"Naruto, are you alright?!" Sakura's voice was tight with worry.
Naruto forced a smile as he answered, brushing off her concern. "I was just delayed by a few things. Don't worry, I'm fine."
Sakura exhaled in relief, nodding quickly. "That's good…" She believed him—Naruto's growth had been so overwhelming lately that she struggled to imagine anyone actually defeating him.
Danzo, however, stood across the battlefield with a face twisted in rage. His secrets were exposed, his power revealed to the world. It was all because of this boy—the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki—who had ruined everything.
Kakashi stepped forward, his breathing heavy, his visible eye dimmed with exhaustion. "Naruto… I'll leave Danzo to you. I need to rest, or I'll collapse."
Naruto turned to look at his teacher. Kakashi was pale, his chakra almost gone, yet he still stood on his feet out of sheer willpower. "Kakashi-sensei… you're pushing yourself too hard."
Kakashi shook his head, helpless. "Danzo's ability is too troublesome. Every time he's killed, he comes back. But it's almost over—his jutsu is reaching its limit. Look closely. Each time he resurrects, one Sharingan on his arm closes. He only has one left."
Naruto's eyes narrowed. Izanagi… so it really is the forbidden technique from the Uchiha.
Still, he smiled and praised his teacher, "As expected of you, Kakashi-sensei. To figure all of that out in the middle of battle… that's amazing."
Kakashi gave a small nod, then moved aside, sitting on one knee to recover at least a sliver of chakra. His gaze never left Danzo—because if the old war hawk tried to escape, it would cause endless trouble later.
Naruto glanced briefly at the two remaining ANBU nearby. When one of them turned, his eyes widened.
"That's… Uzuki Yugao, right?" he asked, recognition slipping out before he could stop himself.
The masked kunoichi stiffened, then removed her mask slightly. Her face flushed faintly. "You recognize me?"
Naruto scratched the back of his head, smiling. "Yeah, first time seeing you in person, but… you're just like I imagined."
The compliment dropped into the air like a stone into still water. Silence followed. Yugao looked away, muttering a quiet, "...Thanks," in embarrassment.
Sakura, meanwhile, clenched her fists so tight her knuckles turned white. He's never said anything like that to me! But the moment he sees some ANBU woman—! She bit her lip hard enough to draw blood, already vowing to punch Naruto later.
Even Kakashi gave an awkward cough, scratching his cheek under his mask. "Naruto…"
Across from them, Danzo's veins bulged with fury. His voice cracked like thunder. "You insolent brat! Have you forgotten you're in battle against me?!"
Naruto turned back with a smirk, his words like poison. "Oh, sorry. I wasn't really taking you seriously, Danzo. After all… you're not strong enough to be worth it."
"Arrogant fool!" Danzo's Sharingan eye glared with murderous intent. That eye—Shisui's eye—gleamed with a power that could twist fate itself. He had planned to use Kotoamatsukami to control Kakashi. But now, with Naruto before him, a new plan formed.
If I can control the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki, everything changes. With him under my command, I can escape… and rebuild from the shadows.
Danzo's thoughts were sharp, but Naruto was already one step ahead. His body stilled, gathering nature energy until the orange pigment reappeared around his eyes. Sage Mode returned in full force.
Naruto's gaze was steady. "Danzo… you were planning to use Shisui's Kotoamatsukami on me, weren't you? To force me under your control, so you could run away?"
The battlefield froze. Kakashi, Sakura, Yugao, and even the other ANBU all turned in shock toward Danzo.
The war hawk's composure cracked. His breath came faster, his control slipping. The Senju cells grafted into his arm writhed grotesquely, as if mocking his weakness.
Naruto didn't give him a chance. He thrust his hand forward, chakra swirling violently. "Sage Art: Wind Style—Rasenshuriken!"
The shrill screech of cutting wind split the air, sending leaves and branches tearing away in the gale. Danzo's eyes widened, his body too sluggish to move in time.
The Rasenshuriken struck him dead-on, detonating in a sphere of pure annihilation.
"—!"
Danzo's body was shredded, torn apart into fragments before fading away into nothingness. And then, a few meters away, another intact Danzo appeared.
But this time, his breaths were ragged, his form unstable. His arm pulsed with uncontrolled growth, Hashirama's cells twisting against him.
"Damn… these accursed cells—" Danzo snarled, clutching his arm as it bulged grotesquely before exploding into a mass of wood that rooted into the ground. He tore himself free, gasping heavily, left arm now completely gone.
Sakura gagged at the sight. "That's disgusting! Just how many twisted experiments has this man done…?"
Naruto's eyes hardened. This is my chance.
He dashed forward. Danzo roared and flared his right eye, the Mangekyō Sharingan spinning as its tomoe curved into a sickle. "Kotoamatsukami!"
But Naruto had prepared for this. His body flickered—vanished into smoke. A shadow clone.
Danzo grit his teeth. "So cautious… brat!"
Naruto's voice came from behind him. "Sage Art: Great Breakthrough!"
A violent gale roared, forcing Kakashi, Sakura, and the ANBU to retreat quickly. Danzo staggered against the wind, but in that moment, Naruto appeared directly behind him—marked by the Flying Thunder God seal.
Danzo's instincts screamed. He spun, but far too late. Naruto's hand clamped down over his right eye.
"Got you."
Danzo's mind raced. So this was his true aim… Shisui's eye!
In the instant between life and death, Danzo gambled. He activated another forbidden jutsu—Izanagi.
The Mangekyō flared crimson before its light extinguished, turning ashen white in Naruto's palm.
Naruto's grin froze. Wait—!
Danzo screamed, his body unraveling before vanishing.
Naruto snapped into Sage perception, stretching his senses outward. His eyes widened. "Five meters away… he resurrected"
Indeed, far from the battlefield, Danzo stumbled to his knees, coughing blood. His left arm was gone, his right eye hollow. He was a broken shell of himself.
But still, his mind seethed. "Damn them all… Tsunade, Kakashi, that Nine-Tails brat… you've humiliated me. But I am Danzo Shimura. I am the true Hokage of Konoha. One day… I'll return. And I'll take back everything."
His words were empty bravado, but his will burned on. For now, he vanished into the shadows, forced into exile.
Back at the battlefield, Naruto stared at the gray, lifeless Sharingan in his palm. The Mangekyō had burned out under Izanagi's cost. But instead of discarding it, Naruto tucked it away.
Even a useless Sharingan may have a future. Madara once turned discarded eyes into the Rinnegan… who's to say I can't find a way?
He clenched his fist around the eye. The mission was complete. He hadn't captured Shisui's power intact, but Danzo had been stripped bare, and his plan had succeeded.
For now… that was enough.
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