Shisui's Killing Intent, Danzō's Death?

"Konan's signal is here. The target is Shimura Danzō."

At the same time, a paper crane flew over to the two of them.

It was the signal to attack that Konan had given them.

"Our mission is only Shimura Danzō. We don't need to concern ourselves with anything else. Understood?"

Biwa Juzo was worried Shisui lacked mission experience, so he made a point of reminding him again.

Shisui nodded. This time, he was going to kill Danzō!

He had no interest in paying attention to anything else.

Then Biwa Juzo tucked the paper crane into his clothes. If they needed to retreat later, the crane would remind them again.

The two quickly entered Amegakure. They also saw that the entire village had fallen into chaos. Several enormous summoned beasts were rampaging through Amegakure, and the village's shinobi were busy fighting them. After all, one careless step from those beasts could crush a home they had spent a fortune to buy.

Meanwhile, a salamander was spewing poisonous mist from its mouth, blanketing the summoned beasts, but they didn't seem affected at all.

"Damn it! What's going on?"

Hanzo exclaimed in shock and anger.

How could these summoned beasts be unaffected by Ibuse's poison? The man hadn't even taken any precautions against it, yet he could move freely through the poisonous mist. Hanzo couldn't understand it. Even with an antidote, it shouldn't have been possible to reach this level!

Knowing that the leader of the Akatsuki would come, he had prepared in advance. His subordinates had all brought gas masks so that he could fight at full strength.

More than half of his demigod-level strength came from Ibuse's poison. Now that it was useless, his combat strength would be greatly reduced.

"Mortal, face the wrath of a god!"

Deva Path Pain stood atop the Chameleon's head, watching him coldly.

At the same time, Asura Path's shoulders bulged, sprouting two arms that transformed into laser cannons. He fired at Ibuse.

"Water Body Flicker!"

Hanzo vanished in a blur, dodging the attack.

But Ibuse was hit by the laser, which pierced through his body. He let out a mournful cry.

If the laser had been aimed at Ibuse's head instead of Hanzo, the salamander would have been killed by that one strike.

Overcome by pain, Ibuse quickly burrowed underground and disappeared from view.

"So this is the strength the Akatsuki has been hiding!"

Danzō stared in disbelief.

He had changed into the clothes of an Amegakure shinobi and was watching the battlefield from within the crowd.

He had never imagined things would turn out this way. Hanzo was being completely overwhelmed by that kid, unable to fight back at all. And Hanzo was the Salamander Hanzo, known as the Demigod of the Shinobi World!

The poison Hanzo prided himself on was completely useless, and one of the Akatsuki's members had absorbed the ninjutsu he specialized in.

Even Hanzo's strongest swordsmanship had been read completely by his opponent. Every attack was blocked, and he couldn't land a single hit.

"We used to be shinobi of Amegakure too. Our goal this time is only to eliminate Hanzo and free everyone from his oppression. If you flee, we absolutely won't pursue you!"

Konan's Paper Clone flew into the air. Forming a megaphone out of folded paper, she shouted loudly.

Sasori and Kakuzu were tasked with stabilizing the situation and dealing with anyone who tried to interfere with the battle between Pain and Hanzo.

In his later years, Hanzo had nearly become a dictator, and many people in Amegakure had grown dissatisfied with him. After hearing Konan's words, some chose to stop fighting and retreat.

The situation on the battlefield was clear. The people of Amegakure could barely handle the few dogs that couldn't be killed, let alone the other summoned beasts.

"You joined forces with Konoha's Danzō and betrayed me. Do you regret it now?"

Deva Path Pain demanded of Hanzo.

Meanwhile, Asura Path easily knocked away the sickle Hanzo had thrown, then retaliated with several missiles.

It was rare to see cold weapons fighting against firearms like this.

"The only thing I regret is not wiping you out completely back then!"

Hanzo was a formidable man. There was no way he would beg for mercy now.

He had also realized that he was probably going to die today. He had given up on competing for control of the Ninja World years ago, yet somehow he had still ended up like this.

But even if he died, he would take the man before him with him and make him accompany him on the road to the underworld!

"Understood. Then die!"

Deva Path Pain's voice was utterly cold.

He only regretted not seeing the true nature of the Ninja World sooner: the strong preyed on the weak.

All the peace forged through alliances was an illusion. Only sufficient strength could bring true peace to this world!

Fear the power of a god!

"Wind Release: Vacuum Serial Waves!"

But at that moment, Danzō attacked.

He unleashed a powerful Wind Release technique, covering Hanzo as well. He intended to eliminate this threat before it could endanger Konoha.

Five enormous blades of wind, shaped like sickles, charged straight at Deva Path Pain.

Danzō had seized his chance. The Akatsuki member who could absorb ninjutsu wasn't beside this man; he was attacking Hanzo's subordinates. Danzō thought a surprise attack could take Deva Path Pain out.

"Shinra Tensei!"

But Deva Path Pain didn't even turn his head. He released Shinra Tensei, canceling out every blade of wind.

"Impossible! My Vacuum Serial Waves can cut through chakra. How could they be blocked just like that?"

Danzō couldn't believe it.

This was the Wind Release technique he was most proud of. When it came to Wind Release, he was certain even Hiruzen couldn't match him.

Yet it had been blocked just like that, and he hadn't even seen how. The blades of wind had simply appeared beside the man, as if they had struck an invisible wall, before vanishing on their own.

"Wind Release of that caliber... You're Shimura Danzō of Konoha, aren't you?"

Deva Path Pain turned to look at Danzō. A moment earlier, the Animal Path had seen the attack, so he had defended against it immediately.

His hatred for Danzō was no less than his hatred for Hanzo!

Without hesitation, Danzō turned and ran. He knew he couldn't defeat this man on his own, and he wasn't about to use his trump cards for Hanzo.

But after only a few steps, he suddenly stopped.

Several blazing sword strikes landed on the path ahead of him, carving deep furrows into the ground.

"Danzō, I'll be taking your life!"

Shisui appeared in front of him, wearing the Akatsuki's cloak.

His blood-red eyes, filled with killing intent, stared straight at Shimura Danzō.

"Damn it!"

Danzō gritted his teeth.

That despicable, treacherous Uchiha.

This clan should have been dealt with long ago!

Chapter 55: Shisui's Killing Intent, Danzō's Death?

But in the next moment, five shinobi appeared around Danzō, surrounding him protectively.

"Lord Danzō, I'll cover your retreat."

Aburame Ryoma said to Danzō.

He was the third-highest-ranking member of the Root Organization, outranked only by Orochimaru.

Before fleeing, Danzō had sensed something was wrong, so he had arranged for Aburame Ryoma to leave Konoha ahead of time and take charge of some subordinates he had secretly recruited outside the village.

Many of these people had already been listed as dead in Konoha's records. They didn't appear on any roster and were under Danzō's control alone.

However, he had used his best men to assassinate Uchiha Gin, and they had failed. His forces had suffered heavy losses, and now Aburame Ryoma was the only one left who was truly powerful. The others were not very strong.

After all, making a shinobi disappear without attracting notice took some effort.

"None of you are getting away!"

Biwa Juzo's voice came from among them.

A chill ran down their spines. Before they could react, Biwa Juzo's Kubikiribōchō swept through their ranks in a near-perfect half-moon arc.

"Pshh!"

Two of them failed to dodge in time and were beheaded.

Blood spurted into the air and splattered in every direction. Danzō and the others reacted quickly, each dodging in their own way: some ducked, some used the Body Flicker Technique, and one even rolled over like a lazy donkey.

Biwa Juzo's Silent Killing Technique put them under tremendous pressure.

"Damn it! If someone from the Hyuga Clan were here, he never could've ambushed us!"

Danzō roared angrily.

But he immediately leaned aside to dodge Shisui's slash. He still couldn't avoid it completely, and Shisui's short sword sliced off part of his left shoulder's skin.

"Secret Technique: Kikaichū!"

Aburame Ryoma spread his Kikaichū, covering the battlefield around them.

They swarmed like locusts, blotting out the sky as they tried to obstruct the others' vision and hinder Shisui's attacks.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

The Uchiha's signature Great Fireball burst from Shisui's mouth, incinerating a large mass of the Kikaichū in front of him.

But the Kikaichū kept multiplying. Aburame Ryoma was controlling them to drain chakra from the Amegakure shinobi nearby and reproduce rapidly, increasing their numbers.

The battlefield was like a breeding ground. Unless every last insect was wiped out at once, the Kikaichū would keep appearing without end.

The Kikaichū absorbed chakra. If they latched onto someone, they would drain that person's chakra rapidly and increase their own numbers in the process. With so many covering the area, there was nowhere to use the Body Flicker Technique.

"This time, I won't hold back!"

Shisui activated his Mangekyō Sharingan.

He locked onto the direction Danzō was escaping and formed hand seals.

"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"

A fire dragon carved a path straight through the Kikaichū and charged toward Danzō and the others.

"Secret Technique: Insect Wall!"

Aburame Ryoma formed a wall of insects to block Shisui's Fire Release.

He managed to stop it, but his heart pounded with panic.

"It's over!"

Shisui's figure appeared behind him without warning.

Aburame Ryoma was startled. He tried to control the Kikaichū to protect his back, but his head spun, and he couldn't control them at all.

When his senses returned, Aburame Ryoma's eyes were looking at his own feet.

"Am I dead?"

As his head hit the ground, Aburame Ryoma was still wondering about that.

He had been almost powerless against Shisui's genjutsu. Even with his heightened mental strength after activating the Mangekyō, Shisui had made him lose focus for just an instant. Shisui had then used Susanoo's skeletal form to pass through the swarm of Kikaichū and cut off his head with a single strike.

Aburame Ryoma hadn't even had time to use an Insect Clone. In that moment, he had been forced to come out and cover Danzō.

In a straight one-on-one fight, Aburame Ryoma wouldn't have fallen so quickly, but this was a battlefield, and too many things could happen.

"The rest of the Root members are mine. Go after Shimura Danzō!"

Mist rose around them, and Biwa Juzo's voice reached Shisui's ears.

He would take care of the remaining Root members.

Shisui didn't hesitate. He immediately chased after Danzō.