Chapter 16: Are You Trying to Destroy the Leaf Village?!

Just as Danzō was frozen in shock, his pupils reflected the sudden, terrifying crimson figure of Uchiha Iizumi—now mere inches away, a furnace of molten rage.

Instinctively, Danzō dodged sideways, hands flying through seals with desperate speed.

"Wind Release—"

Danzō drew in a breath so deep his chest swelled grotesquely, then expelled it with a thunderous roar.

"Vacuum Ball!!"

He still hadn’t torn off the bandages covering his face.

To expose the Sharingan in broad daylight would be catastrophic. The entire bloodline clan population of the Leaf Village would turn on him instantly. Who would tolerate a bloodline hunter lurking among them?

The concentrated Wind Release chakra shot forth like bullets from a machine gun—each "Vacuum Ball" the size of a baby’s fist. Where they struck nearby buildings, thick walls were blasted through, leaving round, smoking holes in their wake.

But—

When the barrage struck Uchiha Iizumi, it was as if stones had been thrown into water. Though fiery "splashes" of molten rock erupted from his body, the molten defense remained unbroken, resisting all impact.

Tick tick... tick tick...

With every step forward, Uchiha Iizumi left behind a trail of flaming footprints on the ground. The air reeked of sulfur, thick and suffocating—so intense it made Danzō’s vision swim.

"Damn it… this is almost identical to the Hyōton techniques of the Kiri clan. A bloodline jutsu that lets one transform their body into a natural element, rendering them immune to most physical attacks?"

"Even so… my Wind Release is useless against him!"

Danzō’s face twisted in fury, his cold eyes narrowing with suspicion and dread. "No… there’s no such thing as invincibility. There has to be a weakness…"

Then it hit him.

The Monkey… though weak-willed, he’d never tolerate a Uchiha clan with no weaknesses—and worse, one that can’t be controlled.

Uchiha Iizumi had only once blocked a jutsu before—two Root ninjas’ Water Release attack.

Water Release…

Could that be the flaw in this wicked little Uchiha’s power?

Water Release wasn’t Danzō’s specialty—but he knew it well enough.

Suddenly, he saw Uchiha Iizumi raise one arm, a single finger from his molten hand pointed directly at him. The tip pulsed with restrained fury, as if ready to erupt.

"Shit!"

At that very instant, a torrent of searing molten droplets erupted from the fingertip—dozens of miniature magma projectiles arcing through the air in a deadly barrage.

"Molten Release: Molten Shrapnel!"

Danzō’s eyes widened. He slammed both palms onto the ground, forming seals with lightning speed.

"Water Release: Water Wall!!"

A towering wall of water rose before him.

The molten shrapnel slammed into the barrier, sending up clouds of scalding steam and filling the air with the stench of sulfur. Danzō broke into a cold sweat. A fraction of a second later, and he’d have been forced to activate his Sharingan—something he couldn’t afford in public.

Damn it! His entire arsenal was split: half in Wind Release, half in Sharingan and Wood Release. And now, all three were useless against this cursed Uchiha brat.

The constant, gnawing pain in his left ear flared, fueling his rage. He’d never felt so powerless, so confined.

If only this fight had happened elsewhere—had he been given time, reinforcements, a full team of Root… Danzō would have slaughtered this evil child.

After all… he’d done it before.

A year ago, he’d killed Uchiha Shisui.

No genius, no matter how gifted, could survive a coordinated ambush—or a trap sprung from the shadows.

But this… this was different.

There was no preparation. No strategy. No escape.

And now—Uchiha Iizumi was advancing.

"Hmm?"

Through the translucent water barrier, Danzō glimpsed something ahead—a vast, pulsing red glow.

"Molten Release: Great Eruption!"

A molten fist, as large as a small house, surged forward, crushing everything in its path. The ground itself melted beneath it, like wax under a torch.

The sheer force of the eruption shattered the Water Wall instantly. The heat vaporized every drop of water in an instant.

In Danzō’s eyes, the molten fist exploded outward—growing several times its size—spilling forth a torrent of magma that roared toward him like a volcanic tsunami.

For a heartbeat, he thought he was staring down a sea of fire.

——Izanagi!!

No choice left.

Whether for his own survival or to end this evil Uchiha once and for all, Danzō had no option but to activate his Sharingan.

The molten flood engulfed his frail, aging body. Human flesh could not withstand such heat—within less than a second, Danzō was reduced to vapor.

The lava swept across the street, obliterating half a block of buildings.

Danzō was dead.

And yet… not quite.

The forbidden technique of the Sharingan—Izanagi—rewrote any event that threatened his life. Death itself could be undone.

But the cost was steep: the Sharingan would be permanently blinded. And the power to rewrite fate lasted only one full minute.

As the last transplant of Sharingan within his bandages sealed shut, the scattered vapor in the air coalesced—reforming into a human shape.

Danzō stood again—alive, but colder than ever. His face was a mask of fury.

"Danzō!!"

"Stop!!"

At that moment, figures emerged from the shadows—dozens of them, clad in the distinctive gear of the Leaf’s Anbu.

Three full Anbu squads had arrived, led by Hiruzen Sarutobi.

They surrounded the entire street in seconds.

---

Hiruzen Sarutobi stepped forward, his wrinkled face grim. He coughed sharply, the air thick with the acrid scent of molten rock and sulfur.

His old eyes scanned the wreckage—the scorched earth, the melted buildings, the smoldering remains.

"Danzō! What in the name of the Hokage are you doing?!"

He spoke with the authority of the Third Hokage, his voice laced with thunder. Behind him, Kakashi and other Anbu stood ready, hands on weapons.

"This is the Leaf Village! Are you trying to destroy it?!"

Danzō blinked—then stared.

He could understand why the Monkey would come. The explosion had been massive.

But he didn’t understand why, upon arrival, Hiruzen would immediately confront him like a criminal.

"Hiruzen! What are you implying?!"

Danzō spat the words, teeth clenched. He no longer called him "Hiruzen"—not even "Naruto."

"By what right do you accuse me of destroying the village? On the contrary, if I had killed this power-hungry Uchiha brat today, I would have saved the Leaf!"

He jabbed a finger at Uchiha Iizumi.

"This evil child was trying to use the Sharingan to control the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki—to trigger another Nine-Tails Invasion, just like years ago!"

"If I hadn’t intervened… the village would already be in ruins!"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end