Danzō sprinted desperately, having left the Land of Fields and crossed into the borders of the Land of Fire!
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Explosive clay birds trailed him relentlessly, raining bombs from above. However, due to Danzō's high-speed movements, the bombs often missed their mark, failing to deliver decisive blows.
Swish!
Naruto hurled a kunai downward, teleporting to the ground using the Flying Raijin Jutsu. Forming hand seals, he pressed both palms to the earth.
Summoning Jutsu!
Boom!
With a puff of white smoke, the massive form of the Baku appeared!
Swish!
Naruto teleported back onto the clay bird's back.
The Baku charged forward, its Rinnegan fixated on Danzō's retreating figure. Opening its enormous maw, it unleashed an overwhelming suction force!
Whoosh!
The sudden, powerful vacuum caused Danzō, who had been sprinting at full speed, to skid backward uncontrollably!
"The Baku!?" Danzō glanced back in shock. "Damn it! I killed that creature long ago! How is it now Naruto's summon? And this suction power… it's far beyond its original limits!"
Faced with the dual threats of the Baku's suction and the bombs raining down from above, Danzō turned and performed a rarely used jutsu.
Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique!
Boom!
The dragon-shaped flames were drawn into the Baku's vacuum and swallowed whole. The Baku vanished in a puff of smoke.
On the clay bird, Naruto observed the scene and shook his head. "As expected, the Baku isn't suited for dealing with fire-style attacks. Its main use is absorbing sand, pollen, and the like. Don't you think so, Konan?"
Konan replied coldly, "Yes, I agree."
Freed from the Baku's interference, Danzō pushed himself to run even faster.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Under Naruto's relentless aerial bombardment, the Sharingan embedded in Danzō's body began closing one by one.
Naruto glanced at his watch, puzzled. "Strange… it's already been two hours, yet Danzō's eyes haven't all been depleted. I need to confirm something."
"I'll handle it," Konan volunteered.
Swish!
Paper fragments folded into a streamlined paper bird, maximizing speed.
Whoosh!
The paper bird dove toward Danzō's path!
"Hmph!" Danzō frowned mid-sprint, exhaling a gust of wind to shred the paper bird.
Konan furrowed her brows. "Danzō still has around 120 Sharingan left on his body."
Naruto's expression darkened. "That's… impossible. Did he deactivate Izanagi midway? That would be too risky—one mistake and he'd be finished. Could it be…"
Naruto's mind raced as he pieced together the truth.
"Those eyes… they're all Mangekyō Sharingan from Shin Uchiha's clones. Mangekyō Sharingan can pre-set ocular techniques. If Izanagi is pre-programmed to activate only in the face of danger, then any gaps in our attacks won't count toward its duration."
He clenched his fists. "Which means the remaining 120 eyes represent 120 minutes of Izanagi's invincibility. To defeat him, we must maintain uninterrupted, effective attacks for two full hours!"
Konan's frown deepened. "Uninterrupted attacks for 120 minutes? The chakra required for that is unimaginable. Most ninja battles don't even last 10 minutes."
Naruto closed his eyes briefly. "That's why I'll use Sage Chakra to sustain the assault. I'll combine it with the widest-range and fastest-speed techniques I have to ensure continuous coverage!"
Zzt! Zzt! Zzt!
Naruto's golden hair began to grow rapidly, cascading down his back.
Konan's eyes widened. "Is this…?"
Naruto opened his eyes, his voice steady. "This is the pervy sage's technique. To maximize power, I'll combine Sage Mode with the Purple Lightning Chakra Mode!"
Crackle!
Purple lightning enveloped Naruto's body like armor.
Standing atop the clay bird, Naruto's hardened hair transformed into countless needles.
Sage Art: Thunderstorm Needle Barrage!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Golden hair needles, infused with purple lightning, rained down on Danzō like a storm!
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
"What!?" Danzō exclaimed in shock, dodging frantically as he ran, trying to escape the attack range.
But with the Rinnegan and his natural sensory abilities, Naruto adjusted his aim with pinpoint precision. There was no escape. Danzō could only pray that Naruto's chakra would deplete quickly.
Five minutes later, Naruto's Sage Chakra was exhausted.
His hair returned to its short length as he sat cross-legged. "Konan, I need time to replenish my Sage Chakra. Cover for me!"
"Leave it to me."
Dance of the Shikigami!
Konan's paper wings unfurled as she dove from the sky, raining paper spears down on Danzō. Though not every spear hit its mark, her accuracy remained above fifty percent.
In five minutes, she managed to close three of Danzō's eyes.
After recovering, Naruto re-entered Sage Mode, his hair growing long once more. "Take a break, Konan. I'll handle it from here."
Konan returned to the clay bird, swallowing a soldier pill to recover her strength.
The deadly needle barrage resumed.
Danzō cursed inwardly. "Damn it! He's figured out that my Izanagi can activate and deactivate automatically!"
Despite his mounting frustration, Danzō could do nothing but continue running, praying that his luck as Hokage would see him through the night.
Naruto and Konan took turns attacking, gradually depleting Danzō's eyes.
As dawn broke, the last Sharingan on Danzō's chest entered its countdown phase.
Within this final minute, his bloodshot eyes darted downward to check his surroundings.
The Hidden Leaf Village was still a kilometer away, with a forest standing in his path. Even with his blind confidence, he knew the odds were against him.
"Is this the end for me? No… the forest ahead could provide cover. Perhaps… there's still hope!"
Danzō summoned his remaining strength for a final sprint.
Naruto raised two fingers.
Boom!
A massive scorpion, ten meters long, burst from the ground in front of Danzō. It was one of Naruto's Rinnegan summons, named Abyssal Burrowing Scorpion, kept as a hidden trump card alongside the Baku.
"Get out of my way!" Danzō roared, unleashing a surge of trees from his arm to crush the scorpion, which vanished in a puff of smoke.
Snap!
The trees shattered as Danzō broke through, diving into the forest. The Sharingan on his chest closed, leaving only his right eye.
From the clay bird, Naruto observed. "He's persistent."
Konan asked, "What now?"
Naruto's voice was cold. "I said he'd die tonight, and I meant it. He won't live to see the sunrise."
Poof!
The clay bird was dismissed. Cloaked in purple lightning, Naruto descended into the forest, pursuing Danzō at high speed.
"He'll use Kagami's right eye for Izanagi. It's his only choice. But even that won't be enough to get him back to the Leaf Village alive."
Naruto murmured to himself, casually throwing a kunai at Danzō's back.
Slash!
A wound opened on Danzō's shoulder.
Drip.
A drop of blood landed on Naruto's lightning cloak.
Naruto's eyes narrowed. "Blood? Does that mean he hasn't activated Izanagi?"
"The Hokage Rock… I must see it. Just once. Even from afar, I must engrave my visage into the mountain… into history!"
Driven by an unspoken conviction, Danzō burst out of the forest. The walls of the Hidden Leaf came into view, and beyond them, the Hokage Rock was visible.
Boom!
At that moment, a deafening explosion echoed as the sixth Hokage's carving on the Hokage Rock crumbled into rubble!
Danzō's faith shattered. His right eye widened in disbelief as his steps faltered.
Slash!
Naruto's lightning-clad arm pierced through his back and out his chest, mercilessly ending his life.
The commotion drew the attention of the Leaf's shinobi.
"What happened?"
"The sixth Hokage's carving collapsed!"
"Was it poor construction?"
"No, it seems the damage was from when the village was attacked by the Akatsuki. The cracks must have widened over time."
"At least no one was hurt."
Danzō fell, his lifeless eyes fixated on the Hokage Rock.
Even in death, he had not used Kagami's right eye for Izanagi. He had saved it, just to see his own Hokage carving one last time.
Naruto stood over him. "Your obsession with being Hokage is commendable, but it doesn't absolve your crimes. Danzō, I'll be taking Kagami's right eye."
Reaching into Danzō's eye socket, Naruto extracted the Sharingan, sealing it in a container before tucking it into his sleeve.
He cast a complicated glance toward the Hidden Leaf before turning and vanishing into the distance.
The first rays of dawn illuminated the village.
Shimura Danzō, the symbol of the ninja world's darkness, had fallen.
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