Fire Demon

An incomparably massive amount of Chakra gathered at Shinji's throat.

The next moment--

Shinji opened his mouth.

A slender thread of fire spewed from his throat, ballooned against the wind, and pushed flatly along the horizon!

A sea of fire, spreading like the Wall of Lamentations!

Wood ash and a massive amount of steam were mixed within the sea of fire, its blaze roaring fiercely as if it would burn the heavens and boil the seas!

Everything blocking the path of the fire--trees, earth, rocks, snow, people...

All melted!

S-rank Fire Release Chakra nature transformation and S-rank Fire Release Ninjutsu mastery allowed Shinji to convert the absolute minimum amount of Chakra into an overwhelmingly massive, intensely condensed Fire Release Ninjutsu.

That thick, roaring, dark-red flame.

Was not inferior in the least to a Kekkei Genkai!

This was the origin of the Uchiha's Fire Demon title!

"No! Impossible!"

"What is this!"

"Run!"

"Ah--!!!"

No matter how callous they were toward the deaths of their comrades, when death finally came for them, they finally felt the ultimate terror of death...

Despair, screams!

They could only emit one last scream.

The range of the sea of fire was too vast!

The ordinary Body Flicker Technique was not enough to support them in quickly escaping the sea of fire, and they were melted into blood and evaporated completely!

Boom, boom, boom--

The entire forest burned unscrupulously, and the smoke, dust, and plant ash that blotted out the sun covered most of the sky above Konoha!

The entire Konoha instantly lit up brightly!

Swish, swish, swish!

On the rooftops, dense crowds of ninja sprinted over.

The ones who arrived even earlier, however, were the Uchiha.

Because the distance between the Uchiha Compound and the small woods was closer, and the people who came... were faster!

"Shinji! What happened?!"

Naturally.

The first to arrive was our Body Flicker Shisui, his pupils shaking as he gazed at the scene before him, looking at Shinji with a trace of fear in his eyes.

This scale of Fire Release...

Just what is the weight of the "Fire Demon" title?

In the few years since the war ended, hasn't Shinji's growth rate gotten a bit frighteningly fast?!

"Nothing, just some annoying flies."

Shinji sheathed his sword, grabbed the Nara ninja who had fallen under a Genjutsu and couldn't move, yet had miraculously escaped death, and pressed a palm against his mask.

Just as he was about to lift it.

He saw squads rushing over in groups of three to five, with uniform black hair and black eyes, and the red-and-white Gunbai emblem embroidered on their backs.

Shinji pondered for a moment and stopped his movement.

"Quick! Put out the fire!"

Following the leader's command, the ninja scattered in all directions, and simple Water Release Ninjutsu were unleashed one after another to suppress the roaring sea of fire.

The results were minimal.

Yet they could only manage this much.

After all... very few Uchiha were proficient in Water Release Ninjutsu.

Shisui turned his head and glanced over. "It's the Konoha Military Police Force."

"How dutiful!"

Shinji sighed with emotion, then looked at the middle-aged man leading the charge. "Yo! Fugaku, working overtime?"

"Shinji?! Shisui?"

Fugaku turned his head, his brow twitching with a solemn expression. "When did you guys get back?"

Shinji smiled. "Just now."

"What happened here?" Fugaku looked at the blazing sea of fire, and then at the captive in Shinji's hand. "Who is he?"

"I don't know, but... we'll have answers soon enough."

Suddenly.

A small group of seven people broke away from the Konoha Military Police Force, crossed past Fugaku, and rushed toward Shinji. "Shinji! It really is you! You're back! That's wonderful!"

These seven people, five males and two females, were all very young, with the oldest no more than nineteen.

Their gazes toward Shinji were burning with passion, like fanatical idol-chasing fans.

"Chiba, Ryuka, Kei, Shusui, Shigetsu, Kika... you've all joined the Konoha Military Police Force? Not bad, you're all Jonin now!"

Shinji threw the captive onto the ground and looked toward his several playmates.

A heartfelt smile appeared on his face.

Uchiha Jonin represented none other than Three Tomoe elites... and they were still very young, with an abundance of possibilities.

"Oh? And who is this? She looks a bit unfamiliar."

Uchiha Kika pushed the quiet little girl behind her forward, saying boisterously, "Izumi, this is Lord Shinji, the Fire God you've always admired!"

"Lord Shinji! My name is Uchiha Izumi... please take care of me!"

The girl was only eleven or twelve years old, and the moment she spoke, she blushed, her gaze darting away as she didn't dare make eye contact with Shinji.

Uchiha Izumi?

Shinji froze for a moment. Is it her? How could it be? Wasn't she childhood sweethearts with Uchiha Itachi from a young age? Admiring me? What a joke!

"Hello, Izumi, I'm Shinji Uchiha."

Shinji waved a hand. "You guys go catch up with Shisui first, I have business to take care of."

"Okay!"

At that moment, a bandaged freak slowly walked out of the woods.

Shinji said teasingly, "Lord Danzo, I didn't expect you to arrive first. I thought the one who understood every movement in Konoha best would be the Third Hokage. You really are conscientious and dedicated!"

"Brat, you..."

"Danzo!!!"

An angry roar came from afar. Hiruzen Sarutobi had changed into ninja gear, wielding the Adamantine Staff while leading the ANBU in leaps and bounds, his face as black as the bottom of a pot.

Quite unfortunately.

He had very coincidentally heard Shinji's words.

Every single word.

At the same time.

He was the first to see Danzo and the Root "legion" standing ready behind him.

"What are your men doing surrounded here instead of helping the Konoha Military Police Force fight the fire?!"

Danzo was initially stunned by Hiruzen Sarutobi's attitude, but his expression quickly turned gloomy and his tone fierce. "Fighting the fire is enough with them there! I received intelligence and came to capture a suspect!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi stepped forward step by step, gripping the Adamantine Staff. Though very short, his presence was imposing. "A suspect?! What suspect is there here! Danzo, you have disappointed me too much!"

"Third Hokage!"

Shinji grabbed the captive by the scruff and said earnestly, "There really is a suspicious person right here, and I'll remove his mask right now to catch a glimpse of his true face!"

Danzo's pupils shrank violently!

Since when?!

Under a Fire Release Ninjutsu of that magnitude, someone could actually survive!

"Wait a minute!!!"

Shinji blinked, looking at Danzo and Hiruzen Sarutobi who had spoken in unison, a look of confusion on his face.

"Ahem!"

The Third Hokage took the lead in speaking. "Shinji, in my view, this assassination attempt against you is very likely revenge from Kumogakure! The Uchiha's Fire Demon once slaughtered hundreds of enemies on the Land of Lightning Border, making a great name for himself. These Kumogakure spies who have lurked in Konoha for a long time heard the news of your return, were impatient to kill you for revenge, and made a move against you... It's very reasonable. What do you think, Danzo?"

"Hmph!"

Danzo let out a cold snort. "Whatever you say goes!"

"We just verified their identities! They are indeed Kumogakure spies!" Behind them, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura slowly walked over.

They had arrived long ago.

But they had been observing the situation from the sidelines.

Danzo had no idea what kind of wrong medicine he had taken, but tonight the Konoha Military Police Force, the ANBU, and Root were all gathered here. If it wasn't handled properly, it could trigger unpredictable consequences!

Right now, no matter what, they could not pressure the Uchiha too severely, even if it meant... letting Danzo take the blame to show goodwill toward the Uchiha!

Lowering the Uchiha's hostility, wearing down their vigilance—Boiling a Frog Slowly!

The Third's explanation was flawless!

"Third Hokage, is this really the case?" Shinji frowned, looking at the Nara Clan ninja in his hand, "And him?"

Danzo stepped forward, "To root out Kumogakure's undercover spies in Konoha, I need to take him back for interrogation! Torune, take him away!"

"Yes!"

A masked ninja with a gloomy presence stepped forward and grabbed the captive in Shinji's hand.

The Third looked at Shinji, his tone amiable, "Shinji, hand him over to him. I will give you an explanation!"

"Oh... alright then."

Shinji shook his head and said helplessly, "However, I used Genjutsu on Mu, and he might... already be brain-dead. I just wanted to remove his mask to confirm his identity."

"You!!!"

Danzo instantly flew into a rage.

He lunged forward abruptly, only to be yanked back by Mitokado Homura.

The Third Hokage still smiled warmly, "Well, even a dead person can yield plenty of useful information. Shinji, thanks for the effort."

He then looked at Uchiha Fugaku, "Captain Fugaku, the Konoha Military Police Force was lax in its patrols tonight and bears some responsibility. Write a report and submit it tomorrow morning."

Fugaku frowned, "...Yes!"

Immediately.

He looked at the grinning Shinji, then at the exhausted Hiruzen Sarutobi, his frown deepening even further...