Chapter 84: Danzo Takes Action
The moment Sasuke's shadow was touched, the Nara-clan shadow technique user poured more chakra into the jutsu.
He could feel the violent struggle from the other end—like a beast from the deep caught in a net.
The stronger the shinobi, the more chakra and mental strength it took to restrain them with the Shadow Imitation Technique.
"This level of resistance… impressive. But this is the end!"
The user was confident in his clan's secret technique.
Fifteen seconds.
Sasuke wouldn't be able to move for fifteen seconds.
More than enough time for the others to decapitate him.
Under the control of the Shadow Imitation Technique, Sasuke stood frozen in place, sword poised mid-strike.
From both sides, two Root ninja charged in, kunai in hand, their blades glinting coldly under the moonlight.
Sasuke remained still, mid-swing, expression unreadable.
One of the Root ninja suddenly sensed something wrong.
Even though Sasuke was under control, the downward force pressing against his own blade had not lessened at all.
Crack.
Along the blade's fine fracture lines, the expertly forged katana suddenly shattered.
Fragments of metal scattered in all directions, reflecting scarlet Sharingan eyes in the moonlight.
"Die!"
One of the Root ninja growled as a kunai pierced what he believed to be Sasuke's throat, blood spraying like a fountain. The other struck the heart, feeling the flesh go still beneath his blade.
They exchanged glances—
and let out relieved smiles.
But then they paused.
Why did their bodies feel so weak?
Shouting echoed in their ears.
Their comrade's voice—
"Stop! What are you doing?!"
The two ninja blinked in confusion—
and realized with horror that the kunai in their hands were embedded in each other's chests.
Blood trickled down their arms, dripping onto the floor.
Close by, Sasuke stood, completely unscathed, mocking expression on his face, his crimson Sharingan spinning slowly.
"We didn't even look him in the eye… Was it the reflection? When the blade shattered?"
The two collapsed, unwilling and in disbelief.
They had the numbers advantage.
They were elite Root agents, trained in brutal combat, conditioned to kill even their comrades if ordered.
And yet they fell this easily.
Was this the power of the Uchiha?
This… was a true genius.
"Attack now!"
The Nara shouted.
His Shadow Imitation was still in effect. All they needed was one more strike to finish it.
The ninja whose blade had been broken gritted his teeth and gripped the hilt. Chakra coated the shard like a razor edge. Eyes closed, he swept the blade toward Sasuke's neck.
A second later—
he felt his head float upward.
When he opened his eyes, the world had flipped upside down.
Then everything faded to black.
Did… did my head just get cut off?
The shadow-user's pupils shrank. "Impossible! You broke free of my Shadow Imitation?!"
Sasuke glanced at him, inhaling deeply.
He steadied himself.
He hadn't expected the first ninja he would kill to be a fellow villager.
Techniques like the Shadow Imitation relied on yin chakra—spirit-based energy. The higher one's mental resistance, the harder it was to control them.
Sasuke's mind had been fortified ever since he acquired the Sarina's Soul purple accessory set to resist Itachi's Tsukuyomi.
His mental resistance was abnormally high.
He could break free almost instantly.
Letting them think they still had control… had been a trap to draw the others in close.
In just five minutes—
Three injured. One dead. Only the shadow-user remained, and he was no match for Sasuke alone.
Root agents weren't shaken by the death of comrades. Death was routine.
What they feared… was disappointing Danzo.
At that moment—
Sasuke sensed a powerful chakra quickly approaching.
He looked up and saw a black figure standing atop the thick branches of a towering tree.
Wind Style: Shuriken.
Two wind-charged shuriken spun through the air, surrounded by sharp wind currents, flying at extreme speed.
Cursefire Armor.
Sasuke didn't have time to dodge. He summoned black flames that surged across his body, forming a dark armor.
Zzzzzzz!
The shuriken cut into the armor like buzz saws—managing to tear through where even Vacuum Sphere had failed.
But it gave Sasuke enough time to react—
He jammed his sword into the gap in the shuriken and deflected both away.
Boom!
After slicing through the Cursefire Armor, the remaining force still split two thick tree trunks in half.
"Uchiha Sasuke."
Danzo stood shrouded in shadow, looking down at Sasuke with a face full of disdain.
He glanced at the ruined lab, then at the fallen Root agents.
"You've killed your own villagers. What punishment do you think you deserve?"
Sasuke watched him warily. "They attacked me first. Am I guilty for defending myself?"
He recognized this man.
Danzo Shimura—a senior advisor in Konoha.
The man Kabuto had told him about—leader of Root.
And possibly the co-conspirator, or even mastermind, behind the Uchiha clan's annihilation.
The thought filled him with rage, but his face remained calm.
He wasn't like Naruto—
the more furious he became, the more composed he needed to be.
Especially when facing an opponent who wouldn't let him leave alive.
He checked his mission scroll.
Mission: Destroy the Underground Lab – Complete.
Reward: Soul Scroll had been added to his inventory.
"Even the Cursefire Armor couldn't stop his jutsu…"
Sasuke had tested it himself—
standard Konoha flak jackets gave 3 defense.
Elite guards in the daimyō's court, wearing full armor, reached 6.
His armor surpassed all of that.
Even a jonin shouldn't be able to break through so easily.
Which meant… this man was beyond jonin.
A Kage-level shinobi.
Someone who could take on thousands single-handedly—one of the Five Kage.
"You stole research data from a village facility. They were loyal ANBU. Of course they tried to detain you."
Danzo quickly sized up the situation.
Or rather, even if he hadn't, he would've used this excuse.
"Uchiha Sasuke has killed ANBU agents. Your crime is unforgivable. I will now wipe out the last of the evil Uchiha bloodline!"
He hadn't expected the Uchiha brat to stumble upon Lab No. 9.
Just as his teacher had said—
the Uchiha were a cursed, evil clan.
If he hadn't arrived in time, classified intelligence would've been leaked.
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