Inside the Root base, Danzo's face was dark as he stared coldly at Sarutobi Hiruzen and the Anbu as they disappeared from sight. Once they were completely out of view, his fury erupted.
"Bastard!!!"
All the research data on Wood Release and the Sharingan had been extorted by that monkey bastard.
Worse still, Danzo had been forced to hand over the remaining two three-tomoe Sharingan that he hadn't yet transplanted onto himself—eyes painstakingly acquired during the Third Great Ninja War through Root's covert efforts.
Now, not only had Uchiha Ikeizumi wasted one Sharingan, but that monkey had also extorted two more!
This was exactly the explanation the monkey wanted to satisfy him.
Moreover, before leaving, Hiruzen had issued Danzo a warning—almost a threat:
"Danzo, don't let me hear of such incidents again. The first time, I tolerated you because you truly contributed much to Konoha. Next time, my patience will run out. If this happens again, you can step down as Root's leader."
Recalling Hiruzen's words, Danzo clenched his fists tightly.
"This Root was painstakingly nurtured by me! How dare he threaten my position!"
He ground his teeth, each word sharp and deliberate.
"Damn monkey! And that naturally evil Uchiha brat!!!"
At that moment, a Root intelligence officer hurried back to the base, immediately reporting new information to Danzo.
"Lord Danzo, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Uzumaki Naruto, has been taken by Uchiha Ikeizumi to the Military Police Force building! It's said this happened with the Third Hokage's tacit approval."
Danzo was stunned.
…
Inside the Uchiha clan's stronghold:
"Ikeizumi brought that fox brat to the Military Police building?"
An Uchiha ninja's eyes lit up with excitement and challenge.
"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! That Nine-Tails fox was sealed inside this brat—he is the Jinchuriki!"
"If we can control the Jinchuriki's power, which of the village's old fogeys would dare oppose us Uchiha?"
He was thrilled.
"Never thought Ikeizumi, who usually seems so out of place and often clashes with his own clan, would come through when it counts!"
The fact that Naruto was almost certainly the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki seemed a secret known only to Konoha's upper echelon.
But no one was foolish; rumors about the boy being the fox's incarnation and a harbinger of disaster circulated widely.
Rumors rarely arose without cause.
Anyone connecting the dots would see the inseparable link between Naruto and the Nine-Tails.
Nearby, another Uchiha ninja sneered, "I heard Naruto is in Lord Fugaku's office. Knowing Fugaku's personality… hah, do you think he'd let us use the Jinchuriki to intimidate the village's elders?"
"That's Fugaku, the 'big picture' man!"
Another Uchiha gritted his teeth. "Hmph! Lord Fugaku is indecisive! But if we gather enough clan members and pressure him, how could he refuse?"
"With the fox's power, our coup plan could be executed sooner."
"We can call on Elder Setsuna!"
…
Over twenty Uchiha hawks gathered—hardliners centered around Uchiha Setsuna, the elder who had been imprisoned by the Second Hokage for years due to his coup attempt and only recently released.
But these younger hawks were slow to react.
The elder hawks led by Setsuna had already rushed to the Military Police building.
Yet…
…
"Uchiha Ikeizumi, what do you mean?!" Setsuna, about the same age as Hiruzen and leaning on a cane, glared at Ikeizumi blocking the street.
"Ike… Ikeizumi-senpai, what are you doing?" Izumi, following behind, stared in shock.
Ikeizumi calmly drew the kunai at Izumi's waist and stood silently in the middle of the Uchiha district's street.
The atmosphere instantly grew tense.
The hawk elders' guards stepped forward, confronting Ikeizumi.
Ikeizumi ignored Setsuna's questions and calmly said to Izumi, "Rookie, when 'evil' clashes with 'evil,' they may both be destroyed or perish together."
"But such conflicts affect many innocent bystanders. Do you think 'absolute justice' should stand by and watch, or intervene?"
Izumi paused, thinking hard, twirling her hair nervously.
"Senpai, this is a deep question… but I think absolute justice shouldn't be so heartless."
Her courage grew.
"If it were up to me, I would choose to intervene!"
Wait…
Ikeizumi wouldn't ask such a question without reason.
And with his current actions…
Hiss!
Could it be that in his eyes, these aged Uchiha elders are also 'evil'?
Then who is the other 'evil'?
Lord Fugaku? Or the Hokage?
Izumi swallowed nervously.
"Rookie, you only answered half correctly," Ikeizumi said slowly.
"Absolute justice shows no mercy. It requires ruthless measures to be fulfilled. The reason to stop such conflicts is because absolute justice cannot tolerate any 'evil' flaunting itself."
"Even if letting 'evil' fight 'evil' benefits justice, allowing 'evil' to run rampant is already a betrayal of absolute justice."
"Never think you can tolerate one 'evil' to let it destroy another. If there is any mistake causing them not to mutually destroy each other…"
"That only allows one 'evil' to grow so powerful that even absolute justice cannot suppress it."
The Uchiha hawks' coup plan wasn't 'evil' to Ikeizumi—it was just a plan.
But their reckless, justice-trampling, twisted actions during the coup…
To Ikeizumi, that was 'evil.'
He knew this clearly because of the red-and-white interlaced boxes before him.
'Evil' revealed in full.
Then Ikeizumi finally addressed the stormy-faced Setsuna.
His words ignited the elder's fury.
"This path is blocked."
"Whoever comes will die."