Mist and steam churned through the forests of the Land of Grass, the lingering aftermath of explosions and Water Release techniques cloaking everything in a damp haze.
Danzō's heart sank.
"Famous across the world… hated by the world…"
Neither was the legacy he had envisioned.
And Orochimaru's strange composure only made his suspicions darker.
Was all of this… arranged?
"Don't look at me like that," the disguised Ren said lazily, tossing the scroll in his hand. "If I wanted you dead, do you think I'd need their help?"
His golden eyes gleamed mockingly.
"Do you overestimate them… or underestimate me?"
Danzō's jaw tightened.
He had no rebuttal.
Orochimaru had the strength to speak like that.
"What do you want?" Danzō forced himself to breathe evenly. "Everyone has a price."
"True."
The figure before him licked his lips faintly.
"But I'll think about it."
And with that—
He sank into the earth.
Danzō's fists clenched so hard his knuckles cracked.
That snake was waiting for losses. Waiting until Danzō was desperate enough to offer more.
"Damn you!"
Another wave of explosions erupted.
Boom—
Boom—
Boom—
This time, Danzō saw them clearly.
Masked shinobi in different ANBU uniforms encircled the area.
And above them—
The leaders.
Ōnoki stood atop a tree branch, eyes gleaming with greed.
"Long time no see, Danzō."
The Fourth Raikage's massive frame radiated lightning chakra.
"So you're Shimura Danzō."
On another branch—
Chiyo and Ebizō.
"How many people want you dead, I wonder?"
Danzō's stomach dropped.
All five major nations.
Except Kirigakure.
He was cornered.
And then—
A new voice drifted in.
"So lively."
Every head turned.
Ren walked forward slowly, pale skin catching the filtered sunlight. Behind him, Root operatives in dark uniforms followed in disciplined silence.
The pressure shifted.
Even the Raikage's expression darkened.
"Shihara Ren…"
Ōnoki's eyes narrowed.
Ren smiled warmly.
"Thank you all for assisting in apprehending Konoha's rogue shinobi, Shimura Danzō."
Silence.
"Now that he's here," Ren continued pleasantly, "perhaps you can leave?"
The Raikage stepped forward immediately.
"Leave? We didn't come all this way for nothing."
Ōnoki nodded.
"Danzō owes explanations."
Ren glanced at Sunagakure's elders.
"And you?"
They did not answer.
Ren sighed lightly.
"That's unfortunate. There's only one Danzō."
He tilted his head.
"How do you plan to divide him?"
No one spoke.
Ren smiled again.
"How about this—you fight each other first. Winner negotiates with me."
Killing intent thickened in the air.
"Or…" Ren added thoughtfully, "we dismember him. You can take everything except the head."
Danzō's face twisted with fury.
He was being priced like livestock.
"Enough!" Danzō roared. "I'll go with you! But I will not return to Konoha!"
That silenced the crowd momentarily.
Ren rolled his shoulders.
"Then I suppose there's only one option."
His eyes sharpened.
"You'll all have to try."
He raised a single hand.
"Together."
A pulse of chakra shook the earth.
Golden energy flared around him.
"Because you're all…"
His smile widened.
"Defeated opponents."
Behind them, ANBU reinforcements advanced rapidly.
Kakashi led the squad, his expression strained.
"Of course it's explosions again…"
Beside him, Yamato blinked.
"…Ren doesn't overdo things, does he?"
Kakashi stared at him in disbelief.
Before he could answer—
The ground trembled violently.
A colossal wooden giant erupted from the forest.
Wood Release — Wood Golem Technique.
The towering construct roared, sweeping its massive fist toward the Raikage and Killer Bee.
Lightning clashed against wood.
Bee entered partial transformation instantly, red chakra surging.
The Wood Golem's strike cratered the earth.
The battlefield fractured.
Ōnoki soared upward, hands forming seals.
"Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World!"
White light condensed into annihilating force.
Ren glanced upward.
"Oh? Again?"
He leapt.
And flew.
Ōnoki's pupils contracted.
"That's my technique—!"
Ren closed distance in a blink.
"Earth Style: Rock Fist."
Their collision shattered the air.
A titanic earth dragon burst from the ground moments later, roaring skyward at the Third Tsuchikage.
The clash thundered across the forest.
Even Chiyo felt the tremors through her puppets.
"This level… he's approaching the First Hokage."
Lightning surged again.
The Raikage shot forward.
"Lariat!"
Ren countered effortlessly, Wood Release expanding further.
And then—
He paused midair.
"Enough watching."
A new presence emerged through smoke.
Black cloak. Red clouds.
Pain.
Ōnoki's face tightened.
"Akatsuki."
Pain spoke only one word.
"Danzō."
Tension thickened further.
Ren tilted his head.
"More help?"
The Wood Golem swelled larger.
"And here I thought you'd try harder."
Elsewhere in the forest—
Uchiha clashed with foreign ANBU.
Shisui moved like a phantom, blade flashing.
Hikari—
Was something else entirely.
She flowed through enemies like wind through petals.
Elegant.
Cold.
Efficient.
Even Uchiha Izumi felt stunned watching her.
"…She's more Uchiha than we are."
Hikari's kunai flashed—
A distracted Izumi nearly fell—
Until a blade whistled past her cheek and struck down the attacker behind.
"Don't zone out," Hikari said flatly.
Then—
Space twisted.
Three figures appeared.
Obito. Itachi. Kakuzu.
"Quite the gathering," Obito muttered.
The Uchiha within Root froze.
"Itachi!"
Hatred erupted instantly.
Shisui stepped forward sharply.
"Calm down!"
Hikari walked ahead instead.
"You're Uchiha Itachi, right?"
Her voice was calm.
"I heard you slaughtered your clan to awaken your brother's Mangekyō. Needed spare eyes?"
Itachi stiffened.
The implication was clear.
"So you do have Mangekyō."
Scarlet chakra flared around Hikari's body.
A skeletal ribcage formed.
Susanoo.
Everyone froze.
Even Shisui's breath caught.
"That's—"
Mangekyō power.
And yet—
It felt different.
Heavier.
Denser.
Hikari's voice remained calm.
"And you're Uchiha Obito. Ren doesn't like you."
The skeletal frame expanded slightly.
"Perhaps eliminating both of you at once would be efficient."
The pressure exploded outward.
Even seasoned Mangekyō users felt suffocated.
Black flames spiraled into existence—
Rushing toward Itachi and Obito simultaneously.
They barely evaded.
Hikari blurred forward—
Her blade descended for Itachi's skull.
"Susanoo!"
Red armor erupted just in time.
Metal shrieked.
Across the battlefield, every Uchiha felt it—
That chakra.
That eye power.
It was overwhelming.
Even Black Zetsu, hidden underground, froze in disbelief.
That density of ocular power—
He had only felt it once before.
Madara.
"…Impossible."
His mind raced.
Asura's chakra radiated from Ren.
Now—
Indra-level eye power stood beside him?
"Indra and Asura…"
His voice trembled faintly beneath the soil.
"…reincarnated together?"
"How is that possible?"
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