https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-821-Masked-Taruto-I-Became-a-Substitute-/13154801/
Chapter 820: Konoha's Hero, Taruto
Chapter 820: Konoha's Hero, Taruto
"Leader Danzou, Uzumaki Taruto has made a move!"
Two Root members assigned to monitor Uzumaki Taruto rushed back to their base after being injured by him, promptly reporting the situation to Danzou.
"He dares to attack Anbu members and still claims he's not a spy?" Danzou exclaimed with delight.
He had been looking for an excuse to deal with Taruto, and now the latter had conveniently provided him with one.
Although Root was personally controlled by Danzou, it was nominally under Anbu's command, so the Root members were technically Anbu ninjas, and there was no fault in that.
Attacking Anbu ninjas was no trivial matter.
"But with the Uzumaki coup imminent, Hiruzen might be particularly sensitive to this," Danzou thought, suppressing the urge to immediately dispatch a team to capture Taruto.
Usually, it wouldn't matter, but now they were at a critical juncture in the Uzumaki clan's annihilation plan, and any carelessness could be costly.
If Hiruzen discovered his plan due to this, it would be a significant loss.
After careful consideration, Danzou headed back to the Hokage Tower.
He didn't expect Hiruzen to severely punish Taruto, but he hoped to detain Taruto for a few days to prevent him from causing trouble and disrupting the annihilation plan.
Once the designated time for the annihilation arrived, they could conveniently eliminate Taruto.
Danzou intended to let only two Uzumaki members survive—Uzumaki Obito, who would be useful, and Sasuke, who could restrain Obito.
However, what Danzou hadn't anticipated was that even after lowering his expectations, he still couldn't get the response he wanted from Hiruzen.
"Taruto is definitely not a spy, and your men were injured because they violated the rules first," Hiruzen replied, shaking his head.
Taruto was the last hope for changing the Uzumaki coup, and Hiruzen's support for him was already too late. How could he possibly believe Danzou's lies?
Hiruzen's attitude was resolute, leaving Danzou with no choice but to leave.
Back at the Root base, Danzou was displeased and summoned more elite Root members to monitor Taruto.
In truth, Danzou wasn't too concerned about Taruto; he was just habitually harassing the Uzumaki ninjas.
After all, there were only five days left until his annihilation plan, and no matter how much trouble Taruto caused, it wouldn't be enough to disrupt the plan he had prepared for so long.
By the time Taruto noticed something amiss, the Uzumaki clan's graves would already be overgrown with grass.
The next day, Danzou ordered his subordinates to investigate Taruto's background more thoroughly.
He wanted to understand the connection between Taruto and Hiruzen.
On this day, the Konoha Post once again featured Taruto on its front page.
Unlike the previous time, this issue had Taruto as the headline, titled "Hero's Return."
The previous newspaper had merely clarified one thing—Taruto wasn't dead; he was alive.
This time, the Konoha Post solemnly introduced Taruto's "sacrifice," his accomplishments, and various aspects of his life.
This time, Taruto truly caused a sensation within Konoha.
Making the front page of the Konoha Post was no small feat, and this issue's extensive coverage of Taruto made it even more extraordinary.
Most importantly, Taruto's deeds indeed had the potential to go viral.
The Fourth Hokage's disciple was crushed by a boulder while saving his friend, gifted the Sharingan as a token of gratitude, and miraculously returned nine years after being presumed dead.
It was a legendary tale, perfect for dinner conversations, and its rapid spread was only natural.
Within a day, the name of Konoha's hero, Taruto, echoed throughout the village.
Many elders expressed that they had seen Taruto's potential from a young age, and indeed, he grew up to become a hero of Konoha.
Danzou was unsettled.
He couldn't understand why Hiruzen was promoting an Uzumaki ninja at a time when the clan was on the verge of a coup.
However, before Danzou could do more, an even worse event occurred.
Root was under attack!
A masked person in a black hooded robe and orange-yellow mask appeared out of thin air at the Root base, spewing a sea of flames from their mouth and setting the base ablaze.
Several Root ninjas who didn't have time to react were severely burned by the sudden fire.
"Secret Technique: Parasitic Destruction!"
"Suiton: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
The startled Root ninjas attempted to counterattack with their ninjutsu.
"Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!"
The masked person's single exposed eye held a mocking expression, and they immediately unleashed an even more powerful high-temperature flame, instantly blocking all attacks and expanding the fire.
"Damn it, traitors can't be trusted."
Looking up at the masked man in black robes standing atop the high platform, Danzo Shimura's face darkened with fury.
Having had a brief collaboration with the masked man, he knew exactly who he was.
The masked man in black robes was Uchiha Madara, or so he claimed.
Danzo Shimura had originally planned to annihilate the Uchiha clan and then find a way to kill the masked man.
Unexpectedly, the masked man launched a surprise attack on his base.
"Since it's come to this, I'll eliminate you here and now."
Danzo Shimura channeled his chakra, releasing a sharp breath.
The masked man's strength was undeniable, but this was Konoha, and with his Root organization's elite forces and the additional support of Konoha's ninjas, they would surely be able to detain him.
"Mere child's play."
The masked man let out a disdainful laugh.
"Let me show you true power."
"Susanoo!"
A thunderous roar filled the air.
Intense blue light erupted from the masked man, and his chakra materialized into a substantial blue form.
In the blink of an eye, a towering giant composed entirely of pure chakra appeared amidst the burning Root base.
The giant, standing over seventy meters tall, clenched its fists, and two massive blue swords materialized in its hands.
BOOM! The masked man, controlling Susanoo, casually swung the swords, unleashing two sword slashes that reduced the Root base to rubble.
"How is this power possible?!"
The masked man's sudden display of overwhelming strength shocked the Root ninjas.
Before Susanoo, they felt like insignificant ants.
Some Root ninjas, refusing to back down, attacked Susanoo, but to no avail. Their attacks couldn't breach its defenses.
"Fuuton: Shinkuu Dai Kyuu!"
Danzo Shimura stealthily circled around, aiming a powerful wind bullet at the masked man's location within Susanoo.
The most distinctive feature of the Wind Release was its formidable cutting power.
Even if the blue giant was formidable, the masked man was still inside.
Unfortunately for Danzo Shimura, his attempt to flank was already anticipated.
SWISH! A sword slash shot out, shattering the wind bullet and forcing Danzo Shimura to dodge in a panic.
"Yasaka Magatama!"
The masked man's power was far more than just a sword slash. In an instant, several energy magatamas rained down.
BOOM! The explosion engulfed Danzo Shimura's position, sending debris and fire flying in all directions.
"Damn it!"
Danzo Shimura scrambled out of the thick smoke, his mouth stained with fresh blood.
Despite his best efforts to dodge, the range of Yasaka Magatama was too wide, and he couldn't evade it all.
Before Danzo Shimura could catch his breath, the blue giant sword struck again, forcing him to flee.
"Uchiha Madara, I will tear you to pieces!"
Danzo Shimura was seething with frustration. When had he, the esteemed advisor to the Hokage and leader of the Root organization, ever suffered such humiliation?
"I must find a way to get close to him."
Danzo Shimura decided to use Hiraishin.
Hiraishin had a limited range, but it wasn't as far as several dozen meters.
Susanoo's massive body created a gap between Danzo Shimura and the masked man.
"Katon: Gouka Messhi!"
As if sensing Danzo Shimura's intention, the masked man unleashed a torrent of flames from within Susanoo.
The most recent small talk in the library was about the six paths and the nine books, and the first volume was about to be published!
Some Root ninjas tried to use Water Release to aid Danzo Shimura, but they were instantly vaporized, leaving Danzo Shimura with no choice but to flee.
"Danzo, what's going on here?"
At that moment, Sarutobi Hiruzen arrived with his elite ninjas.
Gazing at the towering blue giant, Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression turned grave.
As a professor of ninjutsu, he was well aware of the nature of this power.
"I don't know either. I was handling official duties when the masked man suddenly appeared in my base and started wreaking havoc."
Danzo Shimura shook his head.
"Hiruzen, I've been saying this all along. The Uchiha clan must be closely monitored!"
"Aside from the Uchiha clan's ninjas, no one else can use Susanoo."
Sarutobi Hiruzen clenched his Enma Staff, transformed into the Kongou Nyoi, but said nothing, his gaze fixed on the black-robed figure within Susanoo.
"The Uchiha clan? Those weaklings are unworthy of the Uchiha name."
The masked man mocked coldly.
"In today's ninja world, only I, Uchiha Madara, am the true Uchiha!"
"Uchiha Madara? Impossible! Uchiha Madara died at the hands of the First Hokage!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen refuted.
"Haha, I merely pretended to be dead, and then I took the power from Hashirama's body. Brat, let me see how much you've improved over the years!"
As he spoke, the Masked Man in Black raised his greatsword and slashed towards Sarutobi.
"Damn it! How dare you destroy Konoha like this! I, Obito, will make sure you never return!"
Obito suddenly appeared on the battlefield and punched the Masked Man in Black.
The Masked Man in Black immediately swung his other greatsword towards Obito.
The giant sword of Susanoo was incredibly thick, and even if it were to smash, it could probably kill a dozen people effortlessly.
Facing such an exaggerated giant sword, Obito showed no fear and did not dodge, maintaining his attacking stance.
"Obito, get out of the way!"
Kakashi, rushing over, shouted anxiously.
At this moment, Kakashi wished his speed was faster, and his training in Raiton was not sufficient.
Boom!
The giant sword slashed through the air, hitting Obito's body head-on and slamming into the ground, creating a loud noise and stirring up a cloud of dust.
Sarutobi glared at Danzo.
Such a fine young man from Konoha, how could he be a spy? Which spy would fight so desperately?
"Kakashi, don't underestimate me. I, Obito, have learned the Sage Arts and become a Sage!"
The dust dissipated, revealing Obito's body, completely unharmed.
Obito, with one hand, lifted the giant sword, preventing it from advancing even a single centimeter.
The Root Anbu ninjas gasped, amazed by Obito's incredible strength, blocking the giant sword of Susanoo with just one hand.
Only Sarutobi and Kakashi, who had witnessed Obito's limitless techniques, understood that it wasn't Obito's strength but that the giant sword couldn't touch him.
"This Protective Sage Technique can actually block an attack of this level."
Sarutobi was a bit surprised.
Even if he used all his strength to perform defensive techniques like Earth Flow Wall, he couldn't possibly block this sharp Susanoo's giant sword.
He could only dodge or clash with the Diamond-like Adamantine Staff.
"Breath of Fire Sage Mode!"
Obito focused on his breathing, combining his natural energy with his chakra to form Sage Chakra, his entire body glowing red, becoming the most dazzling ninja on the scene.
"Sage Art: Azure Flame!"
Obito opened his mouth and spat out a blue flame, directly melting half of the blue giant sword above his head.
"Sage Art: Phoenix Fire, Azure Flame!"
After melting the blue giant sword, Obito spat out fist-sized balls of blue flames, attacking Susanoo.
The Sage Art Azure Flame had an extremely high temperature, and the Susanoo, which the Root's elite couldn't break through, instantly had several large holes.
The Masked Man in Black, who had never dodged before, began to dodge Obito's attacks.
"He's actually this strong!"
Watching Obito single-handedly suppress the Masked Man in Black, Danzo's expression turned ugly.
It was worth noting that the entire Root organization combined could only be chased and slashed by the Masked Man in Black.
If his subordinate had such strength, Danzo would be very pleased.
If an ordinary Konoha ninja had such strength, Danzo would conduct a thorough investigation but wouldn't take any offensive actions.
If an Uchiha ninja had such strength, Danzo would have only one thought in his heart—how to get rid of him?
The strength displayed by Obito left Danzo temporarily unable to find an answer, so he was anxious.
"Katon: Dust-Concealing Technique!"
As Obito and Sarutobi joined forces, the Masked Man in Black retreated step by step, resorting to releasing a large amount of high-temperature dust to obscure their vision.
"Strange, where did he go?"
Sarutobi used Wind Release to blow away the dust and cautiously examined his surroundings, only to find that the Masked Man in Black had disappeared.
Sarutobi immediately issued an emergency order to seal off Konoha and mobilized ninjas to search for the Masked Man in Black.
It was hard to say if the Masked Man in Black was Uchiha Madara, but he was undoubtedly the culprit controlling the Nine-Tails.
Where would so many powerful Uchiha come from? If there were really so many formidable Uchiha, why would the Uchiha clan still need to plan a coup? They could directly march to the Hokage's Office.
Unfortunately, Sarutobi still couldn't find the Masked Man in Black.
Although he didn't know how the Masked Man in Black did it, it seemed that during the moment when the dust blocked their vision, the Masked Man in Black escaped.
"As expected of our Konoha hero, truly amazing."
After the battle, the Anbu, having witnessed Obito's strength, praised him.
"No, compared to my teacher, I still have a long way to go. If only I could have arrived faster."
Obito shook his head.
Thus, Obito's reputation as the Konoha hero not only spread widely among the public but also gained the recognition of many Jonin.
After all, a ninja's strength spoke for itself.
(End of Chapter)
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