It had been something on Naruto's mind since the moment his eyes laid on the right hand of Danzō. A simple question floated through his mind…
What was the use of those Sharingans on the artificial limb of Danzō?
It certainly weren't there to serve the purpose as a normal Sharingan would do, and so that many Sharingans on his arm literally made no sense to him.
But as the clash between them progressed, he failed not to notice the odd occurrence with those Sharingans. For each time Danzō seemed to survive a hit that should have killed him and was revived as if nothing happened, a Sharingan eye would close.
It didn't take a genius to figure out that whatever Danzō had going on for him had to do with the Sharingan, or rather a jutsu associated with the Sharingan. And now in Sage Mode he had the absolute proof.
The Sharingan eyes that had closed so far were not just shut close, rather those eyes had died and when he had used Kawazu Kumite (Frog Kata), things finally did start to make sense. For just a second before he was about to connect with the Kawazu Kumite he sensed the change in Danzō's chakra, and when he did connect he sensed the very presence of the man shift out of reality, like all of it was just a dream.
It was a far-stretch, but it was the only logical explanation there was, for Danzō seemed to be wielding a genjutsu powerful enough to breach the barriers between reality and dreams, a brief control over reality, it truly was fear-inducing. Or rather it would be right to say that it was the Uchiha clan that wielded such an insane and other-worldly jutsu, it was no wonder they were so feared throughout the Elemental Nations.
But there seemed to be a cliché in the use of the jutsu, for Danzō kept a continuous eye on the eyes on his artificial limb, as if there was time-limit to the use of the jutsu.
It was already clear to him that every time the jutsu was used a Sharingan eye would lose its light and die down, which mean that Danzō could survive four more fatal blows. But the way Danzō acted to show that the jutsu once active will automatically make an eye lose its light in a given even if Danzō didn't wish it to be so.
A time-limit… Danzō's version seemed to have a time-limit, for a brief control over reality would end up within seconds…
Further thoughts were cut-short as he watched as the now materialized and unharmed Danzō smear some blood on the palm of his left hand and then slammed it on the ground and the all familiar sealing array appeared beneath his hand…
The Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning Technique)!
And summon Danzō did, and from the cloud of smoke emerged what could only be described as a gigantic elephantine chimera. The summoned is predominantly dark orange in color with the exception of its trunk, legs and the markings around its eyes. It had tiger-like limbs and bandages wrapped all around its head similar to Danzō and armor on the base of the trunk and between the eyes. Its feet are also striped; reminiscent of those of a tiger and it also has huge tusks and what looks like a beard, as well as long, sharp claws.
For some reason he had a feeling he had seen something alike as a child in pictures of books the Old Man – the Sandaime used to bring along, but for the world of it he couldn't remember it much clearly.
But the summon didn't give him the time to remember as the elephantine chimera opened its mouth and he readied himself for whatever jutsu the summon would blast at him…
'A Baku… a nightmare-eating monster' was the very thought that echoed through most that watched on.
It was unbelievable to see a beast like that, and what was more unbelievable was that the Baku was the personal summon of Danzō… it was a terrifying thought.
And then the Baku opened its mouth, but instead of blasting of some sort of jutsu at Naruto it created a powerful suction that suck in everything within a large radius, while at the same time exhaling through its trunk… just like the legend surrounding the beast.
The suction was powerful enough to tear the ground in its radius and suck it in and had forced Naruto to use chakra to remain stuck to the ground… he was using a huge amount of chakra that it was clearly visible as a shroud all around him.
It was then they noticed Danzō to have moved in the suction range of the Baku just behind Naruto, and from there expelled from his mouth a single large, crushing sphere of wind chakra.
The Fūton: Shinkū Taigyoku (Wind Release: Vacuum Great Sphere) should not have hurt him as much as it did, it had impacted with far greater force than the jutsu was capable of and was able to bruise his back even when he was in Sage Mode, something that should have been impossible considering his enhanced durability in Sage Mode.
It all came down to the suction of the Baku and Danzō moving in a spot from where he could make a greater use of the powerful suction, thus the enhanced power of the Fūton: Shinkū Taigyoku did make sense.
'Two can play the game…' he thought as winds started to swirl around both his sideward-outstretched arms, which within seconds turned into a gale.
He could sense Danzō's chakras once again build up to possibly unleash another Fūton jutsu, but he had no intention of giving the man another shot.
Pushing both his gale-infused hands in the direction of the Baku, and from his overlapped palms shot forward an earth-tearing hurricane in the direction of the gigantic elephantine chimera.
Fūton: Hōkaitaifū Bakufū (Wind Release: Severing Hurricane Blast) in itself was an S-rank ninjutsu, a jutsu in which the user unleashes a hurricane capable of severing anything and everything in its path with the sheer force and speed of the winds and had a very long range, but aided with the Senjutsu chakra of the Sage Mode and the suction of the Baku even a legendary summon as Baku did not stand a chance.
The howl of the Baku could be heard throughout Konoha as Fūton: Hōkaitaifū Bakufū made contact with him, and even with gigantic size was he hurled quite a few meters back and countless cuts marred its body as the raging winds severed him.
But he didn't stop at that as his hands formed into the hand-seal he had used over a thousand of time throughout his ninja career as the index and the middle fingers from both his hands crossed each other, for the Fūton: Hōkaitaifū Bakufū had only stunned Danzō for a moment and he was already on him.
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" he whispered as three clones materialized by his side, two rushing towards the fallen Baku while the other facing Danzō and forming a unique hand-seal as he blew water from his mouth to the ground below him which raised upwards with tremendous force to form a sturdy wall of water around them.
The Senjutsu chakra powered Suiton: Suijinheki with ease blocked the Fūton: Shinkū Renpa (Wind Release: Vacuum Serial Waves), and not giving Danzō anymore time the real Naruto was already on him…
"Kawazu Tataki (Frog Strike)!" he called out as he delivered an open-handed strike onto Danzō's chest sending ripples of natural energy that emanate through the struck target and explosively release inside the opponent's body.
A huge amount of blood bloated out of Danzō's mouth as he felt an unknown force ripple and destroy his insides and all that with a single strike, and once again he was grateful of using Izanagi.
As he materialized once again at some distance from Naruto, from the corner of his eyes he caught the other two clones of Naruto attacking the Baku… one Naruto used the immense strength that he seemed to posses in Sage mode to literally throw the Baku high in the air in the trajectory of the other Naruto that had jumped high above shinobi standards and was descending downwards with two gigantic Rasengan.
The Senpō: Ōdama Rasenrengan (Sage Art: Big Ball Spiraling Serial Sphere) connected with the ascending Baku, and he watched as the power of those destructive, wildly spinning orb literally tear through the gigantic elephantine chimera and then blast it with utmost force towards the ground…
BOOOOMMMM!
The ground literally shook as the injured Baku tore in the ground with unbelievable force and then was dispelled.
A frowned marred Danzō's face, but he had more important things to worry about as he looked at the Sharingan eyes on his artificial right limb and his frown deepened further, the battle had ranged long enough and combined with the prowess of the boy he had already lost seven eyes.
But the bright side of all it was that he could feel the power of the right Sharingan eye returning, the fearsome Dōjutsu prowess of Uchiha Shisui would be soon in his grasp as he had concentrated a great deal of Hashirama's power to the right eye. He knew that in doing so he was risking shortening the time-span of Izanagi, but he also knew that it was only the power of Shisui's Dōjutsu and Hashirama's Mokuton would help him gain control of the Kyūbi.
"Three more left to go…"
He heard the boy say. His single eye widened grasping the wordings of the boy's words…
"Those Sharingan on the right hand of yours, once all the ten of them are closed… the genjutsu will no longer protect you."
His eye was wide in complete shock in hearing that…
"You-You know of Izanagi?"
The idea of the boy knowing of a jutsu forbidden amongst the Uchiha was troubling news for him… but then the smirk on the boy's face told him of the thing he did not want to believe.
"You tricked me… very clever of you", he growled… even if the boy had somehow be in the know of Izanagi, he certainly was unaware of the limitations of the Izanagi he wielded.
But now he himself had given him the information he needed and knew well enough that the boy was going to come at him full force. Normally he would love to draw the battle longer and to deactivate Izanagi to buy more time, but this was no normal situation as he faced on a boy who was well known for his stamina and endurance, and was a Jinchūriki and an Uzumaki to boot, and was also currently in Sage Mode… All of it was a minus to him, and it wasn't like the boy was going to give him room for his own act.
And before he knew the boy was on him with winds howling around him and wind-chakra casing his hand, and even before he could react the Reppūzuki was thrust through his heart, the wind chakra severing his body from the inside.
A stream of blood bloated out of his mouth as he felt his entire body torn apart from the inside. Death streamed near and he was forced to use Izanagi before its advent time…
He felt the light of another Sharingan go out, and that brought him one step closer to seeing the man was stopped here and now. But he knew he couldn't afford to let Danzō rest, or deactivate Izanagi at this very moment as he had taken a gamble and so he had to continue his relentless attacks and see that the man had no other option but to keep using Izanagi.
And so he moved on with his attack…
Being in Sage Mode helped him sense the materialization of Danzō behind him and turned around in time to see a handful of shuriken shot from Danzō's hands towards him. He didn't give the incoming shurikens much of a thought as his hands flew through a set of hand-seals…
Water gushed out of his mouth like a waterfall, intercepting the incoming shurikens, but completely missing Danzō to the great surprise of the man.
But from the start he did not mean for the Suiton: Mizurappa (Water Release: Wild Water Wave) to even hit Danzō from the beginning, it was meant for something completely else, for as the water from the Suiton: Mizurappa rained downwards he formed a single unique hand-seal and instead of a rain of water droplets, a rain of one thousand long needles showered Danzō from all directions.
The Sensatsu Suishō (Thousand Flying Water Needles of Death) in Sage Mode turned out to be more powerful than even Naruto had anticipated it to be as the thousands of water needles pierced the body of Danzō at very high speeds. No wonder Fukasaku had told him that in Sage Mode the power his nin-gen-tai-jutsu increased dramatically, he had seen it with the Rasengan and its variants, the Fūton: Rasenshuriken and Fūton: Hōkaitaifū Bakufū, but those were all powerful jutsus in their own right, but now that idea was proven as he watched the power of B-rank Suiton ninjutsu match that of an A-rank ninjutsu.
But that was not what was of importance at this moment, the importance was to see Danzō stopped here and for all as he felt the use of Izanagi once more. Forming the all too familiar hand-seal of the jutsu he must have already used about a thousand of times…
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"
And as stated a clone of him materialized by his side and the two worked in tandem to bring to existence the strongest jutsu in his arsenal… even if he had learned to use the Rasengan without the need of a clone or two hands, but it seemed that even C.B.-Naruto failed to get a hang of it without the help of clone…
A loud bell-like screech vibrated throughout the area indicating to the formation of Senpō: Fūton: Rasenshuriken (Sage Art: Wind Release: Spiraling Shuriken) just in time as he sensed Danzō materialize at another point.
That was all he needed as he threw the bell-like screeching, dense and quick spinning chakra shuriken towards Danzō with speed that Danzō could do nothing of as he was caught in the jutsu. He watched as the Rasenshuriken expand and then catch the Shinobi no Yami in a vortex of countless wind blades that disintegrated the body of the man.
"T-This is… well, Damn!" Omoi swore out loud as he watched on the ongoing battle.
The trio of Kumo-nins had been disturbed by the explosion rocking Konoha, and like many had rushed to the source of explosion wondering whether it was an attack of Konoha's enemy to take advantage of their dire state or was another member of Akatsuki here.
But arriving at the location they were surprised to find a clash between the Rokudaime Hokage – Uzumaki Naruto – and the Shinobi no Yami – Shimura Danzō. And like many they were shocked at the fight they watched on, it had gone beyond the levels of normal shinobi, for this was truly the battle between two Kage level shinobis.
But what had them more shocked and surprised was that the Hokage was dominating the entity of the fight, with power and skills that far surpassed the man he was facing. It was then they could see that how someone so young had singlehandedly fought the Akatsuki leader, the man responsible for the great crater that was once Konoha, and the bearer of the fabled Rinnegan.
"And you wanted to anger him…" Omoi said as he shot an irritated look at Karui.
"I-I…" Karui just didn't know what to say this time around.
"It would be cool if from this time around we watch our steps and even our tongues, for we do not want to rile up the Hokage… that certainly would be not cool", Samui said… even if her tone was as always uncaring, Karui and Omoi could sense that each word she spoke was something they better hold onto.
Meanwhile Samui just watched on to the clash that seemed to have happened so far and still continued to happen, her mind furiously calculating the situation and comparing it with the knowledge she had spent years gaining. Even with all her knowledge, she still could not make head and toes of the jutsu that Danzō seemed to use apart from the fact that it was related to the Sharingan on his artificial right hand. That was all of it she could come up with, and it seemed no one around seemed to have garnered any more information on the jutsu than she had, apart from the Hokage. That itself made her respect the b-man more.
All that did not make her miss the transformation of the Hokage and his sudden power boost, and somehow she had caught onto the word 'Sage Mode' being whispered by the pink haired girl, if not mistaken who was the teammate of the Hokage and the student of Senju Tsunade.
Only hearing the words 'Sage Mode' had her eyes widened to epic proportions for few seconds. Even if there was very little knowledge on the revered and legendary Sages and the Sage Mode they entered in battle, it was enough to show her just what something of that caliber could make shinobis grovel in fear. The last known Sage was Jiraiya of the Densetsu no Sannin and was said to be trained by the Toads in the Sage Arts, and so it shouldn't have been surprise to see the Rokudaime Hokage to be a Sage too as he was not only the apprentice of Jiraiya, but was also capable of summoning the Toads.
But even then from what she had read attaining the Sage Mode was not an easy task, it was as if one him/her-self intended to end his/her life, and it was noted that many had died trying to achieve that power of the Sages. And yet in front of her was someone only sixteen and yet had achieved what would take many years to ever achieve.
Of all she had heard so far and what she was seeing now, to her Uzumaki Naruto became more and more mysterious, a mystery she would love to solve.
"I am not done yet!" Danzō exclaimed as for the final time he materialized into existence after using Izanagi… he still had another shot at Izanagi, but he did not want to waste away Shisui's Dōjutsu for something like that… and so unwrapping the bandages of his forehead and right eye exposing the final Sharingan and then closing his left eye he said "… I won't go down to a brat like you!"
And with that said Danzō went on the offensive intending to not giving any chance for the blonde further chance to get a hit on him… with no Izanagi chances of him surviving now were becoming dull. His best bet at this moment was either Shisui's Dōjutsu or Hashirama's Mokuton; the latter took a significant toll on his chakra reserves and thus it was out seeing that he was already very low on chakra, and the former needed a few more seconds for him to fully be capable of using the Mangekyō Sharingan once again.
And so Danzō exhaled several blades of wind at different angles, by rapidly moving their head in various directions, the widespread and devastating Fūton: Shinkū Renpa (Wind Release: Vacuum Serial Waves) coursed through the air and headed to the blonde who stood impassively.
"Senpō: Fūton: Kamikaze (Sage Art: Wind Release: Divine Wind)!" Naruto whispered holding onto the Hitsuji (Ram) hand-seal.
The winds around Naruto picked up pace and formed a gust which formed into a tornado all around him and easily blocking of Fūton: Shinkū Renpa.
But Naruto wasn't done there as he formed another set of hand-seals as the tornado picked up pace and condensed forming a whirling vortex of wind in the form of a giant, powerful dragon…
"Fūton: Fūryūdan no Jutsu (Wind Release: Wind Dragon Bullet Technique)!" he whispered as the ferocious wind dragon charged at Danzō.
The said man was barely able to dodge the ferocious dragon as it slammed into him dealing a substantial amount of physical damage because of the jutsus condensed nature along with the cutting nature of a vortex and the wind element.
Blood bloated out of Danzō's mouth and also from the many cuts on his body from the Fūton: Fūryūdan no Jutsu, but he did not have much time to think of it as the blonde was already in front of him, and before he could react he was slammed into a nearby rock with a firm grip on his neck.
"Self-Sacrifice… that word coming out of your mouth feels like an insult Danzō…" Naruto spoke, his voice full of venom.
Danzō tried to retaliate, but the grip on his throat tightened to a degree where he was essentially robbed of his voice and the only could glare at the boy in front of him, the only thing he could do was to glare at the blonde and he did so quite venomously.
"Forget self-sacrifice, you don't even know sacrifice, Danzō. To the world it may seem that you sacrificed parts of your body for your shinobi duties and then sacrificed your time and effort for your Root, but all those sacrifices were done by you for your own selfish reasons and for power. You even ordered the massacre of the Uchiha so that you could dissect their bodies for the power of the Sharingan they held, and even went on as far as digging the grave of the Shodai Hokage and experiment with his body just for the sake of more power." Each and every word that stemmed out of Naruto's voice was filled with so much venom that it made Danzō cringe.
"It was all for the greater good…" Danzō was somehow able to choke out and then freeing himself and gaining a bit of distance he continued "… Everything I have done was to ensure the survival of Konoha! And one day for the betterment of the Elemental Nations! You think after everything I've accomplished that I would just give up like that? You're just like that fool of a father of yours and the Sandaime!"
Another kunai slipped into the hand of Danzō and he breathed wind-infused chakra into the kunai and charged at the blonde.
"You say I'm like my father…" Naruto spoke as he sidestepped the wind kunai due to the enhanced reflexes of the Sage Mode and delivered an elbow to the Danzō's right hand forcing him to drop the wind-infused kunai and a punch to the man's stomach forcing him to back paddle "… I take it as a compliment, for my father fought for his home, he sacrificed his life and even his soul to make sure that we all go on to live and prosper. The Sandaime was a great man as well; he protected his home for many years and was again one of the many who sacrificed his life and also his soul for Konoha. That is Self-Sacrifice, Danzō!"
"I do not care of what you think of me or my methods… I know that only my ways could bring peace to the shinobi world, and for that I need you under my command… I need the power of the Kyūbi no Yōko…" and with that the Danzō's hand blurred through a set of hand-seals…
"Hokage-Shiki Jijun Jutsu — Kakuan Nitten Suishu (Hokage-Style Sixty-Year-Old Technique — Enclosed Hermitage Entering Society with Bliss-Bringing Hands)!" Danzō roared as he slammed his right artificial limb on the ground.
Wooden poles which were engraved and had what resembled foo-dog faces and lit wicks on top of them shot up from the ground around Naruto and slammed onto him pinning him in his place. A blue chakra string then attached itself from Danzō's hands to Naruto's chest…
"I have got you now Uzumaki… Kotoamatsukami!"
"SHIT!" Kakashi muttered as he rushed alongside a few other shinobis to the aide of the Hokage – Naruto.
But before anyone could made progress towards the duo locked in a clash of wills, wooden poles rose from the ground around the two erecting a barrier that is strong enough to prevent anyone or thing from neither entering nor leaving the perimeter defined by the chains…
"Raikiri (Lightning Cutter)!" he called as he slammed his lightning encased hand to the wooden barrier in hopes that the Raikiri would cut through it, but the barrier budged not even an inch.
"Jūho Sōshiken (Gentle Step Twin Lion Fists)!"
"Nikudan Sensha (Human Bullet Tank)!"
"Gatsūga (Fang Passing Fang)!"
"Ōkashō (Cherry Blossom Impact)!"
"Hakke Hasangeki (Eight Trigrams Mountain Crusher)!"
"Double Dynamic Entry!"
"Mokuton: Daijurin no Jutsu (Wood Release: Great Forest Technique)!"
"Katon: Gōen no Jutsu (Fire Release: Great Flame Technique)!"
"Fūton: Kyōryoku Fūha (Wind Release: Powerful Wind Wave)!"
…
He wasn't the only one to try and force his way through the wooden barrier as it was impacted by variety of jutsus, jutsus from not only the Konoha 11, but also various shinobis.
But none of the jutsus made an impact on the barrier…
"This is not good…" he couldn't help but think…
The Mokuton and Sharingan were two abilities that helped one control the Kyūbi, so did it mean that Danzō was after Naruto and Kyūbi all along.
Once again Naruto found himself into his sub-consciousness, an empty white space with a red moon with a black pinwheel-like fan design at the centre glowing brightly.
But this time the red moon wasn't the only thing in his sub-consciousness that tried to bend his will to it, but there were also wooden spikes restraining him from trying to free himself from the influence of the moon were also trying to overpower his will. The moon was calling to him, compelling him to its will, trying to fight to gain control of his mind and his consciousness, while the wooden spikes were subduing his will and the combined efforts of the Mokuton and the Sharingan seemed to doing its wonder…
"D-Do Something, B-Boy…" the chocked voice of Kyūbi vibrated his sub-consciousness and from the corner of his eyes he saw the great Kyūbi no Yōko right behind him.
Apparently he wasn't the only one that was being restrained by the wooden spikes, the Kyūbi was too, and by the looks of things it seemed that the fox was having a harder time than him.
An image of Nagato wavered before his eyes…
"You are an odd kid… You remind me of myself when I was young… I couldn't believe in what Jiraiya believed in… nor believe in myself… but you chose a different path. In you I can see another future. I… will believe in you…"
"Dying like trash… never ending hatred… pain that never heals… that is war… Naruto… this… is what you must face… The book… and you… It's like… someone… set this all up… Or… maybe… this… is… the hand of the real God… My role is over now… Naruto… you… can really—"
Another image of Konan wavered…
"Nagato believed in you, so I believe in you, too."
"This time… I hope for you these will be flowers of hope that never die."
An image of Kakashi wavered…
"You are the only one who can surpass the Yondaime Hokage… I believe in you!"
An image of Tsunade wavered…
"It's because to be Hokage… is your dream… isn't it Naruto? One last time… just one last time… I place the odds on you."
And then image of her kissing his forehead…
An image of Jiraiya wavered…
"Even I can tell that hatred is spreading. I wanted to do something about it … but I don't know what … but I believe… that someday the day will come when people truly understand one another! If I can't find the answer, it will be up to you to do it!"
"I feel like your smile is my salvation. I am glad I took you as my apprentice!"
Finally the image of Namikaze Minato wavered in front of his eyes…
"You will find the answer… I believe in you."
The world stopped for him, even in his own sub-consciousness each and everything stopped… the noise of Kyūbi struggling against the binds, the wooden pillars sucking on his chakra, the compulsion of the moon, each and everything halted.
Or rather Naruto found himself in a tranquil state that far surpassed that of the one he achieved while training to use Sage Mode. When in Sage Mode his Body (Yang) and Mind (Yin) had come in peace with the Nature, and the three had become one to form Senjutsu Chakra, but now his Body (Yang) and Mind (Yin) had become one with his Soul (Life)…
Unknown to him the Kyūbi had stopped struggling against the wooden pillars that wished to bind him as his eyes were now completely focused on his host…
"I-It ca-can't be…"
This was it, this was all his plans and patience had rewarded him. Danzō knew that this was his moment. The boy and the beast were within his grasps. And with those two under his command there would be no one to oppose him.
He at first had hesitated with this choice seeing that the Kotoamatsukami had already failed him once and the boy had hold of the other eye of Shisui, but this time around he was going to use the eye to its full power along with the jutsu of the Shodai Hokage that had helped him subdue the Bijū, and to his eternal surprise it was working.
The wooden pillars had drained any and all remaining of the Senjutsu Chakra of the blonde returning him to his normal self and then went onto drain chakra of the blonde.
As he had anticipated, the Sharingan of Uchiha Shisui showed its presence as he invoked Kotoamatsukami; the power of the two Mangekyō Sharingan clashing against each other…
But that is where the combination of Hokage-Shiki Jijun Jutsu — Kakuan Nitten Suishu and Kotoamatsukami showed its effect as the Mangekyō Sharingan started to fade away to give way for the normal Sharingan.
He could feel it, his victory was very close, but also could feel the strain on his body by using both Mokuton and Mangekyō Sharingan at the same time, especially when he was so low on chakra and he still barely had good control over the cells of the Shodai. The first of his task after gaining control over the boy and the Kyūbi, and then later Konoha would be to search for Kabuto to get hands on Orochimaru's research.
"Give up, boy!" he snarled as he forced more power behind Kotoamatsukami.
"Y-You should give up…" the boy's voice croaked out.
It irritated him; his resistance frustrated him beyond any, but then…
His eyes widened, he felt the very essence of the boy change. He felt power unbridled, untamed and immeasurable flood from the blonde, and it wasn't the Kyūbi.
"… Trying to make me give up!"
His eyes widened as even with the wooden pillars continuing to drain the boy's chakra, the boy seemed unaffected by it, rather it was the pillars that bind him showed the change as the pillars draining his chakra reacted to his chakra and mature into full-grown trees within a matter of seconds. It wasn't just the wooden pillars as even the artificial arm of his created by the cells of the Shodai reacted to the boy's presence even when he had cut the link granted by the Hokage-Shiki Jijun Jutsu — Kakuan Nitten Suishu.
Apparently it did not matter whether he was connected to the boy or not, even being in his proximity had an effect on the Mokuton as was seen by the wooden pillars binding him, the wooden barrier and his artificial limb… the Mokuton was being overpowered by the boy's very presence and his chakra.
It was because of this he was forced to cut away the artificial limb of his boy as the cells of the Shodai began to rapidly grow into a large tree that threatened to engulf him completely.
"You…" he snarled at the blonde, but his word got caught in his mouth as he looked at the now glowing eyes of the blonde.
Not only was his right eye glowing ethereal blue, the left eye containing the Sharingan of Uchiha Shisui had once again matured to the Mangekyō Sharingan and with ease broke through Kotoamatsukami.
But then he saw a sight that made him pale, and before he could even react a powerful repulsive force struck him, a repulsive force that emitted with the blonde as the centre. The repulsive force destroyed each and everything in its path, from the wooden pillars/tress that had the blonde in a bind, the tree born from his artificial limb and the wooden barrier.
He himself was not doing any better as he felt thrown backwards with force so strong that it seemed to have shattered his bones.
The shinobi outside the wooden barrier braced themselves as a repulsive force washed over them, a force similar to the jutsu Pein used to destroy Konoha, but on a lower scale, or rather the wooden barrier had taken the full brunt of the repulsive force as it was shattered into miniscule pieces.
"What is going on?" Shikamaru questioned out loud amidst the dust and debris.
But there was no answer as no one could understand the situation, and the only thing they all could do was wait for the dust and debris to settle down.
And they waited…
Finally when the dust and debris settled down, there they saw Uzumaki Naruto standing on the broken and beaten body of Shimura Danzō.
Just looking at them they could all see the result of the clash, but it wasn't the result of the clash of them that had their attention, it was the changes, and it certainly wasn't that Danzō was missing his artificial right limb.
It was Uzumaki Naruto. His very presence felt different, and it wasn't the sinister feel of the Kyūbi no Yōko. His presence was bright, warming, powerful and of one in command.
"N-NO… NO! THIS WON'T END THIS WAY!" Danzō shouted as his right eye was bleeding heavily.
Apparently Danzō wasn't dead…
But to their immense surprise Naruto answered him, his voice completely calm yet held an ethereal tone…
"It ends here, Danzō. It is funny, for you who always preached of self-sacrifice never could yourself understand the value of sacrifice, the immaterial and selfless sacrifices. The sacrifice of the souls and lives of the Yondaime and the Sandaime Hokage, the sacrifices of the previous Kages, the sacrifice of the honor of Uchiha Itachi, the price paid by Uchiha Shisui, the sacrifice of the emotions of the ANBU of Ne (Root), the sacrifice of the humanity of a Jinchūriki when a they are made the hose of a Bijū, and the sacrifices of the thousands of ninjas for their home, their village and their nation."
The crowd just stood their place listening to their Hokage…
"In comparison all that you call as your sacrifices have done nothing but have helped brew more hatred, even this invasion is partially your fault, and all of it you say was done in order for the survival of Konoha."
They could feel the blonde losing control of his calm and hatred sipping into his voice…
"YOU WOULD NEVER UNDERSTAND THINGS NEEDED TO BE DONE FOR THE SURVIVAL OF KONOHA!" Danzō shouted as he tried to force himself to his feet.
"Maybe I don't, maybe I do. Maybe it is as you say that I who has not ventured into the darkness of the shinobi world have no right to be the Hokage… but neither do you", Naruto answered.
"WHAT!?" Danzō roared.
Even the crowd was stunned…
But Naruto seemed unconcerned of anyone's thoughts as he continued speaking, "… For a Hokage is a seed that bloomed into a magnificent tree whose leaves bathed in the light of the sun, while their roots held a firm grip in the darkness of underground. But you Danzō kept on ignoring the light that always pierced the darkness, the light which made the Hokages and Konoha to bloom into what it is today."
The crowd remained stunned…
"Naruto… no, Hokage-sama!" Kakashi whispered, you could hear the pride in his voice.
But Naruto wasn't finished as he continued speaking, his voice louder than ever "… You Danzō continued to grow in that darkness. Everything you did was for your own sake, for power, for the title of Hokage. The Shodai and Nidaime entrusted Konoha to us, to protect and help make it prosper. They passed onto us the Hi no Ishi (Will of Fire) in belief that by loving, believing, cherishing and fighting for the sake of the village and our comrade as the previous generations had done before them so that one day the future generation could see their dreams and ambitions fulfilled without war and bloodshed… And you spit on their graves with every action you committed.
The title of Hokage is earned; there are no shortcuts to the title and earning it by making people feel fear and controlling them… you are a pathetic man."
Each and every one could feel the venom that was released out of the mouth of their Hokage as he called out to Danzō's actions and of the passion of when he spoke of the title of the Hokage; it was common knowledge as to how much the boy coveted the title, but today they could truly feel the passion and drive he had towards being the Hokage.
If there was still any doubts among any that Uzumaki Naruto wasn't worthy of the title of the Hokage, then it was white washed hearing his words.
"Wow! I've never heard so much venom in his voice before", Kiba said as Naruto's anger actually sent a shiver down her spine.
"It's because of how loyal he is to Konoha", Shikaku said who now stood next to his son.
"And the title of Hokage", added Kakashi who had his book no-where to be seen as he watched how much his student had truly grown in both mind and body.
"What do you mean?" Lee asked.
"The title of Hokage is something Naruto had dreamt off his whole life, the fact that someone uses unethical means and uses fear to gain the Hokage position", Sakura answered… she was in complete awe of what she had seen transpire here.
"Well… remind me not to get him angry", commented Shikamaru… blondes were truly troublesome.
"He sounded just like a Hokage", Anko mused…
No one could argue on that, they all felt the same.
"This is the end…" Naruto said as a Rasengan formed in his right hand.
"N-NO!" the enraged Danzō shouted "… IF THIS WILL BE MY END, THEN I WILL TAKE YOU ALONG WITH ME!"
Ripping off his shirt of Danzō revealed to all the seal engraved on his body…
"That's the Ura Shishō Fūinjutsu (Reverse Four Symbols Sealing Technique)!" Naruto said out loud as his widened to epic proportions, he was well aware of the seal.
But even after knowing the jutsu did not help Naruto to evade the Fūinjutsu as he was caught in between the four symbols that released of Danzō's body and black ink-like liquid oozed out of the man's body, his body was already pushed to the limit. But being caught in the Fūinjutsu there were very few ways to escape its clutches…
"NARUTO/NARUTO-KUN/HOKAGE-SAMA!"
He heard his friends and all the shinobis all around call out, each of their voice sounded worried. Their worry justified as the jutsu forced more black ink-like substance spay out of Danzō's body.
In his arsenal currently only one jutsu that he knew could save him from this predicament, and so he was quick to unseal a single special kunai, a kunai that had gained the name Hiraishin Kunai (Flying Thunder God Kunai) for its use by Namikaze Minato in conjunction to execute his infamous Hiraishin no Jutsu (Flying Thunder God Technique). This was that very same kunai, the only difference was the jutsu-shiki (technique formula) that marked the kunai. He had worked relentlessly on his father's jutsu – though he didn't know so at that time – and had made it his own with his own jutsu-shiki to manipulate the folds of space and time.
Tossing the Hiraishin Kunai out of the reach of the reach of the Fūinjutsu he concentrated on his remaining last bouts of chakra as the Ura Shishō Fūinjutsu engulfed him in a black sphere and started to draw him within Danzō.
The crowd of shinobis gathered around just watched with worry and horror as the final jutsu that Danzō used formed a cocoon of black ink-like substance that had released from the seals on Danzō's body. The black sphere engulfed both Danzō and Naruto, and chances of either surviving something like that seemed very slim.
Once again the shinobis of Konoha decided to act, but before they could even move to break in the black sphere, a kunai wheezed out of the sphere, a kunai that was well known to the older generations.
All watched the kunai sail past them and then go onto strike a boulder and be embedded in it, and a second later after the kunai had embedded itself in the rock there in a flash of yellow appeared Uzumaki Naruto - the Rokudaime Naruto.
"That is the Hiraishin!" Kakashi muttered with wide eyes… he had not expected Naruto to be in the know of the jutsu. Just how much was the boy had been holding onto he couldn't help but wonder.
But before anyone could rush to the side of the blonde Hokage had entered a meditative stance albeit the fatigue you could see on his face…
'Is this not over yet?' all around the shinobis couldn't help but wonder.
Only because of the Sharingan did Kakashi see the difference in the blonde's left eye before it had returned back to his normal blue color.
By the time Naruto entered the fabled Sage Mode no one dared approach the fallen body of Danzō that seemed to be crushed by the black sphere that had condensed on itself…
Uchiha Sasuke's mind tried to get around the idea of Uzumaki Naruto as the Hokage, and try he might he could not see the hyperactive knucklehead ex-teammate of his in such an esteemed position.
He had long since known the desire of the blonde to become the Hokage, the blonde had been subtle in his ways as he shouted to the world that one day he would be the Hokage, but back then he had looked at it has a pathetic attempts at jokes or pranks the blonde was infamous for. But over the years the things changed, or rather things started to change since they were put on the same genin team.
He had been one of the few to see the blonde's drive towards his goal and dreams, and had seen the improvement he made over the course of time, improvement at pace that the blonde had eventually surpassed him both skills and strength. It had frustrated him to no end.
And then when they had met after nearly three years he was satisfied to know that the blonde was nowhere close to his power and it also proved that him joining the Snake Sannin had been right decision.
But now hearing from Zetsu that the blonde had possibly surpassed him, his anger once again rose, and not only that but to hear that he singlehandedly defeated the man responsible for the destruction of Konoha did not bode well with him. Even his comrades were shocked at this revelation.
"Oho…"
The surprised and shocked look of Zetsu caught his and everyone's attention.
"Something happened, Zetsu?" the Masked Madara asked.
"Danzō made his move on Naruto…" White Zetsu replied.
'What do they mean by Danzō making his move on Naruto? What would the man want from the dobe?' he wondered… by the body posture of the masked Madara he seemed to be expecting and un-expecting the thing at the same time.
"That is not good for us", the Masked Madara commented.
He was right… Uzumaki Naruto was the host of the Kyūbi after all.
"You don't need to worry about the Kyūbi, Danzō is dealt with" Zetsu replied… both the black and the white one after each other.
This got his attention, what did they mean with Danzō being dealt with.
"Uzumaki Naruto killed Shimura Danzō."
Everything halted from this point to him, even the surprised looks of his team, at this moment nothing mattered to him. Naruto had killed Danzō, killed the man responsible for the life that Itachi lived and the one major player behind the massacre of the Uchiha clan.
He silently listened to the general description Zetsu gave on the death-duel that had occurred between Danzō and Naruto and with each passing second his anger on Danzō had grown and so on Naruto for taking away his vengeance.
"What do you intend to do now?" Masked Madara asked bringing him out of his angered-stupor.
"Just as I agreed, I will go to the Gokage Kaidan and kill the Kages", he answered.
He had albeit reluctantly agreed to that solution a while back, for he knew that unless and until he knew the secret behind the Masked Madara's jutsu he wasn't going to have any chance to defy the man, but now…
"I will show them the power of my vengeance, the power of an Uchiha, especially to Naruto…" he said and without looking backwards whether his team followed or not he rushed behind the White Zetsu that was going to guide them to the summit.
His team followed him, but were he to look back he would see the worried face of Karin.
"Hokage-sama…" Samui said as she looked at the Rokudaime Hokage asking permission to enter his office/makeshift hospital room.
She was a shinobi of Kumogakure and her loyalty was that to the Raikage and Kumogakure, but she had always respected people of great strengths and the current Hokage was one such example. It was rare for shinobi of other villages to give respect to the Kages of villages they were not affiliated with, but she did for the man had earned it.
She had been of the many witnesses of his strength in both material and immaterial terms.
His clash with Shimura Danzō was one of the very few fights she would forever remember… though she wondered what happened to the body of Danzō, it held thousands of secrets.
The Hokage had been not allowed any other visitor for another day seeing he had just gone through another grueling battle in a time span of a few days.
"You wanted something, Kumo-chan?" the Hokage asked.
Unknowingly her left eyebrow slightly rose… she hadn't expected him to be so casual.
"It's Samui, Hokage-sama", she answered.
"Samui it is. So, did you need something of me?" he asked again.
"I know you said that you would personally give your answer to Raikage-sama, but still…" she said a bit hesitantly… this was the very reason she had come to meet the Hokage alone this time around, she did not want the mouth of Karui to ruin it.
"I think my answer was already quite clear…"
Maybe coming along wasn't the right choice…
"…Uchiha Sasuke will be condemned for his crimes."
Her eyes widened.
"Even if Konoha had not previously gone on the hunt of Uchiha Sasuke, he was back then and still is a missing-nin and an accomplice of Orochimaru. The situation has not changed much, other than the fact that he is now an ally of Akatsuki, a group consisting of S-ranked criminals. His faith will the same as those of the other members and allies of Akatsuki."
She was shocked by that answered; it was what they were here for…
"Then why?" she couldn't help but question… why did the Hokage want to relay his message directly to the Raikage.
It seemed that the Hokage understood her unasked question as he answered, "A personal request."
She couldn't help but wonder what the Hokage meant by that…
And again it seemed he read through her as with a simple smile he answered, "Uchiha Sasuke and I were once teammates, rivals and in our own crude way the best of friends, he was one of the first that I ever had any kind of bond with, until Sasuke decided to break all bonds and leave the village to join Orochimaru for more power. Even then I still hoped to one day returning him back to those days, because of the bond of friendship we shared and a promise I made a friend… until now. So I wish to make a personal request to the Raikage."
"I see…" she replied…
She didn't know how much Uchiha Sasuke meant to Uzumaki Naruto, but the way he spoke showed that he valued that bond, and knowing that how difficult it was for a Jinchūriki she slightly thought she could understand his predicament. She had seen something similar with Nii Yugito, the Jinchūriki of Nibi… though her situation was much better by her understanding than that of the Jinchūriki of the other villages thanks to Kirābī.
So she couldn't help but wonder the kind of life the man in front of her must have lived through, especially for him to cherish a bond that had long been severed…
"Is something wrong with my face?" the Hokage asked bringing her out of her stupor…
"N-Nothing. So-Sorry for staring", she answered and taking his leave quickly left the room leaving behind a confused Hokage.
As she walked out of the tent she walked by Shizune, the first apprentice of the Godaime Hokage, who had an amused look on her face and muttering something like 'Knucklehead' 'Naruto' 'Charm' under her breath which had forced a smile on her face all the while her eyes trailed her… she just did not understand it.
Things had moved so fast in the next few hours after being released from the care of Shizune – she had been quite mad at him for risking his life twice in a row – that Naruto did truly see the difficulties of being a Hokage, especially when the village was in dire situation and the man force was stretched. He even had to go through papers while still under the care of Shizune.
Surprisingly the easiest had been dealing with the remaining Root ANBU. Surprisingly Sai had been very helpful in that matter, and it had further helped when they had witnessed his fight with Danzō. The point was straight, each and every shinobi of Konoha worked under the Hokage, and he Uzumaki Naruto was the Hokage.
Oh, and the Root-nins were also going to be subjected to Konoha Intelligence Division's investigation to learn of the stuffs Danzō and Root had done behind the back of the Hokage, and what of in the benefit of Konoha and what was going to hurt Konoha in coming future.
The matter 'what to do with the body of Danzō?' had been short, yet the most troublesome as he had been confronted by the two elders. The talk between the three had really bothered his nerves and he had snapped at them…
"All these years you two were aware of Danzō's doing – if not the entire thing, but certainly most of it – and yet neither of you two saw it fit to take action, to stop the man from doing what he had done so far… and don't give me the shit about it being for the sake of Konoha, for it was not. Danzō was all about himself and so were the things he did in the guise of 'for the sake of Konoha'. And if I ever learn that you were a part of all these, then Rikudō save you two from me."
That had shut those two up and from there it had been an easy matter to deal. Knowing full well the secrets the man carried and the experiments on his body, cremation of Danzō's body was the only way to forever take those secrets to the grave with the man. He had even entered Sage Mode to confirm whether the man had finally succumbed to death or not, and only after the confirmation had he succumbed to unconsciousness.
Then there were matters with the reconstruction and safety of Konoha, and never in his life had he been so glad to have Shikaku to help him, the man knew the workings like the back of his hands and had seen each and every small and big documents and missions that would come in handy to help Konoha through in this situation was presented to him. The man was god-send in those matters.
Currently he had some free time; or rather he silently waited for the two he had chosen to come along with him to attend the Gokage Kaidan, and for it be known around that the Hokage would be leaving for the meeting of the five Kages. Apparently martial law was implemented in such rare situation where no shinobi of the five villages are to leave the village… safety of the five Kages has the prominence. They would be leaving in a few hours.
But now alone and sitting atop the head of the Yondaime on the Hokage Mountain seeing the rebuilding of the village his thoughts reeled towards a single person, someone who he once hated the most, had declared him his rival, had pursued for his acknowledgement, had become best friends with and had eventually come to think as a brother… Uchiha Sasuke.
Try he might his mind could not wrap itself on things Sasuke was up to, it was as if the Sasuke he knew no longer remained. As far as he remembered he knew that the greatest goal of Sasuke was to kill his brother, the person that had massacred his entire family and had left him behind to be the vengeance of the Uchiha clan. Vengeance… Even back when they were at the academy and then in the same genin team had been the sole goal of Sasuke. He was even willing to sell his soul to demons like Orochimaru for the power to fulfill his vengeance, and so had left Konoha to train under the Snake Sanin.
But when he had finally achieved his vengeance, had succeeded in killing Uchiha Itachi, Sasuke had not returned to Konoha, rather had gone and join Akatsuki. He had a fleeting feeling that it somehow something to do with the truth behind the massacre of the Uchiha clan, though he didn't know how Sasuke would have come to learn of it as he was certain that Itachi would take that secret with him to his grave… So how?
'Has the hatred eaten you up, Sasuke? Or have you closed your eyes in the darkness? To go and join Akatsuki… have you chosen to walk down the road of hatred and darkness and lead a life of a criminal?'
He really wanted to believe that all he had heard and read been a dream, an illusion fabricated by Itachi… but he knew it was not so…
'I don't understand you anymore, Sasuke…'
"Hokage-sama!"
He felt three presences appear behind him.
"Do you really need to call me Hokage-sama, Kakashi-sensei…? I thought we were close enough to not bother with ranks and titles…" he groaned out turning to face Kakashi, Sai and Yamato… the latter looked as if he had been starved for days, but seeing that he had forced himself beyond anyone in the reconstruction work it was quite understandable.
"Hey there Yamato-taichō… you don't look so good", he greeted the other.
"Perks of overworking in the reconstruction of the village… and its either Tenzō or Yamato, not Yamato-taichō from now on Hokage-sama", the Mokuton user replied… you could hear the mirth in his voice.
"Not you too…" he groaned out.
"You are the Rokudaime Hokage now Naruto-san, you have to get to be used to it", Sai commented.
It was as if they were reeling in his annoyance…
"Fine, Fine… and it is Rokudaime Hokage Kōho", he replied back.
"Hai, Hai!" the three replied in tandem as if dismissing his words… he really hated that.
For a minute or so silence stretched which was broken by Kakashi, "You know, people all around Konoha, a civilian and a shinobi, a child and an elder, each and everyone want to get a glimpse of their hero and now the Hokage. I wouldn't be surprised that there would be few enough to ask your autograph."
"I know…" he muttered… the latter having actually happened "… It's just feels… I don't know how to put it…"
"Uncomfortable…" Sai said.
"Thanks Sai…" he said flashing a thankful grin towards the ex-Root-nin "… it's just feels uncomfortable, all that awe-inspired looks and the gratitude, how people see me so differently…"
"I thought Hinata, Ino, Tenten, Anko and Kurenai got through you on that issue…" commented Kakashi.
"They did… but it's still feels a bit overwhelming", he answered.
"It will, but know that you have earned it", Kakashi said, the other two agreeing with him.
"Thanks sensei, guys…" he answered honestly.
Another minute of silence stretched as the four just looked onto the construction work going on in the village.
This time it was Naruto who broke the silence as his eye focused on Kakashi, "How are preparations going on before we leave for the Gokage Kaidan?"
"They are going good… most of shinobis have been summoned back to the village and security and patrols are increased, especially that of Tsunade-sama…" Kakashi answered "… how about you, are you ready?"
"I guess I will be… I just hoped it would have been Tsunade-baa-chan", he answered sincerely.
"You will do fine. Just be yourself", commented Kakashi to which he just nodded.
"Yes, yes… be myself… I am certainly going to be myself."
Yep, that was the right thing to do…
Unknown to him the trio behind him had only one thought on their minds, whether had they done the right thing by unleashing Uzumaki Naruto on the Kages.
'Nah… what is the worse that could happen?' the trio thought… certainly there wouldn't be much chaos.
Famous last words.
The third chapter finally finished, and hope I did good… it was really hard to come up with scenario after Naruto's fight with Danzō, for I intended not to drag stuffs before I start with the Gokage Kaidan arc.
Some would be disappointed in the fact that Naruto did not receive the right Sharingan eye of Shisui as one would have come to expect seeing that I intend to give the left Sharingan eye of Shisui more importance… let me assure you that from the beginning I had no intention of having him the right Sharingan eye of Shisui.
I also hope I actually made Kotoamatsukami much more interesting than that it in the manga… the jutsu had great potential.