Danzo steadied himself and launched another assault at Uchiha Akihito.
"Wind Release: Shuriken!"
The Root members followed seamlessly.
"Water Release: Water Surge!"
"Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet!"
"Fire Release: Dragon Flame Jutsu!"
A dazzling barrage of ninjutsu came crashing down.
Akihito didn't bother dodging.
He activated Susanoo.
Instead of dismantling each technique one by one, he chose to tank them all at once.
A pitch-black skeletal giant materialized around him.
Danzo muttered,
"Susanoo…"
"So this is the so-called 'Power of the Gods' of the Uchiha?"
"The Mangekyō Sharingan truly lives up to its name."
"You defeated the Fourth Raikage and Killer B because of those eyes, didn't you?"
Greed flickered across his face.
Danzo had always coveted what belonged to others.
Many clan secrets of Konoha could already be found within Root.
To him, the Uchiha were a slab of exquisite meat.
If not for Hiruzen keeping him in check, he would have acted openly long ago.
Even so—Uchiha who had mysteriously disappeared over the years?
More often than not, his doing.
Akihito glanced at the Root shinobi assisting Danzo.
"Too many flies buzzing around."
"Let's clear the field."
He pressed his palms together, chakra surging violently.
"Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!"
A sea of flames devoured the battlefield.
For a moment, he bore the aura of Madara in the Fourth War.
"The range is enormous!"
"Defensive formation!"
Root's Water Release users responded instantly.
"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"
"Water Release: Water Pillar!"
Danzo didn't remain idle.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Great Sphere!"
Wind amplified fire. Water suppressed it.
Under the combined coordination of Root and Danzo, the inferno was barely halted.
Akihito narrowed his eyes.
So—Danzo had indeed transplanted Hashirama cells.
Those cells dramatically enhanced vitality and chakra output—almost sage-like in amplification.
That explained his confidence.
Danzo smirked.
"Flame Oni? Is that all?"
Akihito's lips curved faintly.
"You're celebrating too early."
Sword vs Wind
Danzo shifted to offense.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Bullets!"
"Wind Release: Vacuum Wave!"
The blades of wind crashed against Susanoo—
Clang! Clang!
They shattered harmlessly.
Even boosted by Hashirama cells, his attacks couldn't breach Susanoo's defense.
Danzo grimaced.
If single techniques failed, he'd need combinations.
Akihito slowly drew his sword.
"Finished your wind performance?"
"Now try mine."
"One-Sword Style: Sky Sever!"
A flying slash tore through the air.
Danzo enhanced his speed with Wind chakra—
Still not enough.
The slash cut across his right arm.
Blood sprayed.
He barely avoided worse.
What speed is this?!
Akihito leapt to pursue—
"Hold him off!" Danzo barked.
Root immediately swarmed.
"Four-Sided Shuriken Formation!"
Akihito sighed.
"You call that discipline?"
"Then die trying."
"One-Sword Style: Waltz."
His blade traced a graceful arc—
Screams followed.
Seven or eight Root shinobi fell instantly.
Danzo's face twitched.
He couldn't afford this attrition.
Yet even in this crisis—
He still clung to dreams of becoming Hokage.
The Summon: Baku
Danzo bit his thumb and slammed his palm down.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
White smoke exploded outward.
A massive elephant-like creature emerged.
"Baku," Akihito muttered.
The nightmare-devouring beast.
Danzo smirked.
"So you recognize it."
The Baku inhaled violently—
A monstrous suction wind erupted.
Susanoo's movement was heavily restricted.
Danzo circled behind.
"Now you can't move!"
"Wind Release: Vacuum Serial Waves!"
A familiar tactic.
Akihito almost laughed.
History really does repeat itself.
He clapped his hands.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball!"
Wind fed the flames—
The Baku's suction backfired.
It inhaled a mouthful of blazing inferno.
The beast shrieked in agony.
Akihito turned—
Danzo was charging with a kunai.
Snap!
The kunai shattered against Susanoo.
Akihito's counterpunch sent Danzo flying.
Without Izanagi active—
He spat blood upon impact.
Izanagi Revealed
Danzo staggered upright.
"So this is Uchiha power…"
Akihito's eyes were cold.
"You want Izanagi?"
"Too bad. You won't live to use it."
Danzo's pupils shrank.
"You know Izanagi?"
Akihito scoffed.
"I'm the Uchiha clan head. Why wouldn't I?"
Danzo's greed flared.
"If I wipe out the Uchiha, everything will be mine."
"Can you?" Akihito replied icily.
Silence.
Danzo's killing intent surged.
If cornered—
He would drag Akihito down with him.
He ordered medical-nin to heal him.
Root split into two forces—support and suppression.
Akihito watched them.
Killing Danzo was easy.
Killing all of Root?
Complicated.
Not all were irredeemable.
Many were misled.
Massacring them would stain his own name—
And Hiruzen excelled at manipulating public opinion.
He couldn't give the Hokage ammunition.
And Danzo still had one final trump card—
Reverse Four Symbols Sealing.
Even if it looked ridiculous in the original timeline—
Akihito wouldn't underestimate it.
Genjutsu
Akihito dispelled Susanoo.
His Sharingan spun.
His gaze swept across the battlefield.
One by one—
Root shinobi collapsed.
Danzo's expression changed.
"Sharingan genjutsu! Be careful!"
Too late.
Their eyes met.
Danzo fell to his knees.
Akihito exhaled.
"Goodbye… Darkness of Konoha."
He raised his blade—
Suddenly—
Danzo stood back up.
His right eye glowed crimson.
"You trapped me in genjutsu…"
"But it ends here!"
He lunged for Akihito's eye—
Just like he once did to Shisui.
Akihito smirked.
Too slow.
His Mangekyō ability—"Epitaph"—had already shown him seconds into the future.
He had allowed this.
Before Danzo could react—
Slash.
His right arm fell.
He screamed.
The severed arm and body dissolved—
Reality rewrote itself.
Izanagi.
Danzo reappeared from the shadows.
"You saw through me?"
"Your eyes… are dangerous."
Akihito's gaze hardened.
So he had Hashirama cells.
And incomplete Izanagi.
This would become a battle of attrition.
Fine.
Akihito stepped forward.
If Danzo possessed only a limited number of Sharingan—
Then all he had to do—
Was burn through them.
Danzo clenched his teeth.
He's trying to exhaust my Izanagi duration.
He's seen through it.
For the first time—
The Darkness of Konoha felt genuine fear.
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