"No—no—"
The young nobleman was so terrified he lost control of his bladder, collapsing to the ground and begging incoherently.
"I don't want to die—I don't want to die—"
"I believe there are others who have said those exact words to you."
Naruto looked down at him, his gaze unwavering, as if he were looking at an animal waiting for slaughter.
"People shouldn't only learn mercy and regret when a knife is at their throat."
"In your next life, be a good person."
Naruto raised his hand and brought the blade down.
Pfft.
Blood splattered, staining the stone steps a deep crimson.
The entire noble seating area had now become a Shura field.
The once-packed stands now held only a few pale, trembling figures awaiting their judgment.
"Hmm."
Naruto flicked the blood from his kunai, rubbed his chin, and carefully checked the list in his hand.
Then, he showed a gentle smile.
"Congratulations to the remaining few."
"While you are not exactly innocent, your crimes are not punishable by death."
"Now, get out."
Naruto waved his hand lightly, as if shooing away flies.
The survivors widened their eyes in disbelief, as if they had heard the music of the heavens, and scrambled toward the exit without daring to look back at the hellish scene.
Just then, a figure still emitting black smoke stumbled onto the high platform.
It was Danzo.
At this moment, he no longer possessed his usual gloom and authority.
His robe was tattered from the explosion, and his entire body was charred black.
Beneath the fire-scorched, blackened bandages, three Sharingan on his right arm had closed forever.
To counteract the continuous explosions just now, he had been forced to use Izanagi three times to barely escape the epicenter.
But Danzo was no longer concerned about his injuries.
He looked at the corpses on the ground.
He saw those nobles, who once represented power, wealth, and prestige, now reduced to cold, rotting meat.
His painstaking efforts, his plans, his financiers—all gone.
Danzo's sanity finally snapped.
"Uzumaki Naruto!!!"
A roar filled with killing intent and rage echoed throughout the arena.
Danzo stared at the young man before him like a vengeful spirit.
Naruto turned around.
Standing in the center of a pile of corpses, he gently pushed up his blood-stained glasses, revealing a smile devoid of warmth.
"As expected, it didn't kill you, Lord Danzo."
"Die!"
Danzo let out a roar, his hands forming seals like a blur as his chest swelled violently.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere!"
Puff puff puff!
Countless high-pressure wind bullets shot out from his mouth, indiscriminately shredding the area where Naruto stood.
Naruto's expression remained unchanged; chakra instantly erupted beneath his feet as his figure weaved through the gaps between the wind bullets.
The stands behind him were riddled with holes, and shattered stone flew everywhere.
"Don't think you can escape!"
Killing intent surged in Danzo's eyes.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Blade!"
He took a deep breath, and wind-natured chakra enveloped his kunai, extending it into a blade of light.
He shot forward, sweeping the wind blade in a wide arc aimed directly at Naruto's waist.
Clang.
The sound of a heavy metallic collision rang out.
Naruto did not evade; two golden chains shot out from his back, precisely blocking the indestructible wind blade.
"Your Wind Release isn't bad," Naruto commented calmly.
"Arrogant brat!"
Being critiqued by a junior only enraged Danzo further.
He pushed aside the attacking chains, seized the opportunity, and slammed his hands onto the ground.
"Summoning Jutsu: Baku!"
Boom!
A massive cloud of smoke exploded.
A gigantic orange summoning beast, with a trunk like an elephant, appeared on the high platform.
This was Danzo's old comrade-in-arms, the strongest wind-attribute support summon.
"Roar!!!"
Baku opened its massive maw, and a terrifying suction instantly erupted.
The surrounding rubble, corpses, and even the air were frantically pulled into its mouth.
Naruto's body swayed slightly under the immense force, and his glasses were nearly ripped from his face.
"Die! Wind Release: Vacuum Great Sphere!"
Danzo, aided by Baku's suction, exhaled a barrage of sharp air blades.
With the added pull, these wind blades reached extreme speeds, sealing off every possible blind spot.
"Good teamwork."
Naruto calmly pressed down on his glasses before casually taking them off and stuffing them into his pocket.
Three chains pierced deeply into the ground, locking Naruto's body firmly in place like iron nails.
Another three chains danced rapidly in front of him, destroying all the incoming wind blades.
The last two chains struck out like venomous snakes.
One stabbed toward Danzo, and the other toward Baku's gaping maw.
Pfft.
Baku let out a mournful shriek.
The chain pierced its throat and internal organs like a spear.
Its massive body dissolved into a large cloud of white smoke.
The moment the smoke spread, Danzo did not retreat; instead, he charged forward, directly toward the chain stabbing at him.
Puff!
The chain pierced Danzo's chest.
But in the next second, his figure blurred for an instant.
When he reappeared, he had already covered the distance, charging right in front of Naruto.
At the cost of another closed Sharingan, he forcibly erased the reality of his death using Izanagi just to gain a single moment of close-range opportunity.
"Now!"
A sharp glint flashed in Danzo's eyes as he slammed into Naruto, pressing his left hand firmly onto the boy's chest.
At this moment, the "Darkness of the Shinobi" displayed his seasoned combat experience.
"Self-Mutilation Curse Seal!"
Buzz!
Black curse marks instantly spread from Danzo's palm like ink-black snakes, covering Naruto's entire body in the blink of an eye.
Naruto's movements abruptly froze, and the chains on his body vanished.
He was completely immobilized, stuck in place as if paralyzed.
"Hmph—huff—huff—"
Danzo half-knelt, panting heavily, and looked at the motionless Naruto with a sinister, triumphant smile.
"Hmph, you're just a child after all."
"You have immense power, but you lack combat experience."
"Once you're hit by my curse seal, even the Nine-Tails' power cannot break free immediately."
He looked at Naruto with greedy eyes.
Now that the boy was controlled, there was no need to kill him.
As long as he used that eye—
Danzo slowly reached out, tearing off the bandages that had wrapped his right eye for years.
The eye, which had been tightly closed, slowly opened.
In the crimson eye, there was a unique circular pattern.
This was Uchiha Shisui's eye, said to possess the strongest genjutsu in the Ninja World.
"Though it's a bit of a waste to use it here—"
Danzo looked at the immobilized Naruto, a grin spreading across his lips.
"But as long as I can obtain the Nine-Tails, any sacrifice is worth it."
Dojutsu power began to gather.
"Kotoamatsukami!"