Danzo: That Damn Masked Man

Shimura Danzō had indeed survived, but he was far from being in good condition.

When several Root ninja reached the center of the explosion, they found Shimura Danzō at the bottom of an enormous crater. He had only one arm left, was covered in blood, and barely breathing.

On his exposed, pale arm, one of the three Sharingan embedded there slowly closed.

"Lord Danzo, how are you?"

Several Root ninja hurried forward and surrounded Shimura Danzō. One stepped up to tend to his wounds, while the others vigilantly surveyed the surroundings, guarding against another sudden attack.

None of them questioned Shimura Danzō's unusual, even horrifyingly twisted right arm. Nor did they show the slightest fear at the terrifying traces of destruction around them.

They were Root ninja, absolutely loyal to Shimura Danzō. Even if ordered to die, they would never hesitate.

"Cough, cough cough—"

Shimura Danzō coughed violently. A Root ninja hurriedly took out a canteen and held it to his lips.

He tilted his head back and took a sip, but the lingering fear in his heart remained. When that Cat-Faced Masked Man had formed that black sphere in his hand, Danzo could swear he had never felt so close to death.

The threat of death had directly awakened the last sliver of potential within his aged body, allowing him to seize his final lifeline.

He had used every ounce of strength in his body to tear away the bandages wrapped around his right arm. After failing several times to form the seals one-handed, he had finally cast Izanagi just before the explosion erupted, narrowly escaping the attack.

There was no joy at surviving on Shimura Danzō's face. The terror of hovering on death's threshold, the strain on his mind, and the pain of losing an arm had left him pale as paper, cold sweat streaming down his face.

"Where's that woman Nonō?"

Shimura Danzō frowned as he asked. His severed arm was severely injured, and he needed an excellent medical ninja to treat it. As for whether he could have a new arm grafted on, that would depend on Orochimaru.

The Root ninja treating Shimura Danzō's wound froze for a moment. He looked around, but Yakushi Nonō was nowhere to be seen.

"She may have been knocked unconscious by that green giant earlier and failed to follow us."

The Root ninja had first been startled by Uchiha Shisui's Susanoo, then immediately terrified by the massive explosion. When they discovered that Shimura Danzō was at the center of it, they had had no chance to pay attention to anyone else.

"A green giant?"

Shimura Danzō was stunned for a moment, then his eyes nearly split with rage. Low growls continuously escaped through his clenched teeth.

Shimura Danzō remembered what that green giant was. The Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, had once told them that aside from the strange ocular techniques, the true strength of the Mangekyō Sharingan was its ability to manifest a giant.

The Third Power—Susanoo.

It was an ability Madara Uchiha had possessed, the very ability through which Madara Uchiha had founded Konoha alongside the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju. And now it had slipped right through his fingers.

"Kotoamatsukami!"

"My Kotoamatsukami!"

"My Mangekyō Sharingan!"

"Argh!"

After letting out a string of agonized howls, Shimura Danzō's head lolled to one side, and he passed out cold.

"Lord Danzo!"

"Lord Danzo!"

"Lord Danzo!"

The sight terrified the Root ninja, who hurriedly called out Shimura Danzō's name.

Only after carefully examining him did they discover that Shimura Danzō had merely fainted from excessive emotional agitation.

The position of Hokage was something Shimura Danzō had dreamed of and pursued in vain for decades. It was his dream, yet because of one moment of hesitation in his youth, he had never again been able to touch it.

He had continued down the path toward that dream. No matter how fierce the storms became, no matter how difficult each step was, he had pressed on without wavering. For it, he had established Root and taken all manner of blame for Sarutobi Hiruzen. For it, he had even assassinated a Hokage, only to fail and never again be able to hold his head up before Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Now, he was only a step away from his dream. As long as he obtained Kotoamatsukami and the Mangekyō Sharingan, becoming Konoha's Hokage would be no more than a matter of a single thought.

In his view, with those eyes, even unifying the Ninja World might not have been impossible.

Yet in the end, it had all come to nothing.

That damn Masked Man!

"What's that?"

A sensory Root ninja suddenly spotted large groups of ninja rushing over from two directions. There was no need to guess that one group was the Hokage and the many clan ninja coming from the Hokage Building, while the other was Uchiha Clan ninja coming from the Uchiha Clan Grounds.

He hurriedly told the others, "The Hokage is here."

The expressions of the others turned grave. Looking at Shimura Danzō's arm, they hurriedly wrapped it in bandages again.

They then discussed matters among themselves and got their stories straight. In the end, they decided to remain silent until Shimura Danzō woke up.

After all, with the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal, they could not reveal any information detrimental to Shimura Danzō.

The clan ninja led by Sarutobi Hiruzen and the Uchiha Clan ninja led by Uchiha Fugaku arrived at the scene at the same time.

Both sides stared at the crater, which spanned a hundred meters in every direction, with astonishment on their faces. This did not look like something ninjutsu could create.

After the leaders of both sides stared at each other for a while, Uchiha Fugaku slowly lowered his head slightly and led the Uchiha ninja behind Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Although Uchiha Fugaku had chosen to bow his head and yield, Sarutobi Hiruzen's gaze beneath his Hokage Hat had already turned icy.

Uchiha Fugaku was in no better mood. The clan's anger toward the Hokage faction had grown increasingly intense. Many clan members often heard the Sarutobi Clan loudly discussing the Uchiha in the streets, yet Sarutobi Hiruzen acted like a smiling tiger every day, ignoring it all while turning around and suppressing the Uchiha Clan even harder. The voices of the Radical Faction were growing louder as well.

If he had immediately taken Sarutobi Hiruzen's side without a word just now, his standing within the clan would likely have suffered.

Sarutobi Hiruzen quickly reined in his emotions and turned to look at Shimura Danzō, who lay unconscious on the ground.

Danzo looked utterly miserable. His clothes had been reduced to scraps, and although his body was wrapped in bandages, blood still seeped continuously from his wounds. He looked like a man made of blood.

Especially when he saw the neatly severed arm, a wave of sorrow suddenly rose in Sarutobi Hiruzen's heart. Danzo's right arm had already been crippled in the war, and now his left arm had been cut off as well. His old friend...

I should let Danzo take less blame from now on.

"What exactly happened here?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned at the Root ninja. This crater was large enough to become a tourist attraction. The Mangekyō Sharingan's abilities were truly terrifying.

To be honest, he was starting to regret it.

A leading Root ninja stepped forward and said, "Lord Hokage, Lord Danzo is the party involved in this battle. I believe we should first treat Lord Danzo as quickly as possible."

Only then did Sarutobi Hiruzen notice that the Root ninja present were completely uninjured, while Shimura Danzō alone looked as though he was on the verge of death. He was deeply surprised.

Shimura Danzō had personally fought Uchiha Shisui?

Sarutobi Hiruzen did not think that suited his old friend's character, but with so many people present, he could only nod and say, "Take Advisor Danzo for treatment first. Everyone else, follow me to the Hokage Building for a meeting."

"Yes."

No one objected. A village advisor had been seriously injured within the village, and such a terrifying explosion had occurred inside Konoha. This was no small matter. Fortunately, it had happened in the Konoha forest. If it had occurred somewhere like the commercial district, they did not even dare imagine the consequences.

Sarutobi Hiruzen casually swept his gaze across everyone from the Uchiha Clan, but he did not see Uchiha Shisui. Some ominous thoughts began to arise in his heart.