Chapter 205: Kotoamatsukami
Ninja Art — Super Beast Imitating Drawing!
Two ink lions burst from the scroll and lunged straight at Sakura.
Sakura regarded the charging constructs with a placid expression. Unmoved.
Sai.
In the original series, the member who'd joined Team Seven three years after Sasuke left Konoha.
Also Ino's future husband.
Though the thing Sakura remembered most vividly about this guy was his complexion.
Her own brother had been dead three days and still wasn't as pale as this guy!
One casual strike shattered the ink lions into a spray of black droplets. Sakura moved to close the distance and subdue him.
But under Sai's control, the scattered ink droplets reformed into streams of black fluid that coiled toward Sakura.
Emerald eyes glanced at the incoming ink.
Reach out. Grab. Crush.
Seeing his technique effortlessly dismantled, Sai prepared to deploy another jutsu to stall Sakura — buying Danzō time to release his seal.
But the instant he glanced back at Danzō, the pink blur had already materialized behind him — and he had no idea when it had happened.
"You dare take your eyes off me?"
"Who gave you that kind of courage?"
Arrogant words — yet spoken as though they were the most natural thing in the world. Sai's heart hammered.
He reached for a kunai from his equipment pouch to engage—
But a fist was already in his face.
No — "fist" was generous. Sakura hadn't even bothered to close her hand. It was more like she'd casually swatted him.
Faced with that open palm inches from his face, Sai's expression changed dramatically.
I... don't even warrant a closed fist?!
The overwhelming difference in strength made itself known. That hand shattered the mask on Sai's face, revealing a delicate, handsome face beneath — and then a force he couldn't begin to resist launched him through the air.
Sai, dressed in his Root uniform, tumbled across the ground like a discarded rag doll and went still.
"Tie him up."
Sakura glanced back at Sasuke.
Without a moment's hesitation, Sasuke pulled out steel wire and had the unconscious Sai trussed up hand and foot in seconds.
Cold sweat poured down Danzō's face as he watched Pinky dispatch his subordinate in a matter of heartbeats.
The seal on his arm was only half released.
If Pinky attacked right now—
"Oh, carry on. I'll wait."
Sakura seemed to read Danzō's thoughts and graciously indicated he should take his time. Finish releasing the seal in peace.
Danzō bit down until his teeth ached.
It was over. The charge of assassinating the Daimyo had been pinned on him, and there was no shaking it.
His attempt to seize the decree had been witnessed by everyone — with the slightest spin, that alone would cement his guilt.
Especially since the young Daimyo was firmly on Sakura's side...
Calm down.
Stay calm.
Danzō forced himself to think clearly. More and more shinobi were arriving on the cliff.
The remaining Root operatives formed a tight cordon around him, weapons drawn, watching everyone warily.
For these brainwashed soldiers, legitimacy was irrelevant. Following Lord Danzō's orders was all that mattered.
"Haruno Sakura..."
His expression grim, Danzō continued slowly working the seal loose while studying the pink-haired girl across from him.
Since this woman was arrogant enough to give him time, he had to use every second to devise an escape.
"What?"
Sakura tilted her head. From her perspective, Danzō was doing nothing more than thrashing in his death throes.
She was giving him time for one reason — to crush him so completely he could never recover.
After all, the "Daimyo assassination" was just a pretext.
Even minimal investigation would trace things back to Sakura.
Since the original sent a Shadow Clone to stand here...
The original must be at...
Even on the day of a Hokage inauguration, every department in Konoha continued operating normally. Government didn't stop for a change in leadership.
When Sakura had gone searching for the Seven-Tails, she'd specifically pulled intelligence on Fū through the Intelligence Division.
And as a jinchūriki, all information regarding Fū was classified at the highest level.
S-rank intelligence.
Iwashi Tatami.
That was the name of the man who'd processed Sakura's request for Fū's file.
He was also a former member of Minato Namikaze's Flying Thunder God squad.
After Minato's death, the three-man squad had gone their separate ways into different divisions within Konoha.
Raidō Namiashi had joined ANBU — and had been Sakura's ANBU teammate back in the day.
Genma Shiranui had become a regular jōnin, getting by on standard mission assignments.
And Iwashi Tatami had entered the Intelligence Division.
Sakura had crossed paths with this middle-aged, bearded man during the Land of Rivers campaign. When the Third had needed to get Sakura from the River Country front to the Whirlpool Country front, he'd reassembled the Flying Thunder God squad and used their Formation technique to transport her.
After a long day's work, Iwashi looked out the window at the brilliant sunshine and stretched.
"Ugh, my head... every single day, so much to deal with..."
Grumbling about his workload as usual, the man leafed through the thick stack of files before him.
"Ryū, I'm going out for a smoke."
"Want to join?"
He addressed the colleague working beside him.
"Pass. I've got too many reports to get through. Go ahead without me."
"Probably pulling overtime tonight too."
The man named Ryū shook his head with a resigned expression.
"Tch. I envy those guys who actually get to attend the Hokage ceremony."
"Not like us — slaving away all day for pocket change..."
Iwashi stood up and headed outside.
"Stop complaining. Weren't you the one who volunteered for the Intelligence Division?"
Ryū called after him with a laugh.
"Ah well... one wrong step, a lifetime of regret~~~"
The man shook his head with a rueful smile.
In the outdoor smoking area, Iwashi found a rock to sit on and produced a cigarette case from his pocket with practiced ease.
He pulled out the last cigarette, tossed the empty case aside, and with a crisp click of his lighter, the dancing flame kissed the tip of the white cigarette.
He took a deep, hard drag.
Pale blue smoke curled from his lips.
The nicotine's numbness briefly washed away the day's fatigue.
Then — a figure appeared before him.
"Try this instead?"
A pale, slender hand held out a fresh pack of cigarettes.
"Uh... Lady Sakura?"
Iwashi stared blankly at the girl in front of him, caught somewhere between bewilderment and unease.
This was currently the most enigmatic figure in all of Konoha.
Everyone had assumed her battlefield record — unmatched by any living person — made the Hokage title a done deal. Then, in a jaw-dropping twist, Shimura Danzō had claimed it instead.
If given the choice, Iwashi would have preferred to avoid any entanglement with the person standing before him.
Having been stuck in the Intelligence Division all day, he had no idea what was happening at the Hokage Building right now.
Looking at the cigarettes in her hand, Iwashi felt less like he was being offered tobacco and more like he was being handed a live grenade. He couldn't take it, and he couldn't refuse.
"What's wrong?"
"Not your brand?"
Sakura's voice came again, and Iwashi's scalp prickled even harder.
"No, not at all."
"Thank you, Lady Sakura."
In the end, he took them.
"How are you finding the Intelligence Division?"
Sakura regarded the quiet man and spoke.
"It's... it's fine..."
He was twice her age, yet facing this pink-haired girl, Iwashi felt crushing pressure.
"I hear you haven't finished paying off your mortgage?"
That clear voice rang out again, and Iwashi couldn't even bring himself to look up.
"Y-yes... that's right, Lady Sakura."
He forced the words out, eyes fixed on an ant crawling across the concrete.
"Ah, that must be a real headache."
"After all, I hear your wife is expecting again. That's going to add a lot to your expenses."
The note of apparent sympathy in her voice made the silent man's chest tighten.
"Lady Sakura..."
Iwashi forced himself to raise his head, looking anxiously at the girl whose face wore an expression of genuine concern — as if she truly found his situation troubling.
"You already have a six-year-old son, and now another baby on the way."
"The boy will need to start at the Ninja Academy. Your wife won't be able to work for a while."
"The entire burden falls on you alone, Iwashi-senpai."
"That really is tough."
The girl's words coiled through the air like a devil's whisper, echoing in Iwashi's ears.
"Lady Sakura..."
"What... what can I do for you?"
In that moment, Iwashi remembered the nickname the outside world had given this girl.
The Witch.
"Hm?"
"Nothing at all."
"Just had a sudden urge to come check on you, Iwashi-senpai."
"After all, once I become Hokage, my free time will probably drop to nothing."
???
Iwashi's mind went momentarily blank.
Hokage? Fifth Hokage?
Wasn't Lord Shimura Danzō already confirmed?
Why is Lady Sakura saying this?
"Oh, by the way — Iwashi-senpai, do you remember that favor you did for me earlier?"
Watching this honest, straightforward man, Sakura sighed internally.
Left to figure it out on his own, he'd probably never connect the dots. She'd have to spell it out.
Favor?
What favor?
Iwashi's mind went blank for a beat — then the realization hit him like a thunderbolt.
The Seven-Tails.
Sakura had come to him for intelligence on the Seven-Tails.
"Iwashi-senpai — can you keep that between us?"
Sakura looked at the man and spoke softly.
"Ah, well..."
Iwashi wavered.
"Is that a no?"
Sakura's eyes narrowed at the man struggling to find words.
She'd really rather not resort to rough methods. But if push came to shove...
She'd have to call Hikaru over and hit him with a dose of Yachiho...
Even though that would mean owing Hikaru a favor.
As for silencing him permanently?
Sakura still had some conscience.
Not much, but some.
"No, no — that's not it..."
"It's just that Elder Homura already came to ask me about your intelligence request."
Iwashi shook his head frantically.
The old man Homura?
Sakura felt a wave of resignation.
If Homura knew, then the old man — Hiruzen — knew too.
"I see..."
"Well, nothing to be done about that."
Sakura sighed, then looked at the middle-aged man and waved a hand.
"Intelligence Division pay isn't bad, but with your family's expenses, you're barely scraping by."
"Come find me at the Hokage's office in a couple of days. I'll set you up with something better."
With that, Sakura turned to leave. Iwashi felt a wave of relief wash over him.
He wasn't entirely sure what had just happened, but it seemed like he'd latched onto a very powerful patron.
"Oh — you know what you need to do, right?"
Suddenly, Sakura looked back at him.
"I haven't seen Lady Sakura since the battlefield three years ago."
If the hints were this obvious and he still didn't understand, Iwashi might as well find a block of tofu and bash his head against it.
Sakura left the Intelligence Division, rubbing her chin in thought.
Besides Iwashi, there was one other person who knew — the border guard.
But the border was too far away. Sakura didn't have time to make the trip.
Once the situation at the Hokage Building settled, she'd just have him transferred back to Konoha.
I wonder how things are going over at the Hokage Building right now~~~
"This old man lived through the era of the Second Hokage, the Third Hokage, the Fourth Hokage..."
Danzō twisted off the final bolt sealing his arm. The brace hit the ground with a heavy clank, revealing his pale, bare hand.
"And now — it is finally this old man's turn to become the Fifth Hokage."
His words continued. Thanks to his wide sleeve, no one could yet see what was hidden beneath.
"If we're talking war record — in the First Great Ninja War, this old man, still a young man, charged into battle and bled for Konoha. The scars on my body are beyond counting."
"In the Second Great Ninja War, this old man commanded half the theaters of operation."
"In the Third Great Ninja War, this old man worked deep in the shadows, gathering countless pieces of intelligence for Konoha."
"In the decades since, this old man has eliminated innumerable threats to the village."
"Do you really think a few careless accusations can erase this old man's lifetime of service? How laughable."
"This old man became Hokage with a clear conscience."
His single visible eye was glacially cold. Danzō spoke slowly, recounting his entire life's work.
And it gave the surrounding Konoha shinobi pause.
This Lord Danzō... maybe he isn't as worthless as they were making him sound?
Even Naruto wavered slightly.
Homura looked at his lifelong friend and sighed.
"That's true. You've served Konoha with distinction."
"Nobody can deny that."
Sakura stood with her arms crossed, regarding Danzō with a calm expression.
"But—"
"Merit is merit. Crime is crime."
"Assassinating the Hokage. Assassinating the Daimyo. Unauthorized human experimentation. Murdering fellow Konoha shinobi. Your offenses are more than enough to warrant death."
Sakura spoke evenly, cutting through Danzō's attempt to sway the crowd.
"Absurd. Everything this old man has done was for Konoha."
"And if you're suggesting otherwise — you are gravely mistaken."
With the seal finally released, Danzō made no attempt to conceal it. In front of everyone, he raised his hand.
His wide sleeve fell away — and that arm, covered in Sharingan, was revealed to the world.
!!!
Ten crimson, spinning Sharingan eyes were embedded in the wrinkled flesh of his arm!
An eerie, malevolent ocular power radiated outward, leaving everyone present speechless with shock.
"What... what is that..."
Sasuke trembled, staring at the arm full of Sharingan.
"Ugh... disgusting."
Hikaru looked pointedly away, as though she couldn't bear the sight of this creature any longer.
"DANZŌ!"
"How DARE you!"
Homura roared in fury at the sight.
"Homura — you are as obtuse as ever."
"Every source of power should be put to good use."
"And this—"
Before he could finish — lightning exploded!
Sasuke's restraint had shattered. He could not — would not — tolerate seeing his clan's eyes used by this abomination!
"SHIMURA DANZŌ!"
A roar of rage. Lightning rampaged!
Savage bolts erupted from his sword, a heaven-splitting blade that seemed to cut through everything in its path!
"SASUKE!"
A shout from behind, and a golden figure charged in without hesitation!
The golden blur passed Sakura on its way forward. Sakura watched everything unfold without making a move.
Danzō had only one Mangekyō — Uchiha Shisui's. Even facing Sasuke and Naruto together, he would absolutely save that precious Mangekyō Sharingan's power for use on her.
Even against both of them combined, he would hold that eye in reserve.
Right now, Sakura just had to stand here, and her mere presence was the ultimate deterrent.
"You DARE!"
"You dare desecrate the Uchiha's ancestors!"
The lightning blade in Sasuke's hand was a predator's claw, relentlessly savaging Danzō!
Swatting aside Naruto — who'd come at him with a Rasengan — Danzō regarded Sasuke with a low voice:
"Uchiha brat. What do you know?"
"The Uchiha were plotting rebellion. I merely claimed my rightful spoils of war."
!!!
The words hit Sasuke like a physical blow. He froze.
Rebellion?
The Uchiha were plotting REBELLION?!
Homura's face drained of color — even more shocked than when he'd seen the arm full of Sharingan.
He opened his mouth to shout Danzō down, to order him to shut up — but Pinky beat him to it:
"Lies."
"The Uchiha were once Konoha's greatest clan — co-founders of this village alongside the Senju."
"The Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, trusted them so completely that he entrusted the Uchiha with the Military Police Force — the most powerful institution in the village."
"For decades after, the Uchiha served faithfully, never daring the slightest negligence."
"And you think a condemned criminal on the verge of death has the right to slander such pillars of Konoha?"
Emerald eyes, calm. Voice, unhurried.
Somewhere in the shadows, Tobirama's eye twitched.
This pinky really does just say whatever she wants.
Erm...
Homura, who'd been about to demand Danzō's silence, swallowed the words.
In that instant, Sasuke snapped back to clarity.
That's RIGHT!
My clan co-founded Konoha alongside the Senju — the foremost shinobi clan!
No way in hell some wretched old man gets to call us traitors with two sentences!
"Lightning Plow — Hot Blade!"
"DIE!"
Sword replacing elbow, a blindingly sharp blade of chakra wreathed in lightning cleaved toward Danzō!
Ever since receiving the Lightning Release Body Technique from Hiruzen three years ago, Sasuke hadn't slacked for a single moment.
Three years of relentless training in White Fang kenjutsu and Lightning Release Body Technique.
This strike — the Lightning Plow Hot Blade — carried unmistakable echoes of the White Fang's swordsmanship!
The blow landed. Thunder roared. The blade edge seared the air. The force was terrifying.
Blue lightning and blinding steel tore through Danzō's Wind Release defense!
And Danzō himself took the full slash directly across his torso!
At full fury, Sasuke's all-out strike was simply beyond what a seventy-year-old man's reflexes could handle.
Danzō's combat experience should have exceeded Sasuke's. But power had corroded his shinobi instincts. Desire had consumed his commitment to maintaining his own abilities.
In his youth, he'd witnessed the world-ending battles between Hashirama Senju and Uchiha Madara — and that experience had bred an obsessive reverence for Wood Release and the Sharingan.
How could any ordinary person, no matter how hard they trained, ever compare to those two?
The devastating wound carved across Danzō's body wept blood. The gash was so deep that internal organs were faintly visible.
"Foolish Uchiha brat."
"After the Nine-Tails disaster, the Uchiha were teetering on a knife's edge. They were no longer the Uchiha of old."
"Or rather — the Uchiha you imagine never existed at all."
Despite the catastrophic wound, Danzō's expression didn't change. He regarded Sasuke with the same flat calm.
"You think anything you say has credibility while you're wearing my clan's eyes on your arm?"
Sasuke's crimson Sharingan spun wildly. Red veins threaded through his eyes, giving him a truly fearsome appearance.
"Heh. How strange."
"Uchiha Itachi — I never would have thought he'd have a brother so completely unlike himself."
As the words left his mouth, Danzō — who should have been fatally wounded — turned transparent and vanished before everyone's eyes.
Then, the next instant, reappeared behind Sasuke, completely unharmed.
"Wind Release — Vacuum Blade!"
A kunai wrapped in razor-sharp chakra swung down at Sasuke's back!
"SASUKE!"
"LOOK OUT! DODGE!"
Naruto's shout was still leaving his mouth as his body was already in motion.
Sage Mode — activate!
The shadow clone he kept stationed at Mount Myōboku detonated instantly. A flood of Sage chakra surged into Naruto's body.
Orange pigment bloomed at the corners of his eyes. His blue pupils shifted into the horizontal bars of a toad.
Sage Art — Rasengan Barrage!
Two wildly spinning Rasengans materialized in Naruto's hands!
Moving like a gale, disorienting in speed — he closed the distance to Danzō's back in a single heartbeat!
Both Sage-powered Rasengans slammed into Danzō's back without hesitation!
Under the savage, grinding force, Danzō was launched through the air!
But just as before — mid-flight, he turned transparent, vanished, and reappeared calmly from a different spot.
"What is that?"
Sasuke stared at the seemingly untouchable Danzō, teeth clenched.
But Danzō ignored both Sasuke and the boy who'd just blindsided him. His gaze was fixed on the one person who stood apart with perfect composure.
Sakura.
Surrounded on all sides, even Izanagi couldn't save him now.
The key to breaking free wasn't Uchiha Sasuke. Wasn't Uzumaki Naruto. Wasn't Homura Mitokado.
It was the woman everyone now regarded as the true Fifth Hokage.
"Haruno Sakura."
"Do you know what your weakness is?"
Danzō spoke slowly.
"Hm?"
"What is it?"
Sakura looked up at him, seemingly unaware of his meaning.
"Haruno Sakura — your greatest weakness is your overwhelming arrogance."
"You always think you know everything."
Danzō slowly unwound the bandages on his head. Beneath them, a second Sharingan — in his other eye socket — was revealed to all.
"There's ANOTHER one?!"
Sasuke's rage erupted anew. He charged, sword drawn!
The blade drove clean through Danzō's body from behind!
But Danzō acted as though he hadn't even noticed. His gaze remained locked — unblinking, unflinching — on Sakura.
Kotoamatsukami!
☆☆☆
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