Danzo was also engaged in battle, gathering intelligence on the Fourth Kazekage.
As a shinobi possessing the Magnet Release kekkei genkai, the Kazekage had a natural advantage over an ordinary human like Danzo. It wasn't just about having a larger chakra pool—he also had a unique combat style. However, precisely because of this, he had become overly reliant on his Magnet Release.
While his ninjutsu was indeed superior to Danzo's, his taijutsu and battle experience were clear weaknesses. It didn't take long for Danzo to pick up on this.
Maintaining an aggressive tempo, Danzo refused to give the Fourth Kazekage any breathing room. He leveraged his taijutsu and extensive combat experience to control the flow of their battle.
The two clashed at high speed across the battlefield, moving so fast that the surrounding shinobi could only see flickering afterimages. Only elite jōnin were able to track their attacks and defenses.
The Kazekage was on the defensive for most of the fight, struggling to withstand Danzo's relentless assault.
Once again, he failed to disengage from the battle.
"This can't go on…"
Being forced into Danzo's pace felt suffocating. The more he tried to resist, the more he was drawn into his opponent's rhythm, and the pressure kept mounting.
His expression darkened as he seized an opportunity, bringing his hands together and forcefully channeling chakra throughout his body, skipping the usual hand seals.
Using an A-rank jutsu without preparation sent pain surging through his chakra network.
"Magnet Release: Sandstorm Surge!"
A massive torrent of gold sand erupted, shooting out indiscriminately in all directions, forcing Danzo to retreat.
"Aaah—!"
A few unlucky shinobi in the distance were impaled on the spot. The surrounding combatants instinctively distanced themselves, fearing the destruction of a Kage-level battlefield.
As the sandstorm subsided, the Kazekage had barely caught his breath when he saw three Danzo figures charging at him from different directions.
Sensing the grains of sand in the air, he quickly confirmed—they were all real bodies, not clones.
"Using Shadow Clones just to get close? A foolish choice—I won't give you another chance."
Though incredibly useful, the Shadow Clone Jutsu divided the user's chakra equally among the clones, making it a technique most shinobi used sparingly.
Taking a deep breath to steady his slightly disrupted chakra, the Kazekage formed hand seals with blinding speed.
"Magnet Release: Quicksand Waterfall!"
A massive wave of gold sand surged from the ground like a tidal wave, crashing toward the three Danzos.
The sand moved like a living entity, effortlessly engulfing the three figures, burying them beneath the golden dunes.
However, instead of relief, the Kazekage's face darkened even further.
His sand confirmed that none of them were real—not even Shadow Clones, just simple clone techniques.
"A Kazekage in name only… Still too young…"
Danzo's voice rang out from atop the golden sand, his tone laced with mockery.
"A simple trick—by manipulating the air currents around my clones, I made them feel solid, preventing your sand from detecting the truth."
He had baited out a powerful jutsu with mere clones. A complete advantage.
"Your personal guard is still nearby. Until I take you down, I won't waste unnecessary chakra."
"Wind Release: Wind Blade!"
Danzo lunged forward, swiftly forming hand seals as he released a sharp gust of wind to disrupt the Kazekage's defense.
The Kazekage's eyes were filled with killing intent, yet he remained composed, using his sand to maintain distance between them.
Danzo continued evading the golden sand while closing in, simultaneously launching wind-based attacks.
"And here I thought the great Fourth Kazekage could handle two A-rank jutsu in a row. Is dodging all you can do? You'll never defeat me like this."
"Wind Release!"
"Magnet Release!"
Ignoring Danzo's taunts, the Kazekage stuck to his evasive strategy, avoiding close combat at all costs.
Yet despite his efforts, the sight of him being pushed back by Danzo was making waves across the battlefield.
Though most of their jutsu were technically C-rank, their mastery over chakra nature transformation made them far deadlier than normal C-rank techniques.
The distance between them kept shrinking—Danzo wasn't allowing the Kazekage any chance to recover.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere!"
The sharp gusts tore through the Kazekage's sand shield.
"Got you."
As the dust settled, the Kazekage leaped away to create distance once more.
But Danzo was already there, anticipating his move. Appearing above him, Danzo delivered a swift kick, sending the Kazekage plummeting to the ground before following up with another strike.
The Kazekage smirked.
"Old man… It's you who's been caught."
The moment Danzo's kick landed, cracks spread from the impact point. The Kazekage's body crumbled like a sand sculpture.
From beneath the ground, an overwhelming surge of gold sand erupted, swallowing Danzo whole.
Danzo was consumed like a grain of dust, unable to escape the sea of swirling golden sand. A towering pyramid, dozens of meters high, took shape, its surface covered in intricate sealing runes.
The Kazekage emerged from the ground, his breath unsteady but his gaze alight with excitement.
There was no mistake—this time, the one he sealed was the real Danzo.
"I win, old—"
A calm voice behind him cut his words short.
"An impressive sealing technique. It's meant for restraining Tailed Beasts, isn't it?"
Before he could react, black sealing marks spread rapidly across his body. Danzo released his grip from the Kazekage's shoulder.
"This… this isn't possible… I sealed the real one… My sand remained attached to him the entire time… It couldn't have been swapped…"
Danzo smirked. "Who said I swapped it?"
"Then…"
Realization struck the Kazekage like a thunderbolt.
From the very beginning, he had been deceived.
The three clones were fake. The one chasing him had been a Shadow Clone. Danzo had manipulated him into believing it was real. His assumptions had been wrong from the start.
Seeing the disbelief on the Kazekage's face, Danzo remained calm. The battle had been evenly matched in raw strength, but he had won through superior experience and strategy.
Absentmindedly, Danzo touched his bandaged right eye.
"Come back to Konoha with me for tea—hmm?"
Before he could finish, he swiftly formed a Rasengan and drove it into the Kazekage's torso.
Blood sprayed into the air—but the Kazekage's body was gone.
All that remained was the corpse of an unknown Sunagakure guard.
"A substitution technique… or something more…"
A kekkei genkai? A secret technique?
"Get the Kazekage to safety—we'll hold him off!"
Danzo frowned, sensing the Kazekage's chakra rapidly moving away.
So, even now, he couldn't underestimate the hidden depths of a shinobi village.
Several figures charged toward him at high speed.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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