Once Danzo closed in, his right hand shot toward Naruto's eye socket!
Gouging out an eye bare-handed was no reckless move. Izanagi could turn any injury into a dream, which gave Danzo the confidence to try!
Failure would cost him nothing; success would settle everything. Why not?
Danzo, this was how you took Shisui's right eye too, wasn't it?
Naruto murmured inwardly, his left eye abruptly focusing.
-Shinra Tensei.
Boom!
"Argh...!!" A powerful repulsive force erupted, sending Danzo hurtling backward in disarray!
"Shinra Tensei releases an indiscriminate repulsive force centered on its user, deflecting physical attacks and even ninjutsu. It's a flawless technique that combines offense and defense..."
Whoosh! Danzo's tumbling figure dissolved like an illusion, and his real body appeared right in front of Naruto.
"But the five-second gap between uses is its weakness!"
It was worth noting that when Pain attacked Konoha, Danzo and his Root had stayed underground. Though they had not joined the battle, they had kept track of its progress.
Root had also obtained the intelligence on the Rinnegan that Jiraiya and Konoha had gathered through successive battles.
Danzo's original plan had been to wait until Pain and Konoha had worn each other down, then step forward to turn the tide.
That would both weaken Tsunade's faction and bolster his own prestige, allowing him to take center stage.
Unfortunately, things had not gone as he wished... Naruto had returned from Mount Myōboku and defeated Pain.
Whoosh!
As Danzo charged, a kunai slipped from his sleeve, and he thrust it straight at Naruto's face!
Naruto half-closed his eyes. A shadow clone hidden in the shadows dispersed, sending senjutsu chakra back to him. His original body entered Sage Mode at the same instant!
Whoosh!
He swayed aside, evading the kunai. His right hand seized Danzo's arm while a Rasengan formed in his left and struck Danzo's chest!
-Sage Art: Rasengan!
"ARGH!!!"
The Rasengan erupted, mangling the flesh of Danzo's chest!
Thud! Naruto sent Danzo flying with a powerful kick. He smashed straight through three trees before coming to a stop, covered in fallen snow.
A short while later, Izanagi took effect, erasing every injury.
Danzo stood and brushed the snow off himself, saying calmly, "Sage Mode greatly enhances both perception and taijutsu. Combined with the Rinnegan's abilities, it leaves almost no openings..."
A smile curled his lips. "But no matter how strong you are, Izanagi makes me invincible!"
Whoosh!
Danzo formed hand seals and drew a deep breath. As he held it in, every wrinkle on his face drew toward his mouth.
-Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere!
Pew! Pew! Pew!
Danzo exhaled, firing wind release chakra like bullets across an enormous area at incredible speed...!
Whoosh!
Naruto ducked, swerved, and flipped, weaving freely through the gaps between the Vacuum Spheres as he rapidly closed in on Danzo.
"You like wind release too? Then let me return the favor..."
As Danzo's barrage of Vacuum Spheres drew to an end, Naruto created a shadow clone to help apply a change in chakra nature to his Rasengan. Seconds later, the wind shrieked with a terrifying intensity!
Naruto spun gracefully to build momentum, then hurled the deadly weapon in his palm at Danzo!
-Sage Art: Wind Release: Rasenshuriken!
With nowhere to dodge, Danzo was struck by the wind blades and sent hurtling backward... Boom!!
Rumble!! A powerful spiraling windstorm exploded, engulfing Danzo and the surrounding trees!
Whoosh!
Danzo appeared in a clearing twenty meters away. Looking at the devastation left behind after the storm subsided, his expression shifted.
"Adding a change in chakra nature to the Rasengan, then combining it with senjutsu chakra to turn it into a ranged attack... One could call that the pinnacle of wind release. Unfortunately, such a dazzling ninjutsu will vanish from the shinobi world today!"
As he spoke, Danzo lowered his gaze to his right arm. The first Sharingan there had already closed completely, and the second had begun its countdown.
His thoughts raced. Naruto has the Rinnegan and the power of senjutsu. He has too many ways to deliver a killing blow. To be safe, I can't deactivate Izanagi midway to conserve chakra. Nine eyes give me roughly nine minutes of Izanagi...
Fortunately, Naruto can't maintain Sage Mode indefinitely like the First Hokage. According to the intelligence, he can keep at most two shadow clones to replenish his senjutsu chakra during battle. Using that wind release senjutsu also increases his senjutsu chakra consumption, risking the loss of Sage Mode.
In that case, nine minutes still gives me a decent chance of winning. I'll keep up the pressure, find an opening, and take his left eye. Then victory will be mine for certain!
Whoosh!
With his strategy decided, Danzo formed hand seals and sucked in a great breath.
-Wind Release: Vacuum Great Sphere!!
Boom!!
The formidable wind release became a cannon blast, sweeping up the lingering snow as it thundered toward where Naruto stood!
Naruto intended to save Shinra Tensei for defending against Danzo at close range. The Rinnegan's Six Paths abilities were comprehensive, offering plenty of options.
Facing the oncoming Vacuum Great Sphere, Naruto extended his left hand. A technique-sealing barrier appeared before his palm.
-Preta Path!
Whoosh!
The Vacuum Great Sphere rapidly shrank as the Preta Path absorbed it...
"That's the Rinnegan's ninjutsu-absorbing ability mentioned in the intelligence..."
Rustle! Danzo swiftly unfurled a stack of explosive tags and blew himself up on the spot!
Dying while Izanagi was active allowed him to freely choose where he would reappear. Danzo exploited that feature, appearing behind Naruto and launching a surprise attack!
"..." Naruto continued absorbing the ninjutsu, glancing behind him out of the corner of his eye.
Danzo's lips curled slightly as he calculated inwardly. That's right... Use that repulsion technique on me. Then I'll have a five-second opening to exploit!
Instead, he saw a playful smile curl Naruto's lips.
Naruto reached into his ninja tool pouch with his right hand, pulled out a smoke bomb, and smashed it against the ground.
Bang!!
Smoke billowed out, blocking the view behind him...!
Danzo abruptly slowed. "What? A smoke bomb??"
In that brief moment of hesitation, Naruto finished absorbing the attack with the Preta Path. He formed hand seals and turned with a flourish.
-Sage Art: Fire Release: Great Flame Technique!
Whoosh! Roaring flames instantly sealed off Danzo's path.
The two faced each other from dozens of meters apart.
Naruto raised a hand and smiled faintly. "I've only been using this eye so often because its abilities are new to me. You didn't think learning to run meant I'd forgotten how to walk, did you?"
"..." Danzo had no answer. He looked at his right arm. The second Sharingan had closed completely, and the third was half-open, its countdown already more than halfway over.
A quarter of Izanagi's duration was already gone, yet he had gained no advantage at all!
Although Izanagi was useful, his chakra would plummet as time passed. It was an immensely risky technique!
Naruto said meaningfully, "Are you sure this is fine? You've almost used up three eyes, and I still have plenty of chakra~."
Under Naruto's gaze, Danzo clenched his hand tightly. A short while later, he relaxed it, and a smile spread across his deeply wrinkled face.
"Naruto, I've seen countless things in my lifetime, and I've never misjudged anyone. You have the potential for darkness. There's no better soil for you than Root."
Naruto narrowed his eyes slightly. "So?"
Danzo made a startling proposal. "So, let us join forces. I've already become Hokage, so it's no longer appropriate for me to remain in Root. Just say the word, and I'll appoint you as Root's leader. What do you say...?"