"..."
Although Uchiha Hikari's initial plan had been to pause her attacks to make the opponent lower his guard and then deliver a fatal strike, she had never intended to listen to a single word coming out of his mouth.
Even so, she knew full well that Danzo's reputation in the village was far from good and that killing him would not lead to anyone seeking revenge on his behalf.
But when Danzo mentioned Furina, a slight hesitation unconsciously appeared in her heart. She knew Furina would definitely support her in eliminating this desecrator of the Uchiha clan.
Yet she still worried that it might negatively affect her friend. Even if the so-called negative consequences were just Danzo's casual fabrication, she could not simply ignore them completely.
Although Uchiha Hikari hid her hesitation very well, Danzo—who had spent years immersed in schemes and intrigue—still noticed it. Honestly, he had not expected his words to actually work.
But surprise aside, once he realized it was effective, Danzo immediately prepared to continue his verbal assault, just as he had done to deceive other Uchiha in the past.
"Hahaha, I never expected Elder Danzo to care so much about my position in the village. That's truly touching."
However, just as he was about to speak again, another voice coming from nowhere instantly caused his expression to change dramatically. He hurriedly completed the final seal he had prepared for Izanagi.
Sure enough, in the instant the voice fell, a hand appeared over Danzo's right eye. Then Danzo felt an intense pain surge from that spot.
When he came to his senses, Danzo discovered that his right eye was now empty. The eye of Shisui—which he had always regarded as his final trump card, the Mangekyo Sharingan harboring the ultimate genjutsu Kotoamatsukami—had vanished without a trace.
Although he was utterly shocked at how the other party knew his secret and had gone straight for the kill by digging it out, Danzo was not worried. Because the moment the voice appeared, he had already reactivated Izanagi. Everything unfavorable would be reversed.
"You're still too arrogant, Furina. Although I don't know how you found out about my eye, your speed just now was very fast. If you had stayed silent and ambushed directly, you might have succeeded. But now... hm!?"
As he spoke, Danzo suddenly sensed something wrong. Why had so much time passed without Izanagi activating? His right eye was still empty.
"What are you thinking? Or rather, what are you expecting? Open your eyes and take a good look at who the truly arrogant and unaware one is."
Only after Danzo realized something was off did Furina—who had been toying with Shisui's Mangekyo now placed in a nutrient solution container—stop. Mockery overflowed from her expression.
No matter how one looked at it, Danzo had been a shinobi for decades and was considered one of the top experts in the ninja world. Yet he did not even have a clear sense of the activation time for one of his most important abilities, Izanagi.
In the anime, when she saw him being misled by Sasuke's genjutsu during their fight, she had thought it was forced plot armor. After all, in matters of life and death, few people would be careless—especially an old schemer like Danzo.
But unexpectedly, here he had fallen for the same mistake again at Uchiha Hikari's hands. That was downright laughable.
This was not some anime; it was reality. For him to make such an error only proved that he had spent years focused on various schemes while neglecting the most important aspect for a shinobi: combat.
And now, he was reaping the bitter fruit of that neglect.
When Danzo and Uchiha Hikari had first started their trash talk, Furina had already arrived. However, she had not acted immediately. After confirming that Uchiha Hikari was not in immediate danger, she began looking for an opportunity—and quickly found one.
Although Uchiha Hikari's genjutsu targeted Danzo and others did not know the details, Furina knew the plot and still remembered Sasuke's fight with Danzo.
Thus, when she saw that although the Sharingan on Danzo's arm had already closed, he had preemptively formed two seals for Izanagi and was always ready to form the final one, Furina roughly guessed Uchiha Hikari's plan.
Just like Sasuke had done, using genjutsu during the battle to mislead Danzo into believing he still had one more use of Izanagi, thereby delaying the use of his ultimate trump card, Kotoamatsukami.
Then she would exploit the information gap to deliver a fatal blow, leaving no chance for him to use Kotoamatsukami.
As for whether Danzo might use Shisui's eye to cast Izanagi? That was pure nonsense. If he did that, it would be like picking up sesame seeds while losing the watermelon.
To ignore Kotoamatsukami—a ability that could potentially turn the tables—and instead waste a Mangekyo just to use Izanagi and survive another minute was utterly pointless.
Danzo could not possibly achieve a counter-kill in that one minute. If he tried, he would not just be evil; Furina would have to suspect something was wrong with his brain too.
Fortunately, Danzo's brain was still functional and he knew better than to play that way. This allowed Furina to successfully take Shisui's eye, preventing Danzo from taking it with him to the grave as in the original story.
It made her rapid speed increase this time worthwhile.
[Speed: Super Kage (8/5000000)]
"Sorry, Hikari. I came late and let you get so many injuries."
Looking at the numerous small wounds on Uchiha Hikari's body—none fatal, but the pain unavoidable—Furina could not help feeling heartache. She quickly began using medical ninjutsu to treat her.
"They just look serious, but I'm actually fine. Besides, he's still over there."
"Hey, it's fine. The outcome is already decided, so let him live a little longer. Compared to him, you're far more important to me, Hikari."
At this point, Uchiha Hikari did not continue persuading. For a shinobi from the Warring States period, letting an opponent live without finishing them off was absolutely unacceptable. But at this moment, something in Uchiha Hikari's heart had changed. This way... it seemed not bad.
"Huff, huff"
Sometimes, being ignored hurt more than mockery. But right now, Danzo could not be bothered by Furina's blatant disregard for him.
In addition to the Sharingan, he had also implanted Hashirama's cells. Originally, the two powers had balanced each other, allowing him to use Wood Release while retaining the effects of the Sharingan.
But now, with Shisui's eye taken, all ten Sharingan on his arm exhausted, and much of his own chakra depleted in the earlier battle...
He was no longer able to maintain the balance with Hashirama's cells.