Konohagakure, Police Force Headquarters.
Uchiha Fugaku had been silent for an unknown length of time. He could clearly see the anger in the eyes of many clansmen who looked toward him.
Their undisguised aversion and disgust seemed to turn into an icy chill creeping up Fugaku's spine.
He tried, as clan head, to ask for their "understanding," tried to justify himself with the "greater good" of the village—but every word, whether spoken or swallowed, only poured oil onto a bonfire already blazing within the Uchiha.
The flame named "discontent" surged ever higher.
The era of Uchiha Fugaku…
Was truly coming to an end!
That thought struck sharply in his mind.
Fugaku felt profound sorrow, like a rag-cloaked savior in a novel—forever misunderstood. He was not defeated by enemies, but abandoned by the very people he most wished to protect, including many who had once supported him.
A sense of loss and absurdity seized him, mixed with the bitterness of betrayal—and a faint, almost uncontrollable anger.
After all, driven to this point…
How could he not be angry?
Yet Fugaku knew well that if he vented his rage upon his clansmen now, he would only desecrate the name "Uchiha," and shatter completely the fragile "stability and balance" he had labored to maintain for so many years.
At the same time—
He would lose the last shred of his dignity.
Taking a deep breath, then slowly exhaling, Fugaku's tense face showed emotions he could no longer conceal. Finally, he spoke: "Since everyone believes it's time for me to step down from the Uchiha stage, then from this day forward… I, Uchiha Fugaku, am no longer the head of the Uchiha clan, nor the captain of the Police Force."
"Both positions shall be filled anew—one chosen by the clan, and one by the village leadership. As for my letters of resignation from the clan head and Police Force captain posts, I will write them tonight."
Even Fugaku himself could not tell how much courage—or how much suppressed fury—it had taken to speak those words.
How could he not be angry after being forced to step down?
Yet he knew full well that he could not vent that anger or resentment upon the Uchiha clansmen.
He could only cast a deep glance at Izumi.
It was this twelve-year-old Uchiha girl who, by seizing the momentum of Absolute Justice, had single-handedly stirred the emotions of the entire clan and forced him from the throne.
Haa…
Keizumi truly had "taught her well."
"…" Uchiha Izumi herself hadn't quite expected Uchiha Fugaku to surrender his resistance so quickly, but she swiftly recovered and met his cold gaze without hesitation, saying directly to him, "Fugaku-sama, I hope you mean what you say. Don't let greed for authority make you take back your words tomorrow as if you never said them today."
Fugaku's fists tightened.
"I'm not that kind of man!" he replied stiffly.
The other members of the Uchiha Clan exchanged dazed glances with one another.
They hadn't expected that this weak clan head—whose leadership had caused the Uchiha to grow ever more alienated by the village—had finally been willing to step down. That meant the Uchiha Clan would no longer be held back by him.
"Well then…"
Just as many of the Uchiha were about to erupt in joy, a bucket of cold water came from Tsunade's mouth: "Who among the Uchiha will you choose to lead? And who will take command of your Police Force? The vacant positions should be filled quickly. Otherwise, your clan will soon plunge into serious chaos."
Tsunade's interjection left Uchiha Fugaku momentarily stunned.
This Sannin… surely she wasn't speaking on his behalf?
Hadn't she made it clear she stood on Izumi's side? Could it be… she'd changed her mind? Had she realized that Absolute Justice was unreliable?
But in the end, she was only an outsider.
She probably couldn't help him much anyway…
Just as that thought crossed Fugaku's mind, Tsunade's voice continued: "I happen to have a suitable candidate your Uchiha Clan can consider. Uchiha Keizumi—what do you all think of this choice? You should be quite satisfied, shouldn't you?"
Uchiha Fugaku: "…"
"However, judging from what I know about that brat, he probably won't agree to become the clan head—he'd think it too troublesome. But as for the position of Police Force Captain, he most likely wouldn't refuse. After all, it fits perfectly with his current role and expertise."
Tsunade spoke casually with her arms crossed.
Others might be cautious about meddling in Uchiha clan affairs.
But Tsunade didn't care in the slightest—she said whatever she wanted to say.
After all, she'd already stopped bothering to play by the rules.
"Tsunade-sama, it seems your recommendation of Keizumi-sama for Police Force Captain has seriously provoked that guy, meow," came Tachibana Jirō's voice beside her ear.
Tsunade raised an eyebrow, her gaze shifting toward Uchiha Fugaku ahead.
"Tch, it's not like he's losing a limb," she said carelessly. "So—does this mean that righteous brat now owes me a favor? After all, I just got him a good position. Remember to tell him: debts of favor must be repaid, got it?"
Tachibana Jirō saw right through her. "Tsunade-sama, don't tell me you're planning to rack up gambling debts someday and have Keizumi-sama cover for you, meow?"
"…Ahem!" Tsunade, thick-skinned as ever, lowered her voice. "More accurately, I'd have Keizumi investigate the casino owner. I don't believe those leeches running gambling dens all have clean hands."
Tachibana Jirō: "…"
Its understanding of Tsunade's shamelessness deepened once again.
No wonder Keizumi-sama once remarked that Tsunade-hime of Konoha had the makings of a Hokage.
Becoming Hokage truly required that kind of thick skin.
...
Orochimaru had never expected that he would once again enter a life of fleeing for his life.
"Huff—Huff—"
The air, scorching like a searing blade, burned his frail lungs with every breath he drew.
The thick sulfurous miasma was so dense it nearly turned gelatinous, not only making Orochimaru retch but also causing his vision to blur and double, a splitting pain tearing through his head as dizziness followed like a shadow.
Sulfur poisoning!
Orochimaru immediately diagnosed his own condition.
He had to get out of this area—there was only one thought in Orochimaru's mind. His disheveled figure flickered and leapt again and again across the cracked, molten ground where magma raged, with a continuous series of thunderous explosions behind him, as if the earth itself were being shattered by an immense hammer!
The violent shockwaves of heat chased after him like death itself, bursting right at his back, the currents of air scorching his skin raw!
He didn't need to look back to know that the human experimentation base he had poured endless years of effort into had likely already become a molten graveyard of volcanic fire and metallic liquid!
Priceless equipment, years of forbidden research data—
All reduced to ashes!
Fortunately, he had made preparations in advance. Upon learning that someone had infiltrated the base, he had his precious "vessels" relocated ahead of time.
Orochimaru had used serpents he had summoned from the Ryūchi Cave to transfer the vessels.
With their speed, they should have escaped far enough by now.
They shouldn't have been caught by the falling magma bombs.
He didn't know how long he had been running before the heat wave behind him began to subside slightly. Only then did he stop. Taking a few deep breaths of fresh air, he turned around with a grim expression.
In his golden slit pupils was reflected a scene straight out of hell.
Everywhere his eyes reached—utter devastation!
The land before his feet was covered with the residue of molten rock; the black smoke joined seamlessly with the dark-red clouds above, while the blazing wind swept up ashes into clouds of gray dust. The ground, flowing with annihilating magma, twisted together in Orochimaru's sight into an endless inferno stretching beyond the horizon.
The entire region within his view was riddled with pits seething with magma and flame, leaving the earth riddled with festering scars.
The raging fires reached dozens of meters high, casting an orange glow across Orochimaru's face. Beneath the flames, magma moved slowly yet inexorably, swallowing all remnants, and the terrifying heat distorted the air itself.
"This jutsu…"
Orochimaru's throat was dry. "Hehe… with a single strike, it could turn all of Konohagakure into a sea of fire. No wonder Hiruzen-sensei treats me differently from Uchiha Keizumi…"
He finally understood why Sarutobi Hiruzen had shown double standards between "the extremist Orochimaru" and "the extremist Uchiha Keizumi."
If he were Sarutobi Hiruzen, he too would have done the same.
Uchiha Keizumi was a human-shaped Tailed Beast!
Most likely, everyone in the shinobi world had underestimated him—including those in the Akatsuki who had planned to assassinate Uchiha Keizumi.
[Boom!]
[Boom!]
[Boom!]
Suddenly, a series of noises made Orochimaru's face change. When he turned his head, he saw towering trees erupting from the ground one after another, countless massive branches extending toward his position, each one bristling with venomous thorns.
Almost forgot—Uchiha Keizumi also possessed the Wood Release!
"Summoning Technique—"
With a deafening explosion of white smoke, a gigantic serpent covered in hardened keratinous scales, as massive as a small hill, suddenly appeared and coiled itself into a colossal shield of flesh before Orochimaru!
[Shrrraaa—!]
Countless poisonous vines and barbed tendrils instantly wound around the serpent's body. The friction between its tough scales and those venomous thorns erupted in dazzling sparks.
The serpent let out a pained hiss as its scales shattered one after another under the horrifying constriction force!
---
I will post some extra Chapters in Patreon, you can check it out. >> patreon.com/TitoVillar
---