"Mizuki refused to come see me and even attacked you with a Genjutsu?" Danzō asked indifferently, showing little reaction, "In that case, I'll go see him myself."
His right eye was already hungry with anticipation.
In Danzō's view, Kotoamatsukami was a power capable of triggering war, and he regarded it as a treasure not to be used lightly.
Back when Shisui had planned to use Kotoamatsukami to modify the will of the Uchiha clan's leadership — to make them abandon the coup — Danzō had said: "You actually want to use such precious power to stop a mere coup?"
A mere coup was nothing in his eyes, not worth using Kotoamatsukami for. But now, it could help him become the Fifth Hokage. That was another matter entirely.
Control Mizuki, then kill Hiruzen during the Chūnin Exams. Or wait for Hiruzen to be killed by Orochimaru, then have Mizuki wreak havoc on Konoha.
In short: first turn Mizuki into someone guilty of heinous crimes, deeply hated by the villagers. Then make his own entrance, kill the villain, and save the village from danger. By then, carrying immense merit and prestige, the position of Fifth Hokage would surely be his.
Thinking of this, a smile actually appeared on Danzō's usually stern face.
"Hiruzen, don't blame me! Only under my leadership can the village grow stronger."
❊❊❊❊❊
Danzō left the Root headquarters with several subordinates, heading for Training Ground No. 8.
But before he could reach the entrance, Hiruzen blocked his path.
"Danzō, I told you not to act on your own." Hiruzen assumed he was bringing people to assassinate Mizuki, so he immediately came to stop him.
With Danzō's strength, he wouldn't be able to kill that newly promoted ninja. And even if he did, the village would be filled with rumors, making it difficult to manage.
At this critical time — with the Chūnin Exams and the Konoha Crush Plan about to unfold — the village needed stability and couldn't afford any disruptions.
Most importantly, Hiruzen already had a more foolproof plan. What needed to be done now was to keep Mizuki stable, or the plan would fail before it even began.
"Hiruzen, I'm meeting with Mizuki, not to use force. There's no need for you to stop me." Danzō explained.
Hiruzen naturally didn't believe him, "What business do you have with him?"
Danzō certainly wouldn't tell the truth, "I want to apologize to him about what happened at the meeting that day, to see if I can make amends. If I'm sincere, perhaps I can eliminate his hatred toward Konoha, and with generous gifts, he'll surely return to our side. His strength is formidable. If we can win him back, it would be a great thing for the village."
Hiruzen sneered inwardly.
Win him back? If these words came from someone else's mouth, they might be true. But coming from you, Danzō, I don't believe a single word.
"Enough. Even if there's an apology to be made, I should do it as Hokage. You going is inappropriate. Turn around immediately. Without my permission, you are not to communicate with Mizuki on your own."
Danzō's face darkened, wishing he could use Kotoamatsukami on Hiruzen.
But he couldn't.
Was it that he didn't dare? Of course not!
Danzō had even attempted to assassinate Hiruzen — there was nothing he wouldn't dare to do. So it wasn't that he didn't dare, but that he couldn't.
Kotoamatsukami was formidable, hailed as "The Ultimate Genjutsu". It could directly invade someone's brain without them noticing and modify their will.
Shisui's Sharingan, transplanted into a crow's eye — with just one look, Itachi used Kotoamatsukami to override the Edo Tensei, freeing himself from Kabuto's control.
Only in the hands of Shisui and Itachi could Kotoamatsukami be called "The Ultimate Genjutsu". In Danzō's hands, it was pathetically weak. He didn't have Uchiha blood. Even after transplanting Shisui's eye, he still couldn't control it at will.
A sword in an infant's hands has no power to kill enemies; a pearl fallen into a pigsty flows together with filth.
This was why, after all these years, Danzō had never used Kotoamatsukami on Hiruzen to seize the Hokage position.
When Itachi used Kotoamatsukami, a single meeting of eyes was enough. With Danzō, it wasn't that simple. First, he'd have to remove the bandages. Then his right eye would have to stare at Hiruzen for several seconds before it could take effect. Unless the old Hokage was a fool, he would immediately recognize Danzō's intention — after all, he knew Shisui's Mangekyo Sharingan.
Attempting to control the Hokage with Genjutsu — that crime alone would be enough for Danzō to die several times over.
So the question arose: could he use it on Hiruzen secretly without removing the bandages?
That wouldn't work either.
Through the gauze, Kotoamatsukami's effectiveness was greatly diminished.
In the anime, during the Five Kage Summit, Danzō used Kotoamatsukami through the gauze on Mifune, the leader of the Land of Iron, attempting to control him into supporting him as alliance leader.
The result? Ao's Byakugan discovered and exposed it, forcing Danzō to stop.
As soon as he stopped, Mifune immediately returned to normal. This showed that Kotoamatsukami had only temporarily modified Mifune's will and couldn't take permanent effect.
So, all things considered, Danzō's attempt to control Hiruzen with Kotoamatsukami would definitely fail.
"Hiruzen, everything I do is for Konoha. You're stopping me today — I hope you won't regret it in the future."
Danzō knew that since Hiruzen had come, continuing to insist would be useless and would only expose Kotoamatsukami. So he could only turn and leave.
Of course, this was only a temporary departure. Giving up was impossible — he wouldn't miss such a good opportunity.
Watching Danzō leave, Hiruzen breathed a sigh of relief.
"Good thing I noticed in time and came to stop him, or my plan would have been ruined."
But he didn't know that after leaving, Danzō soon used the Transformation Jutsu to change his appearance and had a subordinate transform into his likeness to create a diversion.
❊❊❊❊❊
At Training Ground No. 8, Mizuki's Demonic Illusion: Hell Technique was becoming increasingly proficient. The Genjutsu's effectiveness was also getting stronger.
"If only that Root ninja hadn't left and stayed here as my training partner. With my current Genjutsu level, I definitely wouldn't let him break free in one second — I could control him for at least three."
Just then, the first little squirrel that had fallen unconscious from the Genjutsu finally woke up. Then, seeing the pile of pinecones around it, it shrieked once and fainted again from fright.
"Huh? I haven't even used my jutsu yet — how did it faint?" Mizuki felt puzzled.
Could it be that his Genjutsu had already reached the level where he could make anyone faint just by willing it?
"Forget it, I'll find other small animals!"
Just then, footsteps sounded behind him.
Mizuki turned to look and saw an unfamiliar ninja. He hadn't paid much attention at first, but the stranger's gaze stirred disgust in his heart.
This gaze felt somewhat familiar!
As if he'd seen it somewhere before.
Suddenly, the stranger's right eye changed — the pupil turning blood red. Within it, a black four-pointed pinwheel appeared. Mizuki couldn't help but cry out in shock.
"This is Shisui's Mangekyo Sharingan! Oh no — Kotoamatsukami!"
Combined with that familiar gaze, he knew: the person before him was Danzō.
Hearing this, Danzō was equally shocked.
How did Mizuki recognize Shisui's Sharingan? And how did he know about Kotoamatsukami?
But shocked as he was, Kotoamatsukami's release didn't stop. Invisible spiritual power surged toward Mizuki, intent on altering his thoughts.
Mizuki's movements were quick. The storage ring on his finger flashed, and the bottle of Six Spirits Floral Water returned by the system appeared. He opened the cap and applied it under his nose — all in one smooth motion.
His nostrils flared as he took a deep breath. In an instant, his entire mind cleared. His thinking became extraordinarily lucid, his brain working at super speed. Many things he hadn't understood about the Demonic Illusion: Hell Technique now easily connected.
Spiritual power increased sixfold — this was no joke. Mizuki's spiritual power was already twice as strong as others'. Now, increased by six times, it was equivalent to fourteen times that of ordinary people.
Around him, an invisible whirlwind arose — a storm of spirit. He closed his eyes, and miraculously, he could still see the objects around him. Not with his physical eyes, but with his spiritual eye.
Though the range was small, he could indeed see — more clearly and minutely than with his physical eyes. Even dust and bacteria invisible to the naked eye became visible through his spiritual eye.
At this moment, Mizuki clearly "saw" a black force surging toward him.
"This must be Kotoamatsukami's power."
The black force was blocked by the whirlwind of spiritual power, unable to advance an inch.
"Kotoamatsukami, huh? Danzō's actually willing to use it on me. Good thing I have Six Spirits Floral Water, or I'd be done for today."
Being controlled by Kotoamatsukami, becoming Danzō's puppet — that would be worse than death.
He opened his eyes and looked at Danzō. The Six Spirits Floral Water only lasted 10 seconds. Within that time, he had to either flee or counterattack to stop this bastard from using Kotoamatsukami.
Fleeing was impossible — one Danzō wasn't enough to make Mizuki run.
So, counterattack!
"Trying to control me with Kotoamatsukami? You're looking for death!" Mizuki roared, using Body Swap to appear behind Danzō. The kunai pierced his heart from behind.
Killed in one strike, but Mizuki didn't relax.
Sure enough, the next moment the corpse turned into bubbles and disappeared. Not far away, an unharmed Danzō appeared.
His right eye still stared at Mizuki, Kotoamatsukami's power continuing.
Izanagi — one of the Uchiha clan's ultimate pupil techniques. It could turn unfavorable events into bubbles within a period of time, selecting only favorable outcomes to become reality.
"I don't believe I can't kill you!"
Using Body Swap again, Mizuki appeared behind Danzō. The kunai once more pierced through his heart. Izanagi activated again — Danzō remained unharmed.
Three seconds of the Six Spirits Floral Water had already passed.
At this point, Danzō couldn't hold on any longer. Bloody tears flowed from his right eye, and his expression twisted in pain.
"Trash, can't even last 3 seconds!" Mizuki sneered inwardly.
The third time using Body Swap, another deadly kunai strike — Danzō consumed his third Sharingan.
When he reappeared, he had already closed his right eye, bloody tears streaming from the corner. He looked at Mizuki with his left eye, face full of confusion, beginning to question reality.
"Why? Why didn't it work?"
Mizuki didn't care what expression he wore. Body Swap activated once more. Arriving behind Danzō, he pierced his heart.
Danzō died again. When he reappeared, he immediately used Earth Release: Hiding Like a Mole Technique, burrowing underground and fleeing into the distance.
Mizuki didn't pursue. Even if he wanted to, he couldn't catch up.
"Good thing I have Six Spirits Floral Water."
Originally prepared to defend against Itachi's Tsukuyomi — who knew he'd encounter the even more formidable Kotoamatsukami first.
"Too bad Danzō's hard to kill, or I'd have finished him off today."
❊❊❊❊❊
T/N: Comment, give me Power Stones, like and favorite, it all supports me and makes me go foward with this. Appreciate my other stories as well, I guarantee the good work!
If you want 20 chapters ahead of this novel for just $2 or enjoy a large catalog of good novels with excellent translations: MrBlackWing (you know where to search)
I'm currently translating another project (for $1.5) where the main character travels through various worlds, like Highschool of the Dead, Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress, Darwin's Game, and many more, building a massive harem. It will have smut chapters (+18) and spicy images of the female characters. Check it out if you're interested! :)
That's it and happy reading! (-‿◦)