The words "I don't want to see the Uchiha clan fall into chaos" made Uchiha Setsuna, his face dark with fury, let out a bitter laugh.
He glared up at Fugaku's calm eyes.
"Fugaku, are you threatening me? If I don't do as you say, are you going to have me locked up?"
Setsuna's hoarse voice was laced with accusation.
Uchiha Fugaku replied, "If, after a thorough investigation, it's clear you had no part in smuggling or trafficking illegal drugs, naturally, no action will be taken against you. I just don't want the Uchiha clan to descend into chaos—that's all."
Setsuna's jaw clenched so tightly that blood seeped from his gums.
Tasting the metallic tang in his mouth, he growled, "Heh, 'don't want chaos,' huh? Fugaku, you're doing a fine job as clan leader."
"But all you can do is threaten me, while you're powerless to stop Uchiha Akainu, aren't you? If Akainu hadn't meddled, would I be this furious?!"
"You can't control him, can you? If you could, my grandson wouldn't have died by his hand, would he?"
Fugaku fell silent.
Setsuna was right. Between him and Akainu, Setsuna was the easier target. As clan leader, Fugaku could restrain Setsuna with his authority, but Akainu? He was untouchable.
"Heh, I was too slow," Setsuna muttered, no longer meeting the gaze of "Fierce-Eyed Fugaku." Lowering his head, he rasped, "If I'd been faster, my grandson would still be alive."
Those cryptic words made Fugaku's brow furrow slightly.
"Fugaku, I've got some intel you might find interesting," Setsuna continued, speaking as if to himself. "Akainu's Lava Release can shrug off most physical attacks, but it's not passive. He needs to form hand signs and activate a technique called 'Lava Chakra Armor,' a Lava Release jutsu he created himself."
"I went to great lengths to figure out how to deal with him before he came for me. Tell me… if I set up a ton of explosive tags and detonated them before he could use his Lava Release, would he die?"
Fugaku's pupils narrowed imperceptibly.
Setsuna wouldn't be saying this without a reason!
Could it be…?
A chilling possibility dawned on Fugaku.
"I don't have that many explosive tags, of course," Setsuna said with a smirk. "And the Uchiha's tags are meant for dealing with the Hokage, not some kid."
"But," he continued, "this morning, a certain ninja clan approached me. They want to team up to kill Uchiha Akainu. Heh, they're down to just a handful of members, but they've still got some tricks up their sleeves."
"Unfortunately…" Setsuna sighed. "Some of the youngsters under me have been brainwashed by Akainu's so-called [Absolute Justice]. Even if I wanted to work with that clan, those kids wouldn't agree."
Fugaku felt a subtle sense of relief.
Akainu was a headache, and sometimes Fugaku himself felt anger—even murderous intent—toward his extreme actions.
But when he calmed down, Fugaku knew the Uchiha needed Akainu.
His overwhelming strength was a cornerstone for the clan.
Even if Konoha's leadership wanted to move against the Uchiha, they'd hesitate because of Akainu. They knew he didn't fully align with the clan, but they couldn't be sure he wouldn't suddenly stand up for them.
That was one reason Fugaku tolerated Akainu's antics.
"I couldn't team up with them," Setsuna said, lifting his gaze. "But I'm old, and sometimes my tongue slips. I might've accidentally let Akainu's 'weakness' slip to that clan. I didn't mean to kill him, and I didn't join them, so even Akainu's sin-seeing eyes probably can't pin any evil on me. Right, Fugaku?"
At that moment—
BOOM!
A deafening explosion roared less than a few hundred meters away, followed by a relentless chain of blasts.
The fiery glow lit up half the Uchiha compound's sky.
It startled the entire clan.
The flames illuminated Fugaku's grim expression.
"Elder Setsuna…" Fugaku's face tightened as he demanded, "You let outsiders into the Uchiha compound and had them plant explosive tags?!"
Setsuna's face remained impassive. "Don't accuse me. If even you, the clan leader, didn't know they got in, how could I? As for how they planned to assassinate Akainu, heh, I'm even less clear on that."
Fugaku had no patience left for this scheming, coup-obsessed old man.
He immediately led the Police Force ninja toward the explosion.
And he remembered—the Jinchuriki was with Akainu! So was Sasuke!
If those two kids hadn't left yet…
Fugaku couldn't bear to think about it.
…
Elsewhere.
Uchiha Izumi and Jiro, the ninja cat, had finished the task Akainu assigned them and returned to the Uchiha compound.
But a deafening explosion nearby startled them. Jiro's fur puffed up in alarm.
The orange tabby shook itself and grumbled, "Who's setting off explosive tags in the middle of the night?!"
"Jiro-senpai, that's…" Izumi stared at the fiery glow, murmuring, "That's… Senior Akainu's house, isn't it?"
Jiro froze, then whipped its head toward the flames.
"Meow! Rookie!" Its cat face darkened. "Someone's targeting Lord Akainu! We need to back him up!"
With that, Jiro leaped off Izumi's shoulder, transforming into an orange blur and vanishing.
Izumi, stunned by Jiro's speed but even more shocked by the chain of explosions, rushed after it without hesitation.
…
At the Hokage Tower.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, quietly waiting for tonight's "victims of Absolute Justice" to be rounded up, was startled by the distant explosions.
Not just one, but a series of blasts!
He shot to his feet and strode to the office window, gazing at the flames in the distance.
Hiruzen's brow furrowed. "That's…"
Koharu Utatane's voice came from beside him. "The Uchiha compound. If I'm not mistaken, those explosions sound like explosive tags."
She, too, had been drawn by the noise.
Hiruzen's frown deepened.
What were the Uchiha up to?
An explosion of that scale could destroy several houses.
He wondered if there were casualties.
"Wait!" A jolt of dread hit him. "Is Naruto there?"
…
"Cough! Cough…"
Naruto clutched his head in pain, feeling something warm and wet. Looking down by the light of the flames, he was shocked to see his hand covered in blood!
A ringing in his ears drowned out all sound.
Dazed, he looked up to see several houses engulfed in a sea of fire!
Debris from the destroyed buildings littered the street.
Dizziness overwhelmed him, and he struggled to process what had happened.
Naruto vaguely recalled Akainu telling them to wait at his house for Izumi and Jiro. He and Sasuke, that stuck-up jerk, had followed Akainu there.
But the moment the door opened, Akainu had grabbed them both and thrown them out.
Then came the explosion, and it felt like an invisible gust had swept him away.
And now, his head was bleeding…
"Hiss!" As the memory pieced itself together, Naruto gasped, snapping back to reality. He scrambled to his feet, looking around in confusion.
Nearby, he saw Sasuke shakily standing, leaning against a wall.
"Huff… huff…"
Sasuke panted, his young face pale with shock.
Seeing Naruto stand, he straightened up, trying to look less rattled than Naruto. But a sudden movement made him wince.
Pain shot through him. Looking down, he saw his knees scraped raw, his arms and legs covered in cuts and bruises.
"What the heck's going on?!" Naruto asked, clutching his head and stumbling over, still dizzy.
Sasuke rolled his eyes. "How should I know?"
…
Not far off, Kakashi wiped blood from his hand.
Given the speed at which Naruto and Sasuke were flung by the blast, serious injury would've been the least of their worries. They seemed fine, thanks to Kakashi catching them at the critical moment.
Now, Kakashi's gaze followed several figures fleeing into the distance.
His eyes narrowed. "The Shimura clan…"
When he'd caught Naruto and Sasuke, Kakashi hadn't had time to process why explosive tags had gone off or who was trying to kill Akainu. But he'd noticed someone escaping during the chaos.
He'd tried to pursue after setting the kids down, but the culprits had clearly planned their escape route.
Still…
The blast had briefly dislodged one of their masks.
In that split second, Kakashi's Sharingan caught a glimpse of a face—because the figure had removed their Konoha headband, revealing a three-tomoe Sharingan!
And Kakashi recognized them.
A ninja from the Shimura clan!
"I'd better report this to the Hokage," Kakashi muttered. Covering his Sharingan, he exhaled heavily and turned to the collapsed houses. "If it were me, I'd probably be dead. Or, if I got lucky, bedridden for years."
"But this guy…" He paused, eyes widening. "No way…!"
…
"Hey, dead-last, what's wrong?!" Sasuke, wincing through his pain, noticed Naruto's odd expression.
Following Naruto's gaze, Sasuke's eyes widened.
In the smoke and flames, a terrifying figure emerged, molten lava flowing over their body. Though parts seemed "missing," the gaps were visibly filled by the surging lava.
Within moments, the molten figure reformed into a complete human shape.
Nearby, collapsed houses let out a loud crash as vine-wrapped spheres burst through the rubble.
Vines extended from each sphere, connecting to the molten figure.
As the vines receded, the spheres revealed living people inside!
Uchiha civilians, young and old, their faces etched with fear—but all alive.
Hiss… Uchiha Akainu stepped out of the flames, leaving molten footprints that burned the stone pavement.
As the lava faded, his form became clear.
…
"Completely unscathed!" Kakashi stared at Akainu emerging from the fire, his eyes tinged with awe. "And he saved seven neighbors at the same time. Oh, and those two kids beforehand."
He was genuinely stunned. He'd figured Akainu might survive an assassination attempt, but not without serious injury.
Did this look like serious injury?!
His clothes were barely singed!
"But… those vines. Were they Akainu's doing?!" A term popped into Kakashi's mind, shocking even him.
Wood Release Bloodline Limit!!!
He dismissed the thought almost instantly.
Impossible. How could an Uchiha wield the First Hokage's Wood Release? The Uchiha would never intermarry with the Senju, and Akainu couldn't have the First's bloodline.
Plus, he was already a rare dual Bloodline Limit ninja—how could he have a third?
But…
Kakashi recalled Danzo's experiments with Wood Release cells.
He sank into thought.
"Three Bloodline Limits…"
"Real or not?!"
…
"Senior Akainu!"
"Lord Akainu!"
Izumi and Jiro arrived, visibly relieved to see Akainu unharmed.
But the sight of the destroyed houses sobered them.
It really was Akainu's house that had been targeted—the thought struck both Izumi and Jiro simultaneously.
"Sen—"
Izumi started, but Akainu cut her off coldly. "Have all the listed villains been dealt with?"
Izumi quickly replied, "Jiro-senpai and I took care of them all—no survivors! Jiro-senpai also sent ninja cats to alert the Yamanaka clan to handle the bodies."
Naruto and Sasuke approached then.
"Lord Akainu, were you…?" Jiro asked hesitantly.
Akainu said calmly, "Assassinated. At least a hundred explosive tags. Lucky for us, they grouped the tags together to kill me. Otherwise, it wouldn't just be these houses—the whole street would've been leveled."
Everyone: "!!!"
Jiro gasped, then asked urgently, "Lord Akainu, any clues?"
"None, but someone does." Akainu's gaze flicked to a spot where it met Kakashi's complex expression mid-air.
Kakashi: "…"
Resigned, Kakashi stepped forward.
"I trust you won't cover for villains who endanger innocent civilians, Kakashi Hatake," Akainu said slowly.
Kakashi knew if he withheld information, Akainu might interrogate him harshly.
Of all people in Konoha, Akainu was the last he wanted as an enemy.
Plus, with the Obito situation, he owed Akainu a favor.
Not that someone like Akainu likely cared about favors.
Suppressing the complexity in his eyes, Kakashi answered, "The Shimura clan."
Akainu pressed, "Which way?"
Kakashi replied, "West, toward the Shimura compound."
"That old dog Danzo again!" Jiro spat crudely. "He's dead, but his clan's still causing trouble."
Grumbling, Jiro saw Akainu head west alone.
"Lord Akainu, I—"
"Watch the kids and check on the civilians for injuries," Akainu cut in coldly.
Jiro, about to follow, stopped reluctantly. "Yes, Lord Akainu."
Naruto, stunned, asked, "What's Teacher Akainu going to do?"
Izumi took a deep breath. "Senior Akainu…"
"Is going to deliver [Absolute Justice]!"
…