Sarutobi Hiruzen was practically furious to the point of madness.
The man standing before him—Uchiha Qianyu…
First, he had completely disregarded the dignity of the Hokage, arbitrarily exercising the power of life and death.
First killing a civilian of Konoha.
Then killing a ninja of the Sarutobi clan.
It was as if he didn't put Hiruzen in his eyes at all!
What was worse—
This had happened after Hiruzen personally pressured the Police Force, and even dispatched Uchiha Shisui—his most trusted confidant—to warn Qianyu.
Yet not only did Qianyu show no sign of restraint—
He had gone even further.
The person he killed… was Hiruzen's own nephew.
As the Hokage arrived, the noisy crowd instantly fell silent, all eyes turning to him, waiting for a fair and impartial judgment.
At least on the surface, Sarutobi Hiruzen's reputation was excellent.
The vast majority of Konoha's ninja and civilians believed him to be benevolent and kind—a leader approachable and just.
Naturally, they trusted that the Hokage would handle this matter fairly.
Even if the dead was a member of the Sarutobi clan.
Even if he was the Hokage's own relative.
Without realizing it, many of the onlookers had already accepted Qianyu's actions.
Because—
Most of them had finally understood one thing:
The truly innocent party was the murdered little girl.
Not Sarutobi Jirō.
When Sarutobi Hiyū saw Hiruzen arrive, his heart was still filled with grief—but he finally let out a breath of relief.
"Hokage-sama!"
"Uchiha Qianyu killed someone in the street—everyone saw it with their own eyes!"
"Please… please…"
"Please uphold justice for our Sarutobi clan!"
"My eldest son died on the battlefield protecting the village!"
"And now even my only remaining son has died for no reason at all!"
"I… I don't know how I'm supposed to go on living…"
Hiyū broke down in tears.
Even the surrounding villagers and ninja couldn't help feeling a trace of sympathy.
No matter how vile he was—
He was still a father.
But Qianyu's expression didn't change in the slightest.
At this moment, his two subordinates—Uchiha Aoki and Uchiha Yamabuki
—finally arrived.
The moment they saw the severed head, Hiyū's breakdown, and Hiruzen's expression—
Their hearts sank violently.
"Aoki, stay here," Yamabuki said urgently.
"Go inform the Clan Head immediately!"
"Understood!"
Aoki bolted away at full speed.
…
Hiruzen walked forward slowly, his steps heavy, passing through the crowd until he reached the center of the circle.
He took a deep drag from his pipe.
Then slowly exhaled a ring of smoke.
"Qianyu… what exactly happened here?"
His voice wasn't loud.
In fact, it trembled faintly with age and suppressed anger.
Yet everyone present felt an overwhelming pressure settle over them.
Qianyu replied calmly,
"Hokage-sama, the ones you should be asking… are them."
He pointed to the girl's father and grandmother.
Hiruzen looked at them, took a breath, and steadied himself.
He stepped forward and supported the trembling old woman.
"Elder… what exactly happened?"
Still immersed in extreme agitation, the grandmother struggled for a long time before haltingly recounting the truth.
Hiruzen's face grew darker by the second.
"Hiyū," he asked coldly,
"Is this true?"
Hiyū's body trembled violently. His fists clenched, and his head dropped involuntarily.
"…Yes…"
"But Jirō really didn't do it on purpose! This—this was only an accident!"
Hiruzen said flatly,
"That's not what I'm asking."
"What I'm asking is—did you truly intend to shield your son?"
Hiyū's face drained of color.
"H-Hokage-sama… I…"
"Enough!"
Hiruzen cut him off sharply.
"You knew your son killed an innocent civilian. As a father and as clan head, you should have punished him more severely."
"Instead, you openly protected him in public!"
"How do you expect the villagers and ninja to see the Sarutobi clan after this?!"
"How do you expect them to see me—the Hokage—after this?!"
Cold sweat poured down Hiyū's back.
"Hokage-sama, I—"
"Silence!"
The crowd watched in awe.
So this was the Hokage.
Truly impartial.
Truly without favoritism.
Compared to Hiyū, this was a leader worthy of respect.
Qianyu, however, remained silent.
Hiruzen turned away from Hiyū and faced the girl's family, sighing deeply.
"The murderer has already been executed on the spot."
"Justice… has been served."
"As for Sarutobi Hiyū—shielding a criminal, abusing authority, bending the law for personal reasons…"
"From today onward, he is no longer the clan head of the Sarutobi clan."
"As for further punishment—I will give everyone a clear explanation."
Hiyū's face instantly turned deathly pale.
The girl's family burst into tears of gratitude, collapsing to the ground.
"Thank you, Hokage-sama!"
Hiruzen shook his head and sighed.
"Don't thank me."
"As Hokage, as a member of the Sarutobi clan, and as Jirō's uncle—failing to guide him properly… this is my sin."
"If you wish to thank someone…"
"Thank Qianyu."
The family turned and kowtowed repeatedly toward Qianyu.
"Thank you, Captain Qianyu, for upholding justice!"
Qianyu only nodded slightly.
He glanced at Hiruzen's aged face.
Compared to Hiyū—
Hiruzen truly stood on an entirely different level.
Hiruzen stepped forward and placed a heavy hand on Qianyu's shoulder.
"Qianyu…"
"You did well."
"You truly did well."
Qianyu replied calmly,
"Thank you for the praise, Hokage-sama."
"I will continue to act without betraying public trust."
A cold glint flashed through Hiruzen's eyes.
Then, the pipe glowed faintly—and he smiled.
"Good. Very good."
He shot Hiyū a hard look.
"Come with me."
Hiyū glanced once at his son's headless corpse, laughed bitterly through tears, and followed like a walking corpse.
The crowd bowed deeply.
"Farewell, Hokage-sama!"
As Hiruzen departed, discussions erupted everywhere.
"The Hokage is truly just…"
"He really treats all villagers equally…"
Qianyu listened quietly, a trace of sorrow flickering across his face.
Then he shook his head and turned to leave.
Suddenly, the girl's family surrounded him again.
"Captain Qianyu… thank you…"
"If not for you, that murderer would've escaped judgment forever—even with the Hokage…"
The old grandmother let out a cold snort.
"The Hokage wouldn't have killed that beast."
"This whole performance fooled them—but not my eyes."
She looked at Qianyu, tears streaming.
"I know this village is already rotten."
"But only you, Captain Qianyu…"
"Your heart is like the blade in your hand."
"Sharp, exposed, and never corroded."
Qianyu felt something stir in his chest.
He had never sought understanding.
Never sought gratitude.
Yet hearing those words—
Was still… good.
He grasped the old woman's hand, nodded once, then strode into the crowd and disappeared from sight.
The old woman continued waving, tears soaking her wrinkled face.
Then she turned toward Jirō's headless corpse—
And spat on it in hatred.