"It's useless. This is a high-level binding curse seal, one designed to completely paralyze physical movement."
Danzo's figure appeared again, still unscathed, now standing directly in front of Kirito. This time, he made no move to attack from behind. At this point, Kirito couldn't move a muscle, completely immobilized save for the movement in his eyes.
"To think... a mere youth could push me to this point."
Danzo's breath was uneven, his chest heaving. The repeated use of Izanagi had taken a heavy toll on his chakra. Then again, that was the cost of trying to capture Kirito alive, sometimes, capturing a target was far more difficult than killing them.
"There's no need to struggle. Soon, your mind and identity will be wiped clean... reborn as part of Root."
Kirito clenched his jaw, pouring all his willpower into breaking free of the curse seal. But just as Danzo had said, this was no ordinary jutsu. No matter how hard he tried, his body refused to respond.
A flash of resolve surged in his eyes. His breath turned frosty, misting in front of his lips.
"Minus 273.15 degrees... Absolute Zero."
"What?!"
A wave of frigid cold exploded from Kirito's body. Danzo, caught at point-blank range, couldn't even react before the frost enveloped him. In seconds, ice spread across his limbs.
But just before he was completely frozen, he vanished.
Thud!
Danzo reappeared several meters away, dropping to one knee. His entire body trembled from the massive chakra drain. Sweat streamed down his face. Lifting his head with effort, the only eye visible beneath his bandages glared at the figure ahead.
Kirito stood, his body encrusted in frost. His chakra presence was eerily absent.
"No... no way!"
But the next moment shook Danzo to his core,
The one he thought had been fully restrained by the curse seal… moved.
Shhk!
Sode no Shirayuki's blade swept through the air. There was no blood. The steel merely brushed past Danzo's shoulder. Yet everything it touched froze instantly, even the air itself.
At Absolute Zero, life ceased. No living being could survive in such a state.
It was a killing technique. A death sentence in one swing.
The drawback? Kirito could only move freely for four seconds while in that state. After that, even his own body would begin to freeze.
This slash hadn't even drawn blood. But it didn't need to.
Danzo's body lost all heat instantly,
Even Hashirama's cells couldn't keep him alive.
Theoretically, one strike under Absolute Zero guaranteed death.
And indeed, Danzo did die.
But Izanagi brought him back.
Again.
He reappeared, gasping, now on both knees, drenched in sweat. Each breath burned his lungs.
"That seal… how did he break it?" he muttered in disbelief.
The answer:
In the state of Absolute Zero, Kirito's organs had shut down. His body registered as "dead."
The curse seal, designed for living targets, lost its effect.
Crack!
The frost surrounding Kirito shattered. Four seconds had passed. His time was up.
Huff...
He began heating his body from the inside, reversing the deep freeze. But doing so taxed him heavily.
With a groan, he dropped to one knee, his face pale, his breathing ragged.
He had burned through every last bit of stamina.
Danzo, likewise, was nearly spent.
No one could have imagined the battle would come to this:
A war of attrition between two exhausted titans.
"One last Izanagi… that's all I have left," Danzo thought grimly. "Maybe enough to kill him. But capturing him? Impossible."
He clenched his teeth.
He hadn't expected this boy to be so tenacious. Even after spending multiple Izanagi casts, he had gained almost nothing.
But Kirito's state… was worse than Danzo suspected.
His chakra was completely gone. His hand still gripped Sode no Shirayuki, but just barely. He couldn't even lift the blade again.
His limbs were frostbitten. His body was drained. Even moving a finger was nearly impossible now.
The two warriors stood, or knelt, silently.
The battlefield, once roaring with ice and fire, fell into an eerie stillness. Only their harsh, labored breathing echoed across the silence.
Then, slowly, Kirito stood.
Though his body screamed in pain, he rose.
Perhaps because he was young. Or perhaps… because he refused to fall.
Step by step, he moved toward Danzo, who still knelt with clenched fists.
In the old war hawk's eyes,
A flash of resignation.
"So this is how it ends…"
Kirito tightened his grip on his sword.
He knew, Danzo was preparing to make one final move.
But so was he.
Neither had strength left.
Only will remained.
Just as Kirito lifted his foot for the next step, he stopped.
Danzo's eye widened.
"…It seems fate still favors me after all."
"Mind Transfer Jutsu!"
The soft murmur came from behind.
Asuna, who had until now appeared unconscious, suddenly stood.
She drew the slim blade at her hip, its tip trembling as she aimed it, at her own throat.
"Hyuga Kirito… this is where it ends."
Yamanaka Fū had arrived.
And the balance of power, tilted sharply once more.
<><>---------------------------------------
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🚨 TL/N 💥
Hello guys Fanfic recommendation!
Check out my other work:
💥> Naruto: Mind Control
If you like smart and strong MC, this fanfic is for you.
It's Peak.
Give it a chance and you won't be disappointed