Chapter 28: Cleansing the Evil of Ninja World with Scorching Lava

The voice behind them sent a chill through the three Anbu Ninjas, their instincts screaming danger. As their pupils contracted, they instinctively tried to scatter—but their vision suddenly warped. In the blur of fading sight, a silhouette of an Uchiha girl emerged. Before they could make out her face, three heads rolled from their shoulders.

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The crimson square hovering above each fallen Anbu’s head slowly dissolved.

But killing them was only the beginning.

The commotion had already awakened the entire secret base.

Then again—better this way.

No need for Uchiha Iizumi to waste effort hunting everyone down.

……

When another group of Anbu arrived, they found several corpses scattered across the ground, and a lone Uchiha ninja standing amidst the blood, a bloodstained katana in hand, radiating cold, lethal intent.

Though they didn’t know what had happened, the sight was enough. Without hesitation, they triggered the base’s alarm.

“Woo—woo—woo—”

The piercing siren shattered the silence, even rousing Hiruzen Shintetsu from his quarters.

“Enemy infiltration?!”

Hiruzen Shintetsu’s brow furrowed beneath his mask. Since the establishment of this secret facility, there had never been an external attack. How could this happen now, just as the old man entrusted him with its protection?

Even more troubling—who dared infiltrate a base so closely tied to the Leaf Village?

A base built near the village meant it was deeply connected to Konoha’s secrets.

Did the intruder not know that?

Or… perhaps…

Root didn’t care about the Leaf Village at all.

“All combat units, assemble immediately!”

Hiruzen Shintetsu’s voice hardened. “Move to the location where the alarm was triggered. The intruder…”

He thought of the potential fallout if this base were exposed. The reputational damage to the old man—his mentor—could be devastating.

A flicker of cold intent flashed in his eyes.

“Any intruder found—execute without mercy.”

“Yes, sir!”

Under Hiruzen Shintetsu’s command, an entire Anbu squad mobilized. This secret base had originally been guarded by two Anbu squads—one patrolled the perimeter, transported supplies, and maintained internal security; the other was tasked with eliminating any threat to the base.

Both squads answered to Hiruzen Shintetsu alone.

He suspected the first squad had already been wiped out.

And the intruder’s skill was undeniable.

Otherwise, they wouldn’t have slipped inside undetected.

“Wait!”

Hiruzen Shintetsu stopped one of the Anbu. “You don’t need to come with us. Return to the village immediately and inform the old man. If we don’t send word back within fifteen minutes, it means something’s gone wrong. Have him bring reinforcements.”

“Yes!”

Just as Hiruzen Shintetsu turned to press forward, a sudden surge of dread sent a jolt through his body.

Instinctively, he roared: “Stop!”

At that moment, he noticed a faint orange-red glow flickering on the reinforced metal wall to his right—along with an intense, searing heat radiating from it.

—BOOM!!!

Blazing heat erupted. The thick metal wall melted open in an instant, forming a massive hole. A volcanic surge tore through the chamber. Molten iron sprayed everywhere in fiery arcs, and a wave of scorching wind slammed into the Anbu.

The ninjas dropped into a crouch, bracing themselves. Their eyes widened in horror, fixed on the scorched hole in the wall.

“That’s…?”

Hiruzen Shintetsu’s pupils contracted.

There, beside the molten breach, lay a half body.

The other half was gone—vanished.

But the clothing and gear were unmistakable: an Anbu ninja.

The mask had fallen off. The face was frozen in a rictus of terror—so vivid, so chilling, it sent a shiver down every spine.

Drop… drop…

Strange, rhythmic dripping echoed in the air.

The sharp, acrid stench of sulfur filled the nostrils.

And in that instant, a name surfaced in Hiruzen Shintetsu’s mind—one he deeply despised.

Uchiha Iizumi.

Before he could process it, a figure stepped through the wall hole—its body shimmering with flowing lava, glowing like embers.

“—It’s Uchiha Iizumi!!”

One of the Anbu behind Hiruzen Shintetsu gasped, recognizing the figure.

“Long time no see, Shintetsu… sensei.”

Uchiha Iizumi stepped forward, molten rock dripping from his form. The crimson glow of his Three Tomoe Sharingan pulsed beneath the lava’s sheen.

He locked eyes with Hiruzen Shintetsu.

“For two years, I’ve heard nothing from you. I thought you were dead. But now I see—you were stationed here by the Third Hokage.”

Hiruzen Shintetsu’s fists clenched.

His voice, muffled behind the mask, turned icy.

“You ceased being my student the moment you killed two of your comrades. I am no longer your sensei, Uchiha Iizumi. What are you doing here?”

His gaze fell on the half-body at the wall’s edge.

His mood darkened further.

“You still can’t control the demon within you, can you? You’re going to slaughter innocent people in the Leaf Village, aren’t you?”

The other Anbu exchanged stunned glances.

So that was the history between their commander and this Uchiha—former student and sensei?

Uchiha Iizumi asked calmly:

“How many evils of the Ninja World have I killed? Which two do you mean?”

Hiruzen Shintetsu’s breath faltered.

“You… forgot your own comrades entirely?”

“I don’t keep records of those I’ve killed.”

Hiruzen Shintetsu’s temple throbbed.

“Shimura Reiya! Tsubaki Shō! You must remember them! They were both my genin students—just like you!”

He recalled the incident that had shattered him—the tragedy of fellow students turning on each other.

After that, he’d refused to train any genin again.

“Oh… yes.”

Uchiha Iizumi nodded slowly.

“Shimura Reiya—bullied others at the academy, drove a victim to suicide after all complaints were ignored. Tsubaki Shō—his accomplice. After the death, he spread lies about the victim across the village.”

“I killed them.

But they attacked first.

The Fourth Hokage ruled it self-defense—no punishment was issued.”

Hiruzen Shintetsu listened, seething.

The cold, indifferent tone—like the deaths of his former students meant nothing.

“They didn’t deserve to die!”

He spat.

“Then was the victim deserving?”

Uchiha Iizumi stepped forward—each footfall leaving a molten pit in the floor.

“To me, your two students were already corrupted by the evil of the Ninja World.

I’m merely cleansing that evil—with scorching lava.

That’s all.”

His crimson eyes locked onto the crimson square hovering above Hiruzen Shintetsu’s head.

“Right now, sensei…”

A whisper, like fire crackling in the dark.

“You’ve fallen into the abyss too.”

……

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end