"Old man! You awake yet?"
Naruto grinned, but Hyūga Hiashi only glared at him sharply.
After that cold glare, Hiashi fell into uneasy silence. His recent behavior had been strange—perfectly normal in all things, except whenever the name Danzō came up. The moment it did, he'd lose control—defending Danzō, claiming he was the true master of Konoha.
That wasn't like him at all.
"What's wrong with me?" Hiashi murmured, confused.
Could it be Genjutsu? But could an illusion really control someone so completely? Even for a veteran shinobi like him, that seemed impossible.
Seeing the doubt on Hiashi's face, Naruto smiled faintly.
"You were caught in Danzō's Mangekyō Sharingan genjutsu."
Hiashi froze. "Mangekyō Sharingan? Danzō? That's impossible! He isn't even from the Uchiha Clan!"
His disbelief turned to unease. The Mangekyō Sharingan... to think it could manipulate a mind so completely.
He thought back to their last meeting—Danzō had promised him that if he supported his bid for Hokage, the Hyūga would become the highest noble clan in Konoha. Naturally, Hiashi had refused. He wasn't a fool.
And yet, ever since that day, he'd been defending the very man he despised.
Absurd.
"Mangekyō, huh…" Hiashi whispered bitterly.
The Hyūga and Uchiha had always competed for the title of the strongest dōjutsu clan—but in this moment, the difference felt like an unbridgeable gulf.
Naruto folded his arms. "Danzō might not be an Uchiha, but that doesn't mean he can't use a Sharingan's power. Remember Kakashi."
Hiashi's eyes widened in sudden realization. "Then that Mangekyō... it must be Uchiha Shisui's."
He hesitated, voice low. It fit—the timeline, the disappearance, the rumors.
Naruto nodded. "Exactly."
Under his mask, Shisui's expression darkened. Back then… I actually trusted the Third and those so-called elders.
Naruto was right—he hadn't read enough into their motives.
Now, after years spent among the Umbrella organization, Shisui had learned the truth of politics the hard way. If the Third Hokage was a politician, then Danzō was a pure schemer—ambitious, ruthless, and willing to sacrifice anything to achieve his goals.
Just then—
BOOM!
A thunderous explosion echoed through Konoha, drawing everyone's attention.
Naruto smirked. "Looks like Sasuke's gone all out. Danzō's gonna lose it."
Shisui and the others couldn't help but chuckle.
Far off, Danzō stood before the smoking ruins of a half-shattered Hokage monument—his monument. His face twisted with rage and disbelief.
"Uchiha brat! You dare!?" he roared, charging straight at Sasuke.
Tsunade blinked in surprise. "Sasuke! What did you—"
Sasuke raised his hands defensively. "How was I supposed to know he'd react like that? It's just a statue!"
Just half of the Hokage monument—barely worth mentioning.
He hadn't expected such a violent outburst.
But to Danzō, that monument symbolized everything he'd fought for—his dream of being Hokage, his pride, his life's work. To see it destroyed was the ultimate insult.
Ignoring Tsunade's attempt to stop him, Danzō rushed forward.
Tsunade's fist shot out—but her blow passed straight through him.
Sasuke's eyes narrowed. His hands blurred through seals. "Chidori!"
A streak of lightning lanced through the air, striking Danzō squarely in the chest—
—but he didn't even flinch.
At that moment, one of the Sharingan embedded in Danzō's arm slowly closed. Sasuke's relentless assault had clearly forced his hand—Danzō was done holding back.
"Very good," Danzō hissed through clenched teeth. "Then this old man will show you… what true suffering means!"
Sasuke narrowly dodged his attack, his eyes narrowing in realization. Could that be Izanagi… the forbidden technique of the Uchiha Clan?
Thanks to Shisui's unreserved teachings, Sasuke had learned much about his clan's secret arts.
"Oh? You actually recognize Izanagi?" Danzō sneered, his chakra flaring violently. "But knowing won't save you! Let's see how long you can last, Uchiha Sasuke!"
His bloodshot eyes were filled with hatred and obsession. Anyone who stood in his path to becoming Hokage… would die.
After all, he had already betrayed his own teacher—what were a few more lives to him?
Zabuza, who was guarding the perimeter with the other Umbrella shinobi, frowned.
"What the hell's going on with that old man?"
Shisui's expression hardened as he watched from a distance.
"That's a forbidden technique of the Uchiha—Izanagi. It allows the user to turn any unfavorable situation into mere illusion, preserving only what benefits them. But the price… is one Sharingan permanently going blind."
Zabuza's eyes widened. "So this guy basically has multiple lives? That's cheating! Like using a revive token!"
Having lived in the modern era long enough to understand such terms, Zabuza muttered with a grimace. His gaze shifted to Danzō's grotesque arm, lined with several Sharingan.
"If that bastard fought me, I'd be dead before he ran out of eyes."
And it wasn't just the revives—during Izanagi's activation, Danzō was completely untouchable. For one minute, any attack, injury, or fatal blow would simply… not happen.
"Wood Release: Exploding Spear Jutsu!"
Danzō's hands blurred through a series of seals.
Sensing danger, Tsunade appeared beside Sasuke in a flash and shoved him away. "Get back!"
Sasuke stumbled clear as wooden spears burst from the ground, tearing toward them like fanged serpents.
Tsunade's eyes narrowed. She clenched her fist and struck—
BOOM!
The wooden spears shattered into fragments, splinters scattering through the air.
"Wood Release: Tree Bind Eternal Burial!" Danzō roared.
Massive trees erupted around Tsunade, their roots surging forward to entangle her body. Within seconds, the Fifth Hokage was engulfed in a writhing mass of wood.
Danzō allowed himself a cruel smile. "That's what happens when you stand against me."
But his triumph lasted only a heartbeat.
The trees suddenly burst apart in an explosion of force, reduced to dust and debris.
From the center of the wreckage, red chakra surged violently, swirling around Tsunade's body like a living flame.
Her eyes glinted with disdain.
"Your Wood Release is a poor imitation of my grandfather's, Danzō."
Danzō's face twisted with fury. Another Sharingan on his arm closed, sealing its light forever. With renewed rage, he lunged at Tsunade, launching a storm of lethal strikes.
"Lady Tsunade!" Sasuke shouted from behind. "That's Izanagi! During its activation, anything that goes against him becomes illusion! It lasts for one minute!"
Tsunade's expression sharpened as she dodged his strikes. "So that's your game…"
She realized his plan instantly—Danzō was trading blows recklessly, knowing he couldn't be harmed while Izanagi lasted.
"Danzō, I almost fell for your trick!"
Her movements became more precise, her eyes calculating. All she needed to do was stall. When the time on his Izanagi ran out—
She would show him what real power was.
After all, no one in the village knew the terror of Tsunade's punch better than Jiraiya—who, at this very moment, had wisely chosen to hide in the Konoha hot springs.
...
TN:
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