Thud!
Thud!
The heavy, rhythmic pounding echoed through the secret chamber, like a giant hammering a war drum. With each strike, boiling white plasma rippled violently, sending waves of energy through the air.
The oppressive sound gnawed at Danzō's nerves, his heartbeat syncing unnaturally with the drumming. For every ten beats of his own heart, the deep, resonant thud came once—an irregular, suffocating rhythm. The scorched scent in the air clung to his throat, making each breath feel like drowning.
Before he could steady himself, the figure submerged in the lightning began to rise. The ripples expanded, and slowly, a girl emerged from the crackling plasma.
Now, Danzō could see her clearly.
Tall, yet not slender—her frame carried a subtle fullness. She wore a pure black robe, unblemished by any other color, making her jade-like skin glow in contrast. As she ascended, tendrils of blue-purple lightning coiled around her body, erupting in violent sparks.
The flashes were blinding. In the dim chamber, the searing light forced Danzō to shield his eyes.
Just two bursts were enough to leave his vision swimming, tears stinging his eyes. He pressed his left hand over his covered eye, the Mangekyō Sharingan beneath the bandages flickering open.
But the light only intensified.
A vast, endless sea of purple flooded his vision.
Gulp.
His throat moved involuntarily. The fury he'd felt at being stopped at the entrance had vanished, replaced by sheer, bone-deep terror.
Three times… five times… ten times…
His Mangekyō trembled as it measured the chakra before him.
At least twenty times his own.
He had never sensed such overwhelming energy—not even in the Tailed Beasts.
Just how much has she grown in these five years?
Has she… reached the threshold of the God of Shinobi?
As his thoughts spiraled, a pale red barrier rose, veiling the chakra sea. The blinding light dimmed, and after a long moment, Danzō finally lowered his hand.
The girl—now clad in a white kimono—stood before him. Her long, silver hair coiled itself into an elegant updo, and the mysterious mark on her forehead pulsed faintly with residual violet light.
Hikari, now devoid of her earlier divine aura, smiled warmly at him.
Five years had passed, yet her features had changed little—only softened, shedding the last traces of childhood. Her once cold, razor-sharp demeanor had melted into something gentle, radiant.
"Teacher Danzō, what brings you here?"
Her voice was like sunlight.
And that terrified him more than any killing intent ever could.
"You've… changed greatly," Danzō muttered, unable to mask the wariness in his tone.
Though he had spent these years adapting to his new arm and mastering Wood Release, he had still summoned Hikari and Torune occasionally to assess Root's affairs.
But this transformation was sudden.
Two years ago, after noticing anomalies within Root, she had become… different.
More smiles. A gentler presence. That red barrier, impervious even to the Sharingan's gaze.
And now, this monstrous chakra.
But the real problem was Kotoamatsukami.
His right eye narrowed, the four-pointed pinwheel spinning rapidly.
The Mangekyō's power surged—an invisible force lancing through Hikari's barrier, worming its way toward her mind.
Crack.
Like shattering glass, the genjutsu dissolved before it could take hold. No matter how he willed it, his control slipped away like mud through fingers.
Kotoamatsukami… had failed.
The "Unrivaled Illusion," the strongest genjutsu of the Uchiha, was useless against her.
Hikari's smile deepened as she watched Danzō's face darken.
Within her mind, she swiftly redirected the intercepted genjutsu into a hidden Sharingan in her palm. The three tomoe twisted, morphing into the same four-pointed pinwheel, storing the stolen power.
Root and ANBU had their fair share of stubborn loyalists—hardened warriors who would die for Danzō. Without his "generous donations" of Kotoamatsukami's power, she wouldn't have been able to turn them.
For years, Danzō had holed up in Root's underground base, obsessed with his experiments.
His survival instincts were sharp, and destroying Kotoamatsukami by killing him prematurely would've been a waste. Besides, with her strength and influence growing exponentially, she had no reason to rush.
Thanks to Torune's efforts and her Yang Release clone's research, Root had long since changed hands.
The balance of power between her and Danzō had flipped entirely.
"I owe my progress to your guidance, Teacher. I'm truly grateful."
She meant every word.
Danzō had been instrumental in her rise.
And to repay him, she had prepared a grand funeral—a spectacle worthy of his legacy.
How merciful of me.
The mere thought of the execution she had planned sent a thrill through her.
Danzō's skin prickled under her smile.
His muscles locked, primal fear screaming in his nerves. The instincts honed through decades of life-or-death battles blared like alarms. For a moment, he even forgot why he had come.
Seeing his pallor, Hikari suppressed her aura further, the flesh-seals woven into her body tightening their grip.
Only then did Danzō's tension ease slightly.
Three years ago, her Sage Body had entered its second stage.
Along with surging chakra and vitality, her body temperature had skyrocketed—70°C at rest.
And when she moved?
Her blood boiled.
Literally.
Yet it didn't harm her. In fact, the hotter she burned, the stronger she became.
Even her breath could scald flesh, her mere presence invoking primal dread in all living things.
Like prey before a predator.
At first, she hadn't realized the effect—until people began avoiding her.
A single glance, a word, and they froze.
Weaklings collapsed outright. Even elite jōnin like Kakashi and Guy tensed like cornered animals.
So she sealed it away.
And learned to soften it with kindness.
But anger? Malice?
That only amplified it.
She had lost herself in the euphoria of Lightning Release training, forgetting to hold back.
And standing so close to Danzō while imagining his funeral… well.
No wonder he had been petrified.
"Did you need something, Teacher?"
Now that he had calmed, she saw no reason to linger. Guy had promised her a feast to make up for missing her graduation.
And feasts—like Lightning Release training—were best enjoyed in person.
"N-No, I just… heard—"
Danzō's voice faltered. His limbs still felt weak, the terror lingering. But he was no greenhorn.
With sheer will, he forced composure.
"Have you noticed anything unusual in Root lately?"
Hikari nearly laughed.
He's so desperate he's asking me now?
"I'm usually training here. For missions, I just deploy. You should ask Torune."
Danzō's eye twitched at her dismissiveness, but the memory of that chakra ocean kept his temper in check.
"Investigate—"
"Sorry. Starting tomorrow, I won't have time for Root." She cut him off without hesitation. "In case you missed it, I've graduated."
Without waiting for a response, she strode past him.
Foxfire, waiting outside, bowed and followed as shadows swallowed them both.
---
"Keep watching Danzō."
"Yes!"
In the narrow halls of Root, silent operatives lined the path, heads bowed as Hikari passed.
Foxfire hesitated.
"Why provoke him? Why not kill him now?"
The ambush had been prepared. The Nara brothers were ready.
Yet she had let him live.
Hikari didn't turn.
"Torune says ANBU still has Danzō's loyalists—sleeper agents even he doesn't know. Landmines waiting to blow."
A cold smile curled her lips.
"Anger him enough, and he'll summon them all to kill me."
"Then we purge them all at once."
Foxfire's eyes widened in understanding.
Hikari's gaze swept over the gathered Root operatives as she ascended.
With each step, her shadow grew.
More joined her. Their silhouettes stretched along the walls like a forest of blades.
"Danzō has a genjutsu—Kotoamatsukami. It brainwashes. From now on, pair up. If one falls under it, the other wakes them up."
"YES!"
Voices thick with hatred rose behind her.
Hikari's smile was beatific as she stepped into the light.
This was the true power of Kotoamatsukami.
To conquer without fighting.
---