C684 Severing the Root

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The air was charged with a heavy, suffocating tension as Fugaku Uchiha's face twisted with rage, his Sharingan spinning wildly with killing intent. "Danzo!" he bellowed, his voice echoing off the stone walls surrounding them. "Where did you get a Sharingan eye?"

The gathered crowd was a mixture of confusion and anger. All, that is, except for Peter, who seemed unsurprised by the revelation, and a few high-ranking Uchiha who already understood the implications of Izanagi. They, too, had pieced together the unsettling truth about Danzo's miraculous survival.

As Fugaku's accusation hung in the air, the elite Uchiha by his side drew their weapons in solidarity, their Sharingan eyes activated, glaring fiercely toward Danzo.

This bold move spurred the rest of the clan into action, and soon every Uchiha present had their weapons drawn, even though many were still in the dark as to how Danzo surviving meant that he had a Sharingan eye.

Hiruzen, caught between his duty as Hokage and his loyalty to an old friend, turned towards Danzo with a look of desperate hope for an explanation, an excuse, anything that could defuse the situation. However, Danzo remained silent, his gaze steely and unreadable beneath the blood-stained bandages that covered half of his face.

Seeing that no explanation was coming from Danzo, Peter stepped forward, his voice clear and authoritative. "Shall I explain what Danzo won't," he began, capturing the attention of everyone around him. "Danzo has a Sharingan implanted under those bloody bandages," he pointed to Danzo's face, "which he used to employ a secret Uchiha technique called Izanagi, rewriting the reality of his death to leave behind a very real-looking illusion."

He paused to let the gravity of his words sink in before continuing, "And if I had to guess, he might have a few more Sharingan hidden away under the bandages on his arm as well..."

The accusation struck like a bolt of lightning, igniting the simmering fury within every Uchiha present. With a shared sense of betrayal and outrage, they surged forward from their district, encircling Danzo in a tight ring of shadowy warriors, their red eyes piercing through the night.

Fugaku stood at the forefront, his expression carved from stone and his Sharingan blazing, pointing his weapon at Danzo. "Remove your bandages, Danzo. Now," he demanded, his voice a deadly calm that promised retribution.

Before Danzo could muster a response to the growing tension around him, Hiruzen commanded in a firm, authoritative voice, "Stand down, Fugaku!" His intention was clear: he wanted to approach Danzo, perhaps to salvage the situation or seek clarification. But as he stepped forward, Peter materialized in his path, blocking him.

Hiruzen paused, his gaze fixed on Peter. "Step aside," he implored, his voice strained. "I do not wish to fight you, but I will if I must, for the sake of the village."

Peter shook his head, resolute. "Nah, let's let them settle their grudges themselves," he countered. "Danzo had to have orchestrated at least one Uchiha death to acquire the Sharingan he just used. This is now a matter between him and the Uchiha."

Kurama, who had sauntered over to Peter, grumbled audibly, his disdain for the Uchiha evident. "Why help these red-eyed meat bags? I despise them," he complained, glaring around at the tense faces.

Peter simply shook his head, a firm line set to his mouth. "I don't kill indiscriminately," he stated, his voice carrying a weight that silenced even Kurama's grumbling.

It was Danzo who broke the ensuing silence, his laughter cold and mocking. "You don't kill indiscriminately?" he scoffed, gesturing broadly to the carnage that littered the streets. "What do you call what you did to my subordinates?"

Peter's response was a dismissive scoff as he began listing off Danzo's numerous transgressions. "You're responsible for countless atrocities," Peter accused, his voice rising with each point. "From orchestrating Uchiha deaths for their eyes to a very likely involvement in the downfall of the Uzumaki clan. Not to mention, you likely had a hand in tonight's Nine-Tails attack, or at least exploited it to further your own schemes for power and control."

As Peter detailed each accusation, the anger among the Uchiha grew palpable, their hands gripping their weapons tighter, their eyes blazing with fury.

Hiruzen, on the other hand, looked increasingly disturbed. He turned to Danzo, a silent plea for denial in his eyes, but Danzo's expression was one of confusion and surprise, as if unsure how Peter could know so much.

Peter continued, his voice unwavering. "As I said, I didn't kill your subordinates indiscriminately, Danzo. I removed them because the world is better off without Root's corruption. And yes," he added, his gaze hardening as he looked directly at Danzo, "I plan to exterminate the rest of Root as well, including you."

He paused, letting his words sink in, before glancing at the Uchiha encircling Danzo. "Though, I might not need to lift a finger after the Uchiha are done with you. They might just take care of everything for me..."

Fugaku, his expression steely and determined, nodded curtly to Peter. "Yes, we'll handle it from here. Thank you for your assistance," he said, bowing his head, his voice grim but resolute. Turning back to Danzo, his eyes flared with a renewed fire. "Now, show us what you're hiding under those bandages..."

Danzo, cornered and defiant, sneered at the encircling Uchiha. "You want to see? Fine!" he barked.

With a swift motion, he began unraveling the bandages that covered his arm. As the fabric fell away, it revealed a grotesque sight—his arm was riddled with empty eyeholes, and a few of them opened to display the blood-red swirls of Sharingan.

"I had to be discreet with my collection up until now," Danzo confessed, his voice tinged with madness as he pointed to each eye. "This one belonged to an old Uchiha Jonin, fallen in a skirmish I orchestrated. And this," he paused, his finger hovering over another eye, "came from a young academy graduate. Kidnapped during a mission, tortured until her Sharingan awakened, and then disposed of..."

The revelation struck like a physical blow, and the air around the Uchiha seethed with fury and horror. Faces twisted in rage and hearts pounding with betrayal, the Uchiha could contain themselves no longer. With a collective roar, they surged forward.

The Uchiha, driven by vengeance and grief, attacked with a ferocity that was both terrifying and awe-inspiring. Kunai and shuriken sliced through the air, their paths illuminated by the occasional flash of fire jutsu.

Danzo, for all his crimes, was not defenseless. He parried with seasoned precision, his own Sharingan granting him foresight that allowed him to counter the relentless assaults.

An Uchiha youth lunged with a katana, aiming for Danzo's heart, but with a swift sidestep and a palm strike to the chest, Danzo sent him sprawling to the ground, blood spewing from his mouth.

Another Uchiha, older and more experienced, engaged next, his Sharingan spinning wildly. He unleashed a torrent of fire, the flames shaped like dragons, roaring towards Danzo. With an almost dismissive wave, Danzo summoned a wind jutsu that snuffed out the flames before they could consume him.

The fight grew more intense, each strike and counterstrike more desperate than the last. An Uchiha kunoichi joined the fray, her movements a blur as she attempted to outmaneuver Danzo. She managed to slice a kunai across his thigh, drawing blood, a small victory in what seemed an uphill battle.

As the combatants clashed, Peter and Hiruzen watched from the sidelines. Peter's expression was one of grim satisfaction; justice, in his view, was being served.

Hiruzen, however, was tormented by indecision. His heart ached as he watched his old friend, a man he had known for decades, now a pariah facing the wrath of those he had wronged.

On one hand, Hiruzen wanted to intervene, to stop the bloodshed and perhaps find another way. But on the other, he recognized the deep-seated justice in the Uchiha's retribution.

As the 3rd Hokage remained indecisive, the confrontation between Danzo and the Uchiha escalated swiftly, each moment pulsing with the tension of years of betrayal and subterfuge.

Danzo, though outnumbered, was no ordinary foe. His combat style was ruthless, every move calculated to maim and kill. His opponents, driven by revenge and justice, matched his intensity, their attacks relentless.

As the battle unfolded, Fugaku Uchiha emerged as the pivotal force. With a steely glint in his eyes, his Mangekyō Sharingan activated, casting his body in a spectral gold glow. A small ethereal skeleton materialized around him. "Susanoo!" he exclaimed, causing Danzo's eyes to widen in fear.

Fugaku's first decisive act was a rapid succession of strikes with Susanoo's ethereal, bony arms. Each hit landed with devastating force, pummeling Danzo with such intensity that it fractured his defenses. The impacts left him reeling, bloody, and gasping for breath, his stolen Sharingan eyes flickering weakly as their mystical powers waned under the relentless assault.

Each blow was precise and forceful, quickly overwhelming Danzo and sending him crashing to the ground, defenseless. Seizing the moment, Fugaku rushed toward Danzo's prone form and swiftly plucked each Sharingan from his arm, ensuring he could no longer revive himself.

Fugaku's didn't stop there either. With the Sharingan removed, he commandeered a sword from a nearby clansman's scabbard. Raising the blade, he prepared to deliver justice long denied to his people.

Danzo, realizing his end was near, turned to his old ally Hiruzen in a desperate plea for salvation. "Save me!" he cried out, panic stripping him of his usual composure.

Peter, observing the scene, recognized the critical moment unfolding. He turned to Hiruzen with a grave expression. "Don't intervene. He'll die tonight no matter what. You won't be able to change that," he cautioned firmly. But the bonds of a lifetime proved too strong for Hiruzen, who, driven by a mixture of loyalty and guilt, surged forward to intervene, his Anbu following his lead.

With a sigh of resignation, Peter snapped his fingers, casting a spell that dramatically increased the gravity localized over the Anbu. They were slammed into the ground, immobilized by the overwhelming force, unable to proceed further.

Hiruzen, undeterred and nearly reaching Danzo, was only a breath away from saving his friend's life. But at that critical moment, Peter waved his hand, conjuring a portal that intercepted Hiruzen's path.

Before he knew what was happening, the Third Hokage was abruptly redirected, emerging next to Peter, just in time to witness the final act of the drama.

Fugaku, his expression resolute and devoid of hesitation, brought down the sword in a swift, clean arc. The blade bisected Danzo cleanly in half, the body falling in two, his schemes and manipulations ending with him.

And as he fell, the lack of any remaining Sharingan ensured there would be no miraculous escape from death this time.

The silence that followed was heavy, filled with the weight and finality of justice served.

Hiruzen stood beside Peter, shock and sorrow etched into his features. "…" His closest friend was dead and he could do nothing to stop it.

A/N: 1864 words :)

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