Faced with Danzo's suddenly abstract statement, Ren Uchiha stood there, completely stunned for a moment. He thought to himself, I haven't even done anything yet! Why is Danzo talking such nonsense?
A position of importance for an Uchiha? Was that really coming from Danzo's mouth?
What is wrong with this world?
Danzo looked at Ren's stunned expression and let out a dry chuckle. He possessed all the intelligence reports on Ren Uchiha. From that data, it was easy to analyze that this child possessed the same conviction as Kagami Uchiha—the will to sacrifice himself so that his comrades might live!
Between Konoha and the Uchiha, a person with such a mindset creates a wind that others instinctively follow. That wind, without a doubt, could bridge the gap between the clan and the village, just as Kagami had done years ago. It was because of Kagami that even when Setsuna Uchiha nearly launched a coup, the punishment was light, allowing that extremist old man to survive.
However, the betrayal of the past remained a thorn in Danzo's side, making him want to eradicate the Uchiha Clan at every waking moment.
But now was not the time. If he tried to seize the Tailed Beast inside Ren now, Ren's displayed power was so great that Danzo might lose more than he gained. Worse, it would expose the fact that he had transplanted a Three-Tomoe Sharingan into his own right eye, drawing the ire of an Uchiha Clan currently enjoying a "honeymoon phase" with the village.
The one thing Ren and Kagami shared most was the brevity of their lives. Danzo didn't resent such Uchihas; he simply knew that a peace bought by burning one's life was a facade. Once Ren Uchiha died, the relationship between the village and the clan would return to freezing point, the contradictions deepening until they were irreversible.
To solve the Uchiha problem once and for all, Danzo had a plan. He didn't actually need to "handle" Ren Uchiha at all. In less than two years, the boy would die from his own arrogance!
That would be the time for Danzo to act. He would seize Konoha's second Tailed Beast and make the Wood Style user, Yamato, the Jinchūriki. With the power of Wood Style and a Tailed Beast combined, perhaps this "failed" experiment could recreate seventy or eighty percent of the God of Shinobi's former glory!
And he, Danzo, would lead Root to the seat of Hokage, wipe out the Uchiha, and make Konoha great again!
Thinking of this beautiful future, Danzo couldn't help but chuckle. He looked at Ren, his face twisting into a "kind" smile meant to mimic Hiruzen's. But on Danzo, the smile looked like a half-withered chrysanthemum.
It was terrifying. Ren instinctively recoiled, shouting indignantly, "Danzo Shimura! What are you actually trying to say?!"
Danzo looked at him with squinted eyes. "Ren Uchiha. That thing in your hand... it's the trump card Orochimaru gave you, isn't it? Are you afraid I'll attack you?"
Danzo glanced at the syringe in Ren's hand and snorted. "Hmph! You're wrong! In reality, I am on the same side as you!"
Ren's eyes bulged. He stared at Danzo in utter disbelief. Am I still dreaming? Why is Danzo being so bizarre?
Danzo let out a cough and continued, "I have always thought about matters from the perspective of Konoha! We have the same goal: to win this Third Great Ninja War. I will support your battles, for they benefit the village!"
"However!" He looked at Ren meaningfully. "You must learn to distinguish good from evil in the hearts of men. Be careful of those who seem to treat you well; in reality, they may be hiding an unknown, sinister motive."
Under Danzo's heavy gaze, Ren awkwardly pulled the empty syringe out of his neck. He felt a bit embarrassed.
He had finished buffing himself up, his heart was racing, and he was mentally prepared to demolish the Root headquarters with a Menacing Beast Beam! He'd planned to use his Sage Art: Sharingan: White Rage to capture Danzo alive, drag him back to the Uchiha ancestral hall, and interrogate him for three days and nights. He was ready to cement his title as the "Evil Uchiha" right then and there!
And then... this old geezer pulls this stunt?
Ren felt stuck in limbo, looking at Danzo with a bizarre expression. Should he hit him? Not hit him? The atmosphere was already set, and the buffs were already active...
Fortunately, Danzo wasn't particularly fond of looking at an Uchiha's face either. Having said his piece, he moved to the business at hand. He reached into his robes, pulled out a scroll, and looked at Ren.
"Regardless of how you obtained that Tailed Beast, from this moment on, it is the property of Konoha. To protect that property—and to protect you—I am going to teach you a jutsu."
Danzo tossed the scroll onto Ren's lap. Then, without giving Ren a chance to react, he turned and walked back into the deep shadows of the bridge.
He left the lone Uchiha sitting in his wheelchair, the underground wind brushing past his face, looking utterly bewildered.
"Damn it... what is even happening?"
Ren shook his head and picked up the scroll. He unfurled it, and seven large characters met his eyes:
"Reverse Four Symbols Sealing Jutsu"!
Ren's eyes lit up instantly.
The Reverse Four Symbols Seal—the source of the future "Danzo sealed a bridge" meme. But memes aside, the effect of this jutsu was incredibly powerful. Danzo hadn't just sealed a bridge; he had used it in his final moments to safeguard Shisui's right eye, preventing the Kotoamatsukami from falling into the hands of the "Masked Man."
This jutsu causes the user's blood to spray out, forming a pre-drawn seal that expands into a black sphere, sealing everything in its vicinity into the underworld forever. If it weren't for Kamui being so broken, Sasuke would have definitely died there.
In other words, it was a super-powerful self-destruction jutsu!
Ren immediately forgot about the old man walking away. He began reading the scroll with obsessive fascination. God bless me! After failing to blow himself up with explosive tags or burning his heart with Fire Style, he finally had a third suicide jutsu!
But then, Ren paused. He remembered Setsuna Uchiha asking him to learn the Forbidden Jutsu: Izanagi earlier that morning.
His heart skipped a beat as a ridiculous combination occurred to him.
If this jutsu was paired with Izanagi—preserving the reality beneficial to himself while turning the negative reality of his own death into a dream—he could seal his enemies and walk away unscathed.
Izanagi + Reverse Four Symbols Seal!
That would be a nearly unavoidable, absolute-kill combination!
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