Danzo dies!

The Forest of Death.

A crowd had already gathered around them. Anyone who could get in would not miss this opportunity.

No one stepped forward to stop them.

Both parties had agreed to this fight to the death.

Besides, many of those present no longer supported Hiruzen Sarutobi quite so firmly.

If Bai Ye had not stepped forward and exposed those things,

they would still have thought the Uchiha were making a fuss over nothing.

They would have thought they deliberately wanted to kill the Hokage so they could claim the position themselves.

After all, as one of the clans that had founded Konoha, the Uchiha certainly had both the motive and the ambition.

But after Bai Ye laid everything out in the open,

many people genuinely felt this might be a battle to settle the grievances between both sides once and for all.

They would never have done this unless they had been driven into a corner.

Moreover, Danzo's actions had left many people deeply dissatisfied with Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Whether Hiruzen Sarutobi knew about this or was completely in the dark,

it was still his failure!

As Hokage, he could not even protect the people in his village.

Even if Hiruzen Sarutobi won this time, no one would be willing to recognize his claim to the position of Hokage.

Besides, Bai Ye was right.

Konoha's three previous Hokage had all died in battle.

What right did Hiruzen Sarutobi have to cling to life?!

"Sarutobi, are you saying we're fighting someone from the Uchiha this time?!"

After Hiruzen Sarutobi summoned Enma, the latter was rather bewildered.

Wait, what?!

Why were they suddenly fighting their own people?!

"Yes. Sorry for the trouble, but I'll probably need your help this time."

"All right, but why are so many people watching us?!"

Enma nodded, but something still felt wrong to him.

This wasn't right, was it?!

Why were they surrounded by Konoha ninja?

And all of them were simply watching without making a move. Enma genuinely could not understand what was going on.

Still, he knew he would not get any answers right now.

Hiruzen Sarutobi clearly did not want to elaborate, and with so many people watching, it probably was not too serious.

"Danzo, can you still fight?!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Danzo. Since Danzo still had a fair amount of chakra left,

he could temporarily keep the Hashirama cells suppressed.

But he was barely managing it, because all his Sharingan had closed.

Now he had to expend his own chakra to suppress them. Once his chakra ran out, he would lose control of the Hashirama cells completely.

Danzo knew the condition of his own body.

He also knew that, given his current state, he would most likely die here.

All Danzo wanted now was to help Hiruzen Sarutobi once before sacrificing himself.

At the very least, he had to take Bai Ye down with him.

He nodded without saying anything else. Right now, Danzo needed to make every bit of strength count twice over.

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded, then looked toward Bai Ye and said, "Then let's begin!"

Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura were both ready.

As former students of the Second Hokage, even though they had not fought in many years,

their foundations were still there.

Besides, they knew very well that the situation was no longer something they could walk away from simply because they wanted to.

Bai Ye had specifically demanded to fight all four of them together.

Most importantly, they would be fighting alongside Hiruzen Sarutobi. At least it was still four against one.

Their chances of winning were still good!

And if they exposed their fear of death just like that,

they probably would not be able to remain in Konoha afterward.

The moment Hiruzen Sarutobi finished speaking, all four of them moved.

Against Bai Ye, they did not dare let their guard down in the slightest.

He was an Uchiha who had awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan.

"Sarutobi, be careful. His abilities are strange, and... ordinary attacks won't break through that Susanoo's defenses!"

Danzo offered a warning.

Embarrassingly enough, his earlier fight with Bai Ye had not even revealed what Bai Ye's Mangekyo Sharingan ocular techniques were.

According to the records, Susanoo was the Mangekyo Sharingan's ultimate ocular technique.

But the records also stated that an Uchiha's Mangekyo Sharingan possessed unique ocular techniques, and Shisui's earlier words had effectively confirmed that.

Part of the reason he said this was to warn Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others.

He felt rather helpless himself.

He had exhausted all eleven Sharingan, yet he still had not discovered what Bai Ye's abilities actually were.

That, in itself, foreshadowed something!

"Let's probe him first!"

After considering it, Hiruzen Sarutobi laid out their strategy. "Danzo, don't rush to attack. Homura, you and Koharu will attack from the flanks. I'll lead the assault!"

Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu were only at Jonin strength.

Danzo, on the other hand, had strength somewhere between Elite Jonin and the threshold of Kage Level.

But given his current condition, Hiruzen Sarutobi knew very well that relying on Danzo was clearly unrealistic.

That left him as the only one who could serve as their main fighting force.

Although they had not fought in years, Hiruzen Sarutobi believed their long-standing rapport would ensure that coordination posed no problem.

Once they agreed on a plan, he said no more.

The three of them began their attack, while Danzo stayed behind and looked for an opening.

Danzo knew Hiruzen Sarutobi was looking out for him.

But he also knew he only had one chance left.

His chakra was about to run out.

He had to find an opening. If he failed to kill Bai Ye with that one opportunity, Wood Release would consume him.

But...

Could it really be that easy to finish him off?!

An indescribable feeling suddenly rose in Danzo's heart.

In his earlier battle with Bai Ye, he had not even forced out his opponent's ocular techniques.

Now...

While Danzo was still lost in thought, a voice beside his ear made his body instantly tense. "Distracted?!"

How?!

Bai Ye had actually slipped past Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others.

The moment he heard Bai Ye's voice, Danzo knew he was Bai Ye's first target.

Just a moment ago, he had still been considering how to deal with Bai Ye.

After all, he only had one attack left.

No!!!

I couldn't die like this!!!

Danzo's adrenaline surged, and he could faintly hear Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others shouting, "Danzo, watch out!!!"

Not far away, Hiruzen Sarutobi saw what was happening and picked up speed.

This had completely exceeded his expectations!

He could not keep up with Bai Ye's speed!

With just one Body Flicker Technique, Bai Ye had reached Danzo. He had never intended to fight Hiruzen Sarutobi at all, instead heading straight for Danzo.

And now Hiruzen Sarutobi could be completely certain of one thing: Bai Ye truly intended to act, rather than merely talk.

Wood Release!!!

Danzo could no longer worry about the rampaging Hashirama cells. Even if they assimilated him, he absolutely could not let himself be killed now.

Besides, Bai Ye was so close that this was the perfect moment to use Wood Release.

As branches and leaves sprouted from Danzo's arm, the onlookers' eyes flickered.

Wood Release?!

But was this really the First's Wood Release?!

It looked far weaker!

"Pathetic!"

Bai Ye had no intention of dodging. Susanoo's armor enveloped him, and then Susanoo struck straight down at Danzo.

In an instant, Danzo's right arm was severed.

"You fell for it!"

The branches continued growing wildly, beginning to coil around Susanoo.

A cold smile flickered across Danzo's lips.

This was the moment he had been waiting for!

"Danzo, don't!!!" Hiruzen Sarutobi roared.

As his friend of many years, he naturally knew exactly what Danzo intended to do!

He was going to sacrifice himself and use the Reverse Four Symbols Seal to seal Bai Ye away.

"Sarutobi... I won't back down this time!"

Danzo spoke calmly.

He admitted that he had hesitated before, but this time, he absolutely would not hesitate again.

Danzo knew very well that he had only one chance to strike. If he failed to seize it, he would not even have a chance to fight.

Bai Ye's attack had played right into Danzo's hands.

He had intended all along to sacrifice his life in exchange for a chance to seal Bai Ye.

And now he had the perfect opportunity. Wood Release had already coiled around Susanoo.

He only needed a little time. Anyone splashed by his black ink would be sealed by the Reverse Four Symbols Seal.

"Ridiculous!"

With one slash, Susanoo severed the entwining trees. Then, in a flash, Bai Ye vanished from the spot.

This Reverse Four Symbols Seal

was the most laughable technique Bai Ye had ever seen!

After all, once the caster activated it, he lacked mobility and could only seal the surrounding area.

In the anime, it had not even sealed Sasuke. All it had sealed was a bridge.

Who would be stupid enough to stay put?!

The technique sounded intimidating.

But in practice, it was another story entirely.

Although Danzo had Wood Release, his version was only good for a little landscaping.

If this stuff actually managed to restrain someone, they only had themselves to blame.

Still couldn't do it?!

An inexplicable sense of loss suddenly filled Danzo's heart. For some reason, he seemed to always fall short.

He had always lived in Hiruzen Sarutobi's shadow.

Now, he had hoped to accomplish something with his life, only to discover that things were once again different from what he had imagined.

Even at the very end, he had wanted to use the Reverse Four Symbols Seal to take Bai Ye down with him.

But that plan seemed to have failed yet again.

His entire life seemed to have been one failure after another.

As he lay dying, he seemed to hear the voices of Hiruzen Sarutobi, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu.

But...

He could feel those voices growing farther and farther away.

At that moment, his memories began to replay. He seemed to return to the moment when the Second Hokage had said they needed to choose someone to stay behind and cover the retreat.

He stood up, faster than Hiruzen Sarutobi.

But... he seemed to have been assigned to stay behind outright.

Danzo suddenly smiled in acceptance.

Perhaps, from the very beginning, he had never had a chance of becoming Hokage. In Tobirama Senju's eyes, perhaps Hiruzen Sarutobi had always been the single best candidate.

He had never been Tobirama Senju's first choice.

Perhaps, from the very beginning, it had all been nothing more than his own fantasy.

There had never been any intention of making him Hokage.

Thoughts churned through Danzo's mind, and he could feel his consciousness gradually fading until the Reverse Four Symbols Seal swallowed it completely.

Watching the scene unfold, everyone present remained silent. They simply looked on. Though Danzo's death had been rather tragic and heroic, something about it felt almost comical!

Seriously?!

Was that Reverse Four Symbols Seal supposed to be a joke?!

It had only sealed away a few trees! He had sacrificed himself, and that was all he had managed to seal?!

"Did that bastard really just die?!"

"Good riddance! He deserved to die for daring to steal our Uchiha bloodline abilities!!"

Uchiha Setsuna glared at the hollow in the ground.

At that moment, he wished he could go over and stab Danzo a couple more times.

After all, no Bloodline Families could possibly tolerate what that bastard had done!

He had actually tried to steal the Uchiha's bloodline abilities!

Simply killing him was getting off easy!

No one spoke up to dispute those words.

Quite apart from the fact that Danzo had never been particularly well liked in the village, there was something else.

Most importantly, he really had done all those things.

But unlike the onlookers, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura, who were still caught in the battle, did not see it that way.

The four of them had once been teammates and were now political allies.

They had been friends for years. Watching Danzo die right before their eyes left them grieving for him-and fearing the same fate for themselves.

"Wait, this isn't right! Sarutobi, is this a fight to the death?!!"

Only then did Enma grasp what was happening.

No!!

Something was definitely wrong!!!

Why had Danzo suddenly used the Reverse Four Symbols Seal?!

More importantly, why had no one around them stopped him? They all seemed to be watching, waiting for an outcome!

"Yes... it's a fight to the death."

"..."

Enma opened his mouth to speak, but ultimately left his question unasked.

Although he could tell something was wrong and knew there had to be more to it, he also knew Hiruzen Sarutobi probably did not want to talk about it.

More importantly, as far as Enma was concerned, he only needed to do his part and fight alongside Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"Tell me... have all those years without fighting dulled your combat instincts this much?!"

Bai Ye's voice was like a nightmare.

He showed them no mercy.

All four were targets he intended to kill.

Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura finally reacted, but Bai Ye had already appeared before them.

Before Hiruzen Sarutobi could say a single word, he watched helplessly as Bai Ye killed both of them with one move.

As their bewildered, uncomprehending expressions registered in Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes, he opened his mouth, his grip on the golden-banded staff involuntarily tightening.

He had watched Danzo, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura die before him, one after another.

He admitted it: he wanted to kill.

He... was going to kill Bai Ye!!!