The moment Yamanaka Inoichi dashed out, ready to inform the Third Hokage, he saw eight Anbu Root ninja, brought by Danzo, simultaneously charging at the lone Uchiha Akainu.
Four of the Root ninja positioned themselves strategically, cornering Uchiha Akainu. They quickly performed hand signs, unleashing a sealing jutsu that was completely unknown to Inoichi. Suddenly, from each of the four corners, eerie, green beams of light shot skyward, stopping only after reaching about fifteen meters high. These beams then stretched out, forming interconnected curtains of light to the front, back, left, and right, along with curtains above and below, sealing off the top and ground. It created a rather large, unsettling green chakra cube, trapping Uchiha Akainu inside.
The other four Root ninja, meanwhile, moved in with their ninja blades. Their blades were clearly infused with Wind Release chakra. A flurry of almost invisible slashes enveloped Uchiha Akainu's vision. Even though the blades themselves didn't directly connect, the chakra-infused wind blades left one gruesome "wound" after another on Akainu's body.
Then, one of the Root ninja spotted an opening and, with a swift strike, severed Akainu's right arm, sending it flying high into the air.
"Now's our chance!" another Root ninja exclaimed, pulling a sealing scroll from his waist. He rapidly unfurled it, bit his thumb, and slammed his palm onto the scroll, muttering, "Ninja Art: Evil Sealing Method!!!"
A terrifying suction force emanated from the scroll, pulling the severed arm into it and sealing it away. The remaining Root ninja immediately leaped backward, putting distance between themselves and Uchiha Akainu. This "hit and run" tactic was executed with incredible coordination, as if they'd practiced it countless times.
"Heh heh..." Danzo, also caught within the chakra cube's sealing space, smirked mockingly. "That unique Lava Release Kekkei Genkai of yours, like a water-style transformation, I've already experienced it firsthand. Since ordinary physical attacks don't do much against you, we'll just cut your body into pieces and seal them separately."
This was one of the tactics Danzo had been thinking about for days to deal with Uchiha Akainu. Seeing Akainu's missing right arm, Danzo's sneer deepened.
However, Danzo noticed that Uchiha Akainu seemed to have no reaction. But in the next second, Danzo and the other Root ninja's eyes narrowed. They watched as Akainu's severed right arm actually began to slowly squirm! The magma at his shoulder constantly extended until it reached the length of an arm, then gradually coalesced into the shape of a limb. When the flowing magma subsided, a perfectly intact right arm appeared on Uchiha Akainu's body!
Danzo was stunned.
"During the Third Great Ninja War, there were already ninja from other villages who tried to seal me using similar methods," Uchiha Akainu said, slowly stepping forward. His voice was eerily calm as he asked, "What strange confidence makes you think you're the 'originator' of this method? And what naive idea makes you believe the person trapped by this cube sealing jutsu is me?"
The moment his words ended, Danzo distinctly felt the surrounding temperature rapidly soaring! He could clearly see half of Uchiha Akainu's body transform into a churning, intensely hot magma!
Suddenly, the flowing magma swelled like the rapidly proliferating tumors of a monstrous creature from a fantasy novel. In less than half a breath, the cube sealing jutsu was already half-filled with magma. Danzo's pupils constricted; his back was pressed tightly against the light curtain wall of the sealing jutsu, but he couldn't retreat another step.
An alarm blared in Danzo's mind. Without time to think, he immediately shouted to the Root ninja in the four corners, "Cancel the sealing jutsu!"
Just as the magma approached mere inches, the sealing jutsu was finally released. A still-shaken Danzo quickly retreated backward.
Boom!
The constantly expanding, scorching magma exploded violently, surging outwards in all directions. But just as it was about to engulf the buildings on the entire street, it suddenly froze. As if pulled by an invisible force, the magma rapidly contracted back towards the center. The massive amount of magma that retracted into Uchiha Akainu's body didn't cause him to explode. He could infinitely create magma using chakra, and he could also recycle magma back into chakra.
Thump!
Uchiha Akainu clapped his hands together: "Lava Release..."
Danzo, still feeling the lingering fear, felt the ground beneath him tremble slightly. He was shocked to find cracks appearing beneath Akainu's feet, radiating a crimson glow.
"...Blazing Eruption Technique!"
BOOM!!!
The ground beneath Uchiha Akainu shattered instantly, and a massive magma dragon head burst forth from the earth, its terrifying maw snapping towards Danzo!
"Damn it!" Danzo cursed under his breath. He wondered why, even with all these subordinates, this evil Uchiha kid was only fixated on him.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Jutsu!!!" Six Root ninja simultaneously arrived in front of Danzo. Four of them quickly formed hand signs. The other two simultaneously slammed their palms onto the ground: "Summoning Jutsu!"
Four noticeably smaller water dragons clashed violently with the giant magma dragon head in the air just in front of Danzo!
Bang!Bang!
Two enormous, turtle-like summoning beasts, not small in stature, suddenly appeared. Each opened its massive mouth, and two streams of pressurized water spewed forth from their maws.
Danzo, with a grim expression, realized that he inexplicably only had six people left on his side. Two of his subordinates had vanished without a trace. They were probably engulfed by the magma when trying to release the cube sealing jutsu, not having enough time to pull back.
"Two useless fools!" Danzo bit his thumb, his gaze dark as he stared at Uchiha Akainu. "Summoning Jutsu!"
"...Seems like there was absolutely no need to come here after all," Yamanaka Inoichi mused. Even though he had rushed at full speed to the front of the Sarutobi clan compound, he distinctly felt immense commotion coming from behind him. When he hastily looked back, he could see, in the faint moonlight, a giant magma dragon and several water dragons intertwined and clashing in the sky. The fierce roar was like hundreds of exploding paper bombs going off at once.
Everyone in Konoha was startled awake.
Inoichi could also vaguely make out two giant turtles standing taller than the surrounding buildings, and even a "Baku" (Dream Eater) appearing out of thin air, even larger than the giant turtles! Inoichi didn't know whose summoning beasts the two giant turtles were, but he knew that "Baku" belonged to Danzo Shimura!
Has it already reached such a heated stage so quickly? What about his clan members... and his wife and daughter...?
Suddenly, several figures leaped out of the Sarutobi clan compound. The leading figure caught sight of Inoichi standing at the gate. Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had quickly changed into his ninja battle attire and had a very grim expression, suddenly paused.
"Inoichi? What are you doing here?!"
Inoichi didn't explain. He simply managed to squeeze out a single sentence: "Hokage-sama, if you don't get over there soon, the Yamanaka clan compound might be leveled to the ground."