A special thank you to my patrons:
—Cain, kevin Williams, Jose Sierra, Salim, Archer, Vora, kurtis newman, 66835, Alex Rushing, Nhoxious, Tom89, Nithin Samuel.
You can read 30 chapters ahead of everyone on p@treon.
P@TREON - [email protected]/lessaservantofcosmos
(just replace the "@" with "a")
ps: Please support me on P@treon. I can really use your help!
-------------------------------------------------------------
After severing Danzo's right arm, Kagaya tossed it aside. He then used his hand to pull away the white cloth covering Danzo's right eye. Without any hesitation or pause, his fingers plunged directly into Danzo's right eye socket, gouging out the Mangekyo Sharingan within.
"Is that all there is?" Kagaya looked at the Danzo before him and smiled faintly.
Placing Shisui's Mangekyo in his palm, the crow immediately hopped over and swallowed it in one gulp. Soon after, the crow's other eye also transformed into the Mangekyo pattern.
"Kuro, release the Kotoamatsukami."
Kagaya spoke to the crow. Kuro' was the name he had given it.
In the world of shinobi, many summoning animals possessed intelligence, and Kuro was no exception. Its eyes darted around before it nodded in a human-like manner, releasing the Kotoamatsukami binding Danzo.
The moment the genjutsu was lifted, Danzo immediately clutched his now-empty right eye socket with his remaining left hand.
"ARGHHHH!!! You Uchiha bastard! How dare you? HOW DARE YOU?!!!"
Perhaps because immense pain was continuously assaulting him, Danzo now appeared somewhat deranged. Blood vessels bulged in his sole remaining left eye, as if he wished he could tear Kagaya apart with his bare hands.
Yet, compared to Danzo's frenzy, Kagaya seemed to have calmed down. He gazed impassively at the teetering man before him and repeated his earlier words.
"Is that all there is?"
He had initially thought that upon finding Danzo, the old man might have some hidden trump cards to use against him. But it seemed now that Kagaya had overestimated him.
The only thing in this battle that had taken Kagaya by surprise was Danzo's use of Kotoamatsukami. Kagaya had assumed Danzo wouldn't employ it so readily, and had planned to slowly torture him to death. Unexpectedly, Danzo had been quite decisive—after a few failed ambushes, he had immediately resorted to Kotoamatsukami.
But it was a shame. Kagaya had been prepared. Aside from Danzo using Kotoamatsukami earlier than expected, everything else in the battle had unfolded within Kagaya's predictions.
He had even prepared backup—Kisame and Itachi.
Even if Danzo had held some other trump card and caught Kagaya off guard, a completely unscathed Kisame would have appeared afterwards to deal with Danzo.
As for Itachi, Kagaya didn't know if he would deliver the killing blow to Danzo. But Kagaya did know that Itachi would never stand by and watch him be killed by Danzo.
That was why Kagaya had dared to come for Danzo so boldly. As long as Itachi and Kisame were still in Konoha, it was virtually impossible for Danzo to kill him.
Whirr.
His Mangekyo spun twice before gradually fading, returning to normal black pupils. Kagaya looked at Danzo with undisguised contempt.
"I overestimated you, Danzo. Possessing so many Sharingan and Shisui's Mangekyo, yet you couldn't even defeat me?"
Danzo was never weak. Sharingan + First Hokage's cells + exceptionally powerful Wind Release ensured he couldn't possibly be weak. The primary reason Danzo had been at a disadvantage throughout this fight was that Kagaya's speed had far exceeded his expectations.
Extreme speed had severely suppressed Danzo's abilities. His formidable Wind Release had no opportunity to be unleashed against Kagaya. Even his Izanagi had almost failed to activate.
Facing that level of speed, anyone would have their strength suppressed.
No matter how powerful your abilities, you need to be able to use them.
Danzo raised his left hand, as if intending to do something. But the next instant, Kagaya appeared beside him, seized his left hand, drew a kunai, and cleanly severed it.
"Though I don't know if you can perform ninjutsu with one hand, I will not give you any opportunity."
In his memories, when Danzo was about to be killed by Sasuke, he seemed to have used a Four Black Seal Formation. Kagaya would not grant Danzo any chance to do such a thing.
Next, Kagaya channeled chakra into Danzo, roughly staunching the bleeding from his right arm stump and left wrist.
"You can't die yet. The place you deserve to die is not here."
Having said that, Kagaya grabbed Danzo by the throat and began dragging him towards another direction.
Throughout the entire process, Danzo offered no resistance—or rather, he was incapable of it. Having lost all his Sharingan and the First Hokage's cells, he was far too weak before Kagaya. A simple genjutsu rendered him immobile.
The reason Kagaya had released the Kotoamatsukami earlier was that, in the end, he wanted to accomplish everything using his own power.
Come to think of it, how many years had passed? Four years! This long-overdue revenge was finally concluding on this day.
On and on he walked, dragging Danzo, until he finally found the old training ground where he and Shisui used to spend time as children. After the Uchiha's annihilation, no one came here anymore. It had changed completely, overrun with weeds, bearing no resemblance to the training ground of the past.
Kagaya pushed aside the weeds and found the small headstone.
Carved upon it were several clumsily written characters: 'Uchiha Shisui's Grave.'
Kagaya remained silent for a moment. Then he took out a kunai and gouged out Danzo's other eye.
"Shisui... I don't know if you would approve of me doing this. But this is the debt he owes you. I must collect it, no matter what."
After saying this, Kagaya bowed deeply to Shisui's grave. Then, taking Danzo with him, he departed, heading towards the Uchiha clan compound.
At the Uchiha compound, Itachi stood silently, as if waiting for someone.
He had already discreetly delivered Sasuke to the care of Konoha's Jōnin. He trusted they would protect him.
He was here, waiting for a person. He was convinced that person would inevitably come here.
Sure enough, not long after, Itachi saw Kagaya approaching, dragging Danzo along.
Upon seeing Itachi, Kagaya was momentarily taken aback, then smiled. "Itachi... are you going to stop me?"
Itachi looked at the clear trail of blood beneath Kagaya's left eye, a flicker of distress passing through his own gaze. "No. I will not stop you. Will you kill him here?"
Kagaya sneered. "Is there any doubt? Today, Danzo will die. No one, absolutely no one, can stop me! However..."
Itachi frowned. "However what?"
Kagaya, still holding Danzo, casually found a spot to sit down. "However, we must wait a little longer."
A sense of foreboding washed over Itachi. He couldn't help but ask, "Wait? What are you waiting for?"
Kagaya looked at Itachi. "The slaughter of our clan... was that something Danzo participated in alone?"
Itachi's eyes widened. "You wouldn't..."
Kagaya's voice was icy and merciless. "Exactly. Everyone involved in that incident must die! Not a single one will escape."
Itachi spoke urgently, "That's enough, Kagaya. Danzo alone is enough. Before Shisui died, he instructed you not to act against Konoha. This is still our village."
Kagaya shot to his feet, roaring in a loud voice, "Enough?! When they slaughtered our Uchiha clan, why didn't they think of those words?! Now that it's my turn to slaughter them, you remember those words?! Don't be ridiculous! Shisui did instruct me not to act against Konoha, so I have no intention of harming the innocent. But the higher-ups of Konoha, the Anbu—every single person involved in that incident back then, not a single one will escape. They will all die! They demolished the Uchiha clan compound, didn't they? Fine. From now on, this place will serve as their burial ground!!"
*****
T/N: Use this code "MASK" to get 50% off for your first month.
[email protected]/lessaservantofcosmos
(just replace the "@" with "a")