After taking their secret medicines, the two Root ninja erupted with desperate strength. The Yamanaka operative's casting range and perception sharpened dramatically, while his Akimichi partner's chakra flared violently, coating his body in blue energy.
With a deafening roar, massive butterfly-shaped chakra wings burst from the Akimichi's back.
Partial Expansion Jutsu!
His hands flashed through seals, and his body swelled at an astonishing rate until he stood like a mountain, the waters of Gourd Valley reaching only to his waist.
Danzo and the Yamanaka quickly leaped onto the giant's head, finding stable footing atop the titanic figure. At Danzo's command, the Akimichi began to churn the lake violently, sending up whirlpools and towering waves that crashed toward Kisame Hoshigaki and Biwa Jūzō.
The two Swordsmen of the Mist moved like ghosts, splitting the water and evading easily.
Under Danzo's orders, the giant stopped thrashing and began to wade forward, each thunderous step sending cascades of water flying. The towering shadow bore down on Kisame with crushing intent.
Water Release: Water Severing Wave!
Beneath the surface, Kisame and his two comrades, the infamous Ghost trio, synchronized their hand seals. The water around them rippled with lethal precision as they formed a triangular formation.
Three high-pressure water jets shot outward, one toward the giant's right flank, one toward his heart, and one from behind, cutting like blades of glass.
Wind Release: Vacuum Consecutive Waves!
Mind Transfer Jutsu!
Danzo countered immediately. Twin gusts of compressed wind burst forth, slicing through the water and colliding with the Water Severing Waves. His wind chakra was sharp — sharper than steel — and it shredded the oncoming torrents before they could strike.
At the same time, the Yamanaka Root ninja extended his consciousness, not toward the enemy, but into the Akimichi giant himself. His mind slipped inside the colossus, seizing control of its body with chilling precision.
Under that psychic control, the giant pivoted sideways just as the water blades tore past, its movements far too agile for its bulk.
Water Release: A Thousand Feeding Sharks!
Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu!
Water Release: Multiple Water Stream Whip!
Foam erupted as the trio launched a new wave of attacks. Countless sharks materialized from the depths, their azure forms glinting in the dim light. They swarmed upward — some breaching the surface, others circling below — all driven by the bloodlust of summoned predators.
A massive water dragon led the charge, roaring as it surged straight for the giant's face.
Wind Release: Great Vacuum Orb!
Danzo inhaled sharply, his single eye glinting, and unleashed a translucent orb of compressed wind.
The sphere collided with the dragon in midair — a booming explosion followed as the water dragon disintegrated into mist. Spray and steam filled the air, blurring the battlefield.
In the chaos, water tendrils as thick as tree trunks whipped out from beneath the surface, coiling around the giant's legs, arms, and neck, locking it in place. The sharks struck next — thousands of snapping maws biting into flesh.
Each bite alone was nothing, but in their numbers, they turned the water red.
The giant bellowed, thrashing and pounding the surface with his fists. Each blow sent columns of water erupting skyward, pulping dozens of sharks instantly. The rest were crushed or torn apart by the shockwaves.
Blood — human and shark alike — turned the water a deep crimson. The remaining sharks went mad with the scent, attacking with suicidal ferocity, but against the giant's furious blows, they were little more than foam and fragments.
When the frenzy finally subsided, the lake was littered with torn bodies and blood. The Akimichi's body shrank rapidly, the borrowed chakra burning out. He collapsed face-first into the water, eyes blank, already dead before he hit the surface.
Danzo and the Yamanaka Root ninja landed lightly on the water's surface, their expressions hard.
"When they appear," Danzo muttered, his tone like ice, "you will control one of them at all costs."
"Yes, Danzo-sama," replied the Yamanaka, his voice calm, emotionless.
Water Release: Great Shark Bullet Jutsu!
Kisame's hands blurred through seals, his chakra surging. A colossal, transparent blue shark — tens of meters long — materialized beneath the water, its rows of jagged teeth gleaming as it lunged forward.
The Yamanaka's eyes widened. "Danzo-sama! That jutsu—!"
He sensed its nature immediately: a chakra-absorbing technique.
Danzo's response was instantaneous. He bit his thumb, blood marking his palm.
Summoning Technique!
He slammed his hand onto the surface — black sealing marks spread outward in an intricate web.
A thunderous boom followed, and a cloud of white smoke erupted as an enormous creature emerged: the Baku, a nightmare beast with the body of a tapir and the size of a mountain.
Danzo and his subordinate stood atop its massive head. The Great Shark Bullet crashed into the Baku's belly — and dispersed like mist against stone.
The jutsu's power lay in absorbing chakra-based attacks, but against the sheer mass of the Baku, it was useless.
"This place is compromised," Danzo barked. "Break through, Baku!"
The Baku bellowed, churning the lake into whirlpools as it waded toward the valley's exit.
But Kisame and his allies had anticipated it.
They burst from the water in unison, scrolls already unrolled in their hands.
The kanji for Fire glowed upon each parchment. In the same heartbeat, three torrents of golden-white flame erupted outward, spiraling together under the suction of the Baku's wind.
The creature inhaled them before it could stop itself.
A tortured bellow followed. Its massive frame convulsed, white smoke burst from its body — and in an instant, it vanished, dismissed by pain and damage too great to bear.
Metal clashed through the lingering mist. Two figures crashed into the lake — the battle continuing below the surface.
Biwa Jūzō intercepted the Yamanaka operative, blades flashing, while Kisame and his partner dove after Danzo.
The Yamanaka fought hard, but already wounded and drained from the secret medicine, he was no match underwater. Within moments, Jūzō's Kubikiribōchō split his chest open.
With their last guard eliminated, the three turned on Danzo.
Though Danzo's taijutsu was respectable, he couldn't keep pace with three Swordsmen of the Mist. They pressed him relentlessly — Samehada tore open his abdomen, Kisame's punch shattered his jaw, and Jūzō's blade carved deep into his back.
Danzo staggered, coughing blood.
He tore away his bandages, revealing a Sharingan in his right eye — the tomoe spinning rapidly.
Perhaps he'd never had the chance to crush the Uchiha in this lifetime, or perhaps he had witnessed Uchiha Gen's power firsthand — but this eye had become his obsession. He had trained endlessly to wield it.
Danzo's mastery over the Three-Tomoe Sharingan rivaled even seasoned Uchiha jōnin — enough to let him read his enemies' attacks and survive, though not prevail.
As the fight dragged on, he began to weave a hidden seal beneath the surface — the same curse mark he once used to control Sasuke.
But the trio were prepared. Uchiha Gen's intelligence had warned them of every one of Danzo's tricks. They danced around the trap with surgical precision, never stepping into its range.
Frustration cracked Danzo's composure, and that was all it took.
Kisame's fist crashed into his face, Jūzō's blade opened his back, and Samehada slammed him from the side, nearly flaying him alive.
It would have been enough to kill him but the three held back. Gen's orders were clear: Danzo must live, for now.
Reeling, bloodied, and enraged, Danzo realized desperation was his only weapon left.
He thrust his hands together, pressing them to his chest.
Reverse Four Symbols Seal!
The black seal marks spread from his body in a spherical wave. Blood spurted from his pores as he tried to drag his enemies down with him.
But the trio had already leapt clear. The seal expanded then imploded capturing nothing but a section of lake water.
Danzo reappeared moments later, gasping, the Sharingan in his right eye now dull gray proof of Izanagi's price.
The three Swordsmen surrounded him once again.
Kisame smirked. "So that's the fabled ocular jutsu Izanagi of the Uchiha clan, huh?"
"Turning death into life," Jūzō added. "Quite the miracle."
"Almost a shame to waste it on you," their comrade sneered.
Danzo's one visible eye twitched. "How… how do you know that name? Izanagi? Who's the traitor in Konoha?!"
His voice cracked with fury and disbelief. Every movement of his foes, every evasion of his secret arts all of it was too precise, too informed.
There had to be a spy.
Danzo's mind whirled, suspecting everyone Utatane Koharu, Homura Mitokado, even Sarutobi Hiruzen himself.
But the Swordsmen didn't answer. They only attacked again.
This time, they didn't close the distance. Instead, three high-level Water Release jutsu slammed toward him from different angles.
Danzo countered with all the chakra he had left, but his strength was gone. After two exchanges, the waves crushed through his defenses, hurling him across the lake.
He clawed his way back to the surface, half-dead, yet still refusing to fall. Blood poured from his mouth as he stumbled forward, forming the Reverse Four Symbols Seal again — a last act of spite.
"Danzo-sama," Kisame called mockingly, his grin wide. "Aren't you curious who sent us?"
Danzo froze mid-step, his eye flicking up.