C683 Izanagi

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Minutes earlier…

The night air hung heavy in the Uchiha Clan District, tense and still, as if holding its breath in anticipation of the inevitable storm. Above, the stars were obscured by a thick curtain of clouds, casting everything into shadow. It was in these shadows that Peter and Kurama moved, slaughtering every Root member in sight.

Inside the Uchiha compound, the atmosphere was charged, the clan members watching in fear and awe. From his vantage point, Fugaku Uchiha, the clan head, maintained a stoic facade, though his heart raced with unspoken questions. Who were these powerful beings and why did they hold such a grudge against Danzo and his men?

From afar, a group of Anbu cloaked in darkness approached the district at breakneck speed. Their mission was clear, locate Peter and the nine tails, but what they found upon arrival was far from what they had expected. They saw Peter and Kurama dancing over a battlefield strewn with the bodies of Root members.

Peter was a whirlwind of motion. His movements were fluid and precise, each strike ending the life of a fellow leaf ninja. Beside him, Kurama unleashed his power with a controlled ferocity, laughing as he followed Peter's lead.

The Anbu, hidden in the shadows, watched in stunned silence. This was not what they had expected after Peter had saved them from the nine tails and even healed the Hokage's wife.

One of the Anbu, cloaked heavily with only his eyes visible, turned swiftly and vanished as silently as he had arrived. His mission was now one of urgency—to report back to the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

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Meanwhile, outside the village, at the edge of the forest, Hiruzen stood with the still-trapped Minato, the Fourth and current Hokage, and Kushina who cradled a young Naruto in her arms.

As an Anbu appeared beside him, and Hiruzen received the whispered report, his expression darkened. The news was dire; not only were Peter and Kurama running around unchecked, but they seemed to have turned on the village for some reason.

Without a word, Hiruzen's form blurred, the speed of his departure leaving a gust of wind in his wake. His destination was clear—the heart of the battle where he hoped to confront, and perhaps reason with, the chaotic duo of Peter and Kurama.

"Wait, Hiruzen!" Minato called out, his voice laced with both command and concern, but Hiruzen was already gone, his figure a fleeting shadow against the moonlit night, many Anbu rushing after him.

As the seconds passed, another wave of Ninja prepared to follow their former leader, their loyalty to Hiruzen driving them forward but…

"Stop," Minato's command halted them in their tracks, his eyes baring down on the Anbu that whispered in Hiruzen's ear, his authority as Hokage undiminished by the barrier that trapped him. "Explain what's going on right now," he ordered, his tone brooking no argument.

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As Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, raced through the village with his loyal Anbu in tow, the night seemed to darken around him, mirroring the chaos of his thoughts. His heart pounded with urgency, fear, and an escalating dread.

After all, he witnessed Peter's strength, so he knew that dealing with him and the nine failed fox on top of that wouldn't be easy.

Upon his arrival, the scene that greeted him outside the Uchiha district was one of grim carnage. The streets were littered with the bodies of Root ninja, the air thick with the metallic tang of blood. His gaze, however, was drawn instantly to the center of the chaos, where Peter stood over Danzo, his body enveloped in chains of eerie, glowing energy.

Hiruzen's breath hitched as he saw Peter's hand raised high, poised like the blade of a guillotine above Danzo's exposed neck. The Hokage's voice tore through the silence, a desperate plea laden with horror. "Peter, stop!"

But his cry came too late. In a swift, merciless motion, Peter's hand swept down, and the night was split by a horrific sound—a finality that echoed through the streets as Danzo's head was severed from his body. Blood sprayed in an arc, painting the cobblestones crimson.

The gruesome spectacle unfolded before the eyes of the Uchiha as well, who stood by behind their clan's boundaries, and the Anbu, who followed after Hiruzen and arrived just in time to witness the grim finale. Silence fell, a suffocating blanket over the once-vibrant district.

Hiruzen's knees nearly buckled under the weight of what he had just seen. His former teammate, his friend, was dead—murdered not in battle but executed without trial or mercy. The shock of the act was hard to fathom, resonating through the very air, stirring the leaves on the nearby trees.

As the echo of Danzo's body hitting the ground faded, Hiruzen's initial shock morphed into a hard, cold fury. His eyes, once warm and inviting, now blazed with a furious vengeance. The Anbu, sensing the shift in their former leader's mood, stiffened, ready to spring into action at his command.

Standing amidst the grim aftermath, Peter's eyes met Hiruzen's across the battlefield strewn with bodies. The killing intent rolling off the Third Hokage was easy to see, a tangible force that threatened to ignite at any moment.

"Take a breath, Hiruzen," Peter said evenly, his voice cutting through the tense air. "Calm down before you start something you know you can't finish."

Hiruzen paused, the raw energy of his emotions checked for a moment, as he knew Peter's strength. His eyes flicked to the Uchiha, who had watched the scene unfold from the safety of their district, their actions—or lack thereof—speaking volumes.

Turning to face them, Hiruzen's voice was a mix of disbelief and accusation. "Why? Why did you do nothing?"

The Uchiha, under the weight of such scrutiny, seemed to falter a little. The air around them thickened with tension, the stirrings of guilt, and the undercurrents of unresolved grievances.

Stepping forward, Fugaku Uchiha held up the scroll that had dictated their inaction. "Lord Danzo ordered us to remain here, or face death," he explained, his voice steady. "We were following orders, as we were commanded."

From his distance, Hiruzen scrutinized the scroll, his experienced gaze immediately catching the forgery of Minato's seal. His frown deepened, the pieces of a sinister puzzle falling into place. "Saving your fellow ninja should always come before following orders. We are a village, first and foremost." Hiruzen said, his voice rising with each word.

But Fugaku countered calmly, "Lord 3rd, we both know that Danzo did not share that sentiment. His methods required absolute obedience. He would've sacrificed any number of ninja or civilians to achieve his objectives."

Hiruzen's rebuttal was sharp. "But you knew the scroll was a forgery. Don't play dumb with me. You chose inaction."

Fugaku's expression feigned surprise. "The scroll is fake?" His voice carried a tone of mock astonishment, then shifted to one of reasoned argument. "If that's true, then Danzo was guilty of forging the Hokage's seal—a grave crime in itself."

Around Fugaku, the murmurs among the Uchiha grew louder, many nodding in agreement, emboldened by their leader's words. They voiced their belief that Danzo, known for his ruthlessness, would have met his end eventually due to his many transgressions.

Hiruzen clenched his fists, his teeth gritted as he struggled to find a response. Fugaku left him cornered in a moral and political maze.

"I don't know why you're all getting so worked up, It's not like Danzo is dead," Peter said casually, glancing towards a nearby building. "Right?"

Confusion swept through everyone, their expressions a mix of disbelief and suspicion. Even Kurama, who had been relishing the unfolding drama, tilted his head, puzzled. "He's not dead?" he echoed, looking towards the same building.

The silence that followed was fraught with tension, every eye trained on the seemingly empty space where Peter had directed their attention. Nothing happened, and the stillness only deepened the growing uncertainty.

With a sigh of impatience, Peter snapped his fingers. "If you won't come out, I'll have to take away your hiding spot…"

Magic surged through the air, a visible wave that washed over the building, causing it to vanish as if it were a mirage. In its place stood a lone figure—Danzo Shimura, seemingly unharmed except for his bandaged eye from which blood seeped, staining the wrappings.

The 3rd Hokage's jaw dropped as his friend reappeared before him, alive and well, "He's alive? How…?"

Danzo, visibly rattled yet defiant, scanned the crowd for Hiruzen, desperation edging his voice. "Hiruzen, if we want to protect the village from that monster, we need to work together—"

Before he could continue, a wave of whispers cut through his words, rising from the Uchiha ninja. "He was dead, I saw it myself!" one exclaimed, disbelief lacing his voice.

"Impossible," another muttered, "Our Sharingan doesn't miss such tricks. He was dead for sure."

The confusion and accusation swelled as more voices joined in, their sharp eyes all having witnessed the same undeniable event—Danzo's death. Their murmurs echoed through the air, a chorus of skepticism and confusion.

Fugaku Uchiha, with a sharp intake of breath, began piecing together the impossible. His eyes locked onto Danzo, and then to the spot where Danzo had 'died'. As the realization dawned, the corpse they had all seen was now conspicuously absent, vanishing without a trace.

Anger flashed across Fugaku's face, his Sharingan spinning wildly as he confronted the truth. "How dare you!" he shouted, stepping forward, his voice echoing through the now silent street.

Danzo had employed Izanagi, an ancient and forbidden Uchiha technique that traded the light of a sharingan eye for a moment of resurrection. It was a technique that should have been beyond the reach of anyone outside the Uchiha, a secret guarded fiercely by his clan.

The implications were staggering, and as the accusation hung in the air, every pair of eyes turned back to Danzo. The use of Izanagi was a significant taboo, its cost profound, and here it had been used by a man known for his hatred of their clan. But the question that burned in Fugaku's mind was even more troubling: 'Where did Danzo get a Sharingan?'

A/N: 1743 words :)

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