As Danzo was still reeling from shock, his eyes caught the sudden approach of Ikeizumi's crimson figure, closing the distance rapidly. Startled, Danzo immediately dodged while swiftly forming hand seals with both hands.
"Wind Release—"
Danzo inhaled deeply, his chest expanding noticeably as he prepared to unleash his technique.
"Vacuum Sphere!!!"
Despite the urgency, he refrained from revealing the Sharingan beneath his bandages. Exposing such a powerful Kekkei Genkai publicly would risk making him an enemy of all the bloodline clans within Konoha.
After all, no one wanted a Bloodline Limit hunter lurking secretly within the village.
Danzo's mouth formed hand seals rapidly as he unleashed Wind Release chakra like bullets from a machine gun, firing a barrage of "Vacuum Spheres" at Uchiha Ikeizumi. Each of these spheres was roughly half the size of a baby's fist.
When these spheres struck nearby houses, they pierced thick walls, leaving behind perfectly round holes.
But…
When the numerous Vacuum Spheres rained down on Ikeizumi, it was like throwing stones into water. Though each impact splashed magma "droplets," none could penetrate Ikeizumi's strange Molten Release defense.
Tick… tick…
With every step Ikeizumi took forward, the terrifying heat left flaming footprints on the ground. The sulfurous stench in the air grew so thick it nearly made Danzo faint.
"Damn it, this really is very similar to the Hydrification Technique of the Hozuki clan… a Kekkei Genkai that allows one to transform their body into an element of nature, making them immune to most physical attacks?"
"At least my Wind Release isn't very effective against him!"
Danzo's face darkened, his cold eyes flashing with suspicion and uncertainty. "No… there's no such thing as invincibility. There must be a weakness…"
"Though that Monkey is weak-willed, he would never tolerate an Uchiha without weaknesses, one who cannot be controlled."
Suddenly, Danzo remembered: the only time Ikeizumi had blocked a ninjutsu attack was against two Root ninjas' Water Release.
Right!
Water Release…
Could that be the weakness of this naturally "evil" Uchiha brat?
Water Release wasn't Danzo's specialty, but that didn't mean he couldn't use it.
Suddenly!
Danzo saw Ikeizumi raise one arm, a finger pointing directly at him. The magma flowing at the fingertip seemed to gather energy ready to erupt.
"Not good!"
At that very moment, Ikeizumi's fingertip sprayed out a swarm of scorching mini magma bullets, trailing arcs of light as they sped toward Danzo.
"Molten Release: Molten Shotgun!"
Danzo's pupils shrank. He quickly formed hand seals and pressed both palms to the ground.
"Water Release: Water Wall!"
A towering wall of water surged upward.
The magma bullets slammed into the water wall, releasing a thick sulfurous smell and scalding steam that drenched Danzo in cold sweat.
Had he been half a second slower, he would have been forced to use his Sharingan to evade Ikeizumi's attack.
Damn it!
Half of Danzo's skills were Wind Release, the other half were Sharingan and Wood Release.
Yet none of these three abilities were effective against this naturally "evil" Uchiha brat, and two of them couldn't be used openly in public.
The stabbing pain in his left ear only added to Danzo's frustration.
He had never felt so restrained.
If only the battle had taken place elsewhere, if he had more time to prepare and more Root ninjas with him, Danzo was confident he could have killed Ikeizumi.
After all…
A year ago, that was exactly how he killed Uchiha Shisui.
No matter how talented an Uchiha was, they could not withstand being attacked by many, nor the endless conspiracies.
But…
Today's conflict with Ikeizumi was too sudden.
It was not like his previous fight with Shisui.
"Hmm?" Through the semi-transparent water wall, Danzo faintly saw a vast crimson glow ahead.
"Molten Release: Great Eruption."
A magma fist, swollen to the size of a house, barreled toward the water wall with unstoppable force, melting the ground beneath it.
The volcanic impact shattered the water wall instantly, the blistering heat evaporating every drop of water.
In Danzo's view, the magma fist expanded several times as it broke through the water wall.
An enormous torrent of molten lava surged straight at him!
Danzo felt as if he was facing a tsunami made of magma.
"—Izanagi!!!"
Danzo had no choice. For his own survival and to kill this naturally "evil" Uchiha brat, he had to activate the forbidden Sharingan technique.
The rolling magma engulfed his aged body instantly. Human flesh could not withstand the scorching heat.
In less than a second, Danzo's entire body vaporized.
The flowing magma even obliterated half a street's buildings.
Danzo was dead.
But not really.
The forbidden Sharingan technique Izanagi rewrites any unfavorable event, including death.
Once activated, it causes blindness and lasts for a full minute.
After the transplanted Sharingan beneath his bandages closed completely, the water vapor in the air condensed rapidly, forming a human-shaped figure.
Danzo was "alive" again, his face dark and filled with murderous intent.
"Danzo!!!"
"Stop!!!"
At that moment, figures appeared suddenly along the street, quickly surrounding the area.
All wore the uniform of Konoha's Anbu.
Three Anbu squads had arrived.
Led by Sarutobi Hiruzen, they finally reached the scene.
Looking at the devastated street and breathing in the strange air, Hiruzen coughed several times.
His aged face was grim.
"Danzo! What are you doing?!" Hiruzen entered the battlefield with Kakashi and other Anbu guards behind him, hands clasped behind his back, his expression fierce.
"This is Konoha! Are you trying to destroy it, Danzo?"
Danzo was confused.
He understood why Hiruzen was drawn here by the commotion.
But he couldn't understand why Hiruzen immediately confronted him aggressively.
"Sarutobi! What do you mean?"
Danzo didn't even call him "Hiruzen." He snarled, "How dare you accuse me of destroying Konoha? On the contrary, if I can kill this ambitious Uchiha brat today, I will be saving Konoha!"
He pointed angrily at Ikeizumi.
"This naturally evil Uchiha brat just tried to use his Sharingan to control the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, repeating the disaster from years ago!"
"If I hadn't appeared at that moment and witnessed it, Konoha would already have been destroyed by him!"