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At some point, the earlier nauseating traces had vanished without a trace.
"This is!"
Uchiha Itachi stared in shock at the scene before him. As part of one of the few clans renowned for their mastery of genjutsu, he could confidently assure everyone present that he wasn't under any illusion.
"You don't know? It seems Clan Head Fugaku hasn't told you about this technique yet," Kakashi said calmly.
At this moment, Uchiha Fugaku stepped forward.
"This technique is... Izanagi!"
As the words "Izanagi" left his lips, Fugaku's expression grew even colder.
Itachi wanted to ask more about this technique, but both father and son suddenly changed expressions.
Two massive skeletal illusions erupted from their bodies, shielding Kakashi. Itachi's Susanoo was a vivid red, while Fugaku's radiated an orange-red hue.
"Another miss!"
A voice of frustration echoed nearby. Shimura Danzo, unscathed, increased the distance between himself and the group, continuing to unleash his techniques.
"Wood Release: Violent Tree Spears!!!"
As everyone knew, in the entire Naruto series, only Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha could truly claim mastery over Wood Release. All others were mere imitations—barely qualifying as "Tree Release" or "Grass Release."
Seeing the man who had killed his friend appear, Itachi's eyes blazed with killing intent. Blood vessels burst in his eyes, tears of blood streaming down his face, making him look particularly fearsome.
His Susanoo, which had previously been in its skeletal first form, now evolved into its second state, gaining muscle and significantly increasing its defensive and offensive capabilities.
With just a casual wave of his hand, Itachi shattered Danzo's Wood Release technique into pieces.
"Hokage-sama, leave the rest to us, the Uchiha!"
Uchiha Fugaku spoke up, then signaled the many Uchiha members present—who had been itching for action—to charge at Shimura Danzo.
Among the Uchiha present, only Itachi, being relatively inexperienced, was unaware of the details of Izanagi. The other senior Uchiha members clearly understood the technique.
Though the chaos caused by the Izanagi incident long ago had prevented its widespread use, the Uchiha clan was well aware of its strengths and weaknesses.
In less than ten minutes, the five Sharingan eyes embedded in Danzo's right arm had all become useless.
The intense battle had also drained Danzo's chakra reserves significantly. Now, he was gasping for breath, utterly exhausted.
Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan was similar to Obito's—both derived different effects from the same base technique—but Danzo's version was weaker. Once exposed, it became nearly ineffective, leaving Danzo in such a sorry state.
Though Danzo's strength had greatly diminished, he was still a former disciple of the Second Hokage. Despite their efforts, the Uchiha couldn't retrieve Shisui's eye from him, much to their embarrassment.
"Heh, you traitors of Konoha!"
Danzo began spouting nonsense again, glaring venomously at everyone present.
Suddenly, he tore off the last of his clothing, revealing his emaciated figure.
"I am not wrong! Only I can lead Konoha to the correct future!
You evil Uchiha! You must have used another Kotoamatsukami on Hiruzen to seize power! And now you want to take Shisui's other eye to control other ninjas with unwavering loyalty to the Will of Fire! Never! I will never hand over this evil power to you vile scum!
Join me in hell!
Sealing Technique: Inner Four Symbols Seal!!! AAAAAHHHHH!!!!"
In an instant, seal markings representing four of the eight trigrams appeared on Danzo's abdomen. A surge of dense, ink-like special chakra erupted, seemingly attempting to suck everything around it into oblivion.
However, the sealing technique was too slow to activate. While most ninjas had low defense, their attack speed and mobility were terrifying. Sensing danger, the ninjas near Danzo quickly retreated.
Watching the others flee, Danzo felt a pang of regret, but his inner resolve finally eased.
"Sensei, I too can sacrifice myself for the Will of Fire."
"Want to die?! You're dreaming too sweetly."
Suddenly, Kakashi's icy voice rang out beside him.
Kakashi formed the Rat seal with both hands, and a massive crystalline barrier enveloped Danzo entirely.
"What is this?!"
Danzo stared in disbelief as events unfolded. This Inner Four Symbols Seal was supposed to be his final trump card to protect Konoha's secrets, yet it had been forcibly interrupted. The seal markings on his abdomen faded away, as if everything had reverted to its previous state.
But before Danzo could process what had happened, a sharp, excruciating pain erupted in his eye sockets.
"AAAAHHHHH!!!"
Though he had died several times before, those deaths had been swift and painless. But the brutal act of having his eyes gouged out alive left Danzo writhing in agony.
Kakashi handed the Kotoamatsukami he had taken from Danzo to Uchiha Fugaku.
"Take it. It belongs to your clan."
Fugaku winced as he watched Kakashi handle the precious Mangekyō Sharingan so carelessly—it was a treasure of their clan, after all.
But what could he do? Kakashi was the Hokage. Fugaku respectfully accepted Shisui's eye and carefully stored it away.
As the saying goes, "Yin cannot grow alone, nor can Yang."
The Sharingan and Wood Release were complementary forces.
Now, with all his Sharingan eyes gone, the Wood Release cells within Danzo's body began to spiral out of control.
"AAAAAHHHH—"
A scream of agony echoed through the ruins. Danzo's right side began to convulse violently, transforming into a towering tree within moments.
Danzo was ruthless—even as his Wood Release cells went haywire, he immediately sacrificed half his body to avoid being completely turned into a tree.
But an even crueler fate awaited him.
Pain could be transferred, and when the hatred of an entire group focused on a single person, the area around them would feel strangely peaceful.
Danzo's crimes were too numerous to count; letting him die outright would be far too merciful.
Not long after his capture, Danzo was paraded through the streets daily for public humiliation.
This marked the complete shattering of Danzo's lifelong dream of becoming Hokage.
"I am the Hokage... I am the Hokage..."
Danzo descended into madness, but no one felt sympathy for him.
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