Uchiha Kaede walked silently through the streets of Konoha, followed by a girl with a ramen box in one hand and chopsticks in the other, slurping as she hurried to keep up.
The villagers glanced at Kaede with unease. Children play-fighting were immediately scolded and pulled aside by anxious parents.
His reputation preceded him.
Some had family members caught—or executed—under his hand.
Then came a voice: "Hello… hello!"
Kaede paused as a young man rushed forward, holding a box.
"Thank you for catching the men who killed my fiancée three months ago! I've been meaning to thank you… please accept this."
Kaede didn't remember the names of every Uchiha.
He didn't keep count of those who had died under his blade.
But he remembered the victims.
The man was Takigawa Osamu, a civilian chunin. His fiancée had been raped and murdered by three drunk shinobi.
Kaede had found them.
"I didn't catch them," he said flatly. "I killed them."
The man bowed his head. "That's why I'm grateful."
"Please... please accept this."
Kaede shook his head, stepping past him. "I'm sorry this world—riddled with rot—let you down. If you truly want to thank me, give your gift to someone in real need. If you're still unsure… cherish your life. I will prove this world can be better."
Izumi had stopped slurping.
The man stood in place, stunned, whispering, "Thank you… thank you."
Izumi watched him walk away. Her voice trembled.
"Sensei… could he have been thinking…?"
Kaede didn't answer immediately. "There's more than one like him. When you see enough, don't let your heart go numb. Once you do, your justice will rust. And rusted justice is a betrayal of justice."
Before she could reply—whump! Something slammed onto her head.
She winced, neck bowing.
A voice called from above, calm and matter-of-fact:
"Kaede-sama, we have a situation. My children found a body buried just outside the village. Fresh burial. Traces have been deliberately wiped. Likely a ninja."
Izumi blinked.
Then, an orange blur leapt from her head, landing in perfect feline posture.
"Ninja cat?!" she gasped.
It was massive. Like an overgrown drumstick.
"Lead the way," Kaede said. Then to Izumi, "newbie, follow."
Whoosh—
Kaede and the ninja cat vanished in a blur.
Izumi dumped her ramen in the nearest bin and sprinted after them.
She chased them through the village outskirts and into the forest. Kaede's back remained just barely visible ahead.
Was he slowing down on purpose? Or was the cat just too fat to be fast?
Eventually, they stopped near a disturbed patch of forest floor.
Izumi gasped, wiping sweat from her brow.
"Master Kaede, is this your new follower?" the orange cat asked while licking its paw. "The last two didn't last a day. I wonder how long this one will survive."
"It's day two," Izumi murmured.
The cat froze mid-lick. "Day two? Impressive, girl!"
"Izumi."
"Here!!!"
She snapped to attention.
"Get the body."
"Yes, sensei!"
She jumped into the pit. The corpse was female, face frozen in terror, forehead caved in. She retrieved it with practiced hands.
"Female. Mid-forties. Single blunt trauma to the head. No other wounds. Killer likely experienced. Possibly a ninja."
"Tachibana Jiro," Kaede called.
"Meow!" the orange cat acknowledged.
"Go inform the station. Have the body retrieved."
He turned to Izumi. "Newcomer, we patrol the village."
"Yes, sensei. Um—shouldn't we investigate the scene?"
Kaede didn't even look back. "Walking the village is the investigation. Check your tools. Be ready to carry out justice at any time."
Izumi: "???"