As Yamanaka Inoichi hurried out to report to the Third Hokage, he happened to see the eight Root operatives Danzo had brought with him charging simultaneously at the solitary Uchiha Chizumi.
Four of those Root shinobi positioned themselves at the four cardinal points, trapping Uchiha Chizumi in the center.
The quartet formed hand‑seals in unison and unleashed a sealing technique that lay completely outside Inoichi's field of knowledge.
In an instant—
From each corner a column of ghostly green light shot skyward, climbing more than ten meters before stopping. Sheets of light extended forward, backward, left, and right to connect the beams; more sheets spread upward and downward, sealing the top and the ground.
Thus a sizable, eerie green chakra cube took shape, imprisoning Uchiha Chizumi inside.
The other four Root shinobi rushed in with ninja‑swords drawn.
Every blade was wreathed in Wind Release chakra.
Barely visible arcs of cutting wind filled Chizumi's field of view.
Although the steel never actually touched him, the wind blades clinging to the swords had already carved one gruesome "wound" after another across his body.
At last, one Root ninja seized an opening and cleaved off Chizumi's right arm, sending it high into the air.
"Nice timing!"
Another Root operative whipped a sealing scroll from his belt, unfurled it in a flash, bit his thumb, slapped a palm onto the parchment, and muttered, "Evil Sealing Method!"
A dreadful suction burst from the scroll, drew in the airborne arm, and locked it away.
The remaining Root members instantly jumped back, widening the gap between themselves and Chizumi.
The hit‑and‑fade tactics were smooth and perfectly synchronized—
As though they had drilled them countless times.
"Heh‑heh…"
Danzo, standing inside the same chakra cube, curled his lips in a mocking smile. "Your special Lava Release, which resembles Hydrification, is something I experienced firsthand last time. Since ordinary physical attacks barely affect you, I'll simply slice your body apart and seal the pieces separately."
This was one of the counter‑plans Danzo had devised over the past few days.
Gazing at the spot where Chizumi's right arm had been, Danzo's smirk grew still more derisive.
Yet—
He suddenly noticed that Chizumi showed almost no reaction.
A heartbeat later, Danzo and the other Root ninja froze: the stump of Chizumi's right arm had begun to writhe!
Lava flowed from his shoulder, lengthening until it matched a full arm's length, then gradually molded itself into the shape of a limb.
When the molten rock subsided, a flawless new right arm rested on Chizumi's torso.
Danzo was dumbfounded.
"Back in the Third Shinobi World War, plenty of out‑village ninjas tried the same trick on me," Chizumi said, strolling forward, his voice low and deathly calm. "What bizarre self‑confidence makes you think you invented this tactic? And what childish idea makes you think the one trapped by that is me?"
The moment the words fell,
Danzo felt the air temperature spike dramatically.
He could clearly see half of Chizumi's body turning into roiling, incandescent lava.
Suddenly—
The lava bulged outward like some grotesque, ever‑growing tumor in a fantasy tale. In less than half a breath, it filled half the cube.
Danzo's pupils shrank. His back was already pressed against the barrier wall—there was literally no room left to retreat.
Alarms blaring, Danzo shouted to the four corner guards, "Cancel the seal—now!"
Just as the magma closed in, the barrier vanished.
Still shaken, Danzo leapt backward at full speed.
—BOOM!
The expanding lava exploded, flooding in every direction. Yet just as it was about to swallow the entire street, it froze in place, as though pulled by an unseen force, and raced back toward the center.
The vast mass of lava reentered Chizumi's body without bursting it.
He could create endless lava with chakra—
And reabsorb it back into chakra at will.
Clap!
Chizumi brought his hands together. "Lava Release—"
Danzo, still rattled, felt the ground underfoot tremble. To his shock, cracks had formed beneath Chizumi, glowing red within.
"—Fire Dragon Bullet!"
Crash!
The ground at Chizumi's feet split open. A gigantic lava dragon's head burst forth, its fanged maw lunging at Danzo.
"Damn it!"
Danzo cursed. He had brought so many subordinates—why was this infernal Uchiha brat targeting only him?
"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet!" Six Root shinobi raced to Danzo's side. Four of them whipped through seals.
The other two slapped both palms to the ground: "Summoning Technique!"
Four much smaller water dragons collided violently with the enormous lava dragon above Danzo.
Boom!
Boom!
At the same time, two massive summoning beasts—giant turtle‑like creatures—appeared, each spewing torrents of water from gaping jaws.
Danzo's face darkened as he realized only six men remained by his side; two were simply gone—no doubt swallowed up by the lava when the cube seal collapsed.
"Useless trash!"
He bit his thumb, glaring venomously at Chizumi.
"Summoning Technique!"
…
"…Looks like I rushed over for nothing." Although Yamanaka Inoichi had sprinted flat‑out to the Sarutobi compound, the tremendous commotion behind him was impossible to miss.
When he cast a hasty glance over his shoulder, he could see—under the hazy moonlight—
A titanic lava dragon and several water dragons entangled in mid‑air.
The deafening roar sounded like hundreds of explosive tags detonating at once.
All of Konoha had been shaken awake.
Inoichi could even make out two giant turtles taller than nearby buildings—and, even more startling, a colossal tapir materializing out of thin air!
He had no idea whose contract beasts the turtles were.
But he knew the tapir belonged to Shimura Danzo.
Things had escalated to a full boil already?!
What about his own clan…
And his wife and daughter…
Suddenly—
Several figures vaulted out of the Sarutobi compound. The one in front spotted Inoichi standing at the gate.
Sarutobi Hiruzen—already clad in combat gear, his face grim—stopped short.
"Inoichi? Why are you here?!"
Inoichi offered no explanation; he merely forced out a single sentence: "Hokage-sama—if you don't get over there right now, the entire Yamanaka compound might be wiped off the map."
~~~
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