"How dare you spout such nonsense! Teacher, let me handle this!"
Danzo Shimura's demagogic speech made Kakashi Hatake's face flush red with anger.
He was all too aware of Danzo Shimura's deeds, and hearing him brazenly slander his own teacher,
he immediately couldn't help but want to take action.
"Stand down, Kakashi."
Unexpectedly, Minato Namikaze refused his request to fight, shaking his head at him.
"But!"
"No buts."
"Not only you, but everyone else is also forbidden from taking action."
"Even if Danzo has committed grave mistakes, he was once an elder of the Village. I don't want you to stain your hands with the blood of your comrades."
Minato Namikaze said solemnly.
Frankly, this statement was somewhat unreasonable.
To be honest, the Anbu is essentially a department used by a Ninja Village for dirty work.
The daily missions of ANBU Ninja are mostly shady tasks.
Such as assassination, pursuit, interrogation, espionage, surveillance, and so on.
How could there be anyone 'clean'?
One could even say that many ANBU Ninja have the blood of their own comrades on their hands.
After all, tasks like dealing with rogue Ninjas, deserters, or those issued with execution orders to be eliminated, all fall to the Anbu.
But Minato Namikaze said these words with utmost sincerity.
In his view, no matter what, Danzo Shimura was previously a Konoha elder.
No matter how dirty or despicable his actions were, at least they were considered from the perspective of Konoha.
Therefore, he could not be treated with the attitude reserved for enemies.
If the Anbu were to act against someone like him, it could be considered a civil war.
This was a situation he did not wish to see.
And he was the Hokage; Danzo Shimura was his subordinate.
If Danzo Shimura made a mistake, it was indeed beyond reproach for him, as the Hokage, to take action.
"Just hold the line for me and ensure Danzo has no chance to escape."
Minato Namikaze patted Kakashi Hatake on the shoulder.
The surrounding Anbu also looked at their Hokage with complex expressions.
Some of them could understand Minato Namikaze's meaning, while others could not.
But this did not affect their obedience to Minato Namikaze's orders.
Seeing Kakashi Hatake stand down, Minato Namikaze turned to face Danzo Shimura directly and said:
"Danzo, I'll give you one last chance. Surrender now, and you can still have a decent ending."
Minato Namikaze was still making a final effort.
"Enough talk! Come! Let this old man gauge your true worth!"
"Let's see if you are truly qualified to be the Hokage!"
Danzo Shimura sneered.
Since they had already torn off all pretenses, Danzo Shimura had nothing left to hold back. The next moment, he formed hand seals and unleashed his signature Ninjutsu:
"Wind Release: Vacuum Serial Waves!"
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
This was a B-rank Ninjutsu, but in Danzo Shimura's hands, it unleashed power that many A-rank Ninjutsu could not match.
Danzo Shimura took a deep breath and expelled large gusts of Wind Release Chakra from his mouth. They took the form of several crescent-shaped wind blades, like scything weasels, shooting fiercely towards Minato Namikaze's position.
"Sigh!"
Minato Namikaze showed no panic at all, only shaking his head with a sigh. He swung the fire god sword in his hand, blocking the weasel-like wind blades.
As a Ninja of common birth, Minato Namikaze certainly had no inherited swordsmanship techniques.
Unlike Kakashi Hatake, who, although he didn't use a sword, still had his father White Fang of Konoha's swordsmanship manuals at home.
Minato Namikaze only came into contact with Konoha's secretive Konoha-style swordsmanship after becoming Hokage.
He had practiced some after obtaining the fire god sword. Although he wasn't a top-tier swordsman,
he was already plenty strong.
"Let's finish this quickly. It's best not to disturb the Previous Hokage for too long."
Minato Namikaze pulled several Kunai wrapped with Flying Thunder God Technique seals from his Ninja tool pouch and hurled them at Danzo Shimura.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The sound of Kunai slicing through the air reached him. Danzo Shimura nimbly dodged with a flicker.
Having dodged the Kunai, Danzo Shimura's nerves grew even more tense.
He was well aware of Minato Namikaze's fighting style and knew the elusive nature of the Flying Thunder God Technique.
That was the Ninja World's fastest Ninjutsu!
Swish!
Danzo Shimura used the Body Flicker Technique to leap out of the Kunai's coverage area. Gripping a Kunai, he focused all his attention on defense.
Whoosh!
A faint golden light flashed. Minato Namikaze, who had been over ten meters away, instantly appeared not far in front of Danzo Shimura. The fiery red longsword thrust forward with lightning speed.
Clang!
Danzo Shimura reacted swiftly, using his Kunai to parry the fire god sword.
However, the ordinary Kunai, made of refined iron, was immediately sliced in half upon meeting the divine weapon that was the fire god sword.
Fortunately, the sword's trajectory had already been deflected, allowing Danzo Shimura to flicker away and create distance once more.
"Tch!"
Only the handle remained of the Kunai in his hand. Danzo Shimura frowned and immediately drew a new one.
Minato Namikaze's fire god sword had posed a great threat just now, but he had never seen this sharp red longsword before.
When did Konoha Village have something like this?
Why did it feel so similar to Lord Tobirama's sword of the thunder god?
As a disciple of Senju Tobirama, Danzo Shimura had witnessed his teacher's heroic prowess wielding the sword of the thunder god on numerous occasions during his time following him.
Now, Minato Namikaze, holding the fire god sword, was strikingly similar to his own teacher.
Except the silver sword had become a red sword.
And the white hair had become blonde hair.
There was no time to catch his breath. Danzo Shimura quickly banished the memories from his mind because Minato Namikaze attacked again.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Minato Namikaze's fighting style was very simple and direct.
First, use Kunai wrapped with Flying Thunder God seals for long-range attacks. On one hand, it tests the waters; more importantly, it sets up anchor points.
Then, use the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport close to the opponent via these Kunai, seeking an opportunity to deliver a fatal blow.
The difference was, previously Minato Namikaze had to rely on Kunai and the Rasengan to inflict damage on enemies.
Now, he could just swing his sword and hack away.
It was exactly the same as Senju Tobirama back in the day.
The two of them, one constantly flickering around the battlefield, the other only able to respond exhaustedly.
Danzo Shimura had already had three of his Kunai cut in half.
As the leader of the Anbu, carrying one Ninja tool pouch on him was already just a Ninja's habit.
But how much could one Ninja tool pouch hold?
Having had three Kunai cut in succession, the one in his hand was now the last one.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Great Sphere!"
Danzo Shimura knew full well that he would be at a disadvantage in close combat with Minato Namikaze and constantly sought opportunities to create distance.
Finally seizing a chance, Danzo Shimura immediately formed seals and released a Ninjutsu.
This was also Danzo Shimura's specialty. In the original storyline, he even used this move to fight a Gundam.
Like a machine gun, he spat high-pressure wind spheres from his mouth, shooting them fiercely towards Minato Namikaze.
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