Chapter 918 : A Great Shock!

Danzo was in an emotional turmoil. A few hours ago, he received a message from his subordinates that presented him with an opportunity to make a political comeback. Before he could claim the opportunity, Akuro laid claim to it. That didn't bother Danzo, who instead saw it as a chance to get rid of the mysterious ninja.

However, Danzo lost all his subordinates in the ensuing battle. In their battle, Akuro surprised him continuously. Shisui's eye, which contained a Genjutsu that filled his enemies with dread, proved ineffective against Akuro. Though their physical prowess seemed similar, Akuro always held an advantage. His biggest trump card turned into a trap that nearly consumed his life! His summon was decimated by a jutsu he never heard of. The only reason he survived was due to his opponent's mercy.

Just when he was on the brink of desperation, Akuro provided him with not only a lifeline, but also raised his hopes for the future and reignited his failing ambitions. Unfortunately, his hopes were extinguished even more quickly as Akuro made a move that defied all logic! With a sneak attack, he plucked Shisui's eye out before Danzo could cast another Izanagi!

With Danzo no longer possessing Shisui's eye, Fujin had no reason to keep his eyes sealed. Finally opening his eyes, he glanced at the eye in his palm and sighed internally, ‘So much scheming to ensure he didn't destroy this eye…

I'm not sure how I'll use this, considering I still haven't used Akihiko's eyes, but it's a welcome trump card to possess. I can't use it openly just like Akihiko's eyes. Perhaps I could fake a fight between myself and Akuro and claim I reclaimed the eye from Akuro. Hmm, I could also say I lost my right eye in that battle and hence replaced it with Shisui's eye. It's not like anyone will dare to ask me to hand it over.

That said, it'll have to wait until I'm ready or desperate to transplant this eye. Even though its ability is strong, it also has plenty of drawbacks. I don't need to do it right now.’

Fujin knew how much Kakashi suffered due to transplanting Obito's eye. It put a massive strain on his chakra and stamina. Fujin could seal the eye like Danzo, after all, it held no sentimental value to him unlike Kakashi's strong emotions towards Obito's eye. However, Fujin wasn't sure how effective the seal would be without Hashirama's cells to balance out the Mangekyou Sharingan. It was why he wasn't in a rush to make a decision.

The eye in Fujin's hand disappeared. While Fujin was happy with his gains, Danzo was the exact opposite! Along with the emotional turmoil he experienced, Danzo was also filled with utmost confusion. He could no longer make sense of the motive behind Akuro's action.

As he glanced back, his eyes met with Akuro's eyes, who was glancing back at him. The moment their eyes met, Danzo became certain of one thing. His instincts, his experience that spanned over half a century, all screamed, ‘He wants me dead!’

As Akuro's figure blurred again, Danzo ripped off his robe and screamed, “If you want to kill me, you'll have to pay the price!”

The Reverse Four Symbols Seal appeared on Danzo's chest! Black ink surged out in four directions from the center of the seal, each trail forming a thick, ominous symbol that pulsed with cursed chakra. From the convergence point of the seal, an unnatural blackness began expanding outward, like a void tearing through reality itself.

To Danzo's surprise, Akuro continued approaching him instead of retreating with his immense speed. Before the seal could consume Danzo, Akuro blitzed past him, his hand making a grabbing motion towards Danzo's face. He didn't grab Danzo's face but it still seemed like Akuro grabbed something, something ethereal and invisible to the naked eye. His figure disappeared as quickly as it appeared as Akuro escaped the range of the all-consuming darkness spreading from the Reverse Four Symbol Seal.

The Reverse Four Symbols Seal consumed Danzo's soulless body while Akuro appeared nearly a kilometer away, holding Danzo's soul in his hand. Danzo's soul realized his suicidal attack had completely failed as well. Before he could figure out anything else, a few lightning bolts entered his soul, destroying his consciousness.

‘Unfortunately for you, my knowledge about souls is extremely good thanks to Tsunade. This is the end for you, Danzo…’ Fujin thought as he glanced at Danzo's immobile soul. Fujin couldn't help but feel a strange sense of perspective.

When he transmigrated into the ninja world, Danzo was the one figure he instinctively feared the most. He was unpredictable, manipulative, and backed by immense power and influence. Just the idea of being noticed by him had been enough to alter Fujin’s path.

Even though Danzo didn't meet Fujin until the latter had become a rank S ninja, he had unknowingly created a massive impact on Fujin. His existence forced Fujin to hide his talent and strength during his time in the academy. Even after graduating, Fujin didn't dare to show all his cards.

It wasn't until the Uchiha Massacre took place and Hiruzen curtailed the Root that Fujin relaxed his guard. His influence on Fujin had been so great that keeping his strength hidden became second nature for Fujin. Such was the pressure he unknowingly exerted on Fujin.

And yet, here he stood, holding Danzo’s soul in his hand. Not in triumph. Not in vengeance. But as someone who had long since left that fear behind. It was a quiet, personal moment of realization, of progress. A silent acknowledgment of how far he had come.

Seeing such a person's soul in his hand, Fujin felt a strange satisfaction at the distance he had traveled. The moment was even more impactful than when Fujin forced Orochimaru to retreat or when he nearly killed Obito despite the two being more formidable than Danzo.

Fujin shook his head, controlling his thoughts and turning his focus on Danzo's soul, ‘Now then, let me how fucked up your life was…’

Without wasting any time, Fujin started reading Danzo's memories directly from his soul. Needless to say, his main target was the Edo Tensei jutsu, but there was a lot else he was interested in learning about, even if he never used it. Izanagi was undoubtedly tempting. Fujin also wanted to check whether Danzo knew Izanami. He was also interested in learning how Konoha experimented with Hashirama's cells. He quickly became engrossed in extracting every information from Danzo's soul without causing it further harm.

——

Due to Danzo's sudden departure from Konoha, the Anbu Headquarters in Konoha was a bit tense. They were awaiting further instructions from the Hokage's office. A good chunk of the Anbu ninjas were former Root ninjas, who were inducted into the Anbu and ‘re-educated’ by Hiruzen following Fujin and Danzo's confrontation nearly two and a half years ago. They felt conflicted, but were prepared to do whatever was necessary for Konoha's safety.

In one of the training halls, two masked Anbu sparred in silence. The taller of the two wore a shark mask, his movements sharp and aggressive. His opponent, in a simple tanuki mask, blocked and deflected every strike with mechanical precision.

Suddenly, both froze, their eyes widened in disbelief. Both muttered at the same time, “It's gone…”

They inspected their tongues and noticed that the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal was no longer present!
The tanuki-mask wearer said, “Quick, say something forbidden!”
The shark-mask wearer carefully and slowly said, “I killed…”

According to Root's rules, mentioning the deeds done during missions wasn't allowed. If the seal was present, he would have been paralyzed. However, he felt no pain or restriction. But, that didn't make either of them happy. Instead, their expressions were grim as they whispered fearfully, “Danzo-sama is dead!”

A moment later, their figures disappeared from the training hall.

In another wing of the building, a pale teenage boy sat silently at a desk, sketching something with his usual emotionless expression. His fingers suddenly twitched, and the inked brush left an unintentional smear across the page. A slight frown appeared on his face.

He blinked, brought two fingers to his throat, and whispered a command under his breath. Nothing happened. Sai stood up calmly, picked up his scroll, and vanished from the room in a silent flicker.

Throughout the Anbu Headquarters and even outside it, similar realizations occurred. Former Root members paused whatever they were doing, be it training, patrolling, writing reports. Almost in unison, they tested the seal that had once chained their tongues and minds. Every test returned the same result. The seal was gone.

Countless figures flickered throughout the village and arrived on the rooftops and balconies of the Hokage Building. A dozen entered the Hokage's office while the rest waited patiently.

The sudden movement of so many Anbu ninjas alarmed Tsunade, Hiruzen, Shizune, Kakashi and others who were in the office. They quickly realized they were former Root ninjas. While they weren't worried about being suddenly attacked since they were targeting Danzo, they had a bad feeling.

Tsunade asked, “Kazuo, what's the matter?”

Their eyes widened and pupils dilated in shock as the shark-mask wearer answered solemnly, “Our Cursed Tongue Eradication Seals disappeared. Danzo-sama is dead!”