Minato was just about to explain his identity when a figure suddenly appeared in front of the two of them. It was a Ninja wearing Anbu plate armor, his face covered by a mask, his gaze piercing straight through to Minato. Please come with me, Your Excellency. The Anbu's tone carried a hint of dead silence, as if devoid of any emotion. Lord Danzo requests your presence.
Danzo? Who is that? Naruto was confused; he had a stomach full of questions he wanted to ask Minato. Seeing someone blocking the way, he immediately looked impatient. He was about to step forward to argue, but Minato raised a hand to stop him. Glancing at the darkening sky, Minato said calmly, Go home first. I have some business to attend to; I will find you later.
Ugh—fine. Naruto curled his lip and left first, albeit reluctantly. He did not like being left out, but he obeyed the firm instruction. Minato, for his part, looked at the Anbu with composure. Lead the way. He followed the masked man with a hidden smirk, knowing exactly what waited for him in the shadows.
Soon, the two arrived at the forest in the eastern part of the Village, where Konoha's Root base was located. Minato was intimately familiar with this location; he could find the Root entrance with his eyes closed. In his mind, he mapped out every corridor and trap. If nothing went wrong, Danzo should be waiting for him inside the Root base right now, his right eye's Kotoamatsukami already thirsting for use. The old man was predictable in his greed. The Root base could prevent spying from the Telescope Technique, which was likely why the other party had brought him here. It was a perfect place for a murder.
The two entered the Root base, where Danzo was already waiting with a group of subordinates. Seeing Minato arrive, his face remained impassive, but a flash of arrogance flickered in the depths of his eyes. It seemed that even for a Genius like Minato Namikaze, the rules that needed to be followed still had to be followed. It had to be said that Minato's arrival deeply satisfied his increasingly out-of-control lust for power. He felt like he finally held the leash of the yellow flash.
Minato Namikaze— Danzo leaned on his cane with one hand, maintaining an air of profound mystery. Do you know why this old man has called you here? He spoke with a gravelly voice that demanded respect he had not earned.
Minato gave him a dismissive glance, then his gaze swept across the masks of the surrounding Root members. Before I make a move, does anyone want to leave? He spoke the words with a polite smile, though his eyes were as cold as a winter grave.
Hearing this, Danzo's expression instantly darkened. He had thought Minato appeared here because of his command; he did not expect him to be here to make a move against him! The boy was not submitting; he was hunting.
Arrogant— Danzo snorted coldly, and with the left hand that was holding his cane, he gave a light wave. Take him down first!
As the words fell, the people in the area suddenly erupted, charging toward Minato with weapons drawn. They were fast, but to Minato, they were moving through thick syrup. The next second—
Pfft!
Minato's figure appeared behind Danzo as if teleporting, a crimson Sharingan held between his fingers. It was a clean, surgical extraction. Danzo's body swayed, and a crimson color gradually began to bleed through the bandages covering his right eye, his face filled with utter disbelief. The pain had not even registered yet, only the shock of the loss.
How is this possible? How did he know? In the next instant, he whirled around, his face filled with uncontrollable fury, reaching out toward Minato. Give me back my—
It is Shisui's! Minato twisted his waist and kicked Danzo away, letting out a light scoff. What does it have to do with you? You despicable, lowly thing. You are nothing but a thief who lacks the talent to use what he steals.
Minato did not hold back at all with this kick; Danzo's body was like a cannonball, crashing heavily into the wall and smashing out a massive crater. The sound of breaking stone echoed through the damp cavern.
Lord Danzo! The surrounding Root Ninjas immediately cried out in alarm. They were thrown into chaos by the sudden reversal. Protect Lord Danzo!
This really is a nostalgic scene. In this familiar setting, hearing these familiar dialogues, Minato gave a cold laugh and looked at Danzo as he crawled out of the crater. The dust settled on his golden hair, making him look like a vengeful god.
At this moment, Danzo looked extremely wretched, coughing up blood continuously and looking at Minato while panting heavily. He also had not expected Minato's speed to be so fast that he did not even have room to react in a single exchange; his eye was snatched away in an instant!
According to his expectations, tonight's process should have been that regardless of whether Minato was willing to be used by him, he would nonchalantly lift the bandage on his right eye, then quietly resolve the threat and strike a heavy blow to Hiruzen Sarutobi's morale. He wanted to break Minato's will. As it turned out, the opponent had gouged out his eyeball the moment they met!
This isn't the Flying Thunder God—who on earth are you? Danzo's face was full of fear; Minato was so fast that he had not even had time to undo the Seal on his right hand to prepare Izanagi. He felt a primal terror he had not felt in decades.
Unlike Minato's left eye's Amatsukami-Bito, the activation of Izanagi required setting the activation conditions in advance. It was just that Danzo never expected that his eyeball would be gouged out by Minato in a single instant. How could this guy's speed be so fast? Shouldn't the Flying Thunder God have a wind-up time for throwing a Kunai? Why isn't this kid even pretending anymore? The facade of the polite student had vanished entirely.
Minato did not bother explaining his abilities to him, simply raising his finger with a calm expression as a dazzling light blossomed at the tip. The $100\%$ synchronization with his light powers made the air hum. This dismissive attitude further provoked Danzo's sensitive heart.
Buy me some time. He stepped back a few paces, putting his subordinates in front of him as shields, and while undoing the Seal on his right hand, he ran quickly toward the exit, having no intention of lingering in the fight. He was a coward at heart, always hiding behind others.
He thought very clearly: Minato being able to easily defeat Kakashi meant he had already developed significant combat power. Add to that the Flying Thunder God, and he was Innately in an invincible position. Furthermore, the opponent had somehow learned of the existence of Kotoamatsukami, which meant the intelligence on Izanagi was likely also in their possession.
Although he held a hand full of 'revival coins,' continuing to fight like this would be nothing more than a futile effort. The urgent priority was to involve others as quickly as possible and use the strength of the entire Village to deal with this kid! He would frame Minato as a traitor.
The gloom in Danzo's eyes was almost tangible— I must live! Only I am the true destiny of Konoha! No matter how many people die, no matter what price is paid, I absolutely cannot fall here!
Danzo roared inwardly, and in the next instant, Minato appeared abruptly and kicked him, sending him flying backward.
Boom!
Once again embedded in the wall, Danzo's figure seemed to turn into a phantom, shattering and dissipating. It was a ghostly image of reality. A second later, another Danzo charged desperately toward the exit. The bandages wrapped around his right hand had been completely undone, and over a dozen Sharingan were exposed on his pale arm, looking nauseatingly eerie. On that arm, one of the Sharingan was slowly closing, its light fading into darkness.
To think you've transplanted so many Sharingan, it's truly scary— Nice~ In the next instant, Minato appeared before Danzo again, a hint of mockery in his eyes, and kicked Danzo back once more. He enjoyed the repetition of the old man's failure.
Pfft— Blood surged wildly from Danzo's mouth as he flew backward. He had realized that once he was targeted by Minato, there was simply no possibility of escape. He was trapped in a loop of pain.
From the moment the conflict broke out until now, his group of subordinates had been like sitting ducks; forget about stopping Minato, they could not even capture his figure. They were startled and frightened by Minato's terrifying mobility but achieved nothing. They were useless shields.
Just as Danzo was feeling despair, a youth wearing a black mask stood firmly in front of him. The youth wore only a single piece of plate armor, his skin a purplish-black color, looking solemnly at Minato. Let me escort you away, Lord Danzo. As long as you are touched once by the Nano-toxic Insects on my body—
Before he could finish his sentence, Minato's figure flashed, and he kicked the plate armor on the youth's chest.
Boom!
The youth was kicked into a stumble, and instinctively trying to maintain his balance, the back of his hand slapped Danzo across the face with a 'crack'.
Danzo: ""
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