To become the village's hero, protect its people, and eventually become Hokage!
That was Danzo's simplest wish. Unfortunately, he'd been stuck at the final step his entire life.
Ever since Senju Tobirama had appointed Sarutobi Hiruzen as his successor, Danzo had known he probably had no chance of becoming Hokage. At best, he'd be the Hokage's aide and a senior adviser.
But things were different now.
Guo Wang had taken his place.
"To become Hokage, first you need to make yourself look a little more respectable."
In the past, faced with the Raikage in his ultimate form, Danzo would probably have been thinking about retreating already. Now, though, he was looking to seize this chance to break the body that was hailed as the strongest in the Shinobi World.
"Listen. Right now, only you can keep up with the Raikage's speed, but your Wind Release isn't strong enough to break through his defenses with ease. So you need to create an opening for me to complete a technique."
As Namikaze Minato listened to Danzo's plan, a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes.
"I never imagined you'd managed to complete a technique like this, senior."
Though he was the youngest Kage Level shinobi in the Shinobi World, Minato's strength lay in his ability to kill other shinobi indiscriminately. Aside from freaks like the Raikage, with his incredible defenses, neither Jonin nor Kage Level shinobi dared let Minato get close when he used Space-Time Ninjutsu like Flying Thunder God.
To Flying Thunder God, ten Jonin or a hundred made little difference. It only meant more throats to cut with a Kunai.
But against a freak like the Raikage, who could take a Rasengan without a scratch, Minato had encountered his toughest opponent since the Third Shinobi World War began.
"I created this Ninjutsu specifically to avenge my right eye. With your skill in Sealing Technique, it won't be difficult for you to learn it if you want to."
As Guo Wang spoke, he looked across the battlefield at Nara Shikamaru and Inoichi Yamanaka, who were already prepared.
"Everything's in place, Elder."
Konoha's two strongest controllers were poised to strike. Minato pulled out a scroll, pricked his index finger, and smeared blood across it. Dozens of specially made Kunai were then scattered across the battlefield.
"I've always wanted to complete the shape transformation of the Rasengan, but I hadn't had any leads. Your technique gave me some inspiration, senior. If you have time after the war, I'd be grateful if you'd teach me."
Before he'd finished speaking, he was already charging at the Raikage.
He couldn't withstand the Raikage head-on, but with Space-Time Ninjutsu to teleport, he could still harass him from the side and draw out the fight.
Across the battlefield, black Thunder crashed around wildly, yet it could never break free of the golden flash hemming it in. Hell Stab, whose power relied on building up speed, gradually slowed. It was no longer as unstoppable as before.
"After Lightning Release Armor boosts every physical attribute, especially speed and toughness, only Wind Release—with its wide attack range and razor-sharp nature—can threaten him. In our last battle, Danzo's strongest Vacuum Blade only hit and pierced his Lightning Release Armor because the two Sages of Mount Myoboku cast Sage Art Genjutsu."
Back in Konoha, Guo Wang had known they would inevitably face the Raikage again.
That was not just because of the war. He also needed to fulfill the original host's lingering desire.
He couldn't just swallow the grudge over his eye.
And when you knew your opponent, drawing up a detailed battle plan was essential.
The Raikage's Lightning Release Armor, hailed as the Strongest Shield, and his Hell Stab: Four-Finger Nukite, hailed as the Strongest Spear, weren't without counters.
A spear and a shield were only relative concepts!
With Jiraiya and the two Sages' help, Danzo had used Vacuum Blade to pierce the Lightning Release Armor. That proved the Raikage's body had its limits. But one Vacuum Blade was nowhere near enough to kill him.
They needed a Wind Release with a wider range, a sharper attack, and greater speed.
As a cultivator of the Dao Realm who had condensed a Primordial Spirit, Guo Wang had only just begun experimenting with Chakra as an energy system. But during the decades he'd spent in the Five-Colored Stone, he'd watched Danzo create more than a dozen techniques in the Vacuum Series from scratch. He'd already deduced the series' ultimate form.
The pinnacle of Ninjutsu: S-rank!
Vacuum Blade had already crossed the threshold into S-rank. Its nature transformation and shape transformation were both flawless.
But it had a casting time, required allies to restrain the target, and its speed depended on the user's own attack speed.
If Danzo had Minato's speed, Ino-Shika-Cho's control, and the ability to unleash it instantly like Shinra Sei, he could truly take revenge on the Raikage all by himself.
But war was, after all, a clash between two forces.
The fight between two commanders wasn't simply a one-on-one duel. It was a contest between their most elite units as a whole.
"Blame your teammates for not pulling their weight."
His gaze swept across the battlefield, his Sharingan taking in everything.
Aburame Torune's insect techniques, alongside a Root squad, had pinned down the Jinchuriki and the Fourth Raikage.
"Is he holding back because he's wary of Genjutsu?"
One glance told Guo Wang that Shisui's peerless Genjutsu and Susanoo were what had kept the situation at a standstill.
The Sharingan was the perfect counter to brawny brutes and Jinchuriki who hadn't yet synchronized with their Tailed Beasts.
"Torifu's child hasn't disgraced our name."
Elsewhere, Choza Akimichi, in Butterfly Mode, displayed destructive power second only to the Raikage. With two Jonin, he pinned down the rest of the Raikage's Shadow Guard. The Jonin with Lava Release and Magnet Release Kekkei Genkai couldn't break through Konoha's formation to reinforce the Raikage.
"One-Finger Nukite!"
With a roar, the Third Raikage finally unleashed the strongest spear in the Shinobi World. Minato managed to teleport away with Flying Thunder God in time, but a deep wound still ripped across his chest, leaving him drenched in blood.
But he'd completed the task Guo Wang had given him.
During their brief but heart-stopping contest of God Speed, tadpole-shaped sealing formulas had been stamped onto the Raikage's waist, forming two characters... Infinite!
"Sealing Technique—Flying Thunder God's Mark? No, it's different!"
The Raikage was an experienced fighter, but faced with unfamiliar sealing formulas, he still hadn't figured out what his opponent was planning.
"Forget it. I'll use One-Finger Nukite to charge straight at that old dog Danzo, blow his head apart, and end this war once and for all."
With that thought, the Raikage didn't waste the rare opportunity Minato's temporary incapacitation had given him. Electricity flared in his dark green eyes. He launched his strongest One-Finger Nukite again and, before the blink of an eye, appeared right in front of Guo Wang.
"You're still as reckless as ever. Have you never wondered why I haven't moved from this spot since the fight began?"
Faced with the Raikage's strongest thrust, Guo Wang remained calm. Black shadows seeped from behind him, connecting with his opponent's shadow.
"Mind Destruction Jutsu!"
"Shadow Possession Jutsu: successful!"
The two techniques had taken hold, but they wouldn't last long—two breaths at most.
With a thought, the last illuminated Four-Diamond Prism in Guo Wang's right Mangekyo spun wildly. The technique he'd stored up erupted: the ultimate secret of the Vacuum Series, a technique Danzo himself had never completed, brought to life in his hands.
"Take a good taste of the technique I created while enduring the agony in my right eye every day."
"Vacuum: Infinite Sword!"
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