The Vacuum Blade had taken countless lives in Danzo Shimura's hands—
yet today, it sliced through his own throat, arteries, and spine.
His head hung from his neck by a shred of flesh.
Dan Kato's spirit returned to his body.
Relief washed over his face.
Facing someone like Danzo—one of Konoha's highest-ranking elders—had been crushing.
The tension of battle finally broke, and with it came a chilling realization:
Danzo was dead by his hand.
And that was something no one in the village could ever know.
Dan turned toward the two Anbu, his hands beginning to weave signs.
This wasn't the time to reveal his true intent to the village.
The Anbu had to die here.
Seeing the cold resolve in Dan's eyes, Yoru's heart clenched.
He quickly raised his hand to form the Curse Sealing Mark of Retribution,
ready to reveal himself as an Uzumaki spy.
But before he could finish the second sign—he stopped.
The situation shifted again—violently.
Dan groaned sharply.
"Ugh!"
The Spirit Transformation Technique was forcibly cut off.
A Vacuum Blade pierced straight through his back, emerging from his chest—then slid downward in a clean, merciless line.
Heart, lungs, spleen, intestines, kidneys—
the blade carved through them all.
A gaping slash split open the left side of his torso.
Then—
Danzo's face appeared beside his ear.
This time, there was no calm authority—
only unrestrained rage.
One of Uchiha Kagami's precious Mangekyō Sharingan had been destroyed by Madara Uchiha.
And now, the second had been ruined—within mere hours—by Dan Kato.
Unforgivable.
"Dan Kato! You dare raise your hand against me!?"
Blood gushed from Dan's wound like a fountain, flowing with the rhythm of the pounding rain.
How could Danzo still be alive?
His throat had been nearly severed!
Not even Tsunade possessed such regeneration.
Dan struggled to complete his last hand sign—to at least send word back.
But Danzo, a veteran killer, never allowed second chances.
The Vacuum Blade whipped upward again, slicing clean through Dan's left arm.
The severed hand fell into the muddy puddles below.
"Dan!!"
One Senju guard screamed, forming hand signs.
Oto, realizing it was a Summoning Jutsu, panicked—
if the guard called something dangerous, it could turn the tide.
He flashed through a quick seal—
—and the Senju's hands froze midair, tendons shredded by the Parasitic Insects burrowing through them.
Yoru seized the moment—cutting down the distracted guard in one swift motion.
In an instant, the battle flipped.
The Senju were dead.
The rain fell harder, washing their blood into the earth.
Without waiting for an order, Oto called out,
"Lord Danzo! We'll handle the cleanup!"
Seeing Danzo's blood-soaked, furious face, Yoru bowed low and hurried to help.
Together, he and the Oto piled the two Senju guards' corpses.
Dan's body, however, remained at Danzo's feet.
That one would be taken for dissection, to uncover the secrets of the Spirit Transformation Technique.
Yoru glanced at the corpse—Dan still wore the First Hokage's Necklace around his neck.
He didn't dare move.
Neither did the Oto.
And neither did Danzo.
The elder stood in the downpour, unmoving, rain running down his face like tears.
Yoru stayed tense, half-expecting Danzo to turn on them—
to erase all witnesses.
It was possible. But… unlikely.
This was before Root had developed the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal—he didn't have absolute control over his men yet.
Root might be his subordinates,
but that didn't mean Anbu were expendable orphans to slaughter at will… right?
Minutes passed.
Danzo remained silent.
The heavy rain poured endlessly—
as if the heavens themselves were mourning the fall of a prodigy like Dan Kato.
He would live on in the memories of countless shinobi,
growing greater with every retelling.
Years later, some Senju ninja would remember him and say,
"If Dan were still alive… things would've been different."
That was the filter of memory—
how legends are born.
Dan's forbidden technique was powerful, yes—
but it left his body paralyzed and vulnerable to close combat.
That weakness had doomed him.
Yoru quietly weighed his own position.
His plan had succeeded:
to protect the Senju's remaining influence while subtly restraining the village leadership.
Dan's death—and the destruction of one of Danzo's eyes—meant progress.
As for revealing his true identity to the Senju,
or defecting to expose Root's crimes—
Yoru stole a glance at Danzo's shadowed face and remembered that even Captain Yellow Dog had begun to suspect him.
No.
Self-preservation came first.
He studied Danzo out of the corner of his eye.
Despite Orochimaru's advanced transplantation techniques,
Danzo had died—and revived—twice in one night.
It was just like the legend:
Danzo dying again and again before Sasuke Uchiha,
using the Sharingan itself as a substitute for life.
Oto moved first.
Yoru followed immediately.
Standing beside Danzo, Oto spoke softly,
"Lord Danzo, it's too dangerous for you to fight in person.
From now on, please leave it to us.
With a few more Root operatives and an Anbu squad, these risks can be avoided."
Yoru cursed silently.
You sycophantic idiot—
keep licking boots and you'll get us all killed while you take the credit.
Danzo closed his dull, gray eyes. His tone was low and heavy:
"I'm not upset because of danger.
These eyes… were entrusted to me by my dear friend, Kagami Uchiha.
For Konoha's sake, I've long been ready to die.
But like Lord Tobirama, I must die with purpose—
not meaninglessly.
When I fall, it must be at Konoha's darkest hour…
as its final guardian."
He exhaled.
"It's a pity about Kagami. His gift was wasted on this cursed night."
Yoru thought bitterly,
The last guardian of Konoha? So as long as one villager still breathes… Danzo refuses to die himself?
Every mission, every battle—
Anbu risked their lives gathering intel,
and Danzo swooped in for the credit.
It all made sense now.
He didn't see himself as a coward.
He truly believed he was destined to be the last man standing for Konoha.
Oto quickly added,
"I'm sure Lord Kagami would be comforted, knowing his eyes have saved you twice already."
Yoru, a seasoned Anbu, kept his face impassive, though nausea rose inside.
Danzo finally spoke again:
"Let's go. To the front lines. I need to see Orochimaru."
Would he seek another Sharingan… or restore his original eye?
Oto asked,
"Lord Danzo, should we hand Dan Kato's body over to Captain Koh for dissection?"
Danzo shook his head.
"Dan Kato's death must remain an absolute secret.
Orochimaru must never know. He and Dan were classmates—
and both had deep ties to Tsunade.
If this leaks out, Tsunade will sever ties with the village entirely.
The Senju cannot break from Konoha yet.
Not until after the Second Great Ninja War ends.
Then… we'll deal with the Senju's lingering threat."
Oto's eyes shifted slightly toward Yoru, silently asking—
Should a mere Fox operative even be allowed to know this much?
Danzo followed his gaze—
turning toward Yoru.
Yoru's heart stopped.
He immediately spoke:
"Lord Danzo! I have a plan—
a way to erase every trace of Dan Kato's death, once and for all!"
Surviving in Root was a constant game of inches.
He just needed to stall—
until the next full moon.
Danzo's gaze swept over the fox-masked operative.
"...Go on. Let's hear it."