"Danzō!"
Shinnō roared, his figure becoming a blur as he charged fiercely toward the Root leader.
Right at that moment—Bang!
Sent flying backward, Shinnō's eyes widened in sheer disbelief. A ninja clad in a standard flak jacket and a green jumpsuit had materialized before him out of thin air, delivering a devastating kick that launched him away.
'This speed... Is it the Eight Inner Gates? How is that possible?!'
Intense agony radiated from his chest. In mid-air, Shinnō gritted his teeth and forcefully snapped his dislocated bones back into place. Had he not been in the state of the Sixth Gate—the Gate of Joy—with his body fortified by massive amounts of chakra, that single ambush would have been enough to cripple him entirely.
However, that wasn't the end of it. Suspended in the air, Might Guy unleashed an instantaneous barrage of countless punches. Blazing flames erupted from the sheer friction of his fists, raining down upon Shinnō like the brilliant plumage of a peacock spreading its tail.
Asa Kujaku!
Shinnō never imagined there was another ninja in the world capable of opening the Eight Inner Gates—let alone one whose mastery over its taijutsu applications far surpassed his own. Such terrifying physical prowess... A flicker of dread flashed through his eyes.
Without hesitation—Seventh Gate: Gate of Wonder, open! It was the final threshold before the Gate of Death.
Just as Shinnō mounted a counterattack to scatter the residual shockwaves of the Asa Kujaku, he watched in horror as a surging aura of blue sweat ignited around Might Guy. It was the exact same gate! Gulping hard, Shinnō abandoned all hesitation. Riding the explosive power of the Gate of Wonder, he turned and fled toward the outskirts of the village.
Shinnō was running away again! Aided by his Dark Chakra and the Regeneration Jutsu, his body rapidly healed, neutralizing the severe physiological backlash of the Seventh Gate. Yet, the ferocious roar echoing behind him made his heart tremble. He only dared to open the Seventh Gate because of his regenerative abilities. But his pursuer had no such crutch, relying entirely on raw physical endurance to sustain the Gate of Wonder.
'That guy is an absolute maniac!'
At this moment, any ambition to capture Yakumo Kurama was completely thoroughly erased from his mind. Flee! If he didn't run now, he would be permanently buried in Konoha. Not daring to linger a second longer, Shinnō sprinted at top speed, leaving a streak of blue light across the sky before vanishing in the blink of an eye.
Panting heavily, Might Guy released his gate and dropped heavily from the sky, landing back on solid ground.
"Lord Danzō, I have brought Guy here as requested. Are you unharmed?" Masahiko materialized instantly at Danzō's side.
Danzō's expression was stern as he gave a curt nod. "I am unharmed. Go assist Guy immediately. He utilized the Eight Inner Gates; the backlash will not be light." Then, deliberately raising his voice so the surrounding shinobi could hear, he declared, "I am an elder of Konoha! It is my duty to protect everyone. I do not require your protection!"
"Yes, sir!" Masahiko leaped down, rushing over to administer medical aid. "Guy, I'm going to heal you."
"Thanks... Masahiko..." Utterly drained of stamina, Guy murmured his gratitude before passing out cold.
Masahiko applied the Mystical Palm Technique for a brief moment before swiftly hauling the unconscious jōnin off toward Konoha Hospital.
Danzō narrowed his lone eye, a flicker of genuine surprise crossing his features. 'Is this man truly loyal to me?' He frowned, finding it difficult to believe, yet the scene that had just unfolded was undeniably convincing.
Just as Danzō was pondering this, a section of the village's outer wall collapsed with a thunderous crash, obliterated by a colossal serpent.
Several Anbu operatives were sent flying by the shockwave. Immediately following, massive snakes began slithering through the streets, converging on Konoha from multiple directions. Standing atop the largest of the serpents, Orochimaru wore an expression of arrogant isolation, a cold, mocking smile etched across his face.
"Sensei, I have returned to see you!"
For a fleeting second, raw bewilderment flashed in Danzō's eyes. 'Why is Orochimaru here?' A vague sense of impending disaster washed over him; things were rapidly spiraling outside the parameters of his plan. Orochimaru had absolutely no role to play today, nor had Danzō disclosed his schemes to the missing-nin! Hell, not even Hiruzen Sarutobi knew his true objective!
Atop the mud-spattered Hokage building, Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane stood in absolute shock. They simultaneously turned their heads to glare at Danzō, their expressions severe and piercing. "Danzō!"
"Orochimaru has nothing to do with me!" Danzō stepped forward, frowning as he tried to defend himself, only to sense the violent fluctuations of chakra rolling off his two former teammates.
They had already concluded he was the mastermind behind this! He wanted to argue, but the words caught in his throat.
Caught in this terrible dilemma, a sudden torrent of water cascaded down from the Hokage Monument, sweeping across the mountainside.
"Hiruzen!" the Adamantine Staff urgently warned.
The Third Hokage snapped his head around, only to see a cloaked figure burst forth from the surging floodwaters, gliding effortlessly across the waves. He was instantly stunned.
'This is... Water Surfing Strike?'
It was a technique invented by his sensei, the Second Hokage. The only existing research notes on it were kept strictly between himself and Danzō's Root!
Hiruzen brought the Adamantine Staff up horizontally to block, meeting the blindingly fast downward slash of his assailant's blade. The sheer kinetic force of the strike physically suppressed the Hokage, forcing him to his knees. A split second later, five bone projectiles fired directly from the attacker's fingertips.
Hiruzen's pupils shrank. He immediately tossed the Adamantine Staff aside, allowing it to revert to its true monkey form, while his hands rapidly weaved hand signs. Splash! His body dissolved into a puddle of thick mud.
Just as Hiruzen melded into the earth, the ground beneath them churned violently. The surface split wide open, and both Orochimaru and Hiruzen erupted from the ruptured soil. Hiruzen used the Body Flicker Technique to retreat, clutching a bleeding wound on his shoulder.
A massive thicket of trees sprouted from the earth, forcefully separating Orochimaru and the Black-Robed Man from the Hokage.
Wood Style: Wood Locking Wall!
Yamato completed the jutsu, but he dared not drop his guard or stay still. He continued weaving signs, intent on using his Wood Style to completely seal Orochimaru and the masked assailant away.
"Hiruzen..." Seeing this, Danzō grew anxious and immediately took a few steps forward.
However, Koharu and Homura stepped directly into his path, bodily blocking him from reaching the Third Hokage. "Danzō, halt right there!" they barked furiously.
Danzō stopped in his tracks. He stared intensely at Orochimaru and the abruptly manifested Black-Robed Man, sheer rage boiling in his eye. "They do not belong to me!"
But why would Koharu ever believe him now?
"Regardless of whether they do or do not, you are to stay away from Hiruzen!" The ones who understood their former comrade the best were precisely his oldest friends. Homura gripped his weapon tightly, remaining stony and silent.
A moment later, Orochimaru licked his lips and smiled maliciously. "Lord Danzō, seeing as it has come to this, aren't you going to reveal our trump card?"
"Orochimaru, you—" Danzō began, but before he could finish his sentence...
The Black-Robed Man launched another assault. He wielded a standard katana in one hand and a short, jagged bone blade in the other—one long, one short, an ideal stance for blending offense and defense. His speed was blistering. Kakashi moved to intercept him, but writhing shadows of serpents immediately slithered through the brush, entangling him to halt his advance.
At the same time, a blade streaked through the air overhead like a flash of lightning. Orochimaru was remotely controlling the Sword of Kusanagi: Longsword of the Sky, sending it flying straight toward Kakashi.
Between the Black-Robed Man and Orochimaru, a seamless coordinated offensive was mounted that utterly deprived Danzō of any chance to defend his innocence. The window for "peace talks" was violently shattered.
Lightning erupted from the palm of Kakashi's hand, accompanied by the piercing screech of a thousand chirping birds.
Raikiri!
He parried the snakes and the flying sword in a single, brilliant sweep.
Meanwhile, on the other side...
Asuma body-flickered into the fray, his hands locked in a seal as he exhaled a billowing cloud of searing, superheated gunpowder ash.
Fire Style: Ash Pile Burning!
He was just about to ignite the ash cloud into a massive explosion when, abruptly, the katana flashed right before his eyes. The assailant's arm had stretched to an unnatural, bizarre length, striking faster than Asuma could finish his jutsu!
'How is that possible?!'
Horrified, Asuma immediately lunged backward, only to watch as a barrage of bone needles fired from his opponent's free hand, whistling through the air toward him. Gripping his trench knives, Asuma twirled them furiously, conjuring a tempest of wind blades around himself to grind the incoming bone shards into dust.
Even so, a fractured half-needle and several jagged bone splinters managed to pierce his palm. Asuma let out a sharp grunt of pain. In the next breath, using the momentum of a leaping kick, the Black-Robed Man's figure swayed like a willow branch. The bone blade in his left hand swung in a blindingly fast, face-cleaving arc.
Asuma had no choice but to cross his twin blades in a desperate block. But then the unthinkable happened...
The Black-Robed Man's grip subtly shifted. He catalyzed the structural integrity of his own bone blade, violently shattering it into countless lethal fragments that blasted point-blank into Asuma's face.
Boom!
Enma lashed out with a vicious kick, shoving Asuma out of harm's way while using his own adamantine-hard body to tank the blast. A split second later, a torrent of lightning swept through the battlefield like a sweeping spear.
Seeing his son in mortal peril, Hiruzen Sarutobi was genuinely enraged!
Lightning Style: Roaring Thunder!
Rolling waves of electricity cascaded from the heavens, blanketing the entire area and completely sealing off any escape route the Black-Robed Man could have taken using the residual water.
Seeing that his assault had failed, the Black-Robed Man erupted in an aura of crackling lightning. He exhaled a massive surge of water, effortlessly merging into the fresh current and vanishing into the distance in an instant. He could use Lightning Style too. Furthermore, judging by his aura, it appeared to be the elusive Lightning Style Chakra Mode. The Roaring Thunder couldn't pin him down at all...
Witnessing this, Enma's expression grew exceedingly grave, his deep voice laced with righteous fury. "A survivor of the Shikotsumyaku, yet he also possesses the Akimichi's Expansion Jutsu and Tobirama's Water Surfing Strike... Danzō, you have betrayed Hiruzen, and you have betrayed Konoha!"
Koharu and Homura still had to weigh the political ramifications of their words. The Monkey King had no such restraints. All he knew was that these highly classified secret jutsu were things only a close confidant like Hiruzen's old friend could have accessed and stolen. And now... they had all seamlessly materialized in the arsenal of this mysterious Black-Robed Man.
"He is our enemy! He is the exact same man who rescued Shisui!" Danzō took a deep, ragged breath, attempting one last, desperate defense.
But absolutely no one believed him anymore.
The corners of Orochimaru's mouth curled upward as he too retracted his stance and leaped backward. Seeing his old sensei's genuine fury, he offered a sinister grin. "It seems the time is not yet ripe, Sensei... We shall continue this spar another day."
With that, his physical form dispersed into mud. Elsewhere, right next to Danzō, Orochimaru slowly emerged from the earth.
"Lord Danzō, the plan has failed. Let us go; my snakes shall cover our retreat!"
"..." Danzō's visible eye burned with a profound, suffocating rage.
He had already managed to seize a considerable amount of prestige and public support. He was on the absolute verge of success! If he could just align with the Capital's nobles and exploit their growing dissatisfaction with Hiruzen, he would have had a legitimate chance to usurp the title of Hokage.
But now, everything was ruined. Completely and utterly ruined by these two uninvited intruders!
He was only one step away... Once again, he was just one step away!