_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Danzo, who had been racking his brain for a way out, suddenly noticed a Root ninja fleeing not far from him.
His eyes sharpened.
Without hesitation, he changed direction and rushed straight toward the man.
The Root ninja spotted Danzo charging his way and instantly felt a chill crawl up his spine. Something was very wrong.
He had just started to veer away when a cold, venomous voice cut through the air.
"You useless trash! What are you running for? Stop right now! Go hold that bastard off and buy me some time!"
The ninja nearly cursed out loud.
You're the one running, and you've got the nerve to call me useless?
He wanted nothing more than to ignore the order and keep sprinting.
But the sharp stab of pain at the tip of his tongue forced him to a halt. The cursed seal etched into him made sure of that. Gritting his teeth, he turned back to carry out Danzo's command, resigned to being the one left behind.
Facing the oncoming Akira, he rapidly formed hand seals and slammed his palm against the ground.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
A thick slab of rock surged up from the earth. No carved dog head this time, just a raw wall of stone.
He meant to block Akira's path, to slow him down.
Unfortunately for him, that wall might as well have been tofu.
Akira didn't hesitate. He didn't slow down. He simply crashed straight through.
The next second—
Boom!
The stone wall exploded into fragments. And the Root ninja behind it burst apart into a cloud of blood mist.
"Trash," Danzo spat when he saw it.
Without missing a beat, he grabbed another unlucky Root ninja who'd just stumbled into reach, hurled him backward, and slapped a paper bomb onto his body in one smooth motion.
"Go! Stop him!"
Boom!!
The human bomb detonated behind him.
Akira charged out of the smoke as if nothing had happened. That level of interference couldn't delay him even for a heartbeat.
"Old bastard," Akira sneered, "working for you is a death sentence."
As he spoke, his fist shot forward, a heavy punch aimed squarely at Danzo's back.
The hairs on Danzo's neck stood on end. Sensing the danger, he twisted his body and raised both arms defensively in front of his chest.
Boom!!
Danzo was blasted more than ten meters away, smashing through a residential building and sending it collapsing in a roar of debris.
So this is what that monster's strength feels like.
If I hadn't redirected the force in time, both my arms would've been shattered.
Danzo shook his numb arms, lingering fear flashing across his face.
Coughing, he struggled back to his feet, ready to run again—
When a large hand suddenly filled his vision.
"Run. Go on. Why'd you stop?" Akira growled. "Damn it, you old freak. Thought you were pretty good at running, huh?"
With one hand, he clamped down on Danzo's throat and lifted him into the air, swearing as he did.
"Bastard! You can't kill me!" Danzo barked back instead of begging. "I am one of Konoha's elders. A member of its highest leadership!"
"If you kill me, you make an enemy of Konoha itself. The strongest village in the ninja world will hunt you down."
"No matter how strong you are, you'll end up dead!"
Akira chuckled.
"Kill you? Nah. I'm not planning to kill you."
Danzo's eyes lit up. Just as he thought—this man didn't dare make a true enemy of Konoha.
A smug expression spread across his face.
"Hmph. Then release me at once," he snapped. "If you do, I won't pursue the matter of you slaughtering my subordinates. I'll pretend none of it happened."
"I'll even guarantee your safe departure from Konoha."
Akira scratched his head slowly, then gave him a cold smile.
"I think you misunderstood."
"Killing you outright would be too easy."
"I'm going to tear off your limbs one by one. Leave you wishing you were dead. Let you spend the rest of your life drowning in pain."
"Oh?" Danzo chuckled. There wasn't a trace of fear in his eyes. "Sounds terrifying."
"But that's only if you can pull it off."
"You think I can't?" Akira raised a brow and reached for Danzo's right arm, ready to rip it clean off.
And that was when Danzo smiled.
A sly, triumphant smile.
"Got you, you brainless fool."
"Kotoamatsukami!"
From beneath the bandages covering his right eye, a shuriken-shaped Mangekyō Sharingan flared to life, glowing with a sinister red light.
An overwhelming, bizarre ocular power surged straight into Akira's mind.
The strongest genjutsu had been successfully cast.
Kotoamatsukami.
A technique so broken it could directly alter a person's memories. It could twist their will, force them to act against their own desires, even make them kill themselves without ever realizing they'd been manipulated.
Of course, such power came at a cost.
After being used once, it required over a decade to cool down before it could be activated again.
Fair, really. If it had no cooldown, Shisui would have ruled the entire ninja world long ago.
And now, the malicious Danzo rewrote Akira's memories with a simple, vicious command:
Become a loyal dog.
There was definitely some personal spite mixed in there.
"Hmph. Put me down at once, you mongrel," Danzo ordered smugly, certain his technique had taken effect.
Akira obediently lowered his arm. He didn't drop Danzo. He gently set him down, as if afraid the old man might be hurt by the fall.
"Good."
Landing steadily on the ground, Danzo adjusted his slightly disheveled clothes. Looking at the now-compliant giant before him, he could no longer suppress the delight swelling in his chest.
His twisted face stretched into a grotesque grin, and he burst into laughter.
"Hahahahaha!"
"All that talking was just to lower your guard."
"Just as I expected. A muscle-brained brute like you fell right into it."
"You've been struck by my Kotoamatsukami. From now on, you'll be my dog."
Truth be told, the moment Danzo saw Akira's terrifying strength, he'd already made up his mind. He would use Kotoamatsukami to seize control of him, turn him into a weapon—a blade in his own hand.
The strongest genjutsu in existence.
Danzo had no doubt it could control a fool who only knew how to fight with his muscles.
His only concern had been whether he'd survive long enough to use it.
"..."
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________