Chapter 46: Justice Enforced, No Mercy Even for Kin

When Uchiha Oniwa saw the spy ninja who was supposed to be his rescue cut down before his eyes, and heard Uchiha Iizumi’s cold, merciless words—utterly devoid of familial loyalty—his blood ran cold.

There was only one way out now.

He had to carve a path through blood, and fast.

With a sharp inhale, he exhaled—spewing forth a colossal fireball that surged upward like a molten storm. The inferno roared through the wooden walls, reducing them to charred husks in an instant. The flickering flames painted Uchiha Iizumi’s lower face in a deep, burning orange.

Without flinching, Uchiha Iizumi raised one hand, forming a seal. As the Great Fireball Technique bore down on him, he didn’t dodge. Instead, he leapt straight into the heart of the blazing torrent.

The fire devoured him—yet in the blink of an eye, he emerged, breaking free from the flames’ grasp.

When he landed on the ground below, droplets of molten lava dripped from his body, sizzling as they struck the earth. Each drop carved a shallow pit into the ground, faint wisps of white steam curling upward.

But Uchiha Oniwa was already gone.

Only the corpse of the slain spy remained.

Uchiha Iizumi glanced at the footprints left in the ash. His eyes narrowed. Then, with silent determination, he sprinted in the opposite direction.

…

“Why him? Why does Iizumi—the little brat—get to awaken the Molten Release Bloodline Limit? We share the same blood! I only have the Sharingan, but he’s a prodigy with two bloodline limits!”

Uchiha Oniwa darted through the ruins, teeth clenched in jealousy. He knew full well that Fire Release couldn’t harm Uchiha Iizumi. He wasn’t trying to kill—just stall, even for a second. That would be enough.

But then—

“Uchiha Oniwa is here!”

The shout rang out from behind him.

The moment he heard it, his face twisted in dread.

Sharingan flared, instantly tracking the incoming projectile. He twisted sideways—just in time. A flurry of shuriken whistled past his cheek. One grazed his skin, drawing blood.

A member of the Investigation Corps lunged forward, blade drawn, closing the distance in an instant.

Oniwa dropped low, dodging the slash. As the man overextended, Oniwa slammed a fist into his wrist, then gripped it tightly and twisted—crack.

The man screamed in agony.

Oniwa seized the blade, then hooked his foot behind the man’s ankle. With a swift motion, he yanked the enemy off balance and drove the knife down in a brutal stab.

But just as the blade neared the man’s chest—

A flicker of light in the corner of his vision.

His Three Tomoe Sharingan caught it—an unnatural shimmer to the right.

Oniwa barely had time to react.

He leapt back—just as a flash of molten light shot past where he’d stood.

Then he froze.

The blade in his hand… was gone.

The blade’s edge had vanished entirely, the broken end still dripping molten red iron.

“…Molten Release?!”

His worst nightmare stood before him.

Uchiha Iizumi.

Oniwa clenched his jaw, voice trembling with rage and disbelief.

“Is it really necessary, Iizumi? Are you really going to exterminate your own kin without mercy?!”

“Justice enforced.”

“Six kin, no mercy.”

Uchiha Iizumi’s right arm was now fully consumed by lava—swelling, pulsing, glowing like liquid rock. The air reeked of sulfur. The heat radiating from him made Oniwa’s pupils contract in fear.

One moment, Iizumi was there.

The next—nothing.

A blur. A flash.

Then, Uchiha Oniwa’s eyes snapped to his target—only three meters apart.

Too fast!

“Water Release—!” Oniwa roared, his hands forming seals in record time. He’d never moved so fast in his life.

“Great Waterfall Technique!”

A torrent of water surged toward Uchiha Iizumi—massive, roaring, unstoppable.

But at the same moment, Iizumi’s lava-infused arm exploded outward.

It swelled, expanded—until it became a colossal lava fist, towering and terrifying.

The two forces collided.

Lava… devoured the Water Release.

The sight was horrifying.

The Investigation Corps ninja, still on the ground, scrambled away in panic, barely escaping the blast radius.

But the heat was merciless.

Scalding water seared his face. Pain so intense he felt his teeth grinding to dust.

A few droplets of lava brushed past—melting through his protective vest like it was paper.

Terrified, he ripped off the vest and threw it aside.

His eyes wide with disbelief, he gasped, “This… this is the level of a high-ranking ninja? I didn’t even have a chance to contribute… How could I have thought I could stop Uchiha Oniwa alone?”

If not for Uchiha Iizumi’s sudden intervention—saving him from death—he’d already be dead.

…

“Sounds are coming from here! The fugitive Uchiha Oniwa must be nearby!”

A wave of Uchiha Police Force ninja poured in from all directions. Sharingan eyes scanned the area like searchlights, wary of any chance slip.

Fugaku Clan Head arrived personally, leading the charge.

Just then—wind brushed his face.

His nose twitched.

A scent cut through the smoke and ash.

“Sulfur…?” he murmured.

Then—his eyes widened.

“…Iizumi?!”

…

“Huff… huff… the gap…!”

Uchiha Oniwa staggered back, trembling, staring in horror at his severed fingers—gone, vanished without a trace. The searing heat from his palm burned like fire.

Cold sweat poured down his face as he gasped between breaths.

“The gap… it’s that big?!”

He lowered his arms, staring ahead at Uchiha Iizumi, who advanced slowly, calmly.

His forehead veins throbbed. He screamed, voice raw with fury:

“You’ve reached the level of any ninja in the village—even the Hokage! So why… why do you still serve the Leaf?!"

“Are we, the proud Uchiha, really just the Hokage’s dogs? Are you going to be like Uchiha Itachi—traitor to our blood, a betrayer of our name?!”

Whoosh.

Fugaku arrived at the final moment—just in time.

He saw the scene: Uchiha Iizumi, standing firm. Uchiha Oniwa, broken, battered, cornered.

Fugaku’s gaze sharpened instantly.

This child… he’s not just reliable. He’s truly serious.

He’d actually done it.

He’d truly chosen to execute justice—even against family.

His Absolute Justice wasn’t empty words.

It was his true ninja way.

But then—Uchiha Iizumi spoke.

“I’ve never served the Leaf Village,” he said, voice quiet, distant. “Uchiha Itachi… he’s not like me. We’re not the same.”

A pause.

“I’d kill the Hokage without hesitation—if given the chance. But… he trusts me in some ways… yet he fears me too. That’s why he’s always surrounded by Anbu.”

Fugaku: “…?!”

…

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end