At this moment, Danzo seemed to be enduring immense, incomprehensible pain. He was completely restrained with straps onto a hospital bed. Hiruzen Sarutobi had never seen Danzo this broken. The Wood Release cells and Sharingan eyes transplanted onto him seemed to be useless now, unable to free Danzo from his agony. Hiruzen could tell Danzo had likely been screaming for a long time; his voice was almost gone.
"Hokage-sama, we still don't understand what's causing Danzo Shimura's condition," an Anbu ninja whispered. "Perhaps we need to contact the medical corps ninja to take a look. We're currently guessing this must be related to Uchiha Akainu's Sharingan Dojutsu. And for some reason, several of the Sharingan implanted in Danzo's arm have closed."
Hiruzen Sarutobi fell silent. He felt a chilling sensation. This Anbu ninja didn't know the secret of the Sharingan's "Izanagi," but that didn't mean Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, didn't. He was certain Danzo had used Izanagi several times tonight. Could the forbidden secret jutsu of the Uchiha clan truly not escape Uchiha Akainu's bizarre Mangekyo Sharingan Dojutsu?
A strange thought unconsciously surfaced in Hiruzen's mind: If Akainu were to use this power on him, Hiruzen Sarutobi, would he have enough means to escape this kind of pain?
Gazing at Danzo, who was as good as a cripple, Hiruzen suddenly felt that death might actually be a release for Danzo, an end to all the torment and pain. His heart was heavy. After taking a deep breath, he gravely commanded, "Summon the most skilled medical ninja from the medical corps!"
"Yes, Hokage-sama!"
Just as the Anbu ninja was about to leave, Hiruzen suddenly remembered something and called out, stopping him. "Wait, call Itachi too. His understanding of the Sharingan runs deeper than any of ours. He might have a solution."
Hiruzen felt he had done all he could for Danzo. If Danzo couldn't pull through, he would reluctantly use Danzo's death to appease the Kekkei Genkai clans in the village. After all, Danzo's actions had left those clans deeply unsettled. This... was also for the sake of the Hidden Leaf.
Seeking a Cure
About fifteen minutes later, several elite Leaf medical ninja, led by an Anbu, arrived in the secret chamber of the Anbu headquarters.
"This is..." One of them gasped, his pupils constricting as he immediately recognized Danzo Shimura, who was lying on the bed in terrible condition.
"Can he be cured?" A sudden voice made the medical ninja quickly turn their heads.
"Hokage-sama!" They were shocked to realize that the Hokage was standing in a corner of the secret room.
One medical ninja quickly replied, "We need to examine Danzo-sama's physical condition before we can determine a treatment plan. Hokage-sama, if I may be so bold, what exactly happened to Danzo-sama?"
"A Sharingan Dojutsu." Hiruzen Sarutobi asked in a deep voice, "Can the negative effects brought by this Uchiha clan Dojutsu be eliminated?"
The medical ninja exchanged glances. "We can only try." They couldn't guarantee anything, as damage from Sharingan Dojutsu usually wasn't just physical. So, they could only give an ambiguous answer.
Not long after, another person entered the secret chamber of the Anbu headquarters. It was none other than Uchiha Itachi, wearing his Anbu mask!
Uchiha Itachi glanced at the medical ninja, then his gaze lingered for two seconds on Danzo Shimura, who seemed barely alive. Afterward, he greeted Hiruzen Sarutobi: "Hokage-sama."
Uchiha Itachi proactively asked, "Danzo-sama... was he affected by Uchiha Akainu's Mangekyo Dojutsu?" Itachi hadn't been present when the Anbu surrounded Uchiha Akainu, as his reputation in the Hidden Leaf was already in tatters, making it unsuitable for him to appear in public. Especially since there were many Uchiha clan ninja present at the time. If he had shown up, the Uchiha Police Force might have clashed with him.
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded and said, "Itachi, you try as well. See if you can find a solution."
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
The Evil Beyond the Village Gates
Meanwhile, Izumi had returned to the Uchiha clan compound, but Uchiha Akainu and Katsujiro (the cat, literally "Orange Jiro") were still outside.
"Akainu-sama, aren't you going back?" Katsujiro had barely asked when it suddenly realized, "Akainu-sama must want to find out where that scum Danzo is hiding, right?"
Katsujiro immediately said, "Please rest assured, Akainu-sama, I'll send out all my cat children and grandchildren to search every inch of the Hidden Leaf." Its cat face wore an expression of "I've got this."
Uchiha Akainu said indifferently, "The brand of Heavenly Retribution Flames on Danzo's soul allows me to vaguely sense his general location. Even if the Third Hokage tries everything, he won't be able to protect him."
"Tonight, an 'uninvited guest' arrived in the Hidden Leaf. Danzo, who came before, is already incapacitated; I can deal with him anytime. As for the uninvited guest, if I miss this chance, it's gone." He paused, then continued, "Whether it's the 'evil' within the Hidden Leaf or the 'evil' outside the Hidden Leaf, [Absolute Justice] must purge them one by one. Not a single one can be spared."
Katsujiro noticed that Akainu-sama's path seemed to be heading towards the Ninja Cemetery. It didn't dare jump onto Uchiha Akainu's back the way it would with Izumi. It could only hurry along beside Uchiha Akainu.
"Akainu-sama... who's the uninvited guest?" Katsujiro was somewhat confused.
Uchiha Akainu uttered a name: "Uchiha Obito."
Katsujiro: "!!!"
A Grave Visit
Hidden Leaf Ninja Cemetery.
Under the night sky, a lone figure stood silently before a gravestone, having been there for several minutes. Obito, cloaked in a black robe, gazed at a bundle of withered white flowers placed beside the gravestone, likely three days prior. His brow furrowed slightly beneath his mask. Disgust flashed in his eyes.
He bent down, picked up the withered white flowers, and disdainfully tossed them aside, then slowly placed a fresh bouquet of white flowers he held in his hand. "...Rin." Obito forced a small smile, murmuring softly, "Sorry, I'm a few days late. That Kakashi guy must have dirtied your eyes."
Slowly exhaling, Obito's fingertips caressed Rin Nohara's gravestone. He recalled the information about Danzo Shimura that a White Zetsu clone had relayed to him half an hour ago. Or rather... it was information about Uchiha Akainu's Mangekyo Sharingan! Danzo's tragic ordeal had been witnessed entirely by the White Zetsu!
"The unknown Dojutsu of his left eye made Danzo Shimura instantly lose his ability to resist, leaving him screaming helplessly on the ground like a pathetic fool."
"The unknown Dojutsu of his right eye could set Danzo Shimura's body ablaze from a great distance... flames that even sealing jutsu, Water Release ninjutsu, or even Izanagi couldn't extinguish."
Obito was most wary of the right eye's strange flames. He couldn't figure out how Uchiha Akainu's right Mangekyo Dojutsu managed to strike Danzo from such a distance. Did it work even outside of his line of sight? Or was it intricately linked to his left eye's Dojutsu?
"Still lacking enough intel..." A crucial question even suddenly popped into Obito's mind: If he accidentally got hit... would hiding in the Kamui dimension be effective?