Danzo looked at the kunai in his hand that was broken into two pieces. For a moment, he was unsure whether it was due to the opponent's skin being too tough or the kunai's poor quality.
However, Naruto didn't give him any more time to think.
The Self-Cursing Sealing Jutsu's binding time was inherently limited, as it was a technique used in battle to temporarily seal an opponent's movements.
Against a particularly strong opponent, its duration would shorten even further.
For Naruto, whether it was physical restraints or Chakra sealing, they both happened to be his specialties.
Danzo's wrinkled face was right beside him, and Naruto felt an inexplicable urge compelling him to deliver a brutal blow.
'Since pure Haki-enhanced attack didn't seem to work on him earlier, this time, he'd try something else.'
Naruto's palm opened slightly, and a Rasengan almost instantly materialized in his hand.
"Hit!"
The compressed chakra struck Danzo directly, sending him spinning like a propeller before crashing into the wall of the Hokage Building, embedding himself deeply within it.
Admittedly, the Hokage Building's structural integrity was impressive.
Even after being blasted with several holes, it didn't so much as tremble.
This time, Naruto focused his Observation Haki to 'stare' at Danzo intently, trying to discern how he recovered.
Coincidentally, Danzo's one-minute invincibility had just ended, and this attack forced him to consume another Sharingan to 'renew' the Izanagi's effect.
At the same time, one of the grotesque eyes on his arm closed.
Aside from the Shisui's eye transplanted in his own eye socket, only four Sharingan remained for his use.
Naruto also noticed the moment the Sharingan closed.
In fact, it was hard to ignore that horrifying arm. The moment he saw it, Naruto immediately thought of Sasuke's eyes, and then recalled the Uchiha Clan Massacre.
'It seems that this old bastard had played some unsavory role in that incident. At the very least, those Sharingan couldn't have been voluntarily donated to him by the Uchiha clan, right?'
Meanwhile, Jiraiya remained cautious, keeping a close watch on Orochimaru to prevent any sudden attacks.
Surprisingly, after Naruto told Orochimaru, 'I'll deal with you later', the latter actually stood still obediently.
He observed Naruto with keen interest, his eyes gleaming with greed.
'This power…'
'A formidable strength I had never seen before, devoid of any Chakra… as if it were the essence extracted from pure vitality.'
'Could it be related to the Tailed Beasts?'
'If only... I could obtain some of Naruto-kun's cells.'
Compared to killing Hiruzen and causing the collapse of Konoha, Orochimaru's pursuit of eternal life clearly took higher priority.
…
Shifting the focus back to the battlefield-
Danzo, who had just been smashed into the wall with his head caved in, dissipated like an illusion under Naruto's watch before reappearing unharmed elsewhere.
"Damn fox br..."
Before he could finish, Naruto was already in front of him, throwing another punch.
But this time, Danzo completely ignored the attack.
'It's that feeling again.'
'Like hitting an illusion.'
'It wasn't that my strength was lacking… rather, it was as if some 'rule' separated my attacks from this old bastard.'
Whenever Naruto's fist struck Danzo, the latter's body would react, but soon after, he would revert like an illusion, completely unharmed.
It was as if any attack against him was rendered ineffective.
"Ha! Fool! Still don't understand? I am invincible!"
Hearing this, Naruto remained silent, just continuing to throw punches relentlessly.
Danzo watched helplessly as each of Naruto's strikes carried devastating force. Every time Izanagi 'rewrote' the unfavorable reality into a dream, Naruto's fist would immediately follow up.
Though Danzo couldn't be injured, he also couldn't counterattack.
'This stalemate couldn't go on forever.'
'This damned fox brat left no openings and is incredibly stable.'
At this thought, Danzo decided to use words to shake Naruto's mentality, and then he opened his mouth and burst into laughter.
"Hahahaha, how ridiculous."
"A brat like you who no one cares about, would you actually fight for this village, for the Hokage who deceived you?"
After saying this, Danzo carefully observed Naruto's expression.
Unfortunately, it seemed to have no effect.
"Uzumaki Naruto..."
"Did Hiruzen never tell you? Your father was the renowned Fourth Hokage!"
"Think about it, you are the son of a hero, but what did you get?"
This was practically Danzo laying all his cards on the table. Under normal circumstances, he would never reveal such classified information.
But right now, he had no better options.
But Danzo didn't notice that when he said these words, Hiruzen, who was standing not far behind him, had a look on his face as if he was constipated and wanted to say something but couldn't.
'Huh?'
'Still no reaction?'
Seeing that Naruto's breathing was not even disturbed and his punches were still relentless, and as long as Izanagi's invincible effect was interrupted, he would definitely be knocked down again, Danzo couldn't help feeling a little desperate.
'No!'
'I am the root of Konoha! I am the future of this village!'
'I can't die here!'
Danzo's eyes hardened. Since nothing else worked, he decided to go all out, revealing the real secrets as a weapon to attack Naruto's mind.
As long as he could make Naruto distracted for a moment, he would immediately escape far away.
"Pathetic brat! Do you want to know the truth behind Namikaze Minato's death?"
"He could have been saved that day!"
"It was Hiruzen who ordered the villagers to be prioritized."
"It was me!"
"I personally commanded the reinforcements to stand down, delaying the rescue."
"Hahahaha, that's right! Every bit of your suffering… it all traces back to me and Hiruzen!"
This time, his words clearly struck a nerve.
For the first time, a different expression appeared on Naruto's face.
His eyes suddenly became as deep as dead water, his lips were tightly pursed together, and veins were bulging on his forehead.
Like a volcano on the verge of eruption, the sheer pressure radiating from him was suffocating.
However, both Jiraiya and Hiruzen had an ominous premonition after seeing the expression on this face.
"Yes! That's it… that resentment! That pain! You know what? The suffering I'm enduring now doesn't even compare to a fraction of what your mother felt when the Nine-Tails impaled her!"
Seeing Naruto stayed silent, Danzo, who thought his talk was effective, continued his verbal assault, completely unaware he was dancing on a landmine.
Suddenly, an ominous Chakra enveloped Naruto's entire body, and everything in the outside world seemed to stop.
Naruto only felt a blur before his eyes, and the surrounding environment changed drastically.
Drip.
The sound of water droplets falling from the ceiling echoed.
He found himself standing before a massive, sealed prison gate.
And right in front of him, the giant fox he had seen in his 'dream' was staring at him, dumbfounded.
After all this time, Naruto certainly realized that this big fox was the root of all the misfortunes he had experienced, the Nine-Tailed Fox.
Meanwhile, Kurama, who is bound by the Adamantine Sealing Chains, was equally stunned.
'Wait… how the hell did this kid get in here? I didn't sense anything!'