For a moment, the scene was deathly silent. Blood gushed from Danzo's empty eye sockets, staining his aged and twisted face red.
Danzo let out a wail like that of a dying beast, completely losing all strength. He could only barely remain standing, his body twitching from intense pain and despair.
Hinata turned around and looked at Uchiha Sasuke, who was still half-kneeling on the ground, staring fixedly at them with an incredibly complex expression.
"Sasuke," Hinata spoke, her voice carrying clearly into his ears.
"He is yours now."
She placed Shisui's eye into a container, then stepped aside, giving Sasuke plenty of space.
Sasuke looked at Danzo, who had lost all ability to resist and was left with only pain. The crazed hatred in his eyes burned fiercely once more, temporarily overriding his physical weakness and mental exhaustion.
He struggled, using the kusanagi sword to support his body as he stood up unsteadily.
Step by step, he dragged his heavy feet toward the culprit who had ruined his life and desecrated his clan.
With every step closer, the blood-red hue in his eyes deepened, and he even began to laugh maniacally.
Danzo seemed to sense the approach of the Shinigami. His single eye rolled with difficulty, looking at the approaching Sasuke with a gaze full of resentment and unwillingness.
"Konoha treated you well, Sasuke. Why are you doing this? Do you truly not remember all that happened in the past?"
Sasuke stopped in front of Danzo and raised the kusanagi sword high, its cold blade pointed at Danzo's heart.
"All that happened in the past... the past... you speak of the past..."
"The past..."
Days in Konoha and life with his comrades flashed through Sasuke's mind, only to be consumed by the hatred of his clan's extermination. Tears welled in his eyes.
"Do you... do you have anything else to say?"
Danzo coughed up blood. He had a thousand words in his heart, but in the end, they only became one sentence... "I have nothing more to say. Do it quickly!"
Sasuke wept openly, finally thrusting the sword forward through his tears.
Puchi—!
The kusanagi sword pierced accurately into the body, skewering the heart.
Shimura Danzo's body jerked violently. The light in his single eye quickly dimmed and faded, finally freezing completely.
All his ambitions, all his schemes, and all his sins were brought to a halt by this single strike.
The wind blew through the desolate valley, carrying a faint scent of blood and dust.
Hinata watched all this quietly, while Orochimaru wore a satisfied smile.
"Truly a pair of ill-fated lovers."
Drops of blood rolled off the tip of the kusanagi sword, soaking into the parched earth.
Shimura Danzo's life force completely dissipated, leaving only a deathly void in his eyes; he hadn't even had time to use the Four Symbols Seal.
Sasuke maintained his stabbing posture, his chest heaving violently. The intense pain from the Mangekyo Sharingan and the weakness from Chakra exhaustion hit him in waves, but even more surging was a sense of near-nihilistic emptiness after achieving his great revenge.
The greatest goal that had sustained him for years and burned through his life was achieved at this moment. What next? Where should he go? What should he do? A massive sense of confusion temporarily overwhelmed the pleasure of revenge.
Sasuke snapped back to reality, withdrew the kusanagi sword, took a step back, and looked at Hinata nearby.
He knew deep down that if not for Hinata's interference at the critical moment and her final suppression, he might have been sealed by Danzo, or... worse, controlled by Kotoamatsukami.
"...Thanks." Those two words were squeezed out from between Sasuke's teeth with a clumsy stiffness; he was naturally arrogant and not used to owing favors.
Hinata shook her head slightly, not minding his attitude. Her gaze turned toward the distant cliff, meeting Orochimaru's inquisitive golden snake pupils.
Orochimaru slowly descended from the cliff with his subordinates, an undisguised, joyful smile on his face.
"Splendid, truly a magnificent show."
He paced forward, his gaze first sweeping over Danzo's corpse with a hint of satisfaction before fixing heatedly on Hinata—or more accurately, on the container holding Shisui's eye.
"Look... isn't that eye..." Orochimaru's tongue licked his lips, his desire plain to see.
"Don't break it. It might be useful later."
Hinata tossed the item to him. Orochimaru hurriedly caught it, answering while inspecting it closely.
"Heh heh, naturally. I wouldn't dream of wasting such a precious specimen. A power that can alter one's will... tsk tsk, how fascinating..."
While they were talking, Karin had already run to Sasuke's side.
"Sasuke-kun, are you alright?"
As Karin spoke, she bared her arm and offered it to Sasuke's mouth. Sasuke bit down habitually.
"Ahn!"
Karin let out a soft cry, her face turning incredibly red as she began to pant slightly.
The sounds almost made Hinata... well, you know (not really). Anyone who didn't know better would think you two were doing something else.
At that moment, the System sounded after a long absence.
[Ding! Ding! Ding! Detected a large-scale, high-weight deviation in the world line! Beginning settlement!]
[Major Event: Shimura Danzo died prematurely! (Originally scheduled to die during the Five Kage Summit)]
[Impact Assessment]
[Konoha's internal power structure has undergone a catastrophic change! The 'Root' organization has effectively collapsed! Reward points: +35,000]
[Uchiha Sasuke's revenge goal has reached a milestone phase; his mindset and future course of action have deviated! Reward points: +8,000]
[Uchiha Shisui's Mangekyo Sharingan 'Kotoamatsukami' was successfully intercepted and not wasted on an invalid target! Reward points: +12,000]
[Successfully prevented the use of 'Kotoamatsukami' on Uchiha Sasuke, avoiding the alteration of a key character's will! Reward points: +5,000]
[Deepened cooperative relationship with Orochimaru. Reward points: +5,000]
[Displayed overwhelming strength in front of Uchiha Sasuke, causing a profound psychological impact! Reward points: +8,000]
[Total Reward points: 73,000!]
[Current total points: 112,050!]
[Evaluation: You have uprooted the 'Root' of Konoha's Anbu ahead of time and eliminated one of the future Great Ninja War's troublemakers early. By crushing Danzo with overwhelming power and allowing Sasuke to achieve his revenge early, you now possess the power to influence the entire Ninja World. Wherever you go, you are the focus; the host has become a world-renowned figure.]
[System: You've killed the Hokage's right-hand man. If you were to win over Jonin like Guy and Kakashi, the Hyuga Clan might even have the power to sideline the Sandaime. host, what are you planning? Is it getting cold, and you want to put on more clothes?]
Oh my, this... who draped this Hokage robe over me?
But then again, Danzo's death couldn't possibly happen silently. It wouldn't be long before the news spread throughout the Ninja World.
Those Konoha Leadership members, especially those two old fogies Utatane Koharu and Homura Mitokado, will probably be in a complete mess soon, right?
But that's a story for later. Hinata looked at Danzo's corpse and turned to Orochimaru, who was still unable to put down Shisui's eye, and asked.
"Are you taking this corpse back for research?"
Orochimaru only spared it a glance before looking away.
"Just strip the Hashirama cells from his body. The other parts are useless; just leave them here."
His tone was full of disdain, clearly looking down on Danzo's corpse.
Good grief, I can only say as expected of you, Danzo. You're so disliked even in death that you don't even have research value, let alone being worth an Edo Tensei.
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