As they walked, Sasuke gradually sensed something was off.
His expression shifted with surprise. "Wait a minute... this direction…"
"It's the Uchiha compound," Keizumi replied coldly. "The ninja cats discovered a large quantity of contraband drugs within the Uchiha territory. And just this morning, three Uchiha clansmen returned from a mission. They are currently the prime suspects."
Sasuke's face was filled with shock—he hadn't expected the issue to involve the Uchiha Clan.
His mother had told him before: Uchiha Keizumi wouldn't go easy on anyone, not even fellow Uchiha.
If someone committed evil, Keizumi would strike with merciless force. Causing casualties was nothing unusual for him.
And now, Sasuke was beginning to truly grasp the meaning of no favoritism, ever…
"…Contraband drugs?"
Naruto looked a bit puzzled. His attention had latched onto a different point.
Tachibana Jirō yawned and explained, "The kind of stuff that ruins lives the moment humans get involved. It wasn't this bad before, but ever since the end of the Third Great Ninja War, this crap's been spreading like wildfire. Word is, a merchant named Gato is smuggling the stuff like crazy."
"A month ago, I dispatched five ninja cats to search outside Konoha—even beyond the Land of Fire—for intel on the merchant named Gato. Once we get solid information and pinpoint his location, Keizumi-sama will go after him personally."
Tachibana Jirō paused briefly, then added, "Given the sheer quantity of contraband found inside the Uchiha compound, it's highly likely that merchant Gato is involved."
"Trying to play with that kind of filth right under Keizumi-sama's nose… It seems those guys have been taking missions outside the village for too long. They must have no idea what's been happening in Konoha over the past month."
"And even less of a clue that [Absolute Justice] has become nearly unstoppable!"
Tachibana Jirō's words suddenly made Izumi realize something she'd overlooked.
So it hadn't even been a full month since she'd met Keizumi-senpai…
Naruto, who didn't have a clear grasp of timeframes, tilted his head curiously. "Just how many people have been hurt by those drugs?"
"…Countless."
Tachibana Jirō's tone lost some of its earlier playfulness as it responded seriously, "Just within Konoha alone, six civilians and shinobi died last year due to contraband drugs. And as for how many are still suffering from their effects—that number can't even be accurately calculated."
Naruto's eyes widened in shock. "Even shinobi can be affected?"
Tachibana Jirō replied, "There are always naïve fools who think a shinobi's so-called iron will can resist the physical and psychological dependence. But in reality, they can't."
"You two brats, just remember this: whenever you encounter dealers of contraband drugs—whether they produce, smuggle, or sell—you must execute them all in the name of Justice!"
As they spoke, the group had already entered the Uchiha compound.
Naruto couldn't believe it—within such a short time, this was already…
…the third time he had ended up at this same door!
Beside him, Sasuke remained silent along the way, but his face was clearly clouded with inner conflict. He seemed like he wanted to say something, but couldn't bring himself to speak.
Then suddenly, Sasuke noticed something sharply.
That man—Uchiha Keizumi—had glanced in his direction.
Startled, Sasuke stiffened.
He didn't dare utter a word after that.
But unexpectedly, Uchiha Keizumi spoke: "You believe that just because someone is also Uchiha, even if they've done something wrong, they shouldn't be dealt with in such extreme ways. That they deserve at least one chance to live… isn't that right, Uchiha Sasuke?"
Sasuke: "!!!"
His head snapped up in shock, staring at Keizumi's back with a look like he'd seen a ghost in broad daylight.
Because what Keizumi had just said—was exactly what he'd been thinking!
It was as if the voice buried deep in his heart had been dragged out into the open!
Uchiha Keizumi continued coldly, "In the ninja world, evil comes in degrees. Minor evil—like Uzumaki Naruto's pranks—requires punishment just a little harsher than usual to correct. Moderate evil—like theft or brawling—can be dealt with through imprisonment and reform in Konoha's correctional facility. But major evil—like premeditated murder, drug trafficking, or human trafficking… must be corrected through execution!"
"Justice allows no compromise. It offers no forgiveness. Uchiha Sasuke—do you really think you have the right to pardon the villains who should pay for their crimes with their lives… just because they share your clan's blood? Can you speak for the innocent whose families were shattered?"
Uchiha Keizumi's footsteps came to a halt. He turned around and looked down at Uchiha Sasuke.
"What if your elder brother, Uchiha Itachi, launched a massacre tonight—slaughtering nearly every last member of the Uchiha Clan? No one spared, not even the women, the elderly, or the children. Not even your father. Not even your mother."
"In that moment… what if only you and Uchiha Itachi were left alive from the entire clan? Would you then forgive him on behalf of all the slain Uchiha?"
"Would you forgive the man who killed your father? Would you show mercy to the one who murdered your mother? What if someone suddenly stood in front of you and said—'He's your brother, Uchiha Itachi. Shouldn't you forgive him? So what if he made a mistake?'"
"In that moment… would you listen to them? Would you choose to forgive the man who wiped out your entire clan?"
Each question Keizumi posed hit Sasuke like a hammer, making his eyes widen as he stumbled backward several steps in shock.
He was locked in eye contact with Keizumi.
And in that moment, for reasons he didn't fully understand, Keizumi's words began to paint vivid images inside Sasuke's mind.
Just like that—his surroundings seemed to change entirely.
Sasuke suddenly found himself standing in the dead of night.
He recognized the buildings around him… they were the structures from the Uchiha district.
His dazed gaze wandered, unsure of what he was seeing.
But then, his eyes began to widen even more.
—Under the moonlight, there was blood. Corpses. Darkness. Screams. Pleas for mercy. A nightmare scene took shape before him, each detail chillingly real. Every body lay twisted in a horrifying death pose, and the blood seemed to stain the earth itself red.
Sasuke's pupils trembled.
In the pale glow of the moon, he could clearly make out the familiar faces frozen in fear and despair.
They were the people of the Uchiha Clan!
Elders.
Young men.
Children.
Even infants.
No one was spared!
A sudden, bloodcurdling scream—so close it felt right beside him—made Sasuke's hair stand on end. He spun around in panic.
And saw a boy about his age, another Uchiha, being lifted by the hair by a man whose mask had been pushed up to the side of his head. A ninja blade had already pierced the boy's chest, snatching the life from him.
The blade was slowly drawn out.
The body was thrown aside.
And then, in that moment—trembling all over—Sasuke finally saw the man's face.
Uchiha Itachi.
Before Sasuke could even scream, the scene abruptly shifted again.
—Now he found himself inside a house. The dim yellow light offered no sense of safety. Footsteps—quiet, dragging—made him whip his head around in terror.
To his horror, he saw his older brother, Uchiha Itachi, dragging a barely-breathing woman.
Itachi didn't even seem to notice Sasuke standing there—he passed right by him.
One hand clutching the woman by her collar.
The other gripping a blood-soaked kunai.
With every few steps, he would carve a fresh wound into her body with the blade.
"Ahhhhh—!"
The woman's hoarse and heartrending screams—so full of sorrow they could make one weep—triggered a faint sound from within a wardrobe in the room.
In Sasuke's vision, Uchiha Itachi slit the woman's throat with his kunai.
Then, expressionless, he walked over to the wardrobe and pulled the door open.
Sasuke saw a little girl hiding inside!
"Brother! Stop!!!"
He tried to scream, to shout those words—but found he couldn't utter a sound. He could only stand there, eyes wide with horror, as Uchiha Itachi dragged the terrified little girl out from the wardrobe… and ended her life with the same kunai.
The vision shifted again.
Sasuke, his face filled with anguish and fury, found himself once more facing Uchiha Keizumi, Izumi, Naruto, and Tachibana Jirō.
Uchiha Itachi was gone.
So were the blood, the corpses, the screams—they had all vanished.
Sasuke stood frozen in place.
"Did you see it?"
Keizumi's Sharingan, the three tomoe spinning slowly, faded back into its normal state. He spoke calmly: "If something like that really happened, would you have the right to forgive him on behalf of the dead? Would you be the one to grant him mercy? Answer me, Uchiha Sasuke."
Sasuke snapped out of it as though waking from a dream. "That was… genjutsu?"
He stood there, stunned. The illusion had felt terrifyingly real—so vivid it was as if those tragedies were truly destined to happen.
He couldn't imagine his brother doing something so horrific…
But if that nightmare ever became real—would he have the right to forgive Uchiha Itachi on behalf of the slain?
Sasuke remembered the boy his age whose chest had been pierced by a blade.
He remembered the infant split in two on the floor.
He remembered the tortured woman… and the little girl who couldn't help but make a sound after hearing her mother's cries.
[Plop]
A tear fell.
His blurry vision told him one thing—he was crying.
Frantically, he reached up to wipe at his damp eyes.
Lowering his head, Sasuke murmured his reply: "I… don't have the right to forgive him on behalf of others. And even if it were just me… if something like that truly happened, I wouldn't forgive him either…"
Then, something clicked in his mind.
He looked up, eyes red, and stared at Uchiha Keizumi. The fear he once felt toward him had diminished somewhat—replaced by a newfound desire for understanding, fueled by courage.
"The three clansmen who brought all those contraband drugs into Konoha… Did they cause pain like that to others too?"
"Yes."
Just one word.
But it struck Sasuke like a hammer, making him burn with shame. He wanted nothing more than to crawl into a hole.
"…I'm sorry," he whispered.
"Eh?!"
Naruto, who had no idea what had just transpired, looked completely lost. He couldn't understand why—after Keizumi-sensei had simply asked that arrogant guy a few questions—the guy suddenly lowered his head and apologized.
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