Chapter 161: The Fivefold Demise of Danzo — A New Power-Up
"It's you…"
Shimura Danzo's expression turned dark as he stared at the man before him.
And when he saw Nagato's face—despite the clear changes over the years—he instantly recognized him!
"Did Hanzo of the Salamander sell me out to you?"
"Or… maybe Hanzo has already been dead for quite some time?"
A raspy chuckle came from the side. Orochimaru licked his lips, speaking with a hoarse amusement.
But inwardly, he was already considering making a swift retreat.
"This idiot Danzo… he actually sought out Hanzo of all people?"
Looking at the scene now, how could Orochimaru not realize he had been dragged into a trap?
Danzo, arrogant as ever, thought he could manipulate Hanzo—but did it never occur to him that Hanzo was long dead?
"And this guy… something feels off…"
Orochimaru eyed the red-haired, almost skeletal man warily. There was a strange eeriness about him. But one thing was unmistakable—those were definitely the Rinnegan.
"Hanzo is dead?"
Danzo's face stiffened. Nagato simply nodded.
"Yes, he died long ago. In fact, he died before you. But don't worry, you'll be joining him soon."
He paused, then slowly turned toward Orochimaru.
"It's been a long time, Orochimaru. I didn't expect you to be the other one he mentioned."
"I didn't expect they'd be stupid enough to find you," Orochimaru muttered, clearly uneasy. He knew firsthand just how terrifying the Rinnegan could be.
"You may be a traitor," Nagato said calmly, "but I'm curious—what exactly are you doing here?"
Without hesitation, Orochimaru answered, "Shimura Danzo."
Then, with a sly glance at Nagato, he added, "Though if you're thinking about expanding your scope a bit… perhaps I could be of assistance."
"Oh?"
Nagato raised a brow, showing a trace of interest.
In the past, he might've struck immediately. But after two harsh lessons, he had grown more cautious.
At the very least, he was now willing to listen.
"I don't know what your plan is," Orochimaru said, licking his lips again, "but whatever it is, Konoha won't be easy to deal with."
He was clearly trying to stabilize the situation—there was no way he believed Nagato was acting alone.
"Even putting aside the preparations for the Chunin Exams, there's that Kitagawa Gen kid. He's not someone you can handle lightly."
"I've suffered a major defeat at his hands. I couldn't even land a counterattack. That brat has definitely surpassed Minato Namikaze."
"If he's around, whatever you're planning will be much harder to execute."
"…Go on."
Nagato was silent for a moment, then urged him to continue.
Seeing this, Orochimaru didn't hesitate, "That's why I think we can cooperate. At least this once. After all, I know Konoha inside and out."
Just like that, the two began to converse openly, without any attempt to hide their intentions.
Nagato still wanted to kill Orochimaru—but he didn't fully trust Uchiha Obito either.
Orochimaru may be untrustworthy, but since he was already in Konoha, there was potential value in using him.
On the other side, Orochimaru had no loyalty to the Akatsuki. But now that he'd encountered them, this might be the perfect chance to set his "Collapse of Konoha" plan in motion—and have someone else take the blame.
Why wouldn't he seize the opportunity?
As long as he played it carefully, he believed he could escape Konoha unscathed.
"Bastards…"
Danzo clenched his fists. The way they casually ignored him enraged him.
How dare they look down on him like this?
But… being underestimated might not be a bad thing. It gave him a sliver of opportunity to escape.
"Still… is Konoha really the target of these maniacs?"
Danzo's face darkened.
Konoha was his village. Even in his seventies, he still believed he was the rightful Hokage.
But what caught his attention was something else—
"They're all afraid of Kitagawa Gen?"
He hadn't expected Orochimaru to speak so highly of the boy.
"In that case… if I can make it back to the village center…"
Thud—
Thud—
But just as that thought formed, he heard the heavy sound of something—or someone—collapsing behind him.
The noise… it sounded like bodies falling.
BOOM—
The next moment, an overwhelming surge of chakra burst forth behind him, accompanied by a thunderous roar.
Turning around, Danzo was stunned.
Countless ROOT shinobi had fallen to the ground!
"Lord Danzo… run…"
Aburame Torune lay on the ground, coughing up blood as he spoke.
Yamanaka Fū was thrown through the air, crashing hard to the ground. His body was covered in bruises and a disturbing purplish hue—clearly poisoned!
"What…?"
Suddenly, a sharp gust of wind whooshed behind him. Danzo instinctively spun around, kunai in hand to block the attack.
Bang!
He managed to parry in time, but his eyes widened in shock—it wasn't a weapon or jutsu that struck him… it was just an arm.
"You're pretty quick, huh?"
A figure shot forward, delivering a crushing kick to Danzo's chest.
His defenses collapsed instantly, and his body was sent flying backward.
"So you're Shimura Danzo?"
A cold, emotionless voice echoed again.
"I've heard of you. A master of Wind Release, right? I've been looking forward to meeting you. How about lending me your heart for a bit?"
"You—!"
Danzo tried to retort, but something alarmed him. He leapt back and quickly formed hand seals.
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
A fierce gale erupted, blowing away the kunai launched from the side. Only then did he see a red-haired figure step out of the shadows.
"Impressive Wind Release. Just what I was looking for."
The red-haired man stared at Danzo, face devoid of emotion.
"I heard you fought Elder Chiyo for years and almost always came out on top. I want your body. I'm curious how you did it."
"Kakuzu. Sasori."
Danzo's expression finally cracked as he saw himself surrounded. He began to panic—then it hit him.
"Wait… was that earlier explosion just a diversion?"
He glanced toward the distant mushroom cloud that still hadn't dissipated. A terrifying realization dawned.
"That blast… it drew the village's attention away from here."
"But you think you can kill me? Don't make me laugh!"
Danzo roared in anger. His robe burst open, revealing a pale, altered body beneath. He quickly released the seal on his right arm, revealing rows of blood-red Sharingan slowly opening.
In that instant, one of the eyes closed—and Danzo's body shimmered into existence a few feet away, untouched.
"Izanagi, huh? What a shame... wasting such powerful eyes like this."
Space distorted as a masked figure emerged from thin air.
"But using that technique in front of me—are you serious?"
"Uchiha Obito…"
Danzo's face darkened even more. Against an Uchiha, especially one like him, there were no secrets in his techniques.
"Shimura Danzo…"
Now it was Nagato's turn to speak. His gaunt face glared at Danzo, the Rinnegan in his eyes glowing with seething hatred.
"It's time to settle what you and Hanzo did all those years ago."
"He's been waiting in the afterlife for you for quite some time."
"Your life... is mine."
---
"Bastard! You're the one who caused the explosion, aren't you?!"
"Not me—well, not just me! Why are you arresting only me? Wait! HE RAN! That guy ran!"
---
Elsewhere in Konoha, just outside a secluded training ground…
Kitagawa Gen peeked through the bushes, watching Deidara—now covered in soot and restrained by the Anbu.
He sighed quietly as he scanned the crowd of Konoha shinobi swarming the area.
"Seriously… the Iwagakure education system might be worse than Konoha's. Pulling a stunt like that in someone else's village…"
The explosion had certainly caused chaos. Tensions in Konoha were now sky-high.
Under normal circumstances, it wouldn't have escalated this much. But Gen wasn't about to back down—he wanted to fully understand Dust Release, no matter what.
To be fair, it was Deidara's Dust Release, not Ōnoki's. If it had been Ōnoki, Gen would've immediately teleported away using Flying Thunder God.
But Deidara lacked that level of finesse.
So Gen had struck back immediately, entering Sage Mode and unleashing his strongest technique yet: Starfall: Rasengan.
During that clash, he carefully observed and absorbed everything about the fully formed Dust Release technique.
"Now I've got it. I can replicate it. When Ōnoki arrives, he's going to be livid."
Ignoring the still-protesting Deidara, Gen casually straightened his collar.
After confirming no one had seen him, he activated the Flying Thunder God and disappeared—teleporting straight home.
Collapsing onto his bed, he began replaying the experience in his mind. That surge of power, the chaotic fusion of the three chakra natures—it all echoed vividly in his memory.
"Yes… that's it!"
He thrust his hand forward, and instantly, three distinct chakra flows erupted in harmony. They swirled obediently in his palm, perfectly under his control.
Gradually, they began merging as he envisioned.
Buzz—
In an instant, a torrent of chakra surged within him.
The three chakras fused into one, condensing into a brand-new form of Kekkei Tōta (Bloodline Selection).
At the same time, he felt his bloodline boil again—stronger than ever.
"This is on a completely different level than any Kekkei Genkai I've formed before…"
Three-element fusion was indeed on another scale.
"Wait… why does it feel like my spatial awareness has improved again? Even the Ryūmyaku…"
As his bloodline awakened further, he could sense a dramatic leap in his control over space. He was beginning to grasp techniques like Amenotejikara and Yomotsu Hirasaka.
And the Ryūmyaku, tied to time itself—it was clearer to him now than ever before.
"The Ōtsutsuki bloodline… no matter how many times I feel it, it's always so… unreal."
Gen couldn't help but marvel inwardly.
But just then—his system interface pinged.
[Side Quest Complete: "Art Is an Explosion – Boom!"]
[Reward Earned: Danzo's Unique Yang Release Power]
"Danzo? Yang Release?"
He blinked.
Danzo's unique Yang Release… wasn't that derived from Hashirama's life force, without the Asura Chakra?
It was a rare and powerful enhancement—and for Gen, a highly valuable one.
But there was one issue.
"Wait a second… I was fighting Deidara. Why did I just get Danzo's reward?"
"Did the system glitch?"
"…or did Danzo just die?"
---