Danzo instinctively turned to flee, but the moment he spun around, he froze. Not far behind him, a seemingly adorable little fox squatted on the ground, staring at him coldly.
Its golden vertical pupils were full of mockery, as if watching a clown perform.
It's over!
With Takuya blocking the front and Snowy cutting off the back, Danzo's heart sank to the bottom. To make matters worse, Minato emerged from the sides with the Anbu, slowly closing in.
Was he really going to meet his end here today?
"Are you scared of me?"
Takuya stepped forward, a playful smile curling his lips. His gaze at Danzo was filled with amusement. He never expected there would come a day when Danzo, of all people, would feel fear. It was a rare sight indeed.
"You evil Uchiha brat!"
Danzo gritted his teeth, his single eye darting around to assess the situation. He wasn't foolish enough to wait for death, nor was he reckless enough to fight Takuya head-on. He knew very well that going up against Takuya was suicide.
What he needed was an opportunity to escape and quickly leave the Land of Rain, hiding somewhere far away.
"Heh…"
Takuya chuckled knowingly. He was already used to being labeled "evil Uchiha brat" by Danzo. It was a descriptor he could never seem to escape.
"Leave no one alive."
The Rain Village shinobi couldn't be allowed to return. As for the Akatsuki members, while it was unfortunate, they had already spilled everything they knew. Killing them wouldn't weigh on Takuya's conscience. He couldn't risk letting word of his presence in the Land of Rain get out.
Before Takuya's words even fully landed, a golden flash zipped through the air, and several Rain Village shinobi collapsed lifelessly on the ground.
Damn it!
Watching Minato cut down his men as easily as slaughtering chickens, Danzo's eyelids twitched uncontrollably. Quickly raising his hands, he began forming seals.
What surprised Takuya was that instead of launching a counterattack, Danzo used a summoning jutsu.
"Roar!!!"
A massive black tiger, the size of a house, appeared with a deafening roar. Its long, white tail lashed out violently.
Before the roar had even fully subsided, the black tiger fell lifelessly to the ground, completely motionless.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Danzo, you're still the same. You always send your subordinates and summoned creatures to their deaths to buy yourself time to escape."
"…"
Danzo's face darkened, but he remained silent. He couldn't let Takuya's taunts provoke him—losing his composure now would cost him his last chance at survival.
The more dangerous the situation, the calmer he needed to be.
But it was truly a pity. The summon he had painstakingly obtained was taken out in an instant by Snowy.
Now caught between a rock and a hard place, Danzo found himself utterly cornered. The situation reached a deadlock.
Takuya made no move to attack, instead watching with amusement. He was curious to see what tricks Danzo might have up his sleeve in this dire scenario.
"Damn it!"
Watching his men fall one by one, with no escape route in sight, Danzo's frustration boiled over. If only he could travel back in time to kill a young Takuya and Minato, he thought bitterly.
It was all Sarutobi Hiruzen's fault!
If not for the Third Hokage's soft-heartedness, he wouldn't have ended up in this predicament. The thought of Hiruzen refusing to hand over Takuya and Minato to Root infuriated him even more.
"It seems you have no more chances," Takuya said, shaking his head as he looked at the wrinkled, grim-faced Danzo. "Considering your age, Danzo, why don't you do us all a favor and blow yourself up?"
"Not capturing him alive?" Minato asked as he wiped the blood off his kunai. Standing beside Takuya, he watched Danzo, whose eyes still darted around, clinging to a sliver of hope for escape. Minato found it odd. Knowing Takuya's personality, he would've expected him to capture Danzo alive and put him through some form of torment.
Allowing Danzo to end his life so quickly seemed far too merciful.
"Capture him? I'd love to, but the old man isn't giving me the chance," Takuya replied with feigned regret.
Minato blinked in confusion. "What?"
Takuya, unable to suppress a wry smile, explained, "Danzo has inscribed the Four Symbols Seal on his body. If pushed into a corner, he can activate it at any time, trapping himself and everyone around him within the seal before—BOOM!"
"Why don't you give it a try? With your speed, you might just save him in time."
Get lost!
Minato felt like swearing. Takuya's suggestion was nothing short of malicious. Still, he had to admit, Danzo's willingness to go to such lengths—even engraving the Four Symbols Seal on his own body—was a testament to how ruthless the man was, even toward himself.
The Four Symbols Seal was a sealing jutsu, but Minato, with his expertise in such techniques, knew it could be used as a makeshift bomb. It would suck everything in its vicinity into the seal before detonating in a catastrophic explosion.
The Four Symbols Seal? And engraved on his own body to ensure mutual destruction?
The Anbu, who had been cautiously advancing to surround Danzo, froze upon hearing this. They quickly retreated a few steps, unwilling to risk provoking him into activating the seal.
It wasn't that the Anbu were afraid of death, but they didn't want to die pointlessly or without accomplishing anything of value.
"How do you know about this?" Danzo's expression changed drastically, his calm demeanor giving way to agitation. "Was it Orochimaru? Did he tell you?"
Very few people knew about this secret, aside from Danzo's most trusted subordinates and Orochimaru, who had assisted with his experiments.
Danzo had sought to implant Hashirama's cells into his body, requiring Orochimaru's help to examine his condition. As a result, Orochimaru was privy to many of Danzo's secrets.
Hearing Takuya expose his hidden Four Symbols Seal, Danzo immediately pinned the blame on Orochimaru.
"…"
Poor Orochimaru, his fate unknown, was now being unjustly accused yet again.
After a brief silence, Takuya couldn't help but nod, playing along. "Ah, yes, of course. It was all Orochimaru. He told me everything. In fact, he revealed all your other secrets too. So don't worry—just rest in peace."
With the blame already on Orochimaru, Takuya saw no need to clear his name. He might as well let the snake bear the burden.
Hopefully, Madara hadn't flayed Orochimaru alive yet.
"Damn it! Wind Style—"
Realizing that all his secrets had been exposed, Danzo's last shred of composure shattered. He couldn't accept that every move he made was already known to Takuya.
But just as he raised his hand to unleash a jutsu, a massive shadow swept in. With a dull thud, Danzo was sent sprawling to the ground, convulsing as Snowy's long tail withdrew.
Snowy gazed disdainfully at Danzo. Under my watch? You dare attempt to harm my master? Dream on.
What a pitiful sight.
Minato grimaced, while the Anbu stepped back, staring at Danzo lying in the mud, covered in filth.
Who would have thought that someone as high and mighty as Danzo would meet such a humiliating end?
"Hit him with everything you've got—long-range attacks only. Let's finish this before he drags us down with him."
Since capturing him alive wasn't an option, there was no point in keeping him around. Better to end it once and for all.
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(P)(S): If you're interested, you can read the rest of the Chapter at Patreon com/ Emik01.
DO NOT FORGET POWER STONE AND CHATTING