After leaving the Hokage Building, Kakashi finally let out a sigh of relief.
The pressure over this period, just to uncover the truth, had truly been immense.
Perhaps the truth he had found was not the one the Hokage most wished to hear—but truth was truth.
All in all, could this be considered clearing Uchiha Keizumi's absolute justice of suspicion?
Although, that guy Uchiha Keizumi probably wouldn't care about such a trivial matter anyway.
…
At the same time.
Land of Rain.
Biwa Jūzō grumbled in dissatisfaction, "That woman pretends she doesn't mind me bringing you here, but in reality she doesn't trust me at all. She won't even bring me to Akatsuki's main base. She says she already considers me an official member of Akatsuki—but seriously, what kind of official member gets treated this coldly!?"
Biwa Jūzō hadn't expected that even after joining such an extremist organization as Akatsuki, he would still have to suffer workplace bullying!
Damn it…
That damn woman!!!
As he spoke, Biwa Jūzō glanced warily at the Wooden Clone of Uchiha Keizumi beside him.
He even unconsciously shifted a little farther away from him.
He was afraid that, in Uchiha Keizumi's eyes, he had already lost his value. And as for what would happen to someone who had lost their value—no one understood that better than a shinobi born from the Bloody Mist Village.
"No rush."
The Wooden Clone of Uchiha Keizumi said indifferently, "Perhaps there's no need for you to actively find out where Akatsuki's core base is. The purpose of the main body's journey may already be fulfilled."
Biwa Jūzō looked completely puzzled.
"The main body learned from Orochimaru that Akatsuki has already listed him as a top-priority hunting target. In other words, they will come looking for him themselves.
"And the main body's goal is to purge the evil within Akatsuki. Now, that evil is about to deliver itself to his doorstep."
The Wooden Clone explained.
Biwa Jūzō was dumbfounded. "Huh? You've been placed on Akatsuki's wanted list? How come I, a member of Akatsuki, didn't know about it?"
The moment he finished speaking, realization hit him.
His face turned ashen.
Workplace isolation!!!
Workplace bullying!!!
Biwa Jūzō's favorability toward Akatsuki instantly plummeted to absolute zero.
...
At night, Mitokado Homura found that the Hokage's office was still brightly lit—Sarutobi Hiruzen had yet to leave the Hokage Building.
After knocking and entering, he curiously asked Hiruzen about the situation.
Unexpectedly, what he heard from the other's mouth was information that shocked him.
Mitokado Homura also fell into brief silence.
After a long while, with a somewhat complicated expression, he said to Hiruzen before him, "Hiruzen, since you've already figured out what's going on, have you decided to make the truth public? I'm afraid you might be a bit unstable today from the shock, so I need to remind you."
"If you make it public, Sarutobi Nadeshiko and the other two clan members' reputations will undoubtedly fall into disgrace, and even the entire Sarutobi Clan's name will suffer a blow. After all, what those three did is no different from rogue ninja."
"But if you don't make it public, then how will you suppress the anger within the Sarutobi Clan, as well as the current confrontation between the Sarutobi Clan and Absolute Justice? Such opposition will only give rise to more impulsive actions from the younger generation."
Sarutobi Hiruzen took a deep breath, his face equally complicated, and said, "I know I must make a choice…"
Of the two options Mitokado Homura presented, both had their pros and cons.
It all depended on how he, the Hokage of Konohagakure, would choose.
If he chose the former, then within the Sarutobi Clan, he, Sarutobi Hiruzen, would probably become a running dog of Absolute Justice. His position within the clan might end up similar to Fugaku's.
Although he possessed greater power and prestige than Fugaku, isolation and alienation from his clansmen were certain.
If he chose the latter—once Uchiha Keizumi returned, Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't even dare imagine what kind of upheaval that young man would cause.
As this thought flashed through his mind, Sarutobi Hiruzen immediately knew what he should choose.
"Make it public!"
He sighed.
Mitokado Homura nodded. "Hiruzen, you'd better rest for a couple of days. You don't look well—you need to give yourself a short break. I'll handle this matter for you."
Sarutobi Hiruzen expressed his gratitude. "Thank you, Homura. At a time like this, someone who takes the initiative to share my burden without adding trouble—there's probably no one else like you in all of Konoha."
Mitokado Homura could hear the faint note of dissatisfaction in Hiruzen's tone toward Utatane Koharu's performance.
Understandable.
Ever since Utatane Koharu took over Shimura Danzō's Root organization, she hadn't managed to do much right.
Especially when it came to matters involving Absolute Justice.
Every time, Utatane Koharu had messed things up—her ability was inferior even to Danzō's.
…
Before long, somewhere in the shinobi world—
"This should be the place where Keizumi-sama and Orochimaru fought, right? Even after an entire day and night, the air here still carries a strong sulfur smell."
Three Uchiha ninja arrived at the ravaged battlefield.
Looking around, they saw traces of solidified magma everywhere, volcanic rock scattered all over the scorched ground.
Everything visible ahead had become a barren wasteland—no plant life grew here. Even if there once were plants, they had long since been burned to ashes by magma.
"The range of destruction from this battle is truly exaggerated."
An Uchiha jōnin, one hand in his pocket, said expressionlessly, "If this scale of destruction had occurred in Konoha, the entire village would have been wiped out in this great war. Counting both civilians and ninja, who knows how many tens of thousands would have been killed or injured."
Another Uchiha ninja, holding a cloth bag that gave off a faint lime scent, asked doubtfully, "So, where is Keizumi-sama now? Has he already killed Orochimaru?"
Just as his voice fell, the pupils of all three suddenly contracted.
They quickly became alert, all looking toward the same direction.
In their line of sight, a figure was walking toward them at an unhurried pace.
It was precisely the man they had been waiting for—Uchiha Keizumi!
"It took some time to return here from Ryūchi Cave," Uchiha Keizumi said directly before the three could even voice their questions. "Orochimaru is already dead. Incidentally, I also cleansed Ryūchi Cave completely. So—what about the task I assigned to you? That great merchant Gatō—have you taken care of him?"
The three Uchiha ninja: "!!"
Keizumi's execution of justice had far surpassed their expectations.
They had thought killing Orochimaru alone would be the end of it, but to think he had gone so far as to completely blood-wash one of the Three Great Sage Regions—wasn't he afraid of offending that White Snake Sage?
However…
That was precisely the reason they willingly followed Uchiha Keizumi!
To uphold justice, he dared to challenge any powerful existence!
"It's done." The Uchiha ninja holding the cloth bag opened it, revealing Gatō's severed head, his expression frozen in terror. The head had been specially treated for preservation—keeping it intact for at least ten or fifteen days would be no problem.
Uchiha Keizumi gave it a casual glance.
"Let's return to the village."
He added one final sentence: "You three have passed the test. The shinobi world needs you to carry out Absolute Justice."
…
Land of Rain.
Biwa Jūzō felt that his situation was becoming rather dangerous.
That woman Konan, who had been bullying him at work, outwardly showed no concern about his close relationship with Uchiha Keizumi—but who could tell what that deeply calculating woman truly thought?
Especially when he realized that Uchiha Keizumi had already been listed as wanted by Akatsuki, while he himself had been kept completely in the dark by that group.
Biwa Jūzō knew that at any time, he could become an abandoned pawn.
At any time, he could end up on Akatsuki's assassination list.
They could discard him at any moment—or rather, "clean house."
As for needing a reason to kill Biwa Jūzō?
Would such an extreme organization even need a reason when purging its own ranks?
"Uchiha Keizumi, we can't stay in the Land of Rain any longer!" Biwa Jūzō decisively said to Uchiha Keizumi's Wood Clone. "I can't guarantee when they'll decide to classify me as an enemy. I'm in the open, they're in the shadows—if they want to kill me, it'll be as easy as breathing."
The Wood Clone glanced at him and said calmly, "Where you go has nothing to do with the main body. The main body has not restricted your freedom. Why have you developed the illusion that you need to report everywhere you go to the main body?"
The Wood Clone's words left Biwa Jūzō stunned.
He was silent for a full ten seconds, then stood up expressionlessly, hoisting the Kubikiribōchō onto his shoulder.
Biwa Jūzō seemed a bit embarrassed.
He turned silently and started to leave.
However, before he had taken a few steps, a voice suddenly came: "Sasori-sama, the target has been located. But are you sure you don't need to wait for support from the other lords in the organization?"
Immediately after, another voice followed: "To deal with one Konoha ninja, there's no need to make such a big fuss. Besides, we've already grasped most of the intelligence about him. His dōjutsu is completely useless against my puppets."
"And, I don't like waiting."
When Biwa Jūzō and Uchiha Keizumi's Wood Clone simultaneously turned toward the direction of the voices, they saw two figures standing not far away in that direction.
The other side's gaze was firmly locked onto Biwa Jūzō and the Wood Clone.
"…That guy!"
Biwa Jūzō's pupils slightly contracted. He recognized one of them immediately, tightened his grip on the Kubikiribōchō, and took a stance ready to fight at any moment, his eyes filled with vigilance and wariness.
"That guy is one of the core cadres of Akatsuki! Usually he keeps himself wrapped in thick clothing, so I'm not sure of his true form. I only know his codename is gyoku!"
Biwa Jūzō immediately shared the intelligence he knew with the Wood Clone.
There was no other way.
Other than Uchiha Keizumi's Wood Clone, he was practically alone, completely without support! Now, he could only rely on the Wood Clone.
"The other one isn't one of Akatsuki's core cadre members, but rather gyoku's subordinate. I remember when I first joined Akatsuki, that guy came to talk to me—obviously trying to probe for information. He said his name was Kabuto, but he didn't say what his family name was."
Biwa Jūzō warned cautiously, "That kind of person is clearly a deeply calculating type. On the surface he looks gentle and a bit clumsy, but how many in this organization are truly gentle? The clumsy ones have long since died!"
Just then, the Wood Clone beside him suddenly spoke slowly: "One is Sasori of the Red Sand, the other is Yakushi Kabuto."
Biwa Jūzō was stunned.
Huh?
How did he know that?
But in the next instant he understood—right! Uchiha Keizumi, that guy, knew Akatsuki's internal affairs more thoroughly than he, an actual member of Akatsuki, ever did!
He then heard the Wood Clone continue speaking calmly, directly revealing the hidden intelligence of the two before them: "The one on the left, Sasori of the Red Sand, hails from Sunagakure. He's a genius puppet master. His outer appearance is merely a puppet body—his true body resides inside that puppet."
"The one on the right, Yakushi Kabuto, is a spy Orochimaru planted within Akatsuki. Orochimaru placed him under Sasori of the Red Sand to gather more information about Akatsuki from within."
"Obviously, Sasori of the Red Sand is unaware of this. He truly believes Yakushi Kabuto to be his trusted subordinate."
Biwa Jūzō: "???"
Wait a second…
Wasn't that level of intelligence already far too detailed? Wasn't this basically exposing both of their secrets entirely? If he went into just a bit more detail and revealed all their weaknesses, Biwa Jūzō felt he might even have a chance to assassinate the two—and maybe the odds of success wouldn't be small at all.
Biwa Jūzō took a deep breath, dismissed the chaotic thoughts in his mind, and said, "So they're hunting you?"
The Wood Clone said, "Maybe you're included as well. Otherwise, why didn't they notify you in advance to coordinate from inside and out to ambush me?"
Biwa Jūzō: "...Can you phrase it a little more tactfully next time? You make me sound like an idiot. I'm just a bit unsettled right now—if I were calmer, I could have figured it out myself."