Hearing Hoshiyomi's words, Danzō's face turned as black as the bottom of a pot.
"Sharp-tongued brat. I'll cut out your tongue in a moment and see if you can still be so arrogant."
As he spoke, Danzo didn't bother to hide anything—he directly tore off the bandage over his left eye. Hoshiyomi already knew he had a three-tomoe Sharingan, so rather than conceal it, Danzo might as well use it to sharpen his reflexes.
Seeing Danzo's readiness to fight, Hoshiyomi's mind became more certain— This old dog must have already transplanted Hashirama's cells—and he probably hasn't realized the side effects yet. Otherwise, he wouldn't be acting so brazen.
With that thought, Hoshiyomi looked at Danzō all the more as if he were nothing but a clown.
To be honest, even if Danzō had transplanted Hashirama's cells with zero side effects, Hoshiyomi would not be afraid. The cells' effects were indeed broken—superhuman recovery, expanded chakra reserves—but that was all.
Thinking such enhancements could bridge the gap to Hoshiyomi was pure fantasy.
As for those Yamato-level "greening" Wood Release techniques—maybe they had some special uses against tailed beasts, but against Hoshiyomi? Not even worth mentioning.
Hoshiyomi understood this clearly. But Danzō, lost in the illusion of his newfound power, still thought himself unstoppable.
Pulling off the bandage from his left eye, Danzō gave a smug smile.
"Let me show you with my actions—I am no longer the man I once was."
As he spoke, he quickly formed hand seals:
"Wood Release: Tree Bind Eternal Burial!"
The ground beneath Hoshiyomi's feet shook violently. Several massive vines burst forth, weaving together, attempting to forever imprison him inside.
Watching the surging Wood Release beneath him, Hoshiyomi gave a mocking laugh.
"Wood Release? This is the trump card that made you bold enough to strike at me? To desecrate the First Hokage's remains and transplant his cells—this is your so-called way of 'loving Konoha,' as its Hokage's advisor and shadow?"
Danzō's face was thick as ever. Seeing Hoshiyomi standing still without dodging, he poured even more chakra into his Wood Release while retorting:
"As long as I can protect Konoha—eliminate unstable elements like you—then anything is worth it!"
"Having a face as thick as yours must be a special kind of art form," Hoshiyomi replied.
Danzō, unfazed by the mockery, replied coldly:
"Say whatever you like. I've never cared about the words of the dead."
Just as the vines at his feet began to take full shape, Hoshiyomi slid his blade back into its sheath, lowering into a battōjutsu stance. With a shift in his chakra, his chakra nature became purely fire.
He lowered his body, and just a moment before the vines completely obscured his view, he drew his sword in a flash.
Blazing Flame Draw Slash!
The wooden vines that had enveloped Hoshiyomi had no time to contract before they were shattered by a massive ring of fire.
The fiercely burning ring of sword energy not only tore the vines apart but also carried a wave of scorching heat that forced Danzō to retreat step by step.
The so-called 'Eternal Burial' became a joke. Having broken free, Hoshiyomi kicked aside a charred piece of vine and spoke to a grim-faced Danzō not far away:
"I'll give you one last piece of advice—use less Wood Release. That way, maybe you'll live a little longer. And honestly, a Wood Release of this level is an embarrassment to the First Hokage."
Seeing his Wood Release cut apart, Danzō's expression twisted with frustration. As if still unwilling to give up, he raised his hand and unleashed another Wood Release.
Wood Release: Great Forest Technique!
In an instant, Danzō's right arm transformed into numerous wooden vines that twisted and tangled, attempting to bind Hoshiyomi.
But Hoshiyomi only shook his head. Activating his Shunpo, he easily dodged the entanglement. With several casual slashes of Mikazuki Munechika, the vines were severed into chunks of dead wood.
"Honestly, I really can't understand your goal," Hoshiyomi said. "The old man hasn't treated you badly, has he? He made you a Hokage Advisor, put you in charge of the Anbu... Even after all that, you're still not satisfied?"
Hearing Hoshiyomi's question, Danzō gave a cold snort:
"Hiruzen? He's too soft. He was never worthy of that seat. If I were the one leading Konoha, the village would be many times more prosperous and powerful than it is now.
Once I finish you off, Hiruzen will be next. Today, no one can stop me from taking that position."
Hearing these words, Hoshiyomi suddenly burst into loud laughter, clapping his hands enthusiastically as he laughed.
"Well said, Lord Danzō! Truly well said! What do you think, old man?"
The moment he heard Hoshiyomi's last words, Danzō's expression froze. He instinctively glanced around—only to see Hiruzen Sarutobi had silently appeared atop a section of the wall.
At that moment, Hiruzen stared at his old friend in disbelief. He could never have imagined that in Danzō's heart, he was held in such contempt.
Seeing the complex emotions on Hiruzen's face, Danzō was momentarily speechless.
"Hiruzen, let me explain…"
But no matter how he tried, he couldn't come up with a proper excuse. In the end, he could only glare furiously at Hoshiyomi and roar:
"You bastard! How dare you trick me into saying that!"
Hoshiyomi stopped his laughter and said coldly:
"You—disciple of the Second Hokage, advisor to Konoha, so-called 'shadow' of the village—you stole the Sharingan of your comrade Uchiha Kagami.
After failing to control me with it, you repeatedly leaked intelligence to Iwagakure and Sunagakure on the Land of Rain battlefield, attempting to use them to eliminate me.
When I foiled your every scheme, fearing for your own life, you returned to the village to steal Hashirama's cells, even going so far as to kidnap Nawaki, future head of the Senju clan, for your experiments.
After committing so many good deeds yourself, you dare to blame me for tricking you into talking? Lord Danzō, you really do know how to shift blame."
With Hoshiyomi laying bare all of his secrets in front of Hiruzen, even Danzō's notoriously thick skin flushed an ugly, purplish-red. He stammered:
"You... you're spouting nonsense! It was you who colluded with enemies on the battlefield, attempting to force your way into the Fourth Hokage's seat! I'll kill you now, you treacherous, heartless little traitor!"
"Enough!"
Before Hoshiyomi could retort, Hiruzen's thunderous shout cut through the air. His expression was a tangled mix of grief and fury as he looked at his old friend, unable to hide the disappointment in his eyes.
They had once been inseparable comrades, men who entrusted their backs to each other on the battlefield, brothers bound by life and death.
When had it all changed? When had the hot-blooded young man of those days turned into this?
Sarutobi Hiruzen was an extremely sentimental man. Even before witnessing this scene, he had already learned most of what Hoshiyomi mentioned from Tsunade.
But he had still clung to a final shred of hope, imagining that Danzō might have had his own difficulties, that he might have truly been trying to share Hiruzen's burdens.
But the scene that had just unfolded cruelly shattered Hiruzen's last illusion. He looked at Danzō, his heart feeling as if cut by a knife, and delivered his final decision:
"For the sake of our forty years of friendship, I won't strike you down today. But from this moment on, the ties between us are completely severed. Your life and death have nothing to do with me anymore."