The Last Izanagi
Danzo forced himself to calm down. The Xu Fan in front of him was merely a Wood Clone, and its strength and chakra volume couldn't compare to his real body.
Although he only had two uses of Izanagi left, as long as he could seize Uchiha Itachi's Mangekyō Sharingan, he could not only unlock a new level of power, but also eliminate Xu Fan's Wood Clone in the process.
And if this plan failed, the consequences were all too clear.
> "A battle with no retreat?"
Danzo narrowed his eyes slightly. Temporarily abandoning Xu Fan as his target, he turned toward Uchiha Itachi.
> "It's time to eliminate Konoha's traitors."
Danzo muttered in a low voice, then charged toward Itachi with sudden, wind-like speed.
With the power of Izanagi, Danzo could ignore injuries—including those from Torune's Jar of Poison Technique. However, Uchiha Itachi had to rely on Susanoo to prevent the toxins from infiltrating his body.
In other words, if even a slight breach were made in Susanoo's defense, the airborne poison could kill him instantly.
He only needed a moment's opening to seize Itachi's eyes.
Suddenly, Danzo pushed off the ground with force, launching himself upward. Two kunai appeared in his hands. Infusing them with Wind Release (Fūton) chakra, he hurled one at Susanoo first, following up with a barrage of Vacuum Bullets (Shinkūgyoku).
Boom!
The Wind-imbued chakra slammed into the front of Susanoo—but it was effortlessly deflected by the ethereal red armor.
The Vacuum Bullets were completely blocked by the chakra barrier.
> "Not even Wind Release…" Danzo frowned. Among the five elemental releases, Wind had the most cutting power—but it was useless here.
Itachi seized the opening and controlled Susanoo to swing its massive arm at Danzo.
Boom!
A powerful punch from Susanoo collided with Danzo's chest, crushing his ribs and hurling him backwards.
His head slammed against the ground, his body rolling to a stop—still.
The final Sharingan implanted in his right arm faded to darkness.
Itachi stared down at the fallen Danzo.
> "Information is everything in a shinobi battle. Your lack of knowledge about Susanoo led you to use the worst possible method of attack."
Indeed, Wind Release had the highest offensive capability among the basic elements—but piercing Susanoo, even partially manifested, was no easy task.
> "Classic Danzo." Xu Fan, watching from the side, couldn't help but remark.
He vaguely recalled how Danzo had fought Sasuke during the Five Kage Summit. Back then, Danzo had also tried using Wind Release and Izanagi repeatedly.
In his mind, Susanoo's defense was fragile—because Sasuke had only just awakened it at that time.
But today's Itachi wasn't the same. His control over Susanoo was masterful.
If Xu Fan was right, this Itachi was far stronger than Sasuke had been during the Kage Summit.
Back then, Danzo had only pierced Sasuke's Susanoo by relying on his Baku, a giant tapir-like summoning beast.
But now, Danzo's Baku had already been dealt with—beaten to near death by Xu Fan's Wood Clone.
Now, all Danzo had left was his final trump card: the Reverse Four Symbols Sealing Technique (Ura Shishō Fūin).
Once his final Sharingan lost its light, so would his life.
> "Can't break it…?"
Revived again by Izanagi, Danzo stood up. His body was fully healed, but he was panting heavily.
There was one thing Izanagi couldn't reverse—the chakra it consumed.
Danzo might not even be able to keep his final Izanagi active for another full minute.
And due to the lingering toxins from Torune's forbidden jutsu, none of the Root shinobi outside could enter the battlefield.
Even if they tried to rush in, they would die within seconds.
Torune, standing outside, saw everything—and fear gripped his heart.
> "Lord Danzo, we have to retreat!" he shouted.
The other Root shinobi, helping each other up, began breaking through Xu Fan's Wood Style restraints. They moved toward the edge of the poison mist, ready to respond to Danzo's retreat.
> "Damn it…" Danzo clenched his teeth.
His plan had been to create an opening in Susanoo, then charge in and steal Itachi's eyes.
But even his most refined Wind Release couldn't breach the defense.
And now, his chakra was nearly depleted.
He could launch at most three more Vacuum Waves (Shinkūha), but he doubted they would do any damage to Itachi's current Susanoo.
Danzo looked toward his Root operatives—and finally gave up.
Whoosh…
He began sprinting toward the edge of the poison cloud, trying to escape before Izanagi wore off.
If he remained, he'd die of poisoning even if Xu Fan or Itachi didn't land the final blow.
But Xu Fan had no intention of letting him escape.
Seeing Danzo make a break for it, Xu Fan's hands flew through hand seals. He slammed his palms down.
> "Earth Style: Earth Wall (Doton: Doryūheki)!"
A massive earthen wall erupted from the ground, thickened several meters by Xu Fan's overwhelming chakra. It blocked off all the Root operatives' escape paths.
Danzo ground to a halt.
Sweat dripped down his face. His back was drenched.
> "Xu Fan…" he murmured. He was out of time.
> "I swear, on Sarutobi Hiruzen's name—I won't come after you again. I'll step down from all high-level decision-making in Konoha. I'll dissolve Root."
> "I won't touch the Sharingan… or Hashirama's cells… ever again."
Danzo was truly panicking now.
The moment he failed to steal Itachi's Mangekyō, his composure unraveled.
He couldn't tell whether this execution was Xu Fan's personal vendetta—or Sarutobi's decision.
If he'd been thinking clearly, he would have remembered that Hiruzen Sarutobi would never authorize his death.
But it was too late for calm thoughts now.
> "Itachi." Xu Fan ignored Danzo's plea, calling to his ally softly.
Though he was protected by chakra, the poisonous insects had long filled the air. Some toxins had entered Xu Fan's body without him noticing—especially when he used Earth Release just now.
But this was only a Wood Clone. And Danzo's final Izanagi was about to expire.
It was time to end it.
> "Strike his blind spot." Xu Fan focused on Danzo.
> "Got it." Itachi replied simply, commanding Susanoo to deliver the final blow.