Chapter 165:
Danzō slowly removed the bandages wrapped around his right hand, revealing a Sharingan embedded in his palm.
"This is—!!"
"You've never seen this before, have you? The final form of the Sharingan—the Uchiha clan's Mangekyō Sharingan." Danzō stepped slowly toward Fox Spirit Hero, raising his right hand toward Fox Spirit Hero's face as he continued, "The ultimate genjutsu: Kotoamatsukami. It can freely alter a person's consciousness. Its only drawback is the long cooldown. Well, that's enough of an introduction. Become my loyal subordinate and hand over the Nine Tails, Fox Spirit Hero!"
"No—don't!"
This was something Naruto absolutely couldn't tolerate.
"Hm? Did it work?"
Danzō stared at the dazed and motionless Fox Spirit Hero in front of him, uncertain whether the jutsu had succeeded—it was, after all, his first time using Kotoamatsukami.
"I'm sorry, but it didn't work."
Crouching on the ground, Fox Spirit Hero suddenly raised his head. The yellow glow in his eyes turned crimson, and his chakra grew so intense it began leaking out, vaguely forming the shape of a fox around him.
"Wind Style: Vacuum Serial Waves!"
He launched a series of Vacuum Wave jutsu, but they had no effect whatsoever on Fox Spirit Hero.
"It's over, Danzō."
Fox Spirit Hero advanced on Danzō as he spoke.
"Wh-what are you trying to do?!"
"Danzō, your existence has brought far too much danger to the Hidden Leaf Village. It's time to put an end to it."
"I'm a Leaf elder—you can't do this!"
"If killing you can bring peace to the entire village, then I'll gladly do it."
A crimson Rasengan appeared in Fox Spirit Hero's hand and effortlessly pierced Danzō's chest.
A new day dawned—and a rare one at that—because that morning, the sun appeared over the Hidden Leaf Village. It was as if even the gods were celebrating the death of the darkness that had loomed over the shinobi world.
"My lord, are you alright now? I left your breakfast outside, and I managed to cover for you at the press conference too."
Ever since returning from killing Danzō, Naruto had shut himself in his bedroom.
Naruto had killed Danzō, and now Danzō's child had experienced the same pain as he once had.
For the past few days, Naruto had been plagued by the same nightmare—reliving the night when the masked ninja killed his parents. But this time, Naruto saw the masked figure's face—and it was his own, grown up.
Lately, the Clown's behavior had grown increasingly erratic.
He wasn't just targeting civilians anymore—even the elite ninja from the major clans in the Leaf were falling victim to his attacks. Yet Fox Spirit Hero had remained absent all this time.
Just then, there was another knock at the door—but it wasn't Kakashi this time.
"Naruto Uzumaki, are you in there?"
"Sakura… Sakura?"
Naruto slowly opened his bedroom door, peering through the crack at Sakura Haruno standing outside.
"Whoa, you don't look too good," Sakura said with a trace of surprise as she saw Naruto's haggard state. "What's going on, Naruto? Kakashi told me you haven't been doing well lately."
"I've been through some things…" Naruto said, letting Sakura into the room and sitting on the edge of his bed.
"I see…" Sakura sat beside him, leaning gently against him. "I understand, Naruto. We all go through tough times in life—things we just can't avoid. So don't bottle it up, okay? No matter what it is, I'm here to listen."
She wrapped her arms around the weary Naruto, gently patting his back.
It was the first time since his parents had died that Naruto felt this kind of peace—it lulled him toward sleep.
In his dream, he saw his parents again. His younger self was cradled in Kushina's arms as she gently patted him to sleep.
Outside the bedroom door, Kakashi smiled.
"Looks like you're finally doing better, my lord. Are you hungry? I've left breakfast ready."
"Mmm, definitely—anything is fine, just hurry. I'm starving," Naruto said, rubbing his stomach after waking up in the afternoon, his energy restored. "Oh, right—where's Sakura?"
"Miss Haruno has gone back. She still has training with Lady Hokage."
While waiting for Kakashi to finish cooking, Naruto lay on the sofa in the living room and turned on the TV.
The first thing on screen was a news report about the Clown.
"Looks like Fox Spirit Hero is about to make a comeback, huh?" Kakashi said as he brought over some fried eggs and milk.
Naruto nodded. "Yeah… but this will be Fox Spirit Hero's final appearance. Honestly, I'm starting to look forward to living a normal life."
It was Sakura who had changed Naruto's perspective—she helped him realize he truly wanted a normal life, just like everyone else.
"Looks like I should properly thank Miss Haruno then. By the way, my lord, would you like me to arrange a dinner reservation for you two in advance?"
Naruto chuckled and shook his head. "Let's wait a bit. I'll take care of the Clown first."
The ultimate genjutsu—Kotoamatsukami.
Konoha Hospital.
"The weather's so nice today—it's the perfect day for a little crime. Wanna have some fun?"
The Clown approached Sakura Haruno with a grin.
"Clown…"
Sakura took a cautious step back. As the Fifth Hokage's disciple, she had inherited not only top-tier medical ninjutsu but also monstrous strength.
"How about taking me along for the fun?"
As that cold voice rang out behind him, the Clown immediately rolled to the side, narrowly dodging a punch that cut through the air like a missile.
"Hahaha! Fox Spirit Hero, you finally decided to show yourself. I missed you so much! That punch just now—wow! I'm sure it would've smashed my head in!"
"You'd better surrender now, Clown."
"Of course, Fox Spirit Hero. I'm happy to surrender," the Clown said with a cheerful smile, raising both hands.
It was a little too easy… and a little too suspicious.
"What are you planning, Clown?!"
Konoha Police Headquarters.
Shikamaru slammed the table, glaring at the Clown, who seemed completely unconcerned by his current situation.
"Planning? What planning? I just turned myself in, that's all. So… can I get a reduced sentence?"
"…"
Shikamaru stared at the Clown in silence, then turned and left the room.
In the adjacent room, Fox Spirit Hero silently turned away from the screen showing the interrogation—just as Shikamaru stepped through the door.
"Sorry. I couldn't get anything out of him."
"Give me ten minutes."
Neither Fox Spirit Hero nor Shikamaru believed the Clown had truly surrendered without a hidden agenda.
"…Alright."
Shikamaru nodded.
Technically speaking, for high-risk criminals like the Clown, the Konoha Police Force only had the authority to assist in their capture—not to interrogate them.
"Ino, cut the feed."
As Fox Spirit Hero walked out of the room, Shikamaru spoke to Ino.
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