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NAJ Chapter 82: A Mask Called Justice
🕑 Added 2025-07-13 21:56:16 +0000 UTCUpon seeing how the situation was unfolding, Uchiha Fugaku realized he no longer had a place in the conversation.
Just a minute ago, he’d taken a firm stance in support of the Hokage.
He’d decisively rejected Uzumaki Naruto’s 'recklessness', hoping to show Hiruzen and Koharu that the Uchiha had no ulterior motives regarding the jinchūriki.
If that added pressure could also help suppress Uchiha Keizumi, then all the better.
At the very least, it might force Keizumi to cool down for a while.
But who could have predicted—
That while he was standing firm in front of Keizumi, while he was striking hard at his own kin to protect the clan’s reputation…
It would be the Hokage who first surrendered.
It would be Hiruzen who backed down.
Fugaku couldn’t help but glance toward Koharu.
Only to find that the once-stern, sharp-tongued councilor—
The one who had been relentlessly confronting Keizumi—
Now merely cast Keizumi a long, silent look…
Then followed Hiruzen’s order without protest, taking the remaining Root shinobi with her and leaving the scene.
Only a few ANBU remained behind.
Fugaku: “???”
Wait, hold on—
Hiruzen had yielded.
Koharu had withdrawn.
So now, he, the one who had taken the hardest line…
What the hell was he supposed to do?
Fugaku suddenly felt like he was stuck in an awkward position—unable to advance or retreat.
And honestly, part of him was grateful that aside from Keizumi, there were no other Police Force members present in the morgue.
Otherwise…
Whatever shred of authority he still held as head of the Uchiha Clan—
Would’ve completely crumbled right then and there.
When Fugaku finally shifted his stiff gaze back to Uchiha Keizumi…
He was surprised.
Keizumi didn’t exploit the moment to humiliate him.
In fact, it felt like he hadn’t even looked him in the eye once.
…
“…Um…”
Naruto had no idea what kind of chaos was running through the minds of the adults around him.
After furiously wiping away the last of his tears, he looked up at Uchiha Keizumi with joy in his voice: “Hokage-ojiichan said I can stay and help look for the murderer! And he’s even coming with us to carry out justice!”
But Keizumi responded coldly: “If you truly want to embrace justice, then you should feel ashamed of this.”
Naruto was momentarily stunned.
Uchiha Keizumi spoke: “It’s because ‘evil’ sensed that you possess a power it cannot control. That’s why it was forced to reluctantly compromise—putting on a sickening disguise of justice, pretending to uphold it, and declaring it would join you in executing justice.”
“But look at it the other way: if justice holds no real power, then ‘evil’ won’t even bother with the disguise. It will trample justice underfoot, shamelessly and without restraint.”
Sarutobi Hiruzen: “???”
He hadn’t been mentioned by name, but Hiruzen had the distinct feeling that Keizumi was talking about him.
That he, the Hokage, was being called 'evil'!
Naruto, still a bit dazed, took a moment to process Keizumi’s words.
When it finally clicked, his eyes widened in shock: “Hokage-ojiichan is… a bad guy???”
Naruto had a knack for cutting straight to the heart of things.
Hiruzen suddenly felt his blood pressure spike.
He couldn’t believe what he was hearing—
After everything he had done to calm Naruto down, to comfort him, to compromise with him—he had practically thrown away every ounce of dignity he had, all just to regain the child’s trust.
And now?
Keizumi said a few words—just a few!—and Naruto believed him without question!?
“Naruto, you misunderstood. Keizumi wasn’t talking about me,” Hiruzen said, trying his best to sound kind and gentle.
But his expression had clearly stiffened.
“I am the Hokage of Konoha, entrusted with the noble Will of Fire. How could I possibly be a bad person?”
“He didn’t misunderstand,” Uchiha Keizumi cut in.
Just one sentence—
And everything else Hiruzen had wanted to say got stuck in his throat.
"Merely turning a blind eye to Danzō’s crimes, treating him like a black glove… Knowing full well the depth of his atrocities and yet refusing to punish him—instead giving tacit approval, sometimes even outright support… That alone is already collusion with the ‘evil’ that plagues the shinobi world."
Under the gaze of the many ANBU shinobi, beneath the stunned expression of Hiruzen—
Every word spoken by Uchiha Keizumi was utterly unreserved.
Like knives, each sentence drove straight into Sarutobi Hiruzen.
"Under such circumstances, how can the Third even have the face to claim he is not a villain himself? Just because you are the Third Hokage of Konohagakure, does that entitle you to privileges other evildoers don't have?"
Hiruzen's lips twitched slightly. In the face of Keizumi's words, he genuinely didn’t know how to fire back immediately.
Because deep down, he knew—it was true. He had treated Danzō as his black glove. After all, Root had always been the dark side of the village.
Only by merging light and shadow had Konoha become the powerful village it was today.
Some of the dirty work Danzō carried out had, in fact, been done with his silent approval and backing. Many in the village already knew this—it was just that no one ever said it aloud.
Everyone simply gave the Hokage that much face.
But…
Among the many people in Konoha, there would always be someone unwilling to give him that face. Like the Uchiha Keizumi standing before him now.
Yet when he saw Naruto's expression turn to sudden shock and dawning realization—
Hiruzen’s heart instantly clenched.
He cleared his throat and assumed a serious, composed demeanor, hands behind his back, calmly offering a rebuttal: "Root, led by Danzō, and I, the Hokage, operate under two separate systems within Konoha. Strictly speaking, the hierarchical relationship between us is not so rigid and well-defined."
"He often acts on his own initiative, doing things even I’m unaware of. Only after the fact does he report them to me—at which point I am left to clean up his mess. And as the Hokage, I must constantly maintain the order and stability of the village."
"Under such circumstances, I’ve had no choice but to cover up Danzō’s more reprehensible actions. If I were to take action against him directly, Root would fall into chaos—and that chaos would spread to the rest of Konoha."
"At that point, countless innocent lives would be lost. That is something I, as Hokage, cannot allow to happen."
As he spoke, Hiruzen even let out a small sigh.
As if to display his helplessness in the face of his inability to control Danzō.
And to be fair, he wasn’t entirely making things up. There were indeed times when he had been unable to restrain Danzō’s actions.
Though his words seemed like a rebuttal to Keizumi, in truth, he was really speaking for Naruto’s sake.
He absolutely couldn’t allow Naruto to misunderstand his Hokage-ojiichan.
“...I see!” Naruto scratched his head, half-understanding, half-confused.
Honestly, he couldn’t quite grasp everything his Hokage-ojiichan had said.
It was actually the scary man's words that had been easier to understand.
But still...
The Hokage-ojiichan was probably saying he wasn’t a bad guy, right?
This strange feeling—of suddenly becoming the center of so many people’s attention—felt completely new to Naruto.
Just as he was eagerly waiting to hear what the scary man would say next—
He saw the man simply turn his back to him.
To Uchiha Keizumi, speaking with Sarutobi Hiruzen, Uchiha Fugaku, and the others was utterly pointless. Even one more word with them felt like a waste of time that could be spent enacting justice.
He left Naruto only his back, then stepped forward and gently placed the white sheets back over the corpses he had previously uncovered on the autopsy table. Without turning around, he said to Naruto: “If you want to see what true [Justice] looks like, then come with me.”
With that—
Uchiha Keizumi, ignoring the ANBU blocking the way, walked straight toward the exit of the morgue, accompanied by Uchiha Izumi, Tachibana Jirō, and a black ninja cat.
Silently, Hiruzen made a subtle hand signal. The ANBU immediately stepped aside, clearing a path.
Naruto glanced left and right—
Then quickly followed, tagging along like a little shadow.
“…Sigh.” Watching Naruto cheerfully trot behind Uchiha Keizumi, showing a deep and eager interest in this so-called [Justice], Hiruzen could only sigh quietly to himself.
Maybe… if he had arrived ten minutes earlier, he could’ve pulled Naruto back from the swamp of [Justice].
But unfortunately—
The brand of [Justice] carried by Uchiha Keizumi already seemed to have taken root deep in Naruto’s heart. And with those long-buried events of the past now revealed, it had caused the boy to begin resisting even Hiruzen’s words.
All Hiruzen could do now was try his best to ensure that Naruto’s [Justice] would never be preceded by the word 'absolute'.
[Justice] itself wasn’t wrong. Hiruzen still believed that justice was a good thing.
But… he firmly believed that [Absolute Justice] was a mistake.
One wielder of [Absolute Justice] in Konoha was already more than enough to give him constant headaches.
If another appeared… he might seriously have to consider retirement.
Because judging by Keizumi’s standards for [Absolute Justice], Hiruzen was most likely already on the list of evildoers.
Even though he didn’t think Keizumi saw him as someone that had to be killed...
He couldn’t help but feel just a little uneasy.
Precisely because of this...
Every time Hiruzen had to meet with Uchiha Keizumi, he always brought along a large contingent of ANBU shinobi.
