Danzō never hesitated to assume the worst of the Uchiha clan.
He firmly believed that beneath their calm exterior lay a heart brimming with rebellion.
If it hadn't been for Hiruzen Sarutobi's hesitation—and the interference of Asakawa Kiyosuke—he, Shimura Danzō, would've wiped the Uchiha out long ago.
The man standing before him claimed to be a subordinate of Orochimaru… the vengeful spirit of the Uchiha clan.
But in truth, the jutsu this guy used had absolutely nothing to do with the Uchiha.
Who was he really?!
How many people in the ninja world possessed this kind of power?
As he pondered, Kiyosuke charged forward. Suddenly, his body froze mid-motion right in front of Danzō. Black curse marks crept across his entire body, sealing him in place, rendering him immobile.
Self-Cursing Seal!
This jutsu could immobilize the enemy—but only if the user had made physical contact beforehand. Without that, it couldn't activate.
"That's your fate!"
With those words, Danzō picked up a blade, aiming to stab Kiyosuke—only for the other man to suddenly open his mouth.
A snake shot out from inside and lunged at him.
"What?!"
Startled, Danzō slashed the snake's head off—
But that brief moment was all Kiyosuke needed to break the seal.
The chakra gap between them was far too wide. Even as a shadow clone, Kiyosuke's chakra completely overwhelmed Danzō. If not for the upcoming battle, Kiyosuke would've allocated even more chakra to this clone.
Freed from the bind, Kiyosuke gave Danzō no chance to escape.
Thud!
His fist punched straight through Danzō's body.
Then, like tossing out trash, he flung Danzō aside.
The corpse vanished.
And then revived.
Kiyosuke wasn't planning to reveal his identity just yet. Using his unique abilities too easily would make him far too recognizable.
Danzō stood once more in perfect condition. One of the Sharingan eyes on his arm had closed. He sighed.
"What terrifying power... Whoever you are, you're too dangerous to be allowed to leave this place."
"Wind Style: Vacuum Serial Waves!"
A barrage of sharp wind blades shot from Danzō's mouth, forming massive arcs in the blink of an eye.
Invisible and violent, they surged toward Kiyosuke like crescent moons.
"Water Style: Water Formation Wall!"
This time, he had to defend.
A wall of water surged up and blocked the wind blades.
The blades shredded the water wall apart, but slowed the impact.
"That hand sign... you're from Konoha!"
That unique sequence of hand signs—only Konoha shinobi knew it, and even then, very few.
Danzō couldn't be mistaken. That was a modified version of the Second Hokage Tobirama Senju's technique.
Only a select few could use it.
The man before him… was definitely from Konoha!
"Who knows?"
Kiyosuke smiled slightly.
Wind chakra gathered in his hand, forming into a blurred blade.
He lightly slashed the ground, leaving a deep mark, and said:
"You should know, Danzō, that the Water Formation Wall hand sign has long since been passed on by Orochimaru-sama. Quite a few people know it now."
"I don't believe it! That's not a technique just anyone can learn!"
"The point is, I did learn it. Hahahahaha!"
He burst into laughter.
Danzō roared in fury.
"Wind Style: Vacuum Great Sphere!"
A sphere of compressed wind chakra formed in front of him like a cannonball.
It launched toward Kiyosuke with overwhelming force, aiming to kill.
"Wind Style: Wind Reversal Technique!"
A technique that could deflect Wind Style jutsu—one Pakura had used once before. Kiyosuke had learned it from her while treating her injuries.
Now was the perfect time to use it.
By infusing more chakra than what powered the Vacuum Great Sphere, he rebounded Danzō's attack directly back at him.
Hit by his own jutsu, the cost was another Sharingan eye closing shut.
After a dozen seconds, Danzō reappeared.
Glancing at the Sharingan on his arm, he grit his teeth and turned to flee.
He couldn't win this fight.
He had to lure the opponent away and let Asakawa Kiyosuke handle it.
Only a fool would ignore such top-tier power and go in alone!
Unfortunately for him, what he didn't know was—
This was Konoha's strongest fighter, who had come here specifically during the Chūnin Exams to kill him.
After the exams, Hiruzen Sarutobi would retire, dead or alive.
By then, the Fifth Hokage would rise.
Danzō was sure to act up.
To prevent that—and ensure the Fifth Hokage and himself wouldn't be threatened— Eliminating Danzō now would save a lot of future trouble.
"You think you can run? Not that easy!"
Kiyosuke's legs tensed, then launched him forward.
He caught up in an instant.
The wind blade in his hand pierced Danzō straight through the back.
"Urgh!"
Danzō's body crumpled, dying on the spot.
Then revived again—
But somewhere else.
Sensing it immediately, Kiyosuke pursued without hesitation.
The two exited the Root base in quick succession.
Now that they were out in the open, a wider range of jutsu could be used.
Danzō immediately launched another Vacuum Great Sphere straight at his face.
He needed to make noise—only then could he draw people here.
"I'll finish you in five minutes."
Kiyosuke snorted.
In his hand, a spear of flame formed.
He hurled it with force.
It struck Danzō cleanly in the chest.
Danzō stared at the flaming spear embedded in him, eyes wide.
"Asakawa Kiyosuke?! You've got some nerve!"
Boom!
The chakra within the flaming spear erupted.
Danzō exploded like a firework.
"I've always been bold," Kiyosuke said with a twist of his neck.
"Councilor Danzō, for the sake of Konoha's future, 'Konoha's Darkness' has to die here."
"You bastard! Are you planning to kill me so you can secure the Hokage seat?!"
Danzō reappeared and roared.
"The Hokage seat? That's something only someone like you would obsess over. I've said before—What you desperately crave is trash to me. If I really wanted to become Hokage, the Third would retire immediately. Want to bet?"
Of course, he believed it.
Though he loathed to admit it, there was no one in Konoha more suited to be Hokage than Asakawa Kiyosuke.
Well—aside from himself.
"Enough talk, Elder Danzō. The village won't forget your contributions."
"Damn it! I've sacrificed so much for Konoha—how can a brat like you kill me?!"
"No worries. Even after you're dead, you'll keep on sacrificing. Anything that goes wrong—I'll blame it all on you."
"Danzō-sama, your name will be remembered by all in Konoha. So… rest in peace!"
Kiyosuke shot forward—
Faster than before.
Danzō's expression shifted dramatically.
In a flash, his head and body were split in two.
...
The battle continued.
Danzō kept dying.
Eventually, every Sharingan eye on his arm had closed shut.