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NAJ Chapter 24: Justice Erupts
🕑 Added 2025-06-08 03:50:35 +0000 UTC“Captain Shinnosuke! The magma’s shifting!” one of the Anbu keenly spotted something unusual—up ahead, the magma was bubbling violently, swelling upward, as if something monstrous was about to erupt.
He was right.
The next moment—
[BOOM!!!]
A terrifying torrent of magma erupted skyward like a volcanic explosion, instantly melting everything overhead.
As the Anbu stared in horror, the secret research base was torn open by the surge of magma, leaving behind a massive, gaping hole!
From an outside perspective, one could see a pillar of glowing red magma burst from the depths of the forest, rocketing into the sky.
By the time it surged a hundred meters into the air, the magma finally burst apart, transforming into a shower of fiery 'raindrops' that scattered and fell in all directions below.
But these falling magma projectiles were far from harmless like rainwater.
When one, roughly the size of a fist, came crashing down—
The impact was indescribable. Like the explosion of an explosive tag, it blasted a gaping hole through the surface above the secret research facility, tearing apart the mountain rock above and exposing the upper structure of the base.
And these powerful magma bombs...
Looking out across the sky—
There were hundreds of them!
…
It was now just past 8 p.m.—the start of the evening hours when nightlife was beginning to stir.
Many villagers of Konohagakure had just finished dinner and were thinking of taking a walk to help digest their food.
Suddenly, they saw it—
A beam of glaring crimson light shot straight up from beyond the village limits.
Moments later, it exploded outward like fireworks.
Half the village of Konoha was faintly illuminated by the sudden glow.
“What is that?” a civilian muttered in confusion as he gazed into the distance. “Someone setting off fireworks outside the village? Those are huge…”
Someone nearby voiced a different opinion. “Are fireworks supposed to look like that? That’s more like… a volcanic eruption, isn’t it?”
“Come on, don’t be ridiculous. There’s no volcano anywhere near Konoha!”
“Then it must be fireworks! But… is there some kind of celebration today? I didn’t hear anything about it. And if it’s not a big occasion, why set off something that massive? And outside the village, no less—what kind of situation is that?!”
“…”
…
Meanwhile, beyond the clueless civilians, many shinobi within the village had also noticed the anomaly in the distance.
Inside the Uchiha clan compound—
A flicker of surprise flashed in Uchiha Mikoto’s eyes. She turned to her husband and said, “Fugaku, that looks like… magma, doesn’t it? Like a sudden volcanic eruption.”
“...Yeah.”
Fugaku gazed solemnly at the night sky and gave a slight nod. “If I’m not mistaken, that’s Keizumi. With his personality, he wouldn’t cause such a commotion for no reason. If he’s outside the village, he might have encountered a powerful enemy.”
“Hah… I need to head out. Stay here and take care of Sasuke.”
He had already turned back inside, preparing to put on his Police Force combat uniform.
While changing, he explained, “Keizumi and I have had our differences, but there’s one thing I respect about him—he always sees through what a person has done, especially their ‘evil,’ and he’s never once made a mistake. Never wrongfully accused anyone.”
“All these years, whether it was the Fourth Hokage or the Third, none of them could ever do anything to him—because they couldn’t find any excuse to move against Uchiha Keizumi.”
“After he kills someone, he tosses the body to us. Then we send it to the Yamanaka clan. And somehow, the Yamanaka always uncover some horrifying secret from the corpse.”
Hearing this, Uchiha Mikoto hesitated. “So… he might be fighting against someone truly wicked right now?”
“Yeah.”
Now fully geared up in his Police Force uniform, Fugaku’s expression was calm but firm. “No matter what, he’s still one of us. As the Chief of the Police Force, I must take people to support him.”
...
Root Base.
“Danzō-sama, Uchiha Keizumi’s current location is most likely that secret research facility outside the village!” A Root ninja knelt with his head lowered as he reported to Danzō.
He added, “It’s the secret base that the Third Hokage ordered built a few years ago outside the village—the one where many of Orochimaru’s researchers are still being ‘kept.’”
With this reminder, Danzō recalled the matter as well.
Indeed, back then the Monkey did set up such a base beyond the village walls.
At the time, Danzō had wanted to interfere, since a third of the credit for preserving Orochimaru’s research data and scientific personnel belonged to him.
But that damned old Monkey had flatly rejected him.
He’d even teamed up with Koharu and Homura to pressure Danzō, forcing him to abandon the idea.
Over the years—
It wasn’t as if Danzō hadn’t considered infiltrating Root agents into the facility. Unfortunately, the Monkey had kept a tight grip on it, leaving him no opportunity to make a move.
“Hmph.”
Danzō suddenly sneered, a mocking smirk curling at his lips.
Gazing toward the falling lava in the distance, he muttered derisively, “That inherently evil little Uchiha… has finally set his sights on the Hokage. Monkey, I warned you long ago. If you didn’t eliminate him, you’d come to regret it.”
The kneeling Root ninja hesitated, then asked, “Danzō-sama, should Root intervene?”
Danzō narrowed his eyes.
A murderous glint flashed.
He had long wished to tear Uchiha Keizumi limb from limb.
“No.”
Danzō’s gaze turned sinister. “Let him rampage. The more chaos he causes, the deeper the rift with the Monkey becomes. If I recall correctly, that facility is under the watch of Sarutobi Shinnosuke. Hehehe… That evil-born Uchiha brat is now clashing with the Monkey’s own son!”
“What we need to do… is stop anyone who tries to interfere and quell the conflict.”
“Relay my orders!”
“All Root operatives, mobilize! Secure every exit from Konohagakure! Apart from the ANBU directly under the Monkey, no one is allowed to leave the village!”
“Yes, sir!”
The Root ninjas vanished one after another, disappearing from the base in a blur of afterimages.
…
“Dad, that’s some kind of ninjutsu, right?”
On a rooftop in the Nara clan’s compound—
Though only seven years old, Nara Shikamaru already wore a world-weary expression, his half-lidded, lifeless eyes making others question whether he really was that young.
“Yeah.”
Standing beside his son, hands half in his pockets, Nara Shikaku replied with a deep gaze, “It’s Lava Release.”
“…Lava Release?” Shikamaru blinked.
Shikaku continued calmly, “You’ve heard of Uchiha Keizumi, right?”
Shikamaru nodded. “Yeah, I’ve heard he’s a real handful. A lot of people in the village are afraid of him. But there are some who really respect him too.”
“So…”
Shikamaru asked, “That jutsu—Keizumi’s doing?”
Shikaku nodded. “Most likely. And judging by the direction… the Hokage’s probably got a massive headache coming tonight.”
He made no move to rush over and check the scene.
He already knew—it was the kind of muddy water best left unstirred.
The Nara clan was better off steering clear of that mess.
…
“I heard Hiruzen has already set out with the ANBU personally.”
Under the cover of night, Koharu visited Homura at his home.
She said to him, “I’ve always known that Uchiha Keizumi is a disaster waiting to happen. With his so-called ‘Absolute Justice’... I fear every single person inside that research facility is a thorn in his side.”
“What a pity. Hiruzen kept indulging him again and again. I still don’t understand—what use does such an uncontrollable Uchiha have, for Hiruzen to value him so highly?”
Homura stood with his hands behind his back, voice low and grim: “He is indeed a calamity. But at the same time… a double-edged sword. Hiruzen tolerates him because Uchiha Keizumi’s ‘Absolute Justice’ is extreme enough.”
“At the very least… we can’t deny that Uchiha Keizumi has indeed forced many ill-intentioned people to restrain themselves.”
Koharu spoke solemnly. “But this time, he’s gone too far. He even dared to attack a place like the secret research facility!”
Homura added, “This time, we should urge Hiruzen to finally harden his heart. In the past, when Uchiha Keizumi was still weak, still within the village’s grasp, we could hold on to that double-edged sword and make use of it. But now…”
A flash of apprehension crossed his eyes. “Now he’s grown powerful. Fully fledged.”
The last Uchiha who had made both of them feel things were slipping out of control was named Uchiha Shisui.
They had feared Shisui for his eyes.
But the reason they feared Uchiha Keizumi…
Was because of that unwavering Absolute Justice—a justice that cared nothing for the village’s political order.
