Chapter 168: Fugaku Resigns!

Shock froze in Orochimaru’s golden slit pupils. His grip on the Kusanagi Sword tightened as he stared upward into the sky.

High above, kilometers in the air, the thick cloud layer—lit from within by scorching lava, glowing like a river of dark crimson blood—suddenly flared with countless, endless crimson points.

Like a constellation of red stars scattered across the night sky.

But no—this was not starlight.

It was something far more terrifying.

In an instant—

Shriiiiiiiik!

Shriiiiiiiik!

Shriiiiiiiik—

A deafening, piercing sound, like countless massive silken banners being torn apart by force, ripped through the chaotic night.

Massive, jagged crimson rifts tore open across the cloud cover.

They came.

Orochimaru’s pupils contracted to pinpricks.

From those rifts, cascading down like waterfalls, like storms, like torrents of molten fury—came volcanic lava bombs, as if a natural disaster had descended from the heavens.

Each bomb was a massive ball of molten rock, seven or eight meters in diameter, carrying the intense heat of a volcanic eruption and crushing kinetic energy.

They shredded the sky, trailing long, fiery red afterglows, and slammed down upon the earth in a torrential, overwhelming deluge.

Countless lava bombs engulfed a radius of over ten kilometers, plunging the entire area into a hellish red glow—rippling, churning, and ever-changing.

The air itself seemed compressed, exploding with audible booms.

“This level of ninjutsu…”

Even Orochimaru, who had witnessed countless brutal wars in the ninja world and felt the devastation of the Nine-Tails, could not suppress a hoarse, disbelieving whisper from deep in his throat.

His voice cracked, dry with disbelief.

This was no longer combat—it was facing a true natural disaster.

“How can a child have so much chakra…?”

“Is he… a Tailed Beast in disguise?!”

Zzzzzzzzhhhh—

At that moment, a piercing, ear-splitting whistle cut through the air from afar. Orochimaru’s eardrums vibrated painfully.

A colossal lava meteor, trailing a massive red streak, struck the base structure just two hundred meters from him.

Boom—BOOM—BOOM—!!!

The impact detonated like a chain of explosive tags. The deafening roar shook the ground beneath Orochimaru’s feet. His already ringing ears nearly burst.

A second later, a wave of searing heat—hot enough to instantly carbonize hair—exploded from the right, carrying shockwaves and flying fragments of molten rock.

It roared like an apocalyptic hurricane.

Orochimaru’s long hair whipped wildly backward, his robes flapped violently, nearly torn apart. He could feel the scorching pain burning across his face.

He snapped his head toward the impact zone—

There, at the center, a fiery mushroom cloud of molten debris, shattered steel, and smoldering lava swelled and roared upward. Visible shockwaves spread outward in concentric rings.

Everything in its path—whether the strongest base walls or delicate instruments—was flung aside like fragile toys.

An A-rank ninjutsu?

An S-rank ninjutsu?

Orochimaru’s heart felt like it had been struck by a hammer. This was just one lava bomb’s power!

Boom—!

Another bomb slammed down. The shockwave instantly vaporized the marsh Uchiha Iizumi had created with Earth Release, turning it into white steam.

The intense heat also melted hundreds of cursed-marked black snakes—still struggling in the mud—along with the weapons in their mouths, all without a sound.

The base’s sturdy core structure groaned in agony.

Massive alloy beams were bent and twisted like taffy, ripped apart by the molten shockwave.

The flowing red lava, like a ravenous beast, began devouring everything around it greedily.

Orochimaru finally understood why, during the Third Ninja War, many enemy village ninja had given this boy the nickname: Molten Release Beast.

This wasn’t a beast.

What else could it be?

But…

This was only the overture.

Zzzzzzzh—Boom!

Zzzzzzzh—Boom!

Zzzzzzzh—Boom!

As if the gates of hell had been thrown open, a relentless barrage of shrieks and explosions echoed without pause.

Like a drumbeat of thunder being struck again and again, pounding the trembling earth.

The entire Human Experimentation Research Base trembled, groaned, and began to collapse.

Looking up, the sky looked like it was raining nothing but destruction—dozens of crimson streaks, screaming as they fell, raining down upon every direction.

Everywhere, flames roared skyward, smoke churned, and rivers of lava poured across the land.

It was a scene of utter apocalypse.

Zzzzzh—

Suddenly, a lava bomb with an even more agonized, wailing trail locked onto Orochimaru’s head.

The searing heat and the chilling premonition of death made his scalp prickle instantly.

“Damn it…” Orochimaru cursed under his breath, then lunged sideways with explosive force.

The Kusanagi Sword flashed in his hand, carving a silver arc through the air—just barely slicing through a wave of scorching heat.

Boom—!!!

The massive fireball exploded exactly where he had stood.

The shockwave caught him mid-leap, hurling him several meters backward.

The remaining metal flooring cracked open instantly, forming a deep, bubbling pit of molten slag.

“Huff!”

Orochimaru coughed violently, blood surging up his throat.

He forced himself upright, able to smell the burnt hair at the tips of his scalp.

He was just about to move again—

Pip—

A faint, strange sound froze him in place.

He looked down.

He was standing on a metal plate, half-melted by lava, barely stable.

His entire foot was planted on molten iron.

The white-hot liquid, like the most efficient eraser, began dissolving his foot’s soles instantly.

No blood.

No scream.

Just a thin wisp of smoke rising, and a sudden, violent bulge of veins across Orochimaru’s forehead as he bit back the agony.

The pain was bone-deep, the danger palpable.

“Such a reckless little Justice brat…”

The twisted expression on Orochimaru’s face now showed no elegance, no composure—only pure, uncontainable fury. His murderous intent had solidified into a tangible force.

With a sudden, grotesque motion, Orochimaru opened his mouth wider than ever before.

A guttural, sickening sound of retching and tearing flesh erupted from his throat.

Gag—Pfuuu—!!!

A new, glistening, wet body—complete with limbs like a newborn infant, covered in slick mucus—was violently pushed out from his throat and chest cavity.

It landed gracefully on the ground, twisting mid-air.

The old, broken body—missing both feet, its torso charred and ruined—slumped lifelessly onto the scorching floor.

Like a discarded snake skin, it was instantly swallowed by the flowing lava, melting and vaporizing in an instant.

Boom—!

Another lava bomb struck nearby, sending Orochimaru flying again.

The grim realization struck him: this base was no longer safe.

With attacks of this scale, he couldn’t afford to stay—too easy to be caught off guard.

…

Leaf Village, Investigation Corps Headquarters

Uchiha Fugaku had been silent for a long time.

He could see clearly in the eyes of many clan members—anger, resentment, disdain.

Their open hatred, their visible disgust—like icy blades, crawling up his spine.

He tried to appeal to them as clan head, to ask for understanding, to justify himself with the village’s greater good.

But every word—spoken or unspoken—only poured oil onto a fire already blazing.

The fire of discontent.

Uchiha Fugaku’s era…

It might truly be over.

The thought rang out in his mind with brutal clarity.

He felt a deep sorrow—like a character in a tragedy, draped in tattered robes, never understood.

He wasn’t defeated by an outside enemy.

He had been abandoned by the very people he’d sworn to protect.

Even those who once supported him.

Loss, absurdity, betrayal—these emotions gripped him, mixed with a bitter resentment he could barely suppress.

After all, being forced into this position—how could he not be furious?

But Fugaku knew: if he unleashed that rage upon his own clan, he would only defile the very name Uchiha.

He would destroy the fragile stability and balance he had fought so hard to maintain over the years.

And worse—his last shred of dignity would be gone.

Taking a deep breath, then slowly exhaling.

Uchiha Fugaku’s face remained rigid, his eyes filled with unspoken turmoil.

Finally, he spoke:

“Since you all believe it’s time for me to step down from the stage of the Uchiha Clan…

From today onward, I, Uchiha Fugaku, will no longer be the clan head.

Nor will I serve as the commander of the Investigation Corps.

Both positions will be filled by new individuals chosen by the Uchiha Clan and the Leaf Village leadership.

I will draft my formal resignation for both roles this evening.”

He didn’t know how much courage it took, how much fury he had to suppress, to say these words.

Being forced out—of course he was furious.

But he also knew: he could not let that anger spill onto his own people.

He could only look deeply at Izumi.

It was this twelve-year-old girl—Uchiha Iizumi—who, riding the wave of Absolute Justice, had single-handedly stirred the entire clan’s emotions and forced him to resign.

Huff…

Izumi truly did a good job.

“…”

Uchiha Izumi herself hadn’t expected Fugaku to surrender so quickly. But she recovered fast, meeting his cold stare without hesitation.

“Fugaku-sama,” she said, “I hope you’ll keep your word.

Don’t just say these things today… only to pretend nothing happened tomorrow.”

Fugaku’s fist clenched.

“I’m not that kind of man,” he snapped back, voice sharp.

Other Uchiha members exchanged stunned glances.

They hadn’t expected the clan head—so long seen as weak, so responsible for the Uchiha Clan’s increasing isolation—to finally step down!

It meant the Uchiha Clan would no longer have to suffer under his rule.

“Then…”

Just as some began to feel a surge of joy—

A cold bucket of water poured from Kushina’s lips:

“You Uchiha Clan have to decide who’ll lead. Who’ll command the Investigation Corps.

Vacancies must be filled quickly.

Otherwise, you’ll cause a major mess.”

Fugaku blinked.

The San-nin… was she defending him?

She wasn’t supposed to be on his side—she’d made it clear she stood with Izumi.

Had she changed her mind?

Did she finally see that Absolute Justice was unreliable?

But she was just an outsider.

She couldn’t help him…

Just as he thought this, Kushina continued:

“I do have a suggestion.

How about Uchiha Iizumi?

What do you think?

You should be satisfied, right?”

Uchiha Fugaku: “…”

“Now, based on my understanding of that kid—he won’t take the clan head position.

Too much hassle for him.

But the Investigation Corps commander role?

He’d probably accept.

It’s perfectly aligned with his current duties.”

Kushina crossed her arms, speaking casually.

Others might hesitate to meddle in Uchiha affairs.

But Kushina? She didn’t care.

She said what she wanted.

After all, she was just bored now.

“Kushina-sama,” Tachibana Jiro murmured beside her, “you really pushed that kid hard. He looked like he wanted to throttle you.”

Kushina raised an eyebrow, glancing at Fugaku.

“Tch. Not like he’ll lose a limb.”

She smirked.

“Did I just give that Justice brat a favor?

Now he owes me one.

Tell him clearly—he’ll have to repay the debt.”

Tachibana Jiro saw right through her.

“Kushina-sama… you’re not thinking of getting him to cover your debts at the casino, are you?”

“…Hmph.”

Kushina didn’t even flinch.

She lowered her voice:

“More precisely, have him investigate the casino owner.

I doubt those gambling sharks are clean.”

Tachibana Jiro: “…”

He now had a new appreciation for Kushina’s shameless audacity.

No wonder Izumi once said Kushina had the bearing of a Hokage.

To be Hokage, you did need that kind of thick skin.

…

…

PS: Monthly egg exchange season! Extra chapter tomorrow to make up for it!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end