The wind and sand howled, shrouding the battlefield and drastically lowering visibility.
However, Jiraiya—enhanced by Sage Mode's heightened sensory abilities and his keen insight—was unaffected. Despite the storm of sand, he could still lock onto Danzo's position effortlessly.
Danzo's expression darkened as he tried to peer through the swirling sands, his Sharingan eyes straining to no avail. Jiraiya had vanished from his sight completely.
Danzo knew all too well how terrifying Jiraiya's speed could be. If his Sharingan couldn't track him, defending against Jiraiya's high-speed attacks would be nearly impossible.
Danzo began moving rapidly, unwilling to stand still and wait for Jiraiya's inevitable attack. As he moved, the Sharingan on both his right arm and eye spun furiously, searching for any trace of Jiraiya's presence.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Wave!"
Danzo swiftly weaved hand signs and unleashed a powerful gust from his mouth, forming a raging tornado aimed at blowing away the thick dust.
Yet it was futile. Since the dust had been conjured using Sage Art, Danzo's jutsu couldn't disperse it completely. The tornado churned with all its might but could only scatter a small amount of the dust, nowhere near enough to clear the area.
Realizing his Wind Release couldn't resolve the situation, Danzo stopped wasting chakra. His eyes darted through the dust-filled battlefield as he moved, searching like a headless fly.
Jiraiya watched with a small smile. Danzo had lost his lock on him. From now on, Danzo could only defend passively.
Victory was just a matter of time.
"His Izanagi can alter reality itself, reversing his death. To take Danzo down quickly, we'll need to strike with a one-hit kill before he has time to activate it," Shima said in a low voice.
"He's got three Sharingan left, meaning he can use Izanagi three more times," Fukasaku added. "Even if we can't kill him in one blow, we can wear him down until there's nothing left."
As soon as Fukasaku finished speaking, he weaved hand signs. Fire-attribute Sage chakra surged through him, and he opened his mouth wide, spewing a massive torrent of molten fire. The wave of flame crashed down toward Danzo with an earth-shaking roar.
The blazing torrent, three meters high, was condensed with potent fire chakra, creating an inferno akin to molten lava.
"Wood Release: Bursting Tree!"
Sensing the incoming firestorm, Danzo's hair and eyebrows were instantly singed. Without hesitation, he activated Wood Release. Vines sprouted from his right arm and burrowed into the ground, summoning sturdy trees that erupted from the earth to shield him.
The lava-like flames slammed into the wooden barrier, causing it to tremble but holding firm. The trees ignited under the intense heat, but they withstood the brunt of the assault, giving Danzo enough time to retreat.
However, the fire wave split in two, flowing around the trees and continuing to burn toward Danzo.
"So, he can use Wood Release too. I didn't expect that," Fukasaku commented.
"But it's a far cry from what Hashirama Senju could do," Shima added.
They had both seen the legendary God of Shinobi in action, capable of defeating the Nine-Tails with a single strike. Danzo's Wood Release was nothing compared to Hashirama's.
"Sage Art: Wind Release Spikes!"
Shima exhaled a violent gust that coalesced into sharp wind projectiles in mid-air. The spikes hurtled toward Danzo with incredible speed, whistling as they tore through the air.
Danzo turned, cold sweat breaking out as he saw the incoming projectiles. He quickly unleashed compressed wind bullets from his mouth to intercept them.
But the wind spikes pierced through the bullets with ease.
"Ahhh!"
A scream tore from Danzo as a spike struck his right leg, shredding it into a cloud of blood and bone. He lost his balance and collapsed.
Jiraiya seized the moment, closing the distance in an instant with Body Flicker. Lightning blazed from the Lightning Flame Blade as it slashed through Danzo's head, leaving nothing but a mangled stump.
The combined efforts of Jiraiya, Fukasaku, and Shima had overwhelmed Danzo completely. Their relentless chain of attacks left him no room to breathe.
However, an ominous surge of ocular power enveloped Danzo's fallen body. One of the Sharingan on his right arm dimmed, its light fading rapidly.
Danzo's body reformed, fully healed. Izanagi had once again altered reality, sparing him from death.
Danzo had been prepared. The moment his Wood Release failed to defend against the firestorm, he had readied Izanagi.
"Such a fearsome technique," Fukasaku admitted. "Fortunately, it can't undo the exhaustion of the Sharingan. Otherwise, it'd be unstoppable."
Danzo, now revived, glanced at his remaining Sharingan—two on his right arm and one in his eye. Fear weighed heavily on his mind. Against Jiraiya and the two toads, he had no chance of victory in a head-to-head fight.
"If I don't take one of them down, I'm finished," he muttered, breathing heavily.
The Sharingan on his right arm spun rapidly, bleeding as its power drained. Danzo's perception sharpened, piercing through the layers of dust. He locked onto Jiraiya's position and launched himself forward with a sudden burst of speed.
The veins and roots on his right arm writhed grotesquely, and thick, gnarled roots burst from his skin, coiling like serpents.
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
Fanfic is finished on Patreon (245 chapters in total.)
Patreon(.)com/Jixo (for only $4.50, read this entire fanfic)