Izanagi, Murciélago

He stared at Ulquiorra, a Three Tomoe Sharingan on his right arm quietly closing, losing its luster.

"Izanagi."

Reality was rewritten.

Shimura Danzō, who should have suffered mental trauma from the backlash of Baku's death, stood perfectly intact where he was.

Meanwhile, the trajectory of the beam at Ulquiorra's fingertip that had pierced Baku shifted ever so slightly.

It "should have" grazed Shimura Danzō's left shoulder after piercing Baku, leaving behind a burn.

But now, that burn had vanished.

For the first time, a subtle ripple appeared in Ulquiorra's emerald-green pupils.

He looked down at his own fingertip, then back at Shimura Danzō, as if analyzing some intriguing phenomenon.

"A technique... that distorts reality?" he muttered to himself, then shook his head, "No, it is something clumsier... self-deception."

"As long as it works, that is enough." Shimura Danzō grinned, revealing his stark white teeth.

He formed hand seals once more, this time faster and more complex: "Wood Release: Root Burial!"

Rumble—!

The floor of the secret chamber exploded, and countless thick, sharp-tipped wooden spikes erupted from the ground, thrusting toward Ulquiorra from all directions!

This was the power of Wood Release gained after fusing with the cells of the First Hokage.

Though far inferior to Senju Hashirama, the power was still terrifying; each wooden spike was capable of piercing steel.

Ulquiorra did not dodge.

He did not even move.

The wooden spikes pierced his body—no, it was as if they "seemed" to pierce his body.

The moment those spikes touched his white robe, they passed through as if piercing a reflection in water, causing no damage at all.

And Ulquiorra himself remained standing there quietly.

"Hollowfication," he said calmly.

Shimura Danzō's single eye widened in fury, and another Sharingan on his right arm closed.

"Izanagi!"

Reality was distorted once again.

The wooden spikes "should have" missed entirely, but now, three of them "did" strike Ulquiorra.

Though they only grazed his arm and waist, they left shallow wounds.

Blood seeped from Ulquiorra's pale skin.

It was a dark green, cold, and viscous liquid, unlike human blood.

He looked down at the wounds on his arm, then looked up at Shimura Danzō.

For the first time, his hollow eyes reflected the man's image.

"You," he said, "are quite interesting."

Before the words had even faded, his figure vanished.

It was a disappearance as if he had merged into space itself.

Shimura Danzō did not even have time to react before a pale hand was pressed against his face.

"But, this ends here."

Ulquiorra's voice echoed in his ear.

Then, he squeezed.

"Squelch."

Shimura Danzō's head exploded like a watermelon.

Red and white matter splattered everywhere, and the headless corpse stood rigid for a second before falling backward.

But, the moment the corpse hit the ground—

A third Sharingan on his right arm closed.

"Izanagi."

Reality was tampered with for the third time.

Shimura Danzō, who should have had his skull crushed, appeared three meters away, perfectly intact; his face was slightly pale and his breathing ragged, but he was still alive.

He stared at Ulquiorra, a trace of irrepressible horror finally emerging in his single eye, along with... an even more frantic resolve.

"Do you see? This is the power of the Uchiha! This is the ultimate of the Sharingan!"

He hissed, the remaining seven Sharingan on his right arm spinning wildly.

"I can die ten times, a hundred times! And your power will eventually become my nourishment."

"Konoha shall attain the true power of a 'god' in my hands!"

Ulquiorra watched him silently, observing the wicked eyes upon his arm and the twisted ambition within his gaze.

Then, he slowly raised his right hand, palm facing upward.

"Struggling in the throes of death is meaningless."

For the first time, his voice carried a faint, almost pitying tone.

"Since you so crave a 'true' death..."

"Then, let me show you..."

"What it means to be 'nothingness'."

"Enclose, Murciélago!"

Dark green Reiatsu erupted from his body like a volcano!

It was not an explosion of Chakra, but the manifestation of a more fundamental power that touched upon the rules of the world.

The entire secret chamber—no, the entire underground base—no, the very sky and earth of Konoha trembled violently at this moment!

Pale light surged from the hollow in his chest, instantly swallowing his form.

Within the radiance, his appearance began to change.

His already pale skin became even more translucent, resembling the finest jade, with intricate, dark green, circuit-like patterns faintly visible beneath.

His dark green short hair extended and lengthened, forming a pair of curved, demon-like horns on either side of his head.

The tear-like markings at the corners of his eyes extended downward, appearing as genuine trails of tears.

The fist-sized hollow in his chest expanded, its edges framed by a pale, bone-like outline.

And most heart-stopping of all was his back—

"Whoosh!"

A pair of massive, bat-like black wings tore through his white robe and unfurled behind him!

With a wingspan exceeding five meters, every feather was as black as night, with dark green Reishi particles flowing along their edges.

Resurrección: Segunda Etapa.

Murciélago.

A terrifying Reiatsu, like a physical tsunami, crushed outward in all directions with Ulquiorra at its center.

The reinforced walls of the chamber cracked inch by inch, the ceiling collapsed, and the falling debris was ground into powder by the Reiatsu before it could even hit the ground.

The structure of the entire underground base groaned under the strain, as if it were about to disintegrate at any second.

"Th-this is..." The madness on Shimura Danzō's face was finally replaced by sheer terror.

He stumbled backward, the remaining Sharingan on his right arm spinning frantically as he attempted to analyze, copy, and resist this power.

But all he saw was a deeper, all-consuming "nothingness."

"Monster... you are the true monster!" he shrieked.

Ulquiorra paid him no mind.

He slowly raised his right hand toward Shimura Danzō, his five fingers splayed.

The air in front of his palm began to twist and compress, emitting a sharp, high-pitched hum.

Dark green Reishi gathered frantically, condensing, compressing, and compressing again, until it finally took the form of... a spear.

It was a spear composed entirely of pale, highly condensed Reishi.

Over three meters in length, dark green lightning patterns flowed along its shaft.

At the tip of the spear, a point of profound darkness rotated continuously, as if it could swallow even light itself.

Merely by "existing" there, the surrounding space began to crack, revealing fine, black fissures.

"Lanza del Relámpago."