"Spectators should stay obediently in their seats and not run around."
Yagyu looked coldly at the Konoha ninjas in the Hokage Rock shelter, speaking in an icy tone.
Then he turned his gaze to the Nine-Tails, finding that it had already been suppressed by the Third Hokage and the others.
After all, this Nine-Tails wasn't the full Tailed Beast; even a full Tailed Beast couldn't withstand so many Kage-level experts.
"Lord Hokage, have you forgotten?"
"I, your enemy, am still here!"
Yagyu spoke coldly. His body transformed into light particles and soared into the sky, reforming in mid-air.
Yasakani no Magatama!
Golden light particles appeared at Yagyu's fingertips, firing continuously in a barrage toward the Third Hokage and the others.
"Earth Style: Mud Wall!"
The Third Hokage released an Earth Style: Mud Wall, creating a tall, thick rock wall to block the light bullets. However, it wasn't very effective.
Since Yagyu's light bullets were raining down from the sky at a steep angle, the Mud Wall could only block a limited number of them.
Helpless, the Third Hokage and the others had no choice but to scatter and dodge.
The suppressed Nine-Tails seized this moment of respite. Without hesitation, it condensed a purple Tailed Beast Ball and swallowed it.
The Tailed Beast Ball exploded within the Nine-Tails' mouth, and then it was spat out as a devastating beam of energy.
The destructive energy beam annihilated most of Konoha's buildings. The residual force smashed into the Hokage Rock, causing part of the shelter inside to collapse.
"Excellent!"
Yagyu clapped his hands with a smile, speaking with satisfaction.
"Roar~"
The Nine-Tails let out a furious roar. The crimson chakra on its body dissipated, revealing Kushina Uzumaki's form.
"One minute is up!"
"You actually helped the Nine-Tails and caused such massive damage to Konoha! I will never forgive you!"
Kushina Uzumaki glared at Yagyu menacingly, gritting her teeth as she spoke.
"Threatening me? Talking tough? So scary!"
Yagyu cried out with exaggerated fear, then shrugged indifferently, glancing at Kushina with cold eyes.
"Did you show any mercy when you tried to seal me earlier?"
"Since you were prepared for war, why bother with such laughable statements?"
Yagyu swept his gaze around and found that Tsunade had already reached Minato Namikaze and was treating him with medical ninjutsu.
"Yagyu, don't forget what you said!"
Kushina Uzumaki blocked Yagyu's path, her expression ugly.
"Relax!"
"I am a man of my word. I won't attack Minato Namikaze again."
"Even if he attacks me again, I won't use heavy force against him."
Yagyu spoke nonchalantly, allowing the Third Hokage and the others to breathe a sigh of relief.
"However..."
"I only said I would spare Minato Namikaze. I never said I would spare you."
"Plus the people in the shelter... adding them all up, there must be hundreds of thousands of people, right?"
"So? What will you do to protect yourselves and them from me?"
Yagyu's casual words caused the expressions of the Third Hokage and the others to change drastically.
Yagyu's body transformed into golden light. Countless light particles shot into the distance, reappearing beside Shimura Danzo in the blink of an eye.
"Speed is weight!"
"Great Elder Shimura!"
"Have you ever experienced a light-speed kick?"
Yagyu raised his long leg, golden light flickering upon it.
Bang!
With a sweeping kick, Shimura Danzo's body turned into shattered rock, pulverized by Yagyu's kick.
"Such a stealthy Body Replacement Technique. Truly scary!"
Yagyu drawled, speaking with dramatic flair.
In the next instant, his body shifted sideways as light particles, reappearing in mid-air nearby.
Shimura Danzo, who had been hiding below him, was sent flying by a mid-air flip kick.
"The entire Hidden Leaf is within my surveillance range. Where do you think you can run? Oh, Konoha's Pot King!" (Note: "Pot King" is slang for someone who takes the blame/scapegoat, referring to Danzo's role).
Yagyu spoke nonchalantly, raising his hand to fire a laser beam at Jiraiya, who was lunging at him, forcing him to dodge and retreat.
"Don't be in such a hurry!"
"There are too many unsolved mysteries in Konoha. The battle won't end this quickly."
"I'm very interested in the 'bonds' you preach about. Let me appraise the value of your bonds!"
"Let me see just how much your bonds are worth!"
Yagyu spoke slowly. His calm tone made the scalps of the Third Hokage and the others tingle.
Yagyu moved, appearing beside Danzo and stepping on his chest.
His other leg was raised high, a golden cross of light flickering on his foot, aimed right at Danzo's head.
"Lord Hokage, now it's your turn!"
"Come on, make a God-level choice!"
"Option 1: Danzo's life is above all else. Slaughter one hundred Konoha villagers for him. I will let Danzo go and stop attacking him."
"Option 2: Sacrifice everything for Konoha, even former comrades are no exception. Danzo is a Konoha shinobi; let him die for the village. I will let those Konoha villagers go and stop attacking them."
Yagyu glanced at the nearby shelter and spoke nonchalantly.
In the original story, the Third Hokage was incredibly lenient with Shimura Danzo.
Shimura Danzo killed Konoha's elite—whether he killed the White Fang is uncertain, but he ordered Yamato to kill Kakashi;
Shimura Danzo conducted human experiments; Orochimaru's human research and Hashirama cells had his fingerprints all over them;
Shimura Danzo tried to assassinate the Third Hokage, but failed because Kakashi tipped him off;
Shimura Danzo interfered in the Uchiha incident, taking it upon himself to have Itachi Uchiha wipe out the clan;
...
Shimura Danzo did many things that ordinary people would find intolerable, yet the Third Hokage always let him off lightly.
The so-called punishment was no more severe than a slap on the wrist.
Was Shimura Danzo truly that vital, or was Sarutobi Hiruzen's love just that deep?
Yagyu wanted to see: when his good buddy Shimura Danzo was placed on the scale against the Konoha he claimed to protect, which one would he choose!
Yagyu looked at the Third Hokage lazily, curiosity in his eyes.
How deep are your feelings? How strong is your bromance?
Think carefully. Let me see. Your choice represents your heart!
"Keep dreaming!"
"I am the Third Hokage! How could I easily compromise with you?"
"I will protect Konoha, and I will save Danzo!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen shouted angrily, charging at Yagyu without hesitation.
"What a pity. It seems you've been abandoned!"
Yagyu smiled faintly and looked down at Shimura Danzo.