Absolute Justice: Uchiha’s Crusade

"Senpai… What now?"

Izumi had been bold in shouting back at the fearful crowd. But in front of her senior, she lacked the same confidence.

"There will be a ninja cat heading back to the Police Force to summon someone to handle the body," Uchiha Keizumi replied calmly.

Izumi watched as a ninja cat crouching at the corner of the alley quickly darted off into the distance.

Those ninja cats… they must be the most trusted and capable companions of Keizumi-senpai, right?

Wait—no, no!

I'm Keizumi-senpai's most capable assistant!

Izumi quickly straightened her posture, correcting her mindset.

…

After Uchiha Keizumi left the street, the previously silent Konohagakure civilians finally gathered the courage to approach the body—its head half destroyed—still lying motionless on the ground.

"Damn… what a gruesome way to die… How many people has Uchiha Keizumi killed in the village just this month?"

Someone shuddered, goosebumps rising all over their arms.

"Is he even an officer of the Police Force anymore… or just a killer?"

"Didn't they say that guy Uchiha Keizumi possesses eyes that can see the evil of the past and future? The Sharingan of the Uchiha clan was already freaky enough—but maybe he really can see through other people's darkness. And he's always been the kind who can't stand evil."

"The girl just now said that man was a murderer. If that's true, and he was executed by Uchiha Keizumi of the Police Force, then… maybe he got what he deserved?"

"But don't you think this is going too far? Shouldn't they arrest him first and conduct a proper trial? What if it was a mistake? What if he wasn't guilty?"

"…That man would never kill the innocent."

A quiet voice rose suddenly among the murmurs.

"He's not as terrifying as people make him out to be. He only raises his blade against those who are truly guilty. You have no reason to fear him."

The sudden and discordant voice drew everyone's attention to the speaker.

It was a man—his expression haggard, eyes sunken.

He didn't seem to care about the strange looks cast his way. What mattered to him was that Keizumi-sama was being misunderstood.

Bowing his head, he stepped forward and—in front of everyone—lifted his shirt to reveal an old scar. With a clenched jaw, he said: "If it hadn't been for Keizumi-sama bringing justice to those three animals who raped and murdered my fiancée, I wouldn't have had the slightest clue how to make them pay."

Tears welled in his eyes and spilled over in an instant. His voice trembled with grief.

"You people… you only judge him because you think his ways are too harsh. And so you turn that fear into prejudice."

"But how would you know… what it's like to live in the dark, drowning in pain like I was?"

"To someone like me, Keizumi-sama… is the only light that proved justice still exists in this world!"

"So please—don't misunderstand him!

He has never been the enemy of those of us who've never committed evil!"

...

Trailing behind Izumi with dazed steps and a faintly trembling body, Sasuke heard the distant shouting from somewhere behind them.

Even he couldn't explain why—despite being terrified of Uchiha Keizumi—he had instinctively followed Izumi as she walked away.

His little heart was still thundering wildly in his chest.

"Sasuke-kun. I'm sorry. Because of that unexpected incident earlier, I never got the chance to answer your question about the 'rumors' regarding your brother, Uchiha Itachi."

Izumi's voice pulled Sasuke out of his daze at last.

He quickly turned his gaze toward her.

And suddenly, Sasuke noticed something—Izumi had changed how she referred to his brother.

He vaguely remembered that she used to call him 'Itachi-kun'—a familiar and intimate form of address between close friends.

Now, she said 'Uchiha Itachi'.

It sounded distant. Cold.

Izumi's expression dimmed, her tone tinged with disappointment. She brushed back a loose strand of hair behind her ear and began to speak slowly.

"Sasuke-kun… the rumors you heard in the village today—only half of them are false. The other half… is true."

"???"

Sasuke's breath nearly stopped. His face filled with panic.

Stammering, he asked, "W-Which… which part is true?"

At first, Izumi hesitated. She feared that telling Sasuke the truth might be too cruel.

But considering Sasuke would one day be part of that very future evil, maybe he had the right to know.

Maybe he needed to know what kind of person his brother really was.

"Keizumi-senpai has the ability to see future evil," Izumi said at last. "He saw your brother Uchiha Itachi's future. One year from now, the entire Uchiha clan… will be annihilated by Uchiha Itachi."

Under Sasuke's horrified, disbelieving gaze…

Izumi's next words cut like a blade: "Your father. Your mother. Your friends. Your relatives. They will all die by Uchiha Itachi's hand. He will kill them himself."

"This… your father, Clan Head Fugaku, already knows. Your brother Uchiha Itachi knows as well.

They both chose to believe in Keizumi-senpai's ability."

"Your father chose to protect Uchiha Itachi, even knowing his firstborn would destroy the clan one day."

"Your brother accepted that he would one day commit such atrocities. He even said it himself—he wouldn't regret it."

Izumi stopped walking.

She turned around to face Sasuke directly, bending slightly at the knees.

Her clear, tear-bright eyes met Sasuke's own—confused and brimming with tears.

"Sasuke-kun… this is the 'future evil' of Uchiha Itachi. He will slaughter nearly the entire Uchiha clan."

"I know this isn't the answer you wanted."

"I'm sorry, Sasuke-kun…"

"But this is the truth."

...

"Have you found out who's been spreading those damaging rumors about Itachi in the village?!"

Inside the Hokage's office stood Sarutobi Hiruzen, Uchiha Itachi, and a masked ANBU ninja.

With his hands clasped behind his back, Hiruzen stood at the window, his expression grim as he questioned the ANBU without turning around.

The ANBU lowered his head and answered truthfully, "We haven't identified the source yet, but it seems to have originated from within the Uchiha Clan."

Hiruzen exhaled a heavy, weary sigh.

He turned and walked over to Uchiha Itachi, his tone filled with remorse. "Itachi, I'm sorry. I failed to detect the spread of these harmful rumors in time, and I couldn't suppress them at the first moment."

Just this morning, Hiruzen had urged Itachi to forget whatever he had said to Uchiha Keizumi, and to keep that matter from spreading to others.

His intention was to help conceal the so-called 'future evil' associated with Itachi.

But who could have foreseen—

In just half a day, rumors about Itachi's 'future atrocities' had already swept across the entire village.

And with people exaggerating and embellishing as they passed the story along—

The truth had turned into a complete fabrication!

Itachi, however, remained calm and composed. He shook his head and said, "Hokage-sama, it doesn't matter to me. My personal reputation is far less important than the peace and stability of Konohagakure."

He looked down at his hands hanging at his sides and continued, "It's not necessarily a bad thing. Maybe this is a good chance for me to get used to the feeling of being cursed and condemned by the masses."

Hiruzen was momentarily stunned.

This child… Itachi truly believed—unshakably—that he would one day annihilate the Uchiha Clan.

…

When Uchiha Sasuke returned alone to the Uchiha compound, he was dazed and out of sorts. Faint streaks of tears still marked his face, barely wiped clean.

His eyes were slightly bloodshot, with a reddish hue to the whites, and his usual spark was gone—his expression vacant, hollow.

The moment he stepped into the compound, Sasuke clearly sensed it—numerous gazes locked onto him at once.

It made his skin crawl, an unbearable itch along his spine.

"That brat… he's the younger brother of that damned beast Uchiha Itachi, right? Uchiha Sasuke or something?"

"He's Itachi's blood relative. Hey, hey, do you think he's planning to kill us too? Keeping a brat like that in the clan—he's bound to be a disaster."

"I heard those two were pretty close. Maybe we should grab the kid and use him to threaten Uchiha Itachi…"

"…Will that brat really die at Uchiha Itachi's hands one day? I remember clearly—he was the kind of monster who even killed his own parents."

The murmured, almost imperceptible whispers slipped into Sasuke's ears.

Cold sweat broke out across his body.

He no longer dared to argue whether his brother was good or evil. He didn't even dare linger in the streets—even though this was still the Uchiha compound.

Keeping his head down, Sasuke quickened his pace, hurrying home in silence.

…

"…Fugaku, you've known all along, haven't you?" Uchiha Mikoto stared at her silent husband, her expression tense and conflicted.

Today, many clansmen had come to their home.

Some were furious, demanding answers. Others wore puzzled faces, hoping for an explanation… In the end, Fugaku either dismissed them with vague replies or deflected them entirely.

But after so many years of living together, Mikoto could see it clearly—her husband had lied to them all.

Even from the fragments she'd heard through the clan's whispers, Mikoto could piece it together.

Fugaku sighed under her gaze.

He finally broke his silence, eyes falling on his clenched fists. His voice was low. "I knew this morning… because I went to meet Keizumi with Itachi. I heard it from Keizumi's own mouth. You know he may have a biased view of Itachi—but he doesn't lie."

Mikoto stood frozen, like her strength had been drained from within. She stumbled, unable to keep her balance.

Fugaku immediately rose and reached out to steady her.

"Kei… Keizumi…!" Mikoto gasped. Her usually radiant features had turned pale, and her delicate lips had lost their color. She trembled as she asked, "Did Keizumi… mention anything more specific about the 'future'? In that future… did Itachi… did he kill Sasuke too?"

Fugaku shook his head. "Sasuke wasn't mentioned."

That morning, when they met with Uchiha Keizumi, he had said nothing about 'Uchiha Sasuke' being one of the victims of the future massacre.

Just then, Fugaku paused—like something had struck him.

He added quietly, "And neither was Keizumi."

But at that moment—

A faint, ragged breathing reached their ears. Both turned their heads toward the doorway.

There stood Sasuke, one hand gripping the frame for support. His face was pale, his eyes brimming with tears as he panted heavily.

"I…"

He bit down hard on his lip, breaking the skin. The sharp tang of blood and iron filled his mouth, but he forced himself to speak.

"I know too."

Fugaku froze.

For a long moment, silence hung thick in the air—

Then he exhaled, a deep and heavy sigh.

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