[BOOM!!!]
[BOOM!!!]
[BOOM!!!]
Lava continued to rain down, causing the entire secret research base to quake violently. Flames raged everywhere, and some of the molten rock had even punched through the ceiling above.
Deep within the base, Sarutobi Shinnosuke realized that the facility had likely already been damaged beyond repair.
The entire site was practically destroyed. Many vital scientific instruments had likely melted in the flow.
"Uchiha Keizumi! Are you insane?!"
Shinnosuke ripped the obstructive ANBU mask from his face in one angry motion.
At this moment, the steam in the air had scalded his skin until it glowed red with an unnatural hue.
On his face—which bore an undeniable resemblance to Hiruzen—rage was etched in every line.
"This is a Konoha facility! I don't know how you learned about any of this, but I can tell you this much: everything I and my men have done—we did it for Konoha!"
"We've upheld the Will of Fire. We've honored our fallen comrades. And above all, we've done right by every man, woman, and child in Konoha!"
"Those who died as a result of our actions weren't even from Konoha. They weren't even citizens of the Land of Fire! So what are you meddling in for, Uchiha Keizumi?!"
"Where is your so-called Absolute Justice when it comes to loyalty to Konoha? Are you trying to become a rogue ninja, Uchiha Keizumi?!"
Shinnosuke's furious roar echoed through the flames.
Uchiha Keizumi rose slowly to his feet. The surrounding magma couldn't harm him in the slightest. He simply stood there, gazing forward in utter calm.
One drop after another of molten lava slid from his body and splashed to the ground.
"Shinnosuke-sensei," he said quietly, "the Absolute Justice I believe in has never stemmed from loyalty to Konoha. Whether I'm a rogue ninja… isn't for you to decide."
Uchiha Keizumi continued moving forward.
"It's only because you were once my jōnin instructor that I'm even bothering to say this much—so you can die with some clarity."
In an instant, Keizumi used a body flicker technique and appeared right in front of an ANBU ninja. Before the man's pupils could even finish contracting in shock, half his head was already cleaved off by Keizumi's hand.
—It was the ANBU whose legs had already been incinerated by lava. He no longer had the strength to dodge.
"I believe in Absolute Justice because I think the shinobi world has become so diseased, so twisted, that it constantly breeds endless evil, drowning the world in pain and tragedy…"
Suddenly, Uchiha Keizumi's entire body turned transparent—vanishing as if he'd evaporated into thin air.
—It was the first time he had used the Gecko Clan's Transparent Release.
Panic immediately spread among the remaining ANBU, their eyes darting frantically in every direction.
They were trying to locate Keizumi, who had just vanished before their eyes.
Until—
His voice echoed behind one of them.
"That evil includes, but is not limited to: greedy daimyō who impose excessive taxes, power-hungry elites, butchers who slaughter their own clans, deranged lapdogs obsessed with flattery… and yes, Shinnosuke-sensei—everything you've done as well."
"Ugh—!!"
The ANBU let out a muffled gasp, staring down in horror at the gaping hole that had suddenly appeared in his chest.
"When justice becomes absolute…"
With a flick of his hand, Keizumi launched a molten projectile that instantly engulfed an ANBU mid-hand seal.
"…only then can the evil in the shinobi world be purged."
Lava surged from both of Keizumi's arms like a tsunami, crashing down on the remaining three ANBU—who couldn't see anything, only feel the searing heat rushing toward them.
When only one person remained standing—Sarutobi Shinnosuke, clutching half a scorched ninja blade, his face twisted in shock and disbelief—
Keizumi finally deactivated Transparent Release.
"I… I've fallen under your Sharingan genjutsu, haven't I?"
Shinnosuke's eyes widened. He couldn't believe anyone could wield three kekkei genkai. His instinct screamed that this must be an illusion.
Sarutobi Shinnosuke had been constantly dividing his focus to regulate the chakra within his body, trying to lessen the effects of the Sharingan's genjutsu. During this time, he was careful to avoid making eye contact with Uchiha Keizumi.
And yet, he still fell under the genjutsu cast by those eyes!
He could only watch as the last of the Anbu were struck down, all falling by Uchiha Keizumi's hand.
His face was a mixture of horror and shock, twisted with dread.
This genin he once mentored had now grown so powerful that even a seasoned jōnin like himself could no longer suppress him.
Sarutobi Shinnosuke realized then: he had become the receding wave on the shore.
The half-melted ninja blade remaining in his hand offered him no comfort whatsoever.
Uchiha Keizumi asked calmly, "Shinnosuke-sensei, even now, do you still refuse to see the truth?"
Shinnosuke stayed silent for a long moment—then suddenly gave a short scoff.
"Uchiha Keizumi…"
He tossed aside the scorched remnant of his blade, straightened his posture, and solemnly formed a proper confrontation seal with both hands.
Then he spoke: "Tonight, I'm going to correct your mistaken sense of justice. True ninja justice begins with the village's interests. Justice that serves the village—that is the only real justice."
"Your justice, on the other hand, is nothing but self-serving. No one in the shinobi world will ever accept it. Because what you're doing now… is turning the entire world against you."
Keizumi stood where he was, barely ten meters away.
He too raised his hands and formed the same standard confrontation seal.
"Shinnosuke-sensei, 'My mind and actions are clear as a mirror; all that I do is in the name of justice.'... I remember saying that to you a long, long time ago, back when I was still a genin."
His voice was quiet, composed.
"Hah…" Shinnosuke sighed.
"You really are beyond saving. Someday, you're going to bring ruin to Konohagakure."
Keizumi replied, "You've misunderstood me too deeply, sensei. You couldn't even spare a moment to truly understand your student. You know me less than a trainee from the police corps who only spent a few days under my command."
Shinnosuke narrowed his eyes.
"Then I suppose I won't get the chance to understand you. Because the only place you're headed… is the underworld."
With those words, he formed a rapid string of hand seals. His chest swelled sharply as he inhaled—
"Fire Release: Crimson Ground Spider!!!"
A torrent of roaring flame surged from his mouth, transforming into a massive spider-shaped blaze that charged straight at Uchiha Keizumi.
But Keizumi didn't rely on his Lava Release: Chakra Armored Body to simply ignore the attack.
He too formed a series of seals.
"Fire Release…"
"Majestic Destroyer Flame!!!"
An inferno far larger and hotter than Shinnosuke's technique erupted from Keizumi's mouth. In an instant, it devoured the incoming flame spider and surged forward like a rolling tsunami of fire, overwhelming everything in its path as it surged toward Shinnosuke.
Shinnosuke dove to the side, taking cover behind a corner. The inferno whooshed past, missing his nose by mere centimeters—yet the heat was so intense, even his eyelashes curled and singed.
"Tch… Holding back in a fight to the death, are you? Uchiha Keizumi! What, is your self-righteous justice suddenly getting cold feet?"
With a grimace, Shinnosuke bit down hard on his right thumb, drawing blood, then slammed his palm onto the ground.
A dense wave of summoning seals spread across the earth.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
"Great Ape!!!"
[BANG—]
With a puff of white smoke, a massive ape appeared, standing over three meters tall, its entire body covered in thick red fur. This was Shinnosuke's strongest summoning beast—a brawny simian with strength rivaling a Konoha jōnin: the Great Ape.
The moment it appeared, it saw the burning sea of lava and flames around them—and standing in the distance, Uchiha Keizumi.
"Shinnosuke, this scene doesn't look too good. A fight between a sensei and his student… Should I sit this one out?"
The Great Ape spoke in a deep, rumbling voice, half-jokingly.
Shinnosuke took a deep breath.
"Great Ape, this is a matter of life and death now. Cut the jokes."
The Great Ape stood behind Sarutobi Shinnosuke, facing off against Uchiha Keizumi.
"Uchiha Keizumi's so-called absolute justice has become a threat to Konoha," Shinnosuke said in a low, grim voice.
The Great Ape replied, "Wasn't that always bound to happen? You never really tried to understand your student. But judging from his personality and how he acts, this clash tonight was inevitable… wasn't it? Still, Shinnosuke… do you truly believe this kid is in the wrong?"
Shinnosuke fell silent for half a second before answering, "Justice that doesn't benefit Konoha is wrong. A ninja should stand from the perspective of the village. Great Ape, let's settle this here and now."
"…Understood."
...
Elsewhere, Sarutobi Hiruzen was rushing toward the secret research base with a squad of Anbu at his side. From a distance, they could already see the ruins of the base, scorched and devastated by magma.
And ahead, the dense forest had turned into a blazing inferno.
They hadn't even reached the area yet, but the faint stench of sulfur already hung in the air.
A heavy feeling sank into Hiruzen's chest.
"Put out the fire immediately!" he commanded. "Don't let the flames reach the village! And… stop this fight before it escalates. Intervene—both sides must be stopped!"
"Yes, Hokage-sama!"
The Anbu quickened their pace, knowing full well who was involved: the one stationed at the secret base was none other than the Hokage's eldest son.
And the one storming that base was a Uchiha genius the Hokage had placed great hope in.
Clearly—
The Hokage had no intention of abandoning either of them.
He wanted to replicate what he had done before—how he had intervened between Uchiha Keizumi and Shimura Danzō—to put an end to this confrontation tonight.
But this time…
He was likely already too late.