Amid Danzō's manic laughter and everyone's stunned silence, Konan suddenly sensed that something was wrong.
The arm in her embrace was moving.
Her eyes widened in terror as she looked down— flesh buds were sprouting from the severed limb.
She screamed and instinctively threw the arm away!
That sharp cry drew everyone's attention—including Danzō's.
But within seconds, shock and fear replaced all other expressions.
Before their very eyes, the arm regenerated at an astonishing speed.
First bone—bare and white— then tendons, blood vessels, muscle, and skin rapidly formed layer by layer.
In less than a minute
A fully intact Wen Lan, naked and whole, stood there.
With his back to the crowd, he rolled his neck.
Crack—crack—
The sound of joints resetting echoed clearly through the rain.
He pulled the ninja blade out of his regenerated arm, spun it casually in a flourish, then turned his head toward everyone.
"Hey, hey—what are those looks for?"
"Anyone got clothes? I don't have a habit of flashing people."
No one answered.
Only the sound of rain falling endlessly.
Even Danzō and Hanzō were frozen in place.
What… had they just witnessed?
A man reduced to a single arm—
who regenerated his entire body in under a minute?!
This flat-out defied common sense.
Even Senju Hashirama, the God of Shinobi, couldn't do something like this.
Seeing everyone in a daze, Wen Lan sighed and walked toward Yahiko.
Yahiko recoiled in fear.
Wen Lan ignored him completely, grabbed the outer cloak of Yahiko's Akatsuki robe, ripped it off, and put it on himself—
though it still didn't cover much below the waist.
Only then did Yahiko react, screaming in horror:
"A g-ghost——!!"
"Ghost your ass!"
Wen Lan kicked Yahiko flat onto the ground in annoyance.
After a moment's thought…
Well, Yahiko wasn't entirely wrong.
But Wen Lan wasn't a real ghost anyway.
A fake demon—
like Kibutsuji Muzan.
A true demon—
those guys were on a whole different level.
Standing in the rain, Wen Lan glanced down at his bare legs and tugged awkwardly at the hem of the robe.
"H-how is this possible?!"
Danzō cried out, staring at Wen Lan in sheer terror.
"Surprised?"
Wen Lan turned toward him calmly.
"Otherwise, why do you think I use the Eight Gates like it's eating and drinking?"
"Let me put it plainly—I'm completely immortal."
"Impossible!"
"There's no way such a thing exists!"
Danzō drew a kunai and charged at Wen Lan in a frenzy.
Wen Lan watched him rush forward like a cornered dog, ready to strike—
But suddenly, something felt wrong.
The air around him turned viscous for an instant.
In the next moment, Wen Lan's blade flashed—
Not toward Danzō.
But toward Nagato.
The slash tore through the rain, aiming straight for Nagato's throat.
"Wen Lan——!"
"What are you doing?!"
Everyone was stunned by Wen Lan's sudden move.
Before anyone could react—
An arm appeared out of thin air, spinning through the air before falling heavily to the ground.
On that severed arm were two gray, lifeless eyes—
and one Sharingan.
"AAAAAAH——!"
A scream rang out as Danzō's figure reappeared.
He clutched his right arm with his left, teeth clenched, and then— lunged with his remaining hand straight toward Nagato's eyes!
His attack on Wen Lan had been a feint.
His true goal was the Rinnegan!
As long as he obtained the legendary eyes of the Sage of Six Paths, even Wen Lan would be no match for him!
At that instant, several Root shinobi behind him simultaneously cast genjutsu on everyone present!
Bang!
Wen Lan's foot slammed into Danzō's abdomen, sending him flying and tumbling across the ground.
"Using genjutsu on Uchiha?"
Wen Lan sneered.
"What kind of dog brain comes up with that idea?"
"Have you always been this brave?"
He paused, then added thoughtfully—
"Well… to be fair, you are pretty brave."
"After all, you dared to stab Susanoo with a kunai later on."
"Shisui, Naori—control him! Seal his chakra!" Wen Lan barked.
"Yes!"
Both moved instantly.
The Root shinobi weren't about to sit still and rushed forward to rescue Danzō.
But the name Shisui of the Body Flicker wasn't earned for nothing.
Shisui alone intercepted all of them.
In an instant, more than a dozen "Shisuis" appeared across the battlefield— not shadow clones, but afterimages and rapid body flickers.
Illusions and reality overlapped, leaving the Root forces completely unable to break through.
Meanwhile, Naori seized the opening, formed seals, and slammed both palms onto Danzō's chest.
Dense black sealing patterns—like swarming tadpoles—spread instantly across Danzō's entire body.
Perhaps out of sheer hatred, Naori followed up with a punch to Danzō's head, knocking him unconscious.
Shisui, fighting over a dozen Root operatives alone, held his ground evenly.
Wen Lan turned his gaze to the ANBU nearby and said coldly:
"You just going to watch?"
The five ANBU snapped back to attention and immediately joined the fight.
Before long, the remaining Root shinobi were completely wiped out.
And Hanzō?
He had already fled.
The rain continued to fall, washing away the blood.
Wen Lan wanted to pursue—
But Minato stopped him.
If they chased Hanzō now, it would amount to declaring war on Amegakure.
The situation would spiral out of control.
Konoha couldn't afford another war.
Wen Lan could only watch coldly as Hanzō disappeared into the rain.
"Run while you can," he muttered.
"I'll let you live a little longer."
At that moment, Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan stepped forward and bowed deeply.
"Thank you… for saving us."
Wen Lan waved it off, then shot Minato a meaningful glance.
Minato nodded slightly and spoke gently:
"You're Nagato, right?
Hello. My name is Namikaze Minato. My wife is also from the Uzumaki clan."
"U-Uzumaki… clan…?"
Nagato looked at Minato in confusion.
"The Uzumaki clan was allied with Konoha," Wen Lan added from the side—
though his tone carried unmistakable irony.
"Though they were wiped out."
"Red hair and massive chakra reserves—that's the hallmark of the Uzumaki."
"And you, Nagato— you are Uzumaki."
"Yes," Minato continued.
"Amegakure is no longer safe for you.
Would you like to come with us to Konoha?"
Nagato stared blankly at Minato as rain slid down his hair.
But memories surged unbidden— his parents, killed by Konoha shinobi when he was a child.
His hands trembled slightly, pain and conflict flashing through his eyes.
"Think carefully before you answer," Wen Lan said, arms crossed.
"Your Rinnegan can't stay hidden anymore."
"The only reason you survived this long was because Hanzō feared your power—and wanted your eyes."
"This time he failed. Next time, he won't stop."
"Your Rinnegan hasn't awakened its full potential yet.
Anyone who covets it could take it—and bring disaster upon your companions."
"A man without guilt may still carry a treasure that invites disaster.
You understand that, don't you?"
Minato nodded solemnly.
"Don't worry. I am the candidate for Fourth Hokage."
"I guarantee your safety in the village— and I guarantee that no one will lay a hand on you."
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