Chapter 5: [Absolute Justice] is Not [Blind Justice]
Uchiha Ikeizumi did not return to the Uchiha Police Force compound with Izumi.
He headed in the direction of Konoha's center of power—the Hokage's office!
Upon reaching the Hokage Building, Uchiha Ikeizumi, with practiced ease, arrived at the Hokage's office door.
He knocked lightly, and after a "Come in" sounded from within,
Uchiha Ikeizumi pushed the door open.
—His movements were so practiced, as if he did this often.
"Ikeizumi…"
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked up to see a young man with black hair, whose good looks were considered exceptional even within the Uchiha clan.
He put down the documents in his hand and sighed. "I've lost count of how many times I've reminded you; sometimes, there's no need to always resort to such iron-fisted methods. Law enforcement should be firm, but it should also have warmth."
"It's been so many years since the Great Ninja War ended, and this isn't any special period. Everyone is looking forward to a bright future, so the Uchiha clan's enforcement can be a bit more lenient."
He earnestly advised, then proactively asked, "What caused such a huge commotion this time?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't mention the complaints against Uchiha Ikeizumi.
He knew that even if he did, Uchiha Ikeizumi wouldn't care.
Because he had watched this child grow up, and especially after noticing that this child was completely different from other Uchiha, Hiruzen Sarutobi had frequently interacted with Uchiha Ikeizumi.
He considered himself to understand Uchiha Ikeizumi very well.
But for some reason, Hiruzen Sarutobi always felt that the child's gaze when looking at him was a bit strange.
Hmm…
It must be my imagination, right?!
Uchiha Ikeizumi shifted his meaningful gaze from the red box hovering above Hiruzen Sarutobi's head. He met Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes and said, "Konoha civilian 'Jiro Akiyama,' two days ago, after losing money gambling, got drunk and harmed his four-year-old child, causing her death. The victim's body is currently being brought back to the Police Force."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's brows furrowed deeply. "A murder case…"
He didn't even doubt the truthfulness of Uchiha Ikeizumi's words.
Hiruzen Sarutobi exhaled, patiently saying, "Ikeizumi, next time you encounter such a situation, you should let the legal documents of the Land of Fire be the weapon to punish criminals."
"Your unauthorized severe actions against criminals have already aroused much dissatisfaction. Sometimes, even I, the Hokage of Konoha, find it difficult to suppress those dissenting voices."
Uchiha Ikeizumi said expressionlessly, "Lenient laws only become tools that aid evil. Only [Absolute Justice] can sweep away all demons and monsters."
Hiruzen Sarutobi choked.
He gave a wry smile; he seemed to have forgotten how many times similar exchanges, where Uchiha Ikeizumi retorted, had occurred.
"Lord Hokage."
Before turning to leave, Uchiha Ikeizumi said to Hiruzen Sarutobi, "You were also wrong about one more thing. My enforcement has always had 'warmth,' as fervent as the lava within a volcano."
With that,
He left without even excusing himself to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Hiruzen Sarutobi: "..."
As fervent as the lava within a volcano, doesn't that mean whoever it touches, dies?
Oh, right!
Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly remembered that he had a more important matter to ask Uchiha Ikeizumi about. He actually wanted to clarify Uchiha Ikeizumi's views on the increasingly intense rebellious sentiment within the Uchiha clan itself.
"Never mind…"
Hiruzen Sarutobi had a premonition that it wouldn't be long before Uchiha Ikeizumi would visit the Hokage's office again for the same reason.
...
After leaving the Hokage Building, Uchiha Ikeizumi went to the Uchiha Police Force.
He didn't see Izumi there.
Suddenly, a curious voice sounded from the side: "Ikeizumi, that new recruit you're assessing… the one named 'Uchiha Izumi,' is she still alive?"
The girl, Uchiha Izumi, was quite well-known within the Uchiha clan.
Being the only half-blood Uchiha made her somewhat of a rare specimen.
Uchiha Ikeizumi glanced over to see that the speaker was also a member of the Uchiha Police Force. Uchiha Ikeizumi found the person's face somewhat familiar but couldn't recall their name.
"Alive."
He replied succinctly.
Those two words seemed to be quite shocking, as many Uchiha Police Force members nearby looked over in surprise.
Many whispered discussions gradually began to rise around them.
"Hey, hey, really? I remember Ikeizumi here used to have two other students, those unlucky folks… one was killed on the first day for defying his orders; the other, it's said, awakened their Sharingan from the shock on the very first day of assessment but also suffered from severe mental illness."
Clearly, this person didn't have a clear understanding of their Uchiha clan's ancestral mental illness.
"Tsk, how unusual! Could that half-blood Uchiha genin be a new recruit with 'great capacity'?"
"She only survived today. Maybe she'll be killed tomorrow."
"Speaking of which… Uchiha Ikeizumi has killed fellow clan members, why does the Clan Head let such egregious acts go unpunished? Why does he even allow this guy to continue being a Police Force ninja?"
"I heard the clan member he killed was found to have committed unspeakable acts. But the Clan Head suppressed the information, so only the Clan Head and Uchiha Ikeizumi probably know the exact details."
"Tch, a good-for-nothing, if he's dead, he's dead. Why discuss it?"
"..."
The whispered discussions didn't cause any emotional fluctuations in Uchiha Ikeizumi.
He merely gave his colleagues a shallow glance, his gaze lingering briefly on the white boxes hovering above their heads.
[Uchiha Kaede — Nine days from now, while apprehending a thief, will secretly pocket the stolen goods and submit a false case report to the Police Force. Sin Level: White Name!]
[Uchiha Ren — Three days from now, will engage in an immoral relationship with her colleague 'Uchiha Momoha's' husband. Sin Level: White Name!]
[Uchiha Natsuki — Half a month from now...]
[...]
These Uchiha Police Force members, and even all the ninjas in Konoha… in his eyes, only a very small percentage of ninjas didn't have a white or red name hanging over their heads.
Their number was so scarce that they probably accounted for only a little over thirty percent of all ninjas in the village.
However, [Absolute Justice] is not [Blind Justice], nor is it a pathological form of justice that kills everyone in the ninja world until no one is left.
Even knowing that some individuals might fall into the abyss of "evil" at some point in the future due to certain events, Uchiha Ikeizumi was not so foolish as to contemplate ending their lives in the cradle.
Past experience had taught him that future evil deeds are not an absolute certainty; they can change with the occurrence of certain incidents.
As for why he had such strange experiences…
Well, people always go through a process of trial and error as they grow.
Although Uchiha Ikeizumi's heart was calm, his gaze just now still caused the whispers of the group to grow quieter and quieter.
Until these Uchiha Police Force members, looking somewhat uneasy, stopped their whispering.
They didn't know why… but they felt a prickling sensation on their backs!
As if they were being watched.
...
"Ike… Senior Ikeizumi!" A girl's breathless, somewhat tired voice suddenly approached from a distance.
"I…"
"I brought the bodies back!"