Just as the pinnacle showdown between two top Uchiha seemed ready to explode, a voice called out from beyond the Anbu prison door:
"Chiyu-sama… We… we want to see Chiyu-sama…"
That voice, so mundane and out of place in this deadly duel of Mangekyō Sharingan, caught everyone off guard. Uchiha Shisui frowned.
"Who's there?"
An Anbu guard at the doorway replied, "Captain, it's… just some ordinary civilians."
"Oh?" Chiyu felt a slight stirring inside. The voice sounded familiar…
"We… we're the family of Daiko, and when we heard that Chiyu-sama was imprisoned here, we came to visit…"
"Please, sirs, let us in?"
The two Anbu guards refused coldly: "No visits allowed in the prison!"
"Th-this…"
Daiko—that was the girl Sarutobi Jirō had burned alive with his Fire Release: Grand Blaze. Chiyu, in front of everyone, had decapitated that scoundrel Jirō, as well as Jirō's father, Sarutobi Nichio, who tried to shield him. Naturally, the victim's family felt boundless gratitude toward Chiyu. Upon hearing of his imprisonment, they had rushed over to see him.
Shisui took a moment to reason through this, then spoke, somewhat unexpectedly:
"Let them in."
The guards hesitated. "Captain Shisui…"
"That's an order."
"…Yes, sir. Go on, then."
"T-thank you…"
Several villagers came in gingerly, reeking of everyday life in sharp contrast to the tension of Mangekyō vs. Mangekyō. They trembled at the oppressive atmosphere, but did not turn back; step by step, they advanced into the dark recesses of the prison.
"Ahh!"
A woman suddenly shrieked, startling everyone.
"S-so… so much blood… so many corpses…"
Others saw too, going pale. Shisui said flatly, "Yes, all these people were killed by Uchiha Chiyu."
Fugaku realized Shisui's ploy: He wanted these villagers to fear and hate Chiyu. But—
The woman, though still pale and trembling, went silent, then said with resolve:
"Then all of them must have deserved it!"
Chiyu's lips curled in slight surprise. Shisui's face darkened.
"What did you say?"
She raised her voice: "If Chiyu-sama killed them, they must have been scoundrels deserving of death! Even if blood is running everywhere, it's Chiyu-sama's virtue!"
Shisui stared, speechless. "Do… do you really trust Uchiha Chiyu that much?"
The woman sneered: "Should we trust you instead?
"When Daiko was burned alive by that beast Jirō, where were the Anbu? Where were you 'lords'? If not for Chiyu-sama, who would have upheld justice for her? You?"
Shisui felt his heart lurch. Her eyes seemed even more terrifying than Chiyu's Mangekyō.
Her family members joined in: "Exactly! Chiyu-sama! We know you're here, we know you must be wrongly accused…
"But we're just ordinary folks, unable to help free you. We can only offer you our blessings…"
One of them set down small gifts on the ground—eggs, vegetables, fruit: meager daily essentials.
Shisui felt as if he'd been struck a heavy blow. He couldn't think about what that meant—he had no space for second thoughts. He'd burned his bridges.
Chiyu's voice echoed from within the depths of the cell:
"I'll accept."
"Thank goodness, Chiyu-sama! Please, be well… Don't let those evildoers succeed…"
Chiyu gave a rare smile. "Don't worry."
Exhaling a sigh of relief, they carefully left their offerings behind and departed. This small interlude abruptly dispelled the suffocating tension a moment ago.
Shisui clenched his fists, unsure whether to fight.
Chiyu sneered: "What, losing faith in your resolve?
"Uchiha Shisui, you're truly an indecisive weakling… If you were resolute about being my enemy, I might respect you more. But as is… you're just terribly disappointing."
Shisui felt in no mood to argue.
"Chiyu, if you've killed so many, why not murder all the inmates in here? And why haven't you escaped?"
Chiyu scoffed. "That's what you think I'd do, huh?
"I kill people because they've committed crimes, because they tried to kill me.
"If there are other criminals—whether they're truly guilty, I have no clue. Why would I kill them?
"As for escaping… that would be an insult.
"Does Uchiha Chiyu, if he wants to leave, need to fear these Anbu locks? I stayed by my own will—because I'm innocent. Why would I flee?"
Shisui was baffled by this man's logic. But Fugaku understood perfectly: that was Chiyu's nature. Outsiders called him extreme, paranoid, twisted, terrifying, but he had his own moral code. His hatred for evil never wavered. Nor would he cheat his own conscience.
Sure enough, Shisui began feeling a hint of retreat. Although he believed that if it came to a fight, he wouldn't lose to Chiyu, he couldn't rouse the will or courage to fight now.
"You really plan to sit here in prison awaiting trial?"
Chiyu had already said all he needed to and fell silent. Shisui deactivated his Mangekyō, stunning the Anbu around him:
"Captain, if we leave like this, how can we explain to the Hokage? This is your first mission as Anbu commander—"
Shisui understood, but shook his head: "I'll take responsibility.
"Chiyu… I know that someday, you and I will have to fight."
Chiyu replied flatly: "That depends on how deep your sins run."
Shisui shook his head. "You can't beat me. Even though you've awakened the Mangekyō, you only just opened those eyes. Your Mangekyō's power still can't compare with mine.
"You don't understand the Mangekyō's ultimate might…"
Chiyu understood perfectly, but didn't bother replying.
Shisui then glanced at Fugaku.
"Fugaku-sama… I guess this is farewell."
The fact he used "Fugaku-sama" instead of "Patriarch" spoke volumes about his stance. With those words, Shisui led the Anbu away.
Fugaku watched him go, sighing.
"Such a pitiful man…"
Chiyu remarked icily, "Pitiful, indeed—he's also hateful. His choice was his own."
Fugaku lapsed into silence a moment, then with great resolve said:
"Chiyu, from this day forth…
You are the Police Force captain!"
~~~
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