Inside the Iron Coffin Seal, Danzo's eyes were bloodshot with rage, and his entire face twisted beyond recognition.
"Trash! You're all trash!"
He pointed at Zero and let out a beastlike roar at the last few trusted subordinates beside him.
"Kill him! Hack this traitor into mincemeat!"
"Yes, sir!"
The three Root ninja did not hesitate in the slightest. They sprang forward, turning into three black shadows as they pounced on Zero.
Yet Zero merely stood there quietly, not even lifting an eyelid.
He lightly raised a hand and snapped his fingers.
Buzz.
The walls, ceiling, and floor of the sealed space instantly lit up with dense, blood-red jutsu patterns.
The next second, several solid chakra chains shot out from every direction, precisely piercing the limbs of those ninja and pinning them firmly in midair.
"Argh!"
Miserable screams rang out.
The chains were like living creatures. Runes flowed across their surfaces as they began frantically draining the chakra from their bodies.
Visible to the naked eye, the Root ninja's bodies rapidly shriveled. Chakra radiance streamed along the chains into the enormous barrier without end, making the pressure within the entire space even more suffocating.
This place was both a prison and an execution ground.
The fury on Danzo's face froze, replaced by incredulous horror.
"This... when did you...?"
"The preparation time was not one month."
Zero finally spoke, his tone so steady that it carried not the slightest ripple.
"It was one year."
He looked at Danzo, and a complicated emotion flashed through his eyes—a gaze mixed with hatred, sorrow, and relief.
"From the day you chose me to become 'Zero,' this Iron Coffin had been prepared for you."
Zero's thoughts drifted far away.
This was a secret technique passed down through his family for generations. Before that family had