Izanagi was not a technique that resurrected the dead — it was a jutsu that rewrote reality itself.
Even if Senju Haruto, in the very instant of attack, severed Shimura Danzō's arm or pierced the Sharingan embedded in it, it would still not seal off his Izanagi.
For as long as Danzō could rewrite the reality in which his arm was cut off, it would be restored as if nothing had happened.
And therein lay the weakness of Danzō's Izanagi.
"Every jutsu has a weakness."
Uchiha Itachi's eyes narrowed. In that instant, he understood — Haruto didn't need to kill Danzō over and over again.
The truth was that Danzō needed to activate Izanagi ahead of time. Only then could he ensure that, for the next minute, no matter the injury, he could rewrite it.
And to keep Haruto from targeting his arm and severing his link to the Sharingan, Danzō had to time the activation perfectly, bridging one Izanagi to the next without gaps.
"Eleven minutes…"
Itachi drew a deep breath, fully realizing Haruto's intent — he was forcing Danzō to keep using Izanagi, draining the Sharingan in his arm one by one.
Danzō, of course, knew it too.
No matter how calm he looked outwardly, inside he had to be feeling the crushing pressure.
"Torune… prepare that technique."
Danzō clenched his teeth as he and Haruto clashed again and again. The fifth Sharingan on his arm went dark forever.
Only six minutes of effective time remained. If he couldn't eliminate Haruto and Itachi in that window — and couldn't escape — then today, he would die here.
He knew it. Haruto knew it.
"…Haa…"
Drawing in a deep breath, Danzō made his decision. He might have to sacrifice many Root operatives, but as long as he lived, he could rebuild everything.
Aburame Torune remained silent.
What Danzō wanted was one of the Aburame clan's forbidden techniques — the Jar of Venom Technique.
It required large quantities of human hosts, into which venomous insects were released. Within a special breeding barrier that accelerated their reproduction, these insects would generate vast amounts of deadly toxin.
Once Danzō detonated the toxin, the contaminated cells would spread through the air. Even holding one's breath would not help — the poison would seep in through the skin, killing the victim from within.
"Now!"
Danzō barked the order. Haruto's assault was relentless; even if Danzō seized a moment to kill him, Haruto's Wood Release would block it.
The sixth eye on his arm went blind as Haruto decapitated him with a single strike.
Seeing this, Torune finally moved. He rushed down from the platform, directing his venom insects into the bodies of other Root shinobi. Then he deployed the Aburame's special breeding barrier, forcing the insects to multiply at terrifying speed.
The Root shinobi infested with the insects died in excruciating agony, their features twisting grotesquely before the poison could even be screamed about — their tongues were devoured first, the swarm then boring down into throats and organs.
Corpses began to fall in droves.
"…Damn it…"
Danzō quickly noticed Torune's actions. He didn't want to watch his carefully-trained subordinates die one after another, but there was no other choice.
His Izanagi could rewrite his own death, but it could not erase Haruto's survival.
Haruto's wooden construct held Danzō's Baku firmly in check, rendering it useless, and his own Wind Release was countered every time by Haruto's Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique.
"Damn it…"
Danzō gritted his teeth. If Haruto had used a more powerful fire style, he wouldn't feel this humiliated. But Haruto kept using just the Great Fireball, as if it were his only technique.
The worst part? This was a mere C-rank jutsu — typically used to probe an opponent, not kill them. Against a skilled shinobi, it was hard to even cause burns.
And yet, in Haruto's hands, it had become a lethal weapon.
"Wood Release: Piercing Spear Trees!"
Seeing the sea of flames closing in, Danzō used the Hashirama cells in his right arm to conjure a massive tree to block them.
But at that exact moment, a razor-sharp kunai darted straight for his temple.
Uchiha Itachi, who had been watching quietly until now, finally moved.
"Itachi, you…"
Rage flared in Danzō's heart. He had always considered Itachi a pawn — and now here he was, striking with Haruto to assassinate him.
"Tch!"
Danzō broke away from the Piercing Spear Tree, jerking his head back to dodge the kunai.
Shhk!
But in retreating, he impaled himself on a gleaming longsword. Blood sprayed as the silver blade punched clean through his chest.
Standing behind him was none other than Uchiha Itachi, both hands gripping a standard ANBU weapon, the thrust precise enough to pierce Danzō's heart.
Another Sharingan on Danzō's arm faded to darkness.
And yet, the Danzō that Itachi had just killed vanished into thin air.
"You were only ever a piece on my board."
Panting, Danzō reappeared behind Itachi, locking an arm around his neck. He glanced at the remaining eyes on his arm.
Even if Izanagi could rewrite reality, it couldn't restore his depleted chakra. With each use, his body grew weaker.
Still, he refused to believe this story would end with his death.
"If you want to die so badly, Itachi… I'll oblige."
Danzō growled into his ear. His right arm swelled grotesquely.
"Wood Release: Root Burial Explosion!"
He had tried this technique against Haruto before, hoping to take him down with it and then use Izanagi to survive — but he had underestimated Haruto's vitality. The man had actually lived through it.
But Itachi was no Haruto. He was human.
From beneath Danzō's feet, a colossal tree erupted upward, its roots coiling at breakneck speed around both of them. It grew wildly, swallowing them whole.
At the same time, Aburame Torune had spent the last of his chakra to force the venom insects into a final surge.
"Jar of Venom Technique!"
With his final hand seal, Torune detonated the toxin.
BOOM!
A deafening blast — and the contaminated, lethal cells filled the air, infecting every target within range.
Perhaps it would even kill Lord Danzō himself. But with Izanagi, he could rewrite that reality.
The ones who would die…
Would be Senju Haruto and Uchiha Itachi.