One eye... Sidestepping to avoid the Kunai stabbing toward his chest, Minato watched that high-flying head. From the first moment he saw Danzo just now, he had noticed the bandage wrapped around the man's right eye. However, the man's right hand still had a normal skin tone; it seemed he hadn't transplanted Hashirama cells yet.
"Danzo..." Hiruzen Sarutobi watched the scene before him, his lips trembling slightly. Seeing a companion of several decades beheaded before his eyes brought a powerful emotional shock. "Minato, you..."
"Wait a moment, Hokage-sama." Before Hiruzen Sarutobi could speak, Minato raised his hand, interrupting him. He looked down at Danzo's corpse, raised a hand to create a Wood Clone, and then his main body flickered away to a spot dozens of meters distant.
Everyone watched Minato's actions with confusion. In the center of the field, the Wood Clone stepped forward and reached out to tear away the bandage on Danzo's head! But before he could touch the target, Danzo's corpse slowly dissipated like a phantom image in water.
Danzo, who had just been beheaded by Minato seconds ago, actually appeared in the field completely unharmed! No, one couldn't say he was entirely unscathed. Minato's gaze swept over the bloodstains on Danzo's face. Looking at Danzo's appearance, Izanagi likely couldn't rewrite injuries sustained before its activation; that was good news.
"Huff... Huff..." Danzo stared at Minato dozens of meters away, his heart filled with extreme horror. He couldn't understand at all—how did Minato realize he wasn't dead? "This is impossible... How did you know?"
"What on earth is going on?" Hiruzen Sarutobi's brow furrowed as he looked at Danzo with uncertainty and alarm. The moment he saw Danzo resurrect, he subconsciously disrupted the flow of Chakra in his body, only to find no signs of being under a Genjutsu.
"This should be... the Uchiha Clan's Izanagi, right? I remember it being recorded in the clan's ancient texts." Tsunade's expression was grim. "This guy has probably transplanted an Uchiha Sharingan."
"I see, an Uchiha forbidden technique..." Hiruzen Sarutobi understood immediately. Although Izanagi was an Uchiha forbidden technique, it wasn't exactly a secret. During the Sengoku era, the Uchiha Clan had relied on this technique to be arrogant for quite a while. The Sarutobi Clan was also a Ninja clan that had survived since the Sengoku period, so they naturally had records of this technique.
Danzo gave Tsunade a cold glance. He hadn't expected his trump card to be recognized at a glance, but considering Tsunade's status, it wasn't that surprising. He had only learned of this technique by chance, specifically tracing back to the Battle at the Valley of the End between the First Hokage and Madara.
In that battle, the First Hokage achieved the final victory. Madara ended as the loser in death, and his corpse fell into the hands of the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama. As the corpse of a powerhouse who had awakened the Mangekyo, the Second Hokage naturally wouldn't let such excellent research Materials go to waste. However, out of friendship, the First Hokage never allowed the Second to conduct research on it.
After the First died, the Second didn't have time to start his research before the First Ninja World War broke out. Later, the Second sacrificed himself to cover the retreat and appointed Hiruzen Sarutobi as the Third Hokage before he died. But... they were all too young back then. Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had just ascended to the position of Hokage, lacked both the strength and prestige to command everyone's respect and had to rely on the help of his friends.
It was precisely at that time that he came into contact with the experimental base left behind by the Second Hokage. At the same time, he discovered one thing—Uchiha Madara's corpse was gone! As the newly appointed Anbu squad leader, he didn't dare hide it and immediately informed the newly inaugurated Third Hokage.
The two once suspected the Uchiha Clan of stealing Madara's body and even intensified surveillance on the Uchiha because of it, until he learned of the existence of the Izanagi technique... At that time, his whole body went cold, and his scalp felt like it was about to explode! However, after several years without hearing any news of Madara, he couldn't help but suspect the man might have long since died of old age. Only then did he turn his gaze back to the Uchiha Clan. Ultimately, from a former friend, he obtained that eye capable of granting a person a second life...
"But how did that child perceive it?" Utatane Koharu was puzzled. It wasn't just Danzo who wanted to know; she was also very curious.
"Minato is a sensory-type Ninja, and my home also has some records regarding the Uchiha. With his intelligence, it shouldn't be hard to guess." Tsunade casually covered for Minato. In truth, she didn't know how Minato had guessed it either, but she didn't care.
The resentment in Danzo's eyes was almost tangible. He had almost forgotten—this kid lives at Tsunade's house. Those ancient Ninjutsu texts left by the Senju Clan are available for him to read and Cultivate almost unconditionally. With such talent and such conditions, why isn't it me?!
"Let it end here, Danzo." Hiruzen Sarutobi said in a heavy voice. "Attacking a companion of the village is already unforgivable. I warned you before not to keep making mistake after mistake!"
"Hmph, even now, Hiruzen, have you still not seen clearly?" Danzo gave a cold laugh. "This Genius you've pinned your high hopes on is a hungry wolf in sheep's clothing, pretending to be innocent and manipulating everyone!"
As he spoke, he pointed to the corpses littering the ground and the remaining three to five Root Ninjas. "Do you see these corpses all over the ground? In the single minute before you arrived, he almost slaughtered the entire Root by himself! He has been hiding his strength all along!"
"If your head is sick, go see a doctor!" Tsunade sneered. "Which Ninja doesn't hide their strength? Those who don't know how to hide their strength are all dead!"
Utatane Koharu sighed. "Indeed, it's better not to say such sophistical words."
Danzo ignored the two of them and just stared intently at Hiruzen Sarutobi. Minato didn't speak, quietly watching the scene, also curious about how Hiruzen Sarutobi would react. With his absolute numerical suppression, let alone one Danzo—even if the Third and the others attacked together, they couldn't stop him.
Furthermore, the Wood Clone he had just split off had been continuously releasing Spores. With sensing plus spore tracking, Danzo had zero possibility of escape. Minato fixed his gaze on Hiruzen Sarutobi, his mind made up. If the man dared to speak up to shield Danzo, he would immediately declare: 'An inherently evil Kumogakure spy dares to bewitch the Hokage-sama, I shall...'
Fortunately, Hiruzen Sarutobi still maintained his reason. "So what?" After a brief silence, Hiruzen Sarutobi gave an imperceptible sigh, his heart full of disappointment. He had never thought Minato was simple.
Whether it was his vigilance toward the high-ranking officials, his deliberate setup to send his classmates to the hospital, or his recent behavior of forcing a confrontation—all were enough to show that this kid was not as innocent as he appeared. But... so what?
----------------
You can read advanced chapters here: patreon.com/GregariousLion