Absolute Justice: Uchiha’s Crusade

Naruto hadn't expected to be this unlucky.

It was finally the weekend — no school, no homework. Naruto had been planning to go out and buy the limited-edition instant noodles he'd been eyeing for ages.

Who could've guessed…

He'd run into the last person in the world he ever wanted to see — first thing in the morning, no less!

Worse still, that person had seen him too.

And so...

After failing to escape, Naruto ended up in his current predicament.

Under Uchiha Keizumi's piercing gaze, Naruto's voice grew quieter and quieter, until it was barely louder than a mosquito's buzz.

Because the pressure Keizumi gave off… it was a thousand times more terrifying than anything even Grandpa Hokage had ever made him feel.

The trauma was already deeply ingrained.

"It seems that under the Third Hokage's willful abuse of power, even Konoha Prison can't hold you," Uchiha Keizumi said coldly.

Far from feeling relieved, Naruto's face turned deathly pale.

N–No prison?

D–Did that mean… he was just going to kill him outright?

His legs buckled in fear.

When Keizumi finally let go, Naruto hit the ground with a thud, collapsing like a broken puppet and sitting there, paralyzed.

"Uzumaki Naruto. You see this street?" Keizumi said coolly. "Starting today, you'll report here at this time every morning. You're responsible for cleaning the entire street. Duration: six months. If you miss even a single day, the clock resets. Another six months."

"Minor evil is still evil. Your crimes may not warrant death, but if you're not taught a proper lesson now, that small evil of yours will one day turn into something monstrous. And if that day ever comes—I'll kill you without hesitation."

Uchiha Keizumi had never put any faith in the storyline of the original.

His very existence had already stirred more than enough hurricanes in the shinobi world.

With countless butterfly effects already set in motion, could Uzumaki Naruto really follow the same path as he did in the original? Could he really become who he was meant to be?

Rather than let him grow into a second Namikaze Menma…

It was better to correct him now—with absolute force.

Cut off every possibility at the root.

Naruto blinked through teary eyes, stunned, and almost reflexively asked: "Y-You're not… going to kill me?"

The moment he said it, he immediately wanted to slap himself.

Ahhh why did I have to say that out loud?!

Uchiha Keizumi cast him a sidelong glance and said calmly, "[Absolute Justice] isn't about killing without cause. Blind justice only turns justice into something more terrifying than evil itself. For the petty crimes of your past and the yet-unknown evils of your future, labor reform is already the most severe punishment I can justify."

Naruto listened, dazed and confused.

...

Meanwhile, a small entourage was passing through Konoha's front gate.

"Honored envoy, please allow me to escort you to the Konoha guest inn to rest. I'll go inform Hokage-sama right away," a shinobi said respectfully to a young man dressed in lavish clothes, his plump face shining with wealth.

The young man, drenched in sweat from the heat, fanned himself with a folding fan and complained, "Didn't you all already know I'd be arriving in Konoha today?"

The shinobi lowered his head apologetically. "There have been quite a few disruptions within the village over the past few days. Hokage-sama has been overwhelmed with pressing duties, and perhaps some details… slipped through the cracks."

"My deepest apologies, honored envoy. I'm certain Hokage-sama will soon come in person to express his regret."

The young man narrowed his eyes but didn't press the issue further.

After all, shinobi were still the ultimate wielders of power in this world.

A daimyō's role was merely to stabilize the economy and maintain social order.

Picking a fight with shinobi was never a good idea.

"…Wait." The young man suddenly changed the subject, rubbing his fingers together with interest. "Where's your village's gambling hall? Point me in the direction—I'd like to take a look around."

"The casino…"

The Konoha shinobi's eye twitched. Remembering Koharu-sama's warning, he quickly said, "Honored envoy, I must strongly advise you not to approach any gambling halls—or bathhouses, for that matter—within Konoha."

The young man frowned deeply. "Why not!?"

"Because…" The shinobi took a deep breath. "There's a very particular shinobi in the village. If you were to encounter him, there's a real chance that he would, without hesitation…"

"…kill you."

The young man blinked. "...???"

"Konoha has a shinobi… who dares kill a daimyō's envoy?!"

A middle-aged retainer in formal dress interjected in disbelief. "Are you saying a dangerous man like that is just wandering around freely? Hey, hey—why haven't you locked someone like that up already?!"

"If he goes too far and actually harms the envoy, can your village… really bear the consequences?"

The Konoha shinobi's mouth twitched. How should he know why Hokage-sama allowed Uchiha Keizumi so much freedom?

Left with no better option, he gave the only explanation he could: "Konoha doesn't arrest shinobi without just cause. And more importantly, the man I'm referring to… is himself one of Konoha's law enforcers."

The young daimyō envoy gripped his folding fan tightly, a creeping unease stirring in his chest as he furrowed his brow.

"What's his name?"

"Uchiha Keizumi," the shinobi answered.

"Uchiha..."

The young-looking envoy from the daimyō clearly knew of the Uchiha clan.

After all, they were famous throughout the entire shinobi world.

He suddenly asked again, "Is he acting alone? Or is he representing the entire Uchiha clan?!"

The Konoha ninja thought for a moment, then replied, "Uchiha Keizumi is more of a lone wolf. He's always been a bit of a misfit—even within the Uchiha clan, he stands apart. But I did hear he has a trainee from the police force with him."

The daimyō's envoy nodded in sudden understanding, then gave a faint smile. "If he's not representing the whole Uchiha clan, then there's no need to worry."

"This time, Daimyō-sama personally assigned one of the Twelve Guardian Ninja—Nauma—to serve as my bodyguard. He used to be one of your Konoha elite shinobi, and I believe he even held the rank of jōnin."

Nauma, huh…

The Konoha ninja couldn't help but glance over at the group before him, focusing on a ninja with a distinct presence—and a scarred face.

"Still, I would advise caution, sir. It's best if you remain here and wait. I'll return shortly."

He offered the reminder with genuine concern once more.

...

Not long after, in the Hokage's office.

Sarutobi Hiruzen, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura—three of Konoha's four senior council members—were gathered together.

The Konoha ninja who had spoken with the young envoy earlier was also present.

Koharu let out a cold snort. "Hmph. Young people these days sure talk big. I gave him a polite, offhand remark that Hiruzen would personally greet him—and he really had the nerve to climb right up that pole and take it seriously."

Mitokado Homura spoke slowly. "His status is rather unique. He's the second son of the daimyō. Because of that, he thinks the Hokage should personally come greet him."

As he spoke, Homura turned toward Hiruzen and asked, "Hiruzen, what do you plan to do?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen took a slow drag from his smoking pipe, lost in thought for a moment.

Then he set the pipe down.

And stood up.

"I'll go," he said calmly. "After all, he is a messenger sent by the daimyō."

Hiruzen continued, his voice steady, "It hasn't been many years since the end of the Third Shinobi World War. The Nine-Tails incident dealt a massive blow to Konoha. And last night's chaos struck another heavy blow to our strength."

"In a situation like this, Konoha needs financial support from the daimyō more than ever. If my presence alone can help secure more funding for the village, then it's worth it. There's no downside."

His words, spoken with such righteousness and conviction, nearly brought the Konoha ninja present to tears.

Koharu and Homura, however, remained expressionless.

They both understood perfectly well… Once word got out that 'the Hokage-sama humbled himself before the daimyō for the sake of Konoha's future', Sarutobi Hiruzen would, in fact, gain even greater political prestige within the village.

"By the way, Hiruzen…"

Utatane Koharu suddenly called out to him, her voice heavy: "About what happened last night—between Danzō and Uchiha Keizumi—are you really not going to deal with that properly?"

"Uchiha Keizumi is far too unpredictable. Even if you have your own reasons, shouldn't you at least discuss them with us?"

Hiruzen paused mid-step.

He met Koharu's gaze and replied quietly, "What I'm doing is precisely an attempt to make Keizumi more manageable. If he were to go to war with Konoha, even if we used all our strength and managed to take him down, the price Konoha would pay would be devastating. Right now, the best I can do is keep him steady."

Koharu couldn't help but raise her voice. "Hiruzen, but this kind of indulgence will only make Uchiha Keizumi push further and further! Last night, he already embarrassed you in front of so many people. What do you think he'll do next?"

"Hiruzen, we respect your decision. But please—really think this through. Don't let it become something you regret."

That line rang strangely familiar in Hiruzen's ears.

He almost reflexively replied, "I am the Hokage."

But instead, he simply said, "I have considerations to make as Hokage."

With that, he dropped the subject.

Turning away, he walked out, leaving behind the watchful gazes of Koharu and Homura.

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