Chapter 192: Feigning Death, A Uchiha Tradition!

Oh?

Dan looked surprised, not expecting Tendō to still have the strength to act.

Staring intently at Dan, Tendō remarked coldly:

"As you said, I'm just a puppet being controlled from afar. If that's the case, then let this puppet perish with you."

The moment his words fell, "Roar!" The Gedō Mazō, previously on the ground, suddenly rose, releasing dozens of chakra dragons from its mouth, wrapping around the Muscular Susano'o.

Sizzle, sizzle.

These chakra dragons not only consumed the chakra of the Muscular Susano'o but also restricted its movements, binding both it and Dan in place.

"Die with me, Uchiha Dan!"

With a hysterical shout from Tendō,

Boom!

Before he could finish, Dan's punch shattered his head, silencing him.

Having dealt with Tendō, Dan looked up and found the Dust Release barrier approaching fast.

Particle Style: Limit Break.

This technique was an enhanced version of the Atomic Dismantling Jutsu, with a more extensive range and increased power. It persistently turned everything within its barrier into atoms.

In the original story,

Ōnoki had used this technique to instantaneously defeat twenty-five of Uchiha Madara's Susano'o clones.

It was a world-ending level of ninjutsu.

Tied down by Tendō and the Gedō Mazō, Dan seemed to have missed his best chance to escape.

However, at that moment,

Dan simply smiled.

He remembered the battle between Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama at the Valley of the End decades ago. After fighting day and night, Madara appeared to be defeated but used feigned death to escape.

There was also the Battle at Kannabi Bridge years ago. Uchiha Obito, believed dead under a massive boulder by Konoha, had also faked his death.

Feigning death seemed to be a tradition for the Uchiha clan.

And now, Dan saw a similar opportunity.

A chance to step away from the whirlpool of the shinobi world, to hide behind the scenes or to live a peaceful life.

So, he waited patiently.

Until the Dust Release barrier, as radiant as the noon sun, descended upon him.

Hum, hum, hum.

Blindingly bright, the barrier engulfed the Muscular Susano'o and Dan.

It was then,

Dan cast his gaze toward the edge of the Leaf Village, focusing on the forest belonging to the Uchiha clan, particularly a small hill he often visited to watch the sunrise.

It was about five to six kilometers away.

The next second,

As Dan's right eye widened, a scorching, crimson tear flowed.

Kamui activated.

Swoosh.

Amid the blinding light of the Dust Release, Dan vanished instantly.

Almost simultaneously, the ground where he had stood crumbled, turning into the tiniest atomic particles.

"Roar!"

Under the barrier's influence, the Gedō Mazō roared in pain, its massive body engulfed by the white light.

Boom.

It was as if a massive, dazzling white sun had exploded in the center of the Leaf Village.

The overwhelming brightness forced many to shield their eyes. All they could hear was the deafening sound of the explosion echoing in their ears.

After a while, as the light gradually faded, every shinobi, whether from the Leaf Village or the Allied Forces, anxiously looked towards the battlefield's center.

A gigantic crater, a hundred meters in diameter, had appeared.

Nothing was left within, just wisps of smoke rising.

Uchiha Dan, Tendō, the Susano'o, and the Gedō Mazō had all vanished without a trace, not even a single hair remaining.

In mid-air,

"Phew..."

Ōnoki, looking exhausted yet unable to hide his excitement, caught his breath.

He had succeeded.

It was a perfect ambush.

On the ground, after a full minute, when everyone was sure there was no more movement in the crater,

"Ooo!" A roar of triumph erupted from the Allied Shinobi Forces, echoing far and wide.

"Did you all see that? Lord Tsuchikage seized the moment and took out both Uchiha Dan and Pain in one go. Incredible!"

The Stone Village shinobi were the most excited, their emotions palpable.

"Long live Lord Ōnoki!"

Numerous ninjas from other villages also chanted Ōnoki's name.

Shinobi always revered the powerful.

With Ōnoki eliminating the two most significant threats of the Allied Shinobi Forces—Dan and Tendō—naturally, the shinobi from various villages lauded and praised him.

However, the Leaf Village ninjas exchanged glances, feeling lost.

Whether it was Uchiha Dan, Pain, or the Allied Shinobi Forces led by Ōnoki, they were all adversaries of the Leaf. After this chaotic battle, even though Dan and Pain were defeated, the situation for the Leaf Village didn't seem to have improved much.

They were uncertain about the war's direction and the fate of the Leaf Village.

Tsunade stared blankly at the massive crater at the center of the battlefield.

Had Uchiha Dan truly met his end?

No, it couldn't be.

Tsunade frowned, shaking her head, refusing to believe that Dan could perish so easily.

Especially with her understanding of the Uchiha clan—like Uchiha Madara and Obito—there were precedents of feigning death.

However, she waited for quite some time, anticipating Dan to suddenly reappear from somewhere, startling everyone. But... he was nowhere to be seen.

Had he truly been held back by Tendō, leading them both to their demise?

Upon this thought, Tsunade froze.

She held complex emotions for Uchiha Dan.

Though their time together was short, the events they shared were numerous and memorable.

From their first meeting where Dan choked her unconscious, took her necklace in the rain, to her return to the Leaf Village, joining the Uchiha clan in a night raid on the Graveyard Mountains;

Later on, she participated in research on Hashirama's cells and even received a pair of Sharingan from Dan; lastly, Tsunade, alongside Dan, witnessed the Uchiha clan's coup d'etat, severing ties with the Leaf.

Their relationship was neither of enemies nor of allies. It was something in-between.

To describe it with a term, "frenemies" might be fitting.

Similar to the once relationship between Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara.

Now, with her frenemy gone, Tsunade should've been elated. Yet, for some reason, she felt an inexplicable sense of loss...

While Tsunade was lost in thought…

Rumble.

A commotion echoed from the sky above.

Hm?

Tsunade, along with thousands of others, looked up, noticing the Tailed Beast Ball in the sky disintegrating rapidly.

Crack, crack.

Large rocks and debris began to fall from it, plummeting to the ground.

"Everyone, take cover!"

Hovering mid-air, Ōnoki channeled his chakra, shouting with a powerful voice.

Just as he finished,

Whoosh!

A streak of blue lightning shot out from the loosening Tailed Beast Ball, crashing into the ground, creating a large crater.

"It's the Raikage!"

Cloud ninjas rejoiced, seeing the Fourth Raikage breaking free.

However, many others lacked the Raikage's robust physique and were already crushed by the Tailed Beast Ball, leaving no trace.

Boom, boom.

Debris from the disintegrating Tailed Beast Ball rained down like a storm, causing further casualties in the Leaf Village.

After the chaos, Ōnoki hovered above, looking at the battered Leaf Village and the weary Leaf ninjas. With a stern gaze, he declared:

"Allied Shinobi Forces, continue the assault! Take over the Leaf Village!"

At this point, with many of the leaders and Jinchūriki of the Allied Forces either injured or dead, Ōnoki, having just defeated Dan and Pain, naturally took charge.

If the Leaf Village were to be annihilated now, the Stone Village would undoubtedly reap the most significant benefits.

"Attack!" Under Ōnoki's rallying call, the Allied Shinobi Forces remembered their purpose. They picked up their weapons, charging at the Leaf ninjas.

This was the final assault.

However, at this moment,

"The Hokage has arrived!"

A clear voice echoed across the battlefield, resonating above the Leaf Village.

Hm? Ōnoki and others looked in the direction of the voice to see—

Tap, tap, tap.

The sound of a cane tapping the ground echoed as Danzo Shimura, the Fifth Hokage, wearing his Hokage hat and white robe, flanked by two ANBU, appeared on the battlefield.

He slowly raised his head, removing his hat, and, looking at Ōnoki in the air, said with a deep voice:

"In the name of the Fifth Hokage, I request a parley with the commander of the Allied Shinobi Forces."

A parley? Ōnoki paused, then scoffed, shouting back: " Danzo Shimura, at this juncture, do you really think the Leaf Village has the right to negotiate with us?"

In his view, the Leaf's defeat was inevitable. Danzo's call for a ceasefire now seemed like a delusion.

Laughable.

Unexpectedly, Danzo responded, shaking his head with a hint of resignation:

"If that's how it is, then there's no other choice."

With those words, Danzo Shimura, the Fifth Hokage, slammed his cane into the ground.

Thud.

Immediately after,

Boom, boom, boom.

Explosions erupted throughout the Leaf Village without any warning.

Numerous ninjas, caught off guard, were blown to pieces without even having the chance to scream.

For a moment, the blazing firelight combined with billowing smoke, the sound of collapsing buildings, and the wails of ninjas echoed from every direction.

Both the Leaf ninjas and the Allied Shinobi Forces, totaling thousands, were killed in this round of explosions.

Ōnoki, hovering mid-air, witnessed this gruesome scene.

His expression turned to shock, eyes wide, as he yelled at Danzo, "What did you just do?!"

Danzo responded calmly, "Every corner of the Leaf Village has been rigged with explosive tags. With just a flick of my finger, they'll all detonate. The entire village will be engulfed in flames, and no one will make it out alive."

"Hmph, do you think I'd believe that?"

Ōnoki retorted, clearly thinking Danzo was bluffing.

In response, Danzo simply looked in a certain direction and once again tapped his cane on the ground.

Boom!

Another massive explosion ensued. Thousands of Stone ninjas, along with the Leaf ninjas battling them, were obliterated by the explosive blaze.

"Stop! Enough!"

Overwhelmed by anger and shock, Ōnoki finally believed him.

Not only did he witness countless Stone ninjas getting blasted, but Danzo, as the Hokage, even sacrificed his own Leaf ninjas. It was ruthless to the extreme.

Such a man was capable of anything.

"Now, I think it's time for us to sit down and have a proper discussion," said Danzo, suggesting an air of control.

Indeed, events had unfolded more smoothly than Danzo had anticipated.

From the beginning, his plan was to allow the Allied Shinobi Forces to break through their defenses and enter the Leaf Village.

In this manner, he could utilize the explosive network left behind by the previous Hokage to decimate the enemy's vast army.

Along the way, the intervention of the Six Paths of Pain and Uchiha Dan made Danzo, who was hiding in the shadows, hesitant to act.

Unexpectedly, after their fierce battles, both Pain and Dan were defeated, and the top-tier ninjas of the Allied Forces were largely incapacitated.

With major obstacles out of the way, Danzo finally made his grand entrance as the Fifth Hokage.

At this moment, if Danzo detonated the explosive tags inside and around the village, the Leaf would be completely destroyed.

By then, except for a few powerful individuals like Ōnoki and the Fourth Raikage, most ninjas from both the Allied Forces and the Leaf wouldn't survive.

In this war, being at an absolute disadvantage, Danzo preferred a mutually destructive outcome, pulling the Allied Forces down with the Leaf, rather than waiting for inevitable defeat.

But Ōnoki and the others couldn't accept this.

This was the source of Danzo's confidence in proposing negotiations.

Ōnoki landed on the ground, his expression fluctuating.

Leaders like the Fourth Raikage, Fourth Mizukage, and Chiyo from the Sand Village gathered around him.

"The Leaf ninjas we captured confirmed that Danzo had rigged the village with explosives. He used this threat to become the Hokage," the Fourth Raikage solemnly said.

Hearing this, everyone looked grim.

Who could've expected, that Danzo would use the Leaf's army as bait to trap the Allied Shinobi Forces, intending to wipe out friend and foe alike in a massive explosion.

Such a madman.

And his plan was working.

Some suggested, "I think we should..."

"We can't compromise!"

"Calm down, arguing won't solve this..."

After whispered discussions, they reached a consensus.

In the end, Ōnoki stepped forward, stopping a few meters from Danzo and declared, "As the representative of the Allied Shinobi Forces, I officially accept your request for negotiations. But from now on, there must be no more explosions or deaths."

Ōnoki's eyes were sharp, and his tone stern.

"Agreed," Danzo replied, a victorious smile slowly appearing on his face.

Today, he, as the Fifth Hokage, had successfully defended the Leaf Village.