Sarutobi Hiruzen soon learned of what had unfolded at the Ninja Academy. When he realized that three of the Sarutobi clan's youths, along with a senior instructor of the Academy, had died in a pool of blood, he found himself not consumed by rage at Keizumi's extreme actions.
Perhaps now… he was harboring the thought of indulging Keizumi's extremes.
He had tacitly allowed Keizumi to carry out his so-called [Absolute Justice].
If he, the Third Hokage, had truly wanted to intervene, he could easily have led a squad of ANBU to the Academy. That way, just as before, he could have stopped Keizumi from carrying out that Absolute Justice.
But he had not moved. He had stayed in the Hokage's office the entire time.
Hiruzen pinched a bit of tobacco, packed it into his pipe, struck a match, and drew in a light puff. Exhaling a cloud of smoke, he spoke in a low, heavy tone: "Help me notify the Sarutobi clan. Have them send more people to the Academy to collect the bodies. Also, inform Izushima Kaede's family, so they can take care of her remains as well."
He paused briefly, then continued: "And also—tell the Sarutobi clan to handle Sarutobi Sakurako's body properly. Take part of her ashes and place them in the clan's shrine, and set up a memorial tablet for that child there."
"Yes, Hokage-sama!"
The ANBU gave a short nod, then vanished instantly.
"Haa…"
Another cloud of smoke drifted from Hiruzen's lips, curling around and veiling half of his wrinkled, aged face, marked by complicated emotions.
"Tsunade… so you've chosen your side completely…"
When it came to the Yamanaka, Nara, and Akimichi clans siding with Keizumi, Hiruzen could just barely bring himself to understand.
Though they often stood with him, their ties to him—the Third Hokage—were distant.
There was no blood relation, nor any bond of sensei and disciple.
That one day they would go their separate ways—this he could grudgingly accept.
But Tsunade… she was one of his disciples!
And most importantly, her identity was far too special. To call her Konoha's princess would not be an exaggeration. After all, her grandfather was the First Hokage who had founded Konohagakure. And Tsunade herself was no mere figurehead—she was a kunoichi of overwhelming power, held in the highest regard throughout the village.
When she had spoken those words to Uchiha Keizumi in front of so many, it had been an unmistakable declaration of support.
She had not hidden it at all.
It was an open and brazen endorsement.
"Hiruzen!"
Just as his sighs filled the office, the door was yanked open with a rough motion. Hiruzen raised his eyelids slightly, catching sight of Utatane Koharu striding in quickly.
Forcing the desolation from his face, Hiruzen asked, "Koharu, weren't you and Homura receiving the envoys from Amegakure?"
Koharu's voice rang with sharp rebuke: "Those envoys no longer matter! What matters is—Hiruzen, how could you allow Uchiha Keizumi to run rampant inside the Ninja Academy? If those children were to witness such bloody, merciless extremity, wouldn't it leave a deep psychological scar on every one of them?"
"The Ninja Academy exists to nurture Konoha's budding future. Every single student there is of utmost importance. Any one of them might one day become the pillar that upholds Konoha. Under such circumstances, how can you possibly—"
"Koharu!"
Hiruzen cut her off, shaking his head. "It wasn't that I allowed Keizumi to run wild in the Academy. I personally appointed him to handle this matter there."
Koharu froze. "What do you mean?!"
With a sigh, Hiruzen recounted the incident with Sarutobi Sakurako.
Hearing this, Koharu's aged face stiffened once again.
The anger and discontent on her face faltered. She opened her mouth, as if to speak, but the words stuck in her throat and refused to come out.
After several seconds of silence, she could only look deeply at Hiruzen and say: "Hiruzen, perhaps you've simply let anger cloud your judgment because of that child's death. Have you thought that one day, you might regret the decision you made today?"
"Because you, the Hokage of Konoha, personally ordered Uchiha Keizumi to enact Absolute Justice inside the Academy. You even tacitly allowed him to kill three of your own clan's youths…"
"This will deal a heavy blow to your authority and prestige. It will make some wonder if your stance has shifted—that perhaps you, too, support Absolute Justice."
"Those who waver may well lean toward Absolute Justice because of your actions."
Hiruzen found this scene strangely familiar.
Especially when Koharu spoke the word regret.
It nearly drew from his lips the retort: I am the Hokage.
But unlike Danzō, who always challenged him, Koharu's words were at least spoken with his own interests as the Third Hokage in mind.
"Regret belongs to the future," Hiruzen sighed. "The decision is already made. Do you think it can be taken back now? That I could swallow some pill of regret and turn back time?"
Koharu fell silent.
After a long pause, she seemed to discern something. She drew in a breath of secondhand smoke and spoke in a low, distant tone: "Hiruzen… as the Hokage of Konoha, you must never doubt the Will of Fire."
"Still less should you harbor even the faintest leaning toward [Absolute Justice], which runs contrary to the Will of Fire. Sarutobi Sakurako's death has had a terrible impact on you."
Hiruzen's brow furrowed. "I simply judged that this matter was most fitting to leave in Keizumi's hands. I have never doubted the Will of Fire, nor have I endorsed his Absolute Justice."
"I hope so," Koharu murmured.
…
"Akatsuki… what is that?!"
Mitarashi Anko froze when she heard Uchiha Izumi utter that strange organization's name. Then her eyes darted toward Jūzō, whose reaction was even more extreme than her own.
From his response, Anko was almost certain that the Akatsuki mentioned by Izumi truly existed.
Her eyes narrowed. "Oi, you bastard—are you one of this so-called Akatsuki? Did you disguise yourself as an envoy from Amegakure just to slip into Konoha?!"
"Hss—"
"Hss—"
The faint hiss of a venomous snake flicking its tongue echoed from within Anko's sleeve.
But Jūzō ignored her questions. His gaze stayed locked on the young Uchiha girl before him, and he suddenly gave a sharp, mocking laugh.
"I've no idea what nonsense you're spouting. Right now, I am an envoy of Amegakure—without question."
"Akatsuki? Never even heard of it." Jūzō could hardly admit the truth, so of course he denied it outright.
Izumi's face hardened with severity. "I possess the power bestowed upon me by Keizumi-senpai—the power to see both the past evils and the future evils of others. Your secrets are no secrets at all before my eyes."
Word by word, she pressed him: "You came to Konoha seeking contact with my senpai… What is your true purpose?!"
"You little brat…"
Izumi's voice grew colder: "What connection do you have with Uchiha Obito?"
From Keizumi-senpai, Izumi had long ago learned of the man masquerading as "Uchiha Madara"—the real Uchiha Obito—and that Obito was now a member of an organization called "Akatsuki."
Now, seeing that Jūzō too belonged to Akatsuki, Izumi naturally assumed the two were allies.
And in her mind, anyone Keizumi-senpai had described—like Uchiha Obito—was nothing good.
So the man before her, Biwa Jūzō… could he be any better?
At the very least—
His intentions were certainly impure. It was impossible he had come as a mere envoy of Amegakure to ease relations with Konoha.
"???" Jūzō blinked.
Uchiha Obito… who?
And these eyes that could peer into the past and future of one's sins—what kind of ridiculous ability was that? He had never once heard of a Uchiha Sharingan technique that revealed evil, much less something tied to the very flow of time.
"Hmph. I don't understand a word you're saying." Jūzō's face turned slightly colder. To be pelted with relentless questions by some Uchiha brat—anyone would grow irritated.
Izumi declared flatly, "Whether you understand doesn't matter. What matters is—you will have to come with me to the Police Force."
She continued slowly, "As a kunoichi of the Police Force, upon discovering a foreign shinobi in Konoha suspected of belonging to some shadowy organization, I have both the authority and the duty to escort him for interrogation."
"Hah. And if I refuse?" Jūzō's eyes flashed dangerously. He was beginning to realize that the mission entrusted to him by that woman might very well fail here at the hands of this young Uchiha.
"You don't have the right to refuse."
The sudden voice stunned Jūzō, Izumi, and Anko all at once.
As they turned toward the source, they saw a disheveled old man with a mane of long, spiked white hair stride forward, his face set in grim determination, his presence radiating a heroic, crushing aura.
"I just heard the word 'Akatsuki.'" Jiraiya's gaze fixed like steel upon Jūzō.
"I'm very interested in this organization."
Placing himself between Izumi and Anko, Jiraiya stared straight into Jūzō's eyes and continued, slow and deliberate: "You might brush off the words of these two lovely girls… but would you grant me, Jiraiya, that courtesy?"
"For I've been searching for someone. And I've heard that man has joined Akatsuki—that he's even one of its core members."
The air stirred as Jiraiya's robes flared without wind. "So tell me… you're not foolish enough to make a move inside Konoha, are you?"
Jūzō's expression twisted, ugly and rigid. His hands, halfway through reaching for the Executioner's Blade, froze in place.
"Konoha's Sannin…"
"Jiraiya!"
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