"Damn you, Sarutobi! You'll regret this! Block them, I'll break the barrier!"
Danzo's hoarse roar echoed through the forest as he spat blood and rage in equal measure. His face was twisted with humiliation and frustration. Just moments ago, he had unleashed Wood Style against Hiruzen Sarutobi, only to find it nullified with maddening ease.
On one hand, Danzo was shocked by Sarutobi's strength—the Third Hokage had aged, yes, but he had not weakened. On the other hand, he was reeling from the bitter truth that Wood Style, the technique he had pinned his final hope on, was far from the godlike power of the First Hokage.
It wasn't even enough to defeat Sarutobi, let alone escape a village swarming with Jonin and elite ANBU.
"No choice," Danzo muttered under his breath. "I must flee Konoha immediately... before the Uchiha appear."
That thought chilled his blood. Among all his enemies, it was the Uchiha that haunted him the most. Their eyes, their grudge, their fire—it would consume him.
"Lord Danzo! Go! We'll hold them off!"
Several loyal Root shinobi stepped forward. Without hesitation, they leapt toward the pursuing Konoha forces. These were men who would give their lives for Danzo's twisted dream.
"Danzo! Stand down immediately! You cannot escape! Don't make me do this!" shouted Sarutobi, his voice thunderous.
But Danzo had no intention of surrendering. He formed hand seals with practiced precision.
"Summoning Technique—Ape King, Enma!"
A puff of smoke erupted next to the Third Hokage as a white-furred monkey with a stern face emerged, instantly transforming into the adamantine staff, King Kong Ruyi. With another command, dozens of copies of the staff materialized, surrounding Danzo and forming a cage of indestructible bars—King Kong Prison Wall.
"Hmph! Trying to cage me like an animal? Don't insult me, Sarutobi!" Danzo growled.
He responded in kind.
"Summoning Technique—Dream Tapir!"
From the swirling smoke burst forth a bizarre creature—a massive elephant-like beast with a nightmarish face. With a monstrous roar, the dream tapir exhaled a cyclone that tore the Ruyi prison apart like twigs and hurled nearby shinobi to the ground.
Danzo didn't even flinch as some of his Root operatives were caught in the blast. Their sacrifice meant nothing. Only his escape mattered.
"Shadow Mimicry!"
"Mind Body Switch Technique!"
From behind the debris cloud, Shikaku Nara and Inoichi Yamanaka emerged, covered by Sai's ink beasts. They launched their clan's secret techniques at Danzo in tandem, seeking to halt him.
"Get away from me!"
Danzo roared, and his right arm bulged grotesquely—the Hashirama cells inside bursting with power. Dozens of gnarled tree branches erupted, tearing through the Nara and Yamanaka chakra bindings and creating a new breach in the surrounding blockade.
"Damn you, Sarutobi! Curse your ancestors!" he hissed, his arm pulsating wildly. He knew now—it was unstable. The cells were revolting against his body.
Still, he didn't stop. With only a handful of Root agents left around him, he dashed toward the barrier's edge.
The Third Hokage did not follow.
He stood still, arms folded behind his back, and watched.
"Danzo cannot break the wartime defense barrier. It's impossible. From the moment he was spotted, he was already trapped."
Danzo wasn't thinking. He wasn't planning. He was a cornered animal, biting madly to stay alive.
"Wind Style: Vacuum Bullets!"
He puffed out his cheeks like a frog, then spat out a volley of air bullets that blasted the shinobi guarding the barrier back. The area fell silent.
"Danzo, this is your final chance! Turn back, or—"
"BACK AWAY!" Sarutobi shouted, suddenly raising his arm.
But it was too late. Some shinobi, too close to Danzo, were caught in the ensuing technique.
Blood burst out from Danzo's skin. Black markings spread from his chest. And then—
A massive black sphere began to expand, absorbing everything in its path.
"Li... Four Symbols Seal!" Sarutobi gasped, his face pale. "Danzo engraved it into his body?! This madman...!"
Even the Third Hokage was shaken.
Danzo had just used a self-sacrificial sealing technique, willing to die just to drag his enemies down.
An entire squad of ANBU was swallowed by the black vortex. Their screams vanished into nothingness.
And yet—
Danzo was still standing.
"What?! He's alive?!" gasped one Jonin.
"Izanagi." A calm voice answered.
Andrew appeared beside Sarutobi without warning. "Izanagi allows the caster to rewrite reality using Sharingan. It records the body's state at a specific moment and restores it upon fatal injury."
"In other words, Danzo erased his own death."
Sarutobi's jaw clenched. "How many Sharingan does he still have...?"
"Two," Andrew replied plainly. "Now one. He can only use Izanagi once more. Then it's over."
Sarutobi was still stunned. But he couldn't waste time.
"Danzo's escape is a stain on the village. He must not be allowed to leave, dead or alive. Pursue!" he commanded.
The entire Konoha force surged forward like a wave.
Elsewhere in the village, Andrew gave secret instructions to a shadowy figure.
"Shisui, it's time. Go gather the civilians in the Uchiha compound. Move them to the harbor dock. Coordinate with the Mist nin. We'll secure them a new life."
"Understood." Shisui's face was grim. "But Danzo… He must not be allowed to live. He's my responsibility. I told him about Izanagi."
"Even if you didn't, I would've known. I'll handle him. I won't leave even a hair behind for Kabuto to reanimate."
With that, Andrew disappeared in a flash.
As he followed Danzo's trail, another pulse of chakra shook the air. Danzo had activated the Four Symbols Seal again.
"Two seals used... One Sharingan left... He's nearing his limit."
Andrew chuckled as he caught up with Danzo near the village edge. "Tenacious old dog. Still running like a lunatic."
Danzo, panting and staggering, still maintained speed. His face was pale, blood crusted along his sleeve.
"Throw off that old ragged cloak, Danzo! You'll run faster!" Andrew taunted silently. "Not that it'll help now."
With no more delay, Andrew performed the third stage of Flying Thunder God.
He reappeared in front of Danzo, blocking his path. And activated Susanoo.
A glowing skeletal ribcage rose around Andrew, expanding into a towering samurai figure, its hand forming a massive shield.
"Uchiha brat! Move!!" Danzo screamed.
He lunged forward, drawing a kunai, and stabbed it toward Andrew—
Straight into the glowing, indestructible chest of the Susanoo.
"The legendary scene... Kunai vs. Susan."
Andrew's expression didn't change. "You seriously thought that would work?"
Danzo stumbled back, sweat dripping. He no longer had chakra to waste. No Sharingan. No seals left. Only desperation.
Andrew stepped forward. "Game over."
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