Chapter 57: Danzo’s Gamble

"Swish, swish, swish…"

Within a dense forest.

High atop towering ancient trees.

Shadows darted rapidly, feet pressing against the massive branches as they leaped forward.

"Lord Danzo, he's caught up to us!"

"Hmm…"

Danzo's gaze turned icy as he sneered, "I was hoping he'd follow us."

"The Wood Release he used is far stronger than that traitor Yamato's. This journey wasn't a waste after all."

Moments earlier, Kiyoshi had unleashed his Cutting Sprigs Jutsu.

Coupled with his powerful Genjutsu, he'd quickly eliminated several members of Root.

Such a display had truly surprised Danzo.

He felt an increasing urgency to recruit such a prodigy under his wing.

"Crack… crack…"

While unwrapping the bandage on his right arm.

He revealed an arm tightly encased in metal and bound with a special seal, preventing it from being discerned by visual jutsu like Byakugan or Sharingan.

"Alright, just a bit further…"

"Rustle… rustle…"

Time passed, and just when Danzo felt he'd led his pursuer far enough and was ready to stop…

Out of nowhere, the tree beneath him seemed to come alive.

Without any warning, thick vines erupted from all directions.

"What?"

Danzo's eyes contracted in shock, his heart racing.

He leapt upwards without hesitation, narrowly evading the vines that attacked from every angle.

Landing on the ground below, a cloud of dust billowed around him.

However, his subordinates weren't as quick to react.

"Swish… swish…"

"Damn it…"

"Everyone, be careful!"

"Damn it, cut them down!"

Green vines shot out like lightning, instantly ensnaring their legs.

And before they could raise their blades to sever them…

More vines emerged, binding their bodies tightly.

"How is this possible?!"

"He's absorbing our chakra!"

"Lord Danzo, help us!"

But in the next moment…

Terror spread across their faces.

They realized their chakra was being drained, their strength quickly fading.

Even their bodies were visibly shriveling at a disturbing rate.

"Aaaahhh…"

Amidst their horrifying screams…

One by one, the fear-stricken corpses hung lifelessly in place.

It was enough to make one's skin crawl.

"Ahh…"

"His Wood Release can absorb chakra from others too?"

Watching as his subordinates struggled helplessly, trapped in the many vines…

Danzo's shock was apparent, disbelief in his eyes. "He's only eight years old and has already reached this level?"

Even after Danzo thought he'd prepared for any scenario, he realized he'd still underestimated Ishikawa Kiyoshi.

Such strength defied common sense.

Yet Danzo's expression remained cold, unmoved by his subordinates' pleas for help.

Instead, maintaining his vigilance, he swiftly removed the heavy metal device on his arm, sealed with complex jutsu.

He simply observed coldly, watching as the Root ninjas were drained of chakra and died in despair.

"Well, well, isn't this Lord Danzo, one of Konoha's elite? The famous Scapegoat Hokage, who takes the blame for the Hokage?" 

As Danzo watched, Kiyoshi's figure emerged eerily from a tree trunk in front of him.

Mocking Danzo with a sneer, he taunted, "Why aren't you hiding in the shadows, enjoying your power in Konoha? What brings you all the way out here?"

"Ishikawa Kiyoshi… you know me?"

Listening to Kiyoshi's teasing, Danzo's face darkened.

At the same time, he couldn't help but frown, surprised as he observed Ishikawa Kiyoshi.

As a man who rarely showed himself in public and often operated from the shadows due to the restrictions Hiruzen placed on him, it didn't make sense for this boy to know him.

And yet, he seemed aware of more than just Danzo's name. Could it be that Tsunade had informed him?

"No, I don't really know you."

With a smirk, Kiyoshi looked down on him and boldly accused, "Who are you, really? Why are you impersonating Konoha's Elder Danzo Shimura?"

"Pretending to be a Root ninja, attempting to assassinate Lady Tsunade, and framing the leader of Root?"

"What exactly are you plotting?"

"You brat…"

Danzo's face remained impassive.

But his gaze was cold and full of killing intent. "Since you say so, I can do this with a clear conscience."

Clang…

With that, he removed the metal device from his right hand.

Danzo's bare shoulder revealed the face of the First Hokage.

His right arm, horrifyingly, had several crimson Sharingan embedded in it, creating a chilling sight.

He didn't launch an attack immediately.

Instead, he formed a sequence of hand seals.

"To pursue power so desperately, you've turned yourself into something not quite human or beast—truly disgusting…"

Looking at Danzo's arm, not only bearing the First Hokage's face but also riddled with Sharingan, Kiyoshi didn't hold back his scorn.

He made no move to interfere.

In fact, he wasn't in a hurry to use his own Sharingan.

Finally, he had an opponent worthy of some serious effort.

He felt the blood in his veins begin to boil with excitement.

"You, a brat who's never known the horrors of war, raised in comfort, bearing the Senju bloodline and awakening the same Wood Release as the First Hokage—you have luck so enviable it angers me."

Danzo's expression remained stoic.

Lowering the bandage over his right eye, revealing a three-tomoe Sharingan.

He glared up at Kiyoshi, voice cold, "You wouldn't understand the agony of lacking power."

"Ishikawa Kiyoshi, your power… will be mine!"

His eyes blazed with intensity.

Clenching his right fist, he shouted to Kiyoshi, "I will lead you, bring peace to the world of shinobi, and usher in a new era."

"I will make Konoha great again."

"Hmm, so that's your dream?"

Kiyoshi smiled and replied, "Too bad… you won't be around to see the Infinite Tsukuyomi!"

With that, he raised his right hand, aiming at Danzo.

In Danzo's wary gaze, he clenched his fist tightly!

"Whoosh… whoosh…"

Without warning.

Sharp wooden spikes shot up from the ground.

Attacking from every direction.

"What?"

In an instant.

Danzo's face contorted in horror, and before he could react, he was pierced through.

His body was stabbed repeatedly, like a pincushion.

Blood splattered.

Danzo coughed up blood.

Looking up at Kiyoshi in disbelief, he uttered, "You…"

But within the next moment, life faded from his eyes.

He collapsed, motionless on the ground.

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