---Third POV---
Having worked at Danzō's side for many years, Tatsuma had become very skilled at reading Danzō's expressions.
He sensed that Danzō didn't seem too displeased with what he had just said, so he relaxed slightly and continued to advise, "Danzō-sama, you know that Ryouma is someone who deeply values his comrades, and Shisui shares a very close personal bond with him. If the intel provided by Zetsu is incorrect, if Shisui's eyes aren't actually Mangekyō Sharingan, or if the power of Kotoamatsukami isn't as strong as claimed… Then, when Ryouma returns and learns we've acted against his friend, I'm afraid we…"
There was no need to finish the sentence. Given Ryouma's brutal methods during the past ninja war, they would certainly face a terrible fate.
At the end of the day, Tatsuma simply felt the risk was far too great. But Danzō, faced with the heartfelt persuasion of his old subordinate, had no intention of listening.
"It's fine. Zetsu is indeed suspicious, but he provided sufficient evidence to prove the reliability of his intel. As long as I succeed in obtaining the Kotoamatsukami, Ryouma will become nothing more than a blade at my disposal."
In the past, he had lost the chance to become Hokage due to his lack of courage and decisiveness. This time, he would not hesitate, he would reclaim everything that was rightfully his.
"Prepare to depart."
"Yes."
Knowing full well that he couldn't persuade his leader, Tatsuma could only do his best to ensure the plan would proceed smoothly.
Just as he was about to issue the mission details to the twenty Root ninjas, the insects scattered around the base sent him a warning signal.
"An intruder has entered!" he reported calmly.
"An intruder?" Danzō was surprised. "How many?"
"Based on the insects' reaction, only one. But the chakra signature is incredibly strong. Also, they're extremely fast. Right now, they're already…"
"Aa—"
The screeching cry of Chidori echoed through the entire underground space, thick blue lightning roaring wildly as it collided and leapt across the metal pipes.
Bathed in crackling lightning, Shiori charged like a comet, an unstoppable force of acceleration aimed directly at the platform where Danzō and the others stood.
It was a scene that looked explosive just from a glance. Sensing danger, Danzō shouted, "Scatter!"
Root's discipline was strict. All the ninja on the platform obeyed instantly, jumping away in all directions.
A moment later, Shiori landed in a superhero pose at the center of the platform with a thunderous crash. The violent current immediately shattered the entire platform, web-like cracks spreading rapidly outward.
At the same time, her left eye spun rapidly, and the shadow beneath her feet expanded swiftly, covering several meters in the blink of an eye.
From the shadow realm sprang four more Shiori, each with glowing red eyes and the same crackling lightning as the original.
Splorch! Splorch!
The sound of flesh being pierced rang out.
The four Shiori from different timelines, each using her signature jutsu, drove their lightning-covered hands straight through the hearts of the four Root ninjas who had been too slow to dodge.
It had all happened so suddenly. Only after the lightning had begun to subside did Danzō finally get a clear look at their assailant.
"Shiori! Why are you here?!"
This base had been abandoned for years, even Hiruzen probably wouldn't remember its location. For someone to find it now was borderline absurd.
"I'm not in the mood for your nonsense."
With a sweep of her arm, Shiori unleashed a surge of Chidori Current, net-like lightning crackling outward and killing off the tiny poisonous insects trying to approach her.
"The Uchiha clan really are a bunch of lunatics."
Danzō cursed under his breath, then signaled Tatsuma with a glance.
"Attack!"
Tatsuma extended his hands forward, and a massive swarm of kikaichū beetles surged toward Shiori like a black cloud.
Shiori activated her ultimate technique right from the start. A white skeletal giant erupted around her, quickly followed by muscle and sinew rapidly forming.
Clang!
With a loud metallic clang, the armor of Susanoo locked into place.
Ignoring the incoming swarm of bugs, Shiori, with her giant fully formed, charged straight at Danzō. Her intent was clear and singular.
Danzō quickly formed a series of hand seals, then inhaled deeply before exhaling several compressed wind bullets.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The volley of wind bullets pelted Susanoo like rain, but the effect was no more harmful than a few scrapes, barely tickling her defense.
Without any flashy buildup, Shiori simply had her Susanoo throw a punch directly at Danzō.
BOOM!
Pure, overwhelming brute force exploded in the underground chamber, and with a single blow, the reinforced platform was obliterated.
"This power… it really is Susanoo, huh?"
Danzō wiped the blood from his forehead where flying debris had nicked him, keeping it from running into his eyes.
"Protect Danzō-sama!"
Seeing their leader in danger, the remaining Root ninjas reacted like cats with their tails stepped on. Leaving behind four members to stall Shiori's clones, the rest desperately charged forward to shield Danzō.
One of them dropped to one knee, formed hand seals, and extended his shadow rapidly across the ground, binding Susanoo in place.
"Shadow Imitation Shadow Bind Technique!"
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
"Fire Release: Great Fireball!"
Though uncoordinated by a leader, the Root ninjas moved with synergy, launching a barrage of elemental jutsu at Susanoo, now restrained by a binding technique.
Danzō wasn't about to let the opportunity slip by either. He formed hand seals and summoned the Baku, whose suction wind created a turbulent air current, amplifying Danzō's next attack.
Meanwhile, the four Shiori clones from past timelines had already dealt with their respective enemies with ease. But instead of helping the original, they casually gathered together… to chat.
"Danzō's Wind Style isn't half bad, though. With help from that summoned beast, he might actually break through Susanoo's defense."
"So, should we help? Otherwise, the original's going to complain at us again from inside the shadow."
"Wait, something feels off, look at the original. Is she… pulling out her sword?"
At that comment, the other three clones instantly turned to look at the real Shiori.
"Damn, she really is. Looks like she's actually mad this time."
"I mean, I'm mad too! If I were her, I'd draw the sword as well."
"Yeah… nope. I'm out."
As Shiori's real body began drawing her blade, the shadow space beneath the clones quietly unfolded. Very wisely, all four clones re-entered the shadow realm of their own accord, to avoid getting caught in the crossfire of their furious original.
---
Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield, Shiori's eyes suddenly snapped open, and the immense power of her Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan erupted with a surge.
Her Susanoo radiated with blue electricity, and even the armor on its body bulged and shimmered under the pressure of her ocular might.
The shadow bindings that had previously covered Susanoo's body didn't even manage to restrain it in the slightest before they were completely shattered.
She controlled Susanoo to extend its left hand. A blue magatama appeared and instantly transformed into a massive sheathed tachi sword.
This was the spiritual weapon unique to her Susanoo.
Its name was Futsunomitama!
A blade that held dominion over all thunder and lightning in the world!
Facing the oncoming violent winds and blazing flames, the white half-body war god grasped the sword hilt with its right hand and drew the blade in one swift motion.
In the next second, it was as if tens of thousands of shock grenades exploded simultaneously, countless dazzling bolts of lightning shot out from the blade of Futsunomitama, electrolyzing everything in the vicinity.
Endless currents turned into lightning serpents, flooding the entire underground base, ionizing the surrounding air and bathing everything in an eerie blue glow.
The Root ninjas lost their sight the moment she drew her blade under the intense glare. When the lightning serpents struck their bodies, they were instantly reduced to scorched corpses under the extreme voltage.
Tatsuma, wearing sunglasses and relying mostly on his insects for perception, managed to avoid direct hits from the roaming electric serpents through agile movements.
Of course, the real reason he survived was that Shiori was focused entirely on dealing with Danzō and didn't even regard him as a threat.
Rumble!
Under the rampage of Susanoo, the entire base shook violently, on the verge of collapse.
Swoosh!
A flash of blue light streaked through the air, and the massive summoned beast Baku was pierced through and pinned to the ground by a single thrust from Susanoo's blade.
Boom!
Though Baku had tough skin and flesh, after suffering two fatal attacks from Susanoo, it was forced to cancel the summoning technique. But given the extent of its injuries, it was most likely doomed even if it returned.
Ignoring the now-irrelevant summon, Shiori turned her gaze to the tip of Futsunomitama, a cold smile appearing on her lips.
"You think hiding inside a summoned beast would keep you alive? Ridiculous. Before these eyes, there's nowhere to hide."
As Baku was unsummoned, Danzō was revealed, his body having been pierced dead center by Futsunomitama.
"Danzō-sama!"
Tatsuma shouted, trying to command his insect swarm to help Danzō escape.
Shiori's Mangekyō Sharingan slowly spun.
In Tatsuma's mindscape, several metal spikes pierced through his body, immobilizing him completely.
Zzzzt!
A sharp buzzing of electricity echoed. Five lightning serpents slithered through the air, the extremely high voltage instantly charring all the kikaichū that had rushed out of Tatsuma's body in defense.
Without the protection of his swarm, the thick electric serpents pounced on him mercilessly, reducing him to charcoal like the other Root ninjas.
After effortlessly eliminating Tatsuma, the power in Shiori's eyes surged again. Blinding lightning raced along the blade of her sword, and in an instant, Danzō was blasted into oblivion.
By all logic, things should have ended there.
But she had no intention of dispelling her Susanoo. She simply stood there, waiting.
After a few seconds, the charred corpse of Danzō, burned to ash by the high voltage, slowly disappeared. At the same time, not far away, he stood atop a metal pipe, completely unharmed.
However, his expression was extremely grim. His original plan was to wait until Shiori released her Susanoo, then use his resurrection to launch a surprise attack. But she hadn't given him the chance, as if she had known from the beginning that he could come back to life. She had been waiting for him all along.
Has my intel been leaked? Who the hell is it?!
A flurry of names flashed through his mind. But he would never guess the truth, because Shiori's intel source was none other than herself.
When she summoned her spiritual weapon Futsunomitama, the ocular technique residing in her right eye, activated on its own, revealing new information:
Will… Danzō… Iza… Nagi… Revive… Three times… Beware… The south…
Though she disliked admitting it, her future self had indeed been a great help to her.
The moment her eyes confirmed that Danzō's body had regained substance, Susanoo swung its blade, and dozens of lightning serpents surged toward Danzō, ready to rip him apart.
Faced with this onslaught, Danzō knew he couldn't dodge it. Without hesitation, he pulled out two shuriken, infusing them with razor-sharp wind chakra.
The two wind-infused shuriken weren't aimed at the electric serpents but at the already-wobbling load-bearing pillars around them.
Zzzzt!
Under the intense pressure, Danzō was once again reduced to a charred husk. But he had achieved his goal, the entire secret base could no longer support itself and collapsed with a thunderous crash. To be honest, the fact that the base had held out this long was already impressive.
---
Outside, in a remote corner of the Forest of Death, the ground suddenly caved in. Countless rocks, dirt, and trees were sucked downward, and the sky was engulfed in a thick cloud of smoke and dust.
The next moment, a blinding cross-shaped blade of light shot into the sky, blasting away the collapsing earth.
A giant white humanoid figure leapt out from the pit. As soon as Shiori emerged, her eyes immediately turned south. In less than a second, she locked onto Danzō, who was desperately fleeing through the forest.
"One more left."
She counted his remaining revivals and controlled Susanoo to raise Futsunomitama.
Boom!
A thunderclap split the air.
A fierce bolt of lightning came crashing down from the sky, landing directly on Danzō's head and once again reducing him to a blackened corpse.
Three seconds later, he revived once more. But this time, he didn't respawn far from Shiori, he reappeared right beneath Susanoo's feet.
At this point, Danzō knew he truly had no escape. Not only was Shiori relentlessly hunting him, but the Hashirama cells inside his body were beginning to devour him now that there was no longer a Sharingan to suppress them. Knowing this, he resolved to face death bravely. If his life was ending anyway, he would let it burn one last time for the sake of Konoha.
"You'll become the next Madara sooner or later. For Konoha's sake, I will bury you here today!"
Shiori didn't know what he was planning, but something, well, someone did. The ocular technique in her right eye activated again on its own.
On this day, the number of times Enkakuden had activated was approaching the total of all previous activations combined. Clearly, her future self desperately wanted Danzō to die.