Chapter-26 Nidaime, You Are Not Dead!

Danzo shouted, "Wind Release: Vacuum Wave!"

A sharp air current expelled from his mouth, slicing through two Kumo ninjas directly in his path.

At that moment, another Kumo ninja leaped from the left and struck Danzo's left side.

"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Jutsu!"

Kagami used his remaining Chakra, breathing out a fire dragon that incinerated the Kumo ninja instantly. He swiftly appeared beside Danzo.

"Danzo, your right eye..."

"Pierced by one of those Kumogakure beasts!" Danzo wiped the blood from his right side and continued fighting, his resolve unshaken. His rage drove him to eliminate every Cloud Shinobi around him.

"Can you still hold on?"

"I'm fine; I can take a few more down! Be careful—!"

Spotting two Kumo ninjas emerging from behind Kagami, Danzo warned him quickly, but it was too late.

Even Kagami, his Chakra nearly drained, couldn't fully defend himself.

"Water Style: Water Barrier!"

"Lightning Style: Grateful Thunder!"

A large wave enveloped Kagami, and the ensuing lightning paralyzed him, leaving him immobile.

Paralyzed, Kagami was defenseless as three kunai embedded with explosive tags pierced his chest.

"Boom—!"

The powerful explosion threw water into a heavy mist, enough force to shred a ninja to pieces.

"Kagami!"

Danzo bellowed in fury, watching as the Cloud Shinobi cheered over the apparent victory. Finally, they thought, after sustaining heavy casualties, they had defeated one of Konoha's Elite Jōnin.

The Kumo shinobi, convinced of Konoha's involvement in Raikage's death, had surrounded and attacked them with relentless resolve.

...

A moment later, near the haze of smoke from the explosion, a figure began to materialize. Kagami's silhouette emerged, slowly turning tangible again.

"Kagami, how...?" Danzo was shocked, unable to believe his eyes.

Kagami's left eye had turned white and blind. Panting, he explained, "[Izanagi]. A forbidden technique of the Uchiha clan. It can erase any unfavorable outcomes within a set time, transforming beneficial events into reality."

"The Uchiha have such a powerful forbidden technique?" Danzo was astonished, his envy obvious.

"Want to learn? I'd teach you, but you'd need a Sharingan to use it. After casting it, the Sharingan is permanently blinded." Kagami smiled, half-jokingly. Knowing he was likely doomed, he didn't mind sharing a bit of humor.

More seriously, Kagami was ready to give his remaining right eye to Danzo to return to the village—better than it falling into enemy hands.

"Hmph! It's just a family technique. The Wind Style of my Shimura clan is also top-notch. It's on par with your Sharingan!" Danzo retaliated proudly, killing another Kumo ninja with his kunai.

Kagami shook his head, preparing to remove his right eye and hand it to Danzo.

"Danzo, I'll leave my right eye..."

Before Kagami could finish, they heard screams echoing around them as a familiar figure, streaking silver light, annihilated the remaining Kumo ninjas within seconds.

The light stopped in front of Kagami and Danzo.

"Danzo, Kagami. Apologies, I'm late!"

Senju Tobirama sheathed his blade with a calm dominance, reassuring them both. Although his Chakra was still low, his brother's healing had allowed him to dispatch these remaining Kumo forces effortlessly.

At last, the Ninja World's Swiftest had returned!

"Lord Hokage!" Kagami shouted in joyous disbelief.

"Nidaime, you're alive!" Danzo was equally stunned.

"What, did you hope I'd fall in battle?"

"No, no, no, of course not!" Danzo quickly replied, relief filling his voice. Tobirama's survival lifted his spirits tremendously—if the Second Hokage lived, there was still hope for his ambitions.

...

Tobirama surveyed Danzo and Kagami, both critically injured and low on Chakra. A moment's delay could have meant death for Kagami, confirming the grim accuracy of the future intel he'd received.

"Danzo, your right eye?"

"It's fine, just a minor wound."

Danzo was revitalized. Despite the exhaustion, his spirit felt renewed. A mere eye injury was nothing if he lived.

"Kagami, you used [Izanagi]?" Tobirama noticed Kagami's blind left eye and guessed.

"Yes."

"That's a forbidden technique best reserved for emergencies. But considering you were at the brink of death, I understand." Tobirama sighed, relieved but sympathetic to their struggle.

If only he'd arrived sooner.

"Nidaime, what about the Golden Horn unit? Did you...?"

"No need to worry. I've taken care of them."

"What? Both the Gold and Silver Brothers?"

"Yes, I killed them both."

While the truth was more complex, involving help from his elder brother, Tobirama chose to keep it simple—too much explanation would complicate matters.

In truth, Tobirama alone, at full strength, would have stood a good chance against both the Gold and Silver Brothers.

"Impressive! Lord Hokage, to destroy the Golden Horn unit in such a state—astounding!" Kagami exclaimed, his admiration renewed.

Danzo grinned broadly. "Those cloud-ninja beasts deserved it!"

Looking at his students, reinvigorated with confidence, Tobirama felt a pang of quiet sadness. He understood that if he had perished, the loss would have dealt an unimaginable blow to them.

Now that he was with them, alive and victorious, their courage and resolve soared.

Courage and belief, too, are part of the Will of Fire!

"Where are Hiruzen and the others?"

"They should have crossed the Thunder Country border. We stayed behind to lure the border Kumo ninjas."

"Good strategy. Let's catch up with them and return to the village. [Kumogakure] will soon repay their transgressions tenfold!"

"As you command!"

Danzo and Kagami responded in unison, their fighting spirit rekindled.