"Tsk, tsk, tsk. That really was a nice scheme."
A lazy voice sounded from atop the carriage, carrying undisguised mockery.
"So you were waiting for me?"
Danzo's entire body stiffened.
He whipped his head around.
A figure in black robes was sitting on the carriage roof.
His legs dangled in the air, swaying lightly.
Moonlight fell across that young face, reflecting in a pair of eyes that seemed to be smiling and not smiling at the same time.
It was still Teizawa.
Another Teizawa?
"You..."
Danzo's voice caught in his throat.
He instinctively wanted to turn and look at the person behind him, the one controlled by Kotoamatsukami.
But his neck seemed to have rusted.
Every inch it turned produced a harsh, grinding stiffness.
"Danzo, watch out!"
The controlled figure behind him suddenly spoke.
His voice was urgent and panicked.
Danzo's pupils contracted violently.
He had no time to think.
His body instinctively threw itself forward.
At the same time, he reached for his ninja tool pouch with his only remaining good hand.
However, the killing blow he expected did not land on the back of his head or his heart.
There was only a dull, tearing sound.
Then violent pain surged from his right shoulder.
It had not cut into his neck.
It had cut into his arm.
That right arm wrapped in bandages, the one transplanted with countless secrets, was severed cleanly from the shoulder.
It spun through the air.
Blood sprayed outward like a red flower in full bloom.
"Ah...!"
Danzo's scream exploded through the forest.
The sound shook leaves loose from the branches.
His body lost its balance and crashed heavily to the ground.
Several Root shinobi rushed over and shielded him.
Their kunai aimed at the figure still holding the severed arm.
Danzo struggled to raise his head and finally saw the face of the man behind him clearly.
That person was still Teizawa.
But his expression was wrong.
His face was full of pain and self-reproach.
His eyes were red, and his lips were trembling.
It was as though he regretted what he had just done beyond measure.
That was the kind of expression one would have only after being controlled by Kotoamatsukami.
Danzo's mind fell into chaos.
His Kotoamatsukami had not failed.
It had indeed controlled that person.
But...
How could there be two Kazekage?
The Teizawa sitting on the carriage roof jumped down.
He landed without a sound.
His dark-gold robe fluttered lightly in the night wind.
He took the severed arm from the trembling "Teizawa," then lowered his head and examined it carefully.
The bandages had already scattered, revealing the grayish-blue skin underneath.
Scarlet Sharingan were implanted densely across it.
They looked like a row of eerie beads.
The corner of Teizawa's mouth lifted slightly.
This arm did not only contain more than a dozen Sharingan. It also held the First Hokage's cells.
More importantly, it was the foundation Danzo relied on to activate Izanagi.
He knew everything about Danzo.
He knew how terrifying Kotoamatsukami was.
So from the very beginning, he had never intended to fight this old fox one-on-one.
Only an idiot like Sasuke would do something that stupid.
Teizawa had laid the trap long ago.
He had a Suna shinobi use the Transformation Jutsu to take on his appearance.
Then he used magnetism to alter that person's magnetic field, preventing Danzo's senses from detecting anything unusual.
At the same time, he secretly used magnetism to control the Suna shinobi's body.
Just like controlling a human puppet.
That person only needed to stand there and wait for Danzo to use Kotoamatsukami.
Wait for Danzo to approach.
Wait for Danzo to lower his guard.
Then...
One clean slash.
It could be said that Teizawa knew Danzo inside and out.
Danzo, meanwhile, knew nothing about him.
That was an overwhelming intelligence advantage.
"All right. I'll take it from here."
Teizawa chopped the Suna shinobi lightly at the side of the neck.
The man collapsed at once.
A Sunagakure Anbu immediately caught him and dragged him to the rear.
As for Kotoamatsukami's control, Teizawa was not worried.
Once Danzo died, the caster's death would naturally release the control.
Teizawa raised his head and looked at Danzo, who was being protected in the middle of the crowd. The corner of his mouth slowly lifted.
"Danzo... Surprised? Didn't see that coming?"
Danzo's face was as pale as paper.
Blood was still gushing from the stump of his arm, dyeing the dirt and gravel beneath him red.
The Root shinobi surrounded him, facing outward.
Their kunai pointed at the Sunagakure Anbu advancing step by step.
But none of them dared move first.
Danzo's lips moved, and a hoarse voice came out.
"You... How do you know about Kotoamatsukami?"
At this moment, how could he still fail to understand?
The other side knew all of his intelligence.
And had made preparations against it.
That was Shisui's eye.
It was Konoha's highest secret.
Even the Third Hokage did not know Danzo possessed this eye.
How could this young man from Sunagakure know?
Teizawa did not answer.
He lowered his head and looked at the severed arm in his hand.
His fingers gently pushed aside the loose bandages, revealing one scarlet Sharingan after another.
"Good stuff."
He said it softly, then handed the severed arm to the Suna shinobi behind him.
"Keep it safe. Don't damage it."
Danzo's expression became even uglier.
His breathing grew increasingly rapid.
More and more blood flowed from the severed arm, and his consciousness began to blur.
But his eye remained open.
It stared fixedly at Teizawa.
There was anger in that cloudy eye. Unwillingness.
And a chill that sank into the marrow.
This young man had seen through all of his plans from the very beginning.
He had used Danzo's own scheme and turned it back on him.
Danzo had thought he was the hunter.
In truth, from start to finish, he had been the prey.
When that thought crossed his mind, a bone-deep chill crawled through him.
Without the slightest hesitation, Danzo suddenly shouted sharply.
"Protect me!"
His voice was shrill and urgent.
There was none of his usual composure left.
Blood was still leaking from the severed arm, and his face was pale as paper.
His sole remaining left eye was filled with fear.
He staggered backward at once.
Several Root shinobi supported him and dragged him toward the depths of the forest.
The remaining Root shinobi quickly tightened their formation.
They built a human wall in front of him.
Kunai, ninjutsu, and shuriken all aimed at the advancing Sunagakure Anbu.
"You think you can leave?"
Teizawa gave a cold laugh, raised his hand, and waved lightly.
"Kill them. Leave none alive."
The Sunagakure Anbu surged forward like a tide.
Dozens of black figures crossed and flashed beneath the moonlight.
Kunai clashed against kunai, producing piercing metallic sounds.
The light of ninjutsu exploded in the darkness, illuminating one vicious face after another.
The Root shinobi truly were elite.
Each of them had endured brutal training and mastered all kinds of killing techniques.
But the Sunagakure Anbu had greater numbers and better preparation.
More importantly, behind them stood the Kazekage.
Teizawa did not move.
He stood in place, watching the one-sided slaughter.
The Root shinobi's defensive line was torn open layer by layer, like a wall made of paper.
Some had their throats pierced by kunai. Some were blasted away by ninjutsu. Some had kunai driven through their hearts.
By now, Danzo had already fled dozens of meters under the protection of several personal guards.
But the screams behind him drew closer and closer, growing denser and denser.
His legs trembled.
The pain from his severed arm was so intense he nearly fainted, but he did not dare stop.
He knew that stopping meant death.
"Kazekage..."
Danzo's voice came from the distance, carrying a trace of despair.
"You'll regret this..."
Teizawa did not answer.
He merely lifted his foot and walked in that direction.
His pace was unhurried.
As if he were taking a stroll.
The Root shinobi who tried to stop him were intercepted by the Sunagakure Anbu before they could even get close.
He passed through the center of the battlefield.
Not a single drop of blood touched the hem of his clothes.
After chasing for roughly the time it took an incense stick to burn, a dull thud came from ahead.
Then came the sound of something heavy hitting the ground.
Teizawa walked over and saw Danzo lying on the ground.
The trusted subordinates at his side, including Fū, had already been killed under the Suna shinobi's assault.
At this moment, only Danzo remained.
Danzo looked wretched.
His face was covered in mud and blood.
That left eye was still open, staring fixedly at Teizawa.
"Run."
Teizawa crouched down and lowered his head to look at him, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly.
"Why aren't you running anymore?"
Danzo's lips moved, and his voice came out hoarse.
"You... You can't kill me. I'm an elder of Konoha..."
"If you kill me... Konoha won't let this go..."
Teizawa laughed.
"Danzo, did you forget?"
He paused.
"You're already dead by my hand. An elder of Konoha? That was yesterday."
"Right now, you're only an S-rank missing-nin."
He stood and looked down at Danzo from above.
"I'm helping Konoha clean house. Tsunade won't even have time to thank me."
(End of Chapter)
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