Uchiha Kaede turned sharply. Standing behind him was a young girl with long, jet-black hair—straight and well-kept, but slightly windblown from her frantic search. Her face showed hesitation, but she held her ground.
"Kaede-senpai, I... I…" Izumi faltered under his gaze. Just one look from him made her legs stiffen. She'd spoken with other senior clan members before—even with the head of the family, Fugaku—but in front of this man, Uchiha Kaede, her voice caught in her throat.
"Speak," Kaede said simply. His tone wasn't harsh. But it didn't need to be. Startled, Izumi straightened and quickly bowed. "My name is Uchiha Izumi! I joined this year's police force recruitment exam. When Fugaku-sama asked us to choose an examiner, I... I picked you."
Her voice softened near the end. She couldn't meet his eyes. Kaede looked at her a moment longer, expression unreadable. "Picked me?" he muttered. Then, flatly: "You look fragile. But at least you have guts."
He let out a dry, mirthless chuckle. "Passing my test is easy," he said. "Just don't give me a reason to kill you for a month, and you'll pass." Before she could process that—Kaede's expression shifted. He turned abruptly, hand already on the hilt of his blade.
"Oh," he added coldly, "There's a rat trying to escape." Izumi blinked. "Huh?" What? Before she could ask, Kaede had already drawn his sword. The blade arced through the air—fast, precise, merciless.
A splash of crimson followed the silver flash. A scream rang out as a man collapsed in the street. His left leg was severed cleanly at the knee. Izumi stood frozen. Blood soaked the stone beneath the man as he writhed, clutching the stump in agony.
Kaede calmly flicked the blood off his sword. "Uchiha Izumi." "H-huh?" Izumi's voice cracked in panic. She was still staring at the man, afraid he might bleed to death. Kaede frowned slightly. "When I call your name, you respond immediately. With haste."
"Y-yes. Ah… here!" she stammered, correcting herself in a rush. Kaede's expression didn't change. "You want to wear the Uchiha police badge with a voice like that? How do you plan to uphold justice? Or do you just want to go home and play dress-up?"
Izumi's cheeks flushed red with shame. She bit down, clenched her fists, and shouted—"HERE!!" There was a brief pause. The edge in Kaede's eyes faded just slightly. Izumi let out a quiet breath of relief.
"…Well," she muttered, glancing at the man on the ground. "Shouldn't we—shouldn't we help him? If he keeps bleeding like that…" Kaede looked at the man dispassionately. "How long will he survive?" he asked.
Izumi blinked. "W-what?" "How long," Kaede repeated, "can a civilian with a severed leg survive without treatment?" "…Ten minutes, maybe less. He could go into shock soon."
Kaede nodded. "Plenty of time." Then he looked at her, eyes cool. "New recruit. I have a task for you." Izumi stiffened. "S-Senior… I—I haven't learned medical ninjutsu yet. Should we take him to the hospital—?"
"Who said anything about treating him?" "…Eh?" She blinked again, confused. Kaede held his sword out toward her. She instinctively accepted it, the hilt still warm from his grip.
"I want you to prove your resolve," he said. "Take that sword. Interrogate this man. Find out where the child's body is." Her hands froze around the hilt. "…Child's body?" "You have ten minutes," Kaede said. "If you fail, don't bother showing up tomorrow."
They were still standing in the middle of one of Konoha's busiest nightlife streets. Lanterns flickered above. Civilians watched from the shadows, hiding behind signs and closed shutters. Izumi looked around in disbelief.
He wanted her to interrogate a man—with a missing leg—in public? And what did he mean by "the child's body"…? She looked back at Kaede. His expression was ice. The words from Fugaku's warning rang in her ears:
"Don't disobey his orders if you want to survive."
"Good luck. Sometimes just surviving is a form of luck."
Sweat trickled down her neck. The desire to live was louder than her hesitation. She stepped toward the bleeding man. "…Where…" she began softly, "Where did you hide the child's body?"
The man's eyes widened in panic. "H-hospital—get me to the hospital! I'm bleeding out—please, help me!" He ignored her question. She tried again, louder. "Where is the child's body?! If you don't tell me, I won't help you! You're going to die here!"
The man screamed, flailing. "I didn't hurt anyone! I don't know what you're talking about! Please!" She looked back. Kaede was still there. Watching. Arms folded. Cold. Emotionless. She remembered that feeling.
That same cold, hopeless pressure from the night of the Nine-Tails. The night her father died. The night the world reminded her she was powerless. And again now—it crept over her skin like frostbite.
No more. Izumi gripped the sword tightly. She stepped forward, raised the blade, and placed it against the man's throat. The edge bit into his skin, drawing a thin line of blood.
"Last chance," she growled. "Tell me—where's the child's body?" The man's screams grew more frantic. "I didn't mean to—I didn't mean to kill her! She was my daughter! My daughter! I was just—just playing—I didn't mean to—she—she wouldn't wake up—so I—"
He sobbed. "I dumped her in the dry well… behind the house…" Izumi froze. She stared at the man. The words slipped from him like vomit—but each syllable confirmed the truth.
He had killed his daughter. He had hidden the body. He was a murderer. Behind her, Kaede's voice came again—low, steady, and sharp. "Newcomer. This is your first lesson in executing justice." "Follow my orders."
"No doubt."
"No hesitation."