018 Five Kage Summit, Izanagi

After Danzo's suggestion, Naruto thoughtfully stroked his chin. "That sounds like a good idea..."

Danzo's expression shifted, his eyes lighting up. "Exactly! If we join forces, it's only a matter of time before Konoha dominates the entire ninja world!"

Naruto lowered his hand, his eyes turning cold and calculating. "So, you think letting Konoha rule the ninja world is enough?"

Danzo raised an eyebrow, surprised. "Oh? Do you have something more ambitious in mind?"

Naruto smirked. "Of course I do, but you wouldn't understand. Your vision and abilities are too limited."

Danzo's smile faded. "Let's not talk about abilities. Why do you think my vision is lacking?"

Naruto narrowed his gaze. "Let me ask you something, where were you and Root when Pain attacked the village?"

Danzo quickly defended himself. "For the greater good of the ninja world, patience and hiding in the shadows are necessary."

"Root has to wait for the right moment to step into the light. Tsunade's Katsuyu Technique kept the village from being destroyed. The sacrifices were temporary. Once I'm Hokage, Konoha will thrive again."

"And about the Pain Rebellion, it happened because of Jiraiya's naivety and Tsunade's indulgence. If I'd been in charge, Pain wouldn't have existed, and Akatsuki wouldn't have risen!" 

"The roots must eliminate any threat to the village before it even starts. Now, tell me where exactly is my vision insufficient?"

Naruto's voice was low but firm. "With the risk, you've also destroyed the hope."

Danzo laughed darkly. "Hope? You expect me to gamble my future on something as fragile as that?"

Naruto replied coolly, "You're narrow-minded. Without hope, the soil is barren. Even if something survives, it's twisted and poisoned."

He stepped forward, his tone sharp. "You claim you wouldn't let Pain rise, or Akatsuki become a threat, but early Akatsuki was a group driven by justice. You were the one who secretly sabotaged Nagato, stripping him of his faith and turning him into Pain. That's when Akatsuki's ideals became corrupted."

Naruto's eyes locked onto Danzo. "The destruction of this village wasn't because of Jiraiya or Tsunade. It's your twisted 'Root' that caused all of this. You hide your ambitions behind a mask of concern for the village."

Naruto's voice grew stronger. "To put it simply, you're just using the village as a cover to satisfy your own desires. Danzo, you don't deserve to be Hokage."

Danzo's fists clenched, his expression hardening with rage. "So, you refuse my offer?"

Naruto sneered. "Idiot. The path is wide, so why would I choose a dead end?"

Danzo's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Then leave your Nine-Tails and Rinnegan to serve as stepping stones for my rise!"

As he spoke, Danzo gathered an enormous amount of Chakra, preparing a devastating technique he had never used before in his battle with Sasuke. 

He quickly formed a series of seals and clasped his hands together in front of him.

"—Wood Style: Birth of the Tree World!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The earth trembled as saplings shot up from the ground, rapidly growing into towering trees in mere seconds.

"First Hokage Senju Hashirama's Wood Style, which tamed a chaotic world, was powerful enough to suppress the Nine Tails! Uzumaki Naruto, bow down to this power!!"

"Ugh…!"

Orochimaru, watching from a distance, murmured to himself, "Using both Izanagi and Wood Style at the same time will drain more Chakra than Danzo can afford. It seems he's already realized he can't defeat Naruto with regular ninjutsu. After the failed negotiation, he's decided to take a chance. So, Naruto, what will you do now?"

The ground shook as the trees began to stir violently.

"Wood Style? Interesting. There's a move I've been wanting to try..." Naruto's lips curled into a smile as he placed his hands in front of his chest and took a deep breath.

——Sage Art: Gokka Mekyaku!

A thin jet of fire shot from Naruto's mouth, expanding into a massive sea of flames that surged forward, roaring as it engulfed the Wood Style, halting its advance. 

The intense heat evaporated the falling snow in an instant.

Danzo, surprised, scoffed. "Are you serious? Using Fire Style to counter my Wood Style!?"

Naruto, confident, thought to himself: I've seen Wood Style far stronger than this. If I really want to catch him off guard, I should at least use 'Flower Tree World.'

With a burst, a Shadow Clone of Naruto appeared high above the battle, positioned between the fire and the Wood Style clash.

Buzz! The Shadow Clone spun the wind blade in its hands, then launched it downward!

——Sage Art: Wind Style—Rasen Shuriken! 

Boom!

The violent wind clashed with the raging flames, overwhelming the Wood Style and pushing it back. The surging waves of fire made Danzo flinch with fear.

"He still has enough energy to use a Shadow Clone while performing such a powerful Fire Style? But after this attack, his Sage Mode will come to an end!" Danzo thought.

Sizzle!

As expected, the orange glow around Naruto's eyes slowly faded, and his Sage Mode deactivated.

Danzo quickly glanced at his right arm and saw three Sharingan still active.

There's no time to waste…

He pulled out a bottle of his own blood, dipped it, and performed the Summoning Technique.

Bang!

With a massive burst of white smoke, the nightmare tapir appeared. It devoured the sea of flames in front of it, swallowing it in huge mouthfuls before vanishing in a series of screams.

Hiss, hiss, hiss!

Taking advantage of the brief gap created by sacrificing his Summoning Beast, Danzo spun a Wind Style Shuriken at his fingertips, charged it with wind chakra, and threw it forward rapidly.

He used this feint to cover his approach, charging straight at Naruto.

But with the Rinnegan, Naruto's visual perception had improved significantly. 

He could easily track the paths of the Wind Style Shurikens, dodging them with precision. If he couldn't avoid them, he used kunai to expertly deflect them, pushing them away.

In short... just don't use Shinra Tensei! As long as Naruto keeps using it, Danzo can't get close or distract him.

Seeing his plan fail again, Danzo frowned and quickly performed another seal.

——Wind Style: Vacuum Wave!

A powerful gust of wind shot from his mouth, sweeping across the area like a sickle.

Naruto jumped into the air, narrowly avoiding the wind that swept across his back.

Danzo's eyes sharpened, and he slammed his right hand into the ground.

——Wood Style: Great Spear tree! 

Boom!

A sharp tree trunk shot up from the ground right beneath Naruto!

Naruto's eyes widened in surprise.

Bang! 

The Body Replacement Technique activated just in time, the spear piercing the substitute tree, while Naruto landed safely five meters away.

Bang! At the same moment, the second Shadow Clone, charged with Senjutsu Chakra, was released, allowing Naruto's Sage Mode to continue.

"Tsk! This little devil is troublesome," Danzo muttered, "But judging by the time, my right eye's power is almost fully recovered…"

Danzo glanced at his right arm, checking Izanami's status, but noticed that there were still three eyes open.

"Impossible, there were three just now, how can there still be three!?"

Danzo hissed in realization, his heart sinking. Could it be... Izanagi didn't activate?

Throughout the battle, he had overused his Wood Style, draining his Chakra below the level needed to activate Izanagi.

Naruto's eyes gleamed, and a smirk appeared at the corners of his mouth.

Danzo's face twisted in shock. "Not good!!"

In an instant, Naruto used the Flying Thunder God mark on Danzo's body to teleport in front of him. 

With a swift motion, he slashed through the air with his left hand.

Snap! 

Blood splattered as Danzo's right eye was gouged out.

"Ughhhhhhhhhh!" 

Danzo screamed, clutching his bleeding eye and stumbling backward.

Crack, crack, crack!

To make matters worse, his right arm, implanted with Hashirama's cells, suddenly went out of control.

Orochimaru watched in silence, his voice tinged with disappointment. 

"Danzo is useless. The difference in strength is clear now. Naruto-kun has surpassed even the Hokage level."

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TO BE CONTINUED

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