Upon hearing the familiar voice, Danzo's eyes widened in shock as he fixed his gaze on the young boy standing before him. Despite the boy using a transformation technique to disguise himself, his playful demeanor and harmless smile made Danzo immediately recognize him as Byakuya, the very person who had once toyed with him and caused him so much apprehension.
But why was Byakuya here? Shouldn't he be in Amegakure?
In that brief moment, Danzo recalled the crucial point. He turned his gaze to Shisui, who was approaching, and grimly asked, "Byakuya, you must be the one behind Shisui's actions. I had always found it strange—Shisui, who had been low-key in the village, suddenly revealed the secret of his Mangekyō Sharingan and made the inexplicable decision to control Fugaku Uchiha.
If all of this was a trap set for me, then it all makes sense now. You deliberately made Shisui expose his Mangekyō Sharingan to attract my attention, leading me to believe I had to eliminate Shisui for the sake of Konoha. That's why you arranged this meeting with him."
Byakuya showed little reaction to Danzo's words.
Byakuya knew what kind of person Danzo was. He always spoke of the "Will of Fire" and the ideals of the Root, but in reality, it was all about Danzo's personal ambition to become Hokage.
More importantly, Danzo had betrayed those who trusted him and had turned his back on the Will of Fire.
In contrast, Shisui's heart was burning with intense rage. He had once trusted Danzo completely, and even when he met Danzo earlier, he still held out a shred of hope.
However, that hope was shattered the moment Danzo made his move against him.
The subsequent revelation of Danzo's Sharingan and the Uchiha secret technique made Shisui suspect that Danzo might even have been involved in the death of his grandfather, Kagami Uchiha.
When Kagami was younger, he was just as talented as Shisui, having unlocked the Three-Tomoe Sharingan at an early age and becoming a member of the Hokage's personal guard. Yet after the Third Hokage ascended to power, Kagami mysteriously died while on a mission.
If it hadn't been an accident during the mission, Kagami's qualifications should have made him a shoe-in for a high-ranking position in the village. With someone of his caliber, the Uchiha clan wouldn't have found themselves in such a dire situation.
Shisui's face twisted into a savage grin. "Danzo, if you didn't covet my Mangekyō Sharingan, how could Byakuya and I have had this opportunity to confront you? And Danzo, how do you explain the traces of Wood Release on your body?"
At these words, Danzo looked down at his arm, where the Senju cells had begun to uncontrollably transform it into wood, slowly spreading toward his shoulder.
With his life now under threat, Danzo lost his composure and yelled, "Byakuya! Shisui! Even if I die here today, it's for Konoha! Konoha will never forgive you traitors!"
Byakuya shook his head lightly and walked up to Danzo, crouching down beside him as he began to perform a sealing technique.
"I need to correct something," Byakuya said. "I'm not a Konoha ninja, and if we're talking about betrayal, it was Konoha that betrayed the Uzumaki clan, and now they've begun betraying the Uchiha clan as well. The fall of the Uzumaki clan and the plight of the Uchiha clan are both consequences of Konoha's actions."
As Danzo felt his control over his body slipping away, his face darkened. "I know your ambitions. You're planning to strike against Sarutobi after my death, so that the Uchiha can take the Hokage position but the Uchiha will never become Hokage! Without me, the ninja who works quietly in the shadows, Konoha would have been destroyed long ago by countless conspiracies. If you want to secure the Hokage position, you'll need my help."
Danzo tried to continue his words, but Byakuya raised a finger, smirking as he replied, "Danzo, your very existence weakens the Hokage's position the most. If it weren't for you, would the Uchiha have come to this point of a coup?"
"This isn't my fault," Danzo continued desperately, "This is Sarutobi's idea! I've always been working for him…"
Byakuya smiled softly and summoned a mass of vines from the earth, creating a cage around Danzo.
When Danzo saw Byakuya use Wood Release, his expression froze. He muttered to himself, "Impossible. Impossible! How could you possess Wood Release? That's a Konoha ability! It can't be in your hands…"
"Why not?" Byakuya retorted. "The Uzumaki clan was originally a branch of the Senju clan. When Konoha abandoned the alliance, they also gave up the hope of a resurgence. Shisui and I—one with Wood Release, and the other with the Mangekyō Sharingan—are the true inheritors of the Will of Fire, of the Senju and Uchiha bloodlines. But you… you're just a rogue ninja who has recklessly harmed your comrades."
After being crushed both physically and logically by Byakuya, Danzo's defenses started to crumble.
Indeed, from a bloodline and ability perspective, these two were more like true Konoha ninjas. However, the Will of Fire had never been about bloodlines; it was about the philosophy of mutual protection and support.
Danzo gave up on begging for mercy. He knew these two would never spare him.
Since his dreams of becoming Hokage were destined to fail, he would rather die in a grand way, just like the Hokage. As long as he could eliminate these two, the Uchiha would never have a chance to overturn their situation.
Those foolish Uchiha would never stand a chance against Sarutobi.
"Secret Technique…"
Just as Danzo was about to use a self-destructive jutsu, a black rod pierced through his arm, stopping his chakra flow and preventing him from performing his technique.
Looking at Danzo's grimacing face, Byakuya coldly stated, "Did you really think you could take us down with a mutual destruction technique? You don't have that capability in front of us."
"What... what do you want from me?" Danzo stammered.
With a flash, Byakuya broke both of Danzo's arms and legs before turning to Shisui. "Shisui, didn't Danzo want your Kotoamatsukami? Give him what he wants."
"Yes, Byakuya-sama."
Shisui responded respectfully. His Mangekyō Sharingan began to spin, shifting into the shape of a shuriken, and he used his genjutsu—Kotoamatsukami.