Danzo Shimura died for a second time.
Naruto Uzumaki had seized another opening. Just when everyone thought he couldn't move, he suddenly attacked Danzo, shattering his upper body with a single punch.
"Spiral Waltz!"
The genin's attack didn't stop there. With a chakra vortex in each palm, he remained rooted to the spot and began to spin rapidly. Azure chakra burst from his body as he turned. The sealing team, still stunned by Danzo's second death, was instantly swept away by the powerful shockwave.
"This is not good!"
Yamanaka Fu of the Root watched the entire sealing team get taken out, his expression faltering. With Danzo's status unknown for the moment, he took command. "Everyone, rescue the sealing team!"
Although the Root ninjas were numerous and individually strong, they couldn't hope to capture Naruto without the sealing team's help. If Naruto unleashed the Nine-Tails' chakra like last time, their seemingly powerful squad might be completely powerless against him.
That kid… he still hasn't used the Nine-Tails' chakra. That means he isn't even using his full strength.
"Fu, no need to be so tense."
Danzo's figure suddenly reappeared, forcing the attacking Naruto back with his ninja sword. He stared at Naruto with his left eye and said in a deep voice, "I didn't expect you could absorb chakra…"
The ability to absorb chakra was not common.
According to Danzo's knowledge, no ninja in the entire world who could absorb chakra was insignificant. In the past, there was the powerful Wood Style kekkei genkai. Now, only the Mist rogue ninja Kisame Hoshigaki and his greatsword Samehada possessed this ability.
Since Naruto could absorb chakra, they didn't have to worry about him running out in a battle of attrition. No wonder he had been using such powerful jutsus one after another.
Moreover, Danzo knew Naruto's origins well. The Uzumaki clan was famous for its immense chakra reserves and high recovery rate. As a descendant of the Uzumaki, Naruto likely had more chakra than any other ninja present.
"I also didn't expect…" Naruto flipped his palm, looking up at the one-eyed old man, "to have to kill the same person three times in one day!"
Naruto gathered a chakra vortex in his palm and rushed forward. Danzo held his ninja sword and slashed down.
The blade and the Rasengan were locked in a stalemate. The moment they made contact, cracks began to spiderweb across the sword.
Crack, crack…
Bang!
Countless fragments of the sword flew into the air. Both Naruto and Danzo were grazed by the shattered pieces.
Danzo dropped the hilt and touched a fresh cut on his face, frowning. "Even the strongest ninja sword can't withstand the power of the Rasengan…"
"Sir!"
The two remaining Root ninjas from the Falcon Squad landed beside Danzo, shielding him as they stared menacingly at Naruto.
Danzo pulled out a kunai and ordered, "You two, go stall him. Don't use ninjutsu recklessly."
"Yes!"
The two ninjas drew their swords and moved to engage Naruto.
Danzo looked at the kunai in his hand and continued giving orders. "Sealing team, if you can still stand, maintain the sealing formation."
"Yes!"
The four sealing ninjas who had just been knocked away staggered to their feet and spread out their sealing scrolls once more.
Danzo scanned the battlefield. Because Sasuke Uchiha had unleashed a sudden burst of power, the ninjas surrounding him had been caught off guard and were all heavily injured. Only Yamanaka Fu was left with two subordinates, still tangled up with Sasuke.
As expected of the Uchiha clan, a clan of geniuses. Even as the last survivor, he can still make the Sharingan shine on the battlefield…
On the other side, Kakashi Hatake had already fallen and couldn't move. Lying near him were the two enemies who had been attacking him, each with a kunai in their neck. The Jonin leader of Team 7, even when severely injured and low on chakra, had relied on his combat experience to kill them both in return.
Those two Root ninjas had fought poorly, but their sacrifice was not without value. At least now, Kakashi was powerless, left lying there with his eyes open, waiting to die.
"Honestly..."
Danzo casually threw a shuriken toward Kakashi, intending to finish off the white-haired Jonin.
Rip!
Even at his limit, Kakashi didn't give up. He twisted his body just enough to avoid a fatal blow to his heart, letting the shuriken lodge in his side instead. His will to live was truly strong.
Fortunately, Danzo didn't pay any more attention to Kakashi. He refocused on Naruto and spat out a burst of chakra. "Wind Release: Vacuum Serial Waves!"
A fierce wind suddenly kicked up, gathering into a mass of sharp blades that shot into the center of the battlefield. Danzo completely ignored the risk to his own subordinate, intent on using the opening to heavily injure Naruto. The wind slash instantly severed the arm of one of the Root ninjas.
The attack didn't lose its force as it closed in on Naruto, about to cut off his arm as well. Unexpectedly, a smile crossed Naruto's lips as he reached out with his bare hand toward the blade-like wind.
"Sealing Art: Devour!"
Like a deflating balloon, the wind rapidly shrank as Naruto absorbed the chakra contained within it.
Danzo's eyes widened. Then, a thought seemed to occur to him, and his expression calmed. "Naruto, it seems you've been on guard against me all along…"
"Yeah. After all, I've never met a guy as insidious as you," Naruto said. He used the opening created by Danzo's attack to grab the other Root ninja and slam him to the ground with a single punch.
After dealing with the enemies engaging him, Naruto glanced at the ninja who had been accidentally injured by Danzo, then turned his gaze back to the old man. "Looking at it now, I still underestimated your cruelty."
"This isn't cruelty. It's rationality," Danzo said calmly, spreading his hands. "The ninjas of the Root have no names, no emotions, no past, and no future. To complete a mission, they will do so at any cost, because they know very well that everyone's sacrifice has value."
"Well, looking at it now, their sacrifice seems pretty useless," Naruto shot back, raising an eyebrow as he clenched his fist. "Without them to protect you, do you really think you can defeat me?"
The situation was gradually turning in their favor. Because Danzo had died twice, the Root ninjas had lost their leader for a short time, causing chaos in their ranks that Team 7 had expertly exploited.
"What a troublesome child," Danzo muttered, rubbing his fingers together. "But the strongest fortresses are often broken from within…"
Naruto looked at him with suspicion. "You…"
The one-eyed old man ignored the blond boy, turning his head to shout at Sasuke.
"Sasuke Uchiha! Do you want to know the truth about the Uchiha clan massacre?"
-----
Bonus:
Danzo Shimura: Do you know why we failed this time?
Yamanaka Fu: Because we were too weak?
Danzo Shimura: No. It's because I died twice. I've discovered a problem: as long as I die, your performance falters.
Yamanaka Fu: Well, if you die, we don't know what to do!
Danzo Shimura: Exactly. So from now on, you all must protect me well.
Yamanaka Fu: ???
Danzo Shimura: Only if I'm alive will you continue to fight.
Yamanaka Fu: ...Are you even human?