Danzō had acquired his arm, infused with the First Hokage's cells, through close dealings with Orochimaru. Kabuto served as their intermediary.
Once the plan to target Danzō was settled, Kabuto immediately leveraged his position to act.
The method was simple and brutal: dangle the bait and let Danzō come to them.
Konoha, ROOT Headquarters. A dimly lit room, candles flickering.
Danzō read the message delivered by Kabuto.
To Lord Danzō,
Lord Orochimaru's "Improved First Hokage Cell Experiment" has succeeded. Would you be willing to be the first beneficiary? Not only will it mitigate the backlash risks of the cells, but it may even extend your Izanagi usage time. I see no reason for you to refuse. Please come alone to our previous meeting place.
— Your loyal ROOT Outer Member, Kabuto Yakushi.
Danzō finished reading. He rolled the paper and held it over the candle flame until it caught fire.
The dancing flame reflected in his left eye, casting shifting shadows across his pensive face.
"Orochimaru's behavior has been abnormal lately. He dismantled all his outposts and dismissed all non-essential personnel, acting as if he's washing his hands of his old life."
"But Orochimaru would never retire. He must be plotting something far greater."
"Furthermore, Akatsuki activity has increased. The jinchūriki of Suna and Kumo, and Kirigakure's Three-Tails have all reportedly fallen into their hands."
"Though just rumors, Akatsuki's accelerated movements are likely connected to Orochimaru. This old man… must remain vigilant."
That night. The designated meeting spot.
Danzō approached, leaning on his cane.
Kabuto offered a cordial greeting. "Lord Danzō. It's been a while."
Danzō's voice was low. "Where is Orochimaru?"
Kabuto adjusted his glasses, subtly closing the distance. "He awaits your presence at the new facility."
He recalled Orochimaru's instruction. Kabuto, once Danzō activates Izanagi, all other means are useless. The optimal solution is to seize his right eye before he can trigger it. Swift and decisive.
Standing before Danzō, Kabuto placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Lord Danzō, allow me to take you to Lord Orochimaru…"
Swish!
Suddenly—the hand on his shoulder shot upward, aiming for the bandage covering Danzō's right eye!
"!" Danzō sensed the malice. He jerked back!
A smirk played on Kabuto's lips. He'd already left a 'mark' on Danzō's right shoulder.
—Futodama!!
Whoosh!
A swirling vortex yanked Danzō right back in front of Kabuto!
"Wha—!?"
In that moment of shock, Kabuto's hand gouged like lightning!
CRUNCH!
"GYAAAAAAAAAH! MY EYE! MY EYE…!!!"
Danzō clutched his right eye, blood gushing between his fingers as a scream of pure agony tore from his throat.
"Heh…"
Kabuto looked at his prize. His smile froze.
It wasn't a Sharingan. Just an ordinary eye.
The writhing, eye-clutching Danzō curled his lips into a knowing smirk. "As expected… Lord Danzō's concerns were not unfounded!"
SLASH!
The next instant, he drew a kunai and cleanly slit his own throat.
Kabuto stepped forward to examine the body.
"A body double. And not a Transformation Jutsu…"
He pushed his glasses up, lenses gleaming white. "He found someone with a similar build and features, used medical ninjutsu to alter the face, then trained them to perfectly mimic Danzō's speech and mannerisms. Even under excruciating pain, he cried 'this old man,' not 'I.' Truly horrifying…"
"Danzō appearing with this living double means he never took the bait. Did I… mess this up?"
Woodland outside Konoha.
Danzō received word from his subordinate.
"One… has been eliminated…"
Danzō's grip tightened on his cane. "We return."
Whoosh!
Right then, a dark vortex churned the air. A man in an orange mask descended.
"Yo, Danzō. Long time no see…"
Danzō frowned. "You are…?"
Danzō had more than Orochimaru's eyes on him. Since the Fourth War, Obito had Zetsu monitoring his movements.
Obito didn't waste words. He charged.
"Protect Lord Danzō!!!"
The ROOT operatives present swarmed forward.
But they were no match.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Obito's charging form passed right through them.
The ROOT members stared, horrified. "What is with this guy's body!?"
Danzō dropped his cane, his hands rising to form a seal.
Don't even think—!
Thwip!
Wooden spikes shot from Obito's sleeves, piercing Danzō's chest.
Obito formed a seal.
—Wood Release: Cutting Technique!!
CRACK! CRACK-CRACK!
Vicious, branching wood erupted from Danzō's chest and back. He collapsed, dead.
Obito swiftly finished off the remaining ROOT members. He walked to Danzō's body, peeled back the bandage covering the right eye… and paused.
It wasn't a Sharingan.
Another living double.
He crumpled the bandage in his fist. "We've been played…"
Konoha, ROOT HQ. Two subordinates reported.
"Lord Danzō… One and Two have both lost contact…"
Before the flickering candle, Danzō lightly covered his right eye. "I see. So it was a trap. Their goal is Shisui's right eye. For a time, this old man cannot leave the village. Effective immediately, I will not meet even ROOT members directly. You two will be my sole conduits, relaying my commands in full."
"Yes, sir…"
The reporting ROOT member began to rise. Suddenly—the man beside him drove a ninjato into his back.
Thud. The man fell into a pool of blood. The attacker, face twisted in a vicious grin, lunged at the stunned Danzō.
Swish—!
The candle snuffed out. A great splash of blood painted the door behind him.
Danzō lay dead before the threshold.
The attacker threw down the bloody ninjato and ripped off his mask—revealing a White Zetsu's face. He stepped forward to claim his prize… and his expression shifted.
"This one's fake too?"
A dark vortex swirled. Obito appeared beside the corpse.
White Zetsu spat in frustration. "He even used a double to sit in his own headquarters! This old bastard!!! His paranoia is off the charts! Though I guess that paranoia just saved his wretched hide!!!"
Obito clenched his hand lightly, his gaze dropping to the ROOT member Zetsu had killed. "He mentioned One and Two. So this Danzō-double is codename Three. But we encountered Two and Three. Where did One go? To meet whom? Could it be… I'm not the only one after Shisui's eye? Orochimaru, perhaps…"
"Let's go. Plans need to change."
Whoosh!
The dark vortex swirled. He and White Zetsu vanished from the ROOT underground.
Then… the ROOT member Zetsu had 'killed' stood up.
He removed his mask. It was Danzō.
"So that's it… Orochimaru and Akatsuki are moving against me simultaneously. And they seem to be competing. To obtain such critical intelligence at the cost of just one 'eye'… is more than worth the price."
Fzzzt.
The eye in his palm, used to activate Izanagi, slowly closed.
Danzō clenched his fist.
"Heh. With this information, I can maneuver between them. Who will be the final victor? Let us settle it… with our 'eyes'!"
He unwound the bandage from his head. The four-pointed tomoe of the Mangekyō Sharingan swirled with light.
Azure Moon Island. Kabuto returned, dejected.
"Lord Orochimaru, my apologies. The operation failed."
Orochimaru was calm. "If he were that easy to hook, he would not be known as the embodiment of the shinobi world's shadows."
Kabuto said, "We've alerted him now. Luring Danzō out again will be far more difficult."
Orochimaru smiled faintly. He stood and walked outside.
Accompanied by Itachi, Kabuto, and Karin, Sasuke emerged into a clearing. He saw Orochimaru inscribing an unfamiliar array on the ground.
The pattern within was strange. The core was clearly a 'Summoning Jutsu' formula, but it was interwoven with numerous chain-like seals.
And… those patterns carried the unique, chilling aura of the Reaper Death Seal's Shinigami.
"Danzō obtained the First's cells through us. As a precaution, I preserved a sample of his life essence. With my techniques back then, it could at most be used for an Edo Tensei. But now… things are different."
Orochimaru placed Danzō's genetic sample at the array's core. He entered his Shinigami Unsealing state.
"This is a summoning array from within the Shinigami, called the Reaper's Hook-Chain…"
In his unsealing state, Orochimaru formed seals with a flourish, long hair flowing.
"Sasuke-kun, prepare yourself. Consider this a warm-up… for the Fifth Battle in half a month."
"I'm going to hook Danzō right over here."
—Death Prohibition: Reaper's Hook-Chain!!!
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