Just as Danzo was catching his breath, he felt the ground beneath him shift. For a brief moment, he was sure the tremors were lingering aftershocks from the powerful explosions he had set off against Orochimaru.
'Something is off.'
Suddenly his vision began to blur at the edges, and the boulder he took refuge behind seemed to shift like a mirage. His mind felt dull and heavy, and in that instant, he realized the truth: he was already ensnared in a Genjutsu.
He gritted his teeth, eye darting around the moonlit expanse. He was searching for Orochimaru's form among the jagged rocks as his body burned with pain.
'Che! The price for underestimating his adaptability. I knew he'd be difficult to kill but I didn't think he'd walk away from that blast so quickly.'
For a moment, the shadows dissolved and formed into the images of a memory of long ago. The present danger faded, and Danzo's eye closed and his vision became filled with an older scene.
A private room deep underground. It was years ago, in a hidden Root facility.
Years Ago - Root Headquarters.
The stone walls flickered under torchlight. On one side of a small wooden table sat Danzo—his posture severe, his right arm hidden beneath the folds of his robes.
Around him were three figures in dark clothing, wearing featureless masks and kneeling in silence. The tension in the dimly-lit chamber was thick, but no one dared to speak until Danzo allowed it.
Soon, Danzo slowly stood, leaning on his staff just enough to show a subtle weakness in his leg. It was a reminder of wounds from the past war. His single visible eye was cold and calculating as he looked at the loyal shinobi before him.
For a moment, he paused, as though weighing the gravity of what he was about to decree. Then, in a voice that showed no emotion, he spoke. "Root has a mission."
He walked to a large map pinned to the wall, the edges curling from time and poor lighting. Tucked behind various scrolls and pinned notes, the map showed the territories of the Five Great Shinobi Nations. Danzo reached out and tapped a small region on the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth.
There was also a picture of a man dressed in luxurious clothing.
"Akoba Tomugun. A very wealthy merchant, a citizen and a former shinobi of this village. He was Special Jonin and retired after the Third Ninja War. After that he used his intellect and connections to build a wealthy legitimate business enterprise. On the surface, he is a very loyal citizen and a capable man. But what we didn't know until a week ago was that he survived the third war by betraying his two teammates to the enemy. But no one knew about it until two months ago. Someone in the Hidden Stone village found out that secret and is blackmailing him with this information. Right now Akoba is on his way to meet with ninjas of a hostile nation in secret."
Danzo didn't raise his voice, but every syllable carried weight. He looked at his agents and spoke. "I have reliable information that he could be coerced into providing resources to our enemies."
The three Root ninjas never said a word. Their masks hid any reaction, but Danzo knew they felt the gravity of his words. "He is traveling with his family to avoid suspicion. He will leave his family in the Capital and travel across the border. Power, blackmail, information threatening his survival, money… All these could be used by the Hidden Stone agents to coerce Akoba."
One of the masked shinobi dared to speak. "What are our orders, Lord Danzo?"
The Root Commander's gaze swept over the trio. They were devoted to him—his tools to protect the Leaf Village from threats beyond mere politics.
He knew how the world would see this: cruel, ruthless, beneath the ideals that the Third Hokage preached. But Danzo's loyalty was unwavering in its own way; he would stain his hands for the sake of the village.
"Your task is to disguise yourselves as ninja from the Hidden Waterfall village and eliminate Akoba and his family before they reach the Capital. Make sure nothing is traced back to the Leaf."
He pressed a scroll into the hands of the central figure. The parchment bore sketches of the merchants, their usual trade routes, and the few strongholds they frequented. Danzo's instructions were simple but chilling.
"He and his family will have two new Chunins guarding them until they reach the Capital. After that he will follow with two different guards. Follow them. Strike when they least expect it." His single eye narrowed as he emphasized the importance of silence and secrecy.
"Use caution. And most of all, we cannot risk leaving witnesses. So the two Chunins will also unfortunately have to be eliminated. But make sure to leave just enough breadcrumbs to point to the Hidden Waterfall. Remember, this is for the sake of the village. This must look real." Danzo said as he looked at his agents.
Though his tone never wavered, the enormity of what he was ordering weighed heavily in the air.
The masked shinobi bowed their heads, acknowledging the orders. They rose in unison and vanished into the darkness.
Danzo watched them depart. The Root's footsteps were silent as the shadows.
Left alone in the dim corridor, he felt the faint pull of conscience. He exhaled slowly. In his mind, there was no room for hesitation.
Danzo looked at the map and his mind went through the secondary hidden plan. 'Onoki wants to strengthen ties with the Hidden Waterfall village. If he's able to do that, things will become much more problematic for us. He could use the secret routes of their lands to get into the Land of Fire easier. But this way the information leak is taken care of and Onoki will be more hesitant… Since Akoba killed several Chunin and Jonin from the Hidden Waterfall village during the war, no one would doubt the enmity. Even if they did, they wouldn't be able to do anything.'
Finally, Danzo looked at the two folders on his desk that showed details of the two new Chunin shinobi guarding Akoba. 'Your deaths won't be in vain. Your families will be well compensated for. This is what I will do… To ensure that the balance never tilts against the Leaf… I will do whatever it takes… No matter the cost.'
—-
Present time.
Danzo's eyes snapped open. A clarity and focus began spreading in his mind. Along with that focus was anger. It rose from his heart and it gave him strength.
"To protect the village and ensure its survival, I will do whatever it takes. No matter what the cost!"
The next second he bit his tongue so hard he tore a small chunk of it. Blood gushed out of his mouth and he instantly broke free from Orochimaru's Genjutsu.
Danzo saw Orochimaru's amused smile as he enjoyed the show. The one eyed ninja jumped back to gain some distance and he weaved a few seals. The former Root leader immediately used fire chakra to cauterize the wound on his tongue.
"You're quite fierce for an old man with one foot in the grave." The Snake sannin said with a smile. He was surprised that Danzo broke out of his illusion so quickly.
"You have no idea what I can do, Orochimaru." The former Root leader snarled.
"Hihihi…" The Sannin only gave an amused chuckle. In one fluid motion, he sank his blade into the ground and channeled his chakra.
An instant later, serpents erupted from beneath Danzo's feet. "Then show me. Prove to me you're not just another relic from an old era."
Danzo hopped backward in a swirl of cloth, narrowly avoiding the writhing serpents. He swiftly threw his kunai at Orochimaru's head and began going through multiple hand seals. "Relic or not, I still represent the Hidden Leaf village. And the Leaf's wrath is what you'll face tonight."
While Danzo began taking a deep breath, Orochimaru surged forward, his hands a blur as he summoned a barrage of serpents from his sleeves. He wanted to attack the old man before he completed his jutsu.
Just as Orochimaru's snakes neared Danzo's head the old man's eye focused with a ferocious intent.
"Wind Style: Vacuum Sphere!"
Danzo released a series of concentrated wind bullets, tearing through the wave of serpents Orochimaru had summoned. The creatures hissed as they were shredded mid-air, but Orochimaru barely flinched, already weaving another jutsu.
"Summoning Jutsu: Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!" Snakes erupted from Orochimaru's extended arm, their fangs glistening with venom as they lunged toward Danzo.
Danzo pivoted smoothly, his synthetic palm glowing faintly as it blocked the attack. The snakes recoiled, their heads sliced cleanly by the chakra blade that extended from his palm.
"You've always relied too much on your tricks, Orochimaru," Danzo said coldly, his chakra flaring as he formed another set of seals. "Wind Style: Great Vacuum Blade!"
A massive gust of wind infused with chakra burst forward, tearing through the rocky terrain toward Orochimaru. The Snake Sannin dodged effortlessly, his body contorting unnaturally as he weaved through the attack.
He jumped back and put some distance but Danzo kept the Sannin in the range of his attack.
"Tricks? Coming from the man who manipulated his own village from the shadows?" Orochimaru sneered, his hands forming a new sequence of seals. "Earth Style: Mud Wall!"
A towering barrier of earth erupted between them, halting Danzo's wind attack mid-course. Orochimaru used the moment to maneuver around the wall, closing the gap between them with unsettling speed.
Danzo anticipated the move and met Orochimaru head-on, his kunai clashing against the Snake Sannin's Kusanagi blade. The force of the impact sent shockwaves rippling through the ground.
"You're predictable, Danzo," Orochimaru taunted, his blade pushing against Danzo's kunai. "And weak."
Danzo's eye gleamed with cold resolve. "Weak? You'll regret saying that."
With a sudden burst of chakra, Danzo released a powerful shockwave, forcing Orochimaru back. The Snake Sannin landed gracefully, his expression unreadable but his golden eyes gleaming with excitement.
"Oh what's this now? Is this a second wind or your dying gasp? Hihihihi." The Sannin was surprised by the sudden strength shown by Danzo. "Well, it doesn't matter. If you really wanted to stand a chance against me, you should have brought some of those Sharingan I gave you."
Danzo scoffed. "I don't need those eyes to kill an arrogant brat like you."
Orochimaru tilted his head. "Is that so?
Before that sentence was even completed a sharp sword broke through the ground beneath Danzo's feet and stabbed his chest through the back all the way.
"Ghaa!" The elder of the Hidden Leaf village spat out a wad of dark red blood and looked down with a slight tremor to see the Kusanagi sword sticking out of his chest.
"Now who's underestimating who?" Orochimaru asked in a mocking tone as he looked at the wounded enemy.
Even with a sword sticking through his chest, Danzo found enough energy to expand his senses. He found that there was no one behind him. At that moment Danzo felt the sword slightly move through his body bringing him more pain.
"Aaarrh." 'He can move the Kusanagi sword without touching it?'
Suddenly the Kusanagi sword moved back and exited Danzo's body.
"Ghaa!" The warhawk of the Leaf fell to one knee and slowly looked up.
"Time to end this Danzo." With those words the Snake Sannin opened his mouth wide. His tongue darted forward and transformed into a large snake. 'Biting Fang.'
The big snake moved towards Danzo at high speed and quickly bit down on his shoulder. The next second, Orochimaru leaned his body and head back to lift Danzo up into the air with his tongue turned snake.
Danzo felt potent poison entering his body as he was flung around in the air a few times. He gathered chakra and gripped the snake with both arms but it was of no use.
The next second he felt himself being slammed into the rock hard ground and he let out a large wad of blood. Danzo's vision blurred and he felt his body growing weaker by the second due to blood loss.
Orochimaru retracted his snake tongue and came near his enemy. "This is it for you. In the end, you'll die never accomplishing anything. A shame."
As Orochimaru lifted his sword to land the final strike, he suddenly sensed the seals around Tsunade vanishing.
Surprise and shock appeared on his face.
"No!" He immediately dropped his sword and went through the summoning seals and slammed his palms on the ground.
Seals spread from Orochimaru's palm but nothing happened, enraging the man. 'Damn it. How could they disable the barrier seals on her so quickly? Even with Jiraiya, it should have been impossible. I should have had more time… Damn it. I at least need to get another blood sample from her. I can't believe I didn't keep a sample on my person. Otherwise...'
Orochimaru quickly took his sword and tucked it away and looked at the dying man in front of him with contempt. "You're lucky, Danzo. You get to live. If only for a few more minutes. Make peace with yourself before you die."
Danzo was only half conscious. 'No. Not like this. I can't… fall like this…' As he was dying, several conversations he had with Hiruzen flashed through his mind.
—-
Danzo remembered the argument he had with the Third Hokage right after the Uchiha massacre.
"You crossed the line Danzo! I can't allow you to operate on your own authority any longer. As of this moment you are relieved of your duties as the second in command and you are removed from the council."
"Hiruzen, don't be rash. I did it…"
"For the good of the village?" Hiruzen finished Danzo's sentence. "How many times are you going to use that excuse?"
Hiruzen turned to look ahead, unable to look at his former teammate anymore.
"The Uchiha clan was part of the village. Regardless of what they were about to do, they were still Leaf villagers. And this indiscriminate massacre… We could have found another way…"
"Do you really believe that Hiruzen?"
"Yes. We could have dealt with the conspirators and the ones pushing for the coup, and given the innocent ones another chance. But now…"
"That wouldn't have worked. If that had happened then years from now we would have the same problem crop up again." Danzo tried to justify his actions.
"You don't know that!... As of this moment, I'm removing you as the head of the foundation. The root agents will be dissolved and integrated with my forces. And until I decide how to deal with you, you are confined to your quarters! Now get out of my sight."
Danzo then recalled the memory of being called into the Hokage's office after his Root attack on Tsunade and her students.
"When Tobirama sensei tasked me with the protection of the village, I knew I could do it. It wasn't because I had absolute confidence in myself… No. It was because I believed I would have you to watch my back. I knew you wanted to be Hokage and when Tobirama sensei made the choice I knew it must have made you angry. But despite our rivalry, different personalities and ideals, I had faith that you would help me in times of need. I believed we would both protect the village hand in hand and I could sleep easily knowing that you were here if anything happened to me."
The kage fell silent.
Danzo was silent as he listened to the Hokage. "Hiruzen. I- "
"Those days are long gone."
"Hiruzen. Let's be clear. You believe I had a hand in this. That's why you brought me here, isn't it?"
"Yes."
"I don't have the ability to do something like that. You saw to that a couple years ago."
"You are hereby placed on house arrest. I will have someone go through your finances and assets. If you interfere, resist or try to escape, I will declare you a traitor to the village."
The third and final memory was the ending of their clash a day ago.
"What's the point of asking me to surrender now? It won't make any difference. We've gone well past the point of return." Danzo asked his former friend with a strange tone.
"It makes all the difference! What you decide now will define your legacy. And… It will change how I feel about you."
Danzo was silent as he looked into Hiruzen's eyes. "I'll never become Hokage, will I?"
"No."
Hearing that single word from Hiruzen, Danzo finally let go of his resistance. His fingers loosened and his shoulders slumped. It was as if a great burden had been lifted off his shoulders and for the first time in a long time, Danzo felt free.
"It seems this war between us is coming to an end… I won't resist anymore, Hiruzen… You win."
—-
The Snake Sannin turned around and looked in the direction of his underground base. He contemplated the best ways to attack, get what he wanted and disappear.
'I need to find a way to get some of Tsunade's blood. Then I'll be able to escape with a reverse summon. Even if it's the Second Hokage, they won't be able to keep me here.'
With the confidence that the Leaf ninjas don't know about his special body and abilities, Orochimaru decided to confront them.
But just as he took a few steps forward his body froze.
Multiple paralysis curse seals spread throughout his body freezing him in his spot. Orochimaru sensed movement behind him and moved his eyes. He saw Danzo standing with a bleeding chest and a vengeful face. His body had turned slightly purple from the poison but the old Root commander still managed to stand.
Danzo took a step forward towards Orochimaru but even that seemed to take an enormous toll. "I… have done… so many unspeakable things…" He took another step towards his enemy as the Sannin struggled.
Orochimaru was furious. 'When did he place-' Suddenly he recalled the moment when Danzo gripped the snake connected to his body with both his hands. "Y-you…" 'Even with that pain and my poison running through him, he was able to place these seals on me?'
Danzo took his third and fourth step and got closer to the missing ninja of the Leaf. "I've ordered… the deaths… of so many… Both guilty and innocent… But all I ever wanted… was to protect the village my way."
The wounded Leaf ninja took a few more steps and reached the Snake Sannin.
Danzo had no emotion as he gazed at Orochimaru's furious face. "Self sacrifice… is a shinobi's duty. I will do what needs to be done…"
Orochimaru struggled and tried to muster as much chakra as he could to escape but it was impossible. He could only grit his teeth in anger as he looked at Danzo. "You…"
Danzo gazed into the serpentine eyes and had no mercy. 'Sarutobi. It's my time.'
"You forgot one very important thing, Orochimaru... I am Danzo Shimura of the Hidden Leaf. To protect my village and for the sake of the shinobi world, I can't let you live." In that very instant he pulled his shirt and a large seal appeared on his body. Black ink began pouring from Danzo's body and quickly covered everything around him.
'That jutsu?' Orochimaru's eyes widened as he saw that seal. "You old… bastard." He gritted his teeth and tried to escape as his body became more and more covered in sealing ink.
At that moment Danzo saw a figure move in the shadows. The next second he saw the face of the figure. It was his former teacher and the Second Hokage.
As he faced his teacher one last time, a small smile formed on Danzo's face. "Forgive me… For everything sensei…"
Tobirama looked at Danzo, the trapped Sannin and the sacrificial jutsu that was activated. He looked at his former student and a moment later his face slightly softened and he gave a small nod to the dying old man.
Seeing that, Danzo smiled and he felt peace in his heart. 'To guard the village, so many have gone before me… It's my turn now… Still… I wish I could have gotten the answer to one more question.'
He looked at the reanimated Tobirama and had a feeling that his old friend was watching. "Hiruzen… in the end… What do you think of me…? What was I to you…?"
A moment later the sealing jutsu expanded into a large ball and took everything within its confines into Danzo's body. Tobirama quickly used his teleportation jutsu and got clear of the jutsu range.
After several seconds the jutsu died down.
The only thing left was a large crater on the battlefield and the corpse of Danzo Shimura - A shinobi of the Hidden Leaf Village.
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Author's Note:
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