017 Five Kage Summit, Battle at the Bridge

As Danzo got close, he reached for Naruto's eye socket with his bare hand.

Digging out an eye by hand might seem reckless but with Izanagi, any injury becomes an illusion. 

If he failed, nothing would be lost. If he succeeded, the gain was huge. So why hesitate?

"Danzo... is this how you took Shisui's right eye too?" Naruto thought, his left eye sharpening with focus.

—Shinra Tensei!

Boom!

"Argh!!" A powerful repulsive force erupted, blasting Danzo away in a mess.

Shinra Tensei creates a shockwave centered on the user, pushing away anything physical or chakra-based. It's one of the most reliable defense and offense techniques.

Swish!

Danzo's scattered figure faded into mist just a decoy. His real body appeared nearby.

"But there's a weakness… a five-second cooldown between uses!" 

It's worth noting, when Pain attacked Konoha, Danzo and the Root stayed underground.

They didn't join the fight but monitored it closely.

Jiraiya and the others had fought around the clock to gather intel on the Rinnegan. That intel also ended up in Danzo's hands.

Danzo's original plan was to wait until both Pain and Konoha were defeated, and then step in to turn the tide.

Swish!

Danzo dashed forward, flicked a kunai from his sleeve, and stabbed straight at Naruto's face!

Naruto closed his eyes calmly. A Shadow Clone hidden nearby vanished, sending its stored Sage Chakra back to the original. In that moment, Naruto entered Sage Mode!

Swish!

With a slight movement, Naruto dodged the kunai, grabbed Danzo's arm with his right hand, and formed a Rasengan in his left.

—Sage Art: Rasengan!

"Ugh!!"

The Rasengan exploded against Danzo's chest, leaving it bloodied!

Boom!

Naruto followed up with a powerful kick, sending Danzo flying. He smashed through three trees before crashing into the snow.

But moments later, Danzo's body shimmered the power of Izanagi undid the damage. He stood up, calmly brushing off the snow.

"Sage Mode... it boosts your sensing and physical abilities to another level. Combined with the Rinnegan, you're nearly flawless," Danzo admitted with a smirk.

"But no matter how strong you are, Izanagi makes me invincible!"

Whoosh!

Danzo formed a hand seal, took a deep breath, and the wrinkles on his face shifted toward his mouth.

—Wind Style: Vacuum Sphere!

Byu! Byu! Byu!

Danzo exhaled sharply—blades of Wind Style chakra shot out like bullets, wide in range and incredibly fast!

Swish!

Naruto dodged, flipped, and weaved through the gaps between the blasts, closing the distance with agile movements.

"You like Wind Style too? Then try this one..."

As Danzo's attack ended, Naruto summoned a Shadow Clone. Together, they began infusing nature energy into a Rasengan. A few seconds later, a fierce wind howled around them.

Naruto spun gracefully, gathering strength—then hurled the finished jutsu straight at Danzo.

—Sage Art: Wind Style: Rasen Shuriken!

Danzo couldn't dodge in time. The wind blade struck him, sending him flying—Boom!! Boom!!—a massive spiral explosion tore through the forest, swallowing everything around.

Whoosh!

Danzo reappeared in an open clearing about twenty meters away, staring at the destruction with a grim expression.

"A Rasengan enhanced with Wind Style nature transformation and Senjutsu chakra… a long-range, ultimate Wind Style jutsu. Impressive. But unfortunately, such powerful ninjutsu will disappear from the ninja world today!."

He looked at his right arm, the first Sharingan had closed, and the second eye was already starting its countdown.

He thought: Naruto has the Rinnegan and Sage Mode. Too many ways to kill. I can't afford to hold back or save chakra. I have nine Sharingan, meaning Izanagi can last about nine minutes...

Thankfully, Naruto's Sage Mode isn't endless like the First Hokage's. According to our intel, he can use two Shadow Clones to recharge during battle. But that Wind Style jutsu must've consumed a lot of chakra. If his chakra runs low, Sage Mode might deactivate.

That gives me a real chance within nine minutes. I just need to keep pressing him, look for an opening… and take his left eye. Then victory will be mine!

Whoosh!

After setting his plan in motion, Danzo formed a hand seal and took a deep breath.

—Wind Style: Vacuum Ball!!

Boom!!

A powerful gust of Wind Style chakra blasted forward like a cannon, tearing through the snow and aiming straight for Naruto's position.

Naruto had planned to use Shinra Tensei to counter Danzo's close-range attacks. The Rinnegan's Six Paths abilities were versatile, offering many options.

But against the oncoming Vacuum Ball, Naruto calmly raised his left hand. A sealing barrier appeared in front of his palm.

—Gakidō!

Whoosh!

The spinning wind sphere shrank rapidly and vanished, completely absorbed by the barrier.

"So, the intel was right… the Rinnegan can absorb ninjutsu," Danzo muttered.

Suddenly 

Boom!

Danzo detonated a pile of explosive tags, blowing himself up on the spot!

With Izanagi active, he could control how and where he revived. Taking advantage of this, Danzo reappeared behind Naruto and launched a surprise attack.

"…"

Naruto continued calmly absorbing the previous jutsu, his left hand glowing faintly. He glanced backward.

Danzo smirked and thought: Yes, use that repulsive force on me now. Once you do, there's a five-second gap where you can't use it again… and that's when I strike!

But Naruto just smiled, the corners of his lips curling slightly.

He reached into his pouch with his right hand, pulled out a ninja smoke bomb, and tossed it to the ground.

BANG!!

Thick smoke filled the air, cutting off Danzo's line of sight.

Danzo slowed down, confused. "A smoke bomb? Really?"

While Danzo hesitated, Naruto finished absorbing the Vacuum Ball with the Preta Path. Then, with swift hand signs, he turned to face Danzo.

—Sage Art: Fire Style — Great Fire Ball Technique!

Fwoosh!

A wall of intense flames erupted, blocking Danzo's path.

The two stood across from each other, dozens of meters apart.

Naruto lifted his hand, smiling lightly. "Just because I'm using a new ability a lot doesn't mean I don't know what I'm doing. Don't think I can't walk just because I've learned to run."

Danzo didn't reply. He looked down at his right arm.

The second Sharingan was fully closed. The third was already half shut the countdown was halfway through.

A quarter of Izanagi's duration had passed... and Danzo hadn't gained any ground.

He knew Izanagi was powerful, but the more time passed, the more chakra it consumed. If this dragged on, it could be dangerous.

Naruto grinned. "It's fine. I'm almost at three eyes now, and my chakra's still full~."

Danzo clenched his fists, eyes locked on Naruto. Then slowly, he relaxed. A rare smile crossed his old, wrinkled face.

"Naruto... I've seen a lot in my life. I've never misjudged a person. You have darkness in you deep down. And there's no better place for that than the Root."

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "So?"

Danzo said calmly, "So… let's join forces. I'm already Hokage, and it's not proper for me to stay in the shadows. If you agree, I'll make you the new leader of Root. What do you say?"

.

.

TO BE CONTINUED

_________________

Noted : if you guys want read advance chapter, you can check at my P@treon : patreon.com/MoonEater18