Danzo Shimura's expression hardened with resolve as he slowly advanced toward Uchiha Ran.
Countless memories surged through his mind, inner voices echoing again and again.
"Hiruzen, from this day forward, you will be Hokage. A Hokage bathed in light, admired by all beneath the sun."
"But where there is light, there must also be darkness. Let me become Konoha's Root—buried underground, unseen by that light—handling the things you cannot."
Scenes from the past unfolded one after another, and at the same time, his right arm began to lose control.
"Danzo, this is the most crucial battle of the Second Great Ninja War. Show Sunagakure the power of Konoha!"
"Danzo, the front lines are entrusted to you. You are the one I trust most in the entire village."
"Danzo, even if you fail, it doesn't matter. As long as the people survive, there will still be hope."
"Danzo…"
"Danzo!"
"Danzo?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice filled his mind—trusting, encouraging, supportive… and at times, hesitant.
Am I hallucinating? Danzo thought. Is this what death feels like? They say that before you die, your memories replay like a revolving lantern.
He let out a bitter laugh.
"So this is how it ends. In the end, I still couldn't suppress the rampant growth of Hashirama's cells."
"But even so… before I completely disappear, there's still something I can do. For Hiruzen—no, for Konoha."
His consciousness snapped back to reality.
A fierce glint flashed in Danzo's eyes. Without hesitation, he charged toward Uchiha Ran while pulling out a kunai and slashing down on his own right arm.
The severed arm hit the ground—and instantly transformed into a massive tree, roots bursting upward from the stone floor.
Danzo didn't spare it a glance. Staggering forward, he approached Susanoo. When he reached its front, he suddenly tore open his clothes.
Black trigrams spread across his flesh.
Ran's eyes narrowed. He recognized it immediately.
The Reverse Four Symbols Sealing Jutsu—the same forbidden technique that once sealed half a bridge.
"Uchiha Ran," Danzo said coldly, his voice hoarse yet resolute. "I admit it—your strength surpasses mine. It even surpasses Hiruzen's."
"But my Will of Fire tells me this—I must stop you here!"
"Otherwise, Konoha's future will surely be destroyed by your hands!"
"In this life, I have done many things. But everything I did was for Konoha. My conscience is clear."
"To die for the village now… is my greatest honor!"
"Uchiha Ran! Die with me!" Danzo roared. "That way, I won't be lonely in the Pure Land!"
Endless black chakra erupted from his abdomen. An overwhelming sealing force flooded the chamber, enveloping Ran completely.
Ran's blue Susanoo shattered instantly.
Seeing this, Danzo laughed wildly, forcing every last drop of chakra from his body.
"Hahahaha! I never imagined it! I never imagined I'd be able to take down the head of the Uchiha Clan of this generation!"
"It was worth it—absolutely wor—"
Before he could finish—
Poof.
The instant the sealing jutsu made contact, Uchiha Ran's body dissolved into smoke.
Both Danzo Shimura and Yakushi Kabuto froze, their pupils shrinking violently.
A Shadow Clone?!
When had he done it?!
The next moment, a calm voice echoed from above.
"As expected of Danzo-sama, who devoted his entire life to Konoha," Ran said from the ceiling. "Even at the moment of death, you choose such an extreme method—self-destruction to take your enemy with you."
"Not bad. Really not bad."
Realization hit Danzo like a hammer.
"You—!" he roared. "Uchiha Ran! You despicable bastard! You did this on purpose! You deliberately exposed a flaw just to lure me into this!"
"Yes," Ran replied indifferently as he appeared beside Yakushi Kabuto, just outside the sealing range. "But it's too late."
"Once the Reverse Four Symbols Sealing Jutsu begins, it cannot be stopped."
"Uchiha Ran is here to send off the so-called Fourth-and-a-Half Hokage. May your soul return to the Pure Land."
Danzo tried to move.
But the jutsu had already entered its final phase. His body was completely immobilized.
"I curse you, Uchiha Ran!" Danzo screamed. "I curse you to die a miserable death! I curse you to suffer a fate a hundred—no, a thousand times worse than mine!"
"The Uchiha Clan will be wiped out sooner or later—!"
Before he could finish, the sealing array rapidly collapsed inward.
A spherical vacuum formed in the chamber, centered on Danzo, extending ten meters in every direction.
When it finally contracted—
Danzo Shimura, and everything within that radius, vanished completely.
Silence returned.
Uchiha Ran turned to look at the empty space where Danzo had stood. His expression didn't change.
Yakushi Kabuto had witnessed everything.
Fear lingered in his heart—the sheer terror of Danzo's final trump card made his scalp tingle. Yet at the same time, he felt an undeniable sense of approval toward Ran's ruthless decisiveness.
Only now did Kabuto realize something terrifying.
Uchiha Ran had killed Danzo Shimura twice—and both times, it had been a clone.
If that was the case…
How powerful was his true body?
Kabuto stared at Ran, eyes burning with obsession.
Sensing the gaze, Ran scratched the back of his head.
"Sorry," he said casually. "Danzo chose to self-seal. There was no way to preserve his body."
Kabuto shook his head.
If it had been him, he would have already died—either crushed by Danzo's last stand or swallowed by the sealing jutsu. Even if he had somehow forced Danzo into his final life, he wouldn't have had the chakra or stamina left to escape.
That jutsu alone would have sealed him without mercy.
And from what he'd seen of the battle… if Kabuto had fought Danzo directly, he would have been killed long before this point.
Ran let out a quiet sigh.
He walked to the preservation tanks and carefully collected the Sharingan belonging to his clansmen. Then he moved to another set of containers.
They were labeled:
Hashirama Cells (Primary) — ★☆☆☆☆
Hashirama Cells (Intermediate) — ★★★☆☆
Hashirama Cells (Advanced) — ★★★★★
The records showed two successful one-star cases: Tenzo and Danzo Shimura.
The three-star and five-star experiments all had data—but without exception, every single one had failed.
Ran narrowed his eyes.
He reached out toward the containers—
Then suddenly paused and turned around.
Kabuto's heart nearly stopped.
He watched Ran's hand hover over a glass jar filled with a writhing mass of flesh and blood.
Hashirama cells.
The same sample from Orochimaru's secret base.
At that moment, Kabuto hated how much he knew.
At the same time, fear surged within him.
Is he going to kill me?
Many thoughts passed through Ran's mind—one of them being to eliminate Kabuto on the spot.
Just then—
Ding!
A system notification sounded.
> Mission Issued: Subdue Yakushi Kabuto
Difficulty: ★☆☆☆☆
Hint: Yakushi Kabuto is afraid of death.
------
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