Chapter 14: Facing the "Red Mark" — Shimura Danzō Turned Crimson with Rage!

After leaving the Hokage’s office, Danzō simmered with fury. He despised Hiruzen Sarutobi’s indecisiveness. In his eyes, the Uchiha clan—except for the long-dead Uchiha Kagami—were nothing but evil incarnate. Especially Uchiha Iizumi, that brat who flaunted his extreme personality and ruthless behavior right in the open!

What was this so-called “Absolute Justice”? It was nothing but a hollow excuse to justify murder for sport! Only a weak, incompetent Third Hokage—some monkey of a man—could possibly believe such a dangerous stance was trustworthy.

As Danzō seethed with resentment, flanked by two Root guards on his way back to the Root base…

He witnessed a sight that nearly gave him a heart attack.

—A seven-year-old Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, Naruto Uzumaki, was being hoisted by the collar, held aloft by Uchiha Iizumi.

The image sent a jolt through Danzō’s mind—flashbacks of the Nine-Tails’ rampage flooded back. The devastation the monstrous beast had wrought upon the Leaf Village—every shattered building, every scarred street—was etched into his memory, vivid and unforgettable.

In an instant, Danzō’s blood boiled. His face flushed crimson.

Roaring in fury from afar, “You cursed, born-to-evil Uchiha brat!”—he lunged forward with his two Root guards, sprinting full-speed toward Uchiha Iizumi.

In a blink, the four of them—Uchiha Iizumi, the Anbu Ninja, Iizumi, and Naruto Uzumaki—were encircled in a tight triangle.

Danzō’s emotions had spiraled into uncontrollable rage. He was so furious he nearly tore off the bandages wrapped around his body, exposing the terrifying array of Sharingan eyes beneath.

But he bit back the urge, forcing himself to hold on.

“Uchiha Iizumi! Are you rebelling?!” Danzō’s voice dripped with venom, his eyes blazing with murderous intent. His breathing grew heavy, strained.

He bellowed, pressing the attack: “Holding Naruto Uzumaki in broad daylight—your clan’s ambitions are finally laid bare! I knew you Uchiha were plotting against the Leaf Village all along! The tragedy from years ago… it was you who orchestrated it, wasn’t it?!”

The two masked Root guards had already drawn their blades.

The tension in the air was palpable. Civilians nearby instinctively sensed something was terribly wrong.

“Who are those two masked men…?”

Compared to the relatively known, semi-shadowed Anbu, the Root operatives—pure darkness, the hidden root of the Leaf—were a mystery to most ordinary people.

“Hey… this doesn’t feel right…” One man swallowed hard, backing away nervously. “Do you think they’re gonna fight? Should we go alert the Investigation Corps?”

“That Uchiha Iizumi—isn’t he from the Investigation Corps? We should go tell the Hokage instead!”

“It’s… it’s looking bad.”

…

Izumi felt the danger too. She didn’t recognize the Root guards, nor did she know Shimura Danzō—but she did recognize the Anbu’s mask.

And she noticed something unsettling: the moment that unfamiliar, bandaged old man appeared, Iizumi’s gaze had locked onto him like a predator to prey.

Was it her imagination? No. She could feel it—there was a chilling, unmistakable intent to kill in Iizumi’s eyes.

And she wasn’t wrong.

In Uchiha Iizumi’s vision, a massive red square hovered above Danzō’s head—larger than any other.

Within it, countless tiny characters listed one atrocity after another—Danzō’s sins, piled high. The red burned so intensely it had turned almost purple—pure, unrelenting evil.

Six years ago, Uchiha Iizumi had glimpsed Danzō once from afar. Even then, a fierce, primal urge to destroy him had stirred within him.

But back then… he was just a Chunin. Danzō’s crimes were far beyond his reach.

Now—

Uchiha Iizumi felt the old hunger stir again. He narrowed his eyes, ignoring Danzō’s furious accusations.

“This child was caught red-handed committing a crime,” he said calmly. “Root… are you planning to obstruct the Investigation Corps’ authority? Anyone who interferes with justice… will be killed.”

The Anbu Ninja monitoring Naruto immediately sensed the danger.

Without a word, he summoned a ninja pigeon through a silent summoning technique, releasing it into the sky. The bird took flight, carrying the urgent warning straight to the Hokage.

Naruto, frozen in terror, couldn’t speak. He realized, with dawning horror, that he’d just caused a massive problem.

Danzō’s eyes burned with cold, deadly intent. “Uchiha Iizumi… you’re no longer just another evil Uchiha. Today, I will personally eliminate this threat to the Leaf Village!”

Crack—

The hilt of Uchiha Iizumi’s sword slid free from its sheath by more than an inch.

At that very moment—a single leaf, carried by a passing breeze, drifted into the air.

Then, from behind Uchiha Iizumi, the two Root guards struck.

One lunged forward, blade aimed straight at his back.

The other slashed sideways, attempting to sever his left arm—hoping to seize the Jinchūriki.

Danzō closed the distance in a flash, his bandaged arm suddenly clutching a kunai. The blade shot toward Iizumi’s abdomen.

In that same instant—Uchiha Iizumi’s eyes flared crimson. The Three Tomoe Sharingan consumed his pupils.

His left hand snapped back, forcing the Root guard to recoil mid-swing—because if he cut, he’d be cutting through the Nine-Tails’ Jinchūriki.

The sword in his waist was now fully drawn, clashing violently with Danzō’s kunai.

Using the momentum, Iizumi released the blade, his right hand flying through seals in a single, lightning-fast motion.

“Molten Release…”

“Chakra Body!”

A torrent of blazing crimson chakra erupted from his body. Every inch of his skin visibly transformed—flowing like molten lava. Even his Investigation Corps uniform was consumed and reshaped by the molten chakra, its fabric now writhing like liquid rock.

The sheer heat was terrifying. Naruto’s back collar burst into flames. He was thrown to the ground with a sharp thud, howling in pain as the searing heat scorched his neck.

The Root guard’s blade, aimed at Iizumi’s back, melted the moment it touched his skin.

“What… is this…?” Danzō’s pupils contracted. The fury that had clouded his mind snapped into clarity.

A memory surged—of whispers, rumors, a name spoken in hushed tones across the ninja world.

“Molten Release Bloodline Limit!!”

This so-called “born-to-evil Uchiha brat” was a rare anomaly—indeed, one of the most exceptional ninja in the entire ninja world. A dual Bloodline Limit user.

Danzō had only heard of Uchiha Iizumi’s abilities—but never seen the Molten Release in action.

The heat radiating from him was worse than most fire techniques.

Never let him touch you. That was Danzō’s instinct, forged through years of combat. Contact with that heat would reduce flesh to ash.

But before he could react—

Iizumi’s arm, now a flowing pillar of molten red, shot forward like a blazing spear.

Straight for Danzō’s head.

…

…

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end