"Utter nonsense!" Danzo snorted. "You are the ones who betrayed Konoha—the inherently evil Uchiha clan. Don't think I don't know what you all say during your meetings. You bunch of ingrates; Konoha should never have taken the Uchiha in."
Makiya looked genuinely surprised. "Were you giving Hiruzen a blowjob during history class? If the First Hokage heard that, his menstrual cycle would be thrown off from pure rage."
*Whoosh!*
A blade of green wind sliced through the air. Makiya tilted his head slightly, letting the wind blade graze his hair before flying into the sky and dissipating.
Danzo's face was flushed red, though whether it was from anger or...
Taking two deep breaths, Danzo forced himself to calm down, letting logic regain control of his mind. He carefully considered the situation: it hadn't been long since he left Konoha. It was impossible for Hiruzen to have issued a wanted poster so quickly. Therefore, Makiya must be acting on his own.
Political maneuvering was all about compromise and the art of stalling. Both Hiruzen and Danzo excelled at these; in fact, these were their customary methods for governing Konoha and handling relations with the major clans.
Danzo believed in his bond with Hiruzen. Based on his old friend's personality, Hiruzen would surely stall for a few days, waiting for Danzo to establish a foothold in the ninja world before issuing any warrant. He might even contact him secretly to maintain their long-standing understanding.
'Of course! As for Root, only by reaching into a broader space and drawing nutrients from the entire ninja world can it continue to grow. Is this Hiruzen's true intention?! On the surface, he disbanded Root, but in reality, he moved the entire organization into the shadows to continue growing outside Konoha.'
Danzo believed he had touched upon the truth. Hiruzen was a man of deep sentiment; he wouldn't be so impatient as to send an assassin after him. This was beyond doubt.
"If you want to kill me, just say it. There's no need to lie about a ridiculous warrant. At this time, the Jonin meeting in Konoha hasn't even finished. How could a warrant be issued? Makiya Uchiha, your story is full of holes. It's pathetic!" Danzo sneered, shouting at Makiya while also trying to boost the morale of the surrounding Root members.
Although he held the lives of the Root ninjas in his hands, they truly believed that all their actions were for the sake of Konoha. If they believed Makiya's lies, these ninjas might lose their will to fight and be easily defeated.
"I do want to kill you, but it's also a fact that the village has a warrant out for you." Makiya spread his hands. "Fine, don't believe me then. It doesn't matter. Back when I was fighting the Mist on the coast, you were the one who leaked the intel to them, weren't you? You're the reason Masamizu and I were ambushed and almost died."
"Hmph, the Hidden Mist is just a bunch of trash. Even with such accurate information, they still let you escape." Danzo looked regretful. Then, his eyes turned cold, and he began to shed his outer coat and the bandages on his shoulder. "It's not too late to correct that mistake now. For the sake of Konoha, you must stay here today, Makiya Uchiha."
With that, Danzo immediately took two steps back, putting everyone else in front of him, and shouted the order: "Root ninjas, listen! Kill Makiya Uchiha!"
"Yes, Lord Danzo!"
"Uchiha scum, die!"
"I don't quite understand, but... for the sake of Konoha, please die!"
A group of Root ninjas immediately launched an attack. Having trained and executed missions together for a long time, they were very familiar with each other's combat styles and coordinated perfectly.
"Wind Release: Pressure Damage."
"Fire Release: Great Flame Technique."
"Water Release: Exploding Water Colliding Wave."
"Lightning Release: Wave of Inspiration."
"Earth Release: Dropping Lid."
Countless kunai, senbon, and explosive tags were also hurled at Makiya. The attack reached a fever pitch in an instant, covering every direction and leaving Makiya with no escape.
The space directly above fluctuated violently. Accompanied by the sound of shattering glass, a huge rift opened, revealing the pitch-black and terrifying mysterious space behind it. As chakra was continuously funneled in, a dark green shadow fell from the void. It was a giant circular lid styled like a pig's face. Its heavy body was covered in mysterious patterns, and it crashed down toward Makiya with unrivaled power.
High-density compressed air currents kicked up a hurricane, merging with a massive jet of flame to form a searing vortex that flew straight at Makiya's face.
Water surged on the ground as a massive amount of liquid flooded the nearby forest. The surge, enough to form a lake, converged into a tsunami over ten meters high, carrying relentless energy as if to destroy everything in its path.
Tiny currents of electricity entered the water. Flickering lightning danced on the surface of the giant waves like a dragon that had been lurking for a long time, waiting for the enemy to fall into the water before launching a thunderous assault. The silver-white lightning spread through the water world like a spiderweb.
Their coordinated effort left Makiya nowhere to run. Wind and fire blended together, turning into a sky full of flames that blocked everyone's vision. The waves surged, lightning crackled, and the massive earth lid slammed down with ten thousand tons of force, instantly enveloping the wind, fire, and lightning.
*Boom!*
The hurricane dissipated, the sea of fire was extinguished, the water spread across the level ground, and the lightning gradually weakened. The massive earth lid sat on the ground, as immovable as a mountain.
"Did we get him?"
"He's definitely dead. Even the Hokage would have to be careful against a combined ninjutsu from so many of us."
"Wait, what's that sound?"
*Patter... thud...*
A piece of rubble fell from the top of the earth lid, rolling a few times before hitting the water, creating a few small splashes and ripples.
*Crack!*
The earth lid shattered, and countless half-foot-long golden flying swords whistled out from the cracks, leaving brilliant afterimages on the retinas of the Root members.
A figure wearing a white haori slowly flew out from beneath the earth lid, completely unharmed. Makiya waved his hand slightly, and the countless flying swords wove into a net, turning into streaks of golden light that shot toward the crowd.
"What kind of ninjutsu is this?"
"So fast... ugh!"
"Help!"
"@#$%! I'll take you with me!"
The flying swords were incredibly fast. Wherever the golden light passed, blood sprayed everywhere. They were like the Grim Reaper's scythe, precisely harvesting the lives of the enemies.
The Root ninjas desperately used every means they had to try and block Makiya's harvest. However, it was all in vain. The flying swords moved nimbly, always finding unexpected angles to pierce vital points for an instant kill.
Even if someone was quick enough to use a large ninja tool for a frontal block, the power of the flying swords was not something an ordinary ninja could handle. The golden light flashed, and the large tool, along with its owner, was sliced in half.
Danzo said nothing, silently retreating to lower his presence. He intended to use his subordinates' lives to buy time for himself. As long as he could hold out until he unsealed his arm, it would all be worth it. 'For the sake of Konoha, please protect me with your lives.'
The bandages covered in sealing formulas were completely removed, revealing the large, heavy brass sealing tool beneath. The special sealing tool that used to perfectly suppress this arm had now become a burden; the tedious unsealing process made Danzo extremely anxious.
But strangely, Makiya didn't seem to have any intention of attacking him. He simply stood high in the sky, controlling those strange flying swords to harvest the Root ninjas.
'Is it arrogance?' Danzo sneered. 'Letting me watch my subordinates die one by one, hoping to destroy my will to resist? Makiya Uchiha, you underestimate me too much. You will pay for your conceit.'
Makiya ignored Danzo's self-talk. He controlled the flying swords to pick off the Root ninjas who dared to attack him one by one. There was no difference between them and Danzo; it was just a matter of dying a few minutes sooner or later. If their souls drifted slowly enough, maybe they could keep each other company on the way to the Pure Land and continue being Danzo's dogs.
The flying swords whistled. Every pierce and slash was accompanied by the screams and cries of the Root ninjas. Before they could react, their chests were pierced by the flying swords. The remaining ninjas' eyes were filled with terror and despair.
Taijutsu was useless, genjutsu was useless, and ninjutsu would be pierced right through by the flying swords. Despair spread through the crowd. Some, whose wills had broken, tried to flee, only to be overtaken from behind by a flying sword and instantly decapitated.
The Root ninjas fell like wheat. Before long, corpses lay scattered across the water, their blood staining it red and shimmering with an eerie light under the sun.
The water level gradually dropped, revealing grass and mud. The Root ninjas had all met their end, becoming nutrients for nature.
Oh, wait, there was one more person—the youth codenamed Kinoe.
His hair, height, and codename were very familiar to Makiya. His Wood Style also gave away his identity. He was the one who would later be won over by a single look from Kakashi, falling for him and willingly deceiving Danzo—Yamato.
Hashirama used Wood Style to conquer the world, while Yamato used Wood Style for landscaping. Chakra capacity was Yamato's fatal flaw, dooming him to never match Hashirama's god-like power.
At this point, Yamato had likely just been discovered by Danzo and was undergoing training in Root. He hadn't done anything truly evil yet, and Makiya's impression of him wasn't bad. Knowing he wasn't a brainwashed fanatic, Makiya planned to let him go.
'Young man, I'll spare your life. Hurry up and learn the Three-Bedrooms-and-Two-Living-Rooms Technique. Konoha's real estate business depends on you.'
Makiya appeared behind Yamato in an instant. His speed was so great that Yamato couldn't react at all. With a hand-chop, Makiya knocked him unconscious. He conveniently left a Flying Raijin mark on him, then grabbed Yamato by the collar like a kitten and tossed him hard, leaving him hanging on a distant tree branch.
*Clang!*
A heavy sound echoed at Danzo's feet. The three pairs of brass sealing tools were completely released, thudding into the mud.
Danzo moved his stiff right arm. Ten Sharingan eyes opened on the pale limb, each eyeball seemingly having its own thoughts as they looked in different directions. It was sickening.
Makiya frowned slightly, not because Danzo was troublesome, but because he was disgusted by the sight. Seeing Danzo's unconscious look of pride, he mocked, "Old man Danzo, your subordinates are all dead. Why don't you have any reaction?"
"They died for Konoha; their deaths have value." Danzo felt the condition of his arm and found it to be unexpectedly good, boosting his confidence. He raised his arm to show Makiya. "Makiya Uchiha, looking at this arm, don't you have anything to say? These were all gouged from your clansmen."
Makiya didn't waver in the slightest. He shook his head and sighed. "Danzo, you really are scum. You claim to love Hiruzen, yet you secretly hide other men's things on your body—ten of them! Imagine how heartbroken Hiruzen would be if he knew."
Danzo's lip twitched. "You..."
*Whoosh!*
A golden flying sword suddenly appeared behind Danzo. In the moment he was distracted, it accelerated to its limit. The sound of it breaking the air hadn't even reached Danzo's ears before the tip pierced his skin.
The high-speed rotating blade tore out a large chunk of flesh, passing through Danzo's body as easily as a hot knife through butter, leaving a basketball-sized hole in his chest.
*Spurt!* Danzo's single eye widened, his gaze filled with intense disbelief. He coughed up a large amount of blood and bits of flesh, his aura plummeting to rock bottom.
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