Chapter 87: The Terrifying Illusion! Collapsing Danzo!

Chapter 87: The Terrifying Illusion! Collapsing Danzo!

Danzo's eyes were locked onto Ishihara, radiating a sinister intensity.

The next moment, Danzo's body slowly dissolved, vanishing into thin air. But Ishihara remained unfazed, as if he'd anticipated this all along.

During their conversation, Danzo had discreetly made several hand seals—more than once, in fact. Ishihara calmly looked to a spot nearby. Sure enough, Danzo reappeared there, completely unharmed.

Without hesitation, Danzo turned and sprinted towards the exit of the courtyard, too terrified to even voice his rage. His face was filled with dread, his mind clouded with fear.

"Damn it, what kind of monster is this guy?!"

"Not only did Kotoamatsukami fail, but his illusion was so powerful that it completely restrained my body without me realizing it!"

"I was careless. I shouldn't have come alone!"

Regret filled Danzo's heart. If he'd known Ishihara's illusion techniques were this formidable, he would have brought backup. Alone, under such an illusion, he couldn't break free—he couldn't even resist!

He couldn't fathom how terrifying Ishihara's illusion powers truly were. Even though he could still use Izanagi multiple times, he felt no sense of security. In front of Ishihara, he was utterly powerless.

"He isn't chasing me... I can escape! Hahaha!"

"As long as I get out of this barrier, I'll be safe!"

Realizing Ishihara wasn't pursuing him, Danzo was elated. He dashed forward, as if possessed. But soon, something felt off.

His entire body froze.

"Wait, how long have I been running?!"

"Ishihara's courtyard isn't that large—I should have escaped already!"

"Could it be... I'm trapped in an illusion again?!"

Terror gripped Danzo's heart, sending chills through his body. He hadn't noticed a thing. When did it happen?

Danzo felt like he was losing his mind. Even the Uchiha clan's illusions weren't this powerful. Was this man a monster?

Danzo roared inwardly.

"Why aren't you running anymore?"

Ishihara's voice sounded crystal-clear from directly in front of him. It seemed as though Ishihara was only a meter away—so close, yet...

Danzo's scalp tingled. He stared ahead but saw no one.

The voice unmistakably told him Ishihara was right in front of him, yet his eyes insisted there was no one there.

"Damn it!"

Gritting his teeth, Danzo swiftly made a hand seal. "Release!" But the scene before him remained unchanged.

Desperation in his eyes, he pulled out a kunai and wildly stabbed into the air in front of him.

"Just a little closer, and you'll reach me!"

Step forward. Another stab.

"You're almost there!"

Another step forward. Another stab.

"Just a tiny bit more, and you'll hit me!"

Danzo stopped in his tracks, the voice wrapping around him like a nightmare. Furious, he looked around wildly, his face contorting in rage.

"Damn you, Ishihara! If you've got the guts, show yourself!"

As soon as his words fell, Ishihara's figure materialized right before his eyes.

Hiss!

Danzo jumped back in panic, retreating rapidly. His face was drenched in cold sweat. He hadn't sensed how Ishihara appeared—it was too eerie!

Was this still just an illusion?

"I'm here now. So, what will you do?" Ishihara taunted.

"Curse you! Do you think you've won?!" Danzo screamed in fury, ripping open his shirt and preparing to act.

But Ishihara suddenly spoke.

"Are you planning to use the Reverse Four Symbols Sealing to take me down with you?"

"Do you really think the one standing in front of you right now is my true body? Do you really think the distance between us is as close as it seems?"

"And more importantly, do you think you've activated Izanagi, or are you still under its effect?"

Ishihara pointed at Danzo, a mocking smile on his face.

Danzo froze, his actions halting as he looked down at his arm. The Sharingan on his arm hadn't closed. Sweat dripped from his forehead.

Could Ishihara even create illusions about whether he had activated Izanagi?

If he hadn't actually activated it, using the Reverse Four Symbols Sealing would be suicide!

What was real, and what was fake?

Danzo's expression shifted wildly, completely unsure of anything. His face slowly contorted into madness.

He quickly made hand seals, activating Izanagi once again, screaming:

"I am Danzo! Konoha's assistant Hokage! The shadow of the ninja world!"

"I'd rather die than be toyed with like this!"

"Reverse Four Symbols Sealing—activate!"

Buzz—

Black ink poured out from Danzo's body, forming a spherical barrier that began to seal everything within it.

Yet Ishihara remained utterly calm, untouched by the seal. The madness in Danzo's eyes turned into utter despair.

He'd been completely toyed with.

Ishihara was still alive, but Danzo was about to die.

Damn it!

Danzo's heart was filled with unwillingness.

But then, in the next moment, Danzo realized his body was still intact.

He wasn't dead?!

Had Izanagi worked?!

Before he could feel any relief...

Shing!

Ishihara appeared before him once again, smiling mockingly.

"Danzo, do you have the courage to die again?"

Danzo blinked, then gritted his teeth. "Of course, I do!"

Ishihara gave him a surprised look, then gestured grandly. "Then let's continue!"

Danzo experienced death and resurrection over and over again in Ishihara's illusion—dying, reviving, dying again, and so on.

Each time he revived, Ishihara gave him a sliver of hope, only to shatter it again.

Once, twice, three times...

By the fifth time he came back, Danzo stood there, trembling, his expression blank.

Facing death repeatedly isn't something anyone can endure.

The first time, he had the courage to activate the Reverse Four Symbols Sealing.

The second time, he staked his pride.

The third time, he gambled with his dignity.

The fourth time...

But after the fifth resurrection, Danzo's spirit had crumbled. He no longer had the strength to muster the courage to die again.

All he could do was stand there, trembling, staring blankly at the calm Ishihara.

Though only a meter apart, the distance between them felt like worlds apart—completely insurmountable.

No matter what Danzo did, he couldn't touch the man before him.

He couldn't even get close.

Danzo had broken down.

"What do you want?" Danzo finally asked, his spine bending with defeat.

He knew now—he had lost.

Completely and utterly lost.

Not just in strength, but in spirit as well. He had utterly surrendered.