'Stopped… stopped?!'
Danzo stared in astonishment at the halted Flamel Dragon Storm.
It wasn't a problem with the jutsu.
The ninjutsu unit was still continuously consuming chakra, maintaining the technique's operation.
The roaring, surging Flamel Dragon Storm seemed to have encountered an invisible wall, unable to advance even an inch.
'What exactly was this...'
Danzo's thoughts abruptly stopped.
He saw it.
The rain in the sky was suspended midair. Reflected in the red glow of fire, each drop looked like a crystal-clear crimson gem.
Danzo reached out and touched it with his finger, an intense sting pricked his fingertip, as if he had pressed against a nail. The raindrop hung motionless in the air, and no matter how much strength Danzo used, it didn't move at all.
Danzo realized.
It was precisely these densely packed raindrops that stopped the advancing Flamel Dragon Storm.
'But… why?'
Controlling raindrops could be considered one of Ryosuke's abilities. But the Flamel Dragon Storm's outer layer had extremely high temperatures, before the rain could block it, it should've already been burned and evaporated…
Zzz~
Inside the raindrops, a golden bolt of lightning flashed.
It was Ripple and Nature Power that reinforced the rain.
[Four-Star Stand: Rainbow Catcher.]
[Ability: Raindrops touched by the user are fixed in midair, allowing them to step on raindrops, use them as weapons to slice enemies, or as barriers to block incoming attacks.]
[Since the rain doesn't cut the user, it can also pass through the body and exit from the other side, achieving long-range control.]
Describing it sounds a bit complicated, put simply, it's the ability to control touched rainwater and turn the body into "elemental form."
This is an extremely powerful ability. The reason Rainbow Catcher is a four-star Stand is because it has three limitations.
First, It can only be activated during rainy weather.
Second, Only touched raindrops can be controlled. To manipulate rain on a large scale, it requires some time to "warm up" so the body can touch the rain.
Third, Rain is still rain, when facing Fire Release or high-temperature objects, it gets evaporated.
The first limitation, without a weather forecast, Ryosuke indeed couldn't solve for now.
But the other two limitations, for Ryosuke, who possessed Ripple and Nature Power, could be ignored.
Nature Power infused with Ripple, under the amplification of the Dragon-Serpent Pearl, transmitted Ryosuke's will into every raindrop within a 3-kilometer radius.
At this moment, they were Ryosuke's strongest shield and sharpest spear.
'What kind of jutsu is this? Why has Ryosuke never used it before?'
Danzo suddenly looked up at the sky.
'Could it be… because of the rain?'
One after another, Root organization ninjas began to notice the raindrops frozen midair. When accidentally touching them, their bodies were instantly riddled with bloody holes.
'Too terrifying! This… how could this possibly be a power a single human can wield?!'
Even the Root organization, whose core doctrine was emotional suppression, felt immense shock witnessing such a horrifying scene.
"Kakashi."
Ryosuke's voice came from above, "Aside from the four of you, are there any other 'allied forces'?"
Kakashi shook his head.
The Anbu ninjas had stayed outside. Out of courtesy, only Kakashi's group of four followed Ryosuke's team into the Uchiha ruins.
Ryosuke nodded slightly, "That's good."
Kakashi froze, and a possibility crossed his mind.
'Could it be that…'
Buzz~ Buzz~
On Ryosuke's command, everyone focused their chakra into their eyes and ears.
Danzo heard the sound of rotor blades roaring. He looked in the direction of the sound.
He saw a small aircraft circling from above. The Aerosmith, gave Ryosuke a thumbs-up.
"What are you trying to do?!"
Danzo felt a sudden panic for no reason.
Ryosuke extended his hand. Raindrops landed in his palm.
At the same moment, a bird's-eye view of the Uchiha ruins appeared in his vision, with dense red dots marked.
A total of 139 Root organization ninjas.
[Target lock confirmed]
Ryosuke clenched his fist hard.
"Be pierced by the torrential rain."
The rain fell again, transforming into countless sharp arrows, stabbing into the darkness.
The Root ninjas hastily activated defensive ninjutsu.
But human strength… always has its limits.
The downpour poured. Every drop of rain pierced barriers, pierced cover, and pierced every last psychological defense in the Root personnel.
In an instant, screams echoed endlessly.
Having lost the caster's control, the Super Flamel Dragon Storm quietly faded away. Only large, scorched marks remained on the earth, still proving its former existence.
"Ryosuke!!" Danzo roared in fury.
Countless streams of water gathered in Ryosuke's palm, condensing into a water orb, "Relax. Since Konoha was willing to shelter Sasuke, for the sake of that kindness, I won't kill those you've manipulated. The only one who must die today…"
"Is you."
Ryosuke raised a finger. The water orb transformed into a giant dragon and lunged at Danzo. At the same time, all the raindrops in the sky reversed direction, falling toward Danzo.
In an instant, Danzo was riddled like a sieve.
His body quietly faded again. A few seconds later, he reappeared in another shadowed spot.
Izanagi.
The Uchiha clan's ultimate ocular technique, it could turn all unfavorable outcomes within a set time into nothing.
After reappearing, Danzo didn't hesitate. He ignored his heavily wounded subordinates and turned to flee from the Uchiha ruins.
The plan had failed.
He had misjudged Ryosuke's power. Continuing would only drain the Sharingan eyes on his arm, and lead to death.
"Konoha still needs to find… a new path to become great again."
Danzo fled through the rainy night.
"I… can't die yet!"
As the thought flashed, the storm once again engulfed him. Another Sharingan eye closed. Danzo appeared several meters away.
Buzz~ Buzz~
The rotor sound still hovered above.
Simultaneously summoning two five-star Stands, for Ryosuke, his spiritual power could only sustain them for 2–3 seconds.
But a four-star and a five-star, Ryosuke could maintain for a full day.
"Protect Lord Danzo!"
A dozen Root ninjas, pushing through their injuries, struggled to their feet to assist Danzo.
Kakashi stopped them and shook his head, "Ryosuke spared your lives. Don't throw them away, you can't stop him."
One Root ninja straightened his back, "Kakashi-senpai, people don't live for a whole lifetime, they live for a few meaningful moments."
"We don't mind dying. But Lord Danzo, he must not die."
And it wasn't just him. More and more Root ninjas dragged their wounded bodies, rising with a willpower beyond ordinary people.
They gathered around Danzo, waving kunai with trembling arms, desperately trying to block the falling rain.
Danzo kept dying, then reviving under Izanagi.
He stared toward the brightly lit Konoha city center in the distance.
'If I can just get there… just there… Sarutobi will be able to arrive…'
Danzo kept running. Suddenly, a giant blade pierced his chest, its edge tore open his clothes, revealing the face of Senju Hashirama embedded in his torso.
He tried to activate Izanagi again, but nothing happened. Turning his head, he saw,
The last Sharingan had closed.
'I've… already died that many times?'
Thud!
Ryosuke landed, standing before Danzo.
"Protect Lord Danzo!" the Root ninjas shouted.
Danzo spat out a mouthful of blood, "Ryosuke! You can't kill me, Konoha still needs me. It was my mistake this time, give me a chance."
At that moment, a shout came from afar.
"Ryosuke!"
Jiraiya rushed over, "You can't kill him! You'll shoulder a burden you shouldn't carry… Let me do it!"
If Ryosuke acted, it would be an external invasion.
If Jiraiya acted, it would be an internal dispute.
One was an assault.
The other was a private shame.
The weight of each was clear at a glance.
If Ryosuke made the move, whether for Konoha's prestige or because of Danzo's entrenched power, Ryosuke would become Konoha's permanent enemy.
Jiraiya wanted to take this burden for Ryosuke.
Behind Jiraiya, farther away, the Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen was also rushing over.
From another direction, Kakashi, Might Guy, and the other three were also hurrying in.
"So lively."
Ryosuke looked at the old man before him. The giant blade pierced Danzo's chest, forcing him to hunch over, making him look even smaller than before.
At his side were subordinates who respected him.
In the distance, old friends running toward him.
All of them reached out to Ryosuke, some begging, some commanding, some threatening, not to kill Danzo.
Ryosuke nodded, pulled out the Ruin Greatsword, then waved his hand. The rain formed a curtain, isolating everyone outside, leaving only him and Danzo.
Streams of water carried two teacups in front of Ryosuke and Danzo.
Ryosuke took his teacup, sat cross-legged, and gestured politely.
Danzo wanted to run, but with the storm overhead, where could he go?
He could only grit his teeth, follow Ryosuke's example, take the teacup, and sit cross-legged.
The two seemed to return to that earlier pavilion.
Ryosuke said, "I drank a cup of your tea. So I'll give you a chance."
"I ask, you answer. If your answer satisfies me, you live. If not, you die. Fair?"
Danzo trembled and said, "Fair."
Ryosuke took a deep breath, stared at the closed Sharingan on Danzo's right arm, and asked the question that had weighed on him since arriving in this world,
"Was it you who ordered Uchiha Itachi to kill the entire Uchiha clan?"
Until now, all the answers to this question had been speculation and analysis.
But Ryosuke wanted to hear Danzo say the truth aloud, before everyone.
Danzo was about to speak, when a cold, pale hand rested on his shoulder.
White Snake sneered, "Old man, think before you speak."
Knowing White Snake's power, Danzo closed his eyes, thought for half a second, then said, "It was me."
"What terms did you offer Itachi for him to foolishly kill his entire clan?"
"Peace."
Danzo said, "If the Uchiha weren't destroyed, Konoha would have fallen into chaos. The great ninja villages would've seized the chance to invade. That would've been the Fourth Great Ninja War."
"It was for the greater good that I made that decision!"
"It was for peace that Itachi raised his hand to kill!"
Ryosuke waved his hand, signaling Danzo not to get agitated. He turned his head toward Sasuke and Konan.
"Do you think… that's right?"
Before Sasuke or Konan could answer, Ryosuke looked toward the approaching Jiraiya, Sarutobi Hiruzen, and Kakashi's group of four.
"Do you all… think that's right?"
No one answered.
Ryosuke stood up, waved his hand, and dispersed the curtain of rain separating everyone. He walked over and patted Sasuke's little head.
"Let's go. This is boring."
Sasuke nodded hard.
He turned back for one last look at Shimura Danzo, now surrounded by people.
Danzo raised his head. A single drop of crimson bloomed between his brows. His hand went limp. The water in his teacup spilled.
Like pouring a drink for the wronged souls of this land.
[Killed Shimura Danzo. Gained 1,100 soul fragments]
"Ryosuke, you killed a Konoha high-ranking official. And now you want to just walk away?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen's voice rang out from behind.
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