Chapter 202: Shockwaves Through Konoha
The brutal duel between Sasuke and Danzō was over. At the critical moment when both combatants had reached their absolute limits, the "Stimulant" provided by Ren had allowed Sasuke a stunning reversal, ending Danzō's life for good.
Karin, who had been hiding and observing the entire fight, had nearly leaped from the shadows when Danzō launched his final counterattack, her heart in her throat. But she held back, watching as Sasuke produced the vial and drank its contents. The result did not disappoint her. Danzō was slain in an instant. She rushed to Sasuke's side, her voice thick with concern. "Sasuke! Are you alright?"
Across the chamber, Jugo and Suigetsu, hearing Karin's cry, followed her gaze. There stood Sasuke. Though his clothes were torn and he was covered in grime, he bore no obvious, life-threatening injuries.
The remaining Root operatives also noticed the shift in attention. Their eyes landed on the white-clad youth standing calmly in the distance, the Kusanagi sword in his hand. It was Uchiha Sasuke.
"That's... the traitor, Uchiha Sasuke! Lord Danzō..."
"Is it... impossible! How could Lord Danzō lose to this traitor?!"
Ignoring the panicked murmurs of the Root agents, Jugo and Suigetsu disengaged from their fights, leaping to flank Sasuke and once again facing down their enemies.
"Danzō is dead," Sasuke stated, his voice flat and cold, cutting through the chatter. A faint, shimmering outline of the Susano'o began to form around him, a silent promise of annihilation should they press further. "If you still wish to stop me, then come."
"The Curse Mark on my body is gone... so what he says... is true!"
"Nani! No! How could Lord Danzō lose?!"
"This is a disaster! Someone inform the Council of Elders immediately! The situation is beyond our control!"
"Quick! Fall back! Regroup with the forces outside!"
Panic erupted. Sasuke's declaration was a seismic shock that shattered the Root operatives' resolve. The news of Danzō's death, combined with their failure to subdue even two of Sasuke's comrades and the now-present threat of the Susano'o, was too much. Finding a desperately needed excuse to retreat, they scattered, using every means at their disposal to flee the base and merge with the larger Konoha defense force. Without Danzō, they had no backbone.
Seeing that Sasuke was truly unharmed, Karin adjusted her glasses, a familiar, relieved gesture. "You solved Danzō... Now we go to meet up with Ren. His death will paralyze Root for a while, but they'll be a bigger problem once they reorganize. Let's get out of here." Sasuke dismissed the spectral Susano'o and brought a hand to his forehead, his voice weary. As he looked forward again, the world swam in and out of focus, the blurriness more pronounced than before.
Damn it...
The terror of impending blindness was a fate worse than any battle injury. Without another word, he led Suigetsu and the others, moving swiftly in the direction of Ren's colossal chakra signature. His only thought was to reach his brother's side.
They left the vast Root base behind, now an empty, silent tomb. The body of Shimura Danzō lay where it had fallen, abandoned even by the men who had sworn absolute loyalty. Not one of them had stayed to retrieve their master's corpse.
***
On the main battlefield, the aftermath of the Nine-Tails' Tailed Beast Bomb had left a scene of apocalyptic horror. The Konoha shinobi were paralyzed, staring in stunned disbelief at their village, now physically cleft in two. A strange, heavy silence had fallen over the entire area, broken only by the faint crackle of distant fires.
"The village... the village..."
"Why... why is this happening...?"
"It's... divided... just... gone..."
Though the Tailed Beast Bomb's trajectory had not been aimed directly at them, its path of destruction was immense. Those who had failed to evade in time were simply erased from existence. Others, caught by the shockwave, lay grievously injured, their bodies broken. Every surviving Konoha ninja was left battered and demoralized by the sheer scale of the demon fox's power.
"Lady Tsunade, are you alright?!" An ANBU operative, who had managed to dive clear at the last second, scrambled to her side. He was covered in dust and his own blood, his uniform torn.
Tsunade ignored him. She was on her knees, staring blankly at the smoldering ruin that had been the heart of her village. The initial shock finally melted away, replaced by a fury so profound it seemed to radiate from her very pores. She rose to her feet, her voice a raw, guttural roar that echoed across the devastation.
"*UNFORGIVABLE! UNFORGIVABLE, UCHIHA REN!*"
She bit her thumb, smearing blood onto her palm, and slammed it onto the ground.
"*Summoning Jutsu!*"
BOOM!
A massive cloud of smoke erupted, resolving into the gigantic, blue-and-white form of the slug, Katsuyu.
"Lady Tsunade..." Katsuyu's voice was gentle, a stark contrast to her size and the surrounding chaos. "It seems the village is facing a grave crisis."
"No time for talk!" Tsunade barked, her eyes burning. "You will immediately link with every Konoha shinobi and heal them, using my chakra as the source!"
"Everyone? Lady Tsunade, your chakra... Are you planning to—?"
"*Just do it!*"
"Understood."
Knowing the urgency, Katsuyu did not argue. Her massive body quivered and then dissolved into thousands of smaller slugs, each one slithering with purpose toward the injured shinobi scattered across the battlefield.
As Katsuyu began her work, Tsunade closed her eyes. When they opened again, her aura had transformed. The diamond-shaped seal on her forehead, which stored a vast reserve of chakra, vanished.
The ANBU operative stared in awe and horror. The Byakugō Seal... it's gone! She's released the Creation Rebirth technique, distributing all that chakra to Lady Katsuyu... to protect every ninja in the village...
Ignoring the ANBU's stunned gaze, Tsunade pushed herself fully upright. Her body trembled with barely suppressed rage, but her steps were deliberate and heavy as she began to walk toward the distant figure of Uchiha Ren. Her eyes held a promise of vengeance that eclipsed even the Nine-Tails' rage.
Watching Tsunade's slow, furious approach, Ren felt not a flicker of apprehension. A cold, mocking smirk remained etched on his lips as he observed the Fifth Hokage, the living embodiment of the Will of Fire, marching to her doom. He made no move to attack. He would let her come.
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