Naruto: Uchiha Rejects Konoha

"Damn it, Sarutobi! You're going to regret this... you block them, I'll break the barrier!"

Seeing his Wood Style so easily countered by Sarutobi, Danzo felt a surge of frustration.

On one hand, he was shocked by Sarutobi's combat prowess. As he'd suspected, his old rival's strength hadn't faded with age. On the other hand, the Wood Style he had considered his absolute trump card wasn't as powerful as he'd thought. Rather than overpowering Sarutobi, it was barely enough to hold him off.

With no other option, Danzo abandoned the idea of defeating Sarutobi and focused on leaving Konoha as quickly as possible. After all, the Uchiha clan, the group he feared most, had yet to make an appearance.

"Master Danzo, you go first; we'll hold them off!"

Danzo's loyal followers stood by him to the end, even willing to sacrifice their lives to further his escape.

"Danzo! Stop this immediately! You can't escape—don't make me do this!"

"Summoning Technique: Ape King Enma!"

"Adamantine Prison Wall!"

The Third Hokage summoned Enma, who transformed into the Adamantine Staff. The staff multiplied into dozens of clones, forming a cube-like cage to trap Danzo.

"Hmph! Sarutobi, I don't think you can suppress me with your Hokage status at this time. If you want me to stop, it's impossible!"

"Summoning Technique: Baku!"

Danzo summoned the Baku, a massive elephant-like beast whose colossal body smashed through the surrounding staff clones.

The Baku's powerful gust scattered the nearby shinobi. Even the Root members were affected, but Danzo paid no attention to them.

"Shadow Mimicry!"

"Mind Transfer Technique!"

Under cover of the Baku's wind, Shikaku and Inoichi remained unaffected and used their clan's secret jutsu to try to restrain Danzo while he was distracted.

"Get out of my way, old fools!"

Danzo roared, and the Hashirama cells in his right arm went into overdrive, sprouting numerous tree branches that not only broke the Ino-Shika-Cho combo's control but also tore a gap in the encirclement.

"Damn it, Sarutobi! I hope this transformation can be suppressed!"

Feeling his right arm refusing to return to its normal state, Danzo cursed the Third Hokage under his breath. However, he didn't slow down, advancing toward the barrier with the cover of his remaining Root operatives.

The Third Hokage didn't chase too closely, knowing that with the level of Danzo's Wood Style, breaking through the wartime barrier was impossible.

From the Third Hokage's perspective, Danzo had no escape the moment he was discovered.

"Wind Style: Vacuum Sphere!"

In an instant, Danzo transformed himself into a human weapon, expelling a rapid succession of wind bullets and forcing the shinobi near the barrier to retreat.

"Give it up, Danzo. You… wait, no! Fall back!"

Seeing how desperate his former comrade had become, the Third Hokage wanted to plead with him, but his eyes widened as he quickly stopped the shinobi who were still closing in on Danzo.

Some, however, were moving too quickly to stop in time. They watched, horrified, as blood erupted from Danzo's body. A sealing formula appeared, and a black sphere began to expand, consuming everything in its path.

"Reverse Four Symbols Seal! Danzo, actually..."

The Third Hokage's face was dark with anger and sorrow. He hadn't expected that Danzo would be so ruthless, not only to others but also to himself, engraving such a deadly sealing technique onto his own body.

"This madman!"

Thinking of the loyal Anbu who had just been swallowed by Danzo's technique, the Third Hokage clenched his fists.

"What! Impossible!"

Just as he was lamenting the loss of his faithful shinobi, he realized that Danzo, who had activated the sealing technique, was unharmed.

"Izanagi allows the user to record their own status with Sharingan," Yagami suddenly explained to the Third Hokage, "and within the effective time of the jutsu, any injury, even death, can be negated, restoring the user to the recorded state. It's the Uchiha clan's Forbidden Technique, at the cost of permanent blindness in one Sharingan."

Yagami's tone was matter-of-fact, as if he was a commentator, unconcerned that this information might tempt the Third Hokage into coveting the Sharingan. The stone tablet that once recorded Izanagi and Izanami had been destroyed after their failed attempt to capture Obito. Other than those who had awakened the Mangekyō—like Obito and Madara—no one knew how to activate this jutsu.

Of course, Danzo was aware of it, but he had no opportunity to pass on that knowledge.

Realizing this, the Third Hokage understood that Danzo's Four Symbols Seal was only a tactic to breach the barrier. Danzo's only objective now was to escape Konoha.

Glancing at Yagami, who seemed content just to observe, the Third Hokage knew that he was merely a spectator in this drama. But at this moment, he had no time to worry about the Uchiha clan's stance.

Danzo's escape was a threat he could not ignore. He couldn't let a dangerous Danzo roam freely in the ninja world.

"Chase him! Do not let Danzo leave Konoha—alive or dead!"

The Third Hokage issued his order and led a group of elite shinobi in hot pursuit of Danzo.

"Shisui, return and gather those you've selected. Lead most of the civilians in the clan to the harbor dock quietly. When you arrive, cooperate with the Mist shinobi to 'build a protective structure' first."

Yagami turned to Shisui. Since Itachi had arrived at the Daimyo's mansion, Yagami had already transported Shisui back, and he had been lurking in the shadows, awaiting instructions.

With the Third Hokage leading Konoha's finest to hunt down Danzo, it was an ideal time to relocate the Uchiha clan. By first moving the non-combatant civilians, transferring the remaining shinobi would be much easier.

"I understand. As for Danzo, I leave him to you. Make sure he doesn't live," Shisui replied, guilt evident in his expression. He regretted ever informing Danzo about Izanagi.

"I was going to do it anyway. I'll make sure he won't even have a chance for Impure World Reincarnation."

With that, Yagami disappeared, pursuing Danzo's escape route.

On his way, Yagami felt the familiar surge of chakra from the Four Symbols Seal. It seemed that the Third Hokage had forced Danzo to resort to his deadly technique once more.

With only two Sharingan remaining, Danzo was running out of options. If he used Izanagi again, it would likely be his last.

"Ha! This old dog is surprisingly resilient, still able to run like this," Yagami thought as he closed the distance to Danzo and his remaining Root members with the help of the Flying Thunder God.

He couldn't help but find the sight amusing as he observed Danzo staggering yet still maintaining speed. "Danzo, your survival instinct is impressive, but couldn't you at least drop your cloak? You might run faster… then again, it's actually funny watching him struggle. But enough."

Yagami had no more patience to let Danzo flee. Using the Flying Thunder God, he appeared directly in Danzo's path, manifesting his Susano'o in its third stage to block the way.

"Uchiha brat! Get out of my way!"

Seeing Yagami appear, Danzo's already foul mood darkened further. With rage, he drew a kunai and stabbed at Yagami, desperate and nearly delirious.

Without any remaining Sharingan, he couldn't risk using the Four Symbols Seal again, not unless he was prepared to die. His chakra reserves were also nearly drained from the jutsu he had cast during his escape.

In a last-ditch effort, Danzo lunged with his kunai at Yagami's Susano'o, leading to a spectacle of desperation—Danzo attempting to pierce the Susano'o with a mere kunai.

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