Chapter 6: Our Uchiha Clan Is "Thriving"!
Izumi single-handedly carried back both the criminal's and the victim's bodies. Along the way, she didn't know how many people stared at her with strange looks, making her so awkward that she didn't dare to look up the entire time.
Fortunately, no one misunderstood her because of it; perhaps her Uchiha clan attire prevented some trouble.
When she finally bit the bullet and rushed back to the Uchiha Police Force compound…
And finally saw Senior Ikeizumi again.
Izumi's tightly strung emotions finally relaxed considerably.
...
But…
Soon, she realized that the various gazes of many senior Uchiha Police Force members were all focused on her.
Izumi had experienced this feeling of being stared at like a rare animal once before.
This inevitably made her nervous again.
"Put the bodies here, hand them over to them; someone will deal with it. Now, follow me to see the Clan Head." Senior Ikeizumi's indifferent voice reached Izumi's ears, surprisingly giving her a sense of calm and unexpected security.
Her inexplicable nervousness dissipated significantly.
It was like having a main pillar of support suddenly appear.
"Yes, Senior!!!"
Izumi hastily responded.
Uchiha Ikeizumi walked into the Police Force building, asking the long-haired black-haired girl behind him without turning back, "As a member of the Uchiha Police Force, if you encounter an ordinary civilian criminal who resists arrest during law enforcement, what should you do?"
This is…
Is Senior Ikeizumi testing my theoretical knowledge?
Izumi felt a surge of confidence.
To join the Uchiha Police Force, she had spent a full month memorizing every single word of the Police Force Code of Conduct.
She was qualified to participate in the Uchiha Police Force's recruitment assessment precisely because she had passed the written theory exam.
And…
She had passed with a perfect score!
She clearly remembered the manual stating that if an ordinary civilian resisted arrest during law enforcement, appropriate control measures could be taken depending on the severity of the situation.
Simply put, if the resistance was not intense, gentle control could be used; if the resistance was excessively intense, some forceful means could be employed, but at most, it would only make the criminal fall flat on their face.
After all, the criminal was just an ordinary civilian.
Not a more dangerous ninja.
"First, try to use gentler methods to cont—" Izumi quickly blurted out a standard answer.
But she stopped halfway through her sentence.
Because she recalled what Senior Ikeizumi had done today when he encountered the short man trying to escape during law enforcement, it seemed completely different from what was written in the Police Force Code of Conduct.
Izumi swallowed her words. She just felt that Senior Ikeizumi wasn't the kind of law enforcer who strictly followed rules. She changed her tone, answering weakly, "Perhaps, use slightly more violent methods?"
Coincidentally, Uchiha Ikeizumi's footsteps paused slightly because he had arrived at Fugaku Uchiha's office within the Police Force building.
Uchiha Ikeizumi said calmly, "New recruit, I hope the intention behind your answer wasn't to flatter me. Remember, [Absolute Justice] stems from absolute enforcement power. Different periods call for different levels of enforcement."
"Currently… the ninja world is suffering its most severe corruption by 'evil.' In chaotic times, severe measures must be taken. Even when encountering minor 'evil,' we must strike hard and show no leniency."
Ans…
She got it right.
Even though this answer wasn't the standard one from the Code of Conduct.
However…
Izumi couldn't help but feel that Senior Ikeizumi's ideas were too extreme. She believed that the era of chaos in the ninja world had long ended. The Third Great Ninja War had passed years ago, and the Nine-Tails incident was also years behind them.
While there were still minor frictions in the current ninja world, it wasn't to the point of chaos, was it?
At least…
Looking at the Uchiha clan, weren't they all thriving? Weren't things getting better and better?
Senior Ikeizumi seemed a bit too pessimistic!
Of course.
These thoughts only dared to filter through her mind. If Izumi were asked to voice them, she would absolutely not dare.
Knock!
Knock!
Knock!
The knocking on the door interrupted Izumi's thoughts. When Fugaku's steady and strong "Come in" sounded from inside, Uchiha Ikeizumi pushed the door open, leading the slightly nervous girl inside.
"Ikeizumi? And… Uchiha Izumi?" Fugaku paused slightly.
"You speak." Uchiha Ikeizumi said casually, then found a chair and sat down. He crossed his legs, absently rubbing and playing with the chair armrest, which was already polished to a sheen.
"Huh?"
When Fugaku's gaze fell on Izumi, she realized that Senior Ikeizumi was talking to her.
And Clan Head Fugaku seemed to be used to Senior Ikeizumi's somewhat impolite behavior.
Because Senior Ikeizumi hadn't even greeted Clan Head Fugaku!
Did they have some kind of conflict?
A strange thought flashed through her mind, and Izumi quickly said, "Lord Fugaku, today, Senior Ikeizumi and I…"
So,
Izumi recounted everything that had happened today, exactly as it occurred.
Fugaku's brows furrowed as he listened, displaying an expression almost identical to the Third Hokage's.
"Ikeizumi, your methods are a bit too extreme." Fugaku sighed, his expression stern, and he said in a deep voice, "It's precisely because of this that we Uchiha provoke the village's suspicion. I know you are enforcing justice, and I know you have your own views on justice. But sometimes, justice needs to be tempered with discretion."
"You must also be aware… the village has grown increasingly distant from the Uchiha, haven't they? Our Uchiha clan was even forced to relocate to the very outskirts of the village. We have nowhere left to retreat, and can only take measures to reclaim some of our reputation."
"But, with you acting like this…"
Fugaku felt a headache coming on as he looked at Uchiha Ikeizumi, this young Uchiha Jonin.
He thought Uchiha Ikeizumi was excellent, having awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan early and possessing the very unique "Lava Release," making him the Uchiha clan's only ninja with two Kekkei Genkai.
Perhaps, this child might one day awaken the legendary Mangekyo Sharingan.
Becoming another pillar of the Uchiha clan.
But…
This excellent Uchiha's ideology was completely at odds with his own.
No!
Uchiha Ikeizumi's ideology of absolute justice was even at odds with the entire Uchiha clan.
Neither the Hawk Faction, which advocated for direct confrontation with the village and even wanted him, the clan head, to plan a coup; nor the Dove Faction, which advocated for negotiation and reaching an agreement with village elders to peacefully resolve issues… neither had common ground with Uchiha Ikeizumi.
This was because Uchiha Ikeizumi's stance on justice was not on the side of the Uchiha clan, but on the side of the "public good" and "justice" as he defined them.
He formed his own faction within the Uchiha clan.
That's why he was so solitary.
That's why he was so out of place.
Uchiha Ikeizumi raised his eyelids, meeting the gaze of the renowned "Fugaku of the Wicked Eye." He spoke, "You want me to exercise some consideration, to selectively compromise when executing justice to ease relations with the village, right?"
Fugaku said, "There's no need to put it so bluntly."
But he silently conceded.
"My methods won't change. Instead of trying to make me rein it in, you should control your brute of a son. You'd best get him to see a psychiatrist; I think it's very necessary." When words failed to find common ground, Uchiha Ikeizumi rose to leave.
Fugaku's expression stiffened.
To so disparage a father's child right in front of him.
Even Uchiha Fugaku couldn't help but feel a surge of anger.
But…
This seemed to have happened many times before. Uchiha Ikeizumi, for some unknown reason, simply held Itachi in very low regard.
Once, he had even attacked Itachi. If Shisui hadn't been there at the time, Itachi might have been seriously harmed.
Fugaku's face was grim as he stared at Uchiha Ikeizumi's departing back.
Izumi, meanwhile, looked around, utterly bewildered.
She could feel the tension in the office, and even more, Clan Head Fugaku's suppressed anger. She even secretly glimpsed the Clan Head's already clenched fist.
She also didn't know why Senior Ikeizumi had such strong opinions about the Clan Head's son.
Huh?
Wait a minute!
Clan Head Fugaku's sons… weren't they Itachi and Sasuke?
Izumi was bewildered again.
She seemed to have chosen an extraordinary examiner.
Her future was looking grim!