Chapter 32: Goodbye, Teacher Shintetsu

Hiruzen Shintetsu had been struggling to maintain control over the chakra within his body, desperately trying to resist the influence of Uchiha Iizumi’s Sharingan illusion. Throughout the ordeal, he had avoided making eye contact with the young Uchiha at all costs—yet even so, he had still fallen victim to the genjutsu.

When he witnessed the final Anbu Ninja collapse beneath Uchiha Iizumi’s power, his face was etched with shock, horror, and deep humiliation.

Once just a lowly genin, the boy had grown into a force even Hiruzen—his former mentor and a seasoned jonin—could no longer contain.

The realization struck him like a wave receding from the shore: he was now nothing more than a dying tide, washed aside by the rising current.

The half-melted hilt of his kunai offered no comfort, no sense of safety.

Uchiha Iizumi stood motionless, only ten meters away, voice calm and steady.

“Teacher Shintetsu… even now, are you still unwilling to see the truth?”

Hiruzen remained silent for a long moment—then let out a bitter, derisive chuckle.

“Uchiha Iizumi…”

He dropped the ruined blade and straightened his posture. His expression hardened. With deliberate precision, he formed the hand seal of the opposing stance.

“Tonight, I will correct your flawed sense of Justice.”

His voice rang out with conviction.

“True Ninja Justice must be rooted in the village’s well-being. Only when it serves Konoha’s interests can it be called Justice.”

He paused, eyes narrowing.

“But your Justice… it’s nothing but selfishness cloaked in ideals. The entire Ninja World will never accept it. For what you’ve done—every action you’ve taken—has made you an enemy of everyone.”

Uchiha Iizumi stood still, unmoved.

“I remember, Teacher,” he said softly, “even back when I was still a genin, I told you this: My heart and actions are as clear as a mirror. Everything I do is Justice.”

Hiruzen sighed heavily.

“You’re beyond saving. One day, you’ll destroy Konoha.”

“I’m not as extreme as you think,” Iizumi replied. “You never even tried to understand me. The truth is, your knowledge of me is less than what a single Investigation Corps trainee—someone who’s followed me for just a few days—could tell.”

Hiruzen’s eyes narrowed.

“Then perhaps I’ll never get the chance to understand you. Because you’re already headed straight into the Underworld.”

With that, he slammed his hands together in rapid succession.

His chest swelled violently.

Then, with a roar, he spat forth a torrent of flame.

“Fire Release: Crimson Earth Spider!”

A monstrous, writhing spider of molten fire surged forward, roaring toward Uchiha Iizumi.

But Iizumi didn’t rely on his molten chakra body to shrug off the flames. He formed the same hand seal.

“Fire Release…”

“Great Fire Extinction!”

A torrent of fire erupted from his mouth—vastly larger, hotter, and more terrifying than Hiruzen’s. In an instant, the crimson spider was consumed, reduced to ash. The inferno surged forward, a wall of fire racing toward Hiruzen like a storm.

Hiruzen dodged to the side, the searing blast barely missing his face. The heat singed his eyelashes, curling them black.

“Curses! Are you still holding back in a master-student fight?!” Hiruzen snarled. “Is your self-centered Justice finally showing weakness?”

He bit down hard on his right thumb, drawing blood. With a roar, he slammed his palm onto the ground.

A web of summoning seals spread across the floor.

“Summoning Jutsu!”

“Great Ape!”

Boom!

A puff of white smoke exploded—and a massive ape, over three meters tall and covered in thick red fur, appeared.

This was Hiruzen’s ultimate summon: Great Ape—a powerful, battle-hardened beast with strength rivaling a high-ranking jonin.

The moment it appeared, Great Ape took in the scene—lava-choked ruins, blazing forests, and Uchiha Iizumi standing in the midst of it all.

“Newshin,” it rumbled, voice deep and laced with dry sarcasm, “this looks messy. Should I just step aside?”

Hiruzen exhaled sharply.

“Great Ape. This is life or death. No jokes now.”

The ape stood behind him, facing Uchiha Iizumi.

“His so-called Absolute Justice is a threat to Konoha,” Hiruzen said gravely.

Great Ape grunted. “I’ll admit—it was inevitable. Even if you refused to see it, the signs were there. His actions, his mindset… this confrontation was bound to happen. But Newshin… do you really believe this boy is wrong?”

Hiruzen paused.

“Justice that harms the village is wrong. A ninja must stand for the village. Great Ape… today, this ends here.”

“…Understood.”

---

Meanwhile, Hiruzen Sarutobi—rushing toward the secret research facility with a squad of Anbu—had already caught sight of the devastation.

The base was reduced to rubble, buried under molten rock.

Beyond it, the forest had become a sea of fire.

Even from a distance, the faint scent of sulfur hung heavy in the air.

His heart sank.

“Move fast—extinguish the flames! Don’t let it spread into the village!”

He barked orders.

“And send reinforcements—stop this conflict before it escalates! Bring both sides under control!”

“Yes, Hokage-sama!” the Anbu responded, accelerating.

They all knew the truth.

The people inside the base were the Hokage’s eldest son.

The intruder—someone who had breached the facility—was a promising young prodigy from the Uchiha clan, one the Hokage himself had favored.

It was clear: the Hokage would not abandon either of them.

He wanted to prevent this—just as he had once stopped the clash between Uchiha Iizumi and Shimura Danzō.

But now…

It might already be too late.

---

Back inside the ruined facility, the battle between Uchiha Iizumi, Hiruzen Shintetsu, and Great Ape had reached its peak.

“ROOOOAAARRR!”

Great Ape seized a concrete pillar weighing over ten tons, roaring as it lifted the massive slab overhead and charged toward Uchiha Iizumi.

Hiruzen darted behind the enemy, teeth clenched, his palm crackling with jagged lightning.

“Lightning Release…”

“Lightning Blade!”

A blade of searing white lightning, two meters long, slashed through the air—cutting Uchiha Iizumi cleanly in half.

At the same moment, the concrete pillar crashed down—pummeling the lower half of the body deep into the earth.

“Newshin! Watch out—something’s off!” Great Ape suddenly shouted.

Hiruzen’s eyes widened.

Because before him, the severed body of Uchiha Iizumi—drenched in molten rock—slowly began to rise.

Like liquid, it reshaped itself, reforming as if nothing had happened.

“Water Transformation Technique?” Hiruzen stammered, stunned. He couldn’t tell anymore—how many secrets had this boy kept hidden?

“Newshin, get back!” Great Ape bellowed.

“I could’ve kept you longer if you were better at Water Release,” Iizumi said, his right arm curling into a claw-like form—now a monstrous, lava-fueled hound with a gaping maw, lunging straight at Hiruzen’s chest.

“Goodbye, Teacher Shintetsu.”

“NEWSHIN, DODGE!” came the panicked cry—too late.

The third Hokage, arriving at last, screamed in horror.

…

…

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end