After Danzo got close, his right hand quickly reached for Naruto's eye socket!
Digging out Naruto's eyes with bare hands was not an unwise move. Izanagi could turn all injuries into dreams, so Danzo had the confidence to do so!
Failure brings no loss, success means everything is fine—why not go for it?
"Danzo, you got Shisui's right eye the same way, didn't you?"
Naruto muttered to himself, his left eye suddenly narrowing.
—Shinra Tensei.
Boom! "Ugh...!!" The powerful repulsive force erupted, sending Danzo flying backward in a disheveled state!
"Shinra Tensei, centered on the user, releases an indiscriminate repulsive force, deflecting both physical and ninjutsu attacks. It's a flawless technique for both offense and defense…"
Whoosh! Danzo's disordered form turned into an illusion, his real body appearing right in front of Naruto.
"But, between techniques, there's a five-second gap. That's the weakness of this jutsu!"
…
It's worth mentioning that when Pain attacked Konohagakure, Danzo and his ROOT stayed underground. Although they didn't engage in battle, they were keeping an eye on the situation.
Jiraiya and Konohagakure gathered information on the Rinnegan, which was also under ROOT's watch.
Danzo's original plan was to wait for both Pain and Konohagakure to suffer heavy losses before stepping in to turn the tide. This way, he could weaken Tsunade's faction and gain some momentum to step into the limelight.
Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned… Naruto returned from Myoboku Mountain and defeated Pain.
…
Whoosh! Danzo launched forward, his sleeve shaking as he threw a Kunai straight at Naruto's face!
Naruto's eyes narrowed slightly, and the shadow clone hidden in the shadows vanished. The Sage chakra flowed back, and his real body entered Sage Mode! Whoosh! He swiftly dodged the Kunai, grabbing Danzo's arm with his right hand and forming a Rasengan in his left, slamming it into Danzo's chest!
—Sage Art: Rasengan!
"Ughh!!!"
The Rasengan exploded, tearing apart Danzo's chest! Thud! Naruto delivered a powerful kick, sending Danzo flying. He crashed through three large trees before stopping, snow covering him.
A moment later, the effects of Izanagi kicked in, healing all his injuries.
Danzo stood up, brushing off the snow from his body, and calmly said, "Sage Mode greatly enhances perception and taijutsu, and when combined with the power of the Rinnegan, there are almost no weaknesses..."
A smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. "But no matter how strong you are, Izanagi keeps me undefeated!"
Whoosh! Danzo formed hand seals, took a deep breath, and held it in. His wrinkled face tightened toward his mouth.
—Wind Style: Vacuum Sphere!
Biu! Biu! Biu!
Danzo exhaled, and wind chakra shot out like bullets, covering a vast area and moving at an incredible speed… Whoosh! Naruto dove, spinning and flipping, moving effortlessly between the gaps in the Vacuum Sphere, quickly closing the distance to Danzo.
"You like Wind Style? Then let me return the favor..."
As Danzo's Vacuum Sphere began to fade, Naruto summoned a shadow clone and, using the nature transformation of Rasengan, combined it with Sage chakra. Seconds later, the wind howled, and a terrifying pressure built up!
Naruto spun dramatically, gathering power, and threw his deadly attack at Danzo!
—Sage Art: Wind Style: Spiraling Shuriken!
There was no escape. Danzo was struck by the wind blades and flew backward… Boom!! Boom!! The powerful spiral windstorm exploded, consuming Danzo and the surrounding trees entirely!
Whoosh! Danzo appeared on an open field 20 meters away, looking at the wreckage where the windstorm had calmed down, his expression changing.
"In Rasengan, integrating nature transformation, and combining it with Sage chakra to create a long-range attack—this is the limit of Wind Style... But sadly, such an amazing ninjutsu will be wiped out from the ninja world today!"
He then looked down at his right arm, where the first Sharingan was now completely closed, and the second eye was in the countdown phase.
His mind raced: "Naruto has the Rinnegan and Sage power—he has too many deadly techniques. To be cautious, I must not consider conserving chakra and break Izanagi halfway. Nine eyes mean about nine minutes of Izanagi's duration…"
"Luckily, Naruto's Sage Mode can't be maintained as steadily as the First Hokage's. According to the information, Naruto can only use up to two shadow clones to supplement his Sage chakra during battle. Also, using that Wind Style Sage technique will consume more chakra, which increases the risk of his Sage Mode ending."
"Looks like, with nine minutes, I still have a decent chance. I'll keep attacking relentlessly, looking for an opening to take his left eye, and victory will be mine!"
Whoosh! With the battle strategy set, Danzo made hand seals and inhaled deeply.
—Wind Style: Vacuum Great Sphere!
Boom!!
The powerful Wind Release turned into a cannon blast, carrying snowflakes as it struck towards the ground where Naruto stood!
Shinra Tensei was meant to be a precaution against Danzo's close-range attacks. The Six Paths abilities of the Rinnegan were comprehensive and had many options.
Facing the approaching Vacuum Great Ball, Naruto extended his left hand, and a sealing barrier appeared in front of his palm.
— Hungry Ghost Path!
Swish!
The Vacuum Great Ball rapidly shrank and was absorbed by the Hungry Ghost Path…
"That's the ability of the Rinnegan to absorb Ninjutsu, as reported in the intel…"
Whoosh! Danzo quickly took out a set of Explosive Tags and detonated himself on the spot!
In the state where Izanagi was activated, death allowed him to freely choose his rebirth location. Danzo used this feature against Naruto, appearing behind him to launch a surprise attack!
"…" Naruto continued absorbing the Ninjutsu, glancing behind him with his peripheral vision.
Danzo smiled faintly, calculating in his mind: That's right… He'll use that repulsion technique on me. With this five-second gap, I'll have a chance to strike!
But Naruto grinned with a playful expression.
He reached into his Ninja Tools pouch and pulled out a smoke bomb, tossing it to the ground.
Boom!!
Smoke filled the room, blocking the view behind him…! Danzo hesitated slightly: "What? He's using a smoke bomb?!"
After a brief delay, Naruto had finished absorbing the technique. He formed hand seals and spun around gracefully.
— Sage Art · Fire Release · Great Flame Technique! Roar! The roaring flames instantly blocked Danzo's path.
The two faced off from a distance of several dozen meters.
Naruto raised his hand and smiled faintly: "I only use this eye technique frequently because I think it's interesting. You don't think that just because I've learned to run, I'll stop walking, right?"
"…" Danzo remained silent, glancing at his right arm. The second Sharingan was completely closed, while the third was half-open, with the countdown already past half.
Izanagi had consumed a quarter of its power, but he hadn't gained any advantage! It's important to note that while Izanagi is powerful, its chakra decreases over time, making it a high-risk technique!
Naruto spoke with a knowing tone: "Is it fine? You're almost down to three eyes. My chakra is still plenty, though~."
Danzo clenched his palm tightly, then relaxed it after a moment, a smile creeping up on his wrinkled old face.
"Naruot, in my lifetime, I've seen countless things and never made a wrong judgment. You have great potential for darkness; there's no better place for you than ROOT."
Naruto narrowed his eyes: "So what?"
Danzo said shockingly: "So, let's join forces. I am already the Hokage, and it is not suitable for me to stay in the Root. As long as you nod, I will appoint you as the leader of the Root. What do you think...?"
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