Danzo tried to move.
Tried to dodge.
But he didn't know where to go.
Because that kunai—
Wasn't even aimed at him.
There was no trajectory.
No direction.
No way to predict it.
And yet—
He felt it.
A terrifying certainty.
No matter where he moved—
No matter how he defended—
He would die.
There was no escape.
No resistance.
Only one ending.
Death.
That realization—
Crushed him.
Even in his madness—
Even in his insanity—
A deep, suffocating helplessness filled his eyes.
His body stopped moving.
Because what was the point?
Even if he struggled—
Could he change the outcome?
No.
His pupils froze.
The light faded from his eyes.
And just like that—
Danzo stood there.
Lifeless.
Everyone understood.
He was already dead.
No explosion.
No visible wound.
Just—
Gone.
This—
Was the true terror of Ryujin's right eye.
A power that severed—
Cause and effect.
Life and death.
There was no dodging it.
Because once the "cause" was cut—
The "result" ceased to exist.
It was as if—
That person had never existed at all.
In this world—
There was no ability more absolute.
Even so—
Not all lives were equal.
When Ryujin killed the Baku—
He barely needed to search.
The threads were simple.
Clear.
But Danzo—
Was different.
A true Kage-level existence.
His threads—
Were tangled.
Complex.
Finding the correct one—
Had taken effort.
Focus.
If this continued—
If he ever tried to kill someone like Kaguya Ōtsutsuki—
Just locating the thread—
Might take an entire day.
And even then—
His mind might collapse before finishing.
That was the limitation.
Even with the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan—
The cost wasn't his eyes—
But his mind.
His mental energy.
Which was why—
He rarely used it.
Only at critical moments.
And today—
Was one of them.
Because what he wanted—
Wasn't just victory.
It was fear.
And judging by the looks around him—
He had succeeded.
Every ninja present—
Looked at him with pure terror.
That fear—
Would become the foundation of his rule.
Yes.
Ryujin had already decided.
He would become—
Hokage.
Only absolute strength—
And absolute authority—
Could grant him the life he wanted.
A peaceful life.
And the power—
To protect everything he cared about.
Around him—
Danzo's corpse continued to shrivel.
Dry.
Hollow.
A human husk.
The sight alone—
Was enough to shake anyone's soul.
But the battle—
Did not stop.
It couldn't.
Because surrender—
Meant death.
From both sides.
Only one path remained—
Survive.
ANBU operatives surged forward from all directions—
Encircling Ryujin.
At the same time—
Uchiha jonin intercepted them.
Clashing instantly.
Steel met steel.
Jutsu collided.
The battlefield erupted again.
In truth—
Ryujin didn't even need protection.
After what they had just witnessed—
Who would dare face him?
A single kunai—
Had killed a Kage-level opponent.
What hope did they have?
But Ryujin chose not to attack them.
Because killing them—
Would weaken Konoha itself.
If too many elites died—
Other nations would take notice.
War would follow.
And that—
Was not what he wanted.
For a brief moment—
He even felt fortunate.
That he had already ordered the Uchiha—
To trap Root forces beforehand.
Forcing them into open combat.
Otherwise—
Those hidden killers—
Would have caused far greater damage.
And he himself—
Might have been forced—
To eliminate them all.
Which would have been a waste.
"RYUJIN!!!"
A thunderous roar exploded from the distance.
BOOM—!!!
A massive staff descended from the sky—
Crashing down with overwhelming force.
Ryujin's eyes sharpened.
In an instant—
He vanished.
Reappearing several meters away.
The ground shattered.
The impact alone—
Was devastating.
Stone exploded.
Chakra surged violently.
Standing there—
Holding the colossal staff—
Was the Third Hokage.
Hiruzen Sarutobi.
His eyes burned with fury.
Unrestrained rage.
It had happened too fast.
That kunai—
Too fast.
Before he could react—
Danzo—
Was dead.
Gone.
Killed before his eyes.
They were comrades.
Brothers-in-arms.
One in the light.
One in the shadows.
Together—
They upheld Konoha.
And now—
Danzo was gone.
Just like that.
How could he not be furious?
How could he not rage?
Regret—
Filled his heart.
If only he had acted sooner.
If only he had stopped Ryujin earlier.
Danzo…
Might still be alive.
No—
If he had never followed Danzo's methods—
If he had never suppressed the Uchiha—
Perhaps—
None of this would have happened.
But now—
There was no turning back.
Hiruzen tightened his grip.
His voice trembled with suppressed fury.
"Uchiha Ryujin…"
"Fight me."
if you want to support this book join my patreon
Ph4nt0mTL