In Kazuyama Gekkō's eyes, Danzō was nothing more than a grasshopper after autumn—he wouldn't last much longer. If this had been years ago, even facing Danzō head-on wouldn't have been a concern. But Kazuyama was simply too far beyond the norm.
Ordinary ninjas relied on chakra-based ninjutsu. But Kazuyama? He wielded forbidden techniques and senjutsu, harnessing natural energy. His chakra reserves were massive, and when pushed to the limit, he could tap into Tailed Beast chakra. They were simply not in the same league.
Now look at Danzō. While he had deep experience and mastered forbidden techniques, those abilities were useless in direct combat. When it came down to it, Danzō could only rely on his Wind Release techniques and Izanagi for survival.
"A Crystal Release kekkei genkai that can both attack and defend..."
"Hmph!"
"Wind Release! Vacuum Wave!"
A single wind blade couldn't pierce Crystal Release, so Danzō attacked with denser, more destructive techniques.
"Swish!"
"Crack!"
Kazuyama's strategy proved effective. Even his Crystal Release began shattering under Danzō's concentrated assault, scattering into a sea of crystal shards.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Not bad."
"For a Wind Release technique, that power is sufficient."
However, Kazuyama had long vanished behind his crystal prism shield. The entire arena was now covered in crystals, many bearing the coordinates he had left behind. The entire underground base had become his home turf. Fighting on his home turf, Kazuyama was even more in his element.
"Too bad. Seems like it won't do much good."
"Crystal Release: String of Glory."
A beam of light suddenly pierced through Danzō's body. The next second, Danzō dissolved into a shimmering phantom and vanished from his original spot.
Immediately after, Danzō materialized behind Kazuyama, a kunai gleaming in his hand, and struck directly at his back. Thanks to Izanagi's support, Danzō had indeed launched a counterattack. But unfortunately, the strike missed its mark.
Kazuyama had anticipated Danzō's underhanded tactics the moment the attack launched. The instant he sensed the slightest disturbance near him, he activated Flying Thunder God Technique without hesitation.
"Well, that's two. You still have one Sharingan eye left."
"Counting your right eye, that makes only two."
"Danzō, tell me—are you confident you can kill me with two uses of Izanagi?"
Pulling back to create distance, Kazuyama stared at Danzō with mocking contempt. Simultaneously, another Sharingan on Danzō's arm slowly closed. This caused Danzō's expression to darken slightly, though he quickly regained his previous composure.
"Hmph. Merely a rookie who's been around for a few years."
"True ninja combat is far more terrifying than you could ever imagine."
With that, Danzō tore away the bandage covering his right eye. A three-tomoe Sharingan was revealed.
The instant the Sharingan flashed, Danzō moved. He initiated with a Vacuum Wave once more, but this time, he charged forward along the blade's trajectory.
"Huh? You don't think gaining an extra eye means you can fight me, do you?"
"Or…"
"Holy shit???"
Kazuyama Gekkō raised his hand, firing a String of Glory that shattered the vacuum wave. But when Danzō reappeared, Kazuyama Gekkō was stunned.
Because the Sharingan in Danzō's right eye was no longer the ordinary three-tomoe form. Instead, it had transformed into a bizarre, completely unfamiliar Mangekyō Sharingan.
The moment that eye locked onto Kazuyama Gekkō, he felt an intangible, eerie energy envelop his entire body. It was a rare sense of impending danger. Kazuyama Gekkō hesitated not a second—no, even the slightest hesitation would dishonor his reputation as a ghost.
Flying Thunder God Technique!
This renewed clash forced Kazuyama Gekkō to finally take Danzō seriously.
"What? Not so bold now, are you?"
"Pfft. Old geezer, that eye... it shouldn't belong to you."
Kazuyama Gekkō stared at the Mangekyō within Danzō's right eye. Simultaneously, he assessed his own condition. His chakra had sharply dissipated, and his clothing was already tearing apart.
What kind of ability was this?
"Hmph, kid, there's a lot you don't know."
"Die!"
"Wind Release: Vacuum Wave!"
Danzō wasted no words. This Vacuum Wave covered a vast area, engulfing everything before him. Simultaneously, that eye fixed its gaze on Kazuyama Gekkō once more.
"Pfft. Corruption? Chakra-targeted combustion?"
"Old geezer, looks like you profited handsomely from all those Uchiha deaths during the Third Shinobi World War!"
As Kazuyama Gekkō activated the Flying Thunder God Technique, he felt his chakra being drained again. This time, the fabric on his arms vanished completely, and even his skin began to sting. It was the sensation of his flesh being directly decomposed, an unpleasant feeling.
This was an ability not present in the original story, much like Uchiha Madara's dōjutsu. However, unlike Madara's range-based ability, this one was more direct, somewhat akin to Amaterasu, yet distinct. It lacked Amaterasu's terrifying offensive power, instead functioning more like a draining ability.
Activating his Transparent Escape Technique, Kazuyama Gekkō temporarily concealed himself, pondering the nature of this ability. It seemed that Danzō hadn't employed this power in the original story, likely due to the existence of Kotoamatsukami. After all, before the might of Kotoamatsukami, other techniques paled in comparison.
Remember, in the original story, Danzō's arm bore over a dozen Sharingan eyes. Perhaps this eye was among them.
"Hmph, so be it."
"I won't give you the chance to see me!"
"Crystal Release: New World!"
For dōjutsu, as long as the opponent couldn't lock onto him, he wouldn't leave any openings. Thus, Kazuyama Gekkō launched his attack directly while in Transparent Escape mode.
The entire underground space was once again engulfed in light, as beam after beam of light streaked toward Danzō.
"Hmph, trying to keep me from finding you…"
"Summoning Technique!"
Danzō clearly didn't want to waste his chance to use Izanagi, summoning his summoned beast, the Baku, to intercept.
"Aaargh!"
The Baku let out a piercing scream the moment it emerged, struck by the beams. But its cries were brief. The beams' power was too terrifying; the Baku couldn't withstand them. That brief moment of resistance was precisely what Danzō needed.
"Wind Release: Great Vacuum Sphere!"
Facing Kazuyama Gekkō's assault, Danzō chose to meet force with force. Violent whirlwinds coalesced into spinning blades, spiraling upward from his center. This Wind Release technique collided with the beam purely through sheer force, instantly filling the arena with continuous explosions.
"Rasengan!"
"Vacuum Blade!"
The collision raged on, yet both combatants had already prepared follow-up strikes. Kazuyama Gekkō appeared directly behind Danzō, Rasengan in hand, while Danzō had fully armed his kunai. The Wind Release technique transformed into close-quarters combat.