Chapter 111: Illuminating Leaf Village with “Molten Release: Great Eruption”!

When Uchiha Iizumi’s right arm—roiling with searing lava—punched forward with explosive force, the limb swelled rapidly, transforming into a colossal, monstrous fist of molten rock.

To the members of the Shimura Clan, the sheer scale of that crimson lava fist was terrifying beyond imagination—its volume dwarfing the combined size of every single one of them, perhaps by a hundredfold or more. It loomed over them like a furnace the size of a house, descending with crushing inevitability.

A suffocating pressure gripped their chests. Their skin crawled with primal dread.

A single, horrifying thought took root in their minds: If that fist lands… the entire Shimura Clan outpost will be swallowed whole by lava. Everyone will die.

Yet, in that moment of utter despair, the will to survive surged. Without hesitation, they began forming seals at lightning speed, unleashing their most powerful techniques in unison.

“Wind Release: Vacuum Jade Array!!”

“Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!!”

“Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere!!”

“Wind Release—”

A barrage of wind-based jutsu erupted—gales of wind, razor-sharp wind blades, and massive wind spheres—colliding head-on with the lava fist.

Instantly, the impact tore deep grooves into the molten surface, carving out countless craters. When a massive wind sphere struck, the lava’s surface erupted like a pond struck by a boulder, splattering glowing droplets in all directions.

But they had grossly underestimated their opponent.

They had forgotten the truth: Uchiha Iizumi had just purged countless evil ninjas from the Ninja World. His power had been honed in fire and blood.

The lava fist, radiating pressure like a volcanic eruption, shattered every single wind technique in an instant.

And worse—those flying lava droplets became deadly projectiles.

One young Shimura Clan member was struck square on the shoulder by a chunk of molten rock, the size of a fist.

In that same moment, he felt his left arm go numb—then vanish.

He turned, eyes wide with horror.

His left arm lay on the ground, severed at the shoulder. The flesh had been melted away like wax, the bone exposed, the entire shoulder socket cleanly erased by the lava’s merciless heat.

“AAAAAHHHHHHHHH—!!”

A scream tore from his throat—unbearable agony, beyond words.

The splattered lava struck the clan’s buildings. Any flammable material ignited instantly. In seconds, half the outpost was engulfed in flames.

The lava fist didn’t stop.

Two clan members and a summoned beast, caught off guard, were swallowed whole. No time to scream. No time to resist.

Shimura Sōya, his aged body trembling, dragged himself backward with the last of his strength, flanked by a few remaining elite clan warriors.

They retreated—until the lava fist halted mere centimeters from his nose.

And just as they dared to breathe…

The surface of the fist flared with an even more intense crimson glow.

As if something monstrous was about to erupt from within.

It did.

With a roar like a collapsing mountain, the fist detonated—shattering into a storm of molten projectiles, each larger than a man, blasting outward in every direction.

Boom!

One projectile struck an open courtyard, cratering the ground into a hole several meters wide. Scorching lava still boiled across the surface.

Boom!

Another struck a three-story building. The structure collapsed in an instant, engulfed in fire.

Boom!

A clan warrior was hit head-on. His body vaporized instantly—reduced to nothing more than a puff of smoke and ash.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Each explosion tore through the outpost with devastating force. The destruction was apocalyptic.

The entire southern half of Leaf Village was bathed in red light.

Ninjas from across the village were roused by the spectacle—alarmed, stunned, frozen in place.

…

“…It’s too late,” murmured Hiruzen Sarutobi, standing within the Uchiha compound, gazing at the distant sky now painted crimson by the eruptions.

His face, etched with age and wisdom, was grim.

He had seen Uchiha Iizumi’s Molten Release before.

And now, he knew—there would be no survivors in the Shimura Clan.

Unless…

Unless there was someone in the clan whom Iizumi still considered innocent.

But…

Could there be?

After years of being manipulated by Danzō—wearing the black gloves of the village’s hidden shadow—had the Shimura Clan ever been anything but tainted?

Hiruzen felt a pang of guilt.

Because Danzō had been his creation.

The man’s influence over the clan—its corruption—was something he had silently allowed.

He was not blameless.

“…Iizumi’s Molten Release… truly is terrifying,” said Uchiha Fugaku beside him, his expression dark.

A memory stirred in his mind.

Uchiha Setsuna.

He had been involved—deeply.

Setsuna claimed he hadn’t intended to harm Iizumi. He had only accidentally leaked information—information he himself wasn’t even sure was true.

And as for what the Shimura Clan did with it? That was beyond his control.

But…

To Iizumi, that excuse meant nothing.

When Setsuna said he “didn’t mean to” reveal the data—wasn’t that just admitting guilt?

A desperate attempt to justify himself.

Fugaku’s gaze hardened.

He, as Clan Head, could stop Setsuna.

But he could not stop Iizumi.

Because even the Hokage couldn’t stop him.

…

“An entire clan… an entire village… and yet no one dares to step forward and stop this… extreme child?”

Uchiha Setsuna stood at a distance, watching the sky burn.

The lava projectiles exploded like fireworks—beautiful, dazzling, yet utterly horrifying.

His hands trembled.

Cold sweat soaked his palms.

Inside, he was screaming.

He knew the danger.

His life was no longer his own.

Because Iizumi had a history.

And every past act proved one thing:

He would not spare even a blood relative if he deemed them guilty.

“Damn it…”

Setsuna’s face twisted.

The moment the Shimura Clan fell—he was next.

No, he’d been marked from the start.

The only reason Iizumi hadn’t attacked him yet was because he was surrounded by other Uchiha extremists—his bodyguards.

Iizumi was waiting.

Waiting for the perfect moment.

Waiting to strike without resistance.

The thought flashed—then vanished.

But the horror remained.

So… I’ve already become the lamb on the altar.

His teeth clenched so hard he felt his molars crack.

…

Meanwhile, deep within the ruins of the Shimura Clan outpost.

Shimura Sōya, barely alive after dodging a lava projectile, trembled uncontrollably.

Was it rage? Fear? Or both?

He couldn’t tell.

His bloodshot eyes fixed on the figure in the flames—Uchiha Iizumi, wreathed in lava, like a demon risen from the underworld.

To him, it was the same as the night the Nine-Tailed Fox had torn through Leaf Village.

The destruction… the chaos… the utter annihilation…

He’s a human fox.

Watching his clan die—flesh melting, buildings collapsing, friends burning—Sōya gasped for air, lungs searing from the sulfur-laced heat.

“Uchiha Iizumi! I will kill you! For Leaf Village! For justice! You—this so-called righteous villain—will pay for your crimes!”

His voice cracked, twisted with madness.

He tore open his robes—revealing strange, ancient seal marks across his flesh.

“Then you will die with us! You will burn in the same fire that consumes us all!”

He roared, charging forward, dodging molten shards, his body bleeding, his spirit broken.

“Ninjutsu…!”

“Inner Four Symbols Sealing Technique!”

The seals flared.

His skin split open. Blood sprayed in all directions—painting a massive, intricate seal on the ground.

The seal pulsed—then expanded into a glowing sphere.

Everything within it was sealed.

All matter—lava, stone, flesh—was pulled into the Inner Four Symbols Realm, a dimension beyond the living world.

The sphere vanished.

And with it—Shimura Sōya, the clan’s last elder, was gone.

Only ashes remained.

…

A young survivor—his arm missing, barely alive—stumbled back, staring in horror at the empty space where the elder had stood.

The ground was gone.

Even the lava had vanished.

“…Takayuki… Elder Takayuki…”

Tears streamed down his face.

“He… he saved us. He killed that monster… Uchiha Iizumi is… finally—”

His voice cut off.

Like a duck with its throat slit.

His eyes widened in pure terror.

Because standing before him—emerging from the heat haze, a figure of molten fire—was Iizumi.

The air warped around him, trembling from the heat.

The sealing technique—failed.

Iizumi was not sealed.

How?!

This man was invincible?!

The young man collapsed, his legs giving out.

The heat blistered his skin. His hair curled.

“I… I… I’m sorry…” he whispered.

But it was too late.

Uchiha Iizumi spoke—his voice like a specter from the underworld.

“Shimura Harukai. Three years ago. You tested a C-rank jutsu by killing three civilians in Fire Country.”

The boy froze.

His breath stopped.

He knew.

His final hope—gone.

“Today… you participated in the assassination attempt on Uchiha Iizumi.”

“Criminal status: Red Mark.”

Before he could scream—

The world exploded in fire.

A tidal wave of lava surged forward, swallowing him whole.

Then it surged into the outpost, obliterating every remaining building.

The entire Shimura Clan compound—reduced to a sea of molten rock.

The sky burned red.

The village, once proud and strong, now stood silent beneath a crimson veil.

The Shimura Clan…

Extinct.

…

When Hiruzen Sarutobi, Fugaku, and others arrived—what they found was a wasteland of cooling lava.

The air stank of sulfur.

Even Tsunade Konoha and Hyūga Menji, who had been waiting in the Hokage Tower, rushed to the scene.

So did Nara Shikaku, Inuzuka Makoto, Yamanaka Haiichi, and others—none of them involved in the conflict, yet drawn by the horror.

Silence fell.

Every ninja present stood in stunned silence, staring at the ruins.

The red glow of the lava reflected in their eyes—each face a different mask of shock, grief, or grim acceptance.

Nara Shikaku, hands in his pockets, a toothpick dangling from his lips, broke the silence.

“Tonight… we learned just how absolute Iizumi’s justice truly is. This man leaves no room for doubt. But… are you really sure he never kills the innocent?”

Yamana Haiichi replied calmly.

“Iizumi never kills the innocent. Every corpse I’ve examined—each one carried guilt. Their memories… even recalling them makes me shiver.”

He paused.

“Besides… do you honestly believe the Shimura Clan had any truly innocent members?”

Shikaku exhaled.

“…Yeah. You’re right.”

…

“Hiruzen… what happened?” Tsunade Konoha forced her voice steady, though her hands trembled.

Her eyes locked onto the Hokage.

“You knew this was coming. Didn’t you?”

Hiruzen didn’t answer at first.

He stared at a corpse—another Shimura warrior, half-melted, still clutching a detonator.

Finally, he spoke.

“They set explosives in the Uchiha Compound. Meant to kill Iizumi. They nearly took out dozens of innocent Uchiha civilians.”

Tsunade’s expression darkened.

So… they brought it on themselves.

And worse—no one would defend them.

But she couldn’t let it go.

“Still… he could’ve executed only the mastermind. Destroying an entire clan? The consequences… the message it sends… How will the other clans view this?”

Hiruzen sighed.

“Non-bloodline clans… they might feel fear. But the bloodline clans?”

He stopped.

Tsunade understood.

Danzō’s secret experiments—his hunting of bloodline abilities—had been exposed.

The Uchiha, Hyūga, Tsukikage… all of them knew what the Shimura Clan had done.

And they knew what they had become.

So when they saw the clan erased…

They weren’t mourning.

They were… relieved.

Tsunade’s anger didn’t fade.

Because her clan—her family—had lost two young members.

Killed without reason.

Without trial.

Without warning.

…

Hyūga Menji stepped forward, voice heavy.

“Hiruzen… the people Iizumi killed before the outpost… including my cousin… were they truly guilty?”

Hiruzen looked at Kakashi.

“You know the truth. Tell them.”

Kakashi, his eyes half-lidded, replied.

“The thirteen people killed this evening were all involved in large-scale smuggling and trafficking of banned substances. Their bodies have been handed to the Yamanaka Clan. Evidence will be confirmed shortly.”

The mention of Yamanaka Clan silenced Tsunade instantly.

She wanted to argue.

She wanted to believe her people were innocent.

But what if… they weren’t?

What if they were?

She clenched her jaw.

“He should’ve captured them. Questioned them. Let the law decide. Not… not this… butcher’s justice.”

Her voice was weak.

Defeated.

…

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end