"Damn it!!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi clenched his teeth upon hearing Danzo's words, but looking at the Four Violet Flames Formation before him, he was truly at a loss.
This barrier could be broken, but not instantly.
Judging by Danzo's expression, he had already taken control of Kaede. It seemed he was using some kind of control jutsu on him. If successful, Kaede would be completely under Danzo's command.
In Sarutobi's mind, the consequences flashed quickly: if Danzo controlled Kaede and harnessed his power, he could indeed rival Sarutobi himself inside Konoha!
"So it's a control-type jutsu..."
Namikaze Minato also deduced what Danzo was doing. Clutching a Flying Thunder God Kunai, he looked toward Danzo trapped within the barrier and said, "Please stop this, Danzo."
"Don't waste time with meaningless pretenses."
Without turning his head, Danzo replied coldly, "You and I both know that someone like Kaede cannot be left unchecked, especially now that he controls the power of the Three-Tails. Giving him over to me for control is the best outcome."
Watching the black runes of the jutsu gathering steadily in his hands, Danzo smiled faintly. In just a few minutes, Kaede's incredible combat power would be his to wield.
If only he had discovered Kaede's talent from the start and brought him into Root for control and cultivation, none of these later troubles would have arisen. Together, they could have earned glory on the battlefield of the Third Great Ninja War, and no one would have challenged Danzo for the Fourth Hokage's position.
But,
It wasn't too late.
Though he could no longer compete for the Fourth Hokage's position, gaining Kaede's power would allow him to rival Sarutobi and others. Over time, he could erode Minato's authority and eventually succeed as the Fifth Hokage.
As the jutsu's black script swirled and coalesced toward Kaede's forehead, Danzo imagined the moment Kaede donned the Hokage's cloak.
But,
At that moment,
Kaede's eyes suddenly opened. He looked at Danzo calmly, his gaze completely serene.
"Hm?!"
Danzo's face changed.
Kaede broke free of the genjutsu so quickly?
Still, the Cursed Seal was partially implanted, he should be immobilized, trapped by Danzo's seal. Even awakening now wouldn't free him.
Bang!!
Before Danzo's thought could finish, his body bent sharply and was suddenly blasted backward like a cannonball, crashing into the outer wall of the Four Violet Flames Formation.
"Ahhh…"
Most of Danzo's body melted away instantly, and a pained scream escaped his lips. Disbelief flashed across his eyes.
"Impossible… my Cursed Seal…"
The Cursed Seal was supposed to immobilize Kaede completely during its activation. Forcing movement would cause fatal spiritual damage.
"..."
Kaede rose, picked up the clothes by his bed, and dressed calmly as if nothing had happened.
"Waited this long and still couldn't hold back?"
Seeing this, Sarutobi's face instantly darkened.
Minato's expression also shifted slightly.
Sizzle!!
Danzo's body had melted almost entirely against the barrier. Gritting his teeth, he formed hand seals with one hand. His form distorted oddly and suddenly rematerialized outside the barrier.
The melted parts of his body quickly reformed, but his face was pale, and his chakra was significantly weakened.
"Maintain the barrier! Don't let it collapse!"
Danzo ordered his subordinates with a deathly pale face, then fled quickly.
He had failed.
No matter how meticulous the plan, it had failed. Now he had to escape, leaving Konoha first!
"Some kind of body-splitting substitution jutsu?"
Kaede watched calmly, stepping forward to the outer wall of the Four Violet Flames Formation. He reached out and pressed his hand against the barrier.
Buzz!!
It seemed like nothing happened, Sarutobi, Minato, and the others barely sensed Kaede releasing any chakra, but the light of the Four Violet Flames Formation shattered from where Kaede touched, dispersing in all directions.
The four Root ninja maintaining the barrier still held their hands out, but disbelief filled their eyes.
Impossible!!
That was the Four Violet Flames Formation, the very barrier capable of containing a Hokage!
Kaede's cold gaze met theirs, and the four almost simultaneously felt a deathly chill. Terrified, they leapt backward, trying to put distance between themselves and Kaede.
But,
Kaede only raised his right hand slightly and made a vague gripping motion.
The four Root ninja, attempting to retreat, suddenly found their speed strangely accelerated. In an instant, they collided with the edge of the Time Barrier.
The parts of their bodies outside the barrier returned to normal time flow, but those still inside remained trapped in a time flow five times faster.
The result was obvious.
All four burst out of the barrier,
But their bodies were instantly flattened.
Seeing this, Sarutobi and Minato exchanged a grim glance.
This is bad!
Danzo acted on Kaede without permission, and failed!
"For the village's stability, Orochimaru chose not to contend for Hokage and supported you, Minato. He didn't want a civil war, and neither did I."
Kaede stepped forward as silver light erupted from his body, bathing him in radiant glow. The chakra surged three times in quick succession, soaring upward like silver threads of lightning weaving through his hair.
"Kaede…"
Minato's eyes flickered with guilt.
"This is my fault."
"No need to apologize."
Kaede glanced at Minato calmly.
"Perhaps your intention was the village's stability. But you must have known what Danzo and the others thought of me. Yet you never came to discuss it with me… So, let's end this here."
With that, Kaede vanished like a silver flash, reappearing outside the barrier protecting Rin. In a lightning-quick strike, he wiped out the four Root ninja.
"Rin, go protect Kakashi and Kurenai."
Kaede spoke calmly.
"Kaede… Kaede…"
Rin looked at Kaede's composed expression with a shiver.
She had never seen him like this before. Beneath that calm exterior was a raging killing intent; the very air around them seemed to chill.
Minato immediately called out, "Kaede! Calm down! I'll handle this!"
"..."
Kaede gave Minato a cold glance, then disappeared in a silver flash.
Tonight,
Danzo must die.
Watching Kaede vanish, Minato hesitated, then gritted his teeth and disappeared as well.
Rin's expression shifted several times as she glanced toward Sarutobi nearby. The deep respect she once held seemed to fade.
Whoosh!!
She dashed into the shattered house, wrapping chakra around Kakashi and Kurenai, placing them behind her. Her expression was resolute, ready for battle at any moment.
==========
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