"Bang!"
The sealing wrappings that Shimura Danzō used to conceal his right arm fell to the ground, the sharp sound echoing throughout Root headquarters.
It no longer mattered whether Shihouin Naraku truly came on Sarutobi Hiruzen's orders. What mattered now was survival.
A life-and-death struggle!
I live, you die!
Those who survive will dominate everything!
"Fū! Torune! Buy me some time!" Danzō commanded.
"Yes, sir!"
Yamanaka Fū and Aburame Torune acknowledged the order, but neither rushed directly toward Shihouin Naraku. Instead, they waited for the right moment to strike.
Shimura Danzō removed the bandage covering his right eye, revealing a scarlet pupil. A blade-like pattern appeared within it and slowly began to rotate.
Mangekyō Sharingan!
This was the Mangekyō Sharingan that once belonged to Uchiha Shisui!
This eye contained the most powerful genjutsu in the shinobi world—Kotoamatsukami!
Shimura Danzō formed hand seals with both hands, making final preparations before combat.
His pale white arm, infused with Hashirama's cells, was embedded with eleven Sharingan eyes. While this certainly increased Danzō's power, it also placed a tremendous burden on his body!
If he didn't want to collapse physically or mentally, Danzō needed to maintain a delicate balance before every battle.
Yamanaka Fū and Aburame Torune both understood that Shimura Danzō needed time, and it was their duty to provide it.
"Attack!"
At this command, the ninja protecting Shimura Danzō raised their weapons and charged toward Shihouin Naraku.
"Swish! Swish!"
A dense volley of shuriken and kunai swept toward Naraku like a rainstorm, filling his field of vision.
The projectiles blocked every possible escape route, leaving him no room to dodge.
Shihouin Naraku's eyes flashed with a cold light as he swung the Kurikara in his right hand. Instead of retreating, he advanced, walking slowly toward the storm of weapons, alone with his sword.
"Swish! Swish!"
"Clink! Clink! Clink!"
Countless weapons whizzed through the air, creating sporadic sparks where they struck the ground.
Shihouin Naraku walked through the web of flying metal, pacing forward at a measured tempo, never stopping. As he moved, the weapons that rained down like droplets seemed to actively avoid him—none of them touched his body.
The pupils of the charging ninja constricted as they watched this impossible scene in disbelief.
Everyone could understand if Shihouin Naraku had dodged the weapons or deflected them with his blade, but no one could accept what they were witnessing.
The scene before them seemed to mock the weapon-throwing skills that Root ninja had practiced for years as if they were nothing but a joke!
"How is this possible?!" Yamanaka Fū stood frozen, watching this horrifying display.
"This is bad!"
It appeared slow, but was actually happening with incredible speed. By now, Shihouin Naraku had walked through the curtain of projectiles. The Kurikara's black blade tilted slightly, and Naraku vanished from everyone's sight.
"Thunk!"
The sharp blade pierced through a ninja's heart, causing him to cough up blood.
Shihouin Naraku materialized suddenly, turning his head to avoid another ninja's attack.
He quickly withdrew his sword and swung, the razor-sharp edge cutting through the air.
A soft whimper escaped as a nearly invisible line appeared across the neck of the ninja who had attacked Naraku.
"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!"
"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!"
In the blink of an eye, two ninja had fallen, but these men had been carefully trained by Danzō with extensive resources. As the remaining ninja reacted, they immediately formed hand seals and unleashed powerful fire techniques against Naraku.
Scorching heat spread outward as straight columns of flame, possessing tremendous power and speed, surged toward him.
Shihouin Naraku raised his eyes to face the incoming flames. Kurikara rotated slightly, and the two ninja instantly lost control of their jutsu.
The Fire Style techniques that were meant to attack Shihouin Naraku transformed, becoming blazing flames that enveloped Kurikara's blade, making it both beautiful and deadly.
"Is your breathing becoming more rapid?" Naraku asked calmly.
"Flame Deity's Kagura: Heaven's Dance!"
Kurikara's pitch-black blade drew an exquisite circle in the air!
Flames erupted outward, creating a beautiful ring that carried an aura of destruction as it fiercely crashed into the two ninja who had released the Fire Style jutsu.
"AHHH!!!"
Their screams were cut short as the violently burning flames reduced them to ashes!
So fast!
In a blink of an eye, only one ninja remained to face Shihouin Naraku. The man's pupils trembled violently as he rapidly formed hand seals, trying desperately to unleash a jutsu.
"Lightning Style: False Darkness!"
Shihouin Naraku's free left hand formed a seal at a speed invisible to the naked eye. In a blinding flash, a sharp spear of lightning pierced the ninja's chest. The man's pupils dilated, then dimmed.
"Why... why so fast?"
The ninja could no longer resolve the question in his mind: how had Shihouin Naraku formed hand seals so quickly? How had he produced a Lightning Style jutsu after completing only a single seal?
With questions that would never be answered, the ninja's consciousness faded into darkness.
Yamanaka Fū and Aburame Torune, who had been waiting for the right moment to act, witnessed this horrifying scene with mounting dread!
The ninja who had attacked weren't much weaker than themselves, yet Shihouin Naraku had dispatched them in mere moments.
Speed, attack power, swordsmanship, ninjutsu, hand seals...
Shihouin Naraku's abilities completely outclassed everyone present, otherwise such a result would have been impossible.
Yamanaka Fū's expression grew grave. "Torune! You know the requirements of my technique. You must make him stop moving for it to succeed!"
"Yes, I understand."
Aburame Torune had already removed his shirt and discarded his gloves. His entire body was stained a disturbing purple-black color.
This discoloration was due to the nano-sized venomous insects called Rinkaichū that inhabited his body. If others became infected with these insects, they would soon die as the microscopic creatures destroyed their cells.
Under normal circumstances, Aburame clan members who hosted these particular insects wore special protective clothing that covered their entire bodies to prevent accidental contamination.
Now, facing the terrifying enemy before them, Torune had no choice but to release his insects.
Torune's entire body was covered with swarming Rinkaichū, which dyed his exposed skin a sickly purple-black, giving him a nightmarish appearance.
Aburame Torune clenched his discolored fists. "I am proficient in the Body Flicker Technique. With the help of my Rinkaichū, I can force him to retreat. Be ready to seize that opportunity."
"I will be," Fū assured him.
Yamanaka Fū extended his hands toward Shihouin Naraku, prepared to release his mental energy at any moment.
The Yamanaka clan specialized in controlling the minds of their enemies!
Their signature Mind Transfer Jutsu allowed them to project their consciousness into an opponent's body to take control.
However, when performing the Mind Transfer Jutsu, the mental energy could only travel in a straight line. If it failed to hit the target, the user's spirit would be unable to return to their body for a short period.
This was why Yamanaka clan members were best suited to working alongside other shinobi, especially those skilled at immobilizing enemies—such as the Nara clan!
----------------
You can read advanced chapters here: patreon.com/GregariousLion