Why's everyone as smug as Sasuke?" Watching Neji's back fade, Naruto grumbled. "Jeez, no manners—no thanks or anything."
...
"Hiruzen, I heard everything!"
In the Hokage's office, Koharu Utatane's face was dark as she confronted Hiruzen Sarutobi. "The Nine-Tails jinchuriki killed in the village. Right? And it was a Hyuga ninja! Hiruzen, this shows the danger of Uchiha Akainu's 'absolute justice'!"
"Under its bad influence, even the jinchuriki's learning to kill. Can you guarantee he won't do something more extreme soon?"
She continued grimly, "And Fugaku's kid was involved too, right? Not only did he not stop the jinchuriki, he joined in—maybe even egged him on."
"I'm starting to doubt if Fugaku's really on our side. Otherwise, how'd he raise a second son who pushes the jinchuriki to kill?"
"I'm even suspecting Setsuna's death was planned—to make us drop our guard on the Uchiha."
"When the time comes, will the Uchiha launch a coup without hesitation?"
"And is Uchiha Akainu leading it?"
As her words veered into wild speculation, Hiruzen frowned.
He cut her off wearily. "Don't spout baseless guesses. Koharu, Konoha's chaotic enough—don't add more chaos out of thin air."
"I didn't expect Naruto's sense of justice to turn extreme either."
"But..."
Hiruzen thought of something. "Didn't I assign Kakashi to oversee Naruto's justice?"
Homura Mitokado, who'd been quiet, spoke up. "While you were away from Konoha, you had Kakashi watching the Uchiha, right?"
"Maybe in that short gap, Naruto's worldview shifted subtly, deepening absolute justice's hold."
"And with Kakashi busy elsewhere, no one stopped that change."
Hiruzen: "..."
The blame circled back and landed on him, the Hokage.
"Hiruzen, we can't stop Naruto from following absolute justice, but why not shift his focus elsewhere—get him interested in other things?"
Homura continued. "He's still young; his views aren't set. Even if he messed up today, we can turn it around."
Hiruzen paused. "How?"
Homura said, "Besides absolute justice, he still wants to be Hokage, right?"
Hiruzen nodded, confident. "My efforts these years weren't wasted. Becoming Hokage is Naruto's biggest dream—something I've instilled since he was little."
Homura mused, "Then start grooming him early. Hiruzen, you want him as the Fifth Hokage, right?"
"When you start training him ahead, Uzumaki Naruto will have plenty to do. It won't erase his pursuit of absolute justice..."
"But it'll at least divert some attention, keep him from sinking too deep."
"Early training..." Hiruzen breathed deeply. "Koharu, what do you think?"
Koharu said, "Uzumaki Naruto's dad was the Fourth Hokage—making him the Fifth isn't impossible. But he must ditch absolute justice, or Konoha will be ruined if he becomes Hokage."
Though conditional, she didn't oppose it.
Hiruzen rubbed his temples. "We can try."
But he wondered—earlier, he'd told Akainu that indulging Naruto was like forcing growth.
Was he doing the same now?
...
Late night.
Uchiha Izumi was sound asleep when sudden "knock knock" woke her instantly. She grabbed the ninja sword nearby.
And activated her three-tomoe Sharingan without hesitation.
Her gaze shot toward the sound.
"Tangerine... Tangerine Jiro?!" Her hand froze; she stared in shock at Tangerine Jiro crouched outside the closed window, pawing the glass lightly.
Outside, Tangerine Jiro seemed to hear her mutter and grumbled, "What Tangerine Jiro? Call me Senior Tangerine Jiro, meow! Show some respect, newbie!"
Izumi quickly opened the window.
Before she could ask curiously, Tangerine Jiro cut to the chase. "Lord Akainu wants me to get you. He says—it's time to execute justice."
The word "justice" snapped Izumi fully awake from her drowsiness.
"Got it!"
No time to waste—she threw on her Police Force gear over her pajamas. Slapped her cheeks to wake up more, then jumped out the window.
"Gotta grab one more."
Tangerine Jiro added, nimbly hopping onto Izumi's shoulder.
Izumi paused. "Who?!"
"Mitarashi Anko."
...
That night, Anko couldn't sleep. She hadn't expected so much to happen in one day.
And every bit involved Uchiha Akainu—even her, Mitarashi Anko, hands-on.
Anko stood on her jonin apartment balcony, gazing at Konoha's night view.
"Does Konoha—or the whole ninja world—really have that much evil? But if not, what are all the sins Uchiha Akainu sees?"
She struggled to imagine her hometown hiding such horrifying evils.
"Hm? Who's there?!"
Suddenly, Anko went alert, her eyes on the rooftop ahead.
A figure had appeared!
"It's me." Izumi's voice came from across. "Senior Akainu found villains to execute and said to bring you along."
Anko remembered—this was the Uchiha girl by Akainu's side, pretty cute too.
She recalled Izumi's sharp moves at the Uchiha grounds—left a strong impression.
And she had the Uchiha's three-tomoe Sharingan; her strength was probably close to Anko's.
Or maybe a bit stronger?
If Orochimaru were still in Konoha, Izumi might've been one of his experiment targets... As that weird thought flashed, Anko's eyes darkened uneasily.
Though Orochimaru had wiped some memories, the deep influence lingered—these odd ideas popped up unbidden.
Souring Anko's mood.
Shaking it off, Anko nodded seriously, then asked curiously, "What villains?"
"No idea."
Izumi replied honestly.
...
When Tangerine Jiro, Izumi, and Anko—one cat, two girls—met up with Uchiha Akainu, he seemed to read their minds.
The moment they stopped, Akainu's calm voice drifted over: "The Utatane Clan."
"The Utatane Clan?" Izumi blinked. "Senior, you mean that's where the villains are?"
"Yeah." Uchiha Akainu said flatly.
"Utatane..." Anko jolted. "Isn't that Advisor Koharu Utatane's clan?"
She was stunned.
Today, first the Uchiha, then the Hyuga, now the Utatane...
It felt like they were offending every major clan in Konoha one by one.
"Meow, no need to freak out." Tangerine Jiro licked his paw, grooming his face fur. "The Utatane Clan's just our first stop tonight."
Uchiha Akainu said slowly, "Second stop: the Mitokado Clan; third: the Sarutobi Clan. Tonight, I'll only handle the ones you two can't beat yet."
Mitarashi Anko: "!!!"
Uchiha Izumi: "!!!"
That's basically rounding up the clans of Konoha's three top leaders?
Anko seemed to realize something; she sucked in a breath, heart pounding, and asked tentatively, "Akainu, you're having me and Uchiha Izumi execute the villains in these three clans?!"
"Yes."
Uchiha Akainu said indifferently, "Back at the Hyuga, I saw you both still have a filter of hesitation toward the Hokage... or Konoha's power elite. You need to shatter that filter."
"If you can't even execute villains from their clans, how will you ever have the guts to turn absolute justice's blade on them personally?!"
"This is absolute justice's test for you. Especially you, Mitarashi Anko. You're the oldest, and the most influenced by those three."