Chapter 109: Assassinate Uchiha Iizumi? Three Bloodline Limits? (5000 words)

One sentence—“I don’t want to see civil strife within the Uchiha clan”—was enough to make Uchiha Setsuna burst into a cold, bitter laugh, his face twisted with venomous disdain.

He lifted his gaze, locking eyes with Fugaku’s calm, unreadable stare.

“You’re threatening me, Fugaku?” Setsuna rasped, voice like cracked stone. “If I don’t follow your orders, are you going to have me arrested?”

Fugaku remained still, his voice even. “If, after a full investigation, we find that you had no part in the smuggling or trafficking of forbidden substances, then I won’t lay a hand on you. I simply don’t want the Uchiha clan to descend into chaos. That’s all.”

Setsuna clenched his jaw so hard that blood began to seep from his gums. The metallic taste flooded his mouth.

He spoke low, a hollow whisper:

“Hmph… ‘No chaos,’ you say? How dutiful of you, Fugaku, as clan head.”

“But you only threaten me—yet you have no power to stop Iizumi, do you? If he hadn’t meddled in affairs that don’t concern him, would I be in this state?!”

“You can’t control him, can you? If you could, my grandson wouldn’t have died by his hands!”

Fugaku fell silent.

Because Setsuna was right. In this conflict between the two, Setsuna was the weaker one—the soft target. He couldn’t stop Iizumi, but he could be controlled by the clan head’s authority.

“Hmph… I was too slow,” Setsuna murmured, lowering his head. His voice was hoarse, distant. “If only I’d acted sooner… my grandson wouldn’t be dead.”

Two strange words. Fugaku’s brow twitched slightly.

“Fugaku,” Setsuna continued, still staring down. “I have a piece of information… one you might find interesting.”

He paused, as if lost in thought. “Uchiha Iizumi’s Molten Release—yes, it does grant immunity to most physical attacks. But it’s not passive. He must perform hand seals first, using a custom technique called Molten Release Chakra Body. It’s his own creation.”

“I spent ages preparing for him to strike me. Tell me—what if I’d planted dozens of Explosive Tags around his home, and detonated them before he could activate his technique? Would he still be alive?”

Fugaku’s pupils contracted—almost imperceptibly.

Setsuna wouldn’t tell him this for no reason.

Could it be…?

“Of course,” Setsuna added, “I don’t have that many Explosive Tags. And the Uchiha clan’s Tags are reserved for targeting the Hokage of Leaf Village. Why waste them on a child?”

“But… there is a clan. A small one. They came to me this morning. They wanted to join forces to kill Iizumi.”

He let out a dry chuckle. “They’re barely more than a handful now. But they still have some remnants of power.”

“Unfortunately…” He sighed. “Some of my younger clan members have been brainwashed by Iizumi’s so-called ‘Absolute Justice.’ Even if I wanted to cooperate, they wouldn’t allow it.”

Fugaku exhaled—just slightly—relief flickering through him.

Iizumi was a problem. Sometimes, even Fugaku found himself resenting the man’s extreme actions. He’d even entertained thoughts of killing him.

But when he calmed down, he realized the Uchiha clan needed Iizumi.

Because Iizumi’s strength was the clan’s anchor.

Even if Leaf Village’s leaders knew Iizumi wouldn’t stand with them, they still hesitated to act—afraid that, at any moment, Iizumi might suddenly decide to defend the Uchiha.

Fear of the unknown.

That was why Fugaku had endured Iizumi’s provocations for so long.

“I can’t cooperate,” Setsuna said, lifting his gaze. “But I’m old. A slip of the tongue, perhaps… I might have mentioned Iizumi’s supposed ‘weakness’—a flaw that may or may not even exist—to that clan.”

He met Fugaku’s eyes. “I didn’t want to kill him. I didn’t make any pact with them. Even his eyes—those that see sin—couldn’t detect any malice in me, could they, Fugaku?”

Just as Setsuna finished speaking—

A deafening BOOM split the air, echoing from less than a hundred meters away.

Then came a cascade of explosions—Zetsu-like, relentless, one after another.

Flames lit up half the sky above the Uchiha Compound.

The entire clan was roused.

The firelight cast jagged shadows across Fugaku’s face, revealing the grim tension in his expression.

“Setsuna… senior,” Fugaku said, voice like ice. “You brought outsiders into the Uchiha Compound? Let them plant Explosive Tags on our sacred ground?!”

Setsuna remained expressionless. “Don’t accuse me. Even you, the clan head, had no knowledge of how they entered. How could I possibly know?”

“And as for how they carried out their plan? Hmph… I have no idea.”

Fugaku no longer had patience for this old man’s games.

He turned sharply, summoning members of the Investigation Corps, and sprinted toward the explosion site.

He remembered—Jinchūriki was with Iizumi. And Sasuke was with him, too.

If they hadn’t returned yet…

Fugaku dared not imagine what might have happened.

---

On the other side of the compound.

Uchiha Iizumi and Tachibana Jiro—man and cat—had just completed the task Fugaku had assigned them. They returned to the Uchiha Compound, only to be startled by the sudden, violent roar of explosions.

Tachibana Jiro, the giant orange Ninja Cat, flinched so hard that his fur stood on end.

“Who the heck’s setting off Explosive Tags at this hour?!” he hissed, fur bristling.

“Izumi…” Iizumi murmured, eyes wide, staring at the flickering flames in the distance. “That… that’s… the direction of Iizumi’s home, isn’t it?”

Tachibana Jiro froze. Then he stared.

His face darkened. “Newcomer!” he growled. “Someone’s trying to kill Iizumi-sama! We have to move—now!”

Without waiting, he leapt from Iizumi’s shoulder, transforming into a streak of orange light—a blur of motion.

In the blink of an eye, he vanished.

Iizumi stared, stunned by the cat’s speed. But her shock deepened when she realized the scale of the explosions.

She didn’t hesitate.

She sprinted after him.

---

Hokage Tower.

Hiruzen Sarutobi stood quietly, waiting for the night’s “victims of Absolute Justice” to arrive.

Then—BOOM.

A thunderous crack split the air.

Not one explosion.

Multiple.

Hiruzen shot to his feet.

He strode to the window, peering into the distance.

Flames roared in the sky.

“…That’s…” he murmured.

Beside him, Tsunade Konoha spoke. “The Uchiha Compound. If I’m not mistaken, that sound… is Explosive Tags.”

She turned, eyes narrowed at the inferno.

Hiruzen’s brow furrowed. “What in the world is the Uchiha clan doing? That kind of blast… it’ll destroy several buildings.”

He swallowed. “And casualties…?”

Then—a chill ran through him.

“Wait…” he whispered. “Could Naruto be there?”

---

“Cough… cough…”

Naruto winced, clutching his head. His palm felt warm. Wet.

He pulled it away.

Blood.

His ears rang. Distant, muffled. He couldn’t hear anything.

He lifted his head, dazed.

What he saw made his breath catch.

The houses in front of him were burning.

Debris rained down on the street.

His head spun. He remembered—Iizumi-sensei had told him to wait at his home. So he and Sasuke had followed him back.

Then—the door opened.

And Iizumi had yanked them both up, tossing them out like trash.

Then—explosion.

A wave of force, invisible but brutal, had flung him through the air.

And then… the impact. The blood.

“Gah!”

Naruto gasped, jolting upright. He looked around wildly.

There—just a few meters away—Sasuke was struggling to stand, leaning against the wall.

“Huff… huff…” Sasuke panted, face pale.

He saw Naruto was up. He straightened, trying to look stronger.

But the moment he moved—pain shot through his knees.

He looked down.

Skin scraped raw. Blood seeped from his legs.

His arms were covered in bruises and scrapes.

“What the hell happened?!” Naruto groaned, rubbing his head.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. “How would I know?”

---

Not far away, Kakashi wiped blood from his palm.

Given how violently Naruto and Sasuke had been thrown by the blast, they should’ve been dead. Or at least severely injured.

Yet they were alive. Barely scratched.

That was only because Kakashi had caught them mid-air.

Now, he stared at the fleeing silhouettes—fleeing in panic.

His eyes narrowed.

Shimura Clan…

He hadn’t had time to process the explosion. Or who was behind it.

But he had noticed someone fleeing during the blast.

And as he’d thrown the two kids aside to chase, he saw—a flicker.

The shockwave lifted the mask of one fleeing figure.

Just for an instant.

And Kakashi saw it.

The Sharingan.

Three tomoe.

And the Leaf Village forehead protector—removed.

He recognized the face.

A Shimura Clan ninja.

“Back to the Hokage,” Kakashi muttered.

He covered his Sharingan, exhaled slowly.

Then looked at the wreckage.

“…If it were me,” he whispered, “I’d be dead. Or at least stuck in a hospital for years.”

He hesitated.

Then, a thought struck him.

Could it be…?

“Three Bloodline Limits…?”

Is that even possible?

---

“Hey, dead last—what’s wrong?!” Sasuke snapped, noticing Naruto’s sudden stillness.

He followed Naruto’s gaze.

His eyes widened.

Through the smoke and fire, a lava-like figure emerged.

At first, it looked broken—limbs missing, body torn.

But then—molten rock surged from the flames, filling the gaps.

In less than three breaths, the figure stood whole.

A human shape. Lava-wrapped.

Then—crack!

From the ruins of nearby homes, round balls of thick vines burst upward—like pods.

Each ball unraveled, extending a vine that connected to the lava figure.

The vines pulled back, revealing—people.

Living people.

Old and young. Uchiha civilians.

All of them, wide-eyed, terrified—but alive.

No one had died.

“Hiss…”

Uchiha Iizumi stepped forward from the fire.

Each footfall left a trail of molten rock on the ground.

Where the lava fell, stone burned instantly.

Then, as the molten layer cooled, Iizumi stood—entirely unharmed.

---

Kakashi watched, stunned.

“…Not a scratch,” he whispered.

“He survived. And saved seven neighbors—and two children—in the process.”

He was truly shocked.

He’d expected Iizumi to survive. Maybe.

But not like this.

Not uninjured. Not cool as a cucumber.

Just… a slightly dirty sleeve.

But then—another question.

“Where did those vines come from?”

His mind raced.

And then—the word formed.

Wood Release Bloodline Limit.

He shook his head.

Impossible.

The Uchiha were never related to the Senju. No intermarriage. No shared blood.

Iizumi had already two Bloodline Limits—Dual Bloodline Limit.

How could he have a third?

But then—Danzō.

The man who’d studied Wood Release Cells in secret.

Kakashi’s mind turned.

Three Bloodline Limits…

Is it real?

---

“Iizumi-sama!”

“Iizumi-sama!”

Iizumi and Tachibana Jiro arrived.

Seeing Iizumi unharmed, they both breathed a sigh of relief.

But their expressions darkened at the sight of the destroyed homes.

It was really his house…

The thought echoed in both their minds.

“P-…” Izumi began.

Then Iizumi cut her off, voice cold.

“Did you finish executing all the Evildoers on the list?”

Izumi straightened. “Yes. Every single one. No survivors. And Tachibana Jiro has sent word to the Yamanaka Clan to collect the bodies.”

Naruto and Sasuke staggered forward.

“S-Sensei… you were…?” Tachibana Jiro hesitated.

Iizumi turned, calm. “Assassination attempt. At least a hundred Explosive Tags were planted. The attackers were reckless—they concentrated them all in one area. Otherwise, the entire street would’ve been leveled.”

Everyone froze.

“…What?” Tachibana Jiro gasped.

Iizumi’s gaze drifted—to the distance.

His eyes met Kakashi’s.

A silent exchange.

Kakashi sighed.

He stepped forward.

“I suppose you wouldn’t hide the truth from me,” Kakashi said, “if you knew I’d betray innocent lives for the sake of the ‘evil’?”

Iizumi didn’t flinch. “You know I won’t tolerate that.”

Kakashi hesitated.

He hated being at odds with Iizumi.

And… he still owed him for Obito’s incident.

Even if Iizumi didn’t care about debts.

He lowered his head.

“Shimura Clan,” Kakashi said.

“Which way?” Iizumi asked.

“West. Toward their base.”

“Danzō’s old dog!” Tachibana Jiro snarled. “He’s dead! But his clan’s still full of vipers!”

He watched as Iizumi turned, walking west—alone.

“Wait, Iizumi-sama! I—”

“Stay with the two kids. Check the civilians. Make sure no one’s injured.”

Tachibana Jiro stopped, shoulders slumping.

“Yes, Iizumi-sama.”

Naruto stared.

“Sensei… what’s he going to do?”

Izumi took a breath.

“He’s going to execute Absolute Justice.”

---

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end