Pain! Sorrow! Despair! Loneliness... an endless torrent of negative emotions surged, with countless agonies inflicted all at once, almost tearing Danzo's soul into fragments. The Judgment Eye of Hell—that Mangekyo Sharingan ability—forced the victim to experience all the despair and pain of those they had harmed, amplified by a hundredfold.
"AAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"
Danzo's agonizing screams echoed, never fading. For every second that passed in real-time, he felt as if he endured a full year of endless torment within the Mangekyo's genjutsu. Every person who had died directly or indirectly because of him, every physical pain and emotional despair they endured in life, he experienced multiple times over. The deeper his sins, the longer his soul suffered.
Under the intense torture, Danzo even lost control of his bladder and bowels. A foul stain spread across his crotch, an unbearable sight, and the pungent odor in the air made everyone instinctively hold their breath. This was the first time anyone present had seen the Root of Konoha in such a disheveled state. It only intensified everyone's deep apprehension towards this bizarre ability. After all, even someone as strong as Danzo was instantly incapacitated! They couldn't even grasp the principle behind this eye technique.
Was it a genjutsu so powerful it was impossible to resist?! Or a special dōjutsu that inflicted extreme physical pain?! Honestly, just looking at Danzo's miserable state, it was impossible to deduce the specific abilities of Akainu Uchiha's Mangekyo Sharingan.
"Danzo-sama!!!" Several Root shinobi, also wearing masks but distinct from the Anbu, finally arrived, albeit belatedly. These Root members... were among the few elites remaining in Root, as the majority had been wiped out during Akainu Uchiha's hunt today!
The Anbu shinobi spotted the Root members but didn't stop them, allowing them to enter the encirclement.
Hokage's Dilemma
Hiruzen Sarutobi snapped out of his shock. Seeing Danzo trembling on the ground, clutching his head, gave him an odd sense of 'rabbit dies, fox grieves' déjà vu. Hiruzen's old face was grim, but when he saw Akainu Uchiha about to walk towards Danzo, he instantly panicked.
At Hiruzen Sarutobi's subtle hand signal, the Anbu shinobi understood, immediately blocking Akainu Uchiha's path. Even the Hokage himself moved to stand in front of him. This wasn't like before. Last time, while Akainu Uchiha was strong, in Hiruzen's eyes, he hadn't fully spread his wings. He could resolve conflicts by just bringing a small contingent of Anbu. But this time, he felt that only the entire Anbu force could possibly stop Akainu Uchiha, who had awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan! Akainu's growth rate was simply too astonishing. How many days had it been? Not even a month, right?!
At the same time, Hiruzen Sarutobi quickly barked orders at the belated Root shinobi: "Take this Konoha prisoner away! This old man will personally judge his crimes!"
The Root shinobi instinctively looked towards Akainu Uchiha, who was being held back by a large number of Anbu. Hiruzen Sarutobi's old face immediately darkened. He almost laughed in exasperation.
"I said Danzo!" He felt that if Danzo wasn't taken away now, he would surely die at Akainu Uchiha's hands! While Hiruzen Sarutobi actually wanted to kill Danzo himself... because after Danzo's misdeeds were exposed, the best solution was to kill him to stabilize Konoha's various factions.
However, after quickly weighing the pros and cons, Hiruzen Sarutobi believed that given Danzo's personality, he had surely left behind numerous contingencies in Konoha to guard against Hiruzen discarding him after he was no longer useful. Akainu's unpredictability and danger were, for now, "visible" and "out in the open." He only posed a threat to a few individuals, not to the entire village. Danzo's unpredictability, on the other hand, was "invisible." Given Danzo's dark nature, Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't guarantee that the contingencies he left behind wouldn't affect the entire village.
His internal struggle lasted less than half a second before Hiruzen Sarutobi, holding his nose, made the decision to temporarily save Danzo. He quickly glared at the Root shinobi.
"Faster!!!"
The Root shinobi said no more, immediately supporting the suffering Danzo and attempting to leave this chaotic place.
A Clash of Ideals
"Akainu!" Fugaku no longer bothered to hide his Mangekyo. The tomoe in his eyes gradually converged, transforming into the sharp, eerie Mangekyo pattern of a blade! "The Uchiha clan cannot enter into a fundamental conflict with the village. The Uchiha clan cannot face the future you speak of!"
Fugaku gritted his teeth, chakra surging around him, his dōjutsu power continuously concentrating in his Sharingan. Two pairs of Mangekyo Sharingan now stared at each other.
"Akainu, Danzo has already been taken away. There's no need for you to be so stubborn. This old man has his own way of enacting Konoha's justice, and this old man also has the authority to decide who will execute that justice."
Hiruzen Sarutobi cast an unexpected glance at Fugaku, masking the apprehension in his eyes, then gravely said to Akainu, "The power you now wield should not be used against fellow villagers." He reiterated his promise: "This old man will handle Danzo appropriately and give you a perfect answer."
"Akainu..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep breath. The Anbu shinobi and Fugaku were all poised for action; the other Konoha ninja on the periphery, excluding the Uchiha, hesitated, unsure what to do.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, holding his breath, solemnly declared: "This old man will not hold you accountable... No, I should say you did not make a mistake today. Because you were indeed carrying out your justice, just as this old man is carrying out his own justice."
"The village needs stability, and it needs balance. I hope that one day you can stand in this old man's position and view these issues, and then you will be able to understand what this old man has done today." He earnestly attempted to guide Akainu Uchiha with profound words.
But when he met Akainu Uchiha's icy gaze, Hiruzen Sarutobi knew that his words... probably wouldn't have much effect.
"Akainu, this old man—hm?!" Just as Hiruzen Sarutobi was about to say something more, he suddenly felt his hair stand on end in terror—because he clearly saw a stream of crimson blood slowly flowing from Akainu Uchiha's right eye!
Hiruzen Sarutobi retreated rapidly in shock.
"Akainu!!!" Fugaku's face was extremely grim as he decisively made hand signs, attempting to stop Akainu Uchiha. The other Anbu ninja rushed forward, drawing their blades!
The powder keg... seemed to have exploded.
"Wait!!!" Hiruzen Sarutobi's sudden roar made everyone freeze.
The powder keg... suddenly fizzled out.
"I'm fine..." Hiruzen Sarutobi's shocked expression was peculiar. He could tell that Akainu Uchiha must have used the Mangekyo Sharingan ability of his other eye. But Hiruzen felt nothing, so who was the target of his dōjutsu?
Or perhaps...
Was his dōjutsu truly just activated a second ago?
Wait a minute...
A sudden realization struck Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"DANZO!!!"