Chapter 87: Rasa vs. Danzo (Part 4)

"Guah!!!"

A mouthful of blood burst from Danzo's lips as he stared in disbelief at the sand spear impaling his chest. This was the first time Kagami's Sharingan had ever failed.

His vision blurred as he looked up, meeting Rasa's unwavering gaze.

"How is this possible…?!"

Everything Danzo had learned indicated that only perfect Jinchuriki could break free from the Mangekyo Sharingan's genjutsu. Rasa was no perfect Jinchuriki. Yet, what he wielded now was pure senjutsu energy.

This battle had given Rasa a deeper understanding of dojutsu.

Like all genjutsu, those cast by dojutsu manipulated an opponent's chakra flow, distorting their five senses. To break free, one needed overwhelming chakra to disrupt the illusion or external chakra interference to restore balance.

What made dojutsu-based genjutsu so potent was the superior quality of the chakra used. It likely stemmed from Yin Release, a fundamental aspect of Yin-Yang Release.

But now, Rasa realized that his senjutsu energy existed on an even higher plane than Yin chakra.

Although he had lost control of his body, he no longer needed to refine chakra within himself. By simply sensing and drawing in the surrounding natural energy, he could effortlessly shatter the Sharingan's illusion.

With this revelation, Rasa knew one thing for certain—Mangekyo Sharingan genjutsu would never trap him again.

Danzo staggered before him, blood pouring from his wound.

Expression cold and merciless, Rasa wrenched the Shukaku Spear free.

"Go find your answers in hell."

High above, Hana let out a slow breath as she hovered on her floating cloud of gold dust.

Between Sunagakure and Konohagakure, she held no strong allegiance. But Danzo… that man, with his arm full of stolen Sharingan, made her wary of Konoha itself.

She was just beginning to relax when something in her senses shifted.

Her pupils contracted sharply.

She looked down—and saw the impossible.

"Watch out!"

Her warning rang through the air, but it was already too late.

The bleeding Danzo, the man who had just been spewing blood onto the ground like a fountain—suddenly disappeared like an illusion.

In that instant, a long blade erupted from Rasa's chest.

"How… how is this possible…?"

Rasa turned his head in disbelief.

Behind him stood Danzo, his expression cold and grim, gripping the hilt of the sword that had pierced straight through Rasa's body. His voice was chilling as he spoke.

"Nothing is impossible. From the moment you dared to look directly at my Sharingan, I suspected you had a way to counter its genjutsu. And when I couldn't detect any chakra inside your body, I was even more certain."

Danzo smirked.

"So, you were just waiting for me here all along. What a shame, I—"

!!!

Before Danzo could finish speaking, a flash of crimson filled his vision.

"Desert Treasure Blade"

Slash!

A blade of sand, fine as dust yet sharper than steel, materialized in an instant and severed Danzo's right arm at the shoulder.

Rasa caught the severed limb in one swift motion.

Danzo's pupils shrank in shock. His eyes filled with disbelief as another mouthful of blood spewed from his lips. Instinctively, he reached to reclaim his lost arm, but before he could react—

Boom!

Rasa's foot struck his chest, sending him flying backward.

Still gripping the severed limb, Rasa's gaze settled on the eerie face of Hashirama embedded in the flesh. He could feel the unstable chakra pulsating within it. A small smile tugged at his lips.

"Looks like I won the gamble."

Without hesitation, the Shukaku Seal spread from his palm, attempting to suppress the rampaging Hashirama cells.

But then—

Something unexpected happened.

The seal, which had never failed before, only managed to contain the cells for a brief moment before they surged wildly once more.

Seeing this, Rasa swiftly waved his hand, conjuring a dense cloud of sand to obscure everyone's vision. Under the cover, his right hand pressed the Kāma Seal onto Danzo's severed arm.

"Ugh!"

Rasa had never planned to kill Danzo here. After all, letting such a pest continue to plague Konohagakure was far more entertaining.

But that didn't mean he held back on his kick.

The impact shattered three of Danzo's ribs, sending his body crashing into the ground. A plume of sand exploded around him.

Right now, Danzo was not the same man who had survived after the Uchiha massacre. At this point in time, Sharingan was still an incredibly valuable resource to him, and sacrificing even one to activate Izanagi was an extravagant price to pay.

Having already burned one Sharingan to rewrite his death, Danzo had immediately deactivated the technique. But now, he realized his complacency had cost him dearly.

How was this possible?!

He had definitely pierced through Rasa's heart. He had aimed directly for the kill to ensure there was no mistake.

Yet now—

"Ahhh!"

Pain wracked his battered body. The successive injuries and severe chakra depletion had pushed him to a dangerously weakened state.

Coughing up more blood, Danzo clutched his bleeding right shoulder and looked up toward the sky.

What he saw made his breath hitch.

Rasa was gone.

In his place, a massive golden sand sphere floated in the air.

Danzo's spinning three-tomoe Sharingan finally caught the details.

Inside the enormous hovering sphere of yellow sand, his severed arm was suspended in midair. The eerie green glow of Hashirama's chakra was fading, as if something was draining it away.

At that moment, Danzo understood.

He had been tricked.

This young Kazekage from Sunagakure—his true goal had never been Danzo himself. From the very beginning, he had been after the power of the First Hokage and the Uchiha's Sharingan embedded in Danzo's arm.

And more than that—he knew about Izanagi.

How?!

A chilling thought crept into Danzo's mind. Could the leak have come from within the Uchiha clan? Otherwise, how could Rasa possibly know so much?

But who? Uchiha Fugaku? Someone else?

Moreover, the Kazekage possessed an ability that allowed him to absorb chakra—even the chakra from Hashirama's cells. Did that have anything to do with why his chakra flow was unreadable?

A web of unanswered questions tangled in Danzo's mind, but this was not the time to dwell on them.

Right now, the only thing that mattered was escaping.

The battle was lost. If he stayed any longer, he would only be marching toward his death.

Steeling himself, Danzo glanced around before stumbling toward the edge of the barrier, moving as fast as his battered body allowed.

But before he could take more than a few steps, a voice rang in his ears.

"Oi, rat. Where do you think you're going?"