The entire Konoha was now almost completely engulfed in the flames of war.
Leaving aside the two battlefronts on the village's outskirts, and even the third battlefield centered around the conference hall, the chaos caused by the traitorous Sand ninjas, the rogue Konoha ninjas led by the Inuzuka and Aburame clans, and the Guard Division under Shimura Kiyoto had already turned the village into a complete mess.
Although Konoha's forces weren't weak, with Kisame and Itachi lending their support, they seemed significantly outmatched.
However, the true core of this battle wasn't here—it was underground, in the Root headquarters.
"Damn it! Damn it!"
"Damn Akatsuki! I'll make them pay!" Danzo roared furiously, his usual composure seemingly shattered in this moment.
He couldn't understand—he had accounted for everything, so why had it come to this?
"You want to make Akatsuki pay? With just you?" Deidara's clone entered the room alongside Kakashi and Orochimaru.
The Root guards stationed outside to intercept them were nothing more than a joke to opponents of their caliber—mere trifles to deal with.
"Hmph!"
"Orochimaru, Deidara, Kakashi—you think you've already won?" Danzo sneered coldly.
"And why not?" Deidara spread his hands. "Why don't you tell me how we could possibly lose?"
"You'll soon pay for your arrogance," Danzo said, his single eye glinting coldly. Deep inside, he still held onto a shred of confidence.
This confidence, of course, stemmed from Shisui's Kotoamatsukami.
Unlike Itachi's version, his Kotoamatsukami didn't have a permanent genjutsu effect, but it possessed an advantage that the other eye did not: flexibility.
The cooldown time was determined by the extent of the alteration and the strength of the target. The lighter the alteration and the weaker the target, the shorter the cooldown.
Of course, using it for major alterations, like what he did with Tsunade last time, coupled with her own formidable strength, resulted in a longer cooldown.
But no matter how long, it wouldn't reach the exaggerated ten-year limit. Moreover, with the assistance of Hashirama's cells, his Kotoamatsukami had already recovered!
Though using it here would cancel the effect on Tsunade—since he could only anchor one target at a time—Danzo reasoned that in this life-or-death moment for Konoha, Tsunade would likely still choose to protect the village even if the genjutsu was lifted.
As for what would happen afterward, he'd deal with it later.
Danzo's gaze swept over the three before him. Deidara was a clone, so Kotoamatsukami was useless against him. That left Kakashi and Orochimaru.
Between the two, Orochimaru was undoubtedly the better choice—he was stronger, and using Kotoamatsukami on Kakashi carried the risk of unforeseen complications due to his Sharingan.
"Heh heh!" Orochimaru licked his lips, a mocking smile playing on his face. "Danzo, judging by that look in your eye, are you planning to use Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan?"
"Think carefully. We came prepared today. If anything goes wrong when you use it, you won't get a second chance."
What?!
Danzo's body stiffened. How could they possibly know about Kotoamatsukami?
Despair began to creep into his heart. Could it be that today, he truly wouldn't escape death?
No! Impossible!
He still had Izanagi! That was his ultimate trump card, known to no one!
"Then die!" Deidara pressed his hands to the ground. "C2 Special Type: Myriad Snake Net Formation!"
Countless clay white snakes surged forth, instantly filling the entire underground space.
Orochimaru hesitated, retracting his hand and shooting Deidara an annoyed look. He raised his right hand, aiming at Danzo. "Hidden Shadow Snake Hands—"
"Clay Serpent Hands!" Deidara's clay snakes struck first, lunging toward Danzo. However, while Danzo might not have been the strongest, he wasn't so weak as to falter against such a simple technique.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Wave!"
Sharp air blades sliced through the clay snakes, cutting them in two. Danzo leaped to higher ground, barely avoiding the seemingly endless clay snakes writhing on the ground.
"Wind Release: Drilling Air Bullet!"
A chakra-infused wind sphere shot out, slamming into the ground below and obliterating a large number of clay snakes, temporarily clearing an area.
At this moment, more Root members began to arrive. These ninjas had been stationed at the Root base to guard classified information and research.
Normally, they weren't allowed to leave their posts, but given the dire situation, they had no choice but to join the fray.
"Lord Hokage!"
"Lord Hokage!"
Seeing the eight Root ninjas standing protectively before him, Danzo's tension eased somewhat. These were elite members of Root, capable of making a significant impact.
"You will hold off Deidara and Orochimaru. Leave Kakashi to me," Danzo quickly devised a strategy, aiming to take down the weakest opponent first and gradually diminish the enemy's strength.
"Lord Hokage, why not start with Orochimaru?"
"After all, last time, he was defeated by you in a single move. Shouldn't we eliminate him first this time?" one of the Root ninjas asked, puzzled.
Danzo: "..."
What's wrong with you? Are you new here? In Root, all you need to do is follow my orders. Why are you questioning me?
"Shut up! Follow the plan!" Danzo barked.
Hearing this, the eight Root ninjas immediately launched their attack. In such a confined space, with Deidara being a clone and needing to consider his teammates, dealing with the eight of them wasn't easy.
Of course, if Deidara didn't have to worry about collateral damage, he could have just blown up Danzo along with them.
"Orochimaru, why are you just standing there?"
"Don't tell me you're sulking?" Deidara sighed in exasperation. Was Orochimaru really that petty, just because he had shown off his clay snake art?
"Heh, how interesting," Orochimaru muttered, holding a clay white snake in his hand as if studying it.
It was as though this simple clay snake held a secret more enticing than immortality itself.
Deidara sighed again. "Fine, I get it."
"Ha!"
Thousands of clay white snakes detonated in succession. However, because each explosion was relatively weak and limited to the ground, the Root ninjas easily evaded them.
Deidara retreated behind Orochimaru and gestured toward him. "Your turn."
Seeing Deidara's tact, Orochimaru finally snapped out of his sulk. He bit his thumb lightly and slammed his hand onto the ground.
"Summoning Technique!"
Two giant snakes appeared—not as massive as Manda, but still formidable. After all, Manda's size wouldn't fit in this confined space.
Hiss!
One of the snakes lunged at a Root ninja, who quickly retreated while his comrade launched a jutsu to provide cover.
Unfortunately, while the ninja dodged the first snake, he failed to evade the second.
Orochimaru's absurdly elongated neck stretched out, retrieving the ninja like prey. By the time the ninja was brought back, he was already lifeless.
Eight Jōnin weren't enough to hold off Orochimaru for long.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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