Akane darted through the trees, her eyes locked on Danzo as she closed the gap between them. 'Since my Mangekyo Sharingan's abilities are still a mystery, I might as well test them on him. I just hope he doesn't die too soon. His death needs to be satisfying.' Her thoughts were cold, determined, as she focused on him.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Bullet!" Danzo unleashed a barrage of compressed wind bullets, hoping to slow Akane's pursuit. His mind raced. 'Akane Uchiha... If she's awakened the Mangekyo, I won't be able to take her down easily. I need to escape before Kakashi and the others arrive. It'll be impossible to shake them off once they get here.'
Akane dodged the wind bullets with ease, her Sharingan giving her the advantage. She was gaining ground quickly, but Danzo remained elusive. 'Tch, he's slipping away. Come on, Mangekyo, do something.' She focused her chakra on her left eye, and suddenly, Danzo was thrown violently forward, as if struck by an unseen force.
"Argh!" Danzo grunted in surprise as he was sent flying.
Akane winced, clutching her bleeding left eye. 'Telekinesis… So that's the ability of my left eye.'
Back where Kenshin lay, he struggled to his feet, gasping for breath. "Damn… This jutsu takes too much chakra. I can barely move," he muttered, limping forward. But despite his pain, he pushed himself on. "I can't let Nee-san kill Danzo. She deserves to know the truth behind the Uchiha massacre."
Akane, still chasing Danzo, watched as he suddenly freed his right arm, revealing the ten Sharingan embedded in it. Her blood boiled with fury.
"You... how dare you take those eyes! They're my clan's eyes! I'll kill you, I swear I will!" Akane's voice dripped with hatred as she lunged at him, slashing with her katana. But despite her swift attack, Danzo took no visible damage. 'What the hell?' Her Sharingan flickered, noticing that one of the eyes in Danzo's arm had closed.
Undeterred, she continued her assault, but something was off. Danzo kept avoiding serious injury, and each time she struck, another eye on his arm would close. 'His arm... It's preventing the damage I inflict. And every time, a Sharingan shuts down. He's using them to escape death. I need to finish this quickly.'
She focused her chakra again, this time on her right eye. As Danzo prepared to launch another wind jutsu, his right arm suddenly began to wither and decay. His left arm followed suit shortly after, disintegrating before he could react.
Akane grimaced, blood dripping from her left eye as she wiped it away. "How does that feel, you bastard? You were proud of that arm, weren't you?"
She unsheathed her katana, her eyes blazing with vengeance. "But I'm not going to wait for the Hokage's judgment. You killed my brother. It's time I return the favor."
Desperate, Danzo attempted to activate the Kotoamatsukami with his last functioning Sharingan. But before he could even complete the jutsu, Akane gouged the eye out with ruthless precision. "This eye doesn't belong to you."
Just as she raised her katana to finish him off, her blade was blocked by another.
"Kenshin?!" Akane gasped, staring in disbelief. "But... how?! You... you died!" Her mind reeled. "Are you a genjutsu?"
"Of course not!" Kenshin replied, his voice steady. "I didn't die. I was badly wounded, yes, but my right eye can heal injuries. I used it to survive."
Akane blinked, still in shock. "You… You made it just in time."
Kenshin grabbed Danzo by the hair, forcing him to stand. "Nee-san, how did you rot his arms off like that?"
"It's my right eye," Akane explained, sheathing her katana with a weary sigh. "It has the power of decay. And my left eye... it's some kind of telekinesis, I think. Or maybe something more. I saw a faint outline of a hand reaching for Danzo earlier. It must be that."
As the exhaustion finally caught up with her, Akane collapsed to the ground. "I'm so tired, my entire body hurts… I can't even see properly."
Kenshin knocked Danzo unconscious before kneeling beside her. "You used the Mangekyo too many times, didn't you?"
Akane nodded weakly. Tears welled up in her eyes as she threw her arms around Kenshin. "Why didn't you dodge that attack?! I've already lost so much... I can't lose you too! I love you!"
Her words hit Kenshin like a punch to the gut. Guilt swirled in his chest—he had deliberately let himself get hit to test his healing ability but never considered how it would affect Akane.
"I'm sorry, Nee-san..." he whispered, cupping her face gently, making her look at him. "Thank you. I love you too."
He leaned down and kissed her softly, but pulled back as the sounds of approaching footsteps reached them. "Let's finish this conversation later, alright?" He smirked mischievously. "Tonight, at home."
He turned his attention to Danzo's decayed arms. "The ability to make even Hashirama's cells decay… that's sick, both figuratively and literally."
Akane, slowly regaining her composure, asked, "Why didn't the whole arm rot, though?"
Kenshin picked up the arm, examining it closely. "Hashirama's cells... His vitality was monstrous, even greater than that of the tailed beasts. That's probably why the decay stopped here." He handed the arm to Akane before turning back to Danzo. "I want to test my left eye on him."
"Are you sure?" Akane asked, still exhausted. "You said you wanted to keep him alive."
"I'm sure. As long as he's still breathing, it'll be fine. Besides, you've already figured out your abilities. I can't afford to have mine remain uncertain."
Kenshin's left eye glowed as he focused his chakra on it, ready to discover the full potential of his own power.
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Everyone, thanks for your support with the previous chapter. As always, please give me your power stones if you want to support me and let me know if you have any helpful suggestions/criticisms.