More than an hour later, Izumi realized that when Senior Ikeizumi said "let's have a walk," he literally meant wandering aimlessly around the Hidden Leaf.
She hadn't seen any display of professional investigative skills.She hadn't seen him look for any real evidence or clues about the case.
She felt like they had walked through the entire village, even circling the Uchiha clan compound and loitering inside the Hokage's building for a while.
The whole time, Izumi was in a dazed, wooden state, unable to figure out what her senior was doing—or what she herself should be doing.
Just when she was about to speak up…
She noticed that he had stopped.
Finally!No more aimless wandering!Izumi almost burst into tears of relief.
"Senior, this place is…" She trailed off quickly—something felt off. Looking ahead, she realized this was the Moonlight Clan's compound.
The Leaf had many ninja clans of varying sizes. The Uchiha clan was one of the most powerful major clans.
By contrast, the Moonlight Clan was a small one—only a little over a dozen shinobi, with a hereditary Transparent Release kekkei genkai.
"This is the last obvious location we haven't checked," Uchiha Ikeizumi said flatly. "If the culprit isn't here, then there are only two places left."
"What two places?" Izumi was curious how her senior could figure out the suspect's identity simply by strolling around, and even more curious what those "two places" were.
"ANBU. Root."
The concise answer left Izumi gaping.
"Huh? Uchiha Ikeizumi! You cold-blooded killer—how dare you show your face here!?"
The shout came suddenly from one side just as Ikeizumi was about to step into the Moonlight compound.
Turning his head, he saw two Moonlight Clan chunin, forehead protectors gleaming, charging toward them in flak vests.
They moved quickly to block Ikeizumi's path, glaring at him with undisguised hatred.
Izumi could feel the tension in the air sharpening. "Senior, do you and they…?"
She didn't get to finish.
One of the Moonlight nin barked, "Uchiha Ikeizumi! You'd better stay away. You're not welcome here!"
Ikeizumi's right hand rested casually—but firmly—on the hilt of his blade from the start.
His cool gaze swept over the two men. "Police Force investigation. Civilians, clear the way immediately. Otherwise, you're obstructing justice. And those who obstruct justice… will be killed without mercy."
His voice was calm, but the sudden, chilling aura of killing intent made Izumi's hair stand on end.
She saw that his thumb was already pressing against the guard of his sword—the bright silver blade was exposed by a full centimeter.
The two Moonlight ninja clearly felt the crushing pressure too; cold sweat beaded on their foreheads, and their fists clenched involuntarily.
But…
Instead of backing down, their hatred only burned hotter.
"Two years ago… it was just like this!" one of them snarled through gritted teeth, forcing the words out. "You bastard—you said you were here to 'investigate' too. You barged into our compound… and killed our clan head, Lord Moonlight Yuuichiro! You also murdered two of our uncles!"
Izumi's bright eyes widened slowly.
So her senior had such a bloody history with the Moonlight Clan…
That had to be a blood feud.
"Uchiha Ikeizumi, you—"
"Don't remember."
Ikeizumi slowly drew his sword, walking forward at an unhurried pace. His voice was indifferent: "I never bother remembering the people I've killed. And those who stand in the way of justice… are not even worth remembering."
His gaze passed between the two men, locking on a figure inside the Moonlight compound.
[Moonlight Seisui — Last night, dissatisfied with his mother's favoritism toward his older brother Moonlight Hayate, argued with her. In a fit of rage, he killed her with a blunt weapon and secretly disposed of the body before dawn. Sin Level: Red Name!]
The scarlet frame around the information glowed vividly in Ikeizumi's eyes.
That was one reason he had drawn his blade.
"Three seconds. Move, or die." Ikeizumi didn't slow his pace. "Three. Two—"
"You arrogant bastard! Do you think the Moonlight Clan will—"
By the time the words left his mouth, Ikeizumi had already passed the two of them.
He gave his sword a light flick to scatter the blood.
"One."
His flat, expressionless eyes were like the gaze of a judge from Hell, fixed on the terrified Moonlight Seisui ahead.
Behind him came the sound of two bodies collapsing in unison.
"Rookie, this is your second lesson." Ikeizumi stepped into the Moonlight compound, speaking coldly to the stunned Izumi: "Anyone who hinders the execution of justice is a lackey of evil, an enemy of justice. If they ignore warnings… kill them."
Izumi stared blankly at the two headless corpses on the ground, blood spraying across the stones.
The crimson splash had even reached her feet.
Her pupils trembled as she lifted her head. Ikeizumi was walking toward a young Moonlight clansman, sword in hand, lightly shaking off the blood as he went.
She didn't know what she was thinking.
Somehow, her feet moved on their own, stepping onto the wet ground—through a puddle of blood—leaving a trail of red footprints as she followed Ikeizumi into the Moonlight compound.
A voice in her head warned her again and again: If you go in, you can't go back. You'll never be able to accept this kind of absolute justice.
But… she still followed in his footsteps.
And she drew a kunai, gripping it tightly.
"Phew… finally managed to get half a day off approved by Lord Hokage. Haven't seen Mother in half a month—perfect chance to visit her, and Seisui, and pay respects to Father's grave together."
Moonlight Hayate, a member of the Third Hokage's ANBU, was carrying offerings he had just bought as he headed toward the Moonlight compound.
But—
When he reached the gate, he froze. The offerings fell from his hands.
In front of him—
Villagers were gathered around the entrance, craning their necks to see inside, but too wary to get close, watching from a distance instead.
At the gate lay two headless corpses, their severed heads nearby—faces still frozen in confused expressions.
From the murmurs of the onlookers, Hayate caught fragments: "Uchiha"… "Police Force"…
And then he heard a name that made his pupils contract sharply.
—Uchiha Ikeizumi!
His father's… murderer!
(End of Chapter)