Author's Note: Gotta say, I was surprised how many viewers were claiming for Danzo's blood, mostly I wasn't even trying to make readers hate him (I wasn't trying to make them like him either), I was just trying to write him as faithful to canon as possible. Though guess that "faithful to canon" on this instance means that readers will be claiming for his blood.
Anyway, enjoy the chapter:
Chapter 80:
Revenge of the Uchiha
or
Control Zed
Valley of the End
Shisui and Shizune stared wide eyed at Danzo's right arm, its many Sharingan eyes wiggling and moving around, as if trying to scan the surroundings. Not that Danzo could see through them, since those eyes weren't connected to the brain via nerve cords.
"Just... what the...?" Shizune mumbled, as she tried to shake off the shock.
"You just weren't happy with letting me stop the Uchiha Insurrection," Shisui seethed, his hands clenching into fists. "You just had to desecrate their bodies for more power, didn't you?"
"I just let Konoha see the Uchiha for what they truly are, savages who let their emotions run wild and unchecked," Danzo replied, sounding as stoic as ever. "A ninja should never let their emotions get in the way, they're nothing but a distraction, an obstacle to overcome."
"For your apparent dislike of the Uchiha, you seem to like the Sharingan quite a lot," Shizune pointed out.
"It would be quite illogical to discard it," Danzo flatly replied. "The Sharingan is one of the most powerful Bloodline Limits in existence. If only there was a way to harvest such power without having to deal with the Uchiha and their many flaws... that's why I tried to take your children with me. Those kids are still young and malleable. They could be raised into the perfect ninjas, which would also serve as the foundation of a new and improved Uchiha Clan. A new generation of Sharingan-wielding ninjas that wouldn't be corrupted by emotions and would live and die for Konoha."
"You... you're sick!" Shizune shouted. "How can you talk in such way? Strip children of their humanity in order to turn them into living weapons! Treating ninjas as nothing but tools!"
"Ninjas are nothing but tools," Danzo insisted. "The moment we wear a forehead protector, we become the tools that will protect Konoha and slay its enemies, and sacrifice for Konoha if the need arises. A tool can't have room for emotions or loved ones. And the moment a tool can no longer be used, it must be discarded and replaced by something new. That's the way of the ninja."
"Your way, maybe," Shisui replied.
"One doesn't need to be a genius to see that you two are angry with me to the point of hatred," Danzo stated. "And that's why you're going to lose. You let your emotions guide your actions. You may think that they're a source of power, but the power they can grant is very finite. Nothing compared to what discipline and determination can bring."
"How can you say you protect Konoha, if you don't have loved ones? If you don't allow yourself to love? How can you be motivated to do what you do, if in the end all you're doing is protecting people that mean nothing to you at all?"
"That's an egotistical point of view," Danzo replied, shaking his head. "So, you only protect Konoha because it benefits a few people who are close to you? I don't need to have bonds to do what is right."
"And what about the information leak to the Akatsuki?" Shizune brought up, pointing an accusatory finger at him. "How can you claim that it was for the good of Konoha?"
"The Akatsuki are merely tools that can be used and manipulated for our sake. By hunting jinchuriki, they deprive the other villages of their power," Danzo explained.
"And how is letting the Akatsuki get their hands on them any better? They have six Tailed Beasts captured, for Kami's sake!" Shisui pointed out, though he left out one half of the Nine Tails. "Do you know how much harm can they do should they decide to unleash them?"
"Akatsuki might have the means to control the beasts, but so do we. Once Akatsuki captures all seven foreign jinchuriki, all we need to do is assault their base in Amegakure," Danzo said. Seeing Shisui and Shizune's confusion and shock, he decided to elaborate. "Jiraya's spies got multiple hints that lead to the leader of Akatsuki being in control of Amegakure, so that's where the captive Tailed Beasts must be held. All we need to do is destroy Ame, take the Tailed Beasts for ourselves... and then Konoha shall reign supreme over the elemental nations."
"You're sick," Shizune hissed. "No wonder you were always passed over for the title of Hokage."
"I will always do what's best for Konoha," Danzo defended. "No matter how other people see me or my ideas, I will always do what is right."
"Nothing you ever did could be considered as 'right' under any sane morality system," Shisui spat. "But trying to kidnap our children... you're not getting out of this alive."
"I see you're talking a lot, but so far, you didn't make any move," Danzo replied. "Or do you hope to take me down with your words alone?"
"No, I was merely stalling for time," Shisui replied. He let out a sight of relief. As he shot Danzo a bright smile. "And... there. I'm no longer under the effect of that Yamanaka jutsu that stopped me from using my own. Thanks for patiently waiting until the effect wore off."
Danzo emoted for the first time that day, as a scowl developed in his face. "You cheeky bastard. You're a strong ninja, I'll give you that. But unfortunately, your eyes are the only part of you worth salvaging."
"Yes, I believe that time for words have passed," Shisui said, as his smile disappeared, replaced by a look of subdued anger, his Sharingan glinting with a red light. "Now it's time for you to suffer just retribution for all the Uchiha you indirectly killed, as well as kidnapping my children!"
All who met Shisui Uchiha would describe him as an anomaly. While most of the Uchiha clan members –back in the time when the clan boasted more than a hundred ninja– used to grow either prideful, violent or reserved, often believed due the Sharingan's influence. Shisui, however, was neither. He was a ball of sunshine, always smiling, cracking jokes, greeting politely everyone, even strangers, willing to support others when they were at their lowest, always willing to forgive and forget anybody who had wronged him.
People said he was the light that shone in a clan engulfed by darkness. One of the few Uchiha who rejected the hatred that cursed their clan, and embraced the Will of Fire that represented Konoha.
Today, however, Shisui wasn't like that. There wouldn't be any mercy nor forgiveness. Just this time, Shisui would embrace the darkness and the hatred that coursed through the veins of any Uchiha. He wasn't worried, for he trusted his wife would snap him to his senses if he delved too much into the darkness. Still, it would be better to end this as quickly as possible.
Reaching into his ninja tool pouch, Shisui grabbed a pair of smoke bombs and tossed them forward, creating a huge cloud of smoke, while Danzo made three hand seals. His Sharingan impaired, Shisui used the Body Flicker to appear behind him, and sank his tanto into his back, making sure to pierce his heart. Not finished, he pulled the tanto with one hand as he made hand seals with the other.
"Fire Release: Burning Edge!"
The blade of his tanto was covered in a cloak of flames. Spinning over his heels, Shisui delivered an horizontal slash at Danzo's neck, cleaningly separating his head from his body, who fell forward with a thud.
"Nobody shall suffer for your machinations anymore, Danzo," Shisui told his enemy's corpse.
Shisui put off the fire of his blade, before sheathing it back, as he walked towards Shizune.
"Man, that was easier than I thought. His minions were a far greater challenge," Shisui said, sounding rather cheerful. "Guess his age wore him down far more than the Third..."
Suddenly, Shizune's expression was one of horror, much to the Uchiha's confusion.
"SHISUI, WATCH OUT!"
The Uchiha instinctively turned around, and his eyes caught sight of Danzo, his head still attached to his body, ready to thurst a kunai into him. Thankfully, he still had enough time to unsheath his tanto and parry the swipe before it could touch his skin.
Shizune rushed forward, making hand seals.
"Water Release: Water Gun!"
Shizune jumped into the air, her cheeks puffing, before expelling from her mouth multiple water bullets at the leader of Root, who disengaged Shisui and jumped backwards several times in order to dodge the attack. Shisui quickly rejoined his wife.
"Just... what the hell happened?" Shisui asked. "I swore I killed Danzo!"
"Maybe a clone? Or a genjutsu?" Shizune offered, being just as confused as her husband.
Shisui shook his head. "Clones immediately dispel or break down the moment they take fatal damage. And I doubt that Danzo can put me under a genjutsu. Besides, you saw me killing him as well, right?"
"Yes," Shizune replied. "You killed Danzo and then... his body disappeared and reappeared behind you, completely unharmed."
"Save the three of us the bother of a battle, and surrender already," Danzo offered. "Do it, and I promise the woman will live."
"You're far more senile than I thought if you think we're going to surrender!" Shizune shouted.
"Come Shizune-chan. Let's attack together. We need to find out whatever's that jutsu!" Shisui said, as he charged forwards.
"I'm right behind you!" Shizune said, running as well.
Danzo was as nonplussed as ever, though one could see a little of his annoyance. It made Shisui even angrier, the fact that the Root leader wasn't even taking this fight seriously. However, as they charged, Danzo brought his hands together and started to weave hand seals. Shisui immediately recognized those seals.
"Shizune-chan, scatter!" Shisui warned, as he rushed to the left.
Shizune nodded and headed into the opposite direction, just as Danzo was about to fire his jutsu.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Bullets!"
Danzo spat multiple air bullets in a wide range, trying to hit both Shisui and Shizune, though mostly the former. Thanks to his Sharingan, Shisui was able to pinpoint their trajectory and gracefully dodge all of them, while making several hand seals of his own.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Jutsu!"
Shisui expelled multiple fireballs at Danzo in return. Danzo, however, also had a Sharingan, which allowed him to easily dodge them. However, he was so focused on Shisui, he didn't notice Shizune getting close to him, preparing a jutsu of her own.
"Posion Mist!"
Once again, Shizune cast her signature jutsu, expelling a purple cloud of toxic gas that quickly engulfed Danzo. However, even if the Root leader held his breath in time, Shisui's fireballs ignited the poisonous cloud, resulting in a massive explosion. Shizune and Shisui quickly jumped back, landing near each other.
"Did that get him? Or did he escape again?" Shizune asked, franctically looking around.
"My Sharingan saw him being incinerated by the explosion," Shisui said, as his eyes wandered around, trying to look for Danzo. "I wouldn't count him out yet."
They both were warned by a loud whirring sound coming towards them. Turning towards the direction of the sound, they saw two shuriken flying at them. The shuriken were engulfed by several blades made of pure wind.
"Shit!" Shisui cursed, as he and Shizune jumped in opposite directions once again.
And once again, the attacks were aimed at Shisui. Unfortunately for the Uchiha, his Sharingan didn't catch them in time, and was unable to dodge it completely. Even if he dodged the shuriken themselves, their wind aura slashed his side, resulting in a stream of blood coming from it.
"ARGH!" Shisui shouted, as he took his hand to his wound.
"SHISUI!" Shizune screamed, rushing towards him.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Blade!"
Danzo, who was a few meters in the direction the shuriken came from, held another two shuriken in his hands. He infused them with wind chakra from his mouth, enveloping them in a razor wind aura, before tossing them again. Shizune's hands weaved seals as fast as her dexterity allowed her.
"Water Release: Water Wall!"
Using the water of the valley, a thick watery barrier emerged between the shuriken and herself. The wind-enhanced shuriken tried to force their way through the barrier, forcing Shizune to pour more chakra into her jutsu, until Danzo's attack was finally repelled.
"Phew..." Shizune sighed in relief. But her relief was short lived when, through the corner of her eye, saw Danzo rushing towards the now defenseless Shisui. "Oh shit! This was just a distraction!"
Danzo reached Shisui, and catching him by the neck in a very strong grip. The Uchiha coughed blood.
"Now, time to recover what should be mine," Danzo calmly said, as his other hand shot at Shisui's eye, his fingers curved as if they were claws.
However, before he could grab Shisui, Shizune appeared besides them, and grabbed Danzo's arm before he could gouge her husband's eye.
"You won't touch him!" Shizune yelled, before slapping an explosive seal on Danzo's back, and sending him flying with a well placed kick to the chest. While he was in the air, Shizune detonated the explosive tag, blowing Danzo's body to bits. With the Root leader out the way, for the time being, Shizune directed all her attention to her husband. "Shisui, are you okay?"
"I've been better," Shisui said, coughing more blood. "Thanks. That's the second time you saved my ass."
Shizune didn't say anything, pulled a kunai, and used it to cut Shisui's shirt, leaving him completely exposed from the waist up.
"Heh... not that I don't love it, but I'm afraid that this isn't the best moment to get intimate..." Shisui replied.
"Shut up, you dummy. I needed the clothes out of the way if I'm to treat your wounds," Shizune said, as she placed her hands on his slash wound, which started to glow with a green light.
Relief washed over Shisui's body as the healing chakra slowly but surely repaired the damage done to his body, as well as replenishing some of his energy and chakra. Then, Danzo reappeared a few meters in front of them as if he was a ghost, once again completely unharmed. He brought his hands together, making a hand seal.
"Release!"
Shisui's Sharingan noticed how Danzo's chakra changed. Did he thought that Shisui had put him under a genjutsu? Well, maybe he should have, given that ninjutsu wasn't giving them any results.
"Shizune-chan, hurry, I don't think he's going to stay there and let you heal me," Shisui urged his wife.
"Just a second!" Shizune told him, as he finished healing the injury.
But much to Shisui's confusion, Danzo did not attack. He just stayed there, slowly breathing in and out, as if tyring to regain his energy.
"And... done!" Shizune said, removing her hands from her husband's exposed torso. "Just try to make sure you're not hit on that spot again."
Despite the medic-nin's warning, Shisui had the feeling that Danzo would focus on that area the most. Speaking of Danzo, Shisui noticed something about him. Or better said, his arm. Two of his Sharingan were closed. It was then when a realization dawned upon him with the power of an avalanche.
"Of course! How didn't I realize what he was using," Shisui said in realization. "All those Sharingan... it makes perfect sense now. Tell me Danzo, how do you know about Izanagi?"
"You kid have no idea of all the things I know about. Especially about your clan," Danzo replied. "And if you knew what I know, you'd surrender your eyes to me without further resistance."
"Izanagi?" Shizune asked.
"It's an Uchiha Forbidden Jutsu," Shisui began. "It's a bit hard to explain. Once activated, as long as it lasts, the caster pretty much becomes a genjutsu."
"Uh? How does that work?"
"Another way to explain it is a jutsu that allows the caster to manipulate reality, allowing him to decide what is real and what is not," Shisui explained. "If the user suffers a crippling or fatal injury, he can simply turn that injury into an illusion, negating it."
"Wow..." Shizune was amazed. How a jutsu so powerful could exist? "Please tell me there's a way to counter it. Because if Danzo can use that jutsu indefinitely..."
"Don't worry, he can't," Shisui said, much to Shizune's relief. "The jutsu lasts about a minute, give or take, and once the time runs out, the caster of the jutsu loses a Sharingan permanently."
"I see. That explains why some of Danzo's Sharingan are closed," Shizune observed.
"Yes, but he still has plenty to spare. Though, another of the jutsu's drawback is that consumes a lot of chakra. Danzo must have quite the impressive..." Shisui's words died in his mouth another realization hit him. "Wait, that hand seal... he wasn't trying to undo a genjutsu! He undid the Izanagi in order to conserve his chakra!"
"It also begets the question on how he's able to sustain those many Sharingan without Six Paths chakra," Shizune noted. "Kakashi is in the prime of his life, and just one leaves him pretty winded."
"It doesn't matter!" Shisui said, as he grabbed his tanto, charging forwards. "Quickly, before he reactivates his jutsu again!"
"Too slow," Danzo said, as he started to make hand seals, even if they weren't those of the Izanagi. "As for young Shizune's inquiry... I think this may hint her towards the answer. Wood Release: Nativity of a World of Trees!"
The valley started to rumble, and from the water below around them multiple trees started to emerge, forcing the Uchiha couple to abort their attack.
"The hell? He can use Wood Release too!?" Shisui asked in shock, looking around at the growing trees. "Just how many Bloodline limits did this guy steal and graft into himself?"
"Just those that matter," Danzo calmly replied.
"The Tailed Beasts," Shizune said in realization. "That's why he wants to get their hands on them. With Wood Release, he'll be able to put them under his control, like Hashirama did decades ago. And I believe the Sharingan serve a similar purpose."
"Very clever, Shizune. A mostly astute observation. Not that it changed anything," Danzo replied. "Now please die, both of you."
Danzo made another hand seal, and the trees and roots all shot towards the Uchiha couple. An attack from so many directions would be impossible to dodge. There was only one thing Shisui could do.
"Shizune!" Shisui shouted, pulling his wife towards him, and wrapping his arms around her in a protective manner, before the two of them were buried under an avalanche of green.
Even if Shisui and Shizune had no way of knowing it, this was the first time Danzo used Wood Release in actual combat. He obviosly trained it in secret, but never used a jutsu of such magnitude. Orochimaru splicing his genes with those of the First Hokage gave him a physical boost, but was unable to control Wood Release properly.
That changed, however, when Sai brought Rin's severed finger. Analyzing the finger, the Root scientists found out that the way Rin's DNA was combined with that of Hashirama was way superior to anything Orochimaru attempted. And with sample of flesh, blood and bone tissue, his scientists were able to tweak Orochimaru's body modifications in order to made them more stable. This finally allowed Danzo to use and control Wood Release.
Indeed, sending Sai alongisde the group that went to aid the Kirigakure rebels was one of the best decisions he ever made.
"That should be it," Danzo said, allowing himself to breathe in relief. He calmly walked towards the spot where Shisui and Shizune had been. That jutsu had cost him some precious chakra, but thankfully it had been worth it. Plus it was better than sacrificing more Sharingan with Izanagi. Better finish the fight now before more of Shisui's allies could show up. Danzo knew he could beat the Uchiha, even with Tsunade's protegé supporting him, but his odds wouldn't be that good if more people joined the fray. He knew for sure none of his men would walk near the valley. "Hopefully, at least one of the eyes is still intact..."
As Danzo prepared to remove the vines, something burst from underground, much to the elder's surprise. Shisui and Shizune, wrapped around each other's arms and any worse for the wear, were inside what appeared to be a giant ghostly green ribcage. An equally large skeleton formed around the ribcage, before it generated skin and muscles, and finally, armor.
"What the...?" Danzo mumbled, as he was forced to jump backwards.
"You aren't the only one with a hidden surprise, you son of a bitch!" Shisui angrily shouted. A drill-like spear appeared on the construct's right arm, and thrusted it at him. "Now die already!"
"Dammit, no time to reactivate the Izanagi!" Danzo distressingly thought. "This is my only chance to survive!"
Suddenly, a massive tree emerged from Danzo's chest, tearing his white shirt to pieces, and sucessfully stopping the incoming spear attack. Danzo detached himself from the tree, as he landed a few meters behind.
"Don't let him reactivate the jutsu!" Shizune urged him.
Shisui nodded, and made a hand seal. "Susanoo: Tsukumo!"
Shisui's construct fired a barrge of green glowing chakra stakes at Danzo, but sadly, it wasn't fast enough, and the Root leader quickly made the three hand seals in order to reactivate Izanagi. Many of the missiles pierced him, but Danzo simply disappeared, before reappearing completely unharmed.
"I didn't know you could use Susanoo," Danzo commented. "I knew Itachi and Sasuke could use it, but I didn't even cross my mind that you had access to it as well, despite having two Mangekyo Sharingan. Such an oversight almost costed me dearly."
"Yeah well, like I said, don't presume that you know everything about me," Shisui spat. "you're about to- ARGH!"
Shisui fell to one knee, and started to cough blood again. His Susanoo quickly disappeared, as the Uchiha reached for his eyes.
"Shisui!" Shizune shouted, kneeling besides him.
"I'm... I'm okay," Shisui weakly said. "I forgot how much chakra this shit consumes. I don't think I'll be able to do this again."
"I don't understand... Sasuke-kun doesn't have this problem when using his Susanoo..." Shizune pointed out.
"Sasuke has an Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, which reduces the Susanoo's chakra cost to negligible levels. Plus he has a better hang of this power than I do. I only used it once before, and it was even before we started to date," Shisui explained.
"I see. Anyway, let's not despair," Shizune said, as she applied the Mystical Palm Jutsu to Shisui once again, while also helping him back on his feet. "I have faith that we can win this."
"You're grossly underestimating me, Shizune-san," Danzo replied. "I'm sure you think that, because you were trained by Tsunade, that alone gives you an edge over me. Her grandmother and Hashirama-sama's wife, Mito Uzumaki, was my Jonin-sensei."
"With all respect to Mito-sama, she did a piss poor job with you then," Shizui angrily spat.
"I'm afraid that yes, I quite never lived up to her expectations in certain areas. But that's irrelevant now," Danzo said, while making more hand seals. "Wood Release: Acid Spore Cannon!"
The water started to shake again, and a single, large green vine emerged from down below. Said vine was crowned by a large flower. The flower opened its petals, and fired a greenish yellow blob at the Uchiha couple.
"Jump!" Shizune shouted.
Both she and Shisui jumped in opposite directions. The missile crashed against the vines they were standing on until then, exploding into a yellow cloud. With a hissing sound, the concentrated corrosive spores quickly consumed them.
The flower continued firing its acid projectiles at Shisui, while ignoring Shizune. While this forced Shisui into the defensive, it gave Shizune a chance to counterattack. She quickly formed several hand seals.
"Water Release: Water Severing Wave!"
Shizune expelled from her mouth an extremely thin, extremely pressurized stream of water towards the vine, cleanly cutting it in half.
"Good job, Shizune-chan!"
"You have an awful habit of declaring victory way ahead of time," Danzo commented.
Danzo's statement was followed by three more flowers emerging from underwater, with two of them firing at Shisui, and the third one focusing on Shizune. The two of them dodges the acid projectiles while trying to get close to Danzo, but found it increasingly difficult to do so.
"Shit, this guy caught on, and is preventing Shizune-chan and I from fighting together!" Shisui thought, as he tried his best to dodge the corrosive missiles, which were fired at an increasingly faster pace. "However, I think I have an idea of what will be Danzo's next move..."
Shisui tried to shot a glance at the Root leader, but he was nowhere to be found. As he jumped back in order to dodge two acid shots, Danzo reappeared near Shisui, kunai in hand.
"End of the fight. Time to die," Danzo said, as he prepared to attack.
"I knew you'd use those attacks as a distraction!" Shisui triumphantly said, as he jumped back while making hand seals as fast as possible. "Fire Release: Meltdown!"
Shisui exhaled a massive fireball that quickly engulfed Danzo. Rather than shooting forward, the Fireball continued expanding in every direction, until it also engulfed the three acid spitting flowers, quickly reducing them to ashes. Danzo, however, reappeared a few meters from him, once again not worse for the wear. Shizune also took the chance to quickly regroup with her husband.
"Godammit, stop not-dying!" Shisui complained.
"...not-dying?" Shizune repeated, shooting her husband a confused glance.
"How do you call what he's doing?" Shisui replied.
"You're making this infuriatingly difficult," Danzo stated, even if his voice or body language didn't betray any sign of anger.
"Look who's talking," Shisui spat back.
Danzo and Shisui continued to trade glares. The Root leader was studying the young Uchiha, wondering what other nasty surprises he had hidden. He could also see that, despite being much younger, Shisui appeared to be far more exhausted than Danzo was. Then again, Shizune appeared to still have enough stamina to spare.
"It seems that using Susanoo drained quite a lot of his chakra. He might not be used to it. It's unlikely that he'll use it again," Danzo thought, before quickly reprimanding himself and pushing that thought out of his head. "No, I can't afford to think like that. I already underestimated Shisui once, and nearly costed me the fight. I need to fight thinking that he can unleash that jutsu at me at any moment. In that case..."
Danzo bit his thumb, and started to make hand seals. Of course, Shizune and Shisui immediately caught was he was going to do, but reacted a bit too late.
"You can feel proud of yourselves. Not many foes push me so much as to rely on this," Danzo replied, before slamming his hand into the ground. "Summoning Jutsu!"
In a burst of smoke, a large, orange elephant-like being appeared, creating small waves of all the water that it displaced upon appearing. Despite having a trunk and long fangs like an elephant, it also had orange fur, and its legs ended in long, sharp claws.
"What... what the hell is that?" Shisui asked.
"A Baku," Shizune replied, sounding rather worried. "It's a very powerful summon. It's said it can devour dreams and nightmares. We better watch out."
Danzo jumped onto the Baku's head, and without having to tell it anything, the beast charged forward.
"Oh shit, here he comes!" Shizune shouted.
Shisui started to make hand seals. "Don't worry, I'll stop it on its tracks! Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
Once again, Shisui breathed a massive fireball at the incoming monster, leaving a trail of steam as it flew. The Uchiha was confident the Baku wouldn't be able to dodge it, given both its size and its current momentum. Of course, Danzo was about to prove why he was a contender for the title of Hokage.
As it rushed, the Baku took a deep breath, before releasing a stream of pressurized air from its trunk. Danzo followed, making the hand seals of another wind jutsu.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Great Sphere!"
Danzo exhaled from his mouth a rather large sphere of concentrated, pressurized air. His jutsu merged with his summon's attack, forming a massive gale that pushed the fireball back at Shisui, much to the Uchiha's distress.
"The hell? How can he use a wind jutsu to counter a fire based one!?" the indignant Uchiha protested.
"If it's more powerful than yours, it can do it! Now shut up and run!" Shizune urged her husband, as the two of them retreated towards the waterfall flanked by the giant statues of Hashirama and Madara.
As he gave chase a top of his beast, Danzo took a moment to check his right arm. He still had five Sharingan opened. While he felt they were enough to finish the fight, he decided it was best not to take any chances and finish the fight as quickly as possible. He could no longer be conservative with the chakra anymore. His hands started to form more hand seals, albeit this time not for a wind jutsu.
"Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence!"
Once again, a multitude of wooden vines and roots emerged all around Shisui and Shizune, swiftly cutting their escape. However, this time Shisui wasn't going to let him trap them like that. He bit his thumb, before making five hand seals, and slammed his palm into the water's surface.
"Summoning jutsu!"
From a burst of smoke, a giant crow emerged, with Shisui and Shizune riding on its back. The crow quickly flapped his wings, raising some wind as it gained altitude. Danzo, however, was unfazed.
"You won't escape me, Uchiha," Danzo said, mostly to himself, before his eyes darted towards his minion. "Baku, stop them."
The orange furred beast opened its jaws, creating a powerful suction force between them, which started to suck all the air around it. Shisui's giant crow was stopped on his tracks, being caught inside a powerful wind current which pulled him towards the Baku. The bird flapped his wings as fast as he could, but to no avail.
"Shisui-san..." the crow managed to say. "I'm afraid... I can't..."
"Don't worry, Kurokaze-sama! I know how to get rid of this guy!" Shisui said, as his hands flew through more hand seals. "Hope you like spicy food! Fire Release-"
Danzo, however, made a single hand seal faster.
"Sealing Art: Self Cursing Seal!"
Suddenly, Shisui felt his whole body go completely rigid just as he was about to use his fire jutsu, as black marks started to spread around his body.
"Shisui?" Shizune asked, worried. Her worry multipled tenfold as Shisui started to slip away, pulled by the wind. Fortunately, she was able to grab him in time. "SHISUI! Hold on!"
Shisui tried to break the cursed seal with the force of his chakra, but sadly he found out it wasn't enough.
"Damn, when did Danzo placed a seal...?" Shisui inwardly asked, as he mentally reviewed the battle so far. The answer came when he remembered that Danzo had briefly held him by his neck when he was trying to gouge his eyes out. "So he placed a seal when he was going to take my eyes just in case... bastard's quite the planner..."
"You have lost, Shizune. You can't protect your husband and fight me at the same time," Danzo calmly said. "As a show of respect to your teacher, I will spare your life. But only if you surrender now."
Of course, being Tsunade's first apprentice, the black haired medic-nin had also inherited some of her master's stubborness, and giving up wasn't aprt of her vocabulary, especially when the life of a loved one was on the line. "Surrender this! Posion Mist!"
Shizune exhaled a cloud of poisonous gas, which was quickly sucked by the Baku. The effect was immediate, and the beast started to cough and cry in pain the moment he inhaled the toxic fumes. The damage done was so bad, the summoning was undone, and the orange furred animal disappeared in a cloud of smoke, leaving Danzo alone once again.
Next, Shizune quickly made several hand seals, before placing her hand on Shisui's chest, sending a burst of chakra through her body.
"Sealing Art: Lesser Void Touch!"
The effect was immediate, and the black marks spread around Shisui's body started to vanish, and as they did, the Uchiha started to recover his mobility. Trembling a little at first, he managed to sit up with Shizune's help.
"Thanks," he said, rubbing his sore limbs. "I lost on how many times you saved my ass already."
"Well, you saved me back then with your Susanoo," Shizune replied, smiling earnestly at him.
"I doubt that makes us even," Shisui said, chuckling awkwardly, before his eyes focused on Danzo. "Since when are you this good at fuinjutsu?"
"The perks of living with Jiraiya-sama for the late part of my childhood," Shizune explained. "I might not be as talented as an Uzumaki, but I did pick up quite a few useful things."
"Useful indeed," Shisui agreed, before looking at the ground below. Danzo was still there, looking up at them. "And you got rid of that annoying animal as well. You're the best."
"Now, let's get rid of the summoner. Can you still fight?" Shizune asked.
Shisui looked at Danzo, or better said at his right arm, and saw how one of its Sharingan closed. The Uchiha cracked his neck, and smiled with determination. "You can bet I am. In fact, I think I have an idea of how we can beat him for good. Follow my lead, and attack with as much intensity as you can, okay?"
Shizune wanted to ask how that was going to help against Izanagi, but decided to trust her husband, She energically nodded. "You got it!"
The Uchiha couple jumped from the giant bird's back, falling towards Danzo. Shizune's hands were enveloped by blue chakra, taking the shape of two large chakra blades, while Shisui made several hand seals.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Jutsu!"
Shisui rained fireballs upon Danzo, who dodged the attack in spite of Izanagi being active. Shizune landed besides him, creating a huge splash the moment her feet hit the water, and delivered a flurry of rapid-pace swipes with her Chakra Scalpels, which Danzo alternated between dodging and parrying.
A whirring sound alerted danzo of multiple shuriken flying his way. He jumped backwards while crouching, avoiding both of them and Shizune. However, as he did this, he didn't notice Shisui body flickering besides him, and plunging his tanto into his back. Danzo, however, disappeared before reappearing a few meters away from them.
"How much long are you planning to keep this charade up?" Danzo asked in a somehwat bored tone.
"Until you drop dead!" Shisui replied.
Shisu started to Body Flicker constantly around Danzo, generating multiple afterimages around him. Despite his Sharingan, Danzo was unable to follow Shisui's movements, as he futilely tried to see where the Uchiha was moving. A bead of sweat ran through his temple.
"Even the Sharingan has its limits, old man!" Shisui said as he struck.
His tanto, however, was parried by Danzo's kunai.
"It doesn't matter. As long as I can see you, you won't be able to surprise me," Danzo calmly replied.
"Posion Mist!"
Shizune jumped above the two men, and exhaled another cloud of poisonous gas. Shisui was able to disengage Danzo and Body Flicker away in time, but the Root leader was engulfed by the mist. Not that it mattered, as Danzo reappeared a few meters out of the cloud, none the worse for the wear. As Shisui and Shizune charged at him, he made several hand seals.
"Wood Release: Wood Dragon Jutsu!"
From the water emerged a serpentine dragon made of wood that lunged at the incoming Uchiha couple. It tried to devour the two of them, which were forced to jump in opposite directions to avoid the bite. Rather than Shisui, the dragon focused on Shzune this time around. However, the medic-nin knew what to do to counter it. Her hands flew through hand seals once more.
"Water Release: Water Severing Wave!"
Shizune expelled a thin stream of pressurized water, aimed at the dragon's neck, easily chopping its head off. However, much to her surprise, three other Wood Dragons emerged after the first one was destroyed, taking his place. Shizune was forced to jump back in order to avoid the incoming attack.
"Haven't you realized the difference in skill and power between you and me yet?" Danzo asked.
"Haven't you realized that you talk too much?" Shisui said, appearing behidn Danzo. "Fire Release: Meltdown!"
Danzo was engulfed by a massive fireball, which also burned to ashes the wood dragons schasing Shizune, while also raising several clouds of steam from the nearby water.
"All you're going to accomplish by doing this is to exhaust your chakra pointlessly," Danzo replied, as he reappared, once again completely unharmed.
"Trust me, our chakra isn't the only one that's getting depleted," Shisui replied. "Did you actually check how many Sharingan have left?"
"I know that I still have enough to..." but Danzo's words died on his mouth when he checked his right arm. Only two Sharingan remained, with one of them already closing off. The Root leader's eyes visibly widened. "What? No, this can't be right. How did this...?"
"I don't know if you're aware of the limitations, but Izanagi's duration isn't a constant," Shisui pointed out. "Its duration is proportional to the chakra you have, with one minute being its maximum time. By using Izanagi constantly, as well as other heavy chakra consuming jutsu like Wood Release, your chakra quickly plummeted, which in turn shortened the duration of the Izanagi.
"How did you know that? Nobody has used the Izanagi for as long as I did before!" Danzo replied.
"Easy. I've been keeping track of how long your eyes take to close. The first three were a minute each, so I thought that its duration was indeed constant. The fourth one, however, took fifty two seconds to close, and the fifth one only fourty seven. From that point onwards, every eye took less and less time to close. That's why I realized that, if we pushed you constantly, we could reduce that time even further.
"Plus Shizune-chan and I are young and the prime of our lives, so we can afford going all out from time to time, but you?" Shisui asked. "How old are you, seventy? I mean, your Jonin-sensei was Tsunade-sama's grandma, for crying out loud! Even with Hashirama's cells boosting your power, your stamina can't be that great."
"You... you bastard!" Danzo shouted, showing emotion for the first time.
"There's a reason as for why Izanagi is a Forbidden Jutsu," Shisui said, shaking his head. "You probably thought that you could abuse it with enough Sharingan. But that's what you get when you think you're smarter than the clan who invented that jutsu, and whose eyes you stole and wear as if they were your own."
Shizune landed besides Shisui with a small splash.
"Good one, Shisui!" Shizune praised her husband. "Let's finish him off!"
"So, two eyes left. One in his arm, and the one in his face," Shisui observed. "Though he might not want to sacrifice the latter."
"Correction," Shizune said, smiling smugly. "One eye left."
Danzo saw how the last Sharingan in his arm closed. Not without a considerable amount of resignation, he made a hand seal.
"Cancel."
Shisui's Sharingan could see how Danzo's chakra shifted. It seems that he didn't want to use his remaining Sharingan left to fuel the Izanagi.
"Whose eye is that?" Shisui asked. "In order to be so protective of it."
"Fugaku Uchiha's," was Danzo's laconic answer. "He awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan during the Uchiha Insurrection."
"Yet you didn't use it against us," Shisui said. "Do you plan to use it now as a last resort?"
"I'm afraid I can't. Even with the regeneration provided by Hashirama's cells, my chakra levels are too low to use the Mangekyo Sharingan," Danzo explained.
"So, do you surrender then?" Shisui asked, as he menacingly walked towards Danzo, who made no effort to flee or even move. "Or do you plan to die fighting?"
"While my failure at acquiring your eyes is undeniable, I'm afraid that you won't claim my life today, Shisui Uchiha," Danzo confidently stated. "Or any other day for that matter."
That moment, Shizune noticed something above them, albeit not fast enough to prevent it in time.
"SHISUI, WATCH OUT!" she yelled as she jumped backwards.
Trusting his intuition, he followed his wife's example and jumped away from Danzo. That moment, several kunai with explosive tags attached rained from above, creating a chain of explosions between the Root leader and the Uchiha couple, raising some water and steam as well.
"I was afraid that you didn't get my message," Danzo said.
"What the...?" Shizune mubled.
When their eyes refocused, they could see that Danzo was surrounded by Otogakure ninja, being led by no other than Kabuto Yakushi.
"Oh, we did. But we thought that, with the head start you had, our aid wouldn't be necessary," Kabuto replied, as he eyed Shisui and Shizune. "May I ask why did you let these two catch you?"
"No, you may not ask," Danzo firmly stated.
"I thought I had the right to know, given that you exposed our partnership to Konoha," Kabuto replied. "Orochimaru-sama won't be pleased with this development."
"Orochimaru still needs me, and you know that," Danzo replied, who was strating to sound impatient. "Now, can we leave already?"
"Very well then," Kabuto said with a shrug, as he took a step forward, looking ready to fight the Uchiha couple.
"So, you plan to keep us busy while your minions take Danzo away, right?" Shisui guessed, as he scowled at Kabuto. "Not going to happen. Shizune!"
"Yes!"
Shizune dashed at Kabuto, who was making hand seals, her chakra scalpels activated, while Shisui Body Flickered towards Danzo's position. However, neither of them were expecting what came next, once Kabuto finished weaving seals.
"Yin Release: Bringer of Darkness!"
The Oto ninjas threw more kunai with explosive tags attached at them, before the entire Valley of the End was engulfed by a cloak of absolute darkness. Choosing between trying to catch Danzo or avoiding the explosions, the Uchiha couple decided that their lives were more important. When the explosions happened, they managed to put enough distance to avoid the shockwave. Then, the aura of darkness vanished, revealing that Danzo, Kabuto and the Oto ninjas were longer there.
Realizing that Danzo had indeed escaped, Shisui stomped his foot in anger. "Dammit! Dammit all! We had him! We had him, and the bastard escaped from our grasp!"
"Shisui...?" Shizune asked. "Should we... go after them? They probably head to Orochimaru's old hideout in the Land of Sound."
Shisui just shook his head. "Forget it. We're in no shape to fight that many ninja. Danzo got away for good."
Shizune walked to her husband and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm... I'm sorry."
Shishui grabbed his wife's hand, and squeezed it a little. Looking into her eyes, he deactivated his Sharingan, and forced himself to smile. "It's okay, it's not your fault. Hell, if anything, I would have died a hundred times if it wasn't for you. Besides... at the very least our children are safe."
"Our children..." Shizune repeated. "Let's go back home. I want to hold them in my arms again."
"Me too," Shisui agreed, as the two of them headed south. "So, Danzo was working with Orochimaru all along. At this point, it's hardly surprising."
"Makes sense. Remember when Orochimaru invaded the village?" Shizune asked. "Danzo probably tipped Orochimaru about how to do it, where to attack, and what time would it be best."
"As if leaking information on the jinchuriki wasn't bad enough," Shisui said, shaking his head. "Hokage-sama is going to be almost as mad as I am when he hears the news."
…
Orochimaru's Land of Sound Lair, a couple hours later
The sun had set a few minutes ago, and the land was covered with the night's mantle of darkness. As Danzo expected, Konoha didn't send any teams to retrieve him. That doesn't mean that he and all the agents that successfully escaped could stay in that lair forever. They had to find a new hideout soon.
While Danzo and his men rested in the lair, guarded by Orochimaru's men, the Snake Sannin himself and his right hand man were discussing how the recent events had unfolded.
"It's a pity that Danzo failed to abduct not even one of all those targets," Orochimaru lamented, as he walked alognside Kabuto. "While there's little more I can learn from Jiraiya's brats, or any Uchiha, that Rin girl would have been something worth studying. I can't believe I had such a valuable specimen in my power for so long, but foolishly let her go. To think that Obito used Hashirama's cells to bring somebody back from the death..."
"Indeed. It seems that Obito can use Hashirama's cells in a way that we can't even imagine," the bespectacled man agreed. "Is there anything they can't do?"
"The fact that Obito could provide me with an almost unlimited amount of Hashirama's cells was one of the key factors that made me join Akatsuki," Orochimaru said. "However, I also knew that Obito had to be working with somebody else."
"Pain?" Kabuto asked.
Orochimaru shook his head. "Obito isn't somebody with a background in biology, medicine, or any kind of science, and neither is Pain. If that was the case, they wouldn't have recurited me for Akatsuki. Plus, I've been investigating him, and I found a gap in his past that I've been unable to fill. What did he do between his apparent death, and the Nine Tails' attack on Konoha?"
"The fact that Obito hides plenty of secrets is something obvious," Kabuto said. "What about Zetsu? Our analysis shows that he also has Hashirama's DNA."
"Yes, Zetsu. At first I thought he would be Obito's benefactor. Yet for some reason, Zetsu acts subservient to Obito, not the other way around," Orochimaru pointed out. "No, their dynamic makes no sense. That is, unless the two of them serve another."
"If that's the case, then who? If it's not Pain, nor that Toneri guy... who's left?" Kabuto asked. "The only one I can think of would be Madara Uchiha, but even if he miraculously survived his fight against Hashirama, there's no way he can still be alive."
"Maybe not, but just like how Obito resurrected his childhood crush, who says that he might not try to do the same with somebody else? Like Madara?" Orochimaru suggested.
"The implications of Madara coming back to life... are chilling, to say the least," Kabuto said, remianing stoic, but showing some fear.
"That's why we must investigate what's Obito planning to do next," Orochimaru said. Then, he raised his left hand, and removed the Akatsuki Ring from the little finger. "And in order to do so, I can no longer be part of the Akatsuki."
"I see," Kabuto said, then a realization hit him. "Wait, does that mean that we're going with the final phase of our plans?"
"Indeed. Kabuto, make sure to move all our forces to the designated base," Orochimaru instructed. "But make sure to relocate Danzo and his men somewhere else. While the old war hawk still has his uses, he's no longer as relevant as he thinks."
"Understood," Kabuto said with a head nod. Before leaving, another realization hit him. "Orochimaru-sama... does this mean that we aren't going to help Akatsuki with the remaining jinchuriki?"
"Regrettably not," the Sannin replied, shaking his head in disappointment. "What a pity, I would have loved a rematch against sensei that and that idiot Jiraiya... if they only knew the power I possess now..."
"I'm sure you will have another chance in the future," Kabuto reassured him, before both men left.
Little did the Sannin and his lackey knew that his conversation had been heard by a certain somebody, who didn't take Orochimaru's plans very kindly.
"So, that's what you plan do to, you bastard?" the unseen person hissed, speaking to no one in particular. "This betrayal won't remain unanswered, I swear that on my life."
And the mysterious individual disappeared as well.
Author's Note: And sadly, Danzo slipped away. Sorry for those who wanted to see him dead (I also wanted to kill him then and there), but sadly, I need him alive for a future plotline. Don't worry, you won't have to suffer him much. Still, I hope that you enjoyed the battle. I know some people weren't looking to it due Izanagi abuse, but I tried my best to make the fight both original and enjoyable. At the very least, I hope that the reviewers who were afraid that either Shisui or Shizune were going to bite the dust can now breathe in relief.
Given that Danzo helped Orochimaru with his invasion of Konoha (which ended up in failure anyway) I thought it would be fitting that Orochimaru would return the favor. And speaking of him, the Snake Sannin will move to the final part of his plans. What plans are those? You'll have to wait and see, but you can see they involve finding out the truth about Obito. Of course, said plans aren't going to go as smoothly as he expects given that somebody got wind of his betrayal of Akatsuki.
Thanks to OOkami88 for betareading the chapter.
And with this chapter, the Root arc comes to an end! Next chapter will show you what's coming next, though you should have a pretty good idea by now. Anyway, make sure to share your thougths on this chapter, the whole arc, and what's to come in a review! Reviews make me really, really, really happy!