Absolute Justice: Uchiha’s Crusade

On the other side, Uchiha Setsuna and the other radical elders had also heard from the younger shinobi about the arrival of the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki.

"The Jinchūriki has been brought into the Police Force again?"

Uchiha Setsuna frowned deeply. Though he too coveted the power of the Jinchūriki, this time he held back from acting rashly. "What exactly is that brat Uchiha Keizumi planning?"

After all, the last time he tried to make a move on the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki, he was stopped by Keizumi.

And that brat had been extremely forceful—so much so that Setsuna had been thoroughly humiliated.

It was as if, should he really dare to lay a hand on the Jinchūriki, Keizumi would kill him without a second thought.

Thinking back on that incident made Setsuna grind his teeth in frustration.

It was also because of that episode that his influence within the Uchiha clan had significantly declined. Some of the younger radicals had even stopped showing him the respect due to a senior.

Now, having calmed down a bit, Setsuna began to ponder Keizumi's true motives.

"Is he trying to use the Jinchūriki to intensify the tension between the village and the Uchiha? Force the clan into open opposition against Konoha's leadership? Then, once the coup is triggered, harness the Nine-Tails' power to wipe out the village's top combat forces… and let the Uchiha seize full control of Konoha?!"

The moment this thought popped into Setsuna's mind…

He suddenly went silent.

Because he couldn't read Keizumi at all. And the very idea he had just imagined—was, in fact, one of his own ideal plans.

Just then—

Another Uchiha shinobi rushed in to report to Setsuna, his expression visibly urgent.

"Elder Setsuna!"

The Uchiha ninja quickly said, "The Third Hokage and Senior Advisor Koharu—they've brought a huge contingent of ANBU directly into our Uchiha compound!"

"I'm afraid they've mobilized most of Konoha's ANBU. Among them are shinobi wearing the Root masks! It looks like Koharu has temporarily taken command of the Root organization!"

Setsuna's expression turned grave. His first thought was that the Uchiha's coup plot had been exposed—and the Hokage had decided to strike first, to crush them with overwhelming force.

Right now, the strongest combatants of the Uchiha clan were Uchiha Keizumi, Uchiha Fugaku, and Uchiha Itachi.

Keizumi, however, was entirely in his own camp. He didn't care about, nor involve himself in, the political tension between the Uchiha and the village.

The other two—one was a clan head who always sided with outsiders, and the other, a little bastard who would one day slaughter his entire clan.

Under these circumstances…

If the Third Hokage truly intended to suppress the Uchiha clan by force, then they might not be able to resist at all!

"Damn it…"

"Is it going to end before it even begins?"

Uchiha Setsuna was filled with unwillingness. His face darkened with gloom as he immediately gave an order: "Gather every Uchiha from the radical faction! I want to see for myself what that Third Hokage intends to do to our Uchiha clan! Hmph! If we're speaking in terms of seniority, I'm still his elder!"

Soon—

Many of the radical Uchiha shinobi assembled.

However, due to the urgency of the situation, many Uchiha were still out on duty, and only about twenty to thirty managed to gather.

With a grim expression, Setsuna led this small force of elite Uchiha straight toward where Sarutobi Hiruzen was located.

…

"The Uchiha clan…"

Though Koharu wasn't as extreme as Shimura Danzō in her views, she had never liked this uncontrollable shinobi clan. Too many among the Uchiha had unstable minds.

Especially given the way they awakened the Sharingan—it practically guaranteed that there were hardly any sane members among them.

Troublesome individuals with dangerously extreme ideologies kept popping up.

Like Uchiha Madara, who had turned against the First Hokage back in the day.

And now—

Uchiha Keizumi, who had brought the Jinchūriki into the Uchiha compound.

To Koharu, people like them weren't normal.

They were all mentally unstable, driven to madness by the power of the Sharingan.

Oh, right—

There was also the rumored Uchiha Itachi, who would one day massacre the entire clan. Koharu didn't think he was normal either.

Still, since Itachi stood on Konoha's side, Koharu didn't harbor much personal bias against him.

You could say the boy had… a remarkable sense of duty.

Thankfully, Uchiha Itachi was part of the Uchiha—and not the Utatane clan. His madness would be their burden, not hers.

Sensing the sharp gazes filled with caution and hostility all around her, Koharu's expression turned cold. In a low voice, she said to Sarutobi Hiruzen beside her: "Hiruzen, the radicals in the Uchiha clan are becoming more and more reckless. Are you really going to keep letting them run wild? Shouldn't we make preparations in advance?"

Just as Hiruzen was about to reply, a large group of Uchiha shinobi suddenly emerged ahead.

At the front stood none other than Uchiha Setsuna, flanked by several other radical Uchiha elders.

The ANBU behind Sarutobi Hiruzen also grew alert.

Both sides came to a stop, just 10 meters apart.

"Hokage-sama," Uchiha Setsuna stood leaning on his cane, his face far more weathered than Hiruzen's, and his expression showed clear displeasure. "If you wished to visit the Uchiha clan, a simple notice in advance would've sufficed. There was no need to show up unannounced with such a large force."

His gaze darkened. "If you came here looking for me, well—here I am. Whatever problem you have, we can settle it right here and now."

"As long as I still draw breath, the Uchiha clan will never back down!"

He deliberately ignored the many times the Uchiha had already backed down in the past.

After all, those were the fine achievements of that clan head who always sided with outsiders—Fugaku.

Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned. "I didn't come here for you. Keizumi… and Naruto. Where are they?"

"…!"

Setsuna fell silent.

Whether Hiruzen meant it intentionally or not, Setsuna couldn't help but read a certain subtext in his words—You're not even worth bringing this many ANBU for.

So then, who was worth it?

Setsuna had his answer—Uchiha Keizumi.

Only that dangerously extreme, fiercely independent brat would draw this much attention and caution from the Third Hokage himself.

Compared to him, Setsuna… was he just a nobody in the eyes of Konoha's leadership?

His face, already dark, twisted into an even more complex expression.

…

"Hokage-sama!"

Suddenly, a voice rang out nearby—urgent, but tinged with relief.

It was Yamanaka Ryōshin, the ANBU operative who had entered the Uchiha compound earlier, only to be surrounded and blocked from leaving by Uchiha clansmen.

He quickly made his way to Hiruzen's side and, looking ashamed, said, "Uzumaki Naruto has been taken into the Police Force Headquarters by Uchiha Keizumi."

Hiruzen immediately noticed the guilt in the young man's eyes.

He offered comfort. "Keizumi is an unpredictable element. The fact that you acted on instinct and clashed with him—that was the right choice."

Meanwhile, Setsuna watched as the Third Hokage completely ignored his presence.

Damn it…

So in the eyes of Konoha's leadership, he posed less of a threat than Keizumi?

And yet…

That might not be a total loss. After all, to Setsuna, Uchiha Keizumi wasn't someone he could ever win over. On the contrary—Keizumi was a potential threat to his very life.

On one side stood Konoha's top leadership. On the other, Uchiha Keizumi.

This confrontation between the two might actually be a good thing for him.

But being blatantly ignored in front of so many clansmen made Uchiha Setsuna's face cycle between shades of red and green with embarrassment.

When he watched Sarutobi Hiruzen and Koharu lead the ANBU squad toward the Police Force Headquarters without sparing him another glance—

Setsuna and the others were left standing there awkwardly, frozen in place.

"Elder Setsuna, it looks like they're going after Uchiha Keizumi. Shouldn't we stop them?" a younger member of the radical faction asked eagerly from behind.

"Hmph! So you're saying we should help an outsider who refuses to align with us and opposes us at every turn?!"

Setsuna's face darkened, his tone ice cold. "Don't forget what happened the last time we tried to lay a hand on the Jinchūriki. How did Uchiha Keizumi respond to us? You want to help him? He'll never see you as an ally. In his eyes, if you commit evil, you deserve to die—he wouldn't hesitate to turn his blade on his own clansmen."

"He's no different from that bastard Uchiha Itachi!"

Setsuna emphasized that final line with deliberate weight in front of the younger Uchiha radicals.

But when he noticed several of their expressions flicker with hesitation, his face darkened even more.

Because he realized some of them might be starting to view Keizumi differently.

They might even be admiring his so-called Absolute Justice.

They were just holding back because he—Elder Setsuna—was standing right there.

Setsuna clenched his wooden cane tightly, his expression growing vicious and stormy.

Uchiha Keizumi…

You truly deserve to die!

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