The Old Dog's End, the Beginning of Uprooting the Tree
Naruto's golden light crashed directly into the Masked Man. Obito, relying on Kamui, stood still without dodging, a hint of mockery flashing in his eyes, preparing to intangibly remove Danzo's eyes.
Naruto sneered, a Rasengan compressed to its limit condensed in his palm, mixed with violent Senjutsu and Yang Release Chakra, and slapped it down without any fancy moves.
"Bang!"
A muffled sonic boom exploded. Obito's single eye beneath his mask contracted sharply— Kamui's spatial distortion was actually blocked by this high-density Chakra! His intangibility failed to fully unfold, and the violent shockwave tore through the black robe on his shoulder.
"This kid's Chakra can even interfere with space?" Obito was shocked and decisively severed the spatial link, Body Flicker Technique teleporting back more than ten meters.
On the other side, just as Black Zetsu turned into mud, opened his mouth to bite off Danzo's right arm, a blinding blue-white lightning bolt struck directly into the swamp.
"Stop being so disgusting." Sasuke, wielding the Kusanagi Sword, Three-Tomoe Sharingan wildly, the lightning on the blade crackling and striking Black Zetsu. Black Zetsu let out a strange cry and quickly retreated into the ground.
Danzo, Danzo's heart sank completely. He had originally hoped that the Masked Man would disrupt things so that he could take the opportunity to escape. Now that the Masked Man had been forced back, the rampaging Hashirama Cells within him could no longer be suppressed.
"Aaaaaah!"
Danzo let out a piercing scream as the flesh on his right arm instantly withered and shriveled. Thick tree trunks burst through his skin, lashing out wildly in all directions like crazed pythons. This was no longer Ninjutsu he could control, but a pure backlash from his plant instincts!
Boom! More than a dozen tree roots, as thick as water vats, smashed through the stone wall at the edge of the square and headed straight for the civilian refuge passage at the back. There were several children who had just crawled out of the rubble there, and they were so frightened that they collapsed to the ground.
"You damned bastard, you won't even die peacefully!" Tsunade, the Strength of a Hundred Seal on her forehead glowing, ready to take the hit.
"Leave it to me!" Sakura Haruno shouted, her legs unleashing tremendous power as she leaped into the air. She took a deep breath, concentrating all her Chakra in her right fist, and slammed it down hard at the sweeping tree root!
"Cherry Blossom Impact!"
Crack! The thick tree root shattered with a single punch, sending wood chips flying everywhere. She landed steadily, scooping the two terrified children into her arms. "Medical team, retreat south immediately!"
Decisive and efficient. Even Kakashi, standing to the side, couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
In the center of the plaza, the rampaging Wood Release continued to expand, threatening to engulf the entire central area.
Obito stood atop a broken stone pillar, his gaze shifting between light and shadow. He glanced at Danzo, who was enveloped in Wood Release, and knew that his chances were slim. Shisui's eyes were indeed alluring, but it wasn't worth risking a bloody battle with Naruto, this monster, here.
"Naruto Uzumaki, you're lucky today." The space behind Obito began to distort.
"Did I let you leave?" Naruto turned his head, his Pure Byakugan blazing with golden light.
"You want to stop me?" Obito sneered. "No matter how fast you are, you can't outrun Space-Time Ninjutsu."
"Is that so?" Naruto didn't reply, but instead clapped his hands together.
Splash!
Nine golden Chakra Chains, each as thick as a wrist, shot out from behind him. But these chains weren't aimed at Obito; instead, they plunged straight into the raging Wood Release forest beneath his feet.
"Adamantine Sealing Chains - Town!"
Golden light spread wildly along the tree roots, and the towering tree, which had been twisting violently, stiffened instantly like a snake whose tendons had been pulled out, and then withered rapidly under the wash of Yang Release Chakra.
Obito froze for half a second. He thought Naruto would attack him first, but he didn't expect Naruto to prioritize dealing with Wood Release. In that half-second pause, a golden chain suddenly emerged from the ground and swept past Obito's cheek!
A deep crack immediately appeared on the mask.
"Tch." Obito covered his face, no longer hesitating, and completely disappeared into the Kamui vortex.
With Obito gone, Naruto turned around and looked at Danzo, who was still struggling in the ruins of Wood Release.
The old dog's body was half-wooden, but he actually used a Kunai to cut off a large chunk of his own flesh, forcibly breaking free from the tree roots. Dragging his bloodied remains, he limped towards the direction of the Hokage Rock.
He wanted to escape. Even if it meant living like a rat in a sewer, he wanted to survive.
"Whoosh."
A golden light flashed. Naruto appeared directly in front of Danzo without any warning, looking down at him.
The old dog suddenly looked up, its only remaining eyeball filled with bloodshot veins.
"Run! Why did you stop?" Naruto's voice wasn't loud, but it sent chills down Danzo 'Danzo.
Danzo gasped for breath, staring intently at Naruto. He knew he was finished. He had used up all his Izanagi, his Kotoamatsukami was broken, and even his Wood Release was useless. But even if he died, he would take these brats down with him!
"I... will not leave these eyes to you!"
Danzo abruptly tore open his tattered shirt, revealing his emaciated chest. On his chest, a ring of eerie black runes began to bleed and glow.
The Reverse Four Symbols Seal!
Once activated, all living things within a radius of tens of meters will be pulled into the irreversible sealed space and perish with it.
Sasuke's expression changed drastically, and he instinctively gripped his Kusanagi Sword: "Naruto, retreat!"
Naruto stood rooted to the spot, not moving an inch.
"Old man, you're overacting."
Just as Danzo Hand Seals, Naruto's right hand shot out with lightning speed, grabbing Danzo by the neck and lifting him into the air.
Immediately afterwards, a complex black Sealing Jutsu technique appeared in Naruto's left palm, imbued with violent Senjutsu Chakra, and he slapped Danzo in the Danzo!
"The Five Elements Sealing!"
Snap!
A dull thud resounded. The Danzo Four Symbols runes on Danzo's chest, which were about to explode, were twisted and extinguished by Naruto's slap, finally turning into a dull, lifeless pool of ink.
Danzo's eyes widened instantly, and a strange gurgling sound came from his throat. His prized last trump card didn't even qualify to be detonated!
"Stolen eye, how does it fit in?" Naruto's left hand reached up and roughly ripped off the blood-stained bandage from Danzo's right eye.
The Mangekyō Sharingan belonging to Shisui Uchiha was now spinning weakly.
"No... give it back to me..." Danzo frantically waved his left hand, his fingernails scratching bloody marks on Naruto's hand.
Naruto stared at him coldly and then yanked him forcefully.
Pfft.
Naruto Mangekyō Sharingan, along with a few tiny nerves.
"Aaaaaah!" Danzo clutched the bloody hole, his whole body convulsing in pain.
Naruto tossed the glasses to Sasuke, who had rushed over. "Keep these safe. This is a debt owed by your Uchiha; you'll have to settle it yourself."
Sasuke took the glasses and looked at Danzo of mud. The anger in his eyes subsided. It was the look of someone looking at a dead man.
"Thump."
Naruto released his grip, Danzo crashed to the ground like a broken sack. His meridians had been completely sealed by the Five Elements Sealing, and now he couldn't even unleash a low-level Genjutsu.
Shikamaru arrived from the outer perimeter with the Hyuga Clan ninjas.
"Naruto, the remaining enemies outside have been mostly wiped out." Shikamaru glanced at Danzo on the ground, his tone largely indifferent.
Naruto nodded, then turned to Tsunade not far away. "Old woman, I spared their lives. How you interrogate them, how you sentence them, is up to you."
Tsunade stepped forward, looking down at her old partner who had spent his entire life scheming, and coldly snorted, "Anbu, tie him up tightly with seastone chains! Break his arms and legs, and throw him into the highest-level dungeon!"
Two Anbu flashed out instantly, their actions ruthless, crushing Danzo's kneecaps and binding him like a mummy with thick chains. A once-powerful figure met his end more pathetically than a stray dog.
The Konoha Ninja around him looked at Naruto standing in the center of the plaza, their eyes no longer filled with the contempt they once held, but with deep awe. He was the one who killed Deva Path Pain, Danzo, and suppressed the rampaging Wood Release.
He stands here; he is the one who Hidden Leaf.
Just when everyone thought everything had finally settled down, Sasuke suddenly let out a cold snort.
"Interesting. They even left a loose end."
Sasuke walked to the edge of the fissure where Black Zetsu had just been hiding and used his Kusanagi Sword to pick up a clump of dark, sticky liquid. Unlike ordinary Chakra creations, this liquid did not dissipate; instead, it seemed to be alive, writhing wildly on the blade and faintly emitting a chilling aura that was extremely nauseating.
Naruto stepped forward, and his Pure Byakugan immediately detected the anomaly. This thing contained an extremely faint, yet ancient Chakra reaction that sent chills down one's spine.
"Great Evolution Divine Soul Art." Naruto closed his eyes, his powerful mental energy tracing the slime in the opposite direction.
A second later, Naruto suddenly opened his eyes, a glint of light flashing in them.
"Looks like these rats in the gutter have been secretly raising a big one." Naruto looked up towards the northeast, which was the direction of the Land of Land of Lightning's sea area.
"Sasuke, clean the sword. Tomorrow morning, take Team 7 with you."
Sasuke sheathed his sword. "Where to?"
Naruto twisted his neck, and his knuckles cracked crisply.
"Go to the Land of Lightning, uproot the trees."