[Shimura Clan]
The next week, Danzo held a stage. The Shimura's central place had been turned into an arena, with the whole clan to see. Civilians like shinobi, all came to witness this grand showdown of force. For civilians, it was an opportunity to see superhuman feats, and the hero that had brought wealth and prosperity to their clans.
For the shinobi, it was much beyond that. It was a golden opportunity to witness a clash between the pinnacle of shinobi arts, and more precisely, of the Shimura Clan shinobi techniques.
Itoru, Yukiko and Byakuro wore their military outfits: samurai armours branded in the same colours as the Shimura clan: Black and dark red.
"As I have said, if you fail this test, you will be demoted to mere clan members, and you will lose all benefits associated with the status of elder", Danzo warned, "Now, show me the fruit of your training"
As soon as Danzo gave the signal, the arena turned silent. Dust swirled around Itoru as the chakra around him started to flare, following the commands of his seal. He was working towards a rather strong ninjutsu. Byakuro's calm temper allowed him to prepare a seal. Opening a scroll, a dozen kunai with tags appeared in his hands as he lied them around him. He was using one of the oldest Shimura formations: Shimura Dodecadon Seal [B]
Each kunai provided a stream of vertical chakra. Alone, each kunai was useless, but once in a decagon formation, it was one of the toughest barrier seal to exist, and even A-rank jutsu would be hard pressed to pierce through it.
Unfortunately, Danzo knew that this attack was only useful against enemies who did not know the purpose of the seal. Byakuro hoped to defend against Danzo's attacks, but besides the fact that he had mastered an S-rank jutsu, Danzo could just seal Byakuro's effectiveness in battle by putting another layer of the Shimura Dodecadon seal.
And that, he just did. In a flash, he summoned a scroll from a seal on his forearm, and sent the kunai, basically shielding Byakuro with another layer of protective seal, and at the same time, sealing his movements.
However, this had been a strategy of theirs.
As soon as he threw the kunai, a shadow flashed and a blade pointed at Danzo's throat. It was Yukiko, who had trained relentlessly in the past month, consuming as many body refinement serums [A] as she was allowed too. Though her naive and youthful appearance was replaced by that of a mature and strong swordsman, harsh side effects that Danzo had not managed to solve, her strength was a testament to the effectiveness of the drug.
Years of physical training would have never come close to the strength standards she was now in possession, and that was exactly what the serum was meant to do: To achieve more than what the lifespan could have been used for.
*CLANG*
The strike was perfect, and embodied the essence of the Shimura Kenjutsu Art truthfully. The raw strength and simplicity made it a fearsome B-rank kenjutsu art. With her chakra flaring, the attack was two-sided.
Had it been the old Danzo, who was an elite jonin but was on the lower hand of the elite jonin realm in terms of close combat, Yukiko would have gained the upper hand in seconds. However, Danzo had not only become a jinchuriki, which increased his vitality and chakra, he had also consumed body refinement serums and trained in close combat in the past month, using the elders' training as a way to solve his shortcomings.
He could not rival kage-level taijutsu experts just yet, but he believed he had reached the pinnacle of the elite jonin realm. In other words, his strength had reached the upper A-rank. Yukiko was surprised to see her blade parried, but using the erupting sparks as a diversion, she unleashed a flurry of thrust, probing for any weakness in Danzo's sword play.
"Predictable", Danzo roared as he deflected a thrust, his blade vibrating at tremendous speed and overpowering her arms. The blade did not stop here, and aimed at her torso.
*SPLASH*
The blade mercilessly slashed through her intestine, crippling her out of the fight.
Everyone gasped.
Among the crowd, many were the shinobi who trained in the Shimura Kenjutsu Art, and Danzo's action had shaken them. It figured neither in the archives, nor in the notes of the founder of the Shimura clan, who passed down thsi technique.
Shimura Kenjutsu Art - Futon Resonance [A]
It was a technique Danzo had come up with in the past month. Bridges could be broken from wind. Mountains could be eroded by the repetitive movements of wind. Once you found the frequency of resonance, power could be increased exponentially. Although Danzo failed to find a way to explore the resonance frequency of targets, his laboratory allowed him to find the frequency resonance of his own blade, the Shimura Whispering Katana [A], a treasure passed down from generations to generations, made of the highest-quality black steel.
Yukiko had reached the elite jonin realm. There was no doubt about that. It's just that attribute-wise and technique-wise, Danzo stood at the pinnacle of this realm, whereas she was just a beginner. The difference was massive.
Although the clashes had happened in seconds, it had allowed Itoru to unleash the jutsu he had been preparing for.
Futon no jutsu: Vacuum Sphere [A]
Rushing with a wind sphere in the palm of his hands, Danzo squinted. Itoru truly had talents. After all, after creating the jutsu, Danzo knew how difficult it was to condense wind in the palm of hands without blowing oneself up. Yet, under one month and tremendous pressure, Itoru had mastered this close-range jutsu, thereby solving his greatest weakness: close combat.
However, while this was dangerous, even for Danzo and his limitless vitality, there was no need for him to take it on frontally. Smiling, Danzo retrieved a shuriken from his back pouch and used the ninjutsu that was taught to all Shimura clansmen
Futon no jutsu: Vacuum shuriken [C]
Although it was only a C-rank technique, under Danzo's mastery, the jutsu looked as ominous as a B-rank jutsu. The density and razor-sharp wind around the shuriken was otherworldly.
A-rank jutsu were more powerful naturally, but Danzo did not target the vacuum sphere in the charging Itoru's hands. He targeted his thigh, and as expected, the speed of execution had been too fast.
*SPLASH*
His tendon severed, Itoru fell onto the ground. The vacuum sphere would have killed him, but right before Danzo controlled it with his mastery of wind jutsu, Byakuro had unsealed the two decagon formations, and rushed towards his fellow elder. Revealing sealing tatoos on his arms, he absorbed the massive chakra burst in his forearms, visibly at a stamina cost. Still, his uninjured body showed the potential of his action.
It had not even come close. Danzo had overpowered three elders, alone, without even displaying his jinchuriki reserves or S-rank techniques.
Yukiko bit her lips again, disappointed at her own defeat in kenjutsu. A bitter taste left her mouth, the taste of iron reminding her of her defeat. Itoru stood in the sparring ring, his once-pristine robes torn, his fists calloused and bloody. Byakuro's knelt on the floor, struggling to breathe.
Danzo surveyed his creations, but smiled: "Adequate," he declared, "You have worked hard"
The clan erupted in cheers—not for the elders, but for him. The man who'd turned merchants into warriors, doubters into zealots.
"FOR THE SHIMURA CLAN! FOR DANZO-SAMA!"
The general euphory did not stop here. The looks in the Shimura clansmen were almost deranged. Their opinion of Danzo rose day after day. In Danzo, they saw not just a leader. They saw a kage.
As the new moon rose, Danzo retreated to his study.
Scrolls littered his desk: blueprints for a subterranean laboratory extension, missives from the Fire and Oto Daimyo's courts, and a single, encrypted report from Hiruzen himself.
He smiled. The Shimura clan was no longer a pawn. It had become a central piece on the board, one that could influence the whole board.
"Yukiko"
"Yes, Danzo-sama? Name your order, and I will execute it to the best of my abilities"
"Summon the council elders. The time has come to take a stance"