Danzo's Death

Looking at Danzo, who had been hit by the Judgment Eye, Ren saw that aside from being somewhat listless, there was nothing else unusual about him.

Deep doubts about his own skill arose in Ren's heart. Was this the famous Judgment Eye? Stare at someone and they died?

After reading the skill description again, Ren discovered that "the Judgment Eye's power depends on Ren's own will and whether the target considers themselves related to sin."

Ren knew he had already unleashed all of his Hellfire, so was the problem with Danzo?

Ren immediately looked at Danzo with a baffled expression. Brother, what was going on with you?

Who said someone covered in blame couldn't be a hero?

I, Danzo, may be sinister and cunning, burning, killing, looting, and committing every evil imaginable, but I, Danzo, am a good person?

The Judgment Eye's failure on Danzo made Ren deeply question the strength of the Ghost Rider template.

If it couldn't even handle Danzo, then facing Tobi and Madara in the future would probably be much the same.

Ren could already imagine it. "Judgment Eye!" Then Obito and Madara would tilt their heads and look at him in confusion. What were you doing?

Sensing the Hashirama cells in Danzo's body about to go berserk, Ren knew Danzo was doomed.

But Ren did not want Danzo to die so easily. He wanted to crush Danzo's state of mind—not only destroy his enemy physically, but shatter him mentally as well, then harvest his soul.

Since the Judgment Eye would not work, the restless Sharingan followed up at once, firing a genjutsu straight at Danzo.

Danzo watched those eerie eyes vanish, revealing the Sharingan. Before his consciousness sank into the genjutsu, a thought crossed his mind.

Brat, how could you possibly shake this old man's will?

The instant Danzo fell into the illusion, he realized he was under a genjutsu. He tried several methods, but none were of any use.

Interesting. Danzo began observing the illusion and found himself in a somewhat familiar forest.

Soon, seven figures appeared before him. As though they could not see him, they carried on with their own actions.

"Hmph! Such petty tricks cannot affect me at all."

The figure at the center of the seven had his eyes slightly closed and one hand pointed at the ground. "We're surrounded. The enemy has... twenty men. They should be the Hidden Cloud Village's elite Gold Horn Force."

The bespectacled young man said, "Including Lord Second Hokage, there are only seven of us. It will be very difficult to deal with them..."

The only female ninja among the seven said, "En, how can you say something so discouraging?"

What followed was another exchange no different from the one in Danzo's memories.

Until a fat man spoke up. "Going as a decoy means certain death. Who should go...?"

Danzo looked at his younger self, who, just as in his memories, fell into self-hypnosis and then began trembling all over.

While he was still trembling, the young Hiruzen beside him spoke. "I'll be the decoy!"

"Of course I should be the one to act as the decoy. You young inheritors of the Will of Fire must protect the village well from now on."

"No! You're the Hokage!"

"Hiruzen, from tomorrow onward, you will be the Hokage."

A slight ripple still arose in Danzo's heart. "Hmph! How boring."

The illusion instantly shattered. Danzo looked around and found himself still in the same place.

"We're surrounded..."

"I'll be the decoy."

"Hiruzen, from tomorrow onward, you will be the Hokage."

Then it began looping over and over again.

"Hiruzen, from tomorrow onward, you will be the Hokage."

"Hiruzen, from tomorrow onward..."

"Hiruzen, from..."

"Hiruzen..."

He had already lost count of how many times this scene had repeated before Danzo's eyes.

After being provoked again and again, Danzo finally could no longer remain calm.

This time, he walked toward his younger self and discovered that he had entered the perspective of his younger self.

Danzo did nothing, while the younger Danzo continued reciting his lines according to the script.

Then the repetitions began again and again.

Danzo no longer wanted to endure this endless cycle. This time, the moment Akimichi Torifu finished speaking—

Danzo directly took control of his younger body and raised his hand. "I'll be the decoy."

In an instant, everyone else turned their eyes toward Danzo.

"Danzo, you..." There was reluctance and shock in young Hiruzen's eyes.

Danzo knew he was in an illusion, but seeing the scene before him still filled his heart with delight.

It might be fake, but this time, I beat you, Hiruzen.

In the Second Hokage Tobirama Senju's eyes, satisfaction was mixed with a trace of surprise, as if he were getting to know Danzo anew.

The Second Hokage stood up. Danzo's emotions also fluctuated slightly as he waited for the words the Second Hokage was about to say.

"Then good. Danzo, you stay behind and cover our retreat. Let's go, Hiruzen!"

With that, he led the other five away.

Leaving Danzo standing there, dumbfounded and stunned.

"You damn bastard!"

The illusion shattered once more. It was no longer the previous scene; Uchiha Yushu's smiling face entered Danzo's sight.

"Why, you brat? Are you mocking this old man?"

"Yes, I am mocking you. You think someone like you can compare to the Third Hokage? What a foolish dream."

"Danzo, you will never measure up to the Third Hokage. You will never become Hokage."

"You brat..."

Danzo's words were interrupted by branches extending from his mouth. A tiny sprout grew out from between his lips.

"Shisui, step back. Leave the rest to me."

Without any hesitation, Shisui withdrew his Susanoo and returned to the group.

Having sensed Danzo's condition, he was not worried about Ren's safety in the slightest.

Shisui merely found it strange that, at some point, Ren had begun liking to kill enemies with his own hands. In the past, Ren had found it troublesome and only cast Fire Release from afar.

"Stop, Danzo! Ren!"

A familiar voice came from nearby. Clearly, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had arrived at the scene.

As if he had not heard anything, Ren continued walking toward Danzo.

Danzo had clearly heard Hiruzen Sarutobi's words as well, but he had already lost the ability to move.

With his last bit of strength, he tore open the seal on his chest. Instantly, numerous markings appeared across Danzo's chest.

"That is the Reverse Four Symbols Seal? Danzo, you..." Hiruzen Sarutobi instantly recognized the seal on Danzo's chest.

Shisui stared curiously at the markings until black lines emerged from them, surrounding Danzo and Ren.

"Ren!"

"Clan Head!"

Shisui and the many Uchiha Clan members shouted loudly, but the seal activated far too quickly. They could only watch helplessly as it happened.

Danzo looked at Ren within the seal, his heart filled with calm.

"For Konoha! Uchiha Yushu, fall into the abyss with me."

"Hiruzen, you are the leaves bathed in sunlight. I am the root in the darkness."

"In the end, I still failed to become Hokage!"

At that moment, Ren merely slapped a mass of Hellfire onto Danzo.

Then Ren formed a hand seal with a grin.

"Bang!"

Ren's figure turned into a cloud of smoke and vanished.

"Aaaah!!!"

The calm in Danzo's eyes was gone, leaving only endless unwillingness. A mouthful of blood gushed from the corner of his lips.

In the end, Danzo and the surrounding black lines turned into an airtight sphere, then compressed toward its center and vanished.

Only an incomparably smooth circular pit remained on the ground.

"Danzo..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi stood outside the circular pit and murmured quietly.