Chapter 4: Danzo's Assassination Attempt
The mission Uchiha Douhuan received was to head to the northwestern border and eliminate spies from the Land of Earth.
After leaving the village, the three-man squad picked up speed, making their way toward the designated location.
However, before they could reach their destination, masked figures emerged from all directions, surrounding them in an instant.
"Anbu?" Uchiha Inaho's expression turned serious as he took in the attackers' appearance.
"No… this isn't Anbu. It's Root." Uchiha Douhuan remained calm as he drew his long blade from his back. "Prepare for battle."
"Damn it! What's the village thinking?! Attacking its own ninja?!" Uchiha Saito growled in frustration, kunai in hand.
"Uchiha Douhuan, a traitorous element of the Uchiha clan, today I shall eliminate you for the sake of the village."
A cold, sinister voice echoed through the battlefield.
Shimura Danzo.
Yet despite hearing him, Douhuan's eyes scanned the surroundings—Danzo was nowhere to be seen.
"You dare to hide in the shadows and spew such nonsense?" Douhuan scoffed.
"Save your tricks, Douhuan. You want to lure me out and use Kotoamatsukami, the ability you stole from Shisui, on me, don't you?" Danzo sneered. "Too bad for you—Shisui has already revealed everything. The village knows of your treachery. Surrender now!"
"Douhuan, what is he talking about?" Inaho asked, clearly confused.
"Now's not the time for questions," Douhuan replied, lightning crackling around him, filling the air with a sharp, electric hum. "Let's deal with these rats first."
"Understood!"
Inaho and Saito nodded, moving back to back with Douhuan, forming a defensive triangle.
"Fire Release: Great Fire Dragon Technique!"
Two massive dragons of searing flames roared toward the incoming Root operatives. The explosive heat instantly engulfed the frontmost enemies.
Though Danzo had brought elite forces, Inaho and Saito were both talented members of the Uchiha clan, having awakened the two-tomoe Sharingan at a young age.
As for Douhuan—his approach was even more direct.
Nine spheres of blue lightning formed around him in an instant, crackling with terrifying chakra before barreling forward in different directions.
Though Lightning Release: Thunder Orbs was a basic technique—something even a Genin could use—in Douhuan's hands, its destructive power was monstrous.
In the blink of an eye, more than ten Root operatives were reduced to nothing but charred remains.
Yet the remaining Root members, having been stripped of all personal will through Danzo's brainwashing, did not hesitate. Even as their comrades were obliterated, they continued to charge without fear of death.
At the same time, the Wind and Water Release users among them began unleashing jutsu, aiming to counter the Uchiha trio's attacks using elemental superiority.
"Are you killing Konoha's own shinobi, Douhuan? Are you betraying the village?!"
Danzo's voice rang out again.
The only response was several colossal lightning bolts crashing down from the sky, striking where the Root operatives were gathered.
A blinding blue radiance enveloped the battlefield.
Douhuan had precisely neutralized the incoming Wind and Water jutsu with six floating orbs of lightning, effortlessly dispersing their attacks.
"You still refuse to show yourself, Danzo?" Douhuan smirked. "Or do you really think these pawns are enough to stop me?"
"You think you can control me, Douhuan?" Danzo scoffed. "That is nothing more than a delusion."
"Danzo… don't flatter yourself."
Douhuan effortlessly continued slaughtering the Root operatives, chuckling.
"You are nothing more than a rat, scurrying through the sewers, always hiding in the shadows. Sarutobi Hiruzen could discard you at any time. You aren't even worthy of Kotoamatsukami."
At that moment—
Massive wooden branches erupted from the ground, forming a gigantic hand, reaching to crush Douhuan and his team.
Wood Release?!
This entire battle had been a feint—designed solely to drain their chakra.
The true killing blow was Danzo's trump card—Wood Release!
"Wood Release?!" Inaho gasped in shock.
Both he and Saito immediately launched counterattacks, unleashing Fire and Lightning techniques toward the descending hand.
But their attacks failed to leave a single mark.
Then—
"Stand behind me."
Douhuan's calm voice cut through the chaos.
His three-tomoe Sharingan spun rapidly, transforming into a Mangekyō Sharingan.
From his pitch-black pupils, a dark aura of pure chakra surged outward—
A colossal, black warrior, inscribed with glowing blue runes, materialized around him.
Susanoo.
Electricity crackled and surged in the spectral warrior's hand, forming into an azure blade.
With a single slash, the enormous wooden hand was cleaved in two.
"Danzo… are you finished playing?" Douhuan's voice was like ice.
"You know why I didn't use this power from the start?"
He slowly stepped forward, his black-armored Susanoo looming over the battlefield.
"Because I planned to bury all of you here."
Above them, the sky had darkened.
The intense clash of Fire and Water Release techniques had evaporated a massive amount of moisture into the air—
Thick storm clouds now covered the battlefield.
A monstrous amount of energy was compressing within them.
As the Root operatives looked up, horror dawned on their faces.
Though they had been stripped of human emotion—they still possessed instincts.
And right now, their instincts screamed in terror.
This… this was something they could not resist.
"Lightning Release: Kirin."
Douhuan spoke softly.
For a moment, everything was silent.
Then—
A colossal blue beast of lightning descended from the heavens.
The sheer force of thousands of volts of electricity engulfed the battlefield in an instant.
Every Root operative—except for those at the very edge of the battlefield—was incinerated in an instant.
The only survivors were those protected by layers of wooden domes, desperately resisting the cataclysm.
Minutes passed.
The storm faded.
The ground was scorched black.
The air, once thick with the scent of blood, now carried only the fresh scent of falling rain.
At the very edge of the battlefield—
The last wooden dome finally collapsed, revealing two figures.
One, a masked Root operative, fell lifelessly to the ground, still frozen in a hand seal.
The other—
A man with a cane.
A single arm wrapped in bandages.
Danzo Shimura.
"Found you, Elder Danzo."
From within his towering Susanoo, Uchiha Douhuan smiled.
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