Chapter 17
Danzo lunged forward, thrusting his right hand straight toward Naruto's eye socket. He didn't hesitate, didn't flinch. Ripping out the Rinnegan bare-handed wasn't just a desperate move—it was part of his plan. With Izanagi active, any injury would become illusion. If it worked, he would gain the Rinnegan. If it failed, he would suffer no consequence. To Danzo, it was a win-win.
Naruto remained calm.
"So this is how you got Shisui's eye too, huh?" he thought to himself, his left eye flashing.
— Shinra Tensei.
Boom.
A burst of repulsive force erupted from Naruto's body. Danzo was blasted backward, flipping through the air before crashing into the snow.
Shinra Tensei. A technique that emits an omnidirectional shockwave from the user's body, repelling anything and everything in range. It deflects physical and ninjutsu attacks alike—an absolute defense.
But—
Danzo's shattered figure flickered and vanished, revealing it had been an illusion. The real Danzo reappeared right in front of Naruto, rushing at him again.
"The weakness is the five-second cooldown," he muttered.
He wasn't wrong. Root had gathered intelligence on the Rinnegan long ago. Back during Pain's attack on the Hidden Leaf, Danzo and his men had remained in hiding, watching and analyzing from the shadows. They had planned to swoop in after the battle to seize control and take the credit. But fate hadn't been kind. Naruto had returned from Mount Myoboku and ended everything before Danzo could make his move.
Now, he meant to correct that.
Danzo closed the distance in a flash, a kunai slipping from his sleeve. He thrust it straight at Naruto's face.
Naruto didn't blink. The clone he had stationed in hiding dispersed, feeding Sage Chakra into his body. In an instant, his eyes shifted—orange pigment forming around them.
Sage Mode, activated.
He tilted his body sideways, narrowly dodging the kunai, grabbed Danzo's outstretched arm, and slammed a Rasengan into his chest.
— Sage Art: Rasengan.
The swirling chakra exploded, blasting Danzo backward, blood spurting from his chest. Naruto followed through with a spinning kick that sent him flying into the distance, crashing through trees until his body finally collapsed in the snow.
Then, in the next breath, Danzo stood up.
No wounds. No blood. Just snow on his cloak.
Izanagi.
Danzo casually brushed off his shoulders. "Sage Mode enhances your senses and physical ability. Combined with the Rinnegan, you're nearly flawless. But with Izanagi, I'm invincible."
He formed a seal and inhaled deeply. His lips puckered, wrinkles pulling toward his mouth.
— Wind Style: Vacuum Bullets.
Biu. Biu. Biu.
Chakra bullets of compressed air fired from his mouth like rapid-fire projectiles. Their speed and spread made dodging nearly impossible.
But Naruto wasn't fazed. He zigzagged through the barrage with fluid movement, flipping, weaving, and gliding between the bullets. In seconds, he was right in front of Danzo.
"You like Wind Style, too? Here, I'll show you mine."
Behind him, a shadow clone worked swiftly, compressing a spiraling mass of wind-enhanced chakra. The hum of the jutsu made the hairs on Danzo's neck rise.
Naruto twisted his body and hurled the finished product at full force.
— Sage Art: Wind Style: Rasenshuriken.
The massive shuriken spun violently through the air. Danzo's eyes widened. He tried to dodge, but it was too late.
The wind blades struck him, tearing through everything.
Boom.
The explosion swallowed the trees and tore the snow-covered forest apart.
When the smoke cleared, Danzo stood once again, now twenty meters away, untouched.
"The Rasenshuriken... wind nature combined with shape transformation, infused with Sage Chakra. A masterpiece of ninjutsu. And yet—wasted."
He glanced at his right arm. One Sharingan eye had completely shut, a second now spinning slowly into its countdown.
"Naruto has the Rinnegan and Sage Mode. He's got too many ways to kill. I can't afford to conserve chakra."
Danzo's mind raced. "Nine Sharingan. Each one gives me one use of Izanagi. That means I have about nine minutes. But Naruto's Sage Mode can't last indefinitely. Based on the intel, he uses shadow clones to restore his Sage Chakra mid-fight—at most twice."
"That Rasenshuriken must've drained him. It's risky for him to spam that attack. He'll be forced out of Sage Mode soon."
"If I keep pressing him, keep forcing him to use chakra, I'll win. And once I've got his left eye... it's over."
Danzo took a deep breath and formed another seal.
— Wind Style: Vacuum Cannon.
This time, a dense wave of wind chakra surged from his mouth, barreling toward Naruto like a compressed hurricane.
Naruto didn't flinch. He raised his left hand calmly.
— Preta Path.
A barrier formed in front of his palm, and the incoming jutsu shriveled and vanished, sucked dry by the Rinnegan's chakra absorption.
"So it's true," Danzo muttered. "He can absorb ninjutsu..."
Danzo's hands moved again. A scroll of explosive tags unfurled at his side—and he detonated himself.
A flash of light.
When he respawned, he was already behind Naruto, arm extended, kunai ready.
Naruto didn't move.
Danzo smirked. "You'll use Shinra Tensei again. Then I'll get you during the five-second opening."
But Naruto's lips curled into a smirk.
He reached into his pouch with one hand and dropped a smoke bomb at his feet.
Puff.
The smoke exploded, cloaking everything in gray.
Danzo halted. "What the... a smoke bomb!?"
Within the haze, Naruto calmly finished absorbing the attack with Preta Path, then formed a quick hand seal and spun around.
— Sage Art: Fire Style: Flame Bullet.
A torrent of flames erupted from his mouth, lighting up the haze with roaring heat. Danzo was forced to retreat instantly, his sneak attack thwarted.
They now stood several meters apart.
Naruto dusted off his cloak and said with a faint grin, "I'm just testing out the Rinnegan's powers. Don't assume I forgot how to fight without them."
Danzo scowled. Another Sharingan on his arm dimmed. The third was already halfway through its countdown. He'd burned through a quarter of his arm... and hadn't landed a single blow.
And chakra loss was creeping in.
Izangai was powerful, but it came at a cost.
Naruto tilted his head mockingly. "What's wrong, Danzo? I still have plenty of chakra left. Feels like I've barely used three eyes."
Danzo looked at his palm, clenched it, then slowly released it.
He let out a dry laugh.
"Fine. You're strong, Naruto. Too strong to ignore. You're wasting your talent fighting for ideals that don't exist."
Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Spit it out."
Danzo's next words were shocking.
"Join me."
"What?"
Danzo looked dead serious.
"I'll resign from Root. I'll name you its new leader. With your power and my guidance, you could shape the future. I've been close to Hokage. I know how things work. Together, we can control the world from the shadows."
Naruto was silent for a moment, then said flatly, "You're out of your mind."
Danzo smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes.
"That's where you're wrong. I've seen darkness. I've lived in it. And you, Naruto Uzumaki... you've got that same darkness buried deep in your heart."
He opened his right hand again. "So what will it be?"
Naruto didn't answer with words.
He clenched his fists. His eyes—Rinnegan and all—locked onto Danzo.
This battle wasn't over. It was only just beginning.
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