Sarutobi Hiruzen let out a deep sigh as he stared at Danzo's pale face, his gaze lingering on that red Sharingan.
"Danzo truly is guilty. He schemed to seize the Uchiha clan's Sharingan and acted on his own within the village, even sending Root to attack Konoha's own ninja."
"From this moment onward, I am dissolving Root and stripping Danzo of his position as Hokage's advisor."
"Cough, cough…"
Danzo raised his head with difficulty and looked at Hiruzen, disbelief in his eyes.
"Hiruzen, what are you doing? That brat is practically a rogue ninja now, and you still want to let him go?!"
"That idiot…"
Hiruzen cursed silently in his heart. Did Danzo even realize how powerful Moku Kairen truly was? If he went berserk within the village, he could destroy the entire place singlehandedly.
And those 3,000 Shadow Clones weren't just for show. Each one was armed with Fire Release weapons—if they all rushed in at once, none of them would walk away unscathed.
Hiruzen no longer paid attention to Danzo. His expression grew complicated as he turned toward Kairen, the wrinkles on his face deepened with the weight of age and helplessness.
"Child, think of this old man's position for a moment."
"I know you are strong—so strong that even I am not confident facing you. But the village cannot fall into internal strife. We are still at war. If we tear each other apart now, the enemy nations will seize the opportunity to strike our borders!"
"Danzo is guilty, yes, but he must be judged properly. Listen to me—we'll imprison him first and put him on trial tomorrow. Is that acceptable?"
Kairen's face remained expressionless, but inside, he was laughing coldly.
This old man's speech neatly shifted all the blame onto Danzo's shoulders. Did he think Kairen hadn't noticed how he'd been shielding him just moments ago?
And now he wanted to play the part of a weary elder, begging for understanding? Kairen treated him like some kind of performer from the Taiji School of Hypocrisy.
Besides, once Danzo left Kairen's sight, who could guarantee he'd still be alive tomorrow?
"Danzo will die today, no matter what. Even if the Sage of Six Paths himself appears, he won't be saved. I, Moku Kairen, have said it!"
Kairen's immense chakra erupted once more as he formed hand seals with both hands.
"Multi Shadow Clone Technique!"
Boom boom boom boom boom boom—
In an instant, white smoke filled the skies and blanketed the earth.
"Chirp—!"
Above, massive ninja hawks circled endlessly, each one clutching a Giant Rasengan Cannon in its beak—bombing hawks.
On the ground below, a 500-strong army assembled, each soldier clad in green camouflage, armed to the teeth from head to toe.
Among them stood two enormous Autobot-like figures—Optimus Prime and Bumblebee—barrels gleaming with menace.
Clack clack clack…
The Shadow Clone army cocked their weapons in unison, aiming at Konoha's higher-ups and the ninja clans.
With just a flicker of Kairen's will, they could all be wiped out.
The atmosphere froze solid.
Namikaze Minato's azure eyes went blank, reflecting Kairen's image both on land and in the sky. Now, he finally believed what Kushina had said.
There was definitely another Nine-Tails sealed inside Kairen's body. Otherwise, how could he possess such monstrous chakra?
Uchiha Fugaku cursed inwardly. "If you want to kill Danzo, just kill Danzo! Why the hell are you surrounding us too?!"
Kairen's cold voice cut through the tension.
"Now, Third Hokage—are you still going to protect Danzo?"
Hiruzen frowned hard. Kairen's forces filled the skies and the ground—how could they possibly fight that?
Most of Konoha's forces were scattered across three battlefronts. Only thirty or forty Jōnin remained in the village. To pit them against Kairen? That would be suicide.
"Hiruzen!"
Koharu swallowed hard and exchanged a glance with Mitokado Homura, both of them stepping forward, their eyes sending a clear signal to Hiruzen.
Let Danzo go. Otherwise, everyone here dies.
"…Sigh."
Hiruzen closed his eyes and turned his back. That single gesture said it all.
"Hiruzen! Sarutobi Hiruzen! You damn—what do you mean by this?! You're abandoning me?!"
Danzo stared at the Hokage's back in disbelief.
So this was what betrayal felt like. The four of them had been chatting amiably in the Hokage's office just recently, even planning how to deal with Kairen. And now, he'd been sold out.
I, Shimura Danzo, betrayed by others? Impossible!
What is happening to this world?! What is happening to the ninja world?! Someone—answer me!
"Hahahahaha!"
Kairen burst into laughter, clutching his stomach.
The emotion spread through his Shadow Clones, and soon thousands of them were laughing wildly together.
"Hahahaha!"
The sound echoed and multiplied, infecting everyone around. Kushina, somehow, began laughing too.
"Hahahaha!"
Minato hurriedly grabbed her shoulders.
"Stop laughing! Kushina, stop!"
But Kushina couldn't stop, clutching her belly as she doubled over in laughter.
"Hahaha—I can't help it! All those Kairens laughing—it's just too funny! Hahaha!"
"Kushina…"
Minato looked at her helplessly, then exhaled in relief. With Hiruzen's concession, as long as Danzo's death could appease Kairen's wrath, the crisis in the village would finally pass.
"Hahahaha!"
Even Uchiha Madara was infected, letting out a crazed laugh. The wrinkles on his face twisted together as he laughed wildly. "Hashirama, do you see this? This is your village! So filthy it makes me sick!"
The White Zetsu known as Toni tilted his head in confusion.
"Sick? If you don't eat, how can you have poop?"
"Get lost!"
...
Kairen finally stopped laughing, wiping tears from his eyes.
He had laughed several times today. At this rate, he wouldn't even need to train his abs anymore—just laugh and let Hiruzen's farce entertain him.
Still, laughter was better than tears.
He turned his gaze toward the trembling Danzo on the ground and began walking slowly toward him.
Danzo's face twisted in fear.
"No… don't come any closer! Stay away from me!"
Kairen waved his hand, and a massive blade over a meter long materialized in his grip.
"Today, I, Moku Kairen, will personally chop off your damn head!"
He strode toward Danzo step by step.
Danzo scrambled to his feet, retreating frantically, utterly disheveled.
Slap slap—
He bumped into a Shadow Clone, who responded by slapping him twice across the face, then kicked him hard, sending him sprawling into the dirt like a mangy dog.
Falling flat, Danzo shouted desperately toward his Root operatives.
"Come save me! Hurry!"
Two Root Jōnin, deeply brainwashed into viewing Danzo as their savior, formed hand seals and flickered forward instantly to assist him.
The moment they landed—
Sparks erupted around them, tongues of fire flaring in every direction.
Boom boom boom boom boom—
Explosions rippled across the ground, followed by the thunderous roar of Giant Fire Guns.
Rumble rumble rumble—
After about thirty seconds of continuous bombardment, the smoke cleared.
What remained was a massive crater over ten meters wide. There wasn't even a trace of the two Jōnin's corpses left—nothing but ashes and dust.
Danzo's teeth clenched tight as his lips trembled.
"My Root… I order you all to save me! I can't die! I'm a hero of Konoha!"
...
Check out my new fanfic "Attack on Titan: The Titan of Fate"
A titan that exists outside the Nine Titans — the Titan of Fate.
This is the story of Yago in the world of titans.
(This book is dedicated to every reader who loves Attack on Titan, striving to make up for all the regrets of the original work.)
P.S. The protagonist is not an ordinary transmigrator; his identity is the greatest foreshadowing of this book.