"Wind Release: Great Vacuum Sphere."
The instant Naruto's words fell, Danzo struck.
A high-pressure ball of wind shot from Danzo's mouth, hurtling toward Naruto like a rocket.
"The esteemed leader of Root, launching a sneak attack? That doesn't seem very proper."
Naruto chuckled, allowing the jutsu to hit him directly.
An afterimage flickered. The Great Vacuum Sphere passed straight through Naruto's body and slammed into the wall behind him.
Boom. With a tremendous crash, the entire underground base shook, and small rocks rained down from the ceiling.
Kyoka Suigetsu? I didn't even notice. Danzo's expression was grim. He immediately formed a hand seal. "Release!"
A surge of chakra erupted from his body. A confident smirk touched Danzo's lips. He was certain that under the force of his immense chakra, Naruto's Kyoka Suigetsu would shatter.
However, all he received was Naruto's mocking laughter.
"Lord Danzo, are you overestimating yourself, or are you underestimating me?"
"Even Itachi couldn't best me in genjutsu. Do you really think you can break through Kyoka Suigetsu?"
Danzo's eyes widened, the smile on his face freezing.
The world before him hadn't changed at all. Not even a ripple.
"Above or to the right… which will you choose?"
Kyoka Suigetsu danced. In Danzo's vision, Naruto appeared above him, swinging his blade down in a vicious slash. But strangely, Danzo felt the sharp whisper of a blade and the threat of death from his right side.
Real and unreal, false and true.
This bizarre ability left Danzo momentarily overwhelmed.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Blade." He infused a kunai with wind-style chakra, forming a sharp blade, and used it to block the attack coming from his right.
Between his vision and his instincts, he chose to trust his instincts.
Clang. With a crisp sound, the kunai in his right hand seemed to block Naruto's light strike.
But before a look of joy could cross Danzo's face, a searing pain erupted from his chest. A deep, bloody gash had suddenly appeared, running from his shoulder to his abdomen.
What's going on?! Wincing in pain, Danzo found his vision blurring again. Naruto had already sheathed his sword and was standing a short distance away, watching him with a smile.
That expression… it was like a cat toying with a mouse.
Utterly infuriating!
"I see. So your genjutsu has grown to this level." Danzo suddenly let out a low laugh, his eyes filled with killing intent.
"You're only thirteen, yet you already possess Kage-level strength. Your talent is nearly on par with the First Hokage."
"But unfortunately for you, you've picked the wrong opponent."
He slowly began to unravel the bandages on his arm, revealing the truth beneath.
Having been covered for years, the arm was much paler than the rest of his skin. And embedded in it were dozens of Sharingan, packed tightly together.
Swish. The Sharingan all opened at once, their evil red irises forming a bizarre and terrifying pattern that would send a chill down anyone's spine.
A normal ninja seeing this would have likely lost their will to fight on the spot.
But the one Danzo was facing was Naruto.
"What a disgusting arm, Lord Danzo. Is this why you orchestrated the Uchiha clan's massacre?" he mocked.
Even Naruto felt a slight unease at the sight of the arm riddled with Sharingan.
"Haha, the Uchiha clan had long harbored traitorous intentions. Their fate was already sealed. Their Kekkei Genkai, of course, could not be wasted. It was only natural that I inherit it," Danzo said, gazing greedily at his own arm.
This arm of Sharingan had been transplanted by Orochimaru after extensive research. Orochimaru had informed Naruto of this before he returned to Konoha, so Naruto wasn't surprised.
He watched Danzo quietly.
The face of this man, who already had one foot in the grave, was now twisted into an evil smile he had never shown before. Having completely dropped his facade, Danzo radiated an endless malice.
One could only imagine.
Danzo had spent his entire life assisting the Third Hokage. As the representative of the war hawks, he established Root, carrying out all manner of dark missions that could never see the light of day. Working in tandem with the Third, he helped Konoha eliminate many enemies from the shadows.
At first, everything went smoothly.
But later, Danzo's ambition began to swell. He yearned to become Hokage, to prove himself. Thus, his actions became more and more extreme. And because the Third Hokage, out of consideration for their past friendship, turned a blind eye, the Danzo of today had become completely twisted.
It could be said that the Third Hokage bore a portion of the responsibility.
"Naruto, do you see? Do you really think your Kyoka Suigetsu can control me when I possess this many Sharingan?" Danzo laughed wildly. "I am the strongest in Konoha."
However, to Danzo's disappointment, he saw no fear or shock on Naruto's face. Only disdain.
He's looking down on me?
He's looking down on the Sharingan?
How dare he?!
A surge of fury welled up in Danzo's heart, and he immediately launched an attack.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Serial Waves."
He spat out several blades of wind that swirled toward Naruto like sickles. The experimental equipment in their path was all damaged to varying degrees. This jutsu could not only slice through flesh but also sever the flow of chakra.
Crack. But then, Naruto suddenly closed the distance between them, and the slender blade of Kyoka Suigetsu elegantly sank into Danzo's chest.
"Ghk… ghk…" A strange gurgling sound escaped Danzo's lips. He looked down in shock at the blood seeping from his chest.
Voom. His vision blurred again, and he saw the cold indifference in Naruto's eyes.
Naruto leaned in close, whispering in his ear, "Never trust in the power of others, Lord Danzo."
Schlick. Kyoka Suigetsu was brutally pulled out, swinging in a graceful arc. Blood splattered, and Danzo coughed up a mouthful of his own.
Naruto sheathed his sword.
"You… this…" Danzo clutched his chest in disbelief, falling to one knee on the cold floor.
"The Sharingan is not invincible," Naruto said, shaking his head. "All of you place far too much faith in it."
"And that, right there, is your greatest weakness." A hint of pity appeared in Naruto's eyes. "To spend a lifetime scheming, only to end up like this. How pathetic."
Naruto raised his right index finger, preparing to deliver the final blow.
"Wait, Naruto! I beg you, for the sake of our past as master and student, spare me!" Danzo suddenly fell to his knees, his lips trembling as he pleaded.
His cloudy eyes were filled with a desperate desire for life. In this moment, the old man finally felt fear.
"Have you already lost your will to fight? And this is the leader of Root," Naruto said, shaking his head gently.
"Fine. Stand down. End your own life." Naruto turned away.
"The one who's going to die is you!!!" The moment Naruto turned, Danzo roared.
"Wood Release: Violent Spear Tree." Danzo's right arm instantly transformed into a massive tree, its branches piercing straight through Naruto's body.
"Hahahahaha! Uzumaki Naruto, you're too naive! Not letting your guard down is a basic tenet of being a ninja."
"Your talent is indeed impressive, but I've killed plenty of geniuses. And besides, I don't just have the Sharingan. I also have Wood Release!" Danzo threw his head back and laughed, tears almost streaming from his eyes.
Because the transplanted Sharingan on his arm possessed immense spiritual energy, it needed to be balanced with Wood Release cells. Through all his experiments, Danzo's body had long since become something neither human nor monster.
"The despicable truly use their depravity as a free pass." Naruto's lament suddenly echoed through the space.
Danzo's expression changed drastically. He stared intently at the "Naruto" who had been impaled, only to find the body had vanished, leaving only clean footprints on the ground.
Swish. Danzo's vision blurred, and Naruto's hand was already resting on his head.
"Hado Number 63: Raikoho."
A violent clap of thunder roared, and the entire space was illuminated by a blinding flash of lightning.
With the smell of burnt flesh hanging in the air, Naruto lowered his arm. The Danzo beneath his hand was no longer breathing.
"It's over." Naruto turned and slowly walked toward the exit.
"Wood Release: Explosive Root Burial." The next moment, the already-dead Danzo's eyes snapped open. His right arm created a giant tree that instantly engulfed both himself and his enemy.
"Hah…" He then reappeared atop the tree, his forehead covered in a fine sheen of sweat.
"What a terrifying monster. I almost died. Thank goodness I have the Sharingan." He looked at his arm, still shaken. Two of the Sharingan on it had already closed their eyes permanently.
Izanagi, the ultimate jutsu of the Mangekyo Sharingan. It could transform any damage inflicted upon the user, including death, into a dream, effectively nullifying all attacks for a set period. It could also turn the user's attacks and other advantageous factors into reality. But the price was the permanent loss of sight in one eye.
Danzo had only intended to defeat Naruto. He knew that as the Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails, Naruto couldn't be killed so easily. But he never expected Naruto to push him this far. Compared to his own life, the Nine-Tails breaking its seal was nothing.
After one last look at the tree that had swallowed Naruto, Danzo turned and headed for the exit. He had to leave as quickly as possible, because the Nine-Tails would soon revive. The rest could be left to the ANBU. He had already prepared his story. Naruto had harbored traitorous intentions and had tried to kill him. He had used all his strength to finally put him down.
"I see. So that jutsu can reverse death at the cost of a Sharingan." To Danzo's despair, Naruto's gentle voice once again sounded in the air.
"Using the Sharingan so freely… if Sasuke knew about this, he would surely go insane." Naruto's figure coalesced once more in front of Danzo.
"Wood Release: Violent Spear Tree." Danzo's heart filled with fury. He used Wood Release again, simultaneously activating Izanagi to negate the cost.
"Your ability is impressive, but even if it's a battle of attrition, I can still wear you down!!" Danzo shrieked hysterically, launching himself at Naruto.
His heart was filled with terror.
Why could a simple genjutsu toy with his senses like this?
Why couldn't his Sharingan break it?
Then, seeing the mocking look in Naruto's eyes, a sudden realization struck him.
"Your Kyoka Suigetsu… it doesn't control vision!!"
His sight wavered, and Naruto reappeared a short distance away, completely unharmed.
"My Kyoka Suigetsu… controls all five senses!"
"Welcome… to my world!"
The world around Danzo shattered like a mirror, revealing the true scene.
Naruto, dressed in a white Shihakusho, was smiling elegantly. The laboratory around them was littered with the signs of destruction.