Naruto: The Fifth Hokage [4]

Chapter 4: Danzo's Ambush

The mission Makoto received was to eliminate Iwagakure troops near the northwestern border that had been harassing the border patrol team.

After leaving the village, the three of them accelerated toward their destination.

However, before they could reach the target location, masked figures in animal-themed masks appeared from all directions, surrounding them in an instant.

"Anbu?" Inabi stiffened at the sight of their uniforms.

"No… not Anbu. Root." Makoto remained calm as he drew the long sword from his back. "Get ready for battle."

"Damn it! What's the village thinking? Attacking its own shinobi?" Zaito spat, brandishing a kunai.

A cold, sinister voice echoed around them.

"Uchiha Makoto, traitor of the Uchiha clan. Today, I'll erase you, a threat to the village."

It was Danzo. But as Makoto scanned the surroundings, he saw no sign of him.

"Coward. Talking big while hiding in the shadows?" Makoto sneered.

"You can drop the act. You want to force me into the open, so you can use the eyes you stole from Uchiha Shisui. But unfortunately for you, Shisui has already revealed everything. The village knows about your theft and your intent to rebel. Surrender."

"Makoto, what's he talking about?" Inabi asked, frowning.

"Now's not the time." Lightning crackled around Makoto's body. "Let's take out these rats first."

"Understood!"

Inabi and Zaito moved instinctively, back-to-back with Makoto, forming a defensive formation.

"Fire Style: Great Fire Dragon Technique!"

Two massive fire dragons roared through the air, engulfing the Root operatives in searing flames. The intense heatwaves incinerated the first wave of attackers instantly.

Makoto, meanwhile, took a more direct approach.

In a flash, he moved—fast as lightning—his sword slicing through the dozen Root ninjas with precise, fluid motions. In the blink of an eye, they collapsed to the ground, their bodies cleaved cleanly. Yet, not a single drop of blood spilled—the wounds were charred black, seared shut by the crackling lightning chakra coursing through Makoto's blade.

Yet the remaining Root shinobi, stripped of personal will by Danzo's indoctrination, pressed forward without hesitation.

Water and wind users among them began casting countermeasures, attempting to suppress Makoto's group with elemental weaknesses.

Danzo's voice rang out again.

"Uchiha Makoto, do you think you can justify your treachery by slaughtering Konoha's Anbu?"

Makoto answered with a volley of lightning bolts crashing down from the sky, striking the Root operatives with surgical precision. The storm of electricity tore through them, disrupting their jutsu before it could fully form.

The last line of defense—six dark blue lightning spheres—spun rapidly around Makoto and his allies, neutralizing enemy ninjutsu on impact.

"Are you still hiding, Danzo?" Makoto called out. "Or do you really think these pawns can keep me here?"

"You can forget about controlling me," Danzo sneered from the darkness.

Makoto chuckled. "Control you? Don't flatter yourself. You're just a rat hiding in the sewers, living off scraps Sarutobi Hiruzen can throw away at any moment. You're not worthy of Kotoamatsukami."

At that moment, the ground rumbled.

Massive trees burst from the earth, shooting into the sky before bending downward like an enormous hand, ready to crush them.

"The real attack was just waiting for us to exhaust our chakra…" Inabi realized in horror.

"Wood Release?!" Zaito gasped.

Their instinctive counterattacks—fire and lightning—barely scorched the descending wooden hand.

"Stand behind me," Makoto commanded.

His Sharingan spun rapidly, shifting into the Mangekyō Sharingan.

Crimson, ominous chakra poured from his body, coalescing into a skeletal ribcage that encased him in an unyielding defense.

As more chakra surged forth, the ribcage expanded, growing sinew and armor, morphing into a towering, four-armed warrior cloaked in crackling black lightning. Six magatamas hovered ominously on its back, forming a wing-like array, radiating an overwhelming sense of destruction and power.

Susano'o.

Makoto's explosive lightning chakra coalesced in its hands, forming a crackling dark sword.

With a single swing, the enormous wooden palm was cleaved in two.

Makoto's gaze sharpened.

"Enough of these games, Danzo. Do you know why I didn't use this from the start?" His voice carried through the battlefield like rolling thunder. "Because I planned to bury all of you here."

Above them, the sky darkened.

The fire and water jutsu clashing throughout the battle had created thick storm clouds, swirling ominously. Within them, immense energy crackled and surged, ready to be unleashed.

Even the mindless Root shinobi felt it—the sheer, unstoppable force of nature.

Makoto raised a single hand.

"Lightning Release: Kirin."

A flash of lightning flickered under the feet of every Root ninja—barely perceptible, a harmless sting of static.

But in that moment, it sealed their fate.

A massive, blue thunder beast roared down from the heavens, its form crackling with raw destructive power.

The battlefield was swallowed in an instant.

Lightning tore through everything. The Root operatives had no time to flee, no chance to defend themselves.

Only a single corner of the battlefield remained standing—multiple layers of wooden barriers stacked upon each other, desperately shielding the last survivors.

As the storm subsided and the rain began to fall, the scent of scorched earth and ozone replaced the thick stench of blood.

The final wooden wall collapsed with a loud crash, revealing two figures.

One was a masked man, slumped forward, hands still locked in a sealing stance.

The other leaned on a crutch, his lone exposed hand wrapped in bandages.

Danzo.

Makoto, still seated within his Susano'o, smiled.

"I found you, Danzo."