After leaving the Hokage's office, Danzo seethed with anger, displeased by Hiruzen's indecisiveness.
In his eyes, aside from the late Uchiha Kagami, all other Uchiha were evil.
Especially the openly extreme Uchiha brat Ikeizumi!
What "Absolute Justice"?
It was merely killing for pleasure under the guise of justice!
Only the incompetent Third Hokage Monkey would trust Ikeizumi's stance.
Filled with discontent, Danzo, accompanied by two Root guards, headed back to the Root base.
On the way, he encountered a sight that nearly gave him a heart attack—
Seven-year-old Nine-Tails Jinchuriki Uzumaki Naruto being held aloft by Ikeizumi!
The scene reminded Danzo vividly of the Nine-Tails attack's devastation.
He instantly flared with rage.
After shouting "Evil-born Uchiha brat!" in fury, Danzo swiftly surrounded Ikeizumi, the Anbu ninja, Izumi, and Naruto in a triangular formation with his two guards.
Danzo was so agitated he nearly tore off his bandages, revealing his terrifying Sharingan.
Fortunately, he bit back his rage.
"Uchiha Ikeizumi! Are you planning rebellion?!"
Danzo's furious eyes locked on Ikeizumi, his breathing heavy.
He shouted aggressively, "Holding Uzumaki Naruto hostage in public—your Uchiha clan's ambitions are finally exposed!"
"I knew your clan harbored ill will toward Konoha. The tragedy years ago was surely orchestrated by you!"
The two masked Root guards drew their ninja swords.
The tense atmosphere alerted nearby passersby.
"Who are those masked men?" Compared to the semi-visible Anbu ninja, Root operatives were largely unknown to civilians.
"Hey, something's wrong!" Someone swallowed nervously and stepped back. "Are they about to fight? Should we alert the Military Police?"
"That Uchiha Ikeizumi... isn't he Military Police? Shouldn't we inform the Hokage?"
"This looks bad..."
"..."
Izumi also sensed trouble. She didn't recognize the Root ninja or Danzo but knew the Anbu mask.
She noticed that from the moment the bandaged elder appeared, Ikeizumi's gaze was deeply fixed on him.
Was it her imagination? She felt a murderous intent radiating from Ikeizumi's eyes.
This was no illusion.
In Ikeizumi's sight, the huge red frame above Danzo's head was more prominent than anyone else's.
The dense small text listed Danzo's repeated crimes, the crimson color nearly purple, marking his evil.
Six years ago, Ikeizumi had glimpsed Danzo from afar, feeling an urge to act.
Back then, Ikeizumi was only a Chunin; Danzo's evil was beyond his capability to purge.
Now...
Ikeizumi stirred again, narrowing his eyes, ignoring Danzo's aggressive questioning.
"This brat was caught because he committed a crime. Root... are you trying to obstruct the Military Police? Anyone who obstructs law enforcement will be killed without hesitation."
The Anbu ninja monitoring Naruto sensed the escalating tension.
He silently summoned a ninja pigeon and released it to notify the Hokage.
Naruto was too frightened to speak.
Danzo's eyes gleamed with murderous intent: "Uchiha Ikeizumi, you are no ordinary evil Uchiha! Today, I will personally eliminate this threat to Konoha."
Clack—
Ikeizumi's ninja sword was drawn over an inch.
As a leaf drifted on a breeze...
The two Root ninjas behind Ikeizumi struck first!
One lunged with a sword aimed at Ikeizumi's back!
The other slashed at his left arm, attempting to seize the Jinchuriki.
Danzo swiftly closed the distance.
His bandaged arm suddenly grasped a kunai, which he thrust toward Ikeizumi's abdomen!
At that instant, Ikeizumi's eyes flashed crimson, the three-tomoe Sharingan pattern filling his pupils.
His left hand suddenly retracted, forcing the Root ninja attempting to sever his arm to pull back, lest he strike the Jinchuriki.
The sword, drawn over an inch, clashed fiercely with Danzo's kunai.
Using the momentum, Ikeizumi released the sword and quickly formed a one-handed hand seal.
"Melt Release..."
"Chakra Body!"
Uchiha Ikeizumi's entire body surged with an astonishing crimson chakra. Every inch of his skin visibly transformed, flowing like molten lava. Even his Military Police uniform was consumed by the molten chakra, taking on the appearance of shifting magma.
The terrifying heat was so intense that Naruto's collar caught fire, causing him to fall with a sharp "pop." The searing temperature burned Naruto's neck even from just a few centimeters away, making him clutch his neck and cry out in pain.
The ninja sword aimed at Ikeizumi's back melted the instant it touched his skin.
"This is…" Danzo's pupils constricted as his anger suddenly cleared his mind, reminding him of Ikeizumi's unique power. "Molten Release Kekkei Genkai!"
Before him stood this naturally "evil" Uchiha brat, one of the extremely rare dual bloodline limit users in the entire ninja world. Even Danzo had only heard of Ikeizumi's dual Kekkei Genkai but had never seen him use Molten Release.
The heat was more terrifying than many Fire Release jutsu. Danzo's battle-hardened instincts screamed that no one could survive direct contact with this molten power—it would vaporize flesh instantly.
Just as Danzo's thoughts settled, Ikeizumi's magma-flowing arm shot forward like a crimson spear, aiming straight for Danzo's head.