Hokage: I Confronted the Five Kage Before the System Arrived

Chapter 96: Good Idea, but Useless

Danzo Shimura, the feared "Darkness of the Shinobi World," was frantically fleeing in his own base.

Watching Danzo's dog-like retreating figure, Hagoromo Gengetsu shook his head.

After all, he was old, no longer possessing the daring and fighting spirit of his youth.

Even the idea of "supporting the tree of Konoha from the shadows" had gradually been corrupted by power.

Konoha was in trouble, and it stood still.

This perfectly illustrated the current methods of the Root under Danzo's leadership.

Of course, this had nothing to do with him.

Hagoromo Gengetsu had come here solely for revenge on a "traitor," but one who had not lost his sense of righteousness.

Now, only the last person remained.

With a flick of his toe, a kunai landed in Hagoromo Gengetsu's palm.

He looked in the direction of Danzo Shimura's escape, seemingly walking unhurriedly, but in reality, the distance between them was rapidly closing.

Huff, huff, huff.

Danzo Shimura was panting heavily.

Ever since that incident in the Land of Rain over ten years ago, where he was severely taught a lesson by Nagato, he had mostly been plotting in the shadows, rarely showing his face. It had been a long time since he experienced the feeling of combat, or more precisely, of fleeing, or even facing death.

At this moment, it felt like he had returned to the day when he was being pursued by the elite Cloud Ninja squad led by Kinkaku and Ginkaku.

But this time, there was no Sarutobi Hiruzen or the actual Second Hokage to stay behind and cover the retreat.

In countless days and nights, he had regretted that he was a step too slow on that day, ultimately missing out on the position of Hokage by a hair's breadth. Even if he could go back in time and say those words earlier, the meaning would have completely changed.

From time to time, he turned his head, looking in panic at Hagoromo Gengetsu behind him like a ferocious beast, and his breathing grew heavier.

Seeing the distance between them shrinking, a fierce look flashed across his face, and he formed a hand seal:

"Explode!"

Boom!

A violent explosion sounded behind him.

As a secret facility, the Root base not only had ninja guards but also various traps.

Danzo Shimura appeared to be fleeing recklessly but was actually consciously passing through various secret rooms with traps.

As the head of Root, he had the authority to activate these traps.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Trap after trap was triggered.

The massive Root base shook violently with continuous explosions.

The commotion was so great that many Konoha ninjas in the village had already noticed.

"That's the direction of the Root base."

Kakashi, who was reading Icha Icha Paradise, turned his head towards the explosion.

Having had experience with the Root, he recognized it immediately.

"What's wrong, Kakashi?" asked Might Guy, who was thinking about having another match with his friend Kakashi.

"Something's happened. I hope it's nothing serious."

Kakashi put down Icha Icha Paradise, frowned, and quickly headed towards the Hokage building with Guy.

Not only Kakashi, but some other Konoha ninjas who sensed something was wrong also reported it.

Soon, after receiving orders from the Konoha high command, a large number of Konoha ninjas headed towards the Root base.

Danzo Shimura's actions successfully attracted the village's attention.

If he could hold on a bit longer, the Konoha reinforcements he hoped for would arrive.

But the problem was, the numerous traps he had placed his hopes on to slow down Hagoromo Gengetsu had little effect.

At most, they just caused some damage to Hagoromo Gengetsu's clothes.

As for him personally, he was unharmed.

Soon, with Danzo Shimura's unwilling roar, Hagoromo Gengetsu caught up and, with a few moves, pierced through the escaping Danzo's heart.

As before, the body of Danzo Shimura, whose Sharingan had not yet been exhausted, disappeared again.

When he reappeared, he deliberately distanced himself and ran frantically towards the base exit without looking back.

What followed was somewhat monotonous.

Hagoromo Gengetsu caught up with Danzo Shimura, killed him, and Danzo reappeared. Hagoromo Gengetsu caught up again.

This cycle repeated several times.

Seeing that he had finally rushed out of the Root base and looking up at the blazing sun, Danzo Shimura, who had long immersed himself in darkness and grown accustomed to it, felt a strange sense of emotion.

Until a familiar voice sounded behind him.

"After this time, you'll only have one Sharingan left."

With those words, Hagoromo Gengetsu appeared behind Danzo Shimura.

Still holding that kunai, he effortlessly pierced Danzo's heart.

Danzo Shimura's body trembled, and he barely mustered his last bit of strength to look at his right arm.

He saw that on his pale arm, the grotesque and fearsome Sharingan had closed.

Now, only two Sharingan remained open.

No, one of them was already slowly closing.

Danzo Shimura fell silent.

In the moment before death, his eyes looked complexly in the direction of Konoha, and then his entire body disappeared again.

Just as before.

When he reappeared, Danzo Shimura, who had no courage left to look back, continued to flee forward in a sorry state.

But he was ultimately too old.

"The last time."

Hagoromo Gengetsu said, once again appearing behind him, ready to strike.

Unexpectedly, Danzo Shimura suddenly turned around.

The panic and fear on his face were gone.

They were replaced by determination, coldness, and intense killing intent!

Pfft!

Danzo Shimura lunged forward, voluntarily sending his chest towards the kunai that Hagoromo Gengetsu had just raised.

Then, he grabbed Hagoromo Gengetsu's arm holding the kunai with both hands, a mix of calmness and madness in his voice:

"Hagoromo Gengetsu! You enemy of Konoha! Even if it costs me my life, I'll drag you down to the underworld with me!"

"Reverse Four Symbols Sealing!"

Terrifying black blood instantly spurted from all over Danzo Shimura's body.

Upon discovering he had only one Sharingan left, Danzo Shimura regained his rationality. Clearly aware that the possibility of escaping from Hagoromo Gengetsu was zero, he finally recovered the edge of the "Darkness of the Shinobi."

Using his last Sharingan to lower Hagoromo Gengetsu's guard, he pretended to continue fleeing but had already completely cut off his last chance of resurrection, using himself as bait.

As Hagoromo Gengetsu habitually approached and attacked, Danzo Shimura turned around and grabbed him, decisively performing the Reverse Four Symbols Sealing.

Just like Hiruzen Sarutobi using the Reaper Death Seal.

"Hiruzen! This time, like you, I too am being the bait, risking my life to take down a powerful enemy! Konoha..."

Facing death, Danzo Shimura instinctively thought of his old friend.

But before he could say anything more in his heart.

Suddenly.

A powerful force shook his arms away.

Danzo Shimura looked up hurriedly and saw Hagoromo Gengetsu easily breaking free of his hold, retreating swiftly like a gust of wind, avoiding the black blood of the Reverse Four Symbols Sealing entirely.

"No!!" Danzo Shimura's face was full of unwillingness.

Hagoromo Gengetsu commented indifferently:

"The last desperate strike was a good idea."

"But useless."