Chapter 30: The Light of "Volcanic Eruption" Illuminates Leaf Village

Hiruzen Shintetsu truly felt a chill of dread. All the hidden secrets buried deep within his heart—exposed before Uchiha Iizumi, as if he were a naked man with no shame, no veil. It was as though, every time he committed those acts, Uchiha Iizumi had been silently watching from the shadows. He couldn’t shake the terrifying thought—this wasn’t just paranoia. How else could Iizumi possibly know so much?

These weren’t just rumors or gossip. The very secrets Iizumi spoke of—things Hiruzen had never told anyone, not even his wife, not even the old man himself, not even his closest subordinates—were now laid bare before him.

“Uchiha Iizumi… you—”

Before Hiruzen could finish, a crushing sensation of suffocation slammed into his chest. A lava bomb, the size of a human head, shot through the air at blinding speed.

He clamped his mouth shut, gripping his ninja sword with both hands. A deep azure chakra flared along the blade’s edge.

“Hah—!”

With a roar, Hiruzen slashed downward—splitting the incoming lava bomb in two. But as he prepared to strike again, he felt something wrong.

He glanced down. His eyes widened.

The sword… had shattered.

Even with chakra reinforced along its length, it had failed to withstand the terrifying heat of Uchiha Iizumi’s Molten Release?

He snapped his gaze forward—only to find Iizumi hadn’t charged. Instead, the man was crouched low, one hand slightly lowered, fingertips brushing the ground—having completed a seal in the blink of an eye.

“Molten Release…”

“Volcanic Swamp.”

A grotesque bubbling sound echoed through the air. In stunned horror, Hiruzen and the surrounding Anbu Ninja watched as the earth beneath Iizumi’s feet began to melt, consumed by an infernal heat from nowhere. Molten lava erupted from the ground, spreading rapidly.

In the span of a single heartbeat, even though Hiruzen stood over twenty meters away, the ground beneath his feet had already begun to glow a faint crimson.

“Retreat—now! Back! Back!”

Hiruzen barked the order instantly, pulling his squad back. But one Anbu was too slow. He stepped back—only to lose his balance the moment his feet touched the ground. His face twisted in agony.

“Aaah! Sssss—!”

Unbearable pain shot up from his ankle. He grabbed the wall for support, then looked down in horror.

“My… foot… it’s gone…”

In his vision, both of his feet had vanished. The broken stumps at his ankles were still smoking, emitting the acrid stench of charred meat.

“Captain Shintetsu! I—”

The Anbu panicked.

But Hiruzen had no time to spare. His attention snapped back to Iizumi—whose terrifying Molten Release was now obliterating the secret research facility.

The lava’s heat wasn’t just melting the floor—it was devouring the walls. Cracks split open, then widened into massive holes. Even the metal reinforcements embedded in the walls were now burning fiercely, flames licking the air.

Even from a distance, the heat was unbearable. The Anbu squad sweated through their uniforms, their faces flushed and strained.

This place was becoming a furnace.

“Captain! The lava—it’s moving!” One Anbu called out, eyes wide with alarm. “Look—up ahead! The lava’s bubbling… it’s rising… like something’s about to burst out!”

He was right.

The next instant—

BOOM!

A torrent of molten lava erupted upward like a volcanic eruption, instantly melting everything above. In the stunned silence of the Anbu, the entire secret facility was torn open—pierced by a colossal, gaping hole.

From outside, the sight was staggering: a column of crimson lava violently burst from the forest floor, shooting skyward. It soared over a hundred meters into the air before fracturing into a storm of glowing droplets, raining down in all directions.

But these weren’t harmless raindrops.

When a fist-sized lava fragment struck the ground, the impact was like a detonation—ripping a massive hole through the facility’s roof, blasting apart the mountain above, exposing the building’s outer layer.

And that kind of destructive power?

Scattered across the landscape, there were hundreds.

—

Now, it was just past eight in the evening—just when the village’s night life was beginning. Many villagers had just finished dinner, planning a short stroll to digest their meal. But then, they saw it.

A bright, vivid red light shot up into the sky beyond the village.

Then, like a firework explosion, the light burst apart—illuminating half the village in a faint, eerie glow.

“What is that?” a civilian murmured, squinting at the horizon. “Someone setting off fireworks? That’s one huge display…”

Another shook their head. “Fireworks don’t look like that. Looks more like a volcano erupting.”

“Are you kidding? There’s no volcano near Leaf Village!”

“Probably just fireworks. But… is there a festival tonight? I didn’t hear about anything. No big event means no reason for such a massive show. And why would they set it off outside the village like that?”

Silence.

—

But the civilians weren’t the only ones who noticed.

Scattered across the village, many ninja caught sight of the anomaly.

At the Uchiha district, Uchiha Mikoto’s eyes widened with surprise as she turned to her husband.

“Fugaku… that’s… lava, isn’t it? It looks just like a volcano just erupted.”

“…Hmm.” Fugaku stared into the night sky, his expression grim. “If I’m not mistaken, it’s Iizumi. He wouldn’t make such a spectacle without reason. If he’s out there, it means he’s facing a strong opponent.”

“Then I’m going out. Stay behind and look after Sasuke.”

Fugaku turned back into the house, already pulling on his Investigation Corps battle gear.

He explained as he moved, “Even though I’ve never agreed with him, I respect one thing about Iizumi—he always sees through a person’s true nature. He’s never once been wrong. Never once falsely accused anyone.”

“For years, neither the Fourth nor the Third Hokage could touch him. They couldn’t find a single reason to accuse Uchiha Iizumi.”

“Every time he kills someone, he leaves the body with us. We hand it to the Yamanaka Clan. And every time, they uncover something horrifying—dark, unforgivable secrets.”

Mikoto paused, frowning. “So… he’s fighting someone who’s done terrible things?”

“Yeah.” Fugaku adjusted the final strap of his gear, his voice steady. “Regardless of our differences, he’s still a member of the Investigation Corps. As its Captain, I have a duty to respond.”

—

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end