"Hokage-sama, the Uchiha Police Force needs to be reined in!" Inside the Hokage's office, Sarutobi Hiruzen paused mid-scroll as the indignant voice of a clan youth echoed through the chamber.
A young ninja stood before him—nervous but emboldened by his name. Not by rank, not by skill… but by the arrogance that only a bloodline could provide.
"My lord, today… members of the Uchiha Police Force injured a civilian in broad daylight! They severed his leg and dragged him through the village. A trail of blood, stretching for hundreds of meters. Many villagers saw it—children too."
He bowed his head, voice tightening. "This kind of law enforcement… it's excessive. It spreads fear, not order." Hiruzen set down his pipe and clasped his hands behind his back.
This boy wasn't just any villager—he bore the name Sarutobi. A cousin. A nephew. Something in the web of old alliances and familial duty. He frowned. "How was the victim dragged?"
"I don't know," the younger Sarutobi admitted. "When I saw the Uchiha involved, I came straight here to report it. But a man with a severed leg… he likely didn't survive."
"…Who were the Uchiha on scene?" "It was Uchiha Kaede… and an unknown Uchiha girl." "…Kaede," Hiruzen murmured. He paused on took a puff from his pipe. Then, to the boy's surprise, the old Hokage's shoulders relaxed.
"If it was Kaede, then I trust there was good reason." "Hokage-sama, with respect, that's—" "You came here," Hiruzen interrupted, "because you're worried about the bathhouse you co-own with your uncle, aren't you?"
The younger Sarutobi paled. "I—I only meant—" "This is a matter for the police force," Hiruzen said firmly. "I'm sure Kaede will explain himself soon. He always has. Eccentric or not, he has never violated the spirit of justice."
"…Yes, Hokage-sama." Dismissed, the young man bowed and left, defeated. Hiruzen walked to the window, gazing out at the setting sun. "Kaede…" he murmured. "Do you love the Will of Fire… or the justice you forged in its ashes?
You and Itachi... both of you carry this village in silence. But only one of you believes that justice means blood."
Meanwhile…
Far from the Hokage's tower, in a small, quiet street near the edge of the village, Uchiha Izumi dropped the body she had been dragging. Her hands were raw. Her breath came in short, shallow gasps. The stench of blood clung to her clothes.
She glanced back at the motionless corpse and clenched her jaw. She wanted to stop. She wanted to leave it behind. But Kaede-senpai hadn't given the order. She didn't dare.
So she bit down, muttered a quiet "sorry" to the dead, and kept dragging—her body and mind heavy with fatigue and dread. Finally, they arrived.
The short man's home was nothing special—just another modest building tucked away in a quieter part of the village. Izumi couldn't bring herself to look at the body again.
She knew what it must look like by now. "Do you pity him?" Kaede's voice cut through the silence. Izumi stiffened. He had seen straight through her again—like her face was glass. Kaede looked toward the cemented cover of the well behind the house.
"There's someone far more miserable still waiting for us… down there." His tone dropped. "Pull the child's body out of the well." Izumi jolted at the command.
"Y-Yes, Senior!" She hurried forward. The smell hit her instantly. A thick, rotting stench seeped out from beneath the cement slab. Her eyes watered, and she had to hold her breath as she pushed it aside.
The smell struck her like a punch. Still gagging, she gathered her focus and dropped into the well—pressing her feet against the stone wall using chakra to descend. Near the bottom, sunlight revealed a crumpled blanket.
Folded… no. Bundled. Something was inside. Her heart turned cold. She knew. A moment later, Izumi emerged from the well, the foul-smelling quilt wrapped tightly in her arms. She placed it gently on the ground.
Kaede stepped forward. "If you want to vomit, do it now," he said dryly, glancing at her green face. "Even the coldest ANBU puke the first time they smell death."
Izumi didn't reply. She clenched her fists and shook her head. There was something sacred about the stillness of that bundle. It didn't feel right. Even now… she didn't want to disrespect the child.
Kaede crouched beside the quilt. Unwrapped it. Izumi's eyes widened—And she turned away violently, stumbling as she emptied the contents of her stomach.
She couldn't hold it in. Not after seeing that. Kaede spoke calmly behind her. "Don't look away." Izumi wiped her mouth, tears brimming. She forced herself to turn back. To see. To understand.
The child's small body lay twisted and broken. Limbs fractured. Face bruised and bloodied. Dried blood at her mouth and ears.
"She was tortured," Kaede said. "Blunt trauma in at least a dozen places. Fractures. Organ damage. But the final cause of death— "He pointed to the deep ligature around her neck. "Strangulation."
Izumi's voice was barely a whisper. "She suffered…" Kaede nodded. "For at least an hour. That's how long it took her to die." Izumi's breath caught. "An hour? Someone… someone could've saved her. There are neighbors—"
"She screamed," Kaede replied. "But it was her father who was hurting her." He let that fact hang in the air. Izumi's hands trembled. The one who hurt her… was the person she loved most.
"Uchiha Izumi," Kaede said suddenly. "—Here!" she responded reflexively, snapping to attention. Kaede's eyes locked with hers. "Do you still think that man was 'miserable'?"
Izumi looked down. Her voice was small. "Senior… I was wrong." Kaede nodded.
"What we, the Uchiha Police Force, must do—what you must do—is erase evil like this from the world. Without hesitation. With complete, absolute justice."
He turned toward the two bodies. "Bag them. Take them to the police station." He paused, then added coldly: "Your performance today was… acceptable. You hesitated. You vomited. But at least you didn't disappoint me enough to kill you."
Izumi's heart skipped. Kaede turned to leave. "Meet me at Ichiraku Ramen tomorrow." Izumi swallowed hard. "…Yes, Senior."