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NAJ Chapter 46: Bug Meets Lava
🕑 Added 2025-06-22 04:03:40 +0000 UTC“Danzō-sama, following your orders, both the Root and the Shimura clan have actively fueled the public opinion in Konoha regarding this matter.”
Inside the Root base, a Root shinobi was kneeling on one knee as he reported the current situation to Shimura Danzō.
“Now, the negative rumors about the Uchiha clan are spreading like wildfire. The situation is rapidly spiraling out of control.”
“I'm afraid that not even the Hokage himself would be able to contain it anymore.”
“Danzō-sama, your objective has been achieved.”
After hearing the Root shinobi’s report, the perpetually brooding expression that had hung on Danzō’s face these past few days finally gave way to a faint, cold smirk.
Danzō harbored equal hatred toward every Uchiha brat born with that innate evil.
That included Uchiha Keizumi.
That included Uchiha Fugaku.
That included Uchiha Itachi...
To Danzō, anything that harmed the Uchiha clan was worth encouraging. Of course, by 'encouraging', he didn’t mean offering them support—quite the opposite. It meant kicking them while they were down, fanning the flames, and relishing their misfortune from the shadows.
“Uchiha Itachi, the one who will one day slaughter his entire clan...” Danzō’s eyes narrowed. “He is indeed a rather unusual Uchiha. Precisely because of that, I must ensure he stands utterly opposed to the Uchiha. I’ll see him completely cut off and isolated from them.”
Danzō was practically hoping that Itachi’s 'future atrocity' would happen ahead of schedule.
If tonight were to become the night of the Uchiha clan's extermination, he would absolutely find reason to celebrate.
However...
“Uchiha Keizumi... his eyes...” Danzō clenched his fist. The smug smile on his face gradually faded, replaced by a dark, unreadable look. “Could it be that he really awakened the same legendary eyes as Shisui? Yet the ability he possesses is different from Shisui’s?”
Danzō found the ability of Keizumi’s Sharingan—to perceive the 'evils of past and future'—utterly chilling.
It essentially meant that, in front of Keizumi, no one had any secrets. He alone could hold the most complete intelligence across the entire shinobi world.
Still, when compared to Shisui’s Kotoamatsukami...
Keizumi’s Sharingan ability seemed... less impressive?
While Danzō did feel some unease—
It didn’t amount to fear.
Even so, a dangerous thought began to stir in his mind.
Shrouded in darkness, Danzō muttered to himself, “Letting an Uchiha brat, born of inherent evil, wield a power they were never meant to have... it's always unsettling.”
...
Somewhere on a street in Konoha.
“I’m telling you, the Uchiha Clan must be bathing in blood by now! That Uchiha Itachi is clearly mentally unstable. Honestly, the whole Uchiha Clan has something wrong with their heads. He’s probably gone completely berserk.”
A 'Konoha civilian' was speaking animatedly, exaggerating every detail as he stirred the pot of rumors that had already been boiling over since morning.
He spoke with such dramatic flair that the few listeners across from him were left utterly stunned.
But then, suddenly, someone interrupted.
“Wait a minute… Didn’t you just say Uchiha Itachi had already wiped out the whole Uchiha Clan? Then who’s that standing behind you?”
The question made the 'civilian' freeze for a split second.
He turned around in a panic—and the moment he did, a cold sweat began to pour down his back. His pupils contracted ever so slightly.
Uchiha Keizumi!!!
That name exploded in his mind.
“Aburame Keiya.”
That name was slowly spoken—by none other than Uchiha Keizumi.
As one of Root’s elite operatives, Aburame Keiya nearly choked on his breath.
Before he could react further, Keizumi’s voice rang out again—calm, unhurried, and heavy like a judge passing sentence.
“Half a year ago, you were responsible for transporting large quantities of illicit, addictive substances for Root, and selling them off illegally. Your conduct was abhorrent.”
“Two years ago, you secretly murdered a Konoha shinobi who had filed an impeachment report against Shimura Danzō. You also killed his wife and daughter, and destroyed their remains to eliminate the evidence.”
“Five years ago—”
As Keizumi listed offense after offense, each word laced with chilling precision...
A look of unspeakable shock flickered through Aburame Keiya’s eyes.
The rumors... were true!
Uchiha Keizumi’s special eyes really could see a person’s past evils!
He had even seen through his true identity!
“He… he’s actually a Root shinobi?!”
Izumi, who had followed closely behind, stared at Aburame Keiya in astonishment.
She didn’t know whether it was just her own prejudice, but it truly seemed like—
In Keizumi-sama’s eyes, no Root shinobi was ever innocent.
Aburame Keiya now understood—he was in serious trouble.
As his identity was exposed, tiny insects began crawling from the tips of his fingers—dozens, maybe hundreds of them, all wriggling into the open.
The nearby actual Konoha civilians immediately sensed the shift in atmosphere.
They backed away in a panic, desperate to distance themselves from the brewing conflict.
Most of all, they wanted to stay as far as possible from the notorious 'plague god' of the police force: Uchiha Keizumi.
Even Sasuke, who had tagged along at the end of the group, could sense that something wasn’t right.
He looked toward the visibly tense Aburame Keiya—
And couldn’t help but ask Izumi quietly, “Is he… a criminal?”
Izumi kept her eyes fixed cautiously on Keiya, subtly shielding Sasuke with her body as she responded in a low voice: “If Keizumi-senpai says he’s a criminal… then he is. And not just any criminal—he’s the kind with a long, dirty trail of sins.”
Sasuke was stunned.
He couldn’t understand why Izumi trusted this guy called Uchiha Keizumi so much.
But one thing was clear—he was about to witness a 'criminal arrest' right in front of him.
He stared at Keizumi’s back.
This was the man who had once tried to kill his older brother—someone he instinctively disliked. And yet, both his mother and Itachi had repeatedly warned him: Stay away from that man.
“Aburame Keiya, your wickedness has grown so foul, it’s nauseating.”
With each step Uchiha Keizumi took forward, Aburame Keiya instinctively took a step back.
“In the name of [Absolute Justice]—I sentence you to death today.”
The moment those final words left Keizumi’s lips—
Aburame Keiya, knowing things could not end peacefully, made the first move!
He was well aware of how powerful Uchiha Keizumi was.
Even Danzō-sama had failed to bring him down in a short confrontation.
Escaping Keizumi’s field of vision...
There was only one option: strike first.
Countless insects erupted from Keiya’s hands—hundreds, maybe thousands of black bugs poured out like a tidal wave, forming a living curtain that surged toward Keizumi.
And yet...
Although Keiya was fast, Uchiha Keizumi was even faster.
Because the moment Keizumi saw the red box floating above Keiya’s head—
In Keizumi’s eyes, the man was already dead.
As the swarm of insects closed in, Keizumi exhaled a massive fireball from his mouth.
At the same time, he formed a single hand seal.
Lava began to ripple across Keizumi’s skin, coating his entire body in molten chakra. Without hesitation, he walked directly into the fire and the swarm of bugs.
The Great Fireball Technique couldn’t harm his body.
And the flying insects—before even making contact—were vaporized by the sheer heat.
Aburame Keiya’s pupils shrank in horror.
But before he could make another move—
his vision was completely filled by a crimson hellhound made of molten rock.
[—BOOM!!!]
Half his head was gone.
Standing at the very back, Sasuke stared, dumbfounded at what had just unfolded.
He thought, at most, Uchiha Keizumi would arrest the criminal.
But who would’ve thought—
In the blink of an eye, the two had already clashed—
And someone was dead.
“Sasuke-kun,” Izumi whispered beside him, “This is the [Absolute Justice] Keizumi-senpai believes in.”
“Any evil in the shinobi world… must be purged by the most absolute means.”
When he saw the body collapse to the ground—missing most of its head—Sasuke's face turned pale with fright.
He even noticed the corpse’s remaining eye, wide open, seemingly staring directly at him.
A shiver ran down Sasuke’s spine.
“M-Murder…”
Nearby, some Konohagakure civilians were equally shaken, their voices trembling with fear.
“S-Someone… someone needs to call the Uchiha Police Force!”
“We are the Uchiha Police Force!”
With a deep breath, Izumi stepped forward and shouted, her words instantly silencing the surrounding crowd.
Right. Of course...
The killer was a member of the Uchiha Police Force.
So what would be the point of calling more of them?
Izumi noticed the fear on many of the onlookers’ faces and raised her voice again: “The person who was just executed is named Aburame Keiya. He was a shinobi who had forgotten the true Will of Fire and harmed innocent lives! The crimes he committed include—but are not limited to—illegal drug trafficking, murder, and defilement of corpses...”
She took a step forward, her voice ringing louder: “Moreover, he was the one who initiated the attack just now. He attempted to use force to resist the enforcement of justice!
My senpai, Uchiha Keizumi, had no choice but to carry out the maximum sentence on the spot—in the name of Absolute Justice!”
Perhaps it was the righteous conviction in the girl’s voice.
Perhaps it was the authority and legitimacy of the Police Force’s actions that made any argument seem futile.
Or perhaps it was simply that the name 'Uchiha Keizumi' alone was enough to silence even crying children.
Izumi noticed some of the civilians no longer looked quite so panicked.
And that brought her a small sense of relief.
