The shattered rocks around Aoyama Ryuyun couldn't have possibly withstood the force of an S-rank Ninjutsu on their own.
However, the earthen mounds encasing him were coated in Armament Haki—an invisible armor that hardened his defense beyond comprehension.
That was why he had emerged unscathed.
Danzo's eyes narrowed in disbelief. "This is... impossible?"
As the earth crumbled away, the smoke cleared to reveal Aoyama Ryuyun standing in the open, completely unharmed—his golden aura flickering faintly around him.
He smirked. "My turn."
The words fell like a divine decree.
A shockwave burst from him—Haoshoku Haki, the pressure of a true king.
The entire battlefield trembled.
Under that invisible storm, even Danzo felt his chakra falter for a moment.
Then came the roar—
"Shishi Odoshi — Kirigiridani!"
Twin blades flashed. Dozens of streaks of golden sword light shot out in every direction, tearing through the forest like divine retribution.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Massive trees were cleaved clean in half. 'Root' operatives fell where they stood, their bodies cut before they even realized what had struck them.
The few who survived could only dodge frantically, eyes wide in terror.
"Shishi Odoshi — Meteor Slash!"
The twin blades crossed, and a blazing arc descended from the heavens like a falling star.
The golden light consumed everything.
For the Root Ninja, that light was the last thing they ever saw.
"Swish."
Both blades slid neatly back into their sheaths.
The wind howled.
All around, the battlefield had fallen silent—no one left standing but Danzo Shimura.
He stared blankly at the devastation, his expression frozen.
"This... how is this possible?"
His elite force—gone. Fifty Root operatives, all trained from youth to kill without emotion, erased in seconds.
His throat tightened. The loss was staggering.
Years of resources, gone in one reckless confrontation.
Then he felt Ryuyun's gaze. Cold. Certain.
Danzo's instinct screamed.
"Run!"
Without hesitation, he flickered backward with Body Flicker Technique, vanishing into the forest.
But the moment he moved—
"Earth Scroll!"
Aoyama Ryuyun's arm sliced through the air.
The ground exploded open as massive torrents of earth surged upward. The terrain shifted like a living thing. Waves of rock cascaded and collided, encircling Danzo in a sea of stone.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The landscape itself twisted and reshaped under Ryuyun's control, forming an arena of solid rock.
Danzo stopped, panting. The entire area was alive—boulders orbiting, roaring like beasts.
"What... what kind of jutsu is this!?"
He looked up.
Ryuyun floated in midair, golden light rippling across his form.
"Flying Ninjutsu?" Danzo muttered in disbelief. "Impossible…"
Flying techniques existed, but they were exceedingly rare—used only by masters like the Third Tsuchikage. But this—this was something else entirely.
Rock flows coiled around Aoyama Ryuyun like loyal beasts, moving at his command.
Danzo steadied his breath. Escape was impossible.
He straightened his back. "What exactly is this ability?"
Ryuyun, still suspended above, rested his hand on his sword and smiled faintly.
"Simply put, it's a Bloodline Limit. Everything I touch... becomes mine to control."
Danzo's eyes widened. "You can control anything you touch...?"
It was absurd. No kekkei genkai he knew could bend the world like that.
"No wonder you were able to defeat the One-Tail," Danzo muttered, half in awe, half in despair.
Such a power, if left unchecked, could rival the Nine-Tails itself one day.
And this boy—this Aoyama Ryuyun—was still so young.
Danzo clenched his jaw. He made his choice.
'If it's for Konoha... then this old man will make the ultimate sacrifice.'
He pressed his hands together, forming a seal.
But before the black formula could emerge on his body—
"Put away your Reverse Four Symbols Sealing Technique, old man."
Danzo froze. His eyes snapped open.
'How... does he know!?'
That forbidden seal was one of his deepest secrets, learned from ancient Uzumaki scrolls. Not even Hiruzen knew he'd mastered it.
The Reverse Four Symbols Sealing Technique—a suicide jutsu of the Uzumaki clan that destroys everything within range upon the user's death.
For Aoyama Ryuyun to call it out so casually...
Danzo felt the chill of true terror crawl up his spine.
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