The Root ninja was too stunned to say anything more, because Lord Danzo had once again been instantly engulfed by the Flames of Divine Judgment. And this Root ninja knew the consequences of using Reaper Death Seal.
Whether it succeeded or failed… it required the caster's own life as a price to summon the Shinigami!
This was one of the most dangerous S-rank forbidden jutsu recorded in the Hidden Leaf's Scroll of Seals!
While the Root ninja hesitated…
He suddenly noticed his two comrades staring at him with fierce, hawk-like gazes.
The Root ninja, "Gen," clenched his jaw.
After taking a deep breath, he quickly performed hand signs.
Serpent – Boar – Ram – Hare – Dog… Serpent! He completed a full nine hand signs. Just as Danzo's Izanagi was activated once more, "Gen" slapped his hands together as if staking everything on it. His chakra was instantly drained by more than half, and his cheeks visibly sunken.
"Ninja Art…"
"Reaper Death Seal!!!"
Danzo didn't sense anything unusual, but "Gen" instantly froze.
He clearly felt an icy chill behind him.
When he subtly glanced backward, a gigantic, sinister Shinigami apparition appeared in his vision.
This…
This is…
The Reaper?!
The Root ninja's eyes suddenly widened. He watched as the Shinigami's bizarre, curse-marked arm instantly pierced his body! The arm extended forward, grabbing Danzo.
The Shinigami's power penetrated Danzo's physical body, slowly pulling his soul out from within him.
"Wait…" Danzo painstakingly squeezed out a few words. "Wait four seconds… wait… until Izanagi wears off…"
Four seconds.
Gone in a flash.
Under the extreme willpower of the sweating Root ninja, the Shinigami apparition behind him spat out a short blade it held in its mouth.
The Shinigami's other arm caught the blade, and its massive, ethereal body leaned forward, decisively striking Danzo's leg-souls with the blade.
But the cut was too high.
It practically cut Danzo's soul in half!
The agony from his soul made Danzo's eyes widen more than anyone else's.
"Seal…"
"Seal!!!"
The moment the Root ninja, "Gen," shouted those two words with his last breath, Danzo's leg-souls, held by the Shinigami, suddenly burst into a crimson blaze of Flames of Divine Judgment.
As the flames ignited, the Shinigami apparition's terrifying face visibly registered a flicker of surprise.
Its hollow eyes seemed to show a fleeting, almost human-like confusion.
At the same time, another Root ninja, quick as lightning, swiftly used his ninja blade to sever Danzo's physical legs. He quickly dragged Danzo's upper body away, separating him from his legs.
Just then, Danzo's physical legs also burst into Flames of Divine Judgment!
"Lord Danzo, it worked!" The Root ninja, holding his blood-stained blade, breathed a sigh of relief as he reported to Danzo.
But before Danzo could even catch his breath, the searing pain of the flames returned, continuously assaulting his mind and will.
It left him utterly bewildered.
"Hiss! Wh-why is it still hissing and aaaahhhhh!!!"
Both his leg-souls and physical legs had been severed.
Yet, that bone-chilling pain seemed to remain connected to him.
It was like a gangrene, impossible to completely eradicate!
Even if the Flames of Divine Judgment and his leg-souls were sealed within the Shinigami, the feeling of soul connection apparently wasn't severed! Or perhaps the power of the Flames of Divine Judgment surpassed that of the Shinigami!
The Shinigami's seal couldn't block that soul-burning agony!
The scorching flames of Absolute Justice were constantly incinerating the accumulated evils on Danzo's being!
Not giving Danzo a single moment to breathe, every second.
The Root ninja, holding the blood-stained blade, was stunned. He realized Lord Danzo had celebrated too soon. And Lord Danzo's sudden idea seemed to have subjected him to even more brutal torment.
Is Uchiha Akainu's dōjutsu…
Truly inescapable?!
---
Not long after, the Anbu ninja dispatched by Hiruzen Sarutobi finally arrived.
Several Anbu ninja were aghast to find that what greeted them wasn't a miraculously escaped Danzo Shimura, but half of Danzo, whose lower body was nowhere to be seen.
Moreover, this half of Danzo seemed to be enduring unimaginable, extreme pain. His agonizing wails were like the shrieks of a demon.
They also heard desperate words filled with negative emotions mixed into the screams, like "Why," "How is this possible," "I can't take it anymore," and "Just kill me already."
This sent shivers down the spines of the Anbu ninja, leaving them unnerved.
Was this 'Root of the Leaf'…
Actually okay?
"…Danzo, hand him over to us." An Anbu ninja glanced at the two Root ninja corpses on the ground and addressed the two remaining, somewhat bewildered, Root ninja.
He immediately knelt down to perform medical ninjutsu on the half-Danzo.
While it wouldn't heal Danzo completely, it would at least reduce the blood loss.
One of the two remaining Root ninja interrupted, coldly and warily. "What are you going to do to Lord Danzo?"
The Anbu ninja replied expressionlessly, "This is the Hokage's order. And… Danzo Shimura is no longer the leader of Root. He is no longer your superior. In this situation, are you two still going to try and stop us?"
Root ninja: "…"
---
Outside the Yamanaka clan compound.
The nearly thousand Leaf ninja, drawn by the commotion and gathered there, finally dispersed once they realized the conflict was over.
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Fugaku, his tone implying a deeper meaning as he said, "Fugaku, thank you for standing by me tonight."
Fugaku's eyes had returned to their normal state.
He spoke with a complex expression. "Lord Hokage, this is what the Uchiha clan should do. I have always hoped that there would be no internal strife in the Hidden Leaf Village. If Akainu ever makes an outrageous move, I will do everything in my power, and exert all my strength, to stop him."
"After all… Akainu's justice, in the end, is only his self-proclaimed absolute justice, not the justice of the Hidden Leaf. That boy, many times, doesn't put the Hidden Leaf first."
Fugaku paused, then continued, "As the Uchiha clan head, I'm at fault for not properly controlling my own clan members."
Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head, signaling that Fugaku didn't need to apologize.
Forget Fugaku, could he, Hiruzen Sarutobi, even control Akainu?
Hiruzen Sarutobi was more aware than anyone how difficult Akainu was to manage.
He reached out and patted Fugaku's shoulder.
"I hope you're worthy of my trust, Fugaku." After saying this, Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't help but cast a rather complex gaze upon Uchiha Akainu, who was not far ahead.
Tonight…
Was destined to be another sleepless night!
---
Inoichi Yamanaka finally emerged from the ruins of the Yamanaka clan compound.
Behind him followed a group of Yamanaka clan elders and children.
He picked up his terrified daughter, Ino Yamanaka.
This usually very serious Leaf jōnin now had a look of profound relief on his face, clearly having been afraid that his clan members might have been caught in Danzo's rampage during the conflict.
Inoichi put Ino down, then, holding her small hand, quickly walked up behind Uchiha Akainu.
"…Akainu!"
Uchiha Akainu paused slightly, turning to look at Inoichi.
"Thank you." From the sight of the devastation, Inoichi knew that Uchiha Akainu must have held back when using his Scorch Release.
Because the greatest destruction to the surrounding buildings was caused by Wind Style. At least Akainu didn't let the magma affect the Yamanaka clan compound.
"From now on, no matter how you choose to carry out your [Absolute Justice] in the Hidden Leaf. The Yamanaka clan will support you."
Inoichi said seriously.
---