The ANBU and Root forces felt the headquarters collapsing, floor after floor giving way as the structure descended deeper into the earth. With every collapse, a massive seal formation revealed itself, spreading outward in a wide radius. The ANBU maintained their distance, pulling back beyond its reach as the scale of the formation became clear. It was not limited to the headquarters alone. The array extended beneath nearby buildings as well, the ground pulsing with growing pressure as if something vast and hungry lay beneath.
Monkey watched the expanding pattern with narrowed eyes and exhaled slowly, relief flickering across his face because the Hokage had ordered the evacuation early, clearly expecting such a trap. That single command had saved countless lives. Behind the barrier, the Root operatives remained in position, calm and unmoving, their stillness far more unsettling than panic would have been.
An ANBU flickered beside Monkey and dropped to one knee. "Report, sir, we have apprehended all the names mentioned in the reports on the pay of Root within the village. Few injuries but no death or major damage." Monkey nodded with a pleased tone and said, "Well done, ask the rest of the available ANBU to surround the barrier from all directions and be ready for anything." The operative replied, "Right away, sir," before vanishing instantly. Shadows moved across rooftops and broken terrain as multiple ANBU repositioned with silent efficiency, surrounding the barrier from every angle.
A deep rumble rolled through the ground as the last remains of the building collapsed, stone and metal folding inward while the seal formulas activated, shining in thick black ink across the earth. The air grew heavy and the chakra pressure built with suffocating weight. Monkey looked around, concern rising at the sheer amount of chakra feeding the formation, his instincts screaming that this was far worse than a simple trap.
Then the screaming began. One of the Root operatives stiffened violently, his body jerking as if struck by lightning before he collapsed. Another followed. Then another. The sound spread across their ranks as panic and agony erupted at once. Seal lines ignited across their bodies, linking the massive formation on the ground to the Root seals embedded within them. The first reaction appeared at their mouths as the cursed seals on their tongues activated, forcing their jaws open as if something inside them had awakened. From there, the markings spread, flaring along their necks, arms, and across their bodies as hidden formulas answered the call of the array beneath their feet.
The two systems fused, black patterns crawling outward as if obeying a single will. Some tried to move, but their bodies refused to respond as they became frozen, eyes wide with horror while their chakra began to tear free.
The sound that followed was horrifying. It was not the cry of warriors in battle but raw, helpless terror. Their voices rose higher and higher as the extraction intensified, their bodies convulsing violently, veins bulging, skin cracking as the seals drained them from within. The ground beneath them glowed brighter with every second, feeding on every ounce of their power. The ANBU instinctively stepped back, retreating further as the pressure surged. Even veterans felt their stomachs twist because the sight was beyond brutal. It was ritual slaughter unfolding before their eyes.
Some Root operatives clawed at their own flesh in desperate attempts to stop the crawling formulas. Their nails broke and blood coated their hands, but it made no difference. The seals continued, relentless and absolute. The screaming grew louder until one operative's throat ruptured mid cry, blood spraying from his mouth as the sound cut off into wet choking. Others followed. Their voices shattered, turning into gurgling gasps as their bodies emptied. The ground pulsed with every heartbeat, drawing more and more chakra.
The screams weakened. One by one, the operatives went still, their bodies shriveling as the last traces of chakra were stripped away. Their movements slowed until even the twitching stopped. The formation flared brighter as it absorbed the final remnants, and silence fell, heavy and suffocating.
Monkey's body trembled once before stilling as killing intent rolled off him in waves, thick and suffocating. Even Itachi and Kakashi shifted back slightly, instinct warning them of the danger in that fury. Without a word, multiple ANBU formed hand signs at once. The outer dome shattered, but beneath it another barrier rose immediately, darker and heavier, anchored by the bodies themselves as seal lines connected the corpses to the formation.
Monkey spoke with a low, controlled voice that carried far more threat than shouting. "Danzo you piece of shit, sacrificing Konoha shinobi in such a way to fight the village leader." He continued in the same firm tone, "Bring our seal grandmaster in to examine this new seal. There is no danger from Root operatives now, so he should be safe. We need to remove the barrier immediately, at any cost."
For the first time, worry showed in Monkey's eyes as he looked toward the glowing depths below and muttered in a rough, heavy voice, "Old man, don't you dare die."
Inside the ruined Root headquarters stood a bloodied Hiruzen. Multiple slashes ran across his body, his robes torn and soaked, yet his eyes remained extremely sharp as he observed Danzo, who was grinning with grim satisfaction. "You knew I had preparations and yet you chose to walk into Root yourself just to talk to me. See how your weakness will be the end of you and this village, Hiruzen?" Hiruzen spat a mouthful of blood to the side, his chest rising and falling with effort. Before he could respond, another slash tore through the air toward him. He had expected it. He jumped away, the invisible blade cutting through the space where he had stood, and immediately shot forward toward Danzo.
Danzo was limited now. The sealing formation around them suppressed most chakra, forcing him to rely on weak wind techniques. He slashed with his hand, sending a thin but powerful horizontal air blade toward the approaching Hiruzen. Hiruzen leapt above it and hurled multiple kunai toward Danzo. The wind surrounding Danzo distorted their trajectory, pulling them slightly off course, yet they still forced him to shift his footing. Hiruzen had noticed that distortion earlier, but now he was certain. There was a controlled zone within the seal, a space where chakra could still be used with relative freedom. That was where Danzo stood.
The moment Hiruzen landed, he used all his remaining strength to dive forward, jumping above another slash with impeccable timing. As he crossed the boundary, with great effort and chakra expense Danzo seized full control over the wind inside the zone, turning it violently against him. Invisible blades tore across Hiruzen's already exhausted body, opening multiple wounds. Blood sprayed as his body shook under the strain, yet he forced himself onward. Now face to face with Danzo within the only stable area inside the formation.
However, a moment later Hiruzen dropped to his knees, coughing violently as blood poured from his mouth and from the many wounds across his body. He had paid the cost of his approach. The only viable option had been bought with blood. Danzo started to step forward on instinct but forced himself to stop, watching with cold, bitter resolve. "Goodbye, old friend." He formed a simple motion and sent a compressed wind bullet toward Hiruzen's skull. At the last moment, the projectile diverted, tearing away part of Hiruzen's ear before flying past him.
Danzo's eyes widened.
Hiruzen slowly rose, his body trembling, his eyes tired but steady. "Did you expect me not to notice that you carved a space within the barrier to allow yourself to use chakra?" Danzo's face twisted with rage. Hiruzen continued, voice low but steady. "And if you can use it, then I can too. Come, old friend. One last competition between us."
Danzo growled. "Just die." His hands moved, launching multiple compressed wind bullets toward Hiruzen.
Hiruzen was exhausted, injured, and nearly out of chakra, but the air around them was rich with wind nature. He chose to turn Danzo's own contingency against him. Hiruzen waved his hand, shaping the surrounding wind into a sharp blade that tore across Danzo's leg, forcing him to buckle. At the same time, Danzo's attacks struck Hiruzen, multiple wind bullets piercing his body. Hiruzen collapsed to one knee, blood spilling freely.
The two old men slowly raised their heads and looked at each other. For a moment, the battlefield vanished. Only the weight of decades remained.
They moved at the same time.
Powerful wind slashes shot toward each other. Hiruzen's attack tore through Danzo, catching him completely off guard as the blade carved across his chest and continued upward. The wind sheared through flesh and bone without slowing, tearing into his right eye. Blood and fragments burst outward as the attack ripped through the socket and drove into his skull. Danzo's body convulsed violently, his scream cutting off as his vision went dark on one side.
As he fell, Danzo forced a wind bullet forward with sheer resolve and absolute mastery of his element, refusing to let the moment end without taking something in return. The compressed projectile pierced Hiruzen's shoulder. Hiruzen screamed in pain, and both men collapsed.
Danzo's hand moved slowly, fingers trembling as he aimed at Hiruzen's heavy body. Hiruzen could not move. He only looked at his old friend. Wind chakra gathered at Danzo's fingertips. Sadness and pity filled Hiruzen's eyes. Danzo saw it, and his rage deepened. "Stop looking at me like that." He was about to release the attack when a kunai pierced his hand. He screamed.
A moment later, Monkey stood between them.
He looked at his father's broken state, and bloodlust poured from him in suffocating waves. He drew his tanto and stepped forward, ready to cut Danzo's head. Then he heard the weak voice behind him.
"Don't do it, son."