When Danzo frantically glanced in the direction of the Baku (Dream Eater) summon, all he could see was a massive, tsunami-like wave of magma engulfing the enormous creature. It was like a bucket of hot water hitting a fluffy cotton ball; he watched as the Baku's body rapidly "shrivelled," as if all the air inside it had been squeezed out. Then, a huge amount of scorching magma splashed onto the earth, setting the ground ablaze.
The Baku had vanished—this was the truth his eyes witnessed. He could clearly feel that this wasn't the Baku unilaterally canceling the summoning jutsu at the last moment. This meant... the terrifying heat of the magma had evaporated the Baku's body! His summoning beast... was dead!!!
Just like he had "killed" Danzo moments ago, Uchiha Akainu had killed the Baku. The difference was, Danzo had the Uchiha clan's "Izanagi" to rewrite reality, but the Baku only had time for a single shriek before meeting its end right then and there!
The magma scattered across the ground rapidly coalesced into a human form, and Uchiha Akainu's perfectly intact body appeared in Danzo's line of sight. Danzo watched as Akainu slowly turned around. Blood trickled from both corners of Danzo's mouth, a result of clenching his jaw too hard. Yet, under the minute-long influence of "Izanagi," in less than the blink of an eye, it was as if nothing had ever happened.
"U-CHI-HA I-KE-ZO!" He was absolutely furious!
Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart grew heavier and heavier, as he and his team had already arrived in the areas affected by the battle's aftermath. He saw house after house impacted by Wind Release jutsu... and countless terrified Hidden Leaf civilians running into the open streets for shelter... Looking at the ravaged scene not far away, Hiruzen Sarutobi was also enraged to the extreme.
He never imagined that Danzo would be so irrational, summoning the Baku right inside the village. And even allowing his summoning beast to use such powerful jutsu within the village. Was it all just to kill Uchiha Akainu? Was the Uchiha clan ninja such a thorn in his side that he'd disregard the safety of the civilians?
"...Huh?!" Just then, Hiruzen Sarutobi, whose face was grim, suddenly froze. He had just witnessed the sky-high magma surge towards the Baku. As the magma gradually dissipated, Danzo's summoning beast was gone.
"Could it be..." Hiruzen Sarutobi's pupils constricted slightly. If his guess was correct, Uchiha Akainu's strength would need to be re-evaluated.
A sharp wind blade, strong enough to slice a kunai, grazed Uchiha Akainu's cheek, and several thumb-sized wind pellets flying close to his face blasted holes a few centimeters deep into his body. Akainu, however, performed no fancy maneuvers. With a backhand punch, he pierced directly through Danzo's chest. Danzo's eyes slowly lost their light.
Strangely, Danzo's "corpse" fell away from Uchiha Akainu's arm, and in just a fleeting moment of distraction, the lifeless eyes suddenly regained their vitality. Danzo pulled back, creating some distance. Numerous thick vines sprouted from his right arm, shooting towards Uchiha Akainu!
"So, after 'activating Izanagi,' no matter how many times I 'die' within a minute, it only counts as one death? I see." Uchiha Akainu, having "killed" Danzo several times, roughly understood how "Izanagi" worked on the Golden Finger (a common term for cheat abilities in fiction) side of things. He grabbed one of the striking vines, and the magma immediately set it ablaze, rapidly turning it to charcoal.
"Wood Release: Poisonous Flower Field!!!"
However, the other vines that hadn't touched Uchiha Akainu suddenly bloomed into vibrant flowers. As a hot wind swept through, a massive amount of pollen, like a light sandstorm capable of obscuring one's vision, sprayed out from the flowers and spread in all directions. Since his Wood Release trump card had already been revealed to Uchiha Akainu, Danzo stopped holding back. He clapped his hands together, his expression grim and full of hatred, and roared.
"Wood Release: Wood Golem Wall!!!"
Danzo slammed his right arm heavily onto the ground in front of him. His entire arm transformed into wood and drilled fiercely into the earth. Roots rapidly spread towards Uchiha Akainu's direction, bursting from the ground and beginning to intertwine, forming a spherical cage. This Wood Release jutsu, originally meant for defense, was now being used by Danzo to trap Uchiha Akainu. Or rather... it was to trap the rapidly spreading pollen!
"Even with your Lava Release that's similar to the Hydrification Jutsu, you're not invincible, Uchiha Akainu! Water Release, sealing jutsu... those are your weaknesses! And poison gas... must also be your weakness! This is poisonous pollen that can even dissolve internal organs!"
Danzo gasped slightly. He never believed there was an invincible ability in the ninja world. Even Uchiha Shisui, who had awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan back then, hadn't he been manipulated by Danzo's schemes, forced to flee in disarray, and in the end, even commit suicide by jumping off a cliff? As the Three-Tomoe Sharingan in his right arm completely closed, Danzo's gaze turned to the "Wood Golem Wall" that was temporarily trapping Uchiha Akainu. He had lost another Three-Tomoe Sharingan. The sunk cost tonight was already too great for him to accept.
Damn you, Uchiha brat... Why won't you just die?!
"Danzo!"
"What are you doing?!!!"
A roar, with undisguised anger, approached from behind Danzo. When Danzo, his old face grim, turned his head, he saw Hiruzen Sarutobi arriving with a large group of Anbu ninja. That aggressive stance made Danzo let out a cold laugh. If the "Monkey" (Hiruzen) hadn't constantly indulged and protected Uchiha Akainu, allowing that inherently evil Uchiha brat to grow so powerful, he would have dealt with Akainu years ago.
Just then, Danzo noticed someone else approaching from another direction. He narrowed his eyes. "Fugaku..." The newcomer from the other side was none other than Uchiha Fugaku, leading a group of Uchiha clan ninja!
"Where's Akainu..." Fugaku peered into the ravaged area ahead. He saw only Danzo Shimura in the devastated front, and the Hokage and his group approaching from the other side. But Uchiha Akainu was nowhere to be seen. This made Fugaku's heart sink. Even knowing that Uchiha Akainu's existence would put his eldest son, Itachi Uchiha, in a dangerous position, their Uchiha clan simply couldn't afford to lose such a powerful force.
"Huh?" Suddenly, a heavy-hearted Fugaku watched as a strange "wood cage" in front of him spontaneously burst into flames. He also saw Danzo simultaneously turn his head in disbelief.
BOOM!!!
A soaring torrent of magma instantly tore the "Wood Golem Wall" to shreds, and the poison-laden vines had long since turned to ash. Uchiha Akainu, bathed in magma, moved like an arrow released from a bowstring, closing the distance to Danzo in an instant!
"Akainu! Wait!!!" Fugaku exclaimed in shock. The Hokage and his people had already arrived; if Akainu still attacked...
"Akainu! Stop!" Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart also tightened at the same time.
But to his surprise... Uchiha Akainu, right in front of him, the Hokage, plunged a scorching magma arm straight through Danzo's back!
Danzo's eyes widened sharply, and his turning neck stiffened. His disbelieving gaze fixed on Uchiha Akainu's profile. The second Sharingan implanted in his arm slowly lost its light.
"How many eyes do you have left for me to waste?"
A voice like a whispered curse from the Reaper sent shivers down Danzo's spine. He felt true fear.