Mito Katōyan shot to his feet, roaring furiously.
"Uzumaki Naruto, how dare you kill Danzō? This is a grave crime against Tsunade's authority! Restrain him immediately!"
"Why should I let you speak?"
Tsunade's amber eyes narrowed with distaste at Mito Katōyan's meddling. Naruto had indeed been a little reckless just now—but that was something Danzō deserved.
Koharu Utatane pressed forward as well, her sharp voice carrying weight.
"This isn't a trivial matter! Danzō may not have accomplished much, but he bore countless burdens for the village! Now the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki has cut him down without explanation. Tsunade, what do you intend to do about this?"
"Silence. Am I the Hokage—or are you?" Tsunade snapped back, her tone brooking no argument.
The two elders shrank beneath her fury. They had no real courage to confront Tsunade directly, only the habit of nagging.
"Naruto, that was reckless of you," Kakashi said at last, his voice carrying the weight of his concern. He pressed a hand against his temple, already feeling the headache. Naruto was normally steady—so why had he lashed out so impulsively now?
Sakura bit her lip, worry clouding her expression. Master Tsunade treasured Naruto; surely she wouldn't punish him harshly.
Meanwhile, Nara Shikaku studied the scene quietly. He knew Naruto wouldn't act without reason. There had to be more to it than appearances suggested. Shikaku was not a man to judge blindly.
Naruto chuckled softly.
"Mother-in-law, that old fox won't die so easily. Danzō has plenty of lives to spend."
"Plenty of lives?"
Tsunade froze, startled. Hadn't Naruto just decapitated him before her very eyes? She had felt Danzō's life fade! Could it be…?
Naruto, still in Sage Mode, spread his senses across the surroundings. Every shift, every fluctuation of chakra fell under his perception. He wielded the technique with a mastery born of relentless training.
And then—before everyone's stunned eyes—Danzō's headless body dissolved into nothingness. Even the blood vanished.
A ripple of shock went through the chamber.
Shikaku's expression darkened, realization dawning.
"Tsunade-sama… it isn't so simple after all."
"I know," Tsunade muttered, her eyes sharpening. The moment she saw the body vanish, the truth struck her. She turned on the elders with venom.
"Koharu. Mito Katō. You two had best not make a move. Otherwise, I'll suspect you're in league with him."
"No!" both cried at once, paling.
They were far from clean themselves, and if Tsunade turned her eyes on their past dealings…
Fear crept into their hearts. They dared not move.
And then—Shimura Danzō reappeared. Gasping for air, he emerged from behind Mito Katōyan, his body flickering with residual chakra.
The Nine-Tails' jinchūriki's assault had caught him entirely unprepared. In desperation, he had torn open the seal on his right arm and forced one of the stolen Sharingan to activate Izanagi. It had been a razor's edge—half a second slower and he would be truly dead.
"What… Danzō, you're alive?!" Mito Katōyan stammered, chakra senses flaring. His blood ran cold as if seeing a ghost.
The ANBU closed ranks around Tsunade, protecting their Hokage.
Kakashi uncovered his left eye, the three-tomoe Sharingan spinning with wary focus. Sakura clenched her fists, eyes fixed on Danzō.
A sharp clink rang out as the seal restraining Danzō's arm broke under the strain of the forbidden technique. The bandages fell away—
And the chamber froze.
On Danzō's arm were dozens of embedded Sharingan. And at the very center, grafted into pale flesh, was a grotesque, warped face… Senju Hashirama's.
Tsunade's heart lurched. Recognition twisted into rage. Her grandfather's visage desecrated into such abomination—it made her blood boil.
Her voice shook with fury.
"Shimura Danzō… you dare defile my grandfather's body like this?! No matter who interferes, you die here today!"
Danzō sneered, his single visible eye glinting with malice.
"Hmph. To think you would force me this far, Tsunade. But whether you can kill mean is another matter."
He bit his thumb and flung a signal flare into the air.
Kakashi cursed under his breath.
"Tsunade-sama… forgive me. I was a step too slow."
Tsunade's jaw tightened, ready to unleash her fury—
—but Naruto cut in smoothly.
"Mother-in-law. Not here. A battle in the Hokage's office will cause chaos. Too many important documents are stored here. Let's change the battlefield."
Danzō didn't wait for permission. With a snarl, he leapt from the window, racing toward the Root's hidden base.
Naruto followed in a blur, with Kakashi, Sakura, and ANBU in hot pursuit.
Shikaku stepped forward.
"Tsunade-sama, I'll assemble the jōnin squads immediately. We'll converge on Root."
"Go," Tsunade ordered sharply. She turned back on the elders, eyes narrowing.
"Don't tell me you didn't know DanzRoots'become this monster."
Koharu's face crumpled, her age catching up with her in that instant.
"We… we truly didn't. If Hiruzen-sensei could see this from the Pure Land, he would weep."
Mito Katō lowered his head in shame. Even for them, this was too far.
"Enough. From this moment, you are stripped of your positions as elders," Tsunade declared, voice cold as steel.
Leaving them behind, she and Shizune rushed to join the pursuit.
The two old advisors stood in silence. Mito Katō sighed at last.
"So be it. Better to retire now than be dragged down later."
"Yes… from now on, I'll stay out of worldly affairs," Koharu murmured, following after him with weary steps.
Meanwhile, on Konoha's streets, Danzō's twisted arm—studded with Sharingan and Hashirama's face—was laid bare for all to see. The villagers froze in shock, their worldview shattering.
Shikaku sounded the alarm. Conflict with Root was inevitable now.
Naruto's mind, however, was elsewhere. He wasn't chasing blindly—he had plans. That Mangekyō in Danzō's right eye… Shisui's eye. I need it. I can't let this chance slip away.
But too many eyes were watching. Better to let Kakashi, Sakura, and the ANBU handle the battle. His true body veered off, leaving a clone behind, and slipped into Root's base.
What he found there made his pulse quicken. Experimental chambers. Rows of Sharingan preserved in jars. Tissue samples of the First Hokage. Forbidden research notes.
"Perfect," Naruto muttered, sealing everything into storage scrolls without hesitation.
By the time ANBU stormed the base, he was already gone.
Back at the battlefield, explosions thundered through the forest. ANBU clashed with Root, their jutsu lighting the night. Sakura descended with a furious punch, cracking the ground where Danzō stood.
Kakashi's Mangekyō Sharingan spun, searching for an opening. But no matter how many times they struck, Danzō's body flickered into nothingness, reappearing elsewhere. Izanagi. Again and again.
Each time he revived, Danzō glanced at his right arm. Sharingan after Sharingan winked shut. Soon, only one remained.
His face darkened. He was nearing his limit. Yet he still had one card to play—Shisui's eye. If he could control Kakashi, turn him against his allies, the tide might shift.
But before he could act, Naruto reappeared on the battlefield, calm and unscathed.
Sakura's heart eased at once.
"Naruto! Where have you been? I couldn't find you anywhere—I was worried sick."
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