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NAJ Chapter 162: Children of Justice, Not of Prophecy
🕑 Added 2025-08-16 07:45:27 +0000 UTCAt the Ninja Academy.
As Iruka droned on from the lectern about shuriken-throwing techniques Sasuke had already memorized by heart, Sasuke, bored beyond belief, leaned toward Naruto and whispered: “Dead-last, we’ve been following Keizumi-sensei’s Absolute Justice for a while now. So why haven’t we gotten any stronger?”
“Stronger?” Naruto rubbed his small chin, thinking back. “I remember Izumi-senpai said that those who follow Absolute Justice, once they kill evildoers, will gain power bestowed by Absolute Justice.”
Sasuke froze, lowering his head in thought. “Kill evildoers… only then can we receive justice’s gift…”
He stared at his soft, white hands. These hands had never killed an evildoer—hadn’t even killed a chicken.
Sasuke pressed his lips together.
He drew in a deep breath.
“Dead-last, tonight let’s act apart from Izumi-senpai—on our own!” Sasuke said seriously, his young face solemn. “These past days, Izumi-senpai has been guiding us, letting us experience what it means to carry out justice. But in the end, it has always been her who executed the evildoers.”
“If it were us who dealt the final blow, wouldn’t we also receive the gift of Absolute Justice? Wouldn’t we be able to grow strong like Izumi-senpai?”
“Why do you want to grow strong so badly?” Naruto was confused for a moment, then suddenly thought of Uchiha Itachi. “Is it because of him?”
Sasuke clenched his fists and nodded.
Ever since Itachi had visited the Academy—
Sasuke had been haunted by nightmares every night.
He dreamed of the future night of the Uchiha clan’s massacre.
He dreamed again and again of how powerless and weak he was, unable to rely on his own strength to stop Itachi.
He longed for justice, but he longed to become stronger too!
To Sasuke, the two desires did not conflict.
“Mm… alright!” Naruto bumped his fist into his palm, brimming with spirit, then lowered his voice with excitement. “We’ll do just as you said.”
A moment later, Naruto furrowed his brow, realizing something. “Wait—did you just call me dead-last over and over again?”
Sasuke averted his gaze, suddenly guilty.
Sometimes, all it takes is two kids together…
And an idea is born.
…
“Keizumi, who exactly is the Child of Prophecy?” Jiraiya, overwhelmed with shock, couldn’t hold back any longer. “According to the Great Toad Sage’s prophecy from Mount Myōboku, the ‘Child of Prophecy’ will one day make a choice that leads the shinobi world to either peace—or destruction!”
“And the Great Toad Sage also said that the ‘Child of Prophecy’ will be my disciple, one able to stand on his own. He… he will be the one to bring about the shinobi world’s transformation. His choice will determine the future of everything!”
“Hah…”
Emotion surged in Jiraiya’s voice as he revealed the truth behind his years of wandering. “If such a ‘Child of Prophecy’ truly exists in the shinobi world, then I must guide him onto the right path—so that one day he makes the right choice.”
“So, tell me—who is he?!”
As Jiraiya desperately awaited Uchiha Keizumi’s answer, he found himself recalling every detail of the Great Toad Sage’s prophecy.
—“A blue-eyed boy, laughing as he calls the names of nine beasts.”
Nine beasts…
A blue-eyed boy…
Jiraiya began carefully analyzing the people Uchiha Keizumi might know, wondering if any fit those traits.
Yet while Jiraiya’s passionate words left Keizumi and Tachibana Jirō—man and cat—completely unmoved, they filled Izumi, Tsunade, Shizune, and Anko with stunned astonishment.
“Jiraiya.”
Tsunade frowned, her voice sharp. “All these years, you never once mentioned this to me—or to Orochimaru.”
Shizune murmured, “The Child of Prophecy… one who can choose to bring either the destruction or the peace of the shinobi world.”
Anko felt as though she had just stumbled upon some terrifying truth.
Izumi, however, thought that this so-called “Child of Prophecy” Jiraiya spoke of sounded unreliable.
And that “Great Toad Sage” as well…
It didn’t sound very proper at all.
Besides, from the words Keizumi-senpai had just spoken, it was clear he had no interest in the so-called “Child of Prophecy” or in the “prophecy” of that Great Toad Sage.
Keizumi-senpai believed firmly that only justice could bring peace to the shinobi world!
“Would telling you even matter?” Uchiha Keizumi’s single, curt line nearly crashed Jiraiya’s mind.
Snapping out of it, Jiraiya hurriedly insisted, “Of course it matters! The Child of Prophecy has the power to reshape the entire shinobi world!”
“So you want to entrust the shinobi world’s future, the fate of everyone, everything itself… to a so-called Child of Prophecy? That… is your vision and your resolve, Jiraiya?”
Uchiha Keizumi met the gaze of one of the Legendary Sannin with calm indifference.
No matter how urgent the other man was, it could not shake his heart.
Keizumi said coldly, “You cannot even see why this twisted, diseased shinobi world became what it is today.”
“It is not that the birth of a Child of Prophecy brings transformation to the shinobi world. Rather, it is that in a world so warped and diseased, there will inevitably be countless people who attempt to change it.”
“But most of them will be tainted by the corruption of this world, so even their ideas of change become twisted themselves.”
Keizumi paused, then continued. “When this warped shinobi world is finally set straight—then at that moment, anyone, everyone, will be capable of making the right choice as a so-called Child of Prophecy.”
With that, Uchiha Keizumi no longer spared Jiraiya another glance. He simply turned and continued toward the Uchiha compound.
Tachibana Jirō, Izumi, and Anko followed immediately.
“Kei—”
“Enough!” Tsunade cut Jiraiya off, saying sharply, “Didn’t you hear what that brat said? In his eyes, the so-called Child of Prophecy isn’t special. He believes that once his Absolute Justice purges all evil from the shinobi world, everyone’s hearts will become normal.”
“And in such an environment, countless ‘Children of Prophecy’ will be born, bringing transformation to the world. But children born in that environment will not bring destruction—they will only bring enduring, stable peace to the shinobi world.”
Tsunade hesitated for a moment, then continued, “I don’t know exactly what that big toad told you, but if you pin the future of the entire shinobi world on one so-called Child of Prophecy…”
“That in itself is irresponsible. This world has never been the world of a single person.”
Jiraiya, words stuck in his throat, could only watch as Tsunade and Shizune turned and walked away.
He was left standing alone in the street.
“My vision… was too narrow?”
Jiraiya muttered, lost in thought.
…
Uchiha compound.
“It’s been a while since we’ve come back, meow. Feels like many of the Uchiha are looking at Keizumi-sama with strange eyes!”
Tachibana Jirō crouched on Izumi’s shoulder, keenly aware of the stares cast from all around.
“Could it be because of that failed clan meeting? From what the rookie said, Keizumi-sama didn’t even show up in person, yet the meeting was ruined by him from afar, shattering certain people’s schemes.”
Izumi replied, “That’s probably it. Lately, more and more people in Konoha have come to acknowledge Keizumi-senpai’s Absolute Justice.”
She added in more detail: “Especially within the Uchiha clan.”
As she spoke—
Izumi suddenly noticed Keizumi-senpai come to a halt.
Not paying close enough attention, she nearly bumped right into him.
Luckily, she managed to stop herself in time.
When she looked up in puzzlement, she saw none other than Uchiha Fugaku—whose title as “clan head” now existed only in name—standing before them. His sudden appearance had blocked Keizumi’s path.
“Keizumi…”
Fugaku’s gaze held a mix of emotions as he asked, “Why must you place the Uchiha clan in such a position? The clan’s string was already stretched taut to the point of snapping… I had loosened it a little, but you’ve only pulled it tighter again.”
“Killing the Hokage’s son, killing the Daimyō’s second son, even killing the Daimyō himself and so many nobles of the Land of Fire. You acted solely from your Absolute Justice, but in the eyes of others…”
“You represent the Uchiha clan. To them, it was the Uchiha who committed those killings. The Konoha leadership no longer trusts us at all.”
“And Uchiha Setsuna and his radicals—your actions have forced them to push their plans ahead of schedule. As clan head, I no longer have the strength to salvage any of this.”
Having said all this, Fugaku exhaled heavily.
The pressure that had been building in his heart these past days was unbearable.
And the source of all this pressure—at least in his eyes—was Uchiha Keizumi.
If not for Keizumi’s extreme actions throwing everything out of control step by step, Fugaku believed he could have balanced the village and the Uchiha clan.
Yet—
Just as Fugaku thought Keizumi would at least give him a reasonable explanation, or perhaps argue with him—
He realized Keizumi hadn’t even looked him in the eye.
Uchiha Keizumi had already placed one hand on his shoulder.
The force pressing down made Fugaku’s body instinctively shift aside, opening up a path.
“Don’t block the way.”
All those words he had poured out, until his mouth was dry, earned him only three cold, cutting words.
And this scene played out in the streets of the Uchiha compound, before the eyes of many.
Though most clan members couldn’t hear their words, they saw clearly the sight of Uchiha Keizumi publicly showing no respect at all to their clan head.
Fugaku froze for two seconds, stunned.
He quickly turned his head, staring at Keizumi’s retreating back.
And then he heard Keizumi speak—not to him, but to Izumi and Anko: “Check your gear. Be ready to carry out justice.”
Carry out…
Justice?!
Fugaku’s heart jolted slightly. He knew very well—every time Keizumi carried out justice, it meant someone would die!
And here they were, in the Uchiha compound itself. Did this mean Keizumi was about to turn the blade of justice against his own clan members again?!
What shocked Fugaku even more…
The direction Keizumi was heading—it seemed to be toward the place where Uchiha Setsuna lived.
This…
Was it just a coincidence?!
