Balancing the Uchiha clan and the village, seeking a method of coexistence while avoiding a rebellion—this was Shisui Uchiha's conviction. Although his approach to the problem was too idealistic, one could not deny that his starting point was optimal.
As for what he was experiencing right now, it could be thoroughly explained very simply. Just a few words would suffice... This was called "the crime of possessing a treasure."
For a ninja, a genjutsu like Kotoamatsukami was something you either possessed yourself or utterly destroyed; there was never a scenario where you simply ignored it while it was in the hands of a third party.
This was especially true for a ninja like Danzo.
Forget Danzo—even Hagoromo was wary of a genjutsu capable of silently and tracelessly altering a person's thoughts. Regardless of anything else, Hagoromo could not be categorized as a creature of the darkness. Yet, when considering his own wariness and comparing it, one could easily understand why Danzo felt an absolute need to seize Shisui's eye.
However, Hagoromo hadn't expected Danzo to strike so decisively. This self-righteous, no-nonsense method of forcing someone into organ donation... in a certain sense, it was quite worthy of admiration.
Undeniably, there are times when strange thoughts act up in a person's mind. The end result might be the same, but simply altering the process slightly can vastly increase one's acceptance of it. Compared to attacking Shisui Uchiha himself, having Hagoromo retrieve the Sharingan from Danzo instead... how should one put it? In short, compared to Danzo, Hagoromo felt his own image was much more positive.
Although he had never directly clashed with Shisui, the man's strength was unquestionable. If Hagoromo had been the one to deal with him, it definitely wouldn't have been as easy as it was for Danzo.
The reason Danzo was able to force Shisui into a retreat was simple. To put it bluntly, he struck when he needed to, relying entirely on a sudden ambush and sneak attack. Conversely, Shisui harbored little intent to fight back, and after losing his eye, his only thought was to flee quickly.
If Hagoromo and Shisui had fought, it likely would have been a prolonged battle.
In short, facing Danzo now, Hagoromo's pressure was indeed much lighter.
"Orders from the Third Hokage?"
"No..."
Right after asking the question, Danzo answered it himself, denying the possibility. Snatching the Sharingan right after Danzo had already made his move—that was not the Third Hokage's way of doing things.
If Hagoromo had truly received orders from the Hokage, it should have been to stop Danzo from attacking Shisui in the first place. But the current situation did not align with that.
"I did receive instructions from the Third Hokage, but they weren't detailed to the extent of retrieving Shisui's Sharingan. What I am doing now is my own independent decision. However... my current actions carry full legality. There's no need to doubt that. Therefore, I'll be taking custody of Shisui's eye for now."
Hagoromo's words were mostly true. Retrieving Shisui's Sharingan at this exact moment—even if it meant fighting Danzo to do it—would incur no liability for him.
Even so, he was at a slight disadvantage: his actions were strictly limited to the "scope" of retrieval. Killing was out of the question.
If Hagoromo still wanted to stick around Konoha, he couldn't just overtly murder Danzo.
"Retrieve the eye?" Naturally, Danzo wasn't going to hand over the ultimate hypnosis device he had just acquired.
"Yes. In times of necessity, unconventional measures can be taken."
"Violence, you mean... That is highly convenient..."
To Danzo, Hagoromo was, in a sense, no different from the Uchiha. Both were unstable elements within the village who could cause problems at any moment.
Thus, when Danzo said "convenient," he meant that if Hagoromo chose to attack now, Danzo would have the perfect, justifiable excuse to eliminate this hidden threat.
"Let me ask you first: can you still use that jutsu from just now? The jutsu of legend, said to be used by the Sage of Six Paths to create all things... Izanagi?"
It truly was just a legend. The Sage of Six Paths was, at most, a world-class boss; he hadn't transcended to the level of a creator god. Even if he had used ninjutsu to create things, it still fell within the confines of a "jutsu."
"If you cannot, it would be best if we resolve this current dispute peacefully. It would be most ideal if you simply handed the 'little eye in the jar' over to me."
As Hagoromo spoke, his gaze remained fixed on Danzo's right eye.
Danzo's right eye was now blind. The blood-red iris of the Sharingan had been replaced by a pale, milky-white circle.
The word 'Izanagi' caused the pupil of Danzo's remaining eye to noticeably shrink. "How do you know the name of that jutsu? Such intelligence is far beyond what a ninja of your caliber should be privy to."
"All secrets have a source. It's impossible to completely hide an ultimate jutsu that has appeared more than once. Time is a fascinating thing..."
"Where do you think I've been staying all these years?"
"Shikkotsu Forest... As expected. Hard-to-reach, uncharted territories always leave behind certain intelligence that shouldn't be left behind."
Danzo could accept this explanation. Since he, a non-Uchiha, could know of and use Izanagi, it was entirely logical that Hagoromo could learn of it in an uncharted region like Shikkotsu Forest.
"This eye is indeed useless now, but it matters not. Having acquired Shisui's eye, it has served its purpose. Furthermore..." Danzo pointed a finger at his blind right eye, deliberately leaving the second half of his sentence unsaid.
Furthermore, he would be acquiring a whole basket full of Sharingan very soon, so wasting one was inconsequential. Trading a standard three-tomoe Sharingan for Shisui's eye was a highly profitable exchange no matter how you looked at it.
"So a 'handover' is impossible, then..." This was obvious. How could Danzo ever obediently hand over the eye?
"To be honest, I don't despise your methods. In fact, in a world like this, I mostly agree with and appreciate you," Hagoromo said. He was telling the truth. Someone like Danzo might draw hatred, but he wasn't the type of person Hagoromo loathed.
"But those considerations all come secondary to one's stance... Talking further is pointless. I'll be taking Shisui's eye back using my own methods now."
"Rest assured, I have no intention of killing you for the time being."
This was also true, though mainly because objective circumstances demanded he not kill Danzo.
Hagoromo's legs moved in rapid succession. As his frequency increased, he charged toward Danzo with unbelievable speed.
So they were going to fight in the end anyway. Was all that previous talk meaningless? For Danzo, no.
For Hagoromo, no either. Conversations always carried the concealed intentions of both parties.
But now, the clash had finally begun.
Facing the charging Hagoromo, Danzo did not dodge. Instead, his hands rapidly wove signs.
Inhale, exhale, and then... Wind Release: Vacuum Wave!
Danzo was one of the few ninjas in Konoha who truly excelled at Wind Release. Conventionally speaking, this perfectly countered Hagoromo's Lightning Release. However, such an attack held no practical meaning against the latter.
Setting aside the fact that Hagoromo was a master of all trades, this attack speed was simply too slow for him.
Bright lightning patterns instantly illuminated Hagoromo's body. With a slight sidestep to the right, Danzo's exceptionally sharp Wind Release attack brushed harmlessly past him.
If Hagoromo was fast before, he was now terrifyingly, unnaturally fast. Before Danzo even had time to blink, Hagoromo had already appeared right beside him.
Engaging at this distance basically guaranteed Hagoromo's victory. There was no way Danzo could match Hagoromo in pure taijutsu.
Yet, at this exact moment, pitch-black patterns crept up from beneath Hagoromo's feet, instantly covering his entire body. Simultaneously, the bright lightning patterns on his skin faded away.
"Chidori Current, Third Form. Kamishiro, gathering intelligence on you has always been a top priority for Root. Therefore, I am well aware of your techniques... But no matter your strength, you shouldn't fight with reservations. If you decide to act, you must have the resolve to kill; otherwise, you will only end up being the one killed," Danzo said.
If Hagoromo had just opened up by carpet-bombing him with the Railgun, would Danzo have stood a chance? That was why he felt Hagoromo shouldn't have held back.
"So this is where it ends. You can have no complaints about being killed like this..."
"Did you really think I was just idly chatting with you just now?"
A seal? Or a binding jutsu?
During his idle chatter with Hagoromo, Danzo had stealthily planted the Self-Cursing Seal beneath his own feet. The moment Hagoromo stepped into its range, he was destined to be bound.
"In every sense of the word, you are far too much of a hindrance. In reality, your death benefits all parties involved," Danzo added.
As long as Hagoromo was around, Konoha had to consider his stance whenever they wanted to do anything involving the Jinchuriki. That alone made him far too much of an obstacle.
He was a volatile element in Konoha. Therefore, even when dealing with the Uchiha, Danzo never once considered borrowing Hagoromo's strength.
Furthermore, if Hagoromo died here, the situation would be very easy to explain—the White Yaksha and Shisui of the Body Flicker had killed each other. That would be highly convincing to everyone, wouldn't it?
Gripping a kunai in his right hand, Danzo thrust it toward Hagoromo's neck...
However, he had thought things through far too simply. Or perhaps, he had forgotten something.
"Time, stop. The World."
It was a very DIO thing to say. As Hagoromo's voice fell, Danzo's movements truly stopped.
Time pause...? Impossible. It was simply that the wrist of Danzo's striking hand had been caught and restrained by Hagoromo's single hand. Naturally, he couldn't continue his attack.
Simultaneously, Danzo's body was also covered in black patterns. The same jutsu? No. This was merely Hagoromo's Iron Sand Sword reverting into ropes, creating a physical binding.
Rather than a sealing jutsu, it was more akin to a grappling lock.
"Your curse is indeed a powerful binding jutsu. But whether it's a seal or a bind, the effect is never absolute. Next time you use it, please make sure you've properly identified your target," Hagoromo said.
The moment he stepped into its range, he already understood exactly what the jutsu was. Therefore, his unsealing process had begun at that very same moment.
Trying to use a sealing jutsu against Hagoromo was exactly like trying to use Lightning Release against him... which is to say, it had no effect whatsoever.
Breaking free from the bind and simultaneously tying his opponent up took only an instant. If he swung his blade or tightened the Iron Sand right now, Danzo would be a dead man.
"Well then, I'll be taking this eye. The Third Hokage's emergency strategy group will take responsibility for what happens today." But as mentioned before, Hagoromo's ultimate goal was simply to retrieve the eye, and he truly couldn't kill Danzo right now.
Striking down a superior was a taboo for ninjas.
Hagoromo reached out to take Shisui's eye. But under such restraints, was Danzo truly out of options?
Being physically restrained was true, but as for strategies, Danzo still had one left. The Izanagi he had just used against Shisui—he could use it one more time.
"I never said I only had one Sharingan."
The Sharingan in Danzo's eye socket was already blind and inactive, but embedded in the palm of his right hand was another eye.
Before the Uchiha massacre, it was impossible for Danzo to acquire a whole string of three-tomoe Sharingan to stomp around like bubble wrap. But how many years had the war been going on? It wasn't overly difficult for him to secretly scavenge an eye or two from Uchiha who fell on the battlefield.
After essentially completing the Hashirama-cell modification of his right arm, he had experimentally transplanted a second Sharingan. He never expected it to come in handy here.
Thus, he could use Izanagi a second time.
For the next sixty seconds or so, relying on this ultimate genjutsu cast upon himself, Danzo could neutralize any crisis.
Sixty seconds was more than enough time for Hagoromo to die once over.
In that instant, Danzo vanished from Hagoromo's Iron Sand bindings. As if using a Space-Time Ninjutsu, he appeared silently behind Hagoromo.
Then, proving that he was indeed a ruthless old man who never hesitated when it was time to strike, his hand—wrapped in a Wind Release blade—instantly pierced straight through Hagoromo's heart. Thus, the renowned White Yaksha, Hagoromo, met his end...
That was how things should have played out.
However, Izanagi failed. For a fleeting moment, Danzo had genuinely felt himself break free from Hagoromo's Iron Sand, but the end result was that he was still standing in the exact same spot, thoroughly bound.
For Danzo, who was barely managing to balance the Sharingan and the Senju's power, Izanagi was inherently unstable. The "sixty seconds" duration was merely a rough estimate; in reality, its operational time was somewhat erratic. However, a situation where the jutsu outright failed to even activate shouldn't have been possible.
Yet, that was exactly the situation that occurred.
Because the eyes Danzo was facing were a pair that fundamentally shouldn't exist in this world—eyes that, theoretically, could obliterate all things.
"Crumble and shatter, O Earth!"
"Dry up and wither, O Deep Seas!"
"Burn to ash, O Sun!"
"Let all things in this realm tremble beneath the endless terror of absolute death..."
Uh, acting like a chuunibyou at a time like this is probably inappropriate.
"Lord Danzo... did you really think I was just idly chatting with you just now?"
While the two had been trading nonsense, Danzo had been digging a trap, and Hagoromo had been activating his eyes...
And the very first clash between the Sharingan's ultimate visual prowess and the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception—whose sole, incredibly singular function was obliteration—ended in the complete and utter victory of the latter.
"A visual prowess...?"
Danzo remained completely restrained. He hadn't the faintest clue what had just transpired in that moment. His question regarding Hagoromo's current eyes was entirely subconscious.
Consequently, Hagoromo offered an equally subconscious reply:
"A visual prowess? Not quite. This is the Tyrant's Eye of Truth, wielded by the hero named Rikka. What I used wasn't something as simple as a visual prowess."
One could view this as Hagoromo concealing intelligence regarding the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception. But in reality... he was simply giving in to his habit of spouting absolute nonsense again.