"Chiba. Lord Danzō has a message for you."
"Speak."
Outside the secret research base far from Konoha, a Root ninja had come calling. Chiba stepped out with clear annoyance, ready to hear what kind of crap the old dog Shimura Danzō was trying to spew.
"Heh."
Chiba made no secret of his impatience. The Root ninja sneered. "You are to go to Falling Leaf Hill alone within the hour. Do not try anything clever, or Rin Nohara's life is forfeit."
"What did you say?!"
Chiba's expression changed instantly.
He'd expected Danzō might target him, but this? This was insanity. No holding back, no subtlety—openly taking Rin hostage. It was like a master chess player, known for his devious, steady play, suddenly flipping the board mid-game and smashing it over your head. Anyone would be stunned.
Has Danzō seen his defeat is inevitable? Is he trying to flip the table, go all-in for one last desperate shot? Chiba's face darkened.
"Message delivered. You're on your own now—"
THWIP!
As the Root ninja turned to leave, smug, a black tendril shot from Chiba's body. It pierced straight through her chest.
"You… you actually…?!"
She'd been wary of Chiba, but at this distance? How could he still reach her? She collapsed, eyes wide with horror, watching as Chiba tore her still-beating heart from her chest. Then, nothing.
Thump. Thump.
The Jiongu tendrils consumed the pulsing heart completely before dissolving back into threads of black and retreating into Chiba's body.
"A tough fight's coming. Your heart will serve as my second life."
He looked down coldly at the lifeless Root agent.
Behind him, Orochimaru's form materialized silently. His golden, slitted eyes gleamed with intense interest.
Chiba-kun used a forbidden technique right in front of me, without hesitation. Does this mean he finally acknowledges me as a true confidant?
Sss… So many secrets on that body. I'd love to dissect him and see for myself.
Orochimaru licked his lips, pushing the thought down. "Chiba-kun, why not inform Lord Hokage? Or let me accompany you. There's no need to walk into danger alone for an ordinary person."
Chiba shook his head, his gaze sharp as ice. "No. I'll handle this myself."
One reason was Rin's safety. The other? If Shimura Danzō was choosing to bypass Hiruzen and go for mutual destruction, this was the perfect chance to eliminate him for good. Danzō had crossed a line, gone rogue. Even if Chiba killed him now, Hiruzen would have little to say.
What was there to fear? Act first, report later. How tough could Danzō be, compared to Kakuzu or Hanzō?
"Though the location's name is a bit unlucky…"
Muttering to himself, Chiba activated Dance of the Shikigami and took to the skies, flying toward Falling Leaf Hill.
…
Falling Leaf Hill was far. Chiba pushed his speed, arriving at the desolate, barren slope just within the time limit.
That was Danzō's point—give him no time to prepare.
Otherwise, Chiba would've loved to summon Kakuzu. Save Danzō the excuse about bullying a handicapped old man. Let the resilient, disabled Elder Kakuzu deal with him—a perfect match.
"You called me here. Why hide? Show yourself, Shimura Danzō!"
The slope was empty. Chiba's voice cut through the silence.
"Brat. You actually came alone. I underestimated your courage."
A cold voice slithered from the nearby woods.
Then, dozens of Root ninja emerged—from behind rocks, from the ground, from the shadows. They surrounded Chiba in layers. A few took to the air using techniques like Super Beast Imitation Drawing, sealing off any escape route.
Shimura Danzō walked out from the trees, standing behind his ranks, facing Chiba across the distance. A strange sense of nostalgia washed over him.
Once, he too had been that young, that brash, that full of fire. With a teacher's protection, friends by his side.
"Nostalgic," he murmured, voice too low for anyone else. "If only… if I'd had that kind of courage back then, perhaps I'd be Hokage now."
The flicker of sentiment vanished from his face as quickly as it came, replaced by the familiar, sinister mask.
"I should have eliminated you by any means necessary from the start. None of this would be happening!" Danzō's voice was frost.
But could you blame him? Who could have predicted a talentless civilian brat would rise so fast, becoming an entity on par with him?
(Emperor Hun Tian, Bone Sovereign, and the Spirit Hall all gave you a like.)
Chiba ignored the complaint. His eyes scanned the area. "I'm here as you demanded. Where's Rin?"
"An insignificant girl. I have no interest in harming her. She's at the Root facility."
Danzō subtly gestured, signaling his forces to prepare. "It is you and I, Chiba. Today, only one of us leaves alive."
"Heh. Suits me."
Chiba laughed coldly. He hadn't forgotten Danzō's attempt to get him killed in Sunagakure. And besides, this was the Naruto world. Did you even need a reason to kill Shimura Danzō?!
"What, you think they can hurt me?" Chiba watched coldly as the Root ninja closed in. "Why waste your men's lives?"
Honestly, he'd thought about it the whole way here. Where did Danzō get this confidence? The only answer was that Danzō's intel was a month or two out of date—still thought Chiba's combat power was roughly equal to one or two Anbu squads.
Danzō remained unperturbed by the taunt. "If I die, they die too. They fight for their own survival."
He'd spent years, countless resources, raising this army. This was what they were for.
If they could drain even a sliver of Chiba's stamina, their deaths would be worthwhile. Human lives were, after all, expendable.
Swish!
At Danzō's signal, the Root ninja moved. A barrage of jutsu erupted, hurled at Chiba without regard for chakra conservation, painting half the sky in violent colors.
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
"Fire Style: Majestic Fire Blossom!"
"Lightning Style:—"
"Water Style: Water Formation Wall!"
Chiba sneered. Clapping his hands together, a torrent of water erupted skyward, swirling around him to form a thick, cascading wall.
He was the Tailless Tailed Beast. His chakra pool was deeper than these Root agents' health bars. They wanted to wear him down?
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Jutsu after jutsu slammed into the water wall, creating ripples and waves. But fueled by Chiba's monstrous chakra, the wall didn't thin. It held firm.
"Behind you! He's—!"
A Root ninja stared intently at the water wall. His comrade's warning came too late, eyes wide with terror.
"Dance of the Shikigami: Paper Storm!"
Like an angel of death, Chiba wove through the crowd, wings spread. White paper swirled in his wake. Root ninja fell like stalks of wheat, cut down with a terrible, theatrical grace.
Up close, Dance of the Shikigami plus Jiongu was pure slaughter. No Root agent could land a meaningful hit. None could make him pause for even a second.
"Wind Style: Vacuum Bullets!"
From the rear, Danzō formed seals. Ignoring his own men in the line of fire, he spat out bullet-like streams of compressed chakra air.
"Gah—!"
Several unlucky Root ninja, untouched by Chiba, were cut down by the surprise attack from their own leader.
Chiba ascended like a hawk, dodging the vacuum bullets. He looked down at Danzō with a cold smirk.
"Who do you think you are? Playing with Wind Style in front of me?"
Danzō: "???"
For a moment, Danzō was speechless. Then, his aged face flushed a deep, furious purple.
"You arrogant brat! In Wind Style, I am your master, your progenitor!"
He felt utterly insulted. His Wind Style was legendary, unmatched even by the Kazekage of Suna. This was beyond disrespect.
"Oh, really?" Chiba's voice was icy from above. "Then let me show you mine. A parting gift."
"Super Wind Style: Rasengan Shuriken!"
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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