Chapter 470: Reverse Four Symbols Seal
As a military organization, certain procedures had to be followed. Although Jiraiya wanted to kill Danzō directly, he led his men over this time under the official pretext of an inquiry.
Of course, if Danzō were to put up a fight, that would be another matter entirely.
Meanwhile, in the labyrinthine tunnels of the Root headquarters, Ino intercepted Danzō's right-hand man, Fū Yamanaka.
"Brother Fū."
He bowed slightly. "Young Lady."
Fū Yamanaka looked at her, then at the dozens of Yamanaka clan ninja behind her, and asked, "Is the Young Lady's presence in Root today under the Hokage's orders?"
There was little tension between them. Ino spoke calmly, "Yes. I just discussed it with my father, Uncle Shikaku, and Uncle Chōza. The Ino-Shika-Cho have decided to uphold our past principles and stand with the Hokage."
"I was raised by the clan, but I am also Lord Danzō's subordinate. My apologies, Young Lady!" Fū Yamanaka attacked without hesitation. He drew the long sword from his back and, after a few quick steps in the narrow tunnel, thrust the blade toward Ino's heart.
Sparks flew as Ino parried the blow with a kunai.
He was several years older than her and a man; her current "Strength" stat of 6 gave her no advantage.
Fū Yamanaka put force into his arm, pressing the long sword down bit by bit. Ino held her kunai with one hand, freeing the other as a swirl of light-blue chakra gathered in her palm.
"Rasengan!"
Fū Yamanaka was a standard Jonin, well-rounded in ninjutsu, taijutsu, genjutsu, and his clan's secret techniques. The underground tunnel was too restrictive, and to save him some face, Ino feigned a struggle for a dozen or so moves before finally taking him down.
"Tie him up."
Two Yamanaka ninja stepped forward and bound Fū.
During their brief exchange, a large number of Root ninja had arrived, drawn by the commotion.
"By order of the Hokage, all of you, lay down your weapons and submit to an investigation!" Ino announced loudly.
Among the Root ninja, some surrendered, some fled, and naturally, some resisted.
The Yamanaka ninja each found an opponent, while Ino stood aside, watching without participating in the fight.
In another part of the underground tunnels, the Aburame father-son duo, Shibi and Shino, led their own clansmen to block off Torune Aburame.
Similarly, they went through the motions of a fight. Torune was captured, and the Aburame clan absorbed a portion of the Root ninja in the process.
However, the Aburame clan's influence couldn't compare to the Yamanaka's. Both were deputies, but Fū Yamanaka's influence was far greater than the low-profile Torune. When Fū made his call, several times more Root ninja ended up siding with the Yamanaka clan than with the Aburame.
They were all in the intelligence business. Joining the Yamanaka clan required no adjustment or retraining; they could start their duties immediately.
They just had to take off their black Root vests and gloves and switch to the dark gray uniforms, black belts, and black overcoats worn by Ibiki and Inoichi during the Chunin Exams. The color schemes of the two organizations were quite similar anyway.
The Yamanaka clan took the meat, and the Aburame clan got the soup. Over eighty percent of the Root ninja were absorbed by them.
Root hadn't quite reached the point of "releasing talent back into society," but its end was imminent, a fact everyone could see. The Tongue-Curse Seal wasn't brainwashing; the Root ninja would make their own choices.
The personnel trained by Danzō were elites. Every one they recruited was a gain.
Both the Yamanaka and Aburame clans were very satisfied.
At this moment, deep within Root headquarters.
With the successive captures of Fū Yamanaka and Torune Aburame, Danzō immediately realized that the village's leadership was coming for him.
Jiraiya wanted everything to follow procedure, but Danzō had personally orchestrated the Uchiha clan massacre. Judging others by his own standards, he assumed everyone's moral bottom line was as low as his. He himself was a man who disregarded rules and worried that others would do the same. He knew this was no time to wait for his fate.
Knowing that the ninja from the established clans among his subordinates were unreliable, he immediately took his remaining confidants—a dozen or so ninja including Sai—and retreated.
Kabuto had performed surgery on him. His original arm was left untouched, but four Sharingan had been transplanted onto Shin Uchiha's left arm. Then, the arm was chopped off like a carrot and attached to Danzō.
Now, both of Danzō's right and left arms were Shin Uchiha's. Four Sharingan on the left arm, four on the right, plus the one in his right eye socket, totaling nine Sharingan.
Kabuto's medical skills were sound, but his understanding of the Sharingan and Shin's constitution was limited. He could only fit four eyes onto one arm.
He had originally planned to use Kidōmaru as a model, cultivate more of Shin Uchiha's cells, and give Danzō a six-armed form. Unfortunately, there was no time.
A large number of ANBU entered Root. Danzō, now at full strength, led his trusted subordinates through a secret passage to escape. Kabuto, completely bewildered and unsure of what was happening, had no choice but to follow.
"Danzō! Where do you think you're going?" Tsunade blocked Danzō's group at the secret passage exit.
The interior and exterior of Root were covered with dense sealing talismans, undetectable by Byakugan or Sharingan. However, the Third Hokage had left behind many written records. No matter who became Hokage, they could use this information to control Danzō. Now, Jiraiya had sent people to block all of Danzō's possible escape routes.
"Tsunade, you alone are not enough to stop me," Danzō blustered, but in reality, he was letting his Root ninja buy him time while he ran as fast as he could.
Sai charged forward fiercely, and the remaining dozen or so Root ninja, raised by Danzō from a young age, silently unleashed various jutsu.
Tsunade was reluctant to use lethal force against fellow Konoha ninja and fought very conservatively.
She held back all the Root ninja, allowing Danzō to flee, only for him to be cornered by Jiraiya at the village gate.
Kabuto was completely on the sidelines. He wore a mask, so Jiraiya didn't know who he was, assuming he was a skilled ninja secretly trained by Root. Seeing his low fighting spirit, Jiraiya didn't complicate matters.
The conversation between the Fifth Hokage and the leader of Root did not go well.
They exchanged only a few words about the Daimyō's death before they started fighting. Danzō's body, mind, and spirit were far from their peak in his youth. Facing Jiraiya, renowned as a gallant hero, he was no match at all. After using Izanagi five consecutive times, the Hashirama cells in his body were once again on the verge of losing control. He had no choice but to use his ultimate trump card, the Reverse Four Symbols Seal.
"Don't push me any further, unless you want Konoha to be buried with me!" Danzō tore open his shirt, revealing the sealing formula on his chest.
Nearby, Kabuto, disguised as a Root ninja, looked on in horror. What is going on? If I say I'm just a passerby, will you believe me?
Jiraiya truly hadn't expected Danzō to have such a move.
Jiraiya's own sealing jutsu was not weak; he understood both the Four Symbols Seal and the Five Elements Seal. He had never used the Reverse Four Symbols Seal, but he knew the principle. They were standing at the main gate of the village. Sealing the entire village was an exaggeration, but sealing a third or a quarter of it was possible.
The situation instantly became a stalemate.
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