Chapter 65 – The Curtain Falls on Root
In an instant, black sealing runes exploded across Danzo's body, ink-like blood spraying everywhere.
Reverse Four Symbols Sealing—he intended to drag Naruto, Sasuke, and Izumi down with him.
But the next second, a lazy voice cut through the suicide jutsu like a knife through paper.
"Bakudō #62: Hyapporankan."
Hundreds of glowing rods shot past the three teens and slammed into Danzo from head to toe, pinning him to the wall like a bug on a board.
Every limb immobilized. The sealing technique shattered mid-activation.
"Izumi, finish what you came here for."
"Got it."
Izumi gave a firm nod.
She hadn't feared the seal itself, but it would have robbed her of the satisfaction of killing him with her own hands.
Aike had just preserved that right—and saved Naruto and Sasuke as a bonus.
"Aw, old dog, your little suicide bomb got canceled. You mad?"
Naruto couldn't resist one last twist of the knife.
He, Sasuke, and Izumi lined up their final attacks.
"Same way the old monkey went. Guess you finally got the Hokage treatment."
Sasuke sneered.
Izumi didn't bother with words.
"Wind Style: Severing Winds!"
"Blaze Style: Flame Bullets!"
"Amaterasu!"
And right on cue—the late arrival.
"NARUTO, STOP!!"
Jiraiya's desperate shout echoed down the tunnel before he even appeared.
Too late.
By the time he burst in with Shikaku, Kakashi, Might Guy, and a squad of elite jonin,
Danzo was already a charred, smoking statue—only slightly better off than Hiruzen's pile of ash.
"Damn it! We're too late!"
Jiraiya had sprinted the whole way.
Twenty minutes.
An organization rivaling ANBU.
Gone.
He stood frozen, chest heaving, staring at the aftermath.
The jonin behind him instantly went on high alert, weapons trained on everyone inside.
Kakashi's visible eye shrank the moment he spotted Aike.
Of course it's him.
He'd suspected yesterday when Jiraiya briefed him. The description matched perfectly—the man who took his eye years ago.
Now confirmed.
A group of unknown, terrifyingly strong individuals with unclear allegiances.
This just got infinitely more complicated.
Kakashi rubbed his temple in quiet despair.
He had personally experienced how helpless he was against Aike.
No need for yesterday's second-hand horror stories.
Fighting them would be a disaster for Konoha.
But the real headache wasn't even Aike.
Their mission, as Jiraiya had said, was to stop his two former students—the ones who had torn the village apart.
One was Obito's last clansman.
The other was his sensei's son.
Kakashi really, really didn't want to fight Naruto and Sasuke.
The three avengers walked back to their respective sides, revenge complete.
"Naruto…" Jiraiya's voice was heavy with conflict. "Do you have any idea what Root meant to Konoha right now?"
"After yesterday, we've already lost so much strength. Destroying Root on top of that—if the other villages find out, they won't let this chance pass."
With Aike looming like a silent calamity, Jiraiya didn't draw a weapon.
He tried the emotional route instead.
Naive.
"What happens to Konoha has nothing to do with me."
Naruto's voice was ice.
"If you want to know who really weakened the village, look at the old monkey and this fossil—how many powerhouses did they kill?"
"The entire Uchiha clan. Hyuga Hizashi. The White Fang who shook the shinobi world."
He flicked a glance at Kakashi when he said "White Fang."
Kakashi's eye twitched, old anger flaring.
That was exa
ctly why, when he returned yesterday and heard the Third and the elders were dead,
he had felt nothing but satisfaction.
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