The ground began to rumble violently as massive tree trunks burst through the earth, rapidly spreading into a dense forest.
The twisting, creaking sounds of the wood were enough to make anyone's scalp tingle.
Danzo's expression finally changed—no longer calm and collected.
He knew the First Hokage and Madara Uchiha had a complicated relationship, but why did Madara possess Hashirama's Wood Release?
The trunks whipped around, slamming toward Danzo.
Danzo quickly swung his Wind Release: Vacuum Blade, slicing through the oncoming wood.
Meanwhile, Yoru had already kept his distance. Staying on the outer edge of the forest born from Deep Forest Emergence, he rolled backward, retreating out of its range.
The dense trees blocked visibility. Neither Danzo nor Madara paid any attention to the insignificant figure skirting the edge.
A Root ninja from the Yamanaka clan, standing too close in an effort to protect Danzo, was caught by a twisting tree trunk. His abdomen caved in under the pressure.
Before dying, he managed to cast Mind Transfer Jutsu on Madara.
Madara didn't even glance at him. Such a weak mental attack was nothing to him—no more than a breeze brushing past his ear.
Another Root operative, farther away like Yoru, had escaped the forest's growth.
This one, from the Aburame clan, released a massive swarm of insects resembling the crown of a tree, gnawing at the wood to ease Danzo's burden.
Madara tilted his head slightly, casting a sidelong glance at the Aburame shinobi. He seemed mildly surprised at the man's skill.
Then, within the forest, a flower bloomed. It opened and spewed poisonous pollen into the air.
The insects dropped dead on the tree trunks, leaving behind clumps of black husks.
The Aburame switched through three types of Kikaichū (Parasitic Insects) beetles—but none could withstand the poison. Each died miserably.
As for Yoru, he was busy stabbing the nearby tree trunks with his Earth Release: Rising Spear Technique—making as much noise as possible while slowly backing away.
Madara looked ancient and frail, yet the chakra surging within him was immense.
He stood atop a bridge of intertwining tree trunks, looking down at Danzo.
Danzo finished weaving hand signs.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Great Sphere!"
A high-pressure wind orb erupted from his mouth, shattering large sections of the Deep Forest Emergence.
Splinters flew wildly through the rain-soaked night.
Madara's eyes brightened slightly—his interest in Danzo growing.
"Your Wind Release isn't half bad," Madara remarked coldly. "Then try this one. Let's see how your wind fares."
The ground split open—
A giant wooden golem rose up, roaring as it hurled a massive punch toward Danzo.
Danzo countered again with Vacuum Great Sphere, but the golem's strength far exceeded his expectations.
The surface of its wooden fist cracked slightly, then tore through Danzo's wind technique and smashed downward.
Danzo narrowly dodged the blow at the last second.
He changed tactics, no longer trading blows directly. Instead, he darted through the trees, heading straight for Madara.
He figured Madara must be near his end—perhaps just holding himself together like Mito Uzumaki had.
Now wasn't the time to ponder why Madara had Wood Release. The key was to kill him before he made another move.
If Madara died, everything would be over.
Danzo had long sought to master Wood Release, but never succeeded. Maybe Madara's body held the secret.
If Madara could use it, why couldn't he?
Danzo's Sharingan spun wildly as he leapt between the branches, dodging every vine and trunk that tried to snare him.
The trees kept multiplying, growing without end. Desperate, Danzo activated his Mangekyō.
"Susanoo!"
A green skeletal structure surrounded him.
Seeing that emerald light, Madara's voice echoed again—mocking, contemptuous:
"Tobirama's foolish disciple… teaching you trash to summon Susanoo in front of me?"
"The Uchiha fools—played by Konoha like puppets—can't even protect their own Mangekyō."
Madara finally moved his hand.
Up until now, he hadn't even needed to move—just spoken.
Now, he formed hand signs. A sign he was taking this slightly seriously.
"Wood Release: Wood Dragon Technique!"
A massive wooden dragon erupted from the ground, shrieking as it coiled through the air toward Danzo's Susanoo.
The dragon wrapped itself around the ethereal construct, draining its chakra. The muscles that had begun to form on the Susanoo shriveled away, leaving only bone.
Blood trickled from beneath Danzo's right eye.
The Mangekyō consumed immense energy, and with the Wood Dragon sapping his chakra, pain stabbed through his eye.
His vision blurred. Just two uses of the Mangekyō… and my body's already giving out?
The Susanoo vanished. The Wood Dragon, suddenly without resistance, fell limp.
Using Wind Release, Danzo lifted himself from the ground, leaping free of the collapsing dragon.
He formed another series of seals midair:
"Wind Release: Vacuum Bullets!"
Chakra bullets blasted from his mouth like machine-gun fire, tearing through the rain toward Madara.
Madara raised a hand calmly.
"Wood Release: Piercing Spear Technique!"
Dozens of sharp wooden lances shot out from the bridge beneath his feet.
The Vacuum Bullets collided with the wooden spears, canceling out—but several spears still pierced through, impaling Danzo.
They exploded inside his body, bursting out through his back.
Danzo's body resembled a hedgehog—his organs surely shredded.
Yoru's eyes went wide—then Danzo's figure suddenly vanished, as if erased from existence.
Only blood and bile splattered on the falling spears remained—proof he had indeed been struck down.
Moments later, Danzo reappeared behind a tree at the base of the hill, fleeing desperately into the distance.
Yoru cursed silently. That bastard didn't even call out before running!
He caught a glimpse of Danzo's right eye—it had gone pale and lifeless, like a dead fish.
Uchiha Kagami's precious Mangekyō Sharingan had been reduced to a one-time Izanagi talisman.
Yoru and the surviving Aburame ninja hurried to follow.
Madara stood atop the slope, making no move to chase. He glanced disdainfully at their retreating figures, then turned back toward his cave.
Yoru guessed Madara had more important matters—like finishing Nagato's Rinnegan transplant.
Compared to that, a few Konoha rats weren't worth his time.
But the farther they fled, the tighter Yoru's chest grew.
This is bad—really bad.
He trailed silently behind the Aburame, who followed Danzo.
Yoru didn't dare make a single sound—not a splash, not a step on a fallen leaf. If he startled Danzo now, the old snake might turn around and kill him out of spite.
Yoru's mood was a mix of 30% delight and 70% regret.
Delight, because Danzo the old thief got wrecked! Beaten down by Madara, forced to burn through a Mangekyō just to survive.
Serves him right—barely had time to warm that new eye in its socket before Madara made it useless.
But regret, because Madara had been… disappointing.
He talked the biggest game, mocked everyone around him—and still couldn't even finish off one Danzo.
Couldn't he have waited to transplant the Rinnegan? With just a regular Sharingan, he was practically useless.
Can't even kill Danzo? What a loser.
A big loser.
No wonder he never accomplished anything.
Even the Aburame ninja ahead was trembling just as much as Yoru—neither of them felt safe.