Chapter 199: The Classic Kakashi Kamui Save
Sai took the paintbrush away.
As everyone knows, Sai uses Super Beast Imitating Drawing, and his brushes come in several sizes. The one he had used on Danzō was, of course, the most suitable size.
And the bristles were extremely firm and tough.
So the moment it was pulled out, Danzō shuddered and instinctively blurted out, "Wait, don't."
Who was Sai?
He was a Root member loyal to Danzō without reservation. A command from Danzō was something he naturally had to follow.
So…
Sai put it back in again.
"..."
Everyone fell silent.
Danzō fell silent.
The other two Root members also fell silent.
They knew Sai lacked human sensibilities, but they hadn't expected him to lack them to this degree.
Danzō began to feel a bit of regret, regret for having erased the humanity of Root members.
What kind of monster had Sai become?
"Forget it. Sai, you have other brushes, right? Just go."
Danzō waved him off.
When Sai had just shoved it back in, he had accidentally poked Danzō's hemorrhoids.
Having spent years sitting in the dark underground Root headquarters, Danzō naturally had hemorrhoids, and White Zetsu had even collected his blood before.
Danzō didn't dare let Sai pull the brush out again, because he was afraid the blood that might splash out could touch the seals on his body and trigger the alarm. That would be bad.
So Danzō simply kept hold of the brush like that, and with the careful support of the two Root members, walked out of the cell.
Danzō had no idea this was a fishing trap set specifically for him.
After all, he couldn't imagine what there was about his current state that was worth "fishing."
And even if it really was a trap, he no longer had the luxury of making other choices, he could only walk this road to the end.
What, was he supposed to obediently stay in prison and wait for reform and release?
He didn't forget what his Tobirama-sensei said to Tsunade before leaving.
This was his only chance.
Victory, or death!
However, outside the cell at this very moment stood Sarutobi Hiruzen, Hatake Kakashi, Yamato, Might Guy with his mouth gagged, and Uzumaki Kushina, all waiting for Danzō to appear.
When they saw Sai come out first, Kakashi stopped Might Guy, who was about to charge in, and gave him a look.
Before the mission, Hiruzen had reminded them that Danzō was the top priority above all else. Everyone else was to be ignored.
Obviously, Might Guy had already forgotten.
If it weren't for his combat power, to prevent any accidents, there was no way they would've brought him along.
Plop.
"What's this?"
Hiruzen cautiously stepped forward and picked up something from the grass.
This was what Sai had thrown away before leaving.
Could it be some kind of secret intel?
No, wasn't this that Root member's drawing scroll?
Before coming, the backgrounds of the three Root members who arrived here had been thoroughly investigated.
Their abilities, what they specialized in, everything.
"What is this?"
Hiruzen opened the scroll and found some yellow pigment smeared inside. He touched it with his hand, it wasn't even dry yet.
"Third Hokage-sama, don't…"
Kushina recognized it instantly.
Even though the form was different, the one on the Hokage Rock was already dry.
Hiruzen clearly didn't have Kushina's experience. As an Impure World Reincarnation body, he lacked many physical sensations, which really made things inconvenient and dulled his perception of the outside world.
When Hiruzen finally realized what was on his hand, his face instantly turned pitch-black. He hurriedly wiped it off on a clean part of the scroll and tossed it aside.
At the same time, Danzō appeared.
According to their prearranged plan, Hiruzen immediately signaled toward the trees. Enma transformed into the Adamantine Staff and flew to him. Catching it midair, Hiruzen struck down the two Root members.
A stylish entrance.
Holding his pose, Hiruzen slowly raised his head and looked at Danzō.
"Danzō, I am the Hokage. Any act that endangers Konoha, holy crap!"
Hiruzen suddenly discovered in horror that there was a paintbrush sticking out behind Danzō.
What was this supposed to mean?
Had Danzō done something unspeakable in prison with that subordinate who could draw?
No, wait, wasn't that backwards?
Danzō was the passive one.
Could it be that the Root members, seeing the usually lofty and cold Danzō stripped of all power, blindfolded…
And unable to suppress the twisted thrill brought by that contrast, they had,
Hiruzen glanced at the Adamantine Staff in his hand and instinctively hid it behind his back.
Afraid Danzō might want to "play" with this too.
"Hiruzen, you…"
Danzō heard Hiruzen's voice. Though he couldn't see, he heard the commotion and that "holy crap" and he knew Hiruzen had seen it.
Danzō's body trembled.
"Hiruzen, you are no longer the person who bathed Konoha in the sunlight. You are a dead man who should not remain in this world."
"I am the root in the darkness, destined to take away decay like you!"
Struggling violently, Danzō tore open the restraints on his body, revealing the markings across him.
Wait…
Everyone was stunned.
Why was Danzō suddenly about to self-destruct?
Had seeing this scene in front of the Third Hokage completely broken him?
And what was with that righteous, grand speech?
Hiruzen was stunned too. Their plan had been to lure Danzō to a place far from people and then provoke him into using the Reaper Death Seal.
Why was Danzō using it directly now?
To prevent him from detonating early, Hiruzen had deliberately adjusted his wording, carefully avoiding provoking him.
Yet he never imagined that Danzō would provoke himself, fidget with the paintbrush for no reason, get caught red-handed, and instantly break down.
Now was he self-destructing to destroy evidence?
To prevent Konoha's history from recording that Danzō had died after being… that… with a brush?
But the problem was, just as Shiromo said, the ninja world wasn't that serious about history.
Give it a few decades and even the 'Strong Man' series could become official records.
Was Danzō worried about photographic evidence instead?
"Let us depart together, Hiruzen. Perhaps in another world, I have already become Hokage."
After activating the Four Symbols Seal, Danzō revealed a relieved smile under the sunlight.
As his body relaxed, Sai's paintbrush fell to the ground with a clatter.
One side was red pigment. The other side was yellow pigment.
"D-damn it!"
Hiruzen panicked.
This was the prison area, there were few people nearby, but that didn't mean there were none.
That was why they had planned to stall and lure Danzō away.
"Third Hokage-sama, leave it to me!"
The already well-practiced savior Kakashi stepped forward again, lifting his forehead protector.
But this time, Kakashi hesitated for one second.
Because a thought suddenly occurred to him,
Why did every time he used Kamui, it ended up connected to poop, pee, and fart jokes? Was this some kind of chain of destiny?
Because of that one second of hesitation, part of the ground had already been engulfed by the spreading blast of the Four Symbols Seal.
Kakashi had no choice but to pour in more ocular power and expand the range.
Finally, at the very limit, Kakashi warped away Danzō along with the Four Symbols Seal.
He collapsed to the ground in exhaustion.
Honestly, with how many times Kakashi had saved the day like this, it would be unreasonable not to make him Hokage.
"Uh… seems like there's a problem."
Up in the tree, Kushina raised one finger awkwardly after watching the scene.
(End of this chapter)