I Choose Orochimaru as Hokage, Ascending to the Moon in Ten Years Chapter 37

"Konan's signal has arrived. The target is Shimura Danzō."

At the same time, a Paper Crane flew to the side of the two men.

This was the attack signal given by Konan.

"Our mission is only Shimura Danzō. We are not responsible for anything else. Do you understand?"

Biwa Juzo, fearing that Shisui lacked sufficient mission experience, specifically exhorted him once more.

Shisui nodded; he wanted Shimura Danzō dead this time!

He had no intention of concerning himself with anything else.

Biwa Juzo then tucked the Paper Crane into his robes; if a retreat became necessary, this Paper Crane would provide another reminder.

The two quickly entered Amegakure, only to find the entire village plunged into chaos. Several massive summoning creatures were rampaging through Amegakure, and the village's shinobi were busy dealing with them. After all, one careless move and the homes they had spent so much to purchase would be crushed under the feet of these beasts.

Meanwhile, a salamander was opening its mouth to spew toxic mist, covering the summoning creatures, yet these beasts seemed completely unaffected.

"Damn it, what on earth is going on!"

Hanzo of the Salamander roared in anger.

How could these summoning creatures be immune to the poison of Hanzo of the Salamander? Even the person controlling them hadn't taken any anti-poison measures, yet they moved through the toxic mist with ease. This was incomprehensible to him; even with an antidote, it shouldn't reach this level!

Knowing the leader of the Akatsuki would come, he had prepared in advance, and his subordinates were all wearing gas masks specifically to allow him to exert his full strength.

More than half of his power as the Demigod of the Shinobi World came from the poison of Hanzo of the Salamander. Now that it was ineffective, his combat prowess would be severely compromised.

"Mortal, bear the wrath of a god!"

Deva Path stood atop the Chameleon, looking down at him coldly.

At the same time, Asura Path had two arms protrude from his shoulders, which then transformed into a Laser Cannon, firing a beam at the salamander.

"Water Body Flicker!"

Hanzo of the Salamander used a body flicker to dodge directly.

However, the salamander was struck by the laser, its body pierced, and it let out a mournful cry.

If the laser had been aimed at the head of the salamander instead of Hanzo of the Salamander, the beast would have been killed in that single strike.

Driven by pain, the salamander quickly burrowed into the ground and vanished from everyone's sight.

"Is this the hidden strength of the Akatsuki?"

Shimura Danzō could not believe it.

He had changed into the attire of an Amegakure shinobi and was hiding among the crowd, watching the battlefield.

He had never imagined this outcome: Hanzo of the Salamander was actually being suppressed by that brat, unable to fight back at all. And this was Hanzo of the Salamander, known as the Demigod of the Shinobi World!

The poison that Hanzo of the Salamander took such pride in was completely useless, and the ninjutsu he excelled at was being absorbed by one of the Akatsuki members.

Even the strongest swordsmanship of Hanzo of the Salamander had been completely seen through by his opponent; all his offensives were blocked, and he had no way to harm the other party.

"We were once shinobi of Amegakure as well. Our goal this time is only to eliminate Hanzo of the Salamander, to let everyone regain their freedom and no longer suffer under oppression. As long as you flee, we will absolutely not pursue you!"

A Paper Clone of Konan flew into mid-air, formed a megaphone out of origami, and shouted loudly.

Sasori and Kakuzu were responsible for stabilizing the situation, dealing with anyone who tried to interfere in the battle between Pain and Hanzo of the Salamander.

In his later years, Hanzo of the Salamander had become almost a dictator, and many in Amegakure were already dissatisfied with him. Hearing Konan's words, some chose to stop fighting and retreat.

The situation on the ground was clear: Amegakure was already powerless just dealing with those unkillable dogs, let alone the other summoning creatures.

"You colluded with Shimura Danzō of Konoha to betray me back then. Do you regret it now?"

Deva Path questioned Hanzo of the Salamander.

At the same time, Asura Path easily repelled the sickle thrown by Hanzo of the Salamander, and in return, fired several Missile volleys back at him.

It was a rare sight to see cold weapons pitted against modern firepower.

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

Hanzo of the Salamander was a ruthless man; he was not about to beg for mercy at a time like this.

He realized that he was likely doomed today. He had not expected that after giving up on conquering the shinobi world all these years, he would still meet such an end.

But even before he died, he would take this guy in front of him down with him, making him a companion on the road to the afterlife!

"Understood. Then, die!"

Deva Path's tone was extremely cold.

He only regretted not seeing through the essence of the shinobi world sooner: it was simply a place where the big fish eat the small fish.

Any peace achieved through alliances was a lie; only sufficient power could bring true peace to this world!

Fear the power of a god!

"Wind Style: Vacuum Serial Waves!"

However, at this moment, Shimura Danzō made his move.

He unleashed a powerful Wind Style technique, covering Hanzo of the Salamander as well. He had to erase this threat; he could not allow it to pose a danger to Konoha.

Five giant wind blades of Kamaitachi surged directly toward Deva Path Pain.

This was the opening Shimura Danzō had been waiting for. Since that Akatsuki member capable of absorbing ninjutsu was currently occupied with Hanzo's subordinates, he believed this sudden assault would be enough to finish off the Deva Path.

"Shinra Tensei!"

Without even turning his head, the Deva Path unleashed Shinra Tensei, completely nullifying the wind blades.

"Impossible! My Vacuum Serial Waves can even slice through chakra—how could they be blocked like this!"

Shimura Danzō could not believe it.

This was the Wind Style he took the most pride in; in terms of wind-attribute mastery, he considered himself peerless, even surpassing Hiruzen.

Yet, it had been blocked so easily. He hadn't even seen what happened; the wind blades had simply appeared beside the target, collided with an invisible wall, and dissipated into nothingness.

"Wind Style of this caliber... you must be Shimura Danzō of Konoha."

The Deva Path turned to face him. It was the Animal Path that had spotted the attack, allowing him to defend in time.

His hatred for Shimura Danzō was no less than his hatred for Hanzo.

Shimura Danzō turned and fled without hesitation. He knew he couldn't handle this monster alone, and he certainly wasn't about to burn his trump cards for Hanzo's sake.

However, he stopped dead after only a few steps.

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

"Danzō, I have come to claim your life!"

Shisui appeared before him, clad in the Akatsuki cloak.

His blood-red eyes, brimming with murderous intent, locked onto Shimura Danzō.

"Damn it!"

Shimura Danzō gritted his teeth.

Despicable, shameless, evil Uchiha.

He should have wiped out that entire clan long ago!

Immediately, five ninjas materialized around Shimura Danzō, forming a tight defensive perimeter.

"Lord Danzō, I will cover your retreat," Aburame Ryoma said.

He was the number three figure in the Root Organization, second only to Orochimaru.

Before the retreat, Shimura Danzō had sensed something was wrong and ordered Aburame Ryoma to leave Konoha early to take control of his secret operatives stationed outside the village.

Many of these individuals were officially listed as dead in Konoha's archives; they existed outside the records, belonging solely to Shimura Danzō.

He had sent his elite squad to assassinate Uchiha Gin, but the failure of that mission had cost him dearly. Now, Aburame Ryoma was the only one with significant combat power; the others were mediocre at best.

After all, disposing of a ninja without drawing attention required a great deal of effort.

"None of you are leaving!"

Biwa Juzo's voice rang out from within their ranks.

A chill ran down their spines. Before they could react, Biwa Juzo swung his Kubikiribōchō in a near-full-moon horizontal slash through their formation.

"Squelch!"

Two of them failed to dodge in time and were decapitated instantly.

Blood sprayed into the air, scattering in all directions. Shimura Danzō and the others scrambled to evade, some diving to the ground, others using Body Flicker, and some rolling desperately to escape.

Biwa Juzo's Silent Killing Technique exerted immense pressure on them.

"Damn it! If someone from the Hyuga Clan were here, he never would have managed a sneak attack!"

Shimura Danzō roared in fury. He sidestepped to avoid a strike from Shisui, but he was too slow—Shisui's short blade sliced a patch of skin off his left shoulder.

"Secret Technique: Kikaichū!"

Aburame Ryoma unleashed his swarm, blanketing the battlefield.

The insects were thick as locusts, blotting out the sky in an attempt to obscure vision and hinder Shisui's advance.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

Shisui exhaled the Uchiha ancestral technique, incinerating a massive portion of the Kikaichū in front of him.

But the insects only multiplied. Aburame Ryoma was controlling them to drain the chakra of the nearby Amegakure ninjas, fueling their rapid reproduction.

The battlefield had become a petri dish; unless they were wiped out in a single instant, the Kikaichū would continue to emerge endlessly.

The Kikaichū drained chakra upon contact, and their sheer numbers made it impossible to find a safe spot to use Body Flicker.

"I will hold nothing back this time!"

Shisui activated his Mangekyō Sharingan.

Locking onto the direction of Shimura Danzō's escape, he formed hand seals simultaneously.

"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"

A fire dragon carved out a tunnel, charging straight toward Shimura Danzō and his men.

"Secret Technique: Insect Wall!"

Aburame Ryoma used his insects to form a wall, blocking Shisui's fire jutsu.

Although he managed to block it, Aburame Ryoma felt a surge of panic.

"It's over."

Shisui's figure appeared behind him before he even realized it.

Aburame Ryoma was startled and tried to immediately command his Kikaichū to protect his back, but a wave of dizziness washed over him, rendering him unable to control the Kikaichū at all.

When he regained consciousness, Aburame Ryoma's eyes saw his own feet.

Am I dead?

Aburame Ryoma was still pondering this as his head hit the ground.

He was almost powerless to resist Shisui's genjutsu. Even with his mental strength bolstered by the state of having his Mangekyo activated, the momentary lapse in focus allowed Shisui to manifest the skeletal form of his Susanoo, pierce through the swarm of Kikaichū, and decapitate him with a single strike.

Aburame Ryoma hadn't even had the chance to use an Insect Clone; the situation had forced him to step out to cover Shimura Danzō.

Had it been a one-on-one duel, Aburame Ryoma would never have fallen so quickly, but this was a battlefield, and there were too many variables.

"Kid, leave these guys to me. You go deal with Shimura Danzō!"

Mist rose in the surroundings as Biwa Juzo's voice reached Shisui's ears.

He took responsibility for finishing off the remaining members of Root.

Shisui did not hesitate, immediately giving chase in the direction of Shimura Danzō's flight.