Inuzuka Maki's mind drifted back to years ago, to the night when a young boy turned Orochimaru's research base into a sea of molten lava. Many of his comrades had died at that boy's hands. If not for the timely intervention of the Hokage, who stopped the Uchiha boy wielding both Molten Release and the Sharingan, Maki himself might have perished that night.
He had believed he would never again face that terrifying molten-release ninja, who seemed almost demonic.
Yet here he was—standing before him tonight.
Maki swore he could never mistake that face, even though the boy had grown several years older and shed much of his youthful innocence. The basic contours remained unmistakably the same.
Snapping back to reality, Maki barely had time to wonder how the boy had silently infiltrated the base before he lunged for the alarm on the left wall.
"Eh?"
Suddenly, his vision blurred as an arm shot up, blocking his sight and covering the alarm.
It was his own arm!
Blood splattered across his horrified face as a deep wound appeared on his neck, blood pouring like a broken dam.
His severed head rolled from his neck.
Uchiha Ikeizumi had silently stepped over the headless corpse.
His voice cold and indifferent, he addressed the trembling Izumi behind him:
"Rookie, this is the iron-handed method required to uphold absolute justice. You must harbor a killing intent more thorough than that of 'evil' itself to purge the 'evil' of the ninja world—without mercy."
As Ikeizumi finished speaking, he flicked a sharp kunai to his left.
The kunai sliced through the air, striking a ninja who had noticed the commotion and was approaching to investigate.
"Ugh!!!"
The ninja clutched his neck in panic, choking on the overwhelming sensation of suffocation and terror.
He couldn't understand why enemies had appeared tonight or why the Anbu on watch hadn't sounded an alarm.
Ikeizumi paused, then turned to Izumi.
"Rookie, finish him off. Show me if your resolve for justice is as strong as you claim. Just a reminder—the man you're about to kill participated in inhumane human experiments and has blood on his hands from war orphans."
Sweat dripped from Izumi's trembling hands as she gripped the kunai tightly.
She approached the struggling ninja, teeth clenched.
"Senpai… at first, I was very afraid of you because of the bad rumors in the Military Police Force. When I first met you, I misunderstood you deeply."
Standing before the ninja clutching his neck, her clear, expressive eyes met his terrified yet pleading gaze.
"But after these past few days, I've realized you are nothing like the rumors. You are not the 'killing demon' they say. Everything you do is for justice."
Raising the kunai high, her arm trembling slightly, she declared,
"Your belief in [Absolute Justice] has shown me the true 'light' that belongs to goodness in this world. Your justice is the justice I, Uchiha Izumi, want to follow."
Izumi's arm steadied, her pupils returning to normal. Senpai had said this man's hands were stained with the lives of war orphans and that he had participated in inhumane human experiments.
Therefore…
Before [Absolute Justice],
He…
Must be purged!!!
Izumi drove the kunai deep into the forehead of the approaching ninja with such force that it pierced through the thin metal plate of his Konoha forehead protector, embedding itself in his skull with a soft "pop."
[Ding! Your disciple of [Absolute Justice] has successfully slain a "red-named" villain! Your chakra has been slightly enhanced! Congratulations, you have unlocked a new skill: "Dog Training."]
[Simultaneously, Uchiha Izumi also gains a slight chakra boost!]
Uchiha Ikeizumi unexpectedly glanced at the panting girl's retreating figure.
This was the first strange change in his "cheat" in many years.
Had Izumi's resolve just earned the "cheat's" recognition?
Or…
Watching the girl stagger unsteadily to her feet, staring blankly at the blood on her hands, Ikeizumi realized the answer to the doubt that had arisen in his mind.
"Uchiha Izumi."
"Y-yes!!!" Izumi instinctively shouted, then suddenly realized her mistake. Her face drained of color—she knew she had messed up.
Oh no!
Had her unthinking shout ruined Ikeizumi's stealth plan?
However,
When she looked anxiously at Ikeizumi, bracing for a furious reprimand, none came.
Instead, Ikeizumi said flatly, "Rookie, your stupidity alerted the enemy. Deduct 1,010 points from your score."
Izumi's face went pale instantly.
Senpai had said the perfect score was 1,000 points. She had once earned only ten points. Now, with a deduction of 1,010 points… that meant negative points!
Negative points meant…
Would Senpai kill her?
"Your current score is zero," Ikeizumi said, his gaze already fixed on the Anbu ninjas rushing toward them.
Izumi froze.
She watched, dazed, as Ikeizumi single-handedly charged forward with his blade, unhesitatingly attacking three Anbu ninjas who had just arrived, her mind still echoing the word "zero."
"So… for a moment just now…"
"Did I have a perfect score?!"
Her initial fear of killing vanished instantly.
…
"You're Uchiha Ikeizumi?" one Anbu ninja immediately recognized the well-known Uchiha from Konoha and drew his blade, confronting him. "What are you doing here? I warn you—stop right now!"
Nearby, another Anbu's pupils contracted sharply as he warned, "Careful! His blade is bloody! Don't look into his eyes!"
Too late.
Two of the three Anbu suddenly froze, clearly affected by the genjutsu of the Sharingan.
The remaining Anbu was horrified.
Fortunately, he was an elite and reacted quickly. Before Ikeizumi could close in, he formed hand seals and shouted,
"Genjutsu: Kai (Release)!"
He then threw two shuriken at his comrades—not out of confusion, but because he lacked confidence in dispelling the Uchiha genjutsu himself and tried to force his comrades awake through pain.
He succeeded.
The other two Anbu snapped out of the genjutsu.
At that moment, crimson-eyed Uchiha Ikeizumi was already upon them, closing in.
His kunai slashed toward one's throat.
Clang—
The metallic clash rang sharply.
The attack was blocked.
"Huff, huff…" The Anbu gripped his blade, arm raised defensively, sweat pouring down his face. "Sharingan genjutsu… is terrifying. Luckily… we're a well-coordinated Anbu trio. Thankfully, one of us can help break the genjutsu."
"Is that so?"
Ikeizumi's voice sounded behind them. "What illusion makes you think the genjutsu was broken?"
"What!?"