Winners Become Kings, Losers Become Outlaws (Happy New Year, Second Update-Please Keep Reading)

Danzo had gotten carried away and even tried to assassinate Hiruzen and seize power precisely because he had recently succeeded in transplanting Senju Hashirama's power.

But Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't take it seriously at all.

"The difference between fixing a house and building a Gundam is still huge!"

If Danzo could truly wield even a tenth of Wood Release's original power, Sarutobi Hiruzen would turn around and leave without another word.

"Ninja Art: Summoning Jutsu!"

"Enma!"

A towering, white-haired gorilla appeared in a cloud of smoke.

"Hiruzen..."

"This opponent looks awfully familiar."

Enma recognized Shimura Danzō too, but as Sarutobi Hiruzen's Summoning Animal, he naturally didn't care who their opponent was.

"Adamantine Enma Staff!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen reached out and caught the enormous staff in his hand.

Though the Enma Staff weighed over a thousand pounds, Sarutobi Hiruzen's peak physical condition made it feel almost weightless.

Wrapped in a gale as powerful as a Wind Style nature transformation, the staff slammed into the giant tree formed by Wood Release.

"Crack!"

Wood chips flew everywhere, and the entire rooftop trembled.

Expressionless, Sarutobi Hiruzen swung the staff with all his might several times. The dozens-of-meters-tall tree came crashing down.

"Damn it!"

"Are you really going to wipe me out?!"

"Monkey!"

Danzo's expression changed. He even started calling Sarutobi Hiruzen by his nickname, trying to play the friendship card once more.

His words were warm, but his feet kept moving as he backed away. He knew how heavy the Enma Staff was; one hit would leave him more or less unable to fight.

The rooftop surrounded by the Four Violet Flames Formation was spacious, as large as several basketball courts, but it was still only so big.

What's more, Danzo's aging Taijutsu was no match for Sarutobi Hiruzen's rejuvenated physical condition.

In an instant, Sarutobi Hiruzen had closed in on Danzo.

"Wind Style: Vacuum Great Sphere!"

Danzo kept weaving hand seals and spat out a huge ball of wind, blocking the way in front of him.

"Bang!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't even look. The Enma Staff in his hand blurred as it spun rapidly, shredding the fierce wind attack to pieces.

Has the old bastard been taking some kind of drug?!

Watching Sarutobi Hiruzen charge at him with the enormous staff in hand and murder in his eyes, utterly unstoppable, Danzo nearly ground his teeth to dust.

He couldn't understand what kind of tonic Sarutobi Hiruzen had taken to make his strength every bit as formidable as it had been at his peak.

His Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and combat reactions were all practically at the highest level.

The diminished Danzo could barely hold his own against him.

Of course, even at his peak, Danzo would have struggled to hold his own. The Third Hokage hadn't earned the Hokage Position simply because the Second Hokage had chosen him.

Sarutobi Hiruzen had fought his way to it in the Ninja World, one swing of his staff and one Ninjutsu at a time!

Dragging his aged body, Danzo barely dodged several attacks, but Sarutobi Hiruzen's masterful staff technique still thrust into his abdomen!

Danzo spat out a mouthful of blood. He felt as if his internal organs had been ground to pieces by that single blow.

As his body slid through the air, Sarutobi Hiruzen lightly pushed off with his foot and sent the Enma Staff forward once more.

The blow smashed Danzo's head open like a silver bottle bursting!

Sarutobi Hiruzen watched the headless body before him without expression, feeling nothing at all.

Having read the original story through and through, he naturally knew that this old dog Danzo had no other talents, but he'd maxed out his ability to stay alive.

Half a minute later, Danzo's figure suddenly appeared off to one side, while the headless body vanished.

It was as if time had flowed backward and nothing that had just happened had ever occurred.

"Izanagi!"

A perfect visual jutsu offered up as a sacrifice, using a single Sharingan as its price.

It could reverse life and death, turn the impossible into reality, and transform Genjutsu into reality.

Danzo had prepared an Izanagi illusion in advance, which was how he had avoided death.

Looking at Sarutobi Hiruzen standing calmly before him and the indestructible Four Violet Flames Formation overhead, Danzo felt no joy at having revived.

Instead, a bone-deep chill filled him.

That old bastard... He actually knew I had Izanagi up my sleeve!

Danzo's face darkened.

Sarutobi Hiruzen stood there expressionlessly, Enma Staff in hand, clearly waiting for him to revive.

Danzo felt that there was truly no escaping this time.

Unlike after the Uchiha Clan's later destruction, when Danzo collected more than ten Three-Tomoe Sharingan, he currently had only three Sharingan on his entire body, including the one hidden beneath the bandage over his left eye.

And Sarutobi Hiruzen clearly knew his secrets inside out.

Even if Danzo had sewn the Sharingan into the armpit of his right arm, so Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't tell how many there were,

he knew Izanagi lasted only one minute. He could simply wait Danzo out.

"Monkey."

Danzo seemed to realize he couldn't beat Sarutobi Hiruzen in a fight, and he couldn't escape either. All he could do was try appealing to their past once more.

Unfortunately, Sarutobi Hiruzen felt nothing for Danzo now.

If he had to name anything, it was disgust and contempt!

Before Danzo could finish speaking, Sarutobi Hiruzen's Enma Staff blocked his view.

Once again, Danzo's head was smashed open.

When Danzo revived again, he had no mind to speak or fight back.

"Ah!!!"

Danzo clutched his gray-green right arm as countless branches sprouted from it, steadily devouring the cells in the rest of his body.

"The Sharingan's ocular power isn't enough..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen was slightly taken aback, then immediately understood what had happened.

"Can't suppress the Yang Release power in the Hashirama Cells anymore?"

"Serves you right."

Then Sarutobi Hiruzen watched as Wood Release Cells slowly consumed Danzo's entire body, turning him into a human-shaped tree.

Sarutobi Hiruzen glanced at the number on his system panel. Seeing that it had increased by two thousand, he finally felt completely at ease.

Then Sarutobi Hiruzen made a hand sign, and the Four Violet Flames Formation around them vanished.

"Third Hokage!"

An Anbu appeared beside him in an instant.

The Anbu glanced at Danzo, who had turned into a tree, with disgust in his eyes.

They might have still had some respect for this Hokage Assistant before, but he had secretly experimented on the First's cells and transplanted eyes from the Uchiha Clan.

This Darkness of the Ninja World had done every kind of evil.

"Hang Danzo's body at the gates of Konoha and put it on display."

"Inform the higher-ups and the villagers."

"Danzo, a Konoha elder, secretly experimented on First Hokage Cells and stole the Uchiha's Sharingan."

"He even tried to assassinate the Third Hokage and seize power..."

"I killed him on the spot."

Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression was cold.

If Danzo had surrendered on the spot, he really would have shown him some consideration. But now—

"Strip every high-ranking member of the Shimura Clan currently in the village of their position."

"Demote every ninja ranked Chunin and above!"

"Demote Jonin to Special Jonin, and Chunin to Genin."

"Confiscate eighty percent of their property!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen said coldly.

Doesn't trouble spare the family?

The Shimura Clan benefited from Danzo's influence and protection, so how could they be innocent?