Chapter 116: Hokage Loses Another Son! Guardian Ninja Twelve Annihilated! (10,000-Word Epic)

When the Lava Demon Hound from Hell tore through Dilu’s chest, his eyes widened in sheer shock, veins of blood spiderwebbing across his sclera. He coughed up a gout of blood—charred by searing heat—feeling his internal organs instantly charred and fused into slag.

Life draining fast, Dilu clenched his teeth, his arm snapping into motion. The golden chakra surged, transforming into a furious crimson—his face twisted in agony as he fought his final breath. Behind him, a towering red wrathful deity of chakra materialized, charging forward with blinding speed, its fists hammering Uchiha Iizumi again and again.

Each crimson fist struck like a storm, leaving deep impressions across Uchiha Iizumi’s body.

“ASAMA!!” Dilu roared through spattered blood, his neck bulging with veins, “This is my last strength—seize the opening!”

Asama, eyes bloodshot and shattered, stared in horror at Dilu—his chest riddled with the Lava Hound’s maw. But there was no time for grief. With a grimace, he bit down hard, channeling Wind Release chakra into the gauntlet knives in his hands. Blue chakra flared visibly across the blades.

“HAAAAAA!!”

He lunged forward, twin blades descending in a flash, severing Uchiha Iizumi’s molten right arm clean off.

“Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!!”

A gale erupted from his mouth, blasting the severed limb into the distance. Dust and debris swirled in a violent storm, kicking up clouds of sand.

“ASAMA! If you don’t want to die, get the hell out of here!”

A sudden, mocking laugh cut through the air. Asama reflexively leapt back.

Kazuma had appeared behind Uchiha Iizumi, his forehead veins bulging, hands slamming onto the earth.

“Earth Release: Mountain Soil Technique!!”

Boom—Boom—Boom!

The ground trembled violently. On either side of Uchiha Iizumi, the soil surged upward, forming two massive hemispherical mounds that began to close in on each other.

With a deafening CRACK, the two earth domes collided—forming a solid, half-moon-shaped mountain.

Kazuma continued sealing, palms pressing flat against the new formation. Black, intricate seals spread rapidly across the surface like chains binding a prison.

“Ninja Art: Heavy Earth Binding Technique!!”

He exhaled heavily, then stepped back, sneering. “Not bad… but only this far. Even eleven elite shinobi couldn’t finish him. My ‘Heavy Earth Binding’ can seal a Summon Beast over ten meters tall. You’re done.”

He glanced at the dying Dilu, utterly ignoring him. Then, his cold gaze flicked to Asama, whose face was etched with sorrow.

“Now… the Ninja Cat is next. Once that’s dealt with, the Daimyō of Fire Country’s mission is complete. Then… we’ll move on to the Hokage of Leaf Village.”

Before him, eight members of the Guardian Ninja Twelve were still fighting the oversized Ninja Cat Tachibana Jiro.

“Hmph. One dead, but that proves the Molten Release Beast isn’t as terrifying as rumored.”

But before Kazuma could take a single step forward, his smirk froze.

He whirled around—his eyes wide with disbelief.

“…Impossible?!”

Asama, still trying to lift Dilu, halted mid-motion. His gaze locked onto the half-sphere mountain.

The thick earthen layer was melting—turning into flowing lava in under three breaths. The mountain collapsed like butter under heat. The black seals unraveled like melting wax.

“Kazuma! Your seal didn’t work!” Asama’s pupils contracted. Panic surged through him.

“Damn it…” Kazuma’s face darkened.

Before them, a figure of molten red fire stood atop the lava flow—unharmed. Smoke curled from its body, the stench of burning rock and sulfur filling the air. Asama and Kazuma both felt a chilling dread in their bones.

Half of Uchiha Iizumi’s face was normal—half was molten lava. Blood-red lava dripped from his skin, and his eyes had transformed into crimson Sharingan.

He looked forward, past the two, toward the struggling Tachibana Jiro.

His voice was calm, detached.

“Eight elite jōnin attacking a single Ninja Cat… isn’t that a little unfair?”

“Bastard… Uchiha Iizumi!” Kazuma’s face twisted with fury. “You’re standing right in front of me, yet you care more about a damn cat?!”

Iizumi’s crimson gaze shifted toward Kazuma.

The moment their eyes met—Kazuma felt a bone-chilling cold, despite the scorching heat.

“…You’re really quite visible,” Iizumi murmured.

Then, with a flick of his hand, the severed right arm—cut off by Asama’s Wind Release slash—re-grew in midair.

“…The ‘sin’ on your head,” Iizumi said, lifting his arm. The lava beneath him surged violently.

With a single, swift motion, he formed three hand seals.

“Molten Release: Flame Dragon Bullet Technique.”

No roar. No fury. Just a quiet statement—yet it sent both Asama and Kazuma into full-blown terror.

From the molten lava beneath him, a colossal fire dragon erupted—its jaws wide, fangs dripping with flame, roaring as it lunged toward them.

It aimed to consume them both in one breath.

Even the eight Guardian Ninja Twelve, locked in battle with Tachibana Jiro, were thrown into alarm.

“Danger!”

One of Kazuma’s six retainers narrowed his eyes, instantly turning. “Water Release specialist—move! Support Kazuma!”

Two others followed.

“Water Release: Surge Wave!!” ×3

Three torrents of water converged, forming a torrential wave that swept over Asama and Kazuma, colliding head-on with the molten dragon.

—KRAKOOOOOM—

The explosion of steam and fire lit the sky.

…

On the Hokage Tower’s highest balcony, Hiruzen Sarutobi stood, his brow furrowed. The sight of the lava dragon in the distance stirred a deep unease.

So… Iizumi was attacked… But was the assailant really an outsider spy?

He had already dispatched Anbu Ninja. But he remained behind—Hokage of Leaf Village.

The village was already low on high-tier fighters. With Uchiha Iizumi temporarily away, if he left too, the village could fall into chaos.

And the threats…

Not just from outside.

From within.

Especially Uchiha Itachi.

What if I return, and find the entire Uchiha Clan wiped out?

And Uchiha Setsuna…

What if I come back, and he’s already wearing the Hokage’s sacred robe—spreading a web of traps across the village, waiting for me?

Hiruzen’s lips twitched.

Because the truth was…

Every single problem in the village…

…came from the Uchiha.

For a fleeting moment, he almost understood Danzō.

…

“Hmph… so many enemies,” Uchiha Setsuna said from the rooftop of the Uchiha Compound, leaning on his cane. He narrowed his eyes at the distant battle.

“Such a spectacle… must be elite jōnin. All for that brat, huh?”

He grinned—gleeful. He wanted them to kill Iizumi.

Even if they failed… if they forced Iizumi to reveal more of his secrets, more of his weaknesses—that was a win.

“Setsuna Elder, let’s go help Uchiha Iizumi!”

The sudden shout from a young Uchiha zealot froze Setsuna’s smile.

Damn it… How did Absolute Justice brainwash these people?

Iizumi hadn’t even spoken to them. Just heard rumors. Just a little about Absolute Justice… and they’re already this loyal?

Why?!

Setsuna turned, voice icy. “You think the village will let us Uchiha leave freely? Remember last time Fugaku tried to go aid Iizumi? Danzō blocked him.”

“The village’s leadership has never trusted us. Not yesterday. Not today. And they never will. You’ll be stopped at the gates.”

He twisted the blame onto the village’s leadership.

Truth is… I don’t want to help.

…

“Fugaku, won’t you lead the Investigation Corps to help Iizumi?” Mikoto asked.

“…It’s too late.” Fugaku’s expression was heavy, conflicted. He sighed. “If Iizumi hadn’t caused so much trouble, yes—I could have. But now… the higher-ups are watching him like a hawk. Even the Hokage won’t meet him alone.”

“If I lead the Investigation Corps out, the moment they see us… they’ll assume the Uchiha Clan is close to him. And their fear of Iizumi… will shift onto us.”

“It would push the Uchiha Clan—already teetering on the edge—into complete distrust with the village.”

Fugaku paused. “That’s one reason I don’t want Sasuke to follow Absolute Justice. The closer we are to Iizumi… the more dangerous we become.”

Mikoto stared, stunned.

“Fugaku… Iizumi is Uchiha. How can you say ‘close’ or ‘distant’? Why would the elders punish the whole clan for one person?”

“You’re too narrow-minded,” Fugaku said quietly. “It’s not just me. It’s Itachi.”

He paused.

“It’s not that I’ve grown paranoid. It’s that Itachi… is stirring.”

Mikoto froze.

“Because of Iizumi’s actions… Itachi feels the Uchiha Clan is losing control. The only way to calm him… is to cut ties with Iizumi.”

Fugaku exhaled, the weight of years etched into his voice.

Mikoto was lost.

Her husband. Her son. Both saying Iizumi was extreme.

Yet… weren’t they just as extreme?

She opened her mouth.

But no words came.

…

Outside the village.

The clash of water and lava sent a wall of scalding steam cascading down on Asama and Kazuma.

The heat burned.

They leapt back, abandoning Dilu’s corpse—watching in horror as the steam cooked it alive.

“Gah!” Asama gasped, staring at his arm—now red, blistering.

He looked up.

The red lava dragon wasn’t just holding its ground.

It was pushing forward.

Three elite jōnin. One technique.

Defeated.

“He’s… at the Shadow-level,” Asama whispered, teeth clenched.

That’s why the old man hesitated… even when his son died… he couldn’t act.

The sheer power of Uchiha Iizumi—terrifying, overwhelming—was the reason the old man never dared move.

“Wait—!”

Asama noticed the lava dragon’s glow intensifying.

“Look out!!”

Before he could finish, the dragon exploded—like a volcano erupting.

The shockwave shattered the water torrent into a million droplets. Rain of molten fire rained down across the forest—like a scorching storm.

The dragon split into countless lava bullets—each the size of a house, trailing fire and black smoke.

One struck a Guardian Ninja mid-dodge—direct hit.

The man vanished into a molten mass.

Asama couldn’t tell if he’d vaporized… or burned to ash.

Another barely dodged—too slow.

The impact of the lava blast sent him flying, slamming into a tree. He was embedded in the trunk, blood gushing.

“Gah!” He spat blood, one side of his body blackened and blistered.

The third man barely escaped—three lava shells flying past.

He stared at his two fallen comrades—terrified.

But then…

The ground trembled beneath him.

Cracks split open. Red light pulsed beneath.

“…No…”

—KRAKOOOOM—

The earth collapsed in a ten-meter radius. A geyser of molten lava erupted—engulfing him instantly.

No scream. No jutsu.

Just silence.

“Damn you, Uchiha!!” Kazuma roared, fury boiling. The three dead were all supporters of abolishing the Hokage.

“KAZUMA!!” Asama’s shout snapped him back.

Suddenly—two crimson Sharingan appeared in his vision.

The genjutsu from the Three Tomoe Sharingan flooded his senses—his sight, sound, smell, touch—all scrambled.

Panic.

He slapped his hands together, trying to disrupt his chakra flow.

Reclaiming a sliver of control—

He felt it.

His lower jaw… was being gripped.

When his vision cleared…

He saw the molten half of Uchiha Iizumi.

And the lava hand—piercing through his face like butter.

—SIZZZZ—

The sound of flesh sizzling was deafening.

Kazuma’s eyes widened—his soul frozen in terror.

Guardian Ninja Twelve—only six left.

Asama stood frozen, staring at the molten figure.

Dilu. Kazuma. Three others.

All elite jōnin. Survivors of the Third Ninja War.

And yet—Uchiha Iizumi had killed four. Injured one.

In minutes.

This… wasn’t a man.

This was a monster.

The five remaining Guardians, caught in the chaos, were shaken.

One, distracted, barely dodged Tachibana Jiro’s clawed swipe—his arm was ripped off.

“Gah!!”

Pain flared.

Not just the monster… the cat is a monster too!

Wind howled.

The severed-arm ninja’s eyes widened—the tail came from the side.

He tried to seal—

“Earth Release: Hardened Stone Skin!”

—THUD!

The tail struck him like a battering ram. He flew like a volleyball, vision blurring.

Wait… that direction…

No!

Before he could react—

The molten figure blurred past him.

The cat had deliberately thrown him.

That’s why…

In a split second—

The Sharingan locked onto him.

Time slowed.

He watched—in horror—as the lava arm thrust forward, faster than he was flying.

—THWACK!

The tip of the lava arm pierced his chest—impaling him like a skewer.

He froze mid-air.

“Gah!” Blood gushed from his mouth.

His “Hardened Stone Skin” had stopped the cat’s tail.

But against this—it was nothing.

Why?!

“Still… five and a half,” Iizumi said, voice quiet.

Asama’s blood ran cold.

That voice… was the voice of hell.

“…Monster…”

The word escaped his lips, frozen.

Now he understood his father.

It wasn’t age.

It wasn’t hesitation.

It was reality.

The cost of taking down this monster…

…was a price the village couldn’t afford.

…

Zwoosh—Zwoosh—

Two figures streaked through the forest—Hatake Kakashi and Maito Kai.

“Whoa… a giant cat!” Kai squinted at the distant orange beast. “Kakashi… is that Justice guy fighting it?”

“Justice guy?” Kakashi blinked.

Then he realized—Kai meant Iizumi.

His eye twitched.

What kind of nickname is that?

Kakashi sighed. “That cat is Iizumi’s companion—Tachibana Jiro. If Iizumi’s cat is fighting… this ambush was serious.”

He frowned.

Who could’ve set this up?

An outsider spy?

But which village could field so many elite jōnin outside the village?

After the Third War, all nations were still recovering…

Then—

A chilling thought.

…This was done by Leaf Village shinobi.

Because Iizumi had made enemies here.

Enemies with blood debts.

“If that’s true…” Kakashi hesitated. “Am I getting involved in a mess?”

But then—

Kai suddenly accelerated.

“Kakashi! Race me! First to the scene wins!”

Kakashi’s lips twitched.

…Fine.

Let’s repay that favor.

…

“P-Preceptor…”

Far behind, Uchiha Izumi had left the village.

She bit her lip, pushing her young body to the limit.

Who could’ve set this trap?

Hokage-sama?

No wonder she thought of Hiruzen Sarutobi—because Iizumi had once told her: The Third Hokage isn’t a good man.

And after receiving the power to see “sin”… she’d secretly scanned the Third Hokage.

And confirmed it.

He wasn’t lying.

But three seconds later—she dismissed it.

Because she heard movement behind her.

She stopped. Turned.

An endless stream of Anbu Ninja, masks on, sprinted past her.

“…Anbu?!”

Her eyes widened.

They’re all out. So… the ambush wasn’t ordered by the Hokage.

Then… who?

…

Asama felt the chilling gaze of the molten figure shift toward him.

Instinct screamed.

He leapt back—spitting out a fire breath.

“Fire Release: Ash Concealment Technique!!”

A wall of smoke and ash engulfed the battlefield—blocking the Sharingan.

The ash burned hot. Trees caught fire.

But to a being of molten chakra?

It was nothing.

Just a curtain.

“Wind Release: Emerald Gale Gale!!”

He threw his gauntlet knives—slicing through the smoke.

—Hiss!

One pierced Iizumi’s chest—going through and out the back.

—Hiss!

The other flew toward Iizumi’s left eye.

Even with the Three Tomoe Sharingan’s reflexes—

Iizumi didn’t dodge.

The blade pierced his eye—into his brain—and exited through the back of his skull.

—Clack. Clack.

The knives fell, melting into iron sludge under the lava’s heat.

“Tch!” Asama grimaced, retreating from the smoke.

Then—

—PUNCH!

He slammed his hands together.

“Wind Release: Dust Tornado!!”

A cyclone of wind and ash roared into existence.

He unrolled scrolls—tossing out weapons, explosive tags.

The tornado swallowed them all.

Dozens of blades shredded stone.

—KRAKOOOOM—

An explosion erupted—fireball rising fifty meters.

The shockwave threw Asama into the air—landing hard, blood splattering.

Metal shrapnel rained everywhere—uncontrolled, indiscriminate.

Iizumi stood at the center—unharmed.

Shrapnel cut into him.

But he didn’t flinch.

Asama struggled to his feet—face bleeding, blood soaking his vest.

His leg gushed blood—artery torn by a kunai.

But he didn’t care.

He only cared about him.

“…You’re not invincible,” Asama gasped. “You can’t be. Even if physical attacks fail… elemental attacks… chakra—they must hurt you.”

He knew it was too late.

But he’d die trying.

This monster must not stay in the village.

Anyone who threatens Leaf… I must end them.

…Huh?

—Drip. Sizzle.

—Drip. Sizzle.

Asama stared—eyes wide.

Through the smoke—

A red figure emerged.

Unharmed.

Unshaken.

As if his entire assault had meant nothing.

Just like Dilu… when he realized his chakra bell couldn’t stop Iizumi’s Lava Hound…

Just like I am now.

“Hiruzen Asama,” Iizumi said, voice flat. “When you raise a blade against Absolute Justice with malice… you become its enemy.”

“…Absolute Justice?” Asama laughed—hoarse, bloody. “So your Justice is massacre? You killed my brother—Hiruzen Shintetsu.”

“Even setting aside your threat to the village… that alone… demands a reckoning.”

“…So killing my brother… is ‘sin’ in your eyes?”

Blood dripped from his lips.

But he still stared.

Iizumi remained cold. “A murderer is executed. His family blames the village. They seek to destroy it. Kill everyone. If you think that’s justice… then we have nothing to discuss.”

“Hiruzen Asama… you are beyond saving.”

The words hit him like a hammer.

His eyes burst with blood.

His body locked.

He looked down.

The lava had already pierced him.

The ninja vest—useless.

The smoke from the lava hand obscured half his face.

He saw it.

“Even dying… you don’t see it like Shintetsu did.”

Iizumi’s voice was quiet.

“Perhaps that’s why you’re not his equal.”

“Your soul… can ask him when it reaches the afterlife.”

“I never agreed with your Absolute Justice. But he… understood what I was doing. What those four words mean.”

When Iizumi pulled his arm back—

Asama’s eyes went dark.

His body fell forward—face-first into the dirt.

Iizumi turned—letting the body fall.

Now—

Third Hokage’s eldest son.

Second son.

Both dead.

“Four and a half left,” Iizumi said, walking forward—past the wreckage, past the bodies.

His gaze settled on the four remaining Guardians—still locked in battle with Tachibana Jiro.

He began to walk.

…

“Whew… we’re here!” Kakashi gasped, the air thick with sulfur.

The battle… was over.

But when he and Kai burst from the trees—

Their eyes widened.

The giant cat—Tachibana Jiro—had a corpse in its jaws.

A body—missing its upper half.

A pile of black ash—a burned corpse.

And Iizumi—no flashy moves—one punch, and a jōnin’s head was shattered.

The kunai that pierced him—laughable.

“…We’re too late,” Kakashi said, voice dry.

…

…

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end