Pain! Sorrow! Despair! Loneliness…
An endless torrent of negative emotions flooded in, every imaginable agony converging on a single body, as though Danzo's very soul were being torn to shreds.
The "Eye of Judgment from Hell" forces its target to endure every ounce of despair and pain felt by the victims he has harmed—then magnifies that torment a hundred‑fold.
"Aaaaarrrggghhhhh!!"
Danzo's shrill screams rang on without end. For each second that passed in the real world, he experienced a full year of unending torment within the Mangekyō illusion.
Everyone who had died—directly or indirectly—because of him, and all the physical anguish and emotional despair they suffered, were replayed through his body again and again.
The heavier the sin, the longer and deeper the punishment borne by the soul.
Under such excruciating torture, Danzo even lost control of his bowels and bladder.
Filth seeped through his trousers—too vile to look at—while the stench in the air made onlookers instinctively hold their breath.
For everyone present, this was the first time they had ever seen the "Root of Konoha" in such a disgraceful state.
It made them all the more fearful of this bizarre ability.
After all, even someone as formidable as Danzo had been felled in an instant!
They could not fathom the nature of this eye technique.
Was it an irresistible genjutsu…?
Or some special dōjutsu that inflicted unbearable physical pain?
Judging solely by Danzo's misery gave no clue as to the exact power of Uchiha Chizumi's Mangekyō Sharingan.
"Danzo-sama!!"
Several Root operatives—masked differently from the ordinary Anbu—finally arrived, albeit late.
These few were now among the last elites of Root; most had been slain earlier in Uchiha Chizumi's hunt.
The Anbu recognized them but did nothing, allowing the Root ninja to rush into the cordon.
Sarutobi Hiruzen snapped out of his shock.
Watching Danzo kneel, clutching his head and trembling, Hiruzen felt an odd pang of pity.
His face remained stern, but when he noticed Uchiha Chizumi stepping toward Danzo, he started.
A single hand‑signal from Hiruzen, and the Anbu instantly blocked Chizumi's path—Hiruzen himself moved to stand in front of him.
Times had changed.
Last time, though Chizumi was strong, Hiruzen still saw him as an unripe fledgling. A small Anbu squad had been enough to quell trouble.
Now, Hiruzen judged that only the entire Anbu could hope to restrain Uchiha Chizumi, newly awakened to the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Chizumi's growth was frightening.
How long had it been—barely a month?
At once, Hiruzen barked at the tardy Root operatives:
"Remove this Konoha criminal! I will judge his crimes personally!"
The Root ninja's first instinct was to glance at Uchiha Chizumi, still held back by many Anbu.
Hiruzen's face darkened; he almost laughed in anger.
"I mean Danzo!"
If they did not move him now, Danzo would surely die at Chizumi's hands.
Hiruzen did rather wish to kill Danzo himself—after the revelations of Danzo's deeds, executing him would best stabilize Konoha's factions.
Yet, weighing risks swiftly, Hiruzen reckoned Danzo had surely prepared contingencies against any betrayal.
Chizumi's threat was visible and straightforward, aimed at a few people, not the village at large.
Danzo's threat was hidden. Given his scheming nature, who knew what traps might engulf all of Konoha?
After barely half a second's struggle, Hiruzen "pinched his nose" and chose—for now—to shield Danzo.
He shot the Root ninja a fierce glare.
"Hurry!"
Without another word, they hoisted the suffering Danzo and tried to spirit him away.
"Chizumi!"
Fugaku could no longer hide his own Mangekyō.
The tomoe in his eyes sharpened into a blade‑like, sinister pattern.
"The Uchiha must not enter a fundamental conflict with the village. The Uchiha must not fall to the future you foresee!"
Gritting his teeth, chakra surged through him, eye‑power gathering in the twin Sharingan.
Two pairs of Mangekyō now stared straight at each other.
"Chizumi, Danzo has been taken away—you needn't keep resisting. I have my own way to enact Konoha's justice, and the authority to decide who carries it out."
Hiruzen cast Fugaku a wary glance, concealed it, then said sternly to Chizumi:
"The power you now wield should not be used against your fellow villagers."
He pledged again: "I will handle Danzo properly and give you a perfect answer."
"Chizumi…"
Hiruzen drew a deep breath. The Anbu, Fugaku—everyone was on edge. The outer ring of non‑Uchiha shinobi hesitated, unsure what to do.
Hiruzen proclaimed solemnly:
"I will not pursue charges against you—or rather, you have done no wrong today. You carried out your justice, as I carry out mine.
"The village needs stability and balance. I hope one day you can stand in my place and understand the actions I take."
He tried, earnestly, to advise Uchiha Chizumi.
But when he met Chizumi's icy stare, Hiruzen knew his words… would likely do little.
"Chizumi, I—hmm?!"
Just as Hiruzen tried to continue, his hair stood on end—he saw blood trickling from Chizumi's right eye!
Hiruzen instinctively leapt back.
"Chizumi!!"
Fugaku's face darkened; he formed seals, trying to stop him.
The other Anbu drew blades and surged forward.
The powder keg… seemed to have exploded.
"Wait!!"
Hiruzen's sudden shout froze everyone.
The powder keg… went silent.
"I— I'm fine…"
Hiruzen, still shaken, wore a strange expression.
Chizumi had clearly used the Mangekyō of his other eye—but Hiruzen felt nothing.
Who was the real target?
Or… had the technique even been cast just now?
Wait—
A flash of insight struck Hiruzen.
"Danzo!!!"