In Hiruzen Sarutobi's plan, the Four Violet Flames Formation was meant to trap Orochimaru and Danzō. The purpose was to prevent them from getting desperate and releasing the Nine-Tails sealed within Minato.
But thanks to Itachi's intense barrage, the barrier was showing signs of wear. At this rate, it wouldn't last more than a few hours.
If that happened—not only would he fail to eliminate the traitors—they might even escape.
Letting a tiger return to the mountain? That was never part of Hiruzen's plan.
As for assigning Itachi and Kakashi to deal with the real and fake Danzō? Outwardly, it was framed as a tactical diversion. In reality, it was reconnaissance—testing the enemy to extract intel so he could adjust his strategy.
He already knew everything about Orochimaru. They were master and student, after all. When Orochimaru betrayed the village, they had clashed. If Hiruzen hadn't hesitated out of sentiment back then, Orochimaru would've been long dead.
As for Danzō—he hadn't seen him fight in decades. Had his strength declined, or improved? That was uncertain. But Kakashi had a personal vendetta—his father's murder—so Hiruzen figured the young jōnin would fight with everything he had. That should reveal some of Danzō's true strength.
The real concern was whether Danzō, after transplanting Hashirama's cells, had gained any of the First Hokage's power. Even more troubling was the Mangekyō Sharingan of Shisui in his right eye—its ability to brainwash someone with just a glance made Hiruzen deeply uneasy.
One misstep, and he could lose his own mind.
At that point, whether he was still "Hiruzen" would be questionable.
That's why sending Kakashi to probe Danzō was the most logical choice.
As for Itachi? After today's battle, Hiruzen's reputation would be in tatters. He'd be forced to step down again, no doubt. But if he could raise Itachi up as a figurehead Hokage—a puppet leader—it might just work.
Assuming he survived, that is.
Anyone capable of standing alongside Danzō and Orochimaru couldn't be weak.
On the battlefield, Danzō—locked in a dead-even match with Kakashi—was growing increasingly frustrated. Kakashi was younger, had less chakra, and was arguably weaker overall. But thanks to his Sharingan's sharp perception and jutsu-copying abilities, he was managing to go toe-to-toe with him.
It was infuriating.
Danzō had originally planned to lure Hiruzen to some desolate spot to fight—somewhere far from prying eyes. That way, no one would witness his Wood-Style right arm or Sharingan eye.
But Sarutobi had tricked him, sealing them inside the Four Violet Flames Formation.
Several times already, Danzō had considered ripping off the bandage over his right eye to hit Kakashi with Kotoamatsukami, or unleashing his Wood Style to kill him outright.
But with so many spectators outside, he held back.
As he hesitated, a sudden roar of explosions filled the air—BOOM BOOM BOOM—and thick black smoke billowed into the battlefield.
The dense fog obscured everything.
"Perfect timing!" Kakashi thought. He swiftly formed hand seals. Lightning chakra surged into his right hand, generating a high-pitched chirping. Then, cloaked in mist, he charged straight at Danzō.
A streak of blue lightning sliced through the haze—fast and lethal.
To Danzō's surprise, Kakashi's Chidori pierced straight through his chest.
Blood splattered across Kakashi's face—the sensation eerily familiar.
Just like… when he stabbed Rin.
Right through the heart.
One hit. Kill confirmed.
Unlike that day, however, Kakashi felt no horror—only a rush of catharsis.
"Father... Sensei... Rin... I've avenged you all!"
"Lightning Release: Thunderbolt!"
A surge of lightning erupted from Kakashi's hand, shooting from Danzō's heart and blasting through his body.
This was a nature transformation—maximizing electrical damage and paralysis.
Danzō's body convulsed violently before exploding in a shower of blood and limbs.
"Spiralling Flash Super Round Dance Howl Style Three!"
Just as the smoke lingered, Minato's voice rang out.
Hiruzen's heart sank.
His worst fear had come true—in the fog, with no visibility on Minato's teleportation seals, he could only rely on instinct and ambient sounds to guess where he'd appear.
A breeze swept past. Gleaming flashes of gold lit up all around.
Hiruzen's eyes darted everywhere. Every flicker felt like Minato.
He was everywhere.
"Adamantine Prison Wall!"
Hiruzen threw down his adamantine staff. It duplicated into dozens of iron bars that formed a tightly sealed cage around him—a barrier to block all attacks.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The cage rang with impacts—Minato's kunai bouncing off the steel, unable to break through.
Only then did Hiruzen exhale in relief.
But—
A chill crept up his spine.
A gust behind him.
No… when did Minato get behind me?!
There's no Flying Thunder God seal inside the cage!
"Earth Style: Hardening Jutsu!"
No time to think. Hiruzen rapidly formed seals.
"Rasengan!"
BOOM!
The Rasengan slammed into Hiruzen's back, hurling him forward into the cage.
The adamantine bars shattered.
Hiruzen coughed up blood, collapsing to the ground.
But at the last second, he had partially hardened his back with earth chakra, softening the blow.
He wasn't dead—but he was badly injured.
Too bad.
Itachi, watching nearby, sighed in disappointment.
So close…
That smoke earlier wasn't ordinary smoke—it was modeled after Akali's Twilight Shroud from League of Legends.
Inside it, Itachi had used Transformation Jutsu to disguise himself as Minato. Then, with high-speed movement and spatial ninjutsu, he infiltrated Hiruzen's cage for a stealth attack.
But Hiruzen, old as he was, had survived.
As for the Zetsu clone under his genjutsu control—he'd used a burrowing jutsu to hide underground, ready to deliver a fatal ambush if needed.
As the smoke cleared, the watching villagers and shinobi finally saw what remained inside the Four Violet Flames Formation.
Kakashi was gasping for breath, covering his left eye, glaring at Danzō with pure hatred.
Danzō stood tall, completely unfazed, holding a freshly plucked Sharingan in his hand.
Kakashi vs. Danzō — Danzō wins.
Elsewhere, Hiruzen staggered to his feet, blood at the corners of his mouth, battle armor half-destroyed, body trembling.
Orochimaru & Reanimated Minato vs. Hiruzen — Orochimaru wins.
As for the third corner:
Itachi stood with his Sharingan glowing.
The fake Danzō—gone.
Only a scorched battlefield remained. Villagers assumed the imposter had been obliterated by the overwhelming volume of explosive tags.
Itachi vs. Fake Danzō — Itachi wins.
"Long live Lord Danzō!"
"Kill that fake Sarutobi!"
"Knew it—Hiruzen was all talk!"
"That's it? That's the best he's got?"
"Didn't even last twenty seconds!"
"I swear I heard him shout earlier: 'Danzō, I'll show you just how strong I really am!'"
"Pfft, forgive me for laughing out loud."
"Hiruzen Sarutobi just proved, with his own strength, that he's truly washed-up!"
"Damn it, I'm dying laughing!"
"No shame in Kakashi losing. Lord Danzō's a survivor—from mountains of corpses and oceans of blood."
"Right? He only took Kakashi's eye—it's like saying 'you have eyes but can't see.'"
"Exactly! Killing is easy. Gouging an eye? That's a message."
"Seems Lord Danzō spared Kakashi's life so he wouldn't be misled by Sarutobi anymore!"
"Yeah!"
"Lord Danzō, we're with you!"
"Finish off Sarutobi!"
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin