Just as Shimura Danzo finished declaring victory and reached his hand toward Uchiha Sasuke's eyes, Sasuke, who had been lowering his head, slightly lifted it and swiftly thrust the Kusanagi Sword in his hand toward Danzo.
Puchi!
The Kusanagi Sword pierced Shimura Danzo's body. He stared blankly at the sword lodged in his chest and cried out in shock.
"How is this possible? You should have already..."
Shimura Danzo looked at Uchiha Sasuke in confusion. He couldn't understand how Sasuke, who had clearly been struck by Kotoamatsukami and should have been under his control, had broken free from his genjutsu.
Uchiha Sasuke slowly raised his head. His left eye was already closed, blood tears streaming down, yet his expression remained cold as he twisted the Kusanagi Sword in his hand.
"When all the Sharingan on your arm close, your technique stops working, doesn't it?"
Shimura Danzo reappeared once more, his gaze cautious as he spoke softly,
"So you know about Izanagi?"
"So that's how it is," Uchiha Sasuke muttered.
When he had first been caught in Shimura Danzo's Kotoamatsukami, he had indeed fallen into the illusion. But at the critical moment, the ocular power awakened in his left eye roused him. That power was called "Amaiwato."
Amaiwato was a dōjutsu that granted immunity to genjutsu. The trigger for its awakening came from the intense stimulation Sasuke had experienced earlier from Rorin and Uchiha Itachi.
At that time, Sasuke desperately wished that Naruto Uzumaki's death had only been an illusion cast by Itachi. Driven by his overwhelming desire to break free from genjutsu, this ocular ability was born.
The Sharingan is, after all, the eye that reflects the heart.
And it was precisely because of that cause that Sasuke now reaped this result, escaping disaster.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Itachi, hidden within the forest, saw that his younger brother was safe and let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Taking a step forward, Uchiha Itachi was about to act when Rorin reached out and stopped him.
"Rorin, what is this?"
Uchiha Itachi looked at him in confusion. Weren't they here to rescue Uchiha Sasuke and kill Shimura Danzo?
Rorin slowly shook his head and explained, "Itachi, we can't kill Danzo today."
Uchiha Itachi frowned. "Why?"
"Because someone from the Hidden Leaf Village is on their way. We can't appear in front of them, or everything we did earlier in the Hidden Sand Village will be wasted."
Rorin spoke calmly. He had just activated his Byakugan and scanned the surroundings, unexpectedly detecting a group of Hidden Leaf Village ANBU led by Yamato rushing toward this location.
Moreover, counting the Sharingan on Danzo's arm and his right eye, five remained. There wasn't enough time to finish him off completely.
Hearing this explanation, Uchiha Itachi lowered his head in thought. Though he was curious about how Rorin had detected the incoming reinforcements, he chose not to ask.
"So from here on, we leave it to Sasuke?" Uchiha Itachi said with concern, glancing toward Uchiha Sasuke.
Rorin nodded slightly, though he couldn't help but feel some regret at missing the chance to kill Shimura Danzo today.
Uchiha Sasuke watched Shimura Danzo warily, gripping the Kusanagi Sword tightly. At that moment, two figures appeared behind him.
They were Karin and Suigetsu, who had earlier lured away the Root members. Seeing Sasuke injured, Karin quickly rushed forward.
"Sasuke-kun!"
She rolled up her sleeve and extended her arm toward him.
Uchiha Sasuke gave a slight nod and bit into Karin's arm, restoring his injuries.
Before long, the wounds on Sasuke's body gradually disappeared. Shimura Danzo observed this and fixed his gaze on Karin, speaking slowly.
"A member of the Uzumaki clan, hm."
Now fully recovered, Uchiha Sasuke stood up calmly and asked,
"Why did you come back? What about those two?"
Karin lowered her sleeve and explained, "After we led them away, we ran into two men wearing black cloaks embroidered with red clouds. They dealt with those two for us."
"Since they were already dead, we figured we'd come back to help you," Suigetsu added.
Uchiha Sasuke frowned slightly, thinking to himself: Could it be my brother?
But regardless of who had helped them, the priority right now was Shimura Danzo.
Focusing his gaze on Danzo once more, Uchiha Sasuke activated his Mangekyō Sharingan. Behind him, the purple Susanoo manifested again.
This time, it was the second form of Susanoo!
Controlling Susanoo, Sasuke launched an assault on Shimura Danzo, aiming to kill him.
Shimura Danzo revived yet again using Izanagi, reappearing with a deeply furrowed brow. It seemed that today he wouldn't be able to deal with Uchiha Sasuke. If he wasn't careful, he might even fall here himself.
Damn it. Not only had he lost seven Sharingan, but even Kotoamatsukami...
At this point, Shimura Danzo had already decided to retreat. His feet shifted slightly backward as his hands began forming seals.
From his right arm, a gigantic tree burst forth, instantly swallowing him along with Uchiha Sasuke and the others. Using Izanagi once again, he reappeared outside the massive tree.
Glancing at the tree, Shimura Danzo shook his head slightly. With Susanoo's defense, this technique wouldn't be enough to kill Sasuke.
But stalling him for a while would be more than sufficient.
Another Sharingan on Danzo's arm closed. He quickly retreated, leaving the area. He had severely underestimated his opponent.
Watching Shimura Danzo disappear into the distance, Rorin and Uchiha Itachi exchanged silent looks.
Rorin placed a hand on Itachi's shoulder and said calmly,
"Even though we didn't kill Danzo, we've more or less achieved our goal. I think Sasuke already believes the explanation we gave earlier."
Uchiha Itachi nodded slightly. "It's a shame, but it couldn't be helped. Plans never go exactly as expected."
The two then returned to the Hidden Sand Village. As for Uchiha Sasuke's situation, they shared the same conclusion as Shimura Danzo.
With Susanoo protecting him, Sasuke should be fine. It would just take some time for him to break free.
They returned once more to the previously devastated valley and entered a combat stance.
...
About fifteen minutes later, Gaara, Kakashi, and the others arrived at the valley, only to witness a shocking scene.
The entire valley had been reduced to ruins, a testament to the intensity of the battle that had taken place.
Standing atop Susanoo, Uchiha Itachi looked down at Rorin below.
"I didn't expect you to push me this far," Uchiha Itachi said calmly.
Rorin bent slightly, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth with his right hand. His gaze was unfocused, yet he still spoke with defiance.
"I… I won't lose!"
The newly arrived group saw multiple cracks in the bone armor covering Rorin's body, his figure stained with blood—it was clear he had suffered severe injuries. They all rushed forward, gathering at his side.
Haruno Sakura quickly began treating his wounds. Rorin slowly opened his eyes, looked at Gaara beside him, and said weakly,
"I told you… I would stop him."
As soon as he finished speaking, Rorin lost consciousness.