The Vacuum Blade had killed countless people in Danzo's hands, but today it cut through his own windpipe, blood vessels, and cervical spine.
His head and neck were connected only by flesh and skin at the edges.
Kato Dan's soul returned to his own body.
His expression relaxed abruptly.
Facing a high-ranking Konoha official like Danzo had put immense pressure on Kato Dan.
The fight had been too intense just now; now that he relaxed, Kato Dan realized a problem: he had killed Danzo, and this must never be known by anyone in the village.
Kato Dan looked at the two Anbu and began forming hand signs.
It wasn't the time to confront the village yet; these two Anbu must die!
Seeing the fierce look in Kato Dan's eyes, Yōkō's heart tightened.
He immediately raised his hand, preparing to use the Self-Cursing Body Binding Seal to reveal his identity as an Uzumaki spy.
Yōkō had only formed the first hand sign when he abruptly stopped.
The situation changed drastically, reversing once again.
Kato Dan grunted: "Uh!"
The Spirit Transformation Technique halted abruptly!
The Vacuum Blade pierced through Kato Dan's back, exiting from his chest, then slowly dragged downwards.
Heart, lungs, spleen, intestines, kidneys – all the way down.
A horrific penetrating wound appeared on the left side of Kato Dan's torso.
Danzo's ferocious face appeared beside Kato Dan's ear!
This time, Danzo lacked his usual calm composure, replaced only by violence!
Uchiha Kagami's precious Mangekyō Sharingan – one was destroyed by Uchiha Madara, and the other, just hours later, was destroyed by Kato Dan!
Unforgivable!
"Kato Dan! How dare you attack me!"
Blood gushed like a spring from Kato Dan's long wound, flowing profusely.
Danzo's neck had been cut until only flesh remained, so why was he alive again?
Even Tsunade didn't have such self-healing ability.
Kato Dan struggled to complete the final hand sign, wanting to at least transmit the intelligence.
However, the battle-experienced Danzo wouldn't give him that chance.
The Vacuum Blade was suddenly jerked upwards from below, severing Kato Dan's left hand.
The severed hand fell, landing in the bloody mud on the ground.
"Dan!"
One Senju guard let out a pained cry, then immediately began forming hand signs.
"B", recognizing the signs for a Summoning Technique, feared he might summon something troublesome and cause complications, raised his hand and formed a sign.
The Senju guard's hand froze mid-air.
Parasitic Destruction Insects had damaged his tendons, preventing him from completing the hand signs.
Yōkō also took advantage of his opponent's distracted state, rushed over, and killed him with a single sword slash.
The battle turned from disadvantage to advantage in an instant, and ended just as quickly. All three on Kato Dan's side lay dead in the heavy rain.
Without waiting for Danzo's order, "B" immediately said, "Sir! We will handle the scene right away!"
Seeing Danzo's ferocious expression, Yōkō quickly lowered his head, rushed over, and busied himself with "B".
"B" and Yōkō stacked the two Senju guards' bodies together.
As for Kato Dan's body, it was still at Danzo's feet.
Kato Dan's corpse would be very useful; it would be secretly dissected to research the secrets of the Spirit Transformation Technique.
Yōkō glanced at the corpse, noticing the First Hokage's necklace still around its neck.
Yōkō didn't move, because "B" beside him didn't move.
"B" didn't move because Danzo stood motionless in the pouring rain.
Yōkō remained constantly vigilant, afraid Danzo might kill them to silence them.
The likelihood probably wasn't high. Root currently lacked the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal and wasn't fully controlled.
Root are subordinates, but are Anbu like stepchildren then?
Even if they were stepchildren, could they just be killed arbitrarily to silence them?
They waited for a long time, but Danzo didn't come to kill them.
The heavy rain poured down as if weeping for a talented young man like Kato Dan.
Kato Dan would live on in the memories of many ninja, growing stronger and stronger in their recollections.
Years later, some Senju ninja would remember Kato Dan and say that if he were still alive, he would certainly have achieved this or that.
This is called the nostalgia filter.
Kato Dan's forbidden technique was extremely powerful, but the problem was it rendered him half-paralyzed. Once someone got close, that powerful forbidden technique had no room to be used.
Yōkō calculated his own gains and losses.
Ensuring the Senju clan's influence to check the higher-ups was Yōkō's plan, now basically successful.
Kato Dan destroying one of Danzo's eyes meant Yōkō's scheme had some effect.
As for confessing his identity to the Senju clan, or even informing them, Yōkō glanced at Danzo, remembered that Battalion Commander Yellow Dog was already suspicious of him, and dismissed the thought.
Sympathy was one thing, but his own safety was more important.
Yōkō carefully observed Danzo from the corner of his eye.
Orochimaru provided Danzo with advanced transplantation technology, yet Danzo kept dying.
These two deaths and resurrections were just like in the original story where Danzo died repeatedly at Sasuke's hands, using the Sharingan as a substitution technique.
"B" moved.
Yōkō hurriedly followed.
"B" approached Danzo and said quietly:
"Lord Danzo, it's too dangerous for you to personally take such risks in combat. Let us handle it in the future.
Bringing a few more Root ninja and a couple of Anbu squads can avoid many dangers."
Yōkō cursed "B" inwardly, you bootlicker can lick boots by yourself, why drag others into it? In the end, others lick themselves to death, and you get all the benefits.
Danzo closed his dead-fish-like grayish-white eye, his expression grave:
"My displeasure isn't due to the life-threatening danger, but because these two eyes were entrusted to me by my dear friend Kagami on his deathbed.
For Konoha, I long ago resolved to be ready to die at any time, but I must die meaningfully, like the Second Hokage-sensei.
I absolutely cannot die a worthless death. I must die at Konoha's most critical moment, becoming the last one to protect Konoha.
It's a pity about Uchiha Kagami. My friend's entrustment was wasted in a single night."
Yōkō thought to himself, Danzo wants to be the last one to protect Konoha?
Does that mean Danzo cannot die as long as there is even one person alive in Konoha?
In every encounter, the Anbu gather intelligence for Danzo, and Danzo makes the final move.
The logic forms a perfect loop. So Danzo doesn't think he's cowardly; he genuinely believes he will be the last one to die for Konoha.
"B" quickly said, "I believe Lord Kagami would be comforted seeing his eyes help you overcome two crises."
Yōkō was a professional Anbu; no matter what he heard, he would not vomit.
Danzo finally said, "Let's go, to the front-line camp, to find Orochimaru."
It was unknown whether Danzo would transplant a new Sharingan or switch back to his original eye.
"B" asked, "Lord Danzo, should we give Kato Dan's body to 'A' for dissection by 'A'?"
Danzo shook his head and said:
"Kato Dan's death must be kept absolutely secret; Orochimaru cannot know. Orochimaru was Dan's classmate and has deep feelings for Tsunade.
If it were leaked, given Tsunade's temperament, she would inevitably break with the village.
It's not yet time for a break with the Senju clan. We must at least wait until the Second Shinobi World War ends before researching how to eradicate the Senju clan's potential future threats."
"B" subtly moved his eyeballs, glancing towards Fox's direction, hinting whether Fox was qualified to know such a major secret as Kato Dan's death.
Danzo looked at Fox.
Yōkō's heart tightened, and he immediately tried to save himself: "Lord Danzo, I have a plan that can permanently eliminate the future troubles regarding Kato Dan's death!"
Surviving in the cracks was too difficult.
He had to buy time, delay until the next full moon, so he would have more room to maneuver.
Danzo looked Fox up and down and asked, "Let's hear it."
(End of Chapter)