Chapter 271:
"Wind Release: Vacuum Bullets!"
As Danzō Shimura exhaled, he simultaneously spat out the chakra gathered in his mouth like bullets. He could even fire a continuous stream of shorter bursts, resembling the rapid shots of a machine gun.
Despite Danzō's fierce assault, Future Boruto made no move to evade.
"Nine Tails."
"Yeah!"
Golden Nine-Tails chakra surged forth from Future Boruto's body.
"What?! This immense chakra… and it's the same as what I sensed from Hanabi…" Danzō's attacks were completely blocked by the Nine-Tails chakra erupting from Future Boruto. Tossing aside his cane, Danzō stepped back. "The Nine-Tails' chakra… You think I haven't seen it before? That ominous feeling… even now I haven't forgotten it. That's why I'm certain—the chakra you possess definitely isn't from the Nine-Tails!"
"...Think whatever you want."
"Looks like I have no choice but to use my real power."
As Danzō spoke, he rolled up his right sleeve, revealing a sealing apparatus embedded in his arm.
"Scientific ninja tool?"
Under Future Boruto's watchful gaze, Danzō fully unlocked the seal, then unwrapped the bandages around his right arm—revealing an arm embedded with Sharingan, each eye bearing the three-tomoe pattern.
"You're downright revolting, Danzō."
"Disgusting, am I…?" Danzō formed a hand seal, his robes lightly fluttering in the wind. "It's because of people like you who pose a threat to the Hidden Leaf that I have no choice but to act!"
With that, Danzō charged at Future Boruto, swinging his Sharingan-covered right arm toward Boruto's abdomen. But Boruto easily parried the attack.
"Gentle Fist techniques?!" Danzō was startled but quickly changed tactics. "Wood Release: Tree Root Burial!"
Massive wooden roots erupted from Danzō's right arm in an instant, engulfing both him and Future Boruto.
"This is the strongest jutsu I inherited from the First Hokage! For the sake of the Hidden Leaf, I don't care if I perish along with the enemy!"
"You say that..." A Nine-Tails tail tore through the wooden prison with ease. Future Boruto glanced behind him and continued, "...but you used Izanagi to escape, didn't you?"
"What?! The First Hokage's Wood Release… failed?!"
Danzō instinctively stepped back, but his firm resolve quickly steadied his footing.
"Who are you?! How do you know about the Uchiha Clan's ultimate dojutsu, Izanagi?!"
"I'd like nothing more than to kill you right here, but unfortunately... you're not someone I'm meant to kill."
Future Boruto's reply was deliberately evasive.
To avoid altering the future, Future Boruto had no choice but to let Danzō go.
"Ugh, don't get ahead of yourself… You think you can kill me…" Danzō glared at Boruto and slowly removed the bandage from over his right eye. "This jutsu can only be used once, but on someone like you, who can break free of Wood Release with such powerful chakra… I suppose it won't be a waste."
"Sharingan… No—Mangekyō Sharingan!"
In front of Future Boruto, the three-tomoe Sharingan in Danzō's right eye suddenly transformed into a Mangekyō Sharingan.
"Kotoamatsukami!" Danzō stared directly at Future Boruto. "Become my strongest subordinate!"
"…You really are delusional, Danzō."
Lowering his head, Future Boruto suddenly raised it again—revealing his Rinnegan.
Even though Kotoamatsukami was known as the most powerful genjutsu, Future Boruto's Rinnegan granted him immunity to illusions altogether.
"What?! Kotoamatsukami didn't work?! And your eyes…"
"Is that all you've got? If you've got nothing else… then Hanabi… I'm taking her with me."
He arrived at the cell. The Nine-Tails' claw easily tore open the iron bars of the cage.
"Hanabi-nee, I'm here to rescue you…"
Due to the harsh interrogation methods used by the Foundation, Hanabi was in terrible shape.
Future Boruto gently picked up the frail Hanabi in his arms. Before leaving, he shot a glance back at Danzō.
"Hmph…"
Watching Boruto's retreating figure, Danzō re-wrapped the bandages and re-sealed his right arm's sealing device. Then he leaned against a wall, pretending to be on the verge of death.
"Danzō, are you all right?"
At that moment, Tsunade arrived with a team of Anbu.
Even though she'd always clashed with Danzō, he was still a citizen of the Hidden Leaf. The moment she sensed a burst of chakra from within the Foundation, she'd rushed over.
"Cough cough I'm fine… Someone wearing a mask ambushed me…"
"Someone with a mask?"
Tsunade furrowed her brow. The first person that came to mind when she heard that was the masked individual responsible for the deaths of the Fourth Hokage and his wife.
"Lady Tsunade, Lord Danzō is unharmed—he's just suffering from chakra depletion," Shizune reported after examining Danzō.
"Forget about me. That guy left not long ago. He can't have gotten far…"
"I understand, Danzō. This is the perfect opportunity for you to rest. Leave the rest to me," Tsunade said with a reassuring smile.
This incident gave her the ideal chance to begin stripping away Danzō's influence within the village.
"Damn woman…" Danzō muttered under his breath.
Of course, he understood Tsunade's real intentions. But since she was using his physical condition as an excuse, he had no grounds to refuse.
If he claimed to be fine, Tsunade would have insisted on a full examination—and if his Sharingan were discovered, things would only become worse.
"Mobilize all shinobi in the village! No matter what it takes, find the one who attacked Lord Danzō!"
Seeing that Danzō didn't object, Tsunade's mood visibly improved. She even began addressing him respectfully again.
"Yes, ma'am!"
The Anbu acknowledged the order and disappeared one after another in flickers of movement.
"Don't worry, Lord Danzō. I will definitely catch the one who hurt you!" Tsunade said comfortingly.
"Then I thank you, Lady Hokage… cough cough I need to rest now, so I won't be able to entertain you further."
"Please rest well, Lord Danzō," Tsunade said before turning to Shizune. "Let's go, Shizune."
"Wait for me, Lady Tsunade!"
"Hmph." Leaning on his cane, Danzō grew more irritated the more he thought about it, but in the end, he suppressed his anger. "That bastard… He only came to rescue Hyūga Hanabi. Does that mean he has some connection to the Hyūga Clan? And those eyes… I feel like I've seen them somewhere before…"