Chapter 199: Ideological Development of Justice
The next day, Fugaku Uchiha felt that the clan members in the Military Police Force seemed unusually distant.
He knew his authority was virtually nonexistent within the Uchiha clan; many didn't even want to call him Clan Head.
But they should at least address him as "Commander," right? After all, his position in the Military Police Force was undeniable.
Yet, upon arriving at the Military Police headquarters today, Fugaku found that ninja after ninja simply glanced at him indifferently, averted their eyes, and showed no interest in speaking with him.
What...
Could something have happened recently that once again drastically undercut his authority?
Harboring this doubt and a heavy heart, Fugaku showed no emotion on the surface.
He walked past one clan member after another and went alone to the Commander's office.
He then summoned the Military Police ninja he trusted the most.
The man was also an Uchiha Jōnin, one of the veterans in the Military Police, even older than Fugaku.
"What's been happening in the clan recently?" Fugaku went straight to the point, asking the question directly.
His intuition told him something he didn't know had certainly occurred within the last two days.
The Military Police Jōnin hesitated.
Remembering how Fugaku had looked out for him over the years, he sighed internally and answered: "Commander Fugaku, last night, a faction of the Uchiha Military Police held a private clan meeting. There were no Uchiha Moderates present, and no Uchiha Radicals; the only ones present were those who wish to follow Ikeizumi Uchiha's Absolute Justice faction."
Fugaku was silent for a few seconds.
"Expected. Logical," he finally said after a while, looking up at the Jōnin. "You must have attended, right? Otherwise, you wouldn't know so clearly; they would surely hide it from others."
As the man remained silent, Fugaku shook his head. "I won't blame you for leaning toward Ikeizumi. Though I see it as a mistake, it's your right to choose."
"I did attend," the Military Police Jōnin admitted.
Fugaku maintained a stern face and asked, "What did you all discuss? Can you tell me? If there are secrets, you can share the parts that aren't."
"And "
He paused, then continued, "Did Ikeizumi initiate this Absolute Justice clan meeting?"
The Military Police Jōnin shook his head: "Actually, we didn't notify Ikeizumi Uchiha. We know he's extremely busy and probably doesn't have time for this kind of meeting."
Fugaku was surprised.
In other words, without Ikeizumi actively calling for it, the clan members willing to embrace Absolute Justice are already spontaneously moving toward his ideology?
When I asked them to calm down and not be so hostile toward the village, why weren't they this proactive?
Fugaku didn't understand.
"There were no real secrets in the meeting. Even clan members who don't follow Absolute Justice heard rumors through the grapevine. The only reason you, Commander Fugaku, are unaware is probably because no one came to inform you."
The truth was a painful, swift blade that plunged Fugaku into silence.
The Jōnin continued, "We were discussing: What exactly is Ikeizumi Uchiha's Absolute Justice? How should the Uchiha clan fulfill its duty of justice to be considered Absolute Justice? Everyone brainstormed their views, and the useful ideas were recorded. We're preparing to compile them into a booklet."
"The initial plan is for this booklet to become the 'Absolute Justice Enforcement Manual,' similar to the Military Police's guidelines. Of course, before implementing it, we need Ikeizumi Uchiha to review it so we can understand what true Absolute Justice is."
Fugaku Uchiha was now speechless.
The self-motivation of these people was simply too intense.
If they had channeled this energy into "how to make the Uchiha clan more glorious and great while maintaining peace with Konoha," would the clan be in this state?!
"Commander Fugaku, there's something I don't know if I should tell you."
You already asked, so you definitely want to tell me.
Fugaku said heavily, "Speak."
"We actually invited your wife, Lady Mikoto. She declined us, perhaps because her position is awkward. But the fact that you, Commander Fugaku, don't know about this means she didn't tell you. Perhaps Lady Mikoto has her own reasons."
Fugaku was stunned.
What kind of logic is this? The plow of Absolute Justice is cutting into his garden again?!
First, they took his second son, Sasuke Uchiha.
Now they were setting their sights on his wife, Mikoto Uchiha?
He was furious and overheated with anger.
"'Absolute Justice Enforcement Manual'." Ikeizumi Uchiha looked indifferently at the drafts handed to him. After casually flipping through them, he looked up at the three Military Police Jōnin before him.
"Who put this together?" His brief question caused the three Uchiha Jōnin to sweat profusely.
One of them took a deep breath and answered, "It's the collective wisdom of all the Uchiha clan members willing to follow you, sir, compiled from many real-life examples of your execution of justice."
"Hmph. Rather than an enforcement manual, most of the content is actually a replication of your real-life experiences."
Ikeizumi Uchiha flipped through the pages again. What the man said was true.
If some of the wording in the draft were changed, anyone reading it might think it was an enforcement journal written by Ikeizumi Uchiha himself!
The summary of the Absolute Justice philosophy was also quite well done.
These people had clearly put sincere effort into the discussion and had not added any overly personalized, extreme ideas to [Absolute Justice] in other words, no added private agendas.
"If anything is incorrect, we can modify it immediately!" a Military Police Jōnin said.
"It's quite good," Ikeizumi Uchiha slowly said. "Since you intend to compile something like this, it means you've prepared to dedicate your lives to justice. If so, you can invite me to the next clan meeting."
The three Military Police Jōnin: "!!!"
Hiss!
What did Ikeizumi Uchiha mean by that?
Was he finally going to begin the ideological development for the Uchiha ninja who were willing to follow Absolute Justice?
Was he finally going to let [Absolute Justice] spread its influence?
One of them asked, both surprised and delighted, "Does this mean Absolute Justice has accepted us?"
"That depends on whether you can pass the test," Ikeizumi Uchiha said. "Both Ikeizumi Uchiha and Anko Mitarashi underwent the rigorous assessment of Absolute Justice. Justice never needs to be inflated with numbers. Justice needs ninja with sincere hearts."
At this point, Ikeizumi Uchiha paused, then said expressionlessly, "Conveniently, there is a test perfectly suited for the three of you."
The three Military Police Jōnin immediately became solemn.
They adopted an attentive posture, dropping the typical Uchiha arrogance that looked down on everyone else.
To an outsider, one would think Ikeizumi Uchiha was the Commander of the Military Police Force and their Clan Head.
"Do you know the wealthy merchant, Gatō?" Ikeizumi Uchiha asked.
"We've heard of him," one replied, nodding. "He's a man who stops at nothing to make money, and his reputation is terrible. However, because he's so wealthy, many in the ninja world still cooperate with him, and even some in Konoha do. Although "
Most of those people have either committed crimes, have already been killed by you, or have been locked up in the Konoha prison The thought flashed through the Jōnin's mind, but he didn't voice it.
"I have the location of one of Gatō's close confidantes," Ikeizumi Uchiha slowly stated. "Find him, use him to find Gatō, and then chop off Gatō's head. Complete the test I've assigned you, and you will have earned half of Absolute Justice's recognition."
Finally, he added, "If you find it too difficult or troublesome, you can simply go home."
"Hmph We three accept this test!"
A Military Police Jōnin declared.
Fugaku Uchiha returned home at noon and immediately confronted Mikoto Uchiha, asking the question he most wanted answered: "Why did you hide the clan meeting from me?"
Mikoto Uchiha could hear the emotional turbulence in her husband's voice.
Clearly, Fugaku Uchiha was confused and angry about her concealment.
But they were husband and wife, so Fugaku could only suppress his anger, coldly demanding: "You were invited to the Absolute Justice clan meeting last night, right? But you didn't tell me about it. Am I, the Uchiha Clan Head, the last person in the entire clan to know this happened?"
"Sasuke doesn't know either; I haven't told him," Mikoto Uchiha sighed softly. She said, "Since you know I was invited, you must also know I didn't attend, right?"
"That's not the point. The point is that you concealed it from me," Fugaku Uchiha said heavily. "You should know I am your husband, the Clan Head, and the Military Police Commander. No matter which of these three identities I meet you with, you should have informed me beforehand."
Mikoto Uchiha replied, "There's a reason for that."
"Tell me!" Fugaku took a deep breath. He was truly enraged this time.
He was skilled at compromise, retreat, and being cautious.
But that didn't mean he had no anger.
Especially when the matter involved his wife.
"Fugaku, don't you notice that your state of mind is truly unstable? You weren't like this when Itachi was alive."
Mikoto Uchiha sighed and said, "If I had told you about this, and you had burst into the meeting, I couldn't guarantee that in your current emotionally volatile state, you wouldn't have committed some kind of extreme action? That is what I was worried about."
"Given that, it was better not to inform you beforehand. You would naturally find out about it later."
Fugaku Uchiha looked deeply at Mikoto.
"So, you suspect I would act irrationally?"
Mikoto Uchiha's delicate eyebrows furrowed: "I am genuinely doing this for your own good, Fugaku. With your weak will, you are highly likely to act extremely, leading Absolute Justice to no longer tolerate you."
Absolute Justice
It was always Absolute Justice!
Sasuke was like this, now Mikoto was like this, and most of the clan members were like this. But did they ever consider that Ikeizumi's Absolute Justice was making the village increasingly strange?
And it was Ikeizumi's Absolute Justice that was subtly pushing the Uchiha clan further onto the opposite side of the village.
After all.
Absolute Justice would definitely conflict with the Hokage and the Elders; few of Konoha's higher-ups were likely clean. When justice gains power, the conflict will inevitably escalate to an irreconcilable stage, dragging down the entire Uchiha clan.
In essence, the impact of Ikeizumi's Absolute Justice on the Uchiha was not fundamentally different from the coup d'état ideology of Setsuna Uchiha.
Fugaku Uchiha slowly closed his eyes. When he opened them.
His gaze was filled with disappointment.
"I'm going back to the Military Police now. Don't make dinner for me tonight, and don't bother tomorrow morning, either," Fugaku Uchiha slowly said.
He could feel that a rift had appeared in their worldviews as a couple, a rift that was likely irreparable.
It made him unwilling to speak further with Mikoto Uchiha.
"Fugaku "
Before the troubled Mikoto Uchiha could continue, Fugaku turned away and immediately interrupted her.
"I know what you want to say. But I can tell you clearly: I don't believe in that Absolute Justice doctrine. My perspective is fundamentally different from how you see things."
"I stand on the Clan Head's position. What I see is the steadily worsening relationship between the Uchiha and the Konoha Elders. No matter what efforts I make, Ikeizumi negates them."
"If you have the time to try and persuade me here, you should go look at Itachi in the Konoha Cemetery. Since Itachi's grave was built, you've never gone to visit him, have you?"
"Because you are deeply disappointed in Itachi's actions and ideology, and instead admire Sasuke's choice."
Sigh
Fugaku Uchiha's mood darkened further.
He realized his wife's change in attitude was still inextricably linked to Ikeizumi Uchiha.
"Ultimately, it's because you don't stand on my side. Your vision is too narrow-minded."
Fugaku's tone was now cold and stiff.
Mikoto Uchiha's eyebrows furrowed tighter. She felt that both Itachi Uchiha's thought process and Fugaku Uchiha's thought process were now beyond the comprehension of her, their mother/wife.
Though the father and son had slightly different views, their personalities seemed to be cast from the same mold.
They were both so stubborn.
......................
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