Chapter 86: Izanagi
Shisui stood in place, the skin around his hollow right eye socket slightly itching—his emotions were extremely complex as he gazed at the Mangekyō Sharingan in Menma's sleeve, sensing familiar dōjutsu power emanating from it.
'So that's how it is... this ability doesn't just heal, it completely "restores" things to their original state...'
'Which means Menma... ultimately obtained "Kotoamatsukami"?'
Night wind stirred Shisui's hair as he unconsciously touched his empty right socket. Even with the Mangekyō so close, he had no intention of reaching for it.
"Sorry." Menma's voice suddenly came, carrying rare consolation. "I can't return this to you just yet."
"But I promise not to abuse this power."
Shisui could only smile bitterly and nod. Even if he was unwilling, he currently lacked the ability to stop Menma—this man had just saved the entire Uchiha clan, and he didn't even have grounds to resist.
'I hope this time... my judgment isn't wrong.'
On the other side, Danzō's eyes flashed with sinister light, his voice hoarse. "Ember... why? You should have no reason to move against me."
Within the purple barrier, Menma's voice pierced the deathly silence like an ice pick. "Itachi is merely a blade in your hands..."
He slowly raised his hand, pointing at Danzō's hollow, bleeding socket.
"The one who truly stained the Uchiha crimson—"
Moonlight was suddenly obscured by clouds, Menma's fox mask gleaming coldly in shadow. "Are your hands, Danzō. Did you think I'd let the sin of genocide..."
"Just be buried in darkness like that?"
Danzō's hunched form suddenly straightened. "Absurd! The Uchiha plotting rebellion is fact! Everything I've done was for Konoha's peace!"
"This was neces—"
"Don't make me laugh."
Menma suddenly interrupted, cold laughter falling like ice water. He stepped forward. "Slaughter in the name of protection... is itself the greatest betrayal of peace."
The barrier suddenly contracted, pressure intensifying as Menma's figure cast long shadows in the moonlight. "You claim helplessness—why did you steal Shisui's Kotoamatsukami beforehand?"
"And why did you scavenge for Sharingan like a hyena after the Uchiha massacre?"
"Stop deluding yourself. Before me, you don't even qualify for repentance."
Danzō stared fixedly at the poised Menma before him. He never imagined this internal Konoha struggle would draw out this disaster.
'This madman...'
Memory flashed back to that day years ago—the Kumogakure delegation annihilated, the Fourth Raikage critically wounded near death, while Menma who caused it all remained without a speck of dust on his robes. That power to trigger natural disasters with mere gestures had tormented Danzō through countless envious nights.
'Why...'
'Why should some bastard of unknown origin possess such power? Why should he, as the Second Hokage's student who devoted his life to Konoha, be forever unable to reach the peak due to bloodline constraints?'
'Sharingan...'
This very jealousy led him to pin his ambitions on Uchiha dōjutsu. Spreading rumors of "Sharingan controlling the Nine-Tails," fanning Uchiha hawk faction ambitions—if the plan succeeded, he could both eliminate the Uchiha and bring the Nine-Tails under control under the guise of "risk management"...
Clatter.
The crisp sound of metal hitting ground broke the silence. Danzō slowly removed the burdens from his body, aged muscles tensing in moonlight. Since negotiations had broken down, then only—fortunately he still had trump cards from the Third Shinobi War...
At this moment, Menma commanded Shisui without looking back. "You don't need to act. Just observe until the battle ends."
The masked Shisui was clearly stunned. After a moment's silence, he quietly formed hand seals. Shunshin air currents stirred fallen leaves as his figure retreated to treetop edges of the battlefield.
But Danzō unwrapped the bandages on his arm, revealing something that sent shockwaves through Shisui's heart. On Danzō's pale arm composed of unknown material were embedded Uchiha Sharingan, their tomoe slowly rotating.
"Sharingan... seems all those Uchiha clan members Root rescued on battlefields met unfortunate ends?"
Menma's ice-cold words made Danzō grit his teeth. The other showed no surprise at his appearance, this air of having anticipated everything made Danzō deeply uneasy.
Hearing Menma's words, Shisui vaguely understood the origin of Danzō's Sharingan, unconsciously clenching his fists.
Riiip—
The sound of tearing bandages was particularly harsh in the silent barrier. Danzō slowly unwrapped his arm's sealing bandages, revealing that pale, nearly inhuman limb. Even more bone-chilling—several crimson Sharingan were embedded in the arm!
Each eyeball remained fresh as new, tomoe slowly rotating in moonlight.
"Sharingan... seems all those Uchiha clan members Root rescued on battlefields met unfortunate ends?"
Shisui's breathing instantly stopped.
Those were... His Sharingan unconsciously turned, clearly seeing familiar chakra fluctuations in those eyeballs—all eyes from Uchiha clan members! Menma's earlier words suddenly exploded in his mind.
"All met unfortunate ends?"
Danzō's expression was dark as water. Menma's reaction chilled his heart—no shock, no questioning, only ice-cold mockery of having anticipated everything. This feeling of being completely seen through made Danzō deeply unsettled.
"Hmph..."
The old man swept his gaze over his deformed arm, each Sharingan reflecting his twisted features.
Shisui's fists clenched audibly. He vaguely understood the origin of these eyes—those Uchiha comrades who "went missing" in the Third Shinobi War, those clan members recorded as "died in battle but bodies never found"...
'So they were all...'
"Let me test just how fast he really is..."
Danzō's fingers began forming seals. Fūton chakra compressed sharp air currents in his mouth—
"Fūton: Shinkū—"
"ROAR—!!!"
A deafening beast roar suddenly exploded from behind. Before Danzō could even turn around, he felt the hair on his neck stand on end. His jutsu was forcibly interrupted as a massive white tiger had somehow reached his back, plate-sized claws wrapped in foul wind swiping down viciously!
BANG!!
A dull impact sounded. At the crucial moment, Danzō spun around, his arm forcibly blocking the strike. The ground cracked under impact as Danzō's body erupted with incredible strength, countering with an elbow strike to the tiger's jaw.
CRACK!
Kage-level power displayed fully as the multi-ton tiger staggered backward from the blow.
But the breathing room was fleeting.
"Hiss—"
A golden serpent shot out like lightning, its thick body instantly coiling around Danzō. The constricting produced tooth-aching friction sounds as both arms were pinned firmly to his sides.
"Danzō-sama!"
Just as the two Root ninja moved to help, the Celestial Maiden's long bandages swept across. Two crisp "snaps" later, the ninja with shattered ribs flew like rags, crashing heavily into trees before sliding down.
"Urgh..."
Veins bulged on Danzō's forehead. With a "crack," he actually forced open a gap through brute strength! But just in that moment of escape—
CRASH!!!
The Azure Dragon's massive form descended from above. The ground collapsed under the shockwave as Danzō's body twisted at unnatural angles beneath the dragon's belly, blood spurting from all seven orifices before losing all signs of life.
But the next second, the corpse dispersed like a phantom.
"Izanagi..."
Menma watched coldly as the unharmed Danzō materialized from thin air, his gaze falling on that arm—one Sharingan had permanently lost its luster.
"Using Sharingan as sacrificial pawns... you really are wastefully extravagant."