More than an hour later, Izumi realized that what Senior Ikeizumi meant by "taking a stroll" was indeed just wandering aimlessly around Konoha.
She saw no sign of his professional investigative skills.
No evidence or clues were sought.
She felt as if she had circled the entire village with him, including the Uchiha clan's compound, and even lingered briefly inside the Hokage's office.
Throughout, Izumi remained in a dazed and confused state, utterly unable to comprehend what her senior was doing or what she herself should be doing.
Just as she hesitated to speak...
She noticed Ikeizumi had stopped.
Finally!
No more aimless wandering!
Izumi almost teared up.
"Senior, this place is..." But soon she sensed something was amiss. Curiously, she looked forward and realized they were at the Moonlight clan's compound.
Konoha housed many ninja clans of varying sizes. The Uchiha clan was among the village's top-tier great clans.
The Moonlight clan, however, was a minor clan.
It consisted of about a dozen ninjas, all inheriting the Kekkei Genkai "Transparency Release."
"This is the last openly accessible place we haven't visited," Ikeizumi said calmly. "If the culprit isn't here, then it must be one of the other two places."
"The other two?"
Izumi was curious how Ikeizumi could identify the culprit through casual wandering, and even more curious about what those two places were.
"The Anbu and Root," Ikeizumi answered succinctly.
Izumi was dumbfounded.
"Hm? Uchiha Ikeizumi! You cold-blooded killer, how dare you appear here!?" Just as Ikeizumi was about to enter the Moonlight clan compound, a sudden shout echoed from nearby.
Turning, they saw two Moonlight clan ninjas wearing Konoha headbands and Chunin vests, hurrying over.
They quickly blocked Ikeizumi's path, glaring at him with eyes full of hatred.
Izumi noticed the tense atmosphere and asked, "Senior, are they...?"
Before she could finish, one Moonlight ninja shouted, "Uchiha Ikeizumi! You'd better stay away. The Moonlight clan does not welcome you!"
Ikeizumi's right hand remained on the hilt of his ninja sword.
His calm eyes swept over the two men. "Military Police Force investigating a case. Civilians, step aside immediately. Otherwise, you obstruct justice. Those who obstruct justice will be killed without hesitation."
Though Ikeizumi's tone was even, the sudden aura of deadly seriousness made Izumi's hair stand on end.
She noticed Ikeizumi's thumb pressing against the sword's tsuba, the gleaming silver blade already exposed by a centimeter.
The two Moonlight ninjas felt immense pressure; cold sweat beaded on their foreheads, and their clenched fists betrayed their nervousness.
Yet...
Instead of retreating, their hatred only intensified.
"Two years ago... it was the same!" One Moonlight ninja gritted his teeth and glared fiercely. "You bastard! You said you were investigating. You brazenly stormed the Moonlight clan compound... killed our clan head, Lord Moonlight Yuuichirou! And two of our uncles!"
Izumi's clear eyes widened.
So...
Ikeizumi had a history with the Moonlight clan!
That was surely a deadly feud.
"Uchiha Ikeizumi, you..."
"No recollection." Ikeizumi slowly drew his ninja sword and walked forward deliberately, coldly stating, "I never bother remembering who I've killed. Those who obstruct [Justice] do not deserve a place in my memory."
His gaze passed through the two Moonlight ninjas and fixed on a figure inside the compound.
[Tsukikage Seisui — Last night, due to dissatisfaction with his mother's favoritism toward his elder brother Tsukikage Hayate, he quarreled with her. In a loss of control, he killed his mother with a blunt weapon and secretly disposed of the body at dawn. Sin Level: Red Name!]
The crimson frame was glaringly prominent in Ikeizumi's eyes.
This was one of the reasons he drew his blade.
"Three seconds. If you don't move, you die." Ikeizumi did not stop. "Three, two..."
"Bastard! You arrogant fool! Do you think the Moonlight clan will..."
Ikeizumi had already passed the two Moonlight ninjas.
He casually flicked the blood from his blade.
"One."
His calm eyes, like a judge from hell, fixed on the terrified Tsukikage Seisui ahead.
At the same time, the sound of bodies hitting the ground echoed behind him.
"New recruit, this is your second lesson," Ikeizumi said coldly as he stepped into the Moonlight clan compound. He glanced back at the stunned Izumi. "Anyone who obstructs the execution of [Justice] is a lackey of 'evil' and an enemy of justice. After warnings fail... kill without hesitation."
Izumi stared blankly at two decapitated bodies on the ground, blood splattering near her feet.
Her pupils trembled slightly.
When she stiffly raised her head, she saw Ikeizumi holding his bloodied sword, casually flicking the blood off as he approached a young Moonlight clan member.
She did not know why, but she instinctively stepped forward, stepping on the wet ground and a pool of blood, leaving a long trail of crimson footprints as she followed Ikeizumi into the Moonlight clan compound.
A voice in her mind warned her—once she entered, there was no turning back. Ikeizumi's absolute justice was something she could not accept.
Yet... she still followed him closely, clutching a kunai tightly in her hand.
...
"Phew, finally got half a day off from the Hokage. It's been half a month since I last saw Mother. It's just right to visit her and Seisui to pay respects to Father."
Tsukikage Hayate, an Anbu member directly under the Third Hokage, carried freshly bought offerings toward the Moonlight clan compound.
However, upon arriving, Hayate froze, dropping the offerings.
Before him—
Many Konoha villagers gathered around the Moonlight clan gate, peering inside but hesitant to approach.
Two headless corpses lay conspicuously by the gate, with two heads nearby, their faces frozen in expressions of shock.
Hayate overheard villagers discussing "Uchiha" and "Military Police Force," and heard a name that made his pupils constrict—
"Uchiha Ikeizumi"!!!
This was his...
Father's killer!