"As far as I know," said one of the Shimura elders, his tone low and deliberate, "the Uchiha Clan isn't entirely united."
His eyes narrowed with malice as he spoke coldly: "Even within their clan, Uchiha Keizumi is seen as a rogue. He's offended many of the more sinister Uchiha."
"Given our current strength, the Shimura Clan alone can't take Keizumi head-on after losing Danzō-sama. But… we can pinch our noses and make use of the Uchiha's internal divisions."
Some began to understand his implication.
One man muttered thoughtfully: "It's true—neither the Uchiha radicals pushing for rebellion, nor the moderate faction led by Uchiha Fugaku, seem to get along with Keizumi."
"Fugaku won't do anything to stop Keizumi, though. Danzō-sama always said he was one of the softest of the Uchiha."
"Then what about Uchiha Setsuna?"
…
Meanwhile—
Standing in front of a modest two-story house, Izumi felt a slight pang of nervousness.
She had agreed—without permission—to bring Uchiha Mikoto to see Keizumi-senpai.
Would Keizumi be displeased with her for making such a decision on her own?
But now they were already at his doorstep.
Uchiha Mikoto and Uchiha Sasuke stood right behind her.
The girl tried to calm herself by taking deep breaths.
After walking two steps forward, she reached out and rang the doorbell.
[Click—]
As the door opened, a sharp and oddly pitched voice rang out: "Huh? It's you, rookie."
"Tachibana Jirō-senpai?!"
Izumi instinctively looked down—and sure enough, it was the ninja cat Tachibana Jirō who had answered the door.
Well…
That made sense.
Tachibana Jirō had always lived in Keizumi-senpai's house.
Although he called himself a "partnered ninja cat," in practice, he acted more like a spoiled pet.
"Hmm?"
Tachibana Jirō now noticed the two figures standing behind Izumi—Uchiha Mikoto and Uchiha Sasuke.
"Nya? Two unexpected guests."
His cat face showed a look of surprise.
"Sorry to intrude," Mikoto said with a strained smile.
Sasuke, meanwhile, stared curiously at Tachibana Jirō.
Then, confused, he looked up at his mother again.
He still didn't understand why she had brought him to meet Uchiha Keizumi.
He remembered Keizumi clearly—this was the man who had killed someone right in front of him.
And it was also this man who had exposed his brother's "future evil."
When a figure appeared at the front door, Sasuke couldn't help but shrink back behind Uchiha Mikoto.
He didn't even know why he did it.
Maybe… it was just instinctual fear.
"You Uchiha folks sure are something, nya. A while ago, it was Fugaku bringing Uchiha Itachi here. Now tonight, it's you showing up with Uchiha Sasuke. Anyone who didn't know better might think this was all planned."
Tachibana Jirō stood off to the side, making his snide remarks as he ushered both Uchiha Mikoto and Uchiha Sasuke into the house.
After all, Keizumi-sama hadn't shown any intention of turning them away when he came out.
Having followed Uchiha Keizumi for many years, Tachibana Jirō immediately understood what that meant.
"Rookie, what are you spacing out for? Get in here already!"
His voice snapped Izumi back to attention with an "Oh!" as she quickly followed after them.
She also quietly pulled the door shut behind her.
This was Izumi's second time entering Uchiha Keizumi's home. The first time, she had been so shocked and outraged by Uchiha Itachi's "Evil of the Future" that she hadn't had a single moment to look around and take in her surroundings.
But this time, her gaze—full of curious hunger for knowledge—cautiously drifted around the space.
She quickly noticed that what stood out most about Keizumi-senpai's home was its simplicity and tidiness.
What caught the eye most was the row of potted plants on the windowsill.
It was obvious every plant had been carefully trimmed. Next to them were various tools specifically for tending bonsai. It looked like… this was Keizumi-senpai's hobby?!
Tch! So even he has hobbies...
Izumi was genuinely shocked.
After all, the impression Keizumi-senpai had always given her was that of a cold, austere man who cared about nothing beyond [Justice] and [Evil].
But now it seemed her assumptions had been far too narrow.
Izumi silently committed this revelation to memory.
"Nya, rookie—don't even think about giving Keizumi-sama any gifts. Not only will he refuse them, but your reputation with him might actually drop into the negatives!"
Tachibana Jirō's low warning, as if he'd seen straight through her little plan, made Izumi jump in fright.
She whispered, "Even stuff like… birthday presents?"
"Hmm…" Tachibana Jirō fell into thought. "That's outside my field of expertise, nya. I mean, with Keizumi-sama being as famous as he is, who would even dare try giving him a birthday gift?"
Meanwhile—
Uchiha Mikoto had already taken a seat with Sasuke in tow. Her expression was rather complicated, and she spoke plainly: "Keizumi, I'm sorry to disturb you so late at night. I didn't come here with any prior plans. I just suddenly had the impulse this evening that I had to see you."
She turned to glance at little Sasuke, who sat restlessly beside her. The worry in her eyes was impossible to conceal.
"Itachi-kun… he's become like a stranger. Tonight, I discovered he was going to lay a hand on Sasuke. The things he said to Sasuke were so terrifying that even I couldn't stay calm… If it weren't for that girl Izumi stopping him, Sasuke might have…"
By the time she reached this point, Mikoto's eyes were already filled with sorrow.
She couldn't understand how things had come to this.
Did they really need to resort to such extreme measures to resolve the conflict between the village and the Uchiha?
Was Itachi truly willing to kill his own family without hesitation just for that cause?
To her, her eldest son had already transformed into someone she could no longer recognize.
And he was an incredibly dangerous person.
Uchiha Mikoto wasn't afraid of death. If, one day, the child she loved most decided to kill his own mother, the only thing she could do was close her eyes and quietly wait for death to come.
She couldn't bring herself to stand against her own child.
But…
When it came to the safety of her other child, in the depths of despair, a fierce maternal instinct surged within her.
She didn't want anything to happen to Sasuke!
"Sasuke… he's never shown any extreme tendencies. Most of the time, he acts just like an ordinary child. To me, he doesn't seem like someone who would do evil in the future."
Uchiha Mikoto pleaded, "Among the entire Uchiha clan, you may be the only one capable of protecting Sasuke. I hope you'll look after him… allow him to grow up strong and safe."
"Keizumi… I'm not speaking to you as the wife of the clan head right now. I'm speaking as a powerless mother. I'm sorry. I couldn't control Itachi's thoughts. I didn't raise him properly, and now he's walking a twisted path."
"All I can do… is try my best to protect Sasuke…"
"That's all I can do."
Uchiha Mikoto poured out everything in her heart.
Uchiha Sasuke, Uchiha Izumi, and Tachibana Jirō—the two people and one cat—stared at her in stunned silence.
Sasuke's eyes widened. His young face was filled with shock as he looked at his mother, whose eyes shimmered with tears of sorrow. The words he wanted to say caught in his throat. For some reason, he couldn't speak them. The deep, aching empathy welling up inside made his own eyes grow moist.
He had never seen his mother this sad before…
And the cause of it all was the brother he had once adored—Uchiha Itachi, the one planning to massacre the Uchiha Clan!
Uchiha Keizumi didn't agree, nor did he refuse. He simply asked, "Can't Clan Head Fugaku protect him?"
"Fugaku… maybe he can stop Itachi. But…"
Uchiha Mikoto gave a bitter smile. "I know him better than anyone. The day his eldest son stands before him with a blood-soaked blade in hand, all his resolve will crumble. He'll end up accepting whatever choice Itachi makes."
Sasuke was stunned.
Even Father can't stop Brother?
Or… did Mother mean that if it truly comes to that, Father would choose not to resist?
And if that happened…
Would Mother follow Father into death as well?
Sasuke quietly clenched his fists.
He pressed his lips together, saying nothing—because he was overwhelmed by a deep sense of powerlessness. If even his father and mother couldn't resolve this, how could a seven-year-old child like him possibly change anything?
Uchiha Keizumi looked at the clan matriarch and calmly explained, "Uchiha Itachi will not kill Uchiha Sasuke in the future."
Uchiha Mikoto lowered her voice, "But the future can change… can't it? Otherwise, Keizumi, you never would've tried to persuade Fugaku and me—that was your own attempt to change what's to come. It's just… none of us expected Itachi to be so unshakable in his convictions."
Her beautiful face was shadowed by a helpless, confused expression. "I can't see whether the future is shifting toward something better or something worse. But Sasuke… he still has the potential to believe in justice. That's the only way I can think of to keep him alive."
"I think you may have misunderstood something."
Uchiha Keizumi's words left Uchiha Mikoto slightly stunned.
He spoke slowly, "Uchiha Itachi's future actions are, in and of themselves, evil. Do you really think [Absolute Justice] would simply stand by and silently watch the Night of the Massacre unfold?"
"Protecting the innocent is the duty and obligation of justice. There is no need for you to ask as a mother—[Absolute Justice] will not hesitate to protect those it deems worthy of protection."
"As for Uchiha Sasuke believing in justice…"
Uchiha Keizumi glanced at Sasuke, whose small face was filled with frustration and helplessness.
Every emotion was written plainly across his features.
One glance was enough to know exactly what he was thinking.
Keizumi didn't mince words. "He's just a brat who hasn't even begun to understand what [Justice] truly means. Forcing him to believe in it now will only ensure he never understands what it means to bear that responsibility. At this moment, even Uzumaki Naruto has a better grasp of justice than he does."
"…I see. Then I was too narrow-minded."
Uchiha Mikoto was deeply moved. Just a few simple words had made her realize how pure Keizumi's belief in justice truly was.
In other words… even if she hadn't come to plead with him, when the moment came, Uchiha Keizumi would have acted.
Off to the side, Sasuke's ears twitched.
Even he didn't understand why, but those words—"not even as good as Uzumaki Naruto"—somehow made him feel extremely irritated. Still, his fear of Uchiha Keizumi kept him from letting that emotion show too clearly.
Besides…
"Uzumaki Naruto"—why did that name sound so familiar?
Wait a minute!
Wasn't that the dead-last loser from class?!
With a head full of questions, Sasuke—who had been dragged here for no clear reason—was now being dragged away again. Before they left, he saw his mother bow deeply to Uchiha Keizumi.
On the way home, Sasuke kept his head down, fidgeting with the corner of his clothes. He asked quietly, "Mother… did you bring me to him because you think… Brother might try to kill me?"
A rare silence from his mother.
And in that silence, Sasuke received his answer.
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