Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned. "A traitor to the village is a ninja who has defected and run off."
Chiyu replied in a low voice, "Turning your back on the village already makes you a traitor. Do we really have to wait until he's escaped the village to act? Wouldn't that be too late?
"Hokage-sama, the moment we discovered Orochimaru was conducting human experiments, didn't that already make him a traitor? Did we need to let him slip away from Konoha for it to 'count'?"
Hiruzen nearly choked. Of all the examples Chiyu could have brought up, he had to bring up Orochimaru!
It was a direct slap to Hiruzen's face. Everyone knew Hiruzen had let Orochimaru go out of lingering affection for his student—probably the greatest stain on his own past.
So, with Chiyu putting it that way, Hiruzen was at a loss for words. He couldn't just say, Yes, we had to wait for him to escape before he could be considered a traitor, which is why I let him go…
After a deep puff on his pipe, Hiruzen exhaled and changed tactics.
"Fine. Maybe you handled the Nichio situation 'well enough,' but killing Jirō is another story. Even if he deserved death, you can't just kill someone in public without interrogation."
Chiyu fell silent for a moment.
"So, you do concede that Sarutobi Nichio was a traitor. In that case, why should I believe that he would've handled Jirō fairly? I'm supposed to spare Sarutobi Jirō and leave him to Nichio's protection?
"The only reason the onlookers—both villagers and shinobi—were satisfied by that execution was because it upheld justice in their eyes. It renewed their faith in Konoha. Otherwise…
"If we had left Nichio and Jirō free to run amok, the villagers would only lose all hope in this village."
Sarutobi Shinnosuke broke in, "Hmph, you're just twisting words to your advantage!"
Chiyu replied calmly, "It's not twisting words; it's my sincere view.
"If the people stop believing there is justice in the village…
"This village will have no future."
He glanced at Hiruzen. "Isn't that right, Hokage-sama?"
Hiruzen said nothing. After a long pause, he spoke in a grave tone:
"Regardless of the circumstances, Chiyu, you've made too big a stir with your actions. While I may understand your perspective, not everyone else—villagers or ninja—will see it that way.
"Here's what we'll do: for now, you're barred from further work in the Police Force. Lie low until this all blows over. Then we'll see."
"What do you think, Fugaku?"
Fugaku knitted his brows. "Hokage-sama, this—"
Chiyu, however, didn't care. "Fine. Let's go with the Hokage's decision."
With that, he turned to leave. Fugaku let out a sigh. "Very well… Then we'll do as you say."
He followed after Chiyu.
Sarutobi Shinnosuke, watching them go, looked resentful. "Lord Hokage, are we really letting him off just like that? My clan won't stand for it…"
Hiruzen's voice was ice-cold. "Of course I'm not letting him off. But now isn't the time to kill him."
"Then what do we do?" Shinnosuke pressed.
Hiruzen considered. "If I recall, Uchiha Chiyu has no family, not many friends…"
"It's true—given his personality, even in the Uchiha clan, he's too extreme. No one dares get close."
"Yet he does have some fanatical followers…" Hiruzen's eyes suddenly glinted.
"Then let's start with those followers."
Shinnosuke understood immediately. "I see."
…
Meanwhile, Chiyu handed off his responsibilities at the Police Force. Amid a sea of complicated looks from his coworkers, he left.
Returning home, he felt neither sad nor indignant. He simply resumed his training as soon as possible.
Killing Sarutobi Nichio had earned him a hundred Virtue Points—the most he'd ever received at once. He'd put it all into his Sharingan.
Now his ocular power was at 473—about halfway to awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Even in Three Tomoe form, his eye power far exceeded that of the average ninja. After all, the Sharingan of the Uchiha clan was fueled by intense emotion. Though Chiyu claimed to be a cold individual, his absolute brand of "justice" was itself a form of strong emotion. Upholding that ironclad justice in battle allowed him to release terrifying power.
The Sharingan possessed three fundamental capabilities: insight, copying, and genjutsu. Chiyu had all of these, but, like every Uchiha, the focus of his eye differed from person to person.
His greatest strength lay in his powers of insight. In combat, he could completely read his opponent's movements, and even predict them to some extent. His copying ability was middling, and he wasn't particularly gifted in genjutsu—but his ability to break others' genjutsu was honed to perfection.
Of course, "not adept" for an Uchiha still meant he commanded significant genjutsu power. His statement was only relative to his peerless insight.
That night, Chiyu quietly continued his training while reviewing the earlier battle in his mind. Nichio was by no means weak—Chiyu had won because his Sharingan gave him astonishing perception, letting him avoid and predict Nichio's counterattacks. In addition, his surprise Lightning Release: False Darkness technique had proven unexpectedly powerful. Lastly, his trusted sword skills—the area he excelled in most—sealed Nichio's fate.
"My best assets right now are my Sharingan's insight and my swordsmanship.
"If I want to push further…
"Besides increasing my ocular power, chakra, and ninjutsu, there's one avenue I'm especially excited about…"
He wanted to—
Infuse his sword with Lightning Release, creating the apex of lightning kenjutsu: Lightning-Style Sword Technique!
Much like Sasuke's "Chidori Katana" or Shimura Danzō's Wind Release: Vacuum Blade—attaching elemental chakra to a weapon.
True, Fire Release could also be channeled into a blade. Shisui's "Sword Leap Blaze," for instance, combined fire and kenjutsu. But for Chiyu, Lightning Release felt like a better fit.
"Since I'm stuck off-duty for now, I'll focus on developing Lightning Release kenjutsu…
"Without strength, justice amounts to nothing."
…
With Uchiha Chiyu temporarily relieved of duty, the village seemed calmer. Yet even if Sarutobi Hiruzen could strip Chiyu of his Police Force position, he couldn't silence the voices in the village.
In the eyes of many villagers and shinobi, Uchiha Chiyu was no longer a twisted devil—he was becoming more like an "Anti-Hero" who would stop at nothing to serve justice. Among the Uchiha, his hardcore following only grew, fueling a fiercer mood among them…
To Hiruzen's mounting unease, a dark and turbulent fire smoldered.
And so—
A conspiracy targeting Chiyu erupted.
~~~
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