Uchiha Mikoto recognized Uchiha Ikeizumi—not only because of his notorious reputation within the clan but also due to a conflict he had with Itachi three years prior. As far as she knew, if it hadn't been for Uchiha Shisui standing beside Itachi then, Itachi might have been in serious trouble.
After a brief moment of surprise, Mikoto quickly recovered and reached out to help Sasuke up. Her eyes held a mixture of distance and caution.
"Ikeizumi, Sasuke was just careless. He hasn't broken any of Konoha's laws," Mikoto said, worried that this extreme clan member might harm the young boy.
However, Ikeizumi merely glanced at her coldly, said nothing, and walked away as if her vigilance and tension were nothing but imagined.
Well…
She didn't sense any hostility from Ikeizumi.
"Ikeizumi-senpai, wait for me!" Izumi quickened her pace to follow.
"Mom, who is that? He looks so cold," seven-year-old Sasuke frowned, clearly displeased.
"He…" Mikoto hesitated, then replied, "He's a loner, Sasuke. Remember not to get too close to him."
"Why?" Sasuke asked, puzzled.
Mikoto recalled Itachi's past experiences and mused, "I don't know the details, but that person is very dangerous. If you really want to know, ask Itachi when he returns. Itachi… is somewhat familiar with Ikeizumi."
"Huh?"
Sasuke's attention shifted. "Brother's coming back?"
Mikoto smiled and nodded. "Yes, his ninja cat came back to the village yesterday and told me he'll be back the day after tomorrow."
But her smile seemed forced.
It was good that Itachi would return safely from his mission.
Yet…
There was still Ikeizumi in the village!
If those two happened to cross paths again, who knew what might happen?
Mikoto felt uneasy.
…
Night fell.
Exhausted, Izumi returned home, her entire body tense until she finally relaxed on the sofa, feeling completely drained.
The day's events had been so intense that her brain struggled to process everything.
She was just a freshly graduated Konoha Genin!
"By the way, how did senpai come to follow the path of 'absolute justice'…"
Finally having a moment to herself, Izumi's mind wandered.
"Curious, are you?"
"Hm…" Izumi instinctively responded.
"Hm?" Suddenly, the voice was not her mother's.
It was…
Ikeizumi's voice!
"Ah!!!"
Startled, Izumi shot upright and looked toward the voice—there was Ikeizumi, half-crouched on the windowsill of her open window. His calm, inscrutable eyes always made it impossible for her to guess what he was thinking.
Wait!
Shouldn't the question be why senpai was here?
Ikeizumi said, "Kitsune Jiro found new case details. Passing by, I brought you along. This should be a rare chance for you to gain real combat experience."
A big round-faced orange cat poked its head from the corner of the window. "Meow! Rookie! Hurry up!"
True to senpai's ninja cat's reputation—efficient and decisive!
Izumi hurried to her feet. "Okay, senpai!"
She called out to the kitchen, "Mom, don't make dinner for me! I'll eat out tonight!"
Izumi packed her ninja tools and decisively jumped out the window.
Only then did she realize and freeze for a moment: "Real… combat?"
Ikeizumi tersely said, "Follow me. We're leaving Konoha this time."
What? Leaving Konoha?!
Questions swirled in Izumi's mind, but this was no time to ask.
She had no choice but to follow closely.
…
"Meow! Rookie, my kids found a secret base outside the village!" Kitsune Jiro explained as they leapt from rooftop to rooftop.
"It looks like some kind of experimental base, about ten kilometers from Konoha."
Izumi, panting, asked, "Senpai Kitsune Jiro, how do you know there's a case there?"
"Pure experience!" the ninja cat's voice was sharp and peculiar.
"I've followed Lord Ikeizumi for five years! I've inherited at least one percent of his skills and experience! Mainly because my kids spotted Anbu-dressed ninjas coming and going from that secret base."
"Places involving Root or Anbu are usually bad news."
Kitsune Jiro swore, "Lord Ikeizumi once said there's almost no good person in Konoha's Anbu or Root."
"Killing them all might be unfair, but killing one after another will definitely leave many slipping through!"
Izumi swallowed hard.
She vaguely understood what senpai meant by "real combat."
Senpai was probably planning to storm the Anbu's secret base.
"Rookie, a word of warning."
Ikeizumi's voice drifted through the night breeze, faint but clear enough for Izumi to listen carefully.
"Don't think the Anbu are the 'good guys' just because they're the Hokage's secret force. If you view them through that lens, you'll have a hard time ahead. Root and Anbu have always been among the greatest concentrations of 'evil' in the ninja world."
Izumi's heart tightened. She quickly responded, "I understand, Ikeizumi-senpai!"
She sensed there was a deeper meaning to his words—
Don't have rose-colored glasses about the Hokage.
Suddenly, she blurted out in shock, "Senpai Ikeizumi, tonight's 'case'… is it really within the Military Police's jurisdiction?"
Without turning his head, Ikeizumi replied, "It's within the scope of [Justice]."
Hiss!
Senpai Ikeizumi clearly didn't care about village rules or Military Police regulations.
That night belonged to Senpai's own execution of [Justice].
"No," Uchiha Ikeizumi's voice came softly but firmly. "This is the night of [Absolute Justice]. Since you chose me as your auditor, Rookie, you must learn to get used to it. Nights like this will come often—and they will be long."
Izumi's eyes widened in shock.
Senpai really does read minds, doesn't he?
She felt a chill run down her spine.
"Meow, it's because you're too easy to read, young lady. You can't hide your thoughts at all—they're all written across your face and in your tone," Kitsune Jiro added quietly.
Izumi was stunned.
Even a cat can tell what I'm thinking?
The blow was hard.
Lost in a haze of confusion and exhaustion, Izumi suddenly realized she had unknowingly followed Ikeizumi far beyond the borders of Konoha.
The village was now hundreds of meters behind them.