Konoha: The Absolute Justice of the Uchiha

Chapter 163, Third Generation: "Ikezumi is not the murderer!", Never underestimate the evil in human nature.
Mitomon Homura also rushed over upon hearing the news. He entered the eerie Sarutobi clan's encampment and looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen standing next to the corpse.

Breathing in the sulfurous smell in the air, Mitokado Yan's expression changed slightly, but upon closer reflection, she realized something was amiss.

He glanced around at the various Sarutobi clan members, each with an angry expression.

He walked up behind Hiruzen Sarutobi, lowered his voice, and whispered, "Hiruzen, do you really think Uchiha Ikezumi killed her?"

Standing motionless, Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly took a deep breath and turned to look at Homura Mitokado.

The silent exchange of glances prompted Mitokado Yan to nod slightly.

“Let’s talk outside,” Mitokado said.

The Sarutobi clan members made way for the two Konoha high-ranking officials to walk outside in full view of everyone. No one followed, because everyone knew that the Hokage was going to have a private talk with Mitokado Homura.

"call……"

Hiruzen Sarutobi, his face grim, exhaled a breath of turbid air and said, "I do not believe that Ikezumi is the murderer."

Mitokado Yan was taken aback.

He was somewhat puzzled. Staring at Hiruzen Sarutobi's gloomy face, he couldn't help but ask, "But I heard you were very angry, and even had Root and Anbu deal with this together."

"Especially those people from Root, they caused quite a bit of trouble in Konoha after receiving your orders. Since you think it's unlikely that Izumi is the culprit, then why..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi interrupted him: "Because I cannot show that I do not believe Ikezumi is the murderer."

Hiruzen Sarutobi stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes still burning with rage: "Someone is using my daughter-in-law's life to try to get me to kill Ikezumi, and to incite a conflict between the Will of Fire and Absolute Justice, plunging the entire Hidden Leaf Village into chaos."

"Once I show that I can see through this trick at a glance, the rats hiding in the shadows will be disturbed."

"It's like letting that rat leave Konoha. Finding him and finding out who he is is like looking for a needle in a haystack."

Hearing this, Mitokado Homura finally understood.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was deliberately playing the role of a "Konoha Hokage who was blinded by rage after his daughter-in-law was killed," in order to lower the vigilance of the real culprit and buy time to find him.

Mitokado Homura thought for a moment and asked, "But Koharu seems to really believe you're going to attack Uchiha Ikezumi. Her Root ninja subordinates didn't seem to hold back much today..."

"and many more!"

Mitokado Homura suddenly realized what was happening and looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen in astonishment: "You suspect Koharu? So you didn't tell her? And you let her Root do whatever it wanted?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi said expressionlessly, "I now have reasonable suspicion about everyone in the village who has serious disagreements with Ikezumi or me."

He added, "Including Xiaochun."

Mitomon was quite taken aback.

He could tell that Hiruzen Sarutobi was genuinely angry and saddened by his daughter-in-law's inexplicable murder.

Even at such a critical moment, the third generation leader was still able to calmly see through the clues and turn the tables on the scheme.

"Hiruzen, I finally understand... why Tobirama-sensei recommended you as the Third Hokage of Konoha before he died. Among us, you were always the one whose thoughts were rarely swayed by emotions, and you could always see things that others couldn't."

Mitokado sighed, "If this matter has nothing to do with Koharu, it just shows that there's a world of difference between her and you."

He then asked, "And the fact that you told me about this means you trust me a lot?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded calmly with a stern face: "Because you never refute some of my strong opinions."

"and……"

“You and Uchiha Ikezumi don’t have that deep a conflict.”

Mitokado Homura fell silent for a long time before finally saying, "So what should you do next?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi twirled a small piece of volcanic rock between his fingers and slowly said, "In front of everyone, I have spoken frankly and told Kakashi and Yamato to go and retrieve Ikezumi and the others."

"But in reality, this is not my true order. My true order is—that Kakashi and Yamato lead the team to monitor all the Jonin in the village."

"The 'all' here naturally includes Uchiha, Ino-Shika-Cho, Hyuga..."

“Even the Jonin of the Sarutobi clan.”

Mitomon Homura was suddenly startled, and he couldn't help but turn his head to look at the Sarutobi clan ninjas who were in a state of high spirits not far away.

"Hiruzen, they should..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi interrupted him once again: "Anything is possible."

For some unknown reason, a shadow crossed Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes. He took a deep breath and said helplessly, "Never underestimate the evil in human nature."

Mitomon felt that this sentence sounded familiar.

In my memory.

Uchiha Ikezumi seems to have said something similar.

……

Mitokado Homura left the Sarutobi clan with a heavy heart. He pondered deeply but could not figure out who was secretly trying to incite a conflict between the Will of Fire and Absolute Justice.
Could it be Koharu from the new dorm?
Koharu did indeed have a lot of opinions about Uchiha Ikezumi, and even repeatedly spoke ill of his absolute justice behind his back.

She was also quite dissatisfied with Hiruzen's indecisiveness on several occasions.

But logically speaking, based on my understanding of her, she shouldn't do such a thing.

Or……

It could be Fugaku?!

Homura Mitokado conceived a theory: Fugaku Uchiha, the Uchiha clan head, had practically been sidelined by absolute justice. In order to reclaim control of the Uchiha clan, Fugaku decided to take a risk, hoping to use the Hokage's power to eliminate Izumi Uchiha.

But is this the right thing to do?

"What Fugaku least wants is for the Uchiha clan to be feared by the village. If he really does that, Hiruzen, myself, and Koharu will all be very wary of his scheming."

Mitokado Yan shook his head again.

It can't be the Hyuga clan, can it? For example, the main branch of the Hyuga clan who were imprisoned in Konoha by Uchiha Ikezumi?
They deeply resented Uchiha Izumi, but they lacked the power to deal with him, so they resorted to this kind of scheme.

But that's not right either.

Sarutobi Nadeshiko... was once one of Hiruzen's right-hand women, and she herself was a Jonin of considerable strength. Within the Hyuga clan, there was practically no one who could kill her instantly!

Unless the clan head Hiashi Hyuga personally intervenes, the problem is that he's in Konoha prison, and there are people specifically guarding him.

Mitomon Yan shook his head. At present, the person hiding his true colors has not yet revealed anything, and he could not deduce any useful information for the time being.

"However, what Hiruzen did was ultimately a bit extreme."

Mitokado Homura murmured, "Koharu mistakenly believes that he is really going to attack Uchiha Ikezumi, and she will inevitably offend Uchiha Ikezumi because of this. Hiruzen unintentionally dug a pit for Koharu this time."

"Although, given the extent of her dislike for Uchiha Ikezumi, she doesn't really care whether she offends her or not."

Mitokado Yan wondered if she should remind Koharu, who was in the same dorm.

But then I thought about it again, Hiruzen Sarutobi still has doubts about Koharu Utatane.

I'd better just observe how things develop from the sidelines!

"Who would have thought that with Uchiha Izumi away, the village would become even more chaotic..."

He muttered to himself helplessly.

……

Clang—Two kunai collided in mid-air. Uchiha Izumi's Sharingan with its three tomoe flashed red light, and she quickly ducked to avoid the blade that the Root ninja was slashing at her.

He then thrust his ninja sword diagonally upwards, the sharp blade slicing open the other's mask to reveal an ordinary face.

Quan gave a soft shout, braced himself with one hand on the ground, and kicked upwards with one foot.

Caught off guard, the Root ninja was kicked hard in the stomach.

"Cough cough cough-"

The Root ninja, his face suddenly changing, clutched his abdomen and staggered backward, beads of sweat pouring from his forehead. His eyes, as he looked at Uchiha Izumi, were filled with horror.

This little devil...

Is she really only twelve years old? Has she really only graduated from the Ninja Academy not long ago?

Koharu-sama ordered me to come and capture Uchiha Izumi, but I never expected to encounter such a tough opponent! Both I and Koharu-sama underestimated this Uchiha girl.

"call……"

Caught off guard, Izumi gripped the hilt of her ninja sword tightly. Staring intently at the Root ninja before her, she demanded, "Does Root intend to plunge completely into the abyss of darkness? What is Root's purpose in attacking me? Is it related to Senior Izumi?"

The Root ninja ignored her, coldly biting his thumb until it bled, and then pressed both palms to the ground.

"Psychic art!"

next second.

Suddenly, a huge ninja dog appeared and, under the command of the Root ninja, pounced directly on Uchiha Izumi.

……

A jet-black venomous snake bit down hard on the shoulder of a Root Special Jonin.

Mitarashi Anko, holding a kunai, turned around and blocked another Root ninja's attack from behind.

Several more venomous snakes emerged from her sleeves and lunged at the Root ninja who had ambushed her.

Mitarashi Anko never expected that she would be attacked twice by Root ninjas in just two days! If she hadn't rested well and recuperated last night, she probably would have been defeated in one move by the two Root ninjas.

This inexplicably ignited a nameless anger within Mitarashi Anko.

When will these guys from Root ever stop?!
What on earth is that short-sighted old woman named Koharu Utatane thinking? Does she intend to be an enemy of absolute justice?

After blocking another attack from the Root ninja, a possibility suddenly occurred to her. While struggling against them, she frowned and questioned, "Were you not just targeting me? Did that old woman, Koharu Utatane, take advantage of Izumi's absence to attack Izumi and Sasuke as well?!"

pity.

Root ninjas have always been taciturn, and this style has continued even though the Root ninjas have been replaced.

Neither of the two Root ninjas who were besieging Mitarashi Anko answered her question.

But this made Hongdou's mood even heavier.

Because she felt she must have guessed correctly!
……

"It shouldn't be Advisor Koharu." Yamato, who had been sent out by Hiruzen Sarutobi, arrived at the Sarutobi clan's residence and found Hiruzen Sarutobi.

He lowered his head and reported to the Hokage, "My ANBU squad and I have been observing the Root organization's every move."

"No clues have been found about the root tissue so far."

Yamato paused for a moment, then continued, "By the way, Hokage-sama. The Root ninjas seem to have gone a bit too far. I don't know if it was Koharu's deliberate instruction or what, but the methods they used in trying to take the ninjas who believe in 'absolute justice' back to Root were exceptionally violent."

"Lord Hokage, should we intervene and stop Root's actions?"

“No need.” Hiruzen Sarutobi, his face taut, shook his head. “Until we find out who is behind this, as long as no one from Root and Ikezumi’s subordinates has been killed, the Anbu need not get involved.”

Yamato hesitated, feeling that doing so might be inappropriate.

The Hokage is using Koharu Utatane and Izumi Uchiha as bait to lure the rat.

Logically speaking, as the Hokage, he was not wrong to do so.

Even if Xiaochun finds out she was used after changing dorms, she probably won't say much.

The issue is……

Does the Hokage dare to guarantee that Uchiha Ikezumi won't mind?
Yamato felt that the Hokage was indeed a bit too impatient.

He's playing with fire.

If handled well, this fire could burn down the mastermind behind it; if handled poorly, it might backfire.

“Continue to observe the actions of the people in the village.” Hiruzen Sarutobi’s words pulled Yamato back from his thoughts.

A complex expression flashed across his face beneath the Yamato mask.

However, due to his status, he ultimately did not remind Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

……

at the same time.

Just as two Root ninjas were about to bring Uchiha Sasuke and Hyuga Neji to the Root base, a rather tall figure suddenly appeared in front of them.

This caused the pupils of the two Root ninjas to shrink slightly.

"The Legendary Sannin... Jiraiya!!!"

Jiraiya, who was standing in front of the two of them, coughed lightly: "That's right! I... am the famous Sage Jiraiya!"

Then, Jiraiya's gaze fell on Sasuke, who was struggling, and Neji, who had fallen into a coma.

Jiraiya said in a deep voice, "Was it really necessary to use such force against two children? I heard you say at the Ninja Academy that this was the Hokage's order. What exactly happened? Can you let me know?"

The two Root ninjas exchanged glances.

"Jiraiya, this is none of your business." Just then, a voice suddenly rang out behind Jiraiya.

When Jiraiya turned around, he saw Koharu Utatane walking towards him under the protection of two Root guards.

Koharu took the initiative to speak up and told Jiraiya what had happened that day.

She then continued, "That's why I had my men capture those two brats."

Jiraiya was stunned.

The old man's daughter-in-law...

He was killed?!

"Wait a minute..." Jiraiya began, trying to sort out his jumbled thoughts. "If I remember correctly, Uchiha Izumi's eyes can see through other people's sins. He killed the old man's daughter-in-law, does that mean that the old man's daughter-in-law was actually also..."

"Jiraiya."

Koharu Utatane interrupted Jiraiya, saying, "There are actually two ways to interpret Hiruzen's decision this time."

"First: Sarutobi Nadeshiko is innocent. But Uchiha Ikezumi killed her by mistake, and his eyes cannot be infallible forever. In his anger, Hiruzen decided to thoroughly settle accounts with Absolute Justice."

"Secondly: Sarutobi Nadeshiko is not innocent, but Hiruzen wants to use this opportunity to eliminate Absolute Justice. It's because he finally realized that Absolute Justice will only bring disaster to Konoha."

“Revenge for loved ones is a good excuse. Even if Hiruzen doesn’t have a strong sense of justice, it’s not too bad.”

Jiraiya: "..."

For some reason, he sensed a hint of paranoia in the eyes of the high-ranking advisor from Konoha.

Jiraiya always felt that Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't think that way.

However, his understanding of this matter was limited to what Koharu Utatane had told him.

It's impossible to figure out the reason in a short time.

"Advisor Koharu, is it possible that someone is deliberately trying to sow discord between the old man and Uchiha Ikezumi? Is someone deliberately framing Uchiha Ikezumi?" Jiraiya suddenly asked.

Regardless, we must first protect Uchiha Sasuke, who is suspected to be the child of prophecy.

If he were to be interrogated by Root inside the Root base...

Jiraiya thought that after Uchiha Sasuke came out...

He's probably completely ruined!
"Absolutely impossible."

Koharu Utatane said coldly, "Who in the village doesn't know about Uchiha Ikezumi's many deeds? Given how well they know him, who in the village would frame him?"

Although she was a little annoyed, Koharu Utatane still said, "After all... with that kid's extreme sense of justice, he could easily find out who framed him."

Well……

That seems to make some sense.

Jiraiya suddenly had a flash of inspiration and suggested another possibility: "What if it's from another village?!"

Jiraiya took a deep breath: "It hasn't been that long since the Third Shinobi World War ended!"

Utane Koharu was stunned.

"Outside the village..."

Koharu Utatane stubbornly retorted, "What skills could an outsider ninja possibly have to infiltrate the Sarutobi clan's territory? You must know that's a place that Konoha considers exceptionally secure, since Hiruzen, as the Hokage of Konoha, needs to live there after finishing his duties."

But she stopped there.

Both Koharu and Jiraiya fell silent.

During their brief exchange of words, both sides had the same idea: perhaps someone was working with forces from other villages to coordinate an attack from within!
Furthermore, this person must be very familiar with the Sarutobi clan, and may even be a member of the Sarutobi clan.

Because only in this way can this thing be done!
Xiaochun, who had just switched dorm rooms, fell silent.

Just as Jiraiya secretly breathed a sigh of relief, he vaguely felt a strange and ominous premonition. When he couldn't help but follow that premonition and look up,

Jiraiya's pupils shrank.

--boom! ! !

A deafening roar followed, accompanied by billowing smoke and dust that spread in all directions.

Tsunade's voice rang out from within the rising dust.

"The old man comes out and causes trouble as soon as that brat is gone for a day."

Tsunade looked coldly at Koharu Utatane.

"Let the person go."

she spoke.

……

……

(End of this chapter)