Danzo stood with that cold, expressionless face, his gaze flicking between the ruins, the assembled Konoha shinobi, and the figure at the center of it all.
"What is the meaning of this, Uchiha Chiga?"
Thump.
Danzo's question had barely left his lips when a dark spear burst from the ground and impaled him through the chest. He coughed violently, blood spilling from his mouth as his limbs went limp, his body hanging lifelessly.
Tsunade's expression darkened. As much as she loathed Danzo, watching him seemingly killed in front of her as Hokage made her blood boil.
The diamond-shaped Yin Seal on her forehead flared with violet light. Cursed markings spread like wildfire across her skin.
"Ninja Art: Creation Rebirth — Strength of a Hundred Technique!"
She wasn't going to hold back anymore.
But Chiga didn't even glance at her. He kept his eyes on Danzo's impaled body and spoke coldly.
"Stop pretending. You've already activated Izanagi, haven't you? Keep wasting time, and that precious minute will be gone."
"Nani!?"
Tsunade's eyes widened, turning to look at Danzo—only to see his body fading, becoming transparent before vanishing from the spike entirely.
Chiga scoffed and casually punched the air beside him.
Space cracked like shattered glass, and Danzo reappeared in that exact spot—right in front of Chiga's strike.
The resulting force shredded Danzo's body into fragments of light, but almost instantly, his form reassembled again—this time beside Tsunade.
She stared in disbelief. Danzo looked completely unharmed—no wounds, not even a scratch.
It was as if he hadn't been attacked at all.
"How…?" she muttered.
Danzo, grim-faced and fuming, stared at Chiga. "How did you know I had access to Izanagi?"
He had intended to use the forbidden Uchiha technique to gain the upper hand, but Chiga had called it out before he could even begin.
Chiga smirked faintly. His eyes shifted toward Danzo's wrapped arm, a sharp Mangekyō flash gleaming.
Then he flicked his finger.
The bandages exploded, scattering ash through the air and exposing what lay beneath—ten Sharingan eyes embedded in Danzo's arm.
They pulsed with a sinister red glow.
Sasuke's entire body stiffened in horror. His eyes widened, blood boiling.
"What... what are those Sharingan?!"
Danzo turned to him with a sneer. "They're from your Uchiha Clan. What, planning to avenge them?"
"You bastard! I'll kill you!!"
Sasuke's Three-Tomoe Sharingan activated instantly. But Danzo didn't even flinch—Sasuke's rage was beneath his concern.
He turned back to Chiga, voice laced with disdain. "Uchiha Chiga. Your existence is a threat to the village. I cannot allow it to continue."
Chiga gave a cold laugh. "So what now? Is this where the 'old guard' unites to fight the monster?"
Without further delay, Danzo formed a series of rapid hand seals.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Great Sphere!"
A powerful, high-pressure gust erupted from his mouth.
Tsunade launched forward as well, leaping into the air. Her chakra surged as she brought her leg down in a devastating arc.
"Heavenly Pain!"
The two attacks—one a wind bomb, the other raw taijutsu—crashed toward Chiga from opposite sides.
But Chiga didn't move.
Dark purple energy surged around him, swirling into the shape of a towering, skeletal giant—Susanoo.
The shockwaves from Danzo's jutsu and Tsunade's strike hit the construct's ribcage and dissipated harmlessly.
Tsunade's expression twisted. "Susanoo?!"
She immediately tried to retreat, but Susanoo's massive hand moved faster.
It grabbed her mid-air, flung her like a ragdoll, and hurled her straight at Danzo.
She crashed into him before he could react, sending both of them tumbling. Danzo coughed up blood—his body once again flickering and vanishing, a second Izanagi activating.
Tsunade groaned, struggling to sit up. Her bones felt like they'd been shattered. If not for the Strength of a Hundred Technique, she wouldn't have been able to move at all.
Danzo's form reappeared, but one of the Sharingan on his arm had gone dim and closed forever.
He didn't hesitate. With another surge of chakra, he activated Izanagi a second time.
Around them, the Konoha shinobi were frozen in awe. Few of them understood what Susanoo even was—but seeing a hundred-meter tall skeletal titan rise from a single shinobi was enough.
No one dared step forward.
Tsunade, lying among the rubble, looked up at the glowing figure. She whispered to herself,
"Grandpa... Is this what you faced back then?"
But even she didn't realize—this was only Susanoo's first form.
Danzo, however, was not awed. He was consumed by envy. If I had that power… I could become Hokage. I could rule all the nations.
Sasuke, watching the giant form of Susanoo, felt utterly disoriented.
He was Uchiha. He had trained under Orochimaru. But this?
He turned toward Chiga, voice tight. "Is that... another power of the Mangekyō Sharingan?"
Chiga didn't even glance at him. "Yes. The third power of the Mangekyō: Susanoo, the embodiment of destruction."
Sasuke's mind reeled. If this is what Mangekyō can do… then Itachi…
His fists clenched. He had always believed his Three-Tomoe Sharingan could match Itachi's. But now?
He wasn't so sure.
How can I possibly defeat Itachi... if this is the power that awaits him?
Just then, a metallic clang echoed through the battlefield.
Clang!
All eyes turned. Danzo had somehow slipped behind Susanoo, driving a kunai straight at its spine.
It shattered on impact.
Everyone fell silent—including Sasuke.
Even Chiga seemed mildly amused.
Danzo, however, wasn't discouraged. He looked at the broken weapon in his hand and muttered to himself,
"As expected... Susanoo's defense is... flawless."
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