Fugaku took a deep breath, suppressing his annoyance, and looked at Izumi, who was bewildered. "Uchiha Izumi."
"Here!!!" Fugaku was almost startled by the girl's loud shout. With a stern face, he warned, "Don't be so loud." Izumi's face reddened with embarrassment.
It was all thanks to Kaede-senpai's training. Whenever she heard someone call her, she would almost reflexively shout "Here," fearing that a slower response would anger him.
"Even I don't know why Kaede has such a strong grudge against Itachi. Perhaps their personalities don't match?" Fugaku pondered aloud. "Don't take what Kaede said to heart. I know you're one of Itachi's few friends, and Itachi desperately needs the company of friends right now."
"Because..." "His best friend is gone." Izumi knew who Fugaku was referring to.
Itachi had mentioned him to her before—often, even. And whenever the man named "Uchiha Shisui" was brought up, the usually taciturn Itachi would become incessantly talkative.
"Izumi..."
"Here!!!"
Fugaku: "..."
Izumi: "..."
She folded her hands in front of her, embarrassed to the point of wanting to crawl into the ground. She quickly bowed and apologized, "I'm so sorry!"
"Ahem," Fugaku said kindly, "If... you feel that Kaede isn't suitable to be your examiner, I can work on it and help you choose someone more appropriate."
Fugaku worried that the girl would be harmed by Kaede. Of course, this "harm" wasn't about her innocence—but about her life. Kaede had a precedent!
Fugaku's earlier claim that Izumi was one of Itachi's few friends was a lie. After Shisui's death, Itachi's only friend was Izumi.
No matter how harsh and demanding he was towards his son—even doing things that nearly broke their bond in order to open his eyes—Fugaku still considered himself a father.
And a father... should at least think about his child's state. Izumi was stunned.
"Change the examiner..." She hesitated. The pressure from Senior Kaede was overwhelming, and if she wasn't careful, she'd get scolded or worse.
But.
Izumi gritted her teeth, looked up, and said seriously, "Lord Fugaku, I joined the police force to become a qualified law enforcer! Although Senior Kaede is strict, I think he will train me to be excellent."
"Although this is the first time I met Senior Kaede today, he's already taught me a lot. Maybe it just takes time for us to get used to each other."
Izumi had never seen anyone insist on justice like Uchiha Kaede. Even if his behaviour was a bit extreme, even if he had some clear misunderstandings about Itachi...
He was definitely a good person!
"Is that so..." Fugaku sighed. He'd made his stance clear, but Izumi insisted on staying under Kaede's guidance. There was nothing more he could do, so he warned, "Remember, don't disobey his orders. Treat him as your superior."
"Yes, Lord Fugaku!" Izumi nodded solemnly.
The next day.
Light circles formed under her eyes as she wearily rose from bed. She hadn't slept well—her mind plagued by nightmares. The image of the dead prisoner and the child haunted her, and Kaede's reprimands echoed all night.
She had no idea how the police handled the bodies... or how devastated the child's mother must be. Her husband was dead. Her child, killed by the father. A cruel, bitter tragedy.
Izumi rubbed her eyes and straightened her pajamas. Then glanced at the clock. Her eyes widened. "Oh no!"
"Nine... nine o'clock! Damn it! I forgot to set the alarm! And I didn't even tell Mom to wake me up!" In a panic, she darted out barefoot, skipping breakfast and her uniform.
When she looked outside her room she saw her mother, Uchiha Hazuki, talking to Kaede outside. Kaede's gaze locked onto her. A single absurd thought struck Izumi: Would a suicide be a better death than Kaede's punishment?
"Ah... Izumi, you're awake?" her mother said apologetically. "Jonin Kaede came to see you, and I wanted to wake you, but he said not to. He said... he wanted to see how long you'd sleep."
Izumi's expression blanked. She was completely dazed. She should have written that suicide note in advance. She was definitely going to need it now.
"Senior… Senior…" Izumi's voice trembled.
Kaede looked at the girl—her confidence shattered, her aura diminished—and said expressionlessly, "Change your clothes. You were two hours late. You'll work four hours overtime. No weekend leave this month."
"Really…? …Ah?"
Izumi stared at Kaede—known among the police as "the devil who kills trainees without hesitation"—in disbelief.
Was she dreaming? "You thought I'd kill you, didn't you?" Kaede asked flatly.
Izumi: "..."
There was no hiding anything from Kaede.
"On the day you betray justice, I will kill you without hesitation," Kaede said. "Now you have thirty seconds. If you're not in front of me in thirty seconds, you fail. You can go back to bed and sleep until tomorrow."
Izumi shuddered. "Yes! Senior!"
She bolted back inside, undressing mid-sprint. Clothes flew. At second twenty-nine, she leapt from the second-floor window, landing squarely in front of Kaede.
"Hu... hu..."
Her chest heaved. Her uniform was crooked. But she was there.
"Master Kaede, Izumi is special. Her personality differs from others in the clan. If she's caused you any trouble—"
Hazuki was cut off. "I only care whether she can do her job," Kaede said coldly. "Let's go." Izumi pinched the corner of her shirt and followed obediently.
Then, she noticed what Kaede held in his hand. It was a takeaway bag from Ichiraku Ramen. "I don't waste food," Kaede said casually and tossed it to her.
She caught it, stunned. She remembered he'd told her to meet at Ichiraku that morning. Her eyes welled up with shame. "I'm sorry, senior..." Her voice was choked.
"Izumi," Kaede said coldly, "the reason you should be sorry is because criminals have gone unpunished not because you are late."
Izumi, ramen in hand, bowed her head. "I'm sorry..."