340. Despair

"Has this guy been prepared all along?"

Kazuma's expression turned extremely grim.

Only now did he realize that all his plans and arrangements had been seen through by the man before him.

However, from Danzo's perspective, this was entirely expected.

After all, knowing that the Lightning Style Four possessed a powerful killing technique, how could he not have made preparations in advance?

Standing there and taking a direct hit was not in line with the style of the "Darkness of the Shinobi."

Therefore, before entering the capital, Danzo had already sent several shadow clones underground, waiting for the critical moment to deliver a fatal blow.

Now, it seemed his plan had succeeded.

However, the unknown fate of their comrades ignited a raging fury among the remaining guardian shinobi.

"Damn that old fox Danzo, how dare he hurt Hōuki!" The three closest to Tou—Seito, Nauma, and Kitane—could no longer suppress their anger and were the first to launch an attack.

They charged at Danzo without regard for their own safety, forming hand seals as they ran.

"Lightning Style: Thunder Thorns!" Seito was the first to strike.

As he completed his hand seals, bolts of lightning erupted from beneath Danzo's feet, converging into sharp, thorn-like currents that stabbed toward him.

Danzo simply stomped his foot, activating the power of the Preta Path.

The "Sealing Technique: Absorption Seal" instantly absorbed the furious attack.

"Damn it!" Seito's face darkened.

He hadn't expected his attack to be so easily neutralized.

But it didn't matter, as their combined techniques were far from over.

Sure enough, as soon as the first attack was nullified, Nauma's assault followed.

"Lightning Style: Galloping Horse!"

A surge of electricity erupted from his body, forming a charging steed that slammed into Danzo.

At the same time, Kitane attacked from the other side. "Lightning Style: Shuriken!"

He wrapped a large amount of Lightning Style chakra around a shuriken and hurled it at Danzo with a fierce glow.

Faced with this pincer attack, Danzo's expression remained unchanged.

With a gentle wave of his hand, the galloping lightning horse vanished.

Then, using two fingers, he effortlessly caught the incoming shuriken, absorbing its Lightning Style chakra completely.

"If your anger is only at this level, then I must say, I'm quite disappointed," Danzo's hoarse voice rang out from behind Seito before they could react.

"Dammit, when did he—" Seito's face paled, but he couldn't react in time to Danzo's sudden assault.

He couldn't even see Danzo's movements!


Danzo's broad hand landed on Seito's shoulder like a deep abyss, instantly draining all the chakra from his body.

Seito felt a wave of weakness before collapsing to the ground.

"Seito!" Seeing this, Kitane and Nauma cried out in desperation.

They were about to rush to his aid when a massive wooden dragon erupted from the ground beside Danzo.

With a mighty roar, the dragon surged toward them with overwhelming force.

"Watch out!"

Fortunately, Chiriku arrived in time, positioning himself in front of the dragon.

Clad in monk robes, he unleashed a burst of golden chakra that quickly formed the image of a thousand-armed Kannon behind him, resembling a smaller version of the Susanoo.

"Welcoming Approach: Thousand-Armed Murder!"

Chiriku roared at the enemy, and the giant figure behind him began to swing its thousand arms, bombarding the incoming wooden dragon with a barrage of strikes.

"The secret technique of the Fire Temple, interesting," Danzo narrowed his eyes, calmly observing Chiriku's performance.

He was quite intrigued by the Fire Temple's Sage Clan chakra, which resembled a weaker version of Sage Mode chakra.

If he could master it, it would be a valuable asset for Konoha.

Unfortunately, Chiriku's technique still fell short of a true Susanoo.

Despite the relentless barrage of golden fists, the wooden dragon remained unscathed.

No matter how hard Chiriku tried, even pushing his chakra to the limit, he couldn't shake the dragon.

The dragon soon broke through the storm of fists, its massive body coiling around the golden figure.

Then, the true power of Wood Style was revealed.

The golden chakra forming the figure was rapidly absorbed by the dragon, causing it to dissipate into the air.

Meanwhile, the dragon, now replenished with chakra, grew even stronger.

"This is bad!" Without the protection of the thousand-armed figure, Chiriku's face turned pale.

Before they could react, the wooden dragon began to sprout countless branches and roots, which wrapped around Chiriku and the others like flexible tentacles, draining their chakra in an instant.

Soon, they hung lifelessly from the tree like dried husks.

This was the result of Danzo holding back; otherwise, they would already be dead.

This was the terrifying power of Wood Style, and the reason it could suppress tailed beasts.

Seeing his comrades treated like this, even Asuma couldn't hold back.

"Chiriku, Seito, Tou..."

Watching his friends fall one by one before Danzo, Asuma finally made up his mind.

Even if Danzo was an elder who had watched him grow up, he could never forgive him!

Gripping his specially crafted chakra blade, Asuma channeled Wind Style chakra into it and charged toward the battlefield at full speed.

His goal was clear: to sever the wooden dragon and save his comrades.

"Naive. Foolish." Danzo summed up Asuma's actions with two words.

Just as he was about to act, Asuma was stopped by someone else.

"Calm down, Asuma!" Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly appeared in front of Asuma, blocking his reckless attempt to save his comrades.

"Are you going to stop me from saving my friends too?" Asuma glared at the man before him, his expression dark.

He had never shown much respect for this so-called father.

Hiruzen didn't argue with him, simply shaking his head gently. "You're no match for him. Charging in like this is just suicide."

He didn't bother explaining further to his rebellious son.

Instead, he turned to face Danzo, tightening his combat attire.

"Danzo, if you turn back now, return to Konoha, and promise not to harm the daimyo and the nobles, we can avoid this battle. You can continue as the Hokage's advisor, and I, along with Koharu and Homura, will relinquish all our power. Just don't destroy the 'one nation, one village' system left by the First Hokage!"

As Hiruzen spoke, a hint of pleading flickered in his eyes.

It was clear he truly didn't want this fight and didn't wish to turn against his old friend.

Not destroying the "one nation, one village" system was Hiruzen's final request.

As long as Danzo agreed, he was willing to give up all his power.

Hearing this, Koharu and Homura, standing on either side of Hiruzen, showed subtle changes in their expressions.

It was unclear whether they agreed or secretly opposed but didn't dare to voice it openly. However, none of that mattered now.

There was no turning back. What Danzo sought was far more than this.

"Monkey, you're still as naive and weak as ever," Danzo openly criticized his former friend in front of everyone.

He slowly planted his cane on the ground, then grasped the tanto at his waist—a gift from Hiruzen—and spoke with slow determination:

"Hiruzen, you know I've never sought power. What I want is a new world! This world has been rotting for too long. Only a complete revolution can lead it to a better future."

Although he had anticipated this outcome, hearing Danzo's refusal still made Hiruzen's gaze tremble.

Now that Danzo had made his stance clear, there was only one thing left to do—fight!

Having made up his mind, Hiruzen silently tightened his arm guards, a rare glint appearing in his eyes.

"If that's the case, then I won't hold back. No matter what, I will bring you back to Konoha!"

At that moment, an overwhelming aura erupted from Hiruzen, as if he had once again become the "God of Shinobi" who once dominated the ninja world.

Hearing this, Koharu and Homura also steeled themselves, preparing for battle.

The atmosphere on the battlefield shifted dramatically.

Feeling this change, Danzo finally showed a satisfied smile. "Everyone, you'd best be careful. I'm not the same as before. If you're not careful, you might just die..."

This statement made Hiruzen and the others even more wary.

They knew Danzo was speaking the truth.

While their physical abilities had declined with age, Danzo's strength had only grown.

Not only had he mastered Wood Style, but he had also awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.

Under these circumstances, anyone who still saw him as the old Danzo would meet a gruesome end.

It was this explosive growth, akin to a second spring, that had allowed Danzo to achieve his current status.

After this warning, Danzo finally drew the tanto at his waist.

He slightly raised his chin, his crimson eyes glowing as he spoke in a haughty and domineering voice:

"Despair."