All of Konohagakure was now engulfed in the flames of war.
Leaving aside the two battlefields on the village's outskirts and the third battlefield centered around the conference hall, the chaos within the village was already overwhelming. The traitorous Sunagakure shinobi, the former Konoha ninja-turned-rogue factions led by the Inuzuka and Aburame clans, and the Force under Shimura Kiyoto had thrown the entire village into disorder.
Though Konoha's resistance was formidable, the presence of Kisame and Itachi made them seem woefully inadequate.
However, the true heart of the battle wasn't above ground—it was beneath Konoha, in the depths of Root's headquarters.
"Damn it! Damn it!"
"Damn Akatsuki! I'll make them pay!" Danzo roared furiously, his usual composed demeanor completely shattered.
He couldn't understand it. He had planned every step meticulously—so why had everything spiraled into this disaster?
"Make Akatsuki pay? You?" Deidara's clone entered alongside Kakashi and Orochimaru.
The Root guards stationed outside were nothing more than a joke to them—eliminating them was effortless.
"Heh." Danzo sneered, his eyes cold. "Orochimaru, Deidara, Kakashi… you think you've won already?"
"What else?" Deidara spread his hands. "Tell me how we lose."
"You'll soon regret your arrogance." A glint of malice flashed in Danzo's lone eye. He had good reason for his confidence—Shisui's Kotoamatsukami.
Unlike Itachi's version, his Kotoamatsukami wasn't permanent, but it had a unique advantage—flexibility.
Its cooldown varied based on the degree of influence exerted and the target's strength. The lighter the manipulation and the weaker the opponent, the shorter the cooldown.
Of course, drastic changes—such as when he used it on Tsunade—required a much longer recovery time due to her sheer power. But even then, it didn't take a ridiculous ten years to recharge. And with the aid of Hashirama's cells, his Kotoamatsukami was fully restored.
Activating it now would indeed release Tsunade from its influence—he could only control one target at a time. However, given Konoha's current crisis, even if Tsunade regained her will, she would undoubtedly continue defending the village.
As for the consequences of his decision… those were problems for later.
He scrutinized his three opponents. Deidara was merely a clone, meaning Kotoamatsukami would be useless on him. That left Kakashi and Orochimaru.
Orochimaru was the obvious choice—stronger, more dangerous. Using Kotoamatsukami on Kakashi was too risky; who knew what unforeseen complications might arise with his Sharingan?
"Heh." Orochimaru licked his lips, flashing a mocking smile. "Danzo, judging by your eyes, you plan to use Shisui's Mangekyō?"
"Think carefully. We came prepared. If anything goes wrong when you activate it, you won't get a second chance."
What?!
Danzo froze. They even knew about Kotoamatsukami?! How was that possible?!
A creeping sense of despair overtook him. Was he truly doomed today?
No! Impossible!
He still had Izanagi! His ultimate trump card, known to no one!
"Then die!" Deidara slammed his hands onto the ground. "C2: Special Variant—Myriad Serpents Formation!"
Countless clay serpents slithered forward, filling the underground chamber in an instant.
Orochimaru hesitated, retracting his hands. He shot Deidara a look of annoyance before stretching out his right hand toward Danzo.
"Many Hidden Shadow Sn…"
"Clay Serpent Strike!" Deidara's clay snakes lunged ahead first, interrupting Orochimaru.
Danzo may have been under pressure, but he wasn't entirely helpless.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Wave!" A razor-sharp wind blade sliced through the clay snakes, severing them in half. He leaped onto higher ground, narrowly avoiding the seemingly endless swarm of clay serpents below.
"Wind Release: Drilling Air Bullet!" He exhaled a concentrated wind bullet, obliterating a large section of the advancing clay snakes, momentarily clearing some space.
At that moment, reinforcements arrived—Root ninjas who had remained behind to guard classified data and research materials.
Ordinarily, they were not to abandon their posts, but given the situation, they had no choice.
"Lord Hokage!"
"Lord Hokage!"
Seeing the eight elite Root shinobi forming a protective line before him, Danzo felt a flicker of relief. They were highly trained—capable of holding their own.
"You'll handle Deidara and Orochimaru. I'll take care of Kakashi." Danzo issued his orders swiftly, intending to start with the weakest opponent and gradually wear down their forces.
"Lord Hokage, why not target Orochimaru first?"
"After all, you defeated him in one move last time. Shouldn't we eliminate him first?" one of the Root members asked hesitantly.
Danzo: "…"
Are you new here?! In Root, obedience is all that matters—who told you to question me?!
"Shut up! Follow the plan!" Danzo barked.
The eight Root members charged in unison.
In the confined underground space, Deidara was at a disadvantage. His clone had to be cautious not to harm Kakashi or Orochimaru, making it tricky to deal with all eight enemies at once.
Of course, if he disregarded collateral damage, he could simply blow up Danzo along with them.
"Orochimaru, why are you just standing there? Don't be so petty." Deidara sighed. "Was it really that upsetting to see my art in action?"
"Heh, fascinating indeed." Orochimaru caught one of the clay serpents, inspecting it as if it contained some grand secret more alluring than immortality itself.
Deidara let out a deep breath. "I see how it is."
"Hah!"
Thousands of clay serpents exploded, but their individual damage was minimal, and they could only affect the ground. The Root shinobi dodged them easily.
Deidara gave up and retreated behind Orochimaru, nudging him.
"Your turn."
Seeing Deidara back off so readily, Orochimaru smirked and ended his standoff. He bit his thumb and pressed his hand to the ground.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Two enormous snakes appeared—though not as massive as Manda, given the limited space available.
"Hiss!" One snake lunged at a Root member, forcing him to retreat. Another Root member attempted to intervene with ninjutsu, but it was futile.
The first shinobi evaded the initial strike but failed to dodge the second.
Orochimaru's unnaturally elongated neck retracted, his mouth closing around his prey—by the time he released the shinobi, the man had already drawn his last breath.
Eight elite jōnin wouldn't last long against Orochimaru.
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
Fanfic is finished on Patreon (241 chapters in total.)
Patreon(.)com/Jixo (for only $4.50, read this entire fanfic)