Kushina Uzumaki could certainly understand that Danzo Shimura's accusations against Habara were pure slander. In fact, Habara quite liked having the Third Hokage in power; he had no reason to assassinate him. The Third Hokage interfered very little with Habara's various plans, and even when he did, the interference was extremely limited.
As stated before, the Third Hokage was a ninja very "skilled" at delegating power. This power could fall into others' hands, or it could fall into Habara's hands. Therefore, having the Hokage in place was a good thing, not a bad thing.
Danzo Shimura targeting Habara was essentially equivalent to targeting Kushina Uzumaki, as Habara and Kushina had acted in lockstep for the past few years. Not to mention, Kakashi had just revealed that Danzo Shimura's "Foundation" had taken action targeting her son – something she absolutely could not tolerate.
Her reason for not wanting Habara to take extreme measures was her reluctance to believe that the suddenly attacked Third Hokage had truly met with misfortune. If the Third Hokage returned, Habara, having taken definitive action, would inevitably have to bear corresponding responsibility. After all, Kushina didn't yet know the nature of Danzo's external support; she didn't believe Danzo possessed truly powerful shinobi under his command and had more faith in the Hokage's own strength.
But the problem now was that Habara had taken action, and done so cleanly and decisively. At this point, trying to restrain him was meaningless. From a political standpoint, the better course now was to deny the Third Hokage any opportunity to smooth things over.
If the Third Hokage returned and both Danzo and her own faction remained, the Third would undoubtedly start mediating, trying to minimize the conflict. This would inevitably lead to further division within Konoha. Therefore, it was better not to give the Hokage that chance. Kushina based this deduction on general circumstances; she didn't know that Danzo had already openly broken ties with the Third Hokage – appearing before Hiruzen alongside Orochimaru meant only one of them could remain, and Danzo had placed immense trust in Orochimaru's power.
This desperate gamble was likely because Orochimaru had shown Danzo something extraordinary about his capabilities.
The nature of political struggle is inherently dark, bloody, and ruthlessly cruel. Thus, after considering all factors, Kushina decided not to restrain Habara any longer. She chose to sit on the sidelines and observe.
The current situation in Konoha: the Third Hokage was missing, the ANBU Commander was dead, the two advisors were headless, and the only individuals with the power and status to potentially unify the shinobi were Danzo Shimura and Kushina Uzumaki. With Danzo currently engaged against Habara, Kushina's choice to merely observe could hardly be considered neutral.
Because comparing their individual strengths as shinobi, Danzo Shimura was no match for Habara. When watching the Terminator beat up kindergarteners, the onlooker is effectively the Terminator's accomplice.
Perhaps Kushina should have given some rousing speech to the surrounding ninja, rallying them to her side. However, she felt it unnecessary for the moment. She could wait until the situation calmed down slightly before taking charge of the overall picture.
And that "slightly," undoubtedly, would be fatal. But fatal for whom? That question was difficult to answer. One could only say it was probably, perhaps, maybe not Habara.
Danzo also realized that he now likely had to resolve some issues himself. But the current situation was beyond his expectations. He hadn't anticipated that under layers of immense pressure, Habara would actually choose to fight back. This went strongly against the typical way ninja handled such matters. Put bluntly, Danzo desperately wanted to ask Habara, "Why didn't you just surrender?"
Pressure from the leadership, the atmosphere in Konoha, the gossip among ninja – these things could drive a ninja like Konoha's White Fang to suicide. What was wrong with Habara?
Danzo concluded internally that this resistance was precisely evidence of Habara's rebellious consciousness. It proved Habara would become a missing-nin sooner or later, and also proved that his, Danzo's, actions were correct. He was currently eliminating an unstable element for Konoha's sake, truly acting wholeheartedly for the public good.
In reality, Danzo Shimura had fundamentally misunderstood one thing. He believed that with the Third Hokage gone, he became the representative of Konoha. But in actuality? Looking at the surrounding ninja – how many were willing to obey his commands? How many were openly or secretly supporters of Habara?
Although Danzo was a veteran figure in Konoha, many shinobi weren't familiar with him; some didn't even recognize him. He had always operated from the shadows. In terms of achievements, influence, contributions during the three Great Ninja Wars… did Danzo have any highlight moments in his entire career?
This explained why he placed such importance on seniority and legitimacy of origin – because those were the only things he had to offer.
Only with the endorsement of the two publicly visible advisors could Danzo Shimura possibly control the situation and become the next Hokage. Unfortunately for him, those two advisors were now gone.
True strength trumps all else. Otherwise, what's the point of endless scheming? Look at the First Hokage – clearly a bit of a simpleton… clearly excessively rustic and honest, yet he still dominated the entire shinobi world.
Danzo himself understood he was suddenly standing on a precipice. And finally, he started acting somewhat like a ninja again. His hands formed three seals in a proper, steady posture, appearing quite dignified, befitting a leader. Then he released them and began forming new seals.
Wind Release seals? No, not just Wind Release… Habara narrowed his eyes, detecting Danzo Shimura's subtle preparations.
Danzo took a sharp breath. In the next instant, numerous wind blades shot across the distance between them, slashing directly towards Habara's body.
Habara was relatively wary of cutting attacks like Wind Release: Vacuum Wave, having previously experienced Orochimaru's penetrating wind jutsu. He wasn't arrogant enough to think he could tank it relying solely on his 'meager' current defenses. He chose to equip more "defensive gear."
Sage Art: Secret Technique - Eightfold Aegis!
Iron Sand gathered, forming even thicker armor over Habara's body. The Vacuum Wave blades struck the heavy armor, producing only faint tink sounds, leaving not even a scratch.
"Returning a Wind Release to you."
Following the principle of reciprocity, Habara countered with his own Wind Release. They called Danzo Shimura a Wind Release expert; Habara wanted to see just how expert he truly was.
Habara raised his arm. A rapidly self-rotating sphere of chakra gathered in his palm, continuously expanding until it was as tall as a two-story building.
The spinning sphere, the outwardly expanding wind blades that seemed to rotate slowly due to visual persistence, and the incredibly piercing vibrating hum all conveyed the lethal threat of this jutsu to the ninja witnessing it for the first time.
Sage Art: Wind Release - Ultra-Big Ball Rasenshuriken!
Habara swung his arm, hurling the monstrous technique towards Danzo Shimura.
Danzo's pupils constricted violently. He immediately dodged to the side, all traces of his previous "masterful demeanor" vanishing. His dodge was fast, yes, and his movements quite graceful, describable in four words: scrambling like hell.
But before he could catch his breath, the vibrating hum from the giant chakra sphere that had struck his previous position intensified sharply. Then, the sphere exploded like a massive bomb.
Danzo continued dodging in the same direction, but suddenly countless brilliant points of light appeared in his vision. A faint sense of resistance all over his body let him know he had likely run into something.
Unseen until now, a giant "dandelion" sphere composed of mercury threads blocked Danzo Shimura's path. This was Habara's signature original seal-less ninjutsu, "Mercury Lamp."
Using the Rasenshuriken to force positioning, then finishing with his own technique – a simple attack combo, nothing remarkable, except… Habara's skill range was truly enormous.
In that moment, Danzo Shimura resembled a wayward youth stumbling into a disco for the first time. Bathed in the multi-colored lights of the spinning disco ball, his limbs began to flail uncoordinatedly in a forced dance, and then…
…then he shattered into pieces all over the ground.
You don't even have Wind Release ninjutsu of this power level, yet you call yourself an expert? Habara thought scornfully.
Okay, that was perhaps just insulting for the sake of it. To achieve the power of a Wind Release Rasenshuriken, Sage Mode was practically a minimum requirement, wasn't it? Looking at Danzo, even if he lived another lifetime, could he ever learn Sage Art?
Danzo appeared to have shattered completely, seemingly finished. But Habara didn't believe it. He knew Danzo had made certain preparations before attacking.
Sure enough, after a few seconds, Danzo's figure reappeared in another spot.
Before Danzo's brain could process what had happened, before the watching ninja could express their shock or confusion, Habara immediately shouted loudly:
"Everyone!"
It was as if he had anticipated Danzo's resurrection.
"Have no doubt! I did indeed kill Danzo Shimura just now. But now, he has revived. Why? Because he used the ultimate ocular jutsu of the Uchiha clan's Sharingan, known as Izanagi! Simply put, this technique allows the user to negate any disadvantageous events that occur within a set duration, choosing only favorable outcomes to become reality. Even if the user dies while the technique is active, it will still trigger, objectively creating the phenomenon of resurrection. The price for using this technique is the permanent blindness of the Sharingan eye used!"
The surrounding ninja were astonished. They hadn't known the Uchiha clan possessed such a trump card. Connecting this information with what had just happened, no one doubted Habara was telling the truth. Many recalled the incidents of missing Uchiha ninja from previous years, including the former clan head's son. No culprit had ever been found for those cases, but now it seemed the saying was true: if you don't want others to know, don't do it.
Then they heard Habara's pointed question following his explanation:
"So the question is, Lord Danzo, why do you possess the Sharingan? Why can you use the Uchiha's ultimate ocular technique? The nature of this jutsu is unknown even to the vast majority of Uchiha clan members today!"
Danzo Shimura's expression, already ugly, somehow managed to turn even uglier. Habara's accusation essentially destroyed any foundation Danzo had left to remain in Konoha.
In a ninja village, superiors could demand almost anything from subordinates. Even ordering a ninja to die could be accepted under certain circumstances. But there was one line that could not be crossed: stealing another ninja's "talent"—their Kekkei Genkai, their unique abilities—was unacceptable. It struck at the very core of what made a ninja who they were.
Even if it involved stealing the Sharingan from the universally disliked Uchiha, no one present would think the Uchiha deserved it. Instead, they would feel a chilling horror, realizing anew the depths one person could sink to.
Someone who steals the abilities of their subordinates could never become Hokage. Otherwise, wouldn't everyone live in constant fear?
Some things cannot be brought into the light. Danzo thought he could represent Konoha, but in reality, he had always stood in opposition to all its shinobi.
"Everyone," Habara continued, stepping forward, playing the part of the objective mediator, "Let me speak from a neutral standpoint. The Uchiha clan's current predicament certainly stems partly from their own way of doing things. But hasn't someone from the outside been fanning the flames? Why did the Third Hokage continuously strive to eliminate the conflict between the village and the Uchiha, yet fail?"
"Because certain orders from him were fundamentally unenforceable! Right here in Konoha's central leadership, beside the Hokage himself, closest to him yet unknown to him, someone was defying his commands, coveting the Uchiha's abilities, secretly targeting the Uchiha, adding fuel to the fire…"
With the Uchiha issue likely reaching a conclusion tonight, some Uchiha would bear a degree of responsibility. But that wasn't enough. Konoha's side also needed to produce a culprit. Only then could the remaining Uchiha find psychological balance. After both sides paid a price, both suffered misfortune, could a foundation for mutual trust be rebuilt.
So, who on Konoha's side should bear this responsibility? Naturally, it could only be Danzo Shimura. The Third Hokage needed to be positioned as the wise leader. Therefore, he needed someone beside him brimming with insidious plots. Although directly labeling Danzo as the 'bad guy' or 'mastermind' might seem simplistic, it wasn't wrongly accusing him either, because that was the role he played.
He might have been gray, but now he had to be black.
In Danzo Shimura's own words, this was a personal sacrifice for the greater good of Konoha. In Habara's words, it was…
Energy saving and emission reduction. Cost reduction and efficiency increase. Waste utilization.
Habara's words left Danzo Shimura unable to retort. How could he explain having Sharingan, knowing Uchiha secret techniques? Found them on the battlefield? Heard about them through rumors? If he could defeat Habara now, perhaps such absurd explanations might find a sliver of acceptance.
Habara spoke again, his tone laced with playful malice, "Now, let's see just how many Uchiha eyes Lord Danzo has collected on his body."
Danzo Shimura could only make a desperate, final gamble. He immediately used the Summoning Technique, calling forth his personal summon.
"Summoning Technique: Baku!"
Although called Baku (a tapir), this summoned creature was enormous, looking remarkably like an elephant with an Indian-style turban wrapped around its head.
Upon appearing, the summon immediately raised its trunk and let out a trumpeting cry – definitely an elephant's call.
Habara looked at the creature and couldn't help but say: "Take a deep breath. Next, you might feel a bit dizzy, nauseous, perhaps some weakness in your heart and lungs… Relax, this is all normal. There won't be any more pain."
Most humans aren't worth loving. Therefore, one must love animals more.