Chapter 126: Slaying 4,756 Enemies! Shaking the Land of Fire!

The vast Capital City of the Land of Fire was now gripped by panic.

Many noble families who had narrowly escaped the purge realized that as long as they remained innocent, they wouldn’t draw the wrath of Uchiha Iizumi—or fall victim to his so-called Absolute Justice.

But the question remained: Who could truly claim to be clean?

Who could guarantee their own innocence?

Or the purity of their loved ones?

Who could be certain they wouldn’t be next?

And who could promise they’d remain unmoved when their family was slaughtered before their eyes?

Still, one thing was undeniable—

In just a few short days, no one dared commit a crime within the Capital City.

Because one by one, every past offender whose sins had once gone unpunished had been dragged into the light by Uchiha Iizumi.

Those guilty of minor crimes were thrown into prison.

Those whose crimes were grave? They lost their lives.

A relentless daily purge left the city drowning in blood.

The stench of death hung thick in the air, chilling even the most hardened criminals into silence.

If only one ignored the corpses scattered across the streets,

And overlooked the bloodstains that refused to wash away—

Then, yes, the Capital City might have seemed “peaceful.”

Peaceful enough that even the Daimyō of Fire Country had been killed.

And amidst this wave of fear and dread, Hiruzen Sarutobi’s mood was just as dark.

Whispers about him—the Third Hokage—had already begun to spread through the capital.

Not long after witnessing the Daimyō’s funeral, an Anbu Ninja rushed into the Hokage’s office, breathless.

“Hokage-sama,” he reported, “these are the rumors we’ve gathered from outside. You were right—people are already linking this tragedy directly to you.”

Hiruzen’s eyelids twitched.

After what felt like an eternity of mental preparation, he finally took the report.

One glance was enough.

His face drained of color.

He nearly collapsed.

The words on the page burned into his mind—each one more damning than the last.

—“The Daimyō’s death had to be tied to the Leaf Village! That Uchiha Iizumi is a Leaf Ninja, isn’t he? How could one man alone storm the Daimyō’s palace? There must have been help from other Leaf ninjas—didn’t the Third Hokage himself appear at the scene?”

—“I heard the Third Hokage is a legendary warrior of the Ninja World… but now he’s supposedly turning on the Daimyō? This is unprecedented. These ninja are terrifying. Have they been plotting this for years?”

—“Is the Leaf Village trying to break free from the Daimyō’s rule? Is this the ambition of all Leaf ninjas… or just the Hokage’s personal obsession?”

—“They say the Hokage’s second son was one of the Daimyō’s Twelve Guardians! The Hokage has already planted spies deep within the Daimyō’s court. He’s been scheming for ages!”

—“Why did the Crown Prince endure such humiliation in silence? Was he threatened by the Hokage?”

—“The Hokage is planning a coup!”

Hiruzen could only repeat, “Unthinkable… utterly unthinkable…”

He paced frantically, his face flushed with shame.

His conscience screamed.

But this was all nonsense—baseless conspiracy!

He, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had no part in this!

He had come to the Capital City with Anbu to investigate—not to conspire with Iizumi!

He was innocent!

Yet, in that moment, he finally understood the weight of the pressure Hatake Shūmatsu must have endured.

These rumors were born from fear—of a so-called “cunning Hokage.”

And they hadn’t even gone too far.

If they had…

Hiruzen shuddered.

He might have considered suicide—to prove his innocence.

Thankfully, that irrational thought vanished quickly.

“Can we control the rumors?” he asked, voice hollow, turning to the Anbu around him.

One of them replied, “Hokage-sama, the rumors about you have already spread. The Capital City is far larger than Leaf Village—controlling information here is exponentially harder. Even ten times harder.”

He paused.

“Besides, this isn’t Leaf Village. To suppress the rumors, we’d need the Daimyō’s support. But… well…”

He hesitated.

“…The new Daimyō’s court will inevitably side with Uchiha Iizumi.”

“Once Iizumi intervenes, the rumors will run wild.”

Hiruzen fell silent.

Uchiha Iizumi—

The name wasn’t just a nightmare for the people of the Capital City.

It had become his own personal torment.

…

Meanwhile, on the other side of the city—

“Ninja Sword,” Iizumi said simply.

Mitarashi Anko immediately handed him a blade from the stack she held.

He tossed aside his dull, worn sword, then—without hesitation—slashed through the neck of an evil offender.

The head rolled.

“Four thousand seven hundred fifty-six…

And the eleventh Ninja Sword.”

Anko swallowed hard.

She thought she’d grown numb to Iizumi’s methods.

But as the numbers climbed, the numbness never came.

Each day, she was shaken anew.

Each day, her mind reeled under the weight of what she’d witnessed.

She saw horrors she’d never imagined—evil deeds so grotesque they made her stomach turn.

Some of the crimes still haunted her dreams.

Her worldview had shifted.

Maybe… they truly don’t deserve to live in this Ninja World. Their presence only defiles the land. Their twisted minds only feed the spread of evil.

She stared at the severed head.

Just days ago, she would’ve questioned it.

Now? She thought: Good. He deserved it.

She felt nothing but cold resolve toward the dying cries of the guilty.

No pity. No mercy.

But then—her gaze dropped to her hands.

To the swords in her arms.

A flicker of doubt.

What have I done?

Did I help Orochimaru commit evil?

Am I no different from these monsters?

Do I even deserve to live in this world?

The questions gnawed at her soul.

She was Orochimaru’s student.

But the Snake Sannin had erased parts of her memory to protect his secrets.

So now, she couldn’t remember what she’d done.

Then, Iizumi’s voice cut through the silence.

“If your sins were as grave as those I’ve slain…

You’d already be a corpse waiting to be consumed by microbes.”

Anko froze.

Right…

If she were truly one of those monsters, she wouldn’t still be alive.

She took a deep breath, steadying herself.

And then, with surprising courage, she asked the man who now terrified even the strongest ninja:

“Iizumi… will you find Orochimaru? And kill him?”

She hesitated.

“I don’t remember… but I need to know.”

Iizumi gave a single, cold word:

“Yes.”

…

News of the massacre in the Capital City reached the Leaf Village.

Hyūga Menji and Tsunade Konoha could no longer hide it.

Trying to suppress it now would only make things worse.

In the Nara Clan’s stronghold, the three clan leaders—Pig, Deer, and Butterfly—sat together.

“Uchiha Iizumi… he’s done something truly earth-shattering,” Nara Shikaku murmured, sipping tea to calm his nerves.

“He’s proven his Absolute Justice isn’t empty talk. He’s willing to pay any price for justice.”

He glanced at Akimichi Teizou.

“He killed the Daimyō. Purged the entire upper class. Even Takeshita Street was cleansed from top to bottom.”

Shikaku’s awe was undeniable.

Akimichi Teizou frowned.

“Does this mean trouble for our Inuzuka-Nara-Yamanaka Alliance? Iizumi’s made enemies of every noble family. They’ll come after us.”

Shikaku shook his head.

“If it were trouble, I wouldn’t have said I respected his justice.”

He leaned forward.

“Iizumi’s power—through Zetsu’s influence—has silenced all dissent. Even the Daimyō’s heir gave up on revenge. Do you understand what that means?”

He answered himself:

“It means the entire elite class has chosen to bury this incident. They won’t seek revenge. They won’t drag us into this.”

Teizou stroked his triple chin.

“So… they’re afraid? They’ve submitted to him?”

Yamana Haiichi spoke, flatly:

“No. They’re pragmatists. They see Iizumi as the winner. The Daimyō is dead—so he’s the loser. They’ll back the victor.”

He added, “But if Iizumi’s power weakens one day… they’ll turn on him without hesitation. They’ll reopen old wounds.”

Shikaku smirked.

“Politics. That’s how the big players think. But right now? It’s not bad for us.”

He sighed.

“The real trouble is for the Hokage.”

…

“The truth can’t be hidden,” Hyūga Menji said, standing atop the Hokage Tower.

Below, the village buzzed with whispers.

“In less than a day, everyone will know what Iizumi did.”

“In days, his name—and his extreme justice—will echo across the Land of Fire. And the rumors will reach foreign spies, then other villages.”

Tsunade Konoha rubbed her temples, face grim.

“Worse… some of the rumors about the Third Hokage have already reached us.”

She gritted her teeth.

“Some people believe he ordered Iizumi to kill the Daimyō. After all, the boy is a Leaf Ninja. Outsiders don’t know how far apart we are.”

Her voice sharpened.

“Such rumors—these conspiracy theories—won’t help the Hokage… or the Leaf Village. They’ll only deepen distrust.”

She clenched her fists.

“Iizumi’s extremism has put the entire village on the brink of war with every noble family in the Land of Fire!”

Her voice trembled with fury.

“Those with wealth, influence, and power—now they’ll never trust us. In their eyes, we’re capable of assassinating a Daimyō. What’s next? Killing the Hokage?”

She spat.

“The Leaf’s honor is ruined!”

Her feelings mirrored Hiruzen’s—both feared the damage these rumors would cause.

Menji sighed.

“Truth can’t be locked away. Rumors can’t be stopped. Even if we deny it, who would believe us?”

He grew serious.

“And worse… once Iizumi’s ideology spreads, how many young ninja—students in the Academy—will fall under its spell?”

“If everyone embraces this black-and-white justice… the entire Land of Fire will descend into chaos.”

Both fell silent.

They were advisors—experts at identifying problems.

But solving them? That was the Hokage’s burden.

And if they had to suggest a solution…

They could only think of one:

Kill Uchiha Iizumi.

But that was the most impossible option of all.

…

Back in the Uchiha Compound.

Many clan members were still reeling from the news that several elders had begun impeachment proceedings against Fugaku Clan Head.

They were even considering electing a new leader.

Then—another shock hit them.

“Iizumi’s master… he killed the Daimyō of Fire Country. Reason? The Daimyō was a criminal.”

Uchiha Hazuki was stunned.

She’d always known her daughter’s superior was controversial—some of his actions seemed extreme even to fellow Uchiha.

But she’d thought him… normal.

Now she realized she’d been wrong.

Killing the Daimyō?

That was a national catastrophe!

In the eyes of the Hokage, would Iizumi be a rogue ninja?

And if Izumi served him… did that make her a traitor too?

No—this wasn’t just betrayal.

This was treason.

Her heart sank.

She was just an ordinary Uchiha.

But now, she feared for her daughter’s life.

…

At the Investigation Corps Building—

Fugaku had barely begun to process the elders’ impeachment.

Then came the news:

Uchiha Iizumi had killed the Daimyō of Fire Country.

The world spun.

His scalp prickled.

It felt like a thousand silver needles were piercing his brain.

“Iizumi… that was the Daimyō!

He was untouchable!”

Fugaku whispered, eyes hollow, staring at his desk.

Now, the Uchiha Clan had no chance.

No matter what, the Leaf Village leadership would suspect them.

They’d see Iizumi’s actions as proof of the Uchiha’s unchecked ambition.

And once that thought took root—

Every clan would turn against them.

Why not kill the Hokage next? Why not us?

He had spent his life trying to preserve the clan.

And now, two of them—Setsuna and Iizumi—were burying it.

“Why… how did it come to this?” he murmured, lost in despair.

…

“Uchiha Iizumi!”

Uchiha Setsuna nearly exploded.

He gasped like a bellows, gripping his wooden cane, eyes blazing.

That reckless child… how dare he?!

“How could he? How?!

What kind of Hokage is Hiruzen Sarutobi to allow this?!”

He collapsed into his chair, breathing raggedly, face black with fury.

His entire political plan—his bid for power—hinged on securing the Daimyō’s and the nobles’ support.

With the Daimyō’s backing, and the Hokage removed… the Uchiha would rule.

But now?

He killed the Daimyō.

He wiped out the nobles.

He wiped out entire families.

Setsuna’s hands trembled.

Who in their right mind would support the Uchiha now?

And worse—he’d dragged me down with him!

…

PS:

Today was a blur.

Wrote only 5,000 words all day.

Feels like one of those strange, off days again.

This update is just a little break.

Tomorrow—back to 10,000 words!

Let’s go!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end