"The Root division is affiliated with the Anbu, Hui. You attacked them without authorization. Your actions are treasonous and unforgivable."
Danzo's expression was like a gathering storm—dark and oppressive. It wasn't the first time he'd done something questionable under the name of security, but this was the first time someone had confronted him directly, so boldly and mercilessly.
To him, other shadow-level powerhouses could be dealt with eventually, but Hui? A man newly promoted? Did Hui truly believe he was beyond fear or reproach? Even legendary figures like the Third Raikage could be overwhelmed through numbers and attrition. What made Hui think he was an exception?
"All of you—kill Hui! He's betrayed the village!"
Danzo, now wielding new arms and legs grafted through twisted scientific experimentation, had suffered a decline in pure strength. Still, he knew better than most that strength could be... reconstructed. In his obsession, he placed all hope in the cells of Hashirama Senju—the intercolumnar cells.
Having already transplanted limbs, he rationalized it was acceptable to integrate cells that once belonged to the God of Shinobi.
After years of covert experimentation and unethical research, Danzo had finally succeeded. He had interwoven intercolumnar cells into the very limbs he'd had replaced. But these weren't ordinary limbs anymore—they were modified constructs designed to contain and stabilize the overwhelming vitality of the Hashirama cells.
The intercolumnar cells were unique. Unlike regular cells, they didn't require an external energy source to maintain life. They absorbed natural energy directly from the environment, continuously replenishing themselves. Their capacity for self-sustaining regeneration was what granted them their legendary vitality. It was this persistent regenerative property that made them seem immortal.
Danzo's Root division had created a method to weaponize this regenerative power. By imprisoning the cells within a vessel, they siphoned the chakra and vitality from within, channeling it into their hosts. The intercolumnar cells had essentially become a living energy reactor.
Hui had sensed this vitality before—faint, scattered, and unrefined. But now, it surged from Danzo's form like a beacon of unnatural life force.
"Danzo has transplanted intercolumnar cells..."
Even though Hui had prepared himself mentally for the many shifts and evolutions in the shinobi world, actually sensing it directly from Danzo's body stirred a mix of disgust and curiosity within him.
He activated his chakra and extended his sensory abilities.
Though his chakra couldn't penetrate Danzo's body, his spiritual perception hovered around Danzo, giving Hui just enough data to analyze his opponent.
The consistent chakra emissions from Danzo's limbs confirmed it—those limbs were infused with intercolumnar cells.
"This kind of enhancement… it's advanced. This technology must've emerged in the last seven years. When I raided Root's archives during the White Fang incident, there was no sign of this."
A sharp gleam flashed in Hui's eyes.
"Well then… this might be worth studying. I may not need it for myself, but I know someone who might benefit from this. Kumogakure is already leaning heavily into bodily transformation research."
Hui licked the corner of his mouth. His fury at Danzo hadn't vanished, but curiosity and opportunity now danced in his expression.
"Suiton: Mizukiri no Yaiba!"
(Water Style: Water Blade Slash!)
A kunai formed in his hand, its blade quickly encased in high-velocity rotating water chakra. The cutting edge shimmered—this was not only based on the Second Hokage's techniques but incorporated the principle of the "Kienzan," or Destructo Disk, enhancing its sharpness to surgical precision.
With a flicker of the Shunshin no Jutsu, Hui appeared before a Root shinobi. The kunai sliced clean through him, dividing flesh and bone effortlessly.
Hui's movement blurred in every direction. Wherever he vanished, death followed.
His physical training had long surpassed the requirements of normal shinobi. His body had adapted to withstand high-speed bursts without backlash. The refinement of the Shunshin no Jutsu came from two core principles—physical durability and kinetic dampening. Hui had mastered both. His physical resilience absorbed explosive acceleration, while his precise control buffered internal strain.
His speed alone placed him in the upper tier of shadow-level shinobi—comparable even to the Fourth Raikage in short bursts.
"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"
Danzo slammed his blood-streaked hand onto the ground.
A monstrous creature erupted into the battlefield—a red-skinned, yellow-limbed beast with a grotesquely oversized snout and massive fangs.
"The Baku?" Hui muttered. "Ugh. It's uglier than I imagined."
He had heard of Danzo's summoning animal but had never seen it in action. Now, he understood why—it had nothing to do with tactics and everything to do with aesthetics.
"Fūton: Shuriken Kaze no Jutsu!"
(Wind Style: Shuriken Gale Technique!)
"Fūton: Shinkūgyoku!"
(Wind Style: Vacuum Jade!)
Danzo, now empowered by enhanced chakra reserves courtesy of the intercolumnar cells, summoned a shadow clone to attack in tandem. Although his mastery over wind-style ninjutsu was average, the sheer volume of chakra behind his techniques elevated their power to shadow-level.
Compressed orbs of slicing wind rocketed toward Hui in waves.
Inside the sealed battlefield, Hui's shadow clone activated its Sharingan, predicting and reading every trajectory of Danzo's projectiles.
Dodging with seamless precision, Hui wove between attacks while felling Root shinobi in a rhythm of death.
Then the Baku inhaled, distorting the air around it as it generated a powerful vacuum to drag Hui in.
But Hui's chakra control, combined with his mastery over movement techniques, allowed him to resist the pull. With the assistance of his own body propulsion techniques, he counteracted the force. His balance remained firm.
In mere minutes, Hui had slain more than a hundred Root agents.
Danzo's composure cracked. His Root had been decimated. Yet more than fear, he felt a growing terror—this was the strength of someone who had hidden their power for years.
He finally understood. Hui had reached shadow-level long ago. He simply chose not to reveal it. He had bided his time, kept quiet, and waited.
Danzo's heart sank. Such a shinobi couldn't be allowed to remain in Konoha. He was a destabilizing threat to their political balance.
He must die.
Danzo's killing intent spiked, but he still didn't advance. He stood atop the Baku, letting his subordinates die in his stead.
Cowardice masked as strategy.
Hui scoffed.
"Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu!"
(Water Style: Great Waterfall Technique!)
A torrent of water cascaded from above, sweeping through the battlefield. Root agents were torn apart, their formations drowned in chaos.
"Suiton: Suidanha!"
(Water Style: Water Severing Wave!)
A narrow but pressurized stream of water shot forth from Hui's mouth, slicing with surgical precision toward Danzo.
Danzo dodged at the last moment, but the Baku wasn't so lucky. The attack tore a massive wound across its body.
The creature howled in agony, its scream echoing across the battlefield.
"Gross," Hui muttered, irritated. "This thing is hideous and loud. How did Danzo even make a contract with it?"
Despite its size, the Baku hadn't shown any formidable offensive capabilities. It was more a strategic support beast, its value lying in battlefield manipulation, not brute strength.
By now, the ruckus of their battle had shaken all of Konoha. Ninja from every corner had sensed the chakra eruptions. Hui's restrained energy output was carefully masked, but Danzo's wasn't—his overflowed.
People were already gathering.
Among them, Uchiha Fugaku stood atop a high perch, his eyes locked on the battlefield. He could recognize Hui's chakra instantly—too familiar after all these years.
"What the hell is Hui doing?" Fugaku muttered.
He knew the truth of Hui's identity. Hui hadn't returned just for reconnaissance. He had a deeper purpose, a hidden plan...
And it had finally begun.