"Kakuzu. Sasori."
Seeing the figures surrounding him from all sides, even Danzo's composure faltered. And then, all at once, a chilling realization struck him.
'Could it be… that earlier explosion was also to set this up?'
Gazing at the mushroom cloud still lingering in the distance, for a moment Danzo felt as if he had been played.
With such a massive blast, the villagers would surely rush to investigate. Which meant here—
"But to think you could kill me? You're not worthy!"
Danzo suddenly roared, tearing his robes apart to reveal the pallid half of his body.
At the same time, he swiftly released the seal on his right arm. One by one, scarlet Sharingan began to open.
In just an instant, one of the eyes closed silently—while Danzo's body slipped free from the air itself, reappearing in his former position.
"Izanagi, is it? What a shame, to see Sharingan wasted on you."
At that moment, space twisted. A masked figure emerged quietly from the distortion.
"And to use that technique in front of me—are you serious?"
"Uchiha Obito…"
Danzo's expression grew darker still. Against the Uchiha, this jutsu carried no secrets.
"Shimura Danzo."
Nagato's hoarse voice sounded low and steady, his gaunt face locked on Danzo. In the depths of his Rinnegan surged a seething hatred.
"What you and Hanzō did back then… it's time to settle that debt."
"We won't take long—after all, Hanzō has been waiting for you a very long time."
"Your life belongs to me!"
...
"Damn it, so you're the one behind this mess, huh?"
"It wasn't me! No—no, not just me! How can you accuse me like this, uh!"
"Lies! You're the only one here. Come with us to see Hokage-sama!"
"I object! It wasn't only me—someone else ran away! He ran!"
On the other side of Konoha, just beyond a secluded training ground, Kitagawa Gen crouched in the trees, peering out at the bedraggled Deidara being pinned down by ANBU.
He swept his gaze around at the crowd of Konoha shinobi that had filled the area and let out a faint sigh.
"Iwagakure's education system really is worse than Konoha's. To stir up chaos in someone else's village—truly…"
The explosion had caused quite an uproar. For the moment, Konoha was on edge, every shadow like a hidden threat.
Normally, things would not have escalated like this.
But for the sake of obtaining complete Dust Release information, Kitagawa Gen hadn't hesitated in the slightest.
Of course, that was also because it had been Deidara using Dust Release.
If it had been Ōnoki, he would have chosen to flee with Flying Thunder God without a second thought. But Deidara was still lacking by comparison.
So he had acted decisively: activating Sage Mode and countering with his current "strongest" technique—
And in that clash, he had taken the chance to fully experience the sensation of Dust Release condensed in its entirety.
"Now… I'm certain I can go back and condense it properly. When Ōnoki arrives, it'll be enough to make him choke with rage."
Paying no mind to Deidara still shouting his innocence, Kitagawa Gen smoothed down the collar of his upright coat.
Once he confirmed no one had spotted him, he triggered the Flying Thunder God Technique and returned home.
Dropping heavily onto his bed, he began recalling everything that had just happened—the surge of that explosive power still echoing in his mind.
Especially the image of three different chakra natures weaving and fusing together, replaying again and again in his thoughts.
"That's it!"
Raising his hand sharply, in an instant three streams of chakra roared within his palm. Obedient and precise, the three streams followed his will without resistance.
Slowly, they began merging together according to Kitagawa Gen's intent.
[Buzz—]
Almost immediately, he felt the chakra inside his body surging wildly.
It gathered ceaselessly, condensing into the Bloodline Elimination he sought to forge.
At that very same moment, his own bloodline began to boil once more!
"The intensity… it's far greater than when I condensed a Bloodline Limit before."
"And… why does it feel like my perception of space is growing sharper again? Even the Dragon Vein…"
As his blood boiled, he could clearly sense his control over spatial forces breaking through another barrier.
Perhaps now he could even attempt Amenotejikara, or possibly Yomotsu Hirasaka.
And the Dragon Vein—linked to the power of time itself—what once had been only a faint sensation was now becoming vividly clear!
"The blood of the Ōtsutsuki… no matter how many times I reflect on it, it's still so unbelievable."
Kitagawa Gen couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Yet at that moment, his system suddenly flickered to life!
[Side Quest Completed: Art is an Explosion—Boom]
[Reward Obtained: Danzo's Unique Yang Release]
"Danzo? Unique Yang Release?"
Staring at the prompt, Kitagawa Gen was stunned.
Danzo's unique Yang Release—that was the power of Senju Hashirama, the Asura chakra already gone but his vitality still overflowing!
For him now, such a reward was certainly something to celebrate. But the problem was—
"Wasn't I fighting Deidara? How did Danzo's reward pop out of nowhere?"
"Did the system glitch out?"
"Or… does this mean Danzo is already dead?"
Kitagawa Gen was still puzzled, unsure what was truly going on.
Meanwhile, within the forest at the edge of Konohagakure, the members of Akatsuki, together with Orochimaru, stood before the lifeless corpse of Shimura Danzō. None of them felt regret—only satisfaction.
At last, he was dead!
"What a troublesome bastard."
Recalling the recent battle, although they had held an overwhelming advantage—both in combat strength and in intelligence—dealing with someone like Shimura Danzō had been anything but simple. Especially when they had to keep him from being utterly obliterated.
"But in the end, it wasn't without reward."
Nagato and the others were quite satisfied with the outcome. Uchiha Obito, however, wore a face twisted in fury.
"Damn bastard… he actually… he actually—"
Shimura Danzō's arm had been studded with Sharingan. In order to preserve them, Obito had naturally chosen the most secure method.
When the right moment came, he severed Danzō's arm clean off.
But it was as if Danzō had already foreseen his fate. He pretended to trigger the Reverse Four Symbols Seal, intending to drag them all into death with him.
He had indeed wanted to go through with it, but Orochimaru saw through his ruse and countered it, even binding his heart with Earth Grudge Fear.
Even so, it bought him a brief moment—just enough time to do one last thing.
To destroy Uchiha Shisui's eye. He would never leave it to Uchiha Obito.
Obito's hands trembled with rage, but he had no choice but to swallow his fury whole, grinding his teeth in silent hatred. He loathed Danzō to the very core.
"Now then… it's time we divided the spoils, isn't it?"
Though Obito's teeth clenched in anger, Kakuzu and Sasori were delighted—they had obtained exactly what they wanted.
"But before that," Sasori said, excitement flashing in his eyes, though his gaze shifted toward Orochimaru, "there seems to be one other matter we need to resolve."
"This rotten snake has already betrayed us, hasn't he?"
"Tsk, tsk… are you certain you want to put it that way?"
Orochimaru licked his lips and gave a rasping laugh. Nagato interjected before matters could escalate.
"For now, he's cooperating with us. I doubt he'll make any reckless moves."
"But of course."
Orochimaru nodded. He had originally considered looking for additional allies, but at this point, it hardly seemed necessary.
"I don't know the exact results you're seeking, but our goals align. More importantly, I can solve the problem you're facing right now."
"Oh? And what problem do you think we're facing?"
Kakuzu looked at him with amusement, but Orochimaru only gave a calm shake of his head.
"You clearly need Danzō's body for something. For example—Sasori would want to turn him into a puppet, wouldn't he?"
"Careful, snake… do you have a death wish?"
Sasori's brow twitched, but Orochimaru remained utterly composed.
"I have something to do right now. No need to be alarmed. It will benefit us all."
As he spoke, he walked over to a Root member who was still clinging to life. Forming a string of hand seals, Orochimaru struck.
In the next instant, the Root shinobi let out a scream of agony, his body instantly engulfed by endless sheets of cursed paper.
While the others had been battling Danzō, Orochimaru had already been quietly collecting materials, preparing the groundwork for what he intended to do next.
He didn't care if they saw the hand seals. As long as they didn't understand the core, they could never replicate Edo Tensei.
Besides, what he was summoning now was nothing more than a defective version.
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