"Do you all want to become rogue ninjas?"
Pitch-black eyes gazed coldly at the Root members lining both sides of the corridor, none of whom dared to make a rash move.
These Root ninja were fearful of Kakashi's status as Hokage, yet they were also worried about Danzō's safety.
They had been brainwashed by Danzō Shimura since childhood, regarding him as their master.
But being in Konoha meant they were destined to be Konoha shinobi, and Konoha's supreme commander was the Hokage.
Now that the Hokage and their master were coming to blows, they found it difficult to choose.
"What are you waiting for? Kill him for me!"
At this moment, Danzō Shimura realized that due to the failure of Izanami, he had likely lost any chance at the position of Hokage.
In fact, because he had acted against Kakashi so openly today, it was highly probable that this would lead to his death.
He could no longer afford to consider the consequences.
His only chance of survival was to take down Kakashi and that Uchiha Itachi before the main Konoha forces arrived to surround them, and then wipe out every staff member in the Hokage building.
This was Danzō Shimura's ruthlessness—a man cannot achieve great things without venom.
For Konoha, and for the greater good, Danzō felt that he had reached the most critical moment of his life.
The only thing he couldn't figure out, no matter how hard he tried, was why the Sharingan's Izanami had been ineffective against Kakashi.
Although Izanami was not a pupil technique of the Mangekyō Sharingan—it could be used with a three-tomoe Sharingan—its effects were not in the least inferior to Mangekyō techniques. In fact, many Mangekyō techniques were less practical than Izanami.
Izanami was a pupil technique capable of rewriting destiny.
"Kill me?"
"It seems you already know where you stand."
Kakashi glanced at the metal braces on Danzō's arm and let out a cold sneer. He immediately strode forward, preparing to finish him off before he could undo the seal.
Kakashi had no interest in knowing whether the current Danzō Shimura had collected enough Sharingan to complete Izanagi.
Even if he had collected enough Sharingan to support the use of Izanagi, so what?
With that tedious unsealing process, Kakashi could kill him ten times over.
"You are not permitted to touch Danzō-sama!"
Just then, seeing that Danzō was about to fall into Kakashi's hands, a Root member standing at the very front on the left roared in anger and charged toward Kakashi.
As he moved, countless insects flew from his body, rushing straight for Kakashi!
Insects, visible to the naked eye...
Is it Ryōma Aburame?
Kakashi glanced at the charging Ryōma Aburame and mentally sentenced him to death.
"Rebel who disrupts the peace of Konoha, I will not allow you to lay a hand on Lord Hokage."
Before Kakashi could act, Itachi Uchiha had already blocked Ryōma Aburame's path.
His hands formed seals with lightning speed, and a massive fireball erupted from his mouth, surging toward the charging Ryōma and the swarm of insects!
Because they were currently in a narrow corridor, Fire Release—usually intended for suppression and forcing enemy movement—became an indiscriminate lethal weapon in this environment.
Countless insects were roasted into charcoal by the flames, and Ryōma Aburame was forced to retreat toward the others behind him.
At the same time, a wall rose up within the corridor to intercept the fireball.
Evidently, other Root members had made their move.
Kakashi glanced at Danzō Shimura, who was trying to use this opportunity to undo his seal in a desperate struggle, and without hesitation, he stomped his foot squarely onto Danzō's chest!
In an instant, the floor shattered, and Danzō Shimura plummeted directly from the third floor to the second!
Downstairs was the administrative office area. Danzō's fall smashed right through a desk, sending countless files and papers flying into the air. The surrounding staff cried out in alarm, scattering in all directions to get as far away as possible.
They could likely guess that something was happening upstairs, but they hadn't expected it to trigger a violent outbreak.
Danzō struggled to rise after crashing to the floor, but Kakashi leaped down through the hole in the ceiling, landing directly beside him.
"Kakashi, you...!"
Danzō looked at the seal on his arm, which was only half-undone, with a look of despair.
"'You' what?"
"Assassinating the Hokage, colluding with Orochimaru for human experimentation, preventing the Uchiha from rescuing the Fourth... which of these has nothing to do with you?"
"And now you actually attempt to kill me?"
"You truly don't recognize your own weight."
Kakashi lifted him by the collar with a blank expression, showing him no mercy whatsoever.
"You!"
"These... these were all for the sake of making Konoha strong again!"
"What do you know?!"
Danzō firmly gripped the hand that was choking him and spoke furiously.
"Only this old man can make Konoha strong again."
Seeing that Danzō Shimura was unrepentant even at death's door, Kakashi sneered and ceased holding back.
"Since that is the case, you will be nailed to Konoha's pillar of shame. Every single wretched thing you have done will be engraved on the record, so that future generations will clearly know of your 'great achievements.'"
Kakashi's words caused Danzō's eyes to widen violently. For the first time, he revealed a look of genuine panic as he shouted:
"You cannot do this!"
"Everything I did was for Konoha!"
"This old man was wholehearted for Konoha!"
At this moment, Danzō Shimura was truly panicked. He knew exactly what his actions signified.
There were some things one could do, but never speak of. Once spoken aloud, one would be reviled by future generations, even in death.
Just then, Itachi Uchiha and Homura Mitokado jumped down from the floor above. As soon as they landed, they heard Kakashi's explosive words and froze on the spot.
Neither Itachi nor Homura had expected that Danzō could commit such acts.
Any single one of those deeds would be enough to cost him his life.
Let alone the fact that he had done them all.
Kakashi had no intention of bickering with Danzō any longer. Purple electricity flashed explosively in his hand; he planned to knock him unconscious first, and then deal with him alongside that old woman, Koharu Utatane.
"Ka... Kashi!"
"All my life... I have walked on thin ice..."
"Do you know... how much I have contributed to Konoha?!"
"I will absolutely not suffer such humiliation from you!"
Even while struggling to survive amidst the purple electricity, Danzō somehow still had strength to spare.
Roaring, he tried to tear open his clothes to unleash some final measure, but how could Kakashi possibly let him succeed?
With another violent surge of purple electricity, the hand Danzō was using to tear his clothes stiffened in place, and his entire body convulsed uncontrollably.
His eyes rolled back into his head!
Seeing that Danzō Shimura had completely lost the ability to move, Kakashi tossed him onto the floor.
Meanwhile, Tenzo, who was in the Uchiha clan grounds, heard of the violent conflict at the Hokage building. He finally led a squad of Anbu ninja to break through the Root encirclement outside the building and rushed over.
"Lord Hokage!"
Tenzo arrived in front of Kakashi in a frantic rush. Before he could even figure out the situation, Kakashi spoke in a chilling voice:
"Danzō Shimura and Koharu Utatane attempted to assassinate the Hokage. Detain them immediately, throw them into the death row cells, and await sentencing."
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