Danzo vs. Whitebeard! An Earth-Shattering Strike!

Danzo knew Whitebeard was immensely powerful.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's month-long hospital stay was proof of Whitebeard's strength.

But he never expected this man to be so overwhelmingly strong.

Sarutobi hadn't detailed his battle with Whitebeard; Danzo had assumed it was a prolonged fight.

The situation shouldn't have been so one-sided.

Now Danzo realized that the Whitebeard who had defeated Sarutobi was an absolute monster when enraged!

The sheer force and speed of his attack were unparalleled!

The Root ninja in front of Danzo was twisted and shattered by the sheer force of Whitebeard's weapon before it even touched him like a lump of clay being crushed.

Then, his body exploded!

This was the power of Haki!

Sensing the impending danger, Danzo wanted to dodge, but Whitebeard was too fast.

As fear gripped Danzo, he gritted his teeth. The pain of what he had to do felt like tearing a piece of his flesh.

The Uchiha clan hadn't yet been eradicated, so Danzo hadn't had the chance to implant multiple Sharingan in his body.

He used one of his Sharingan against Shisui.

That was one of the only two Sharingan he had implanted.

The last one was in his right arm.

The immense pressure and threat of death made it clear…

If he didn't use it now…

He would die today!

"Boar! Dog! Ram!"

In a desperate move, he sealed Shisui's eye into a scroll and quickly formed three hand signs, relying on his last resort.

Splat—

Danzo's body wasn't much tougher than the Root ninja's. Before Whitebeard's weapon even touched him, the Haki exploded his body!

Blood splattered!

Whitebeard's strike didn't stop after cutting down two men; it crashed into the ground.

Boom!

The ground trembled violently from the strike, sending the remaining Root ninjas flying.

They were thrown back as if hit by an invisible truck, vomiting blood mid-air.

"Hmm?" Whitebeard noticed something with his Haki. He swung his left fist backward without hesitation.

Splat!!!

Danzo, who had appeared behind Whitebeard with a kunai, intending to stab his neck, was blown away by the punch.

Danzo felt his bones shatter, his internal organs turned to mush.

But as his body hit the ground, it faded like an illusion.

A completely unharmed Danzo reappeared next to the vanished body, his face full of shock and disbelief.

"How did he detect me?"

Danzo could use Izanagi to blend reality and illusion, making himself invincible for a minute at the cost of a Sharingan going blind.

He had used this technique against Shisui, a secret Uchiha technique.

But to his surprise…

Shunshin no Shisui had fallen for his Izanagi, but Whitebeard had seen through it immediately.

How could he see it?

What incredible sensory power!

Was Whitebeard also a sensory type?

"Gurararara…" Whitebeard laughed with interest: "I can confirm I've killed you twice, but each time, you come back to life. Ninja techniques are truly bizarre!"

Hearing Whitebeard's mocking tone, Danzo was furious.

Damn it!

"Fifty seconds left…"

Wasting the last use of Izanagi without defeating Whitebeard instantly was a huge waste.

Danzo was determined: "In these fifty seconds, I'm invincible! Even Shisui fell to me; what's a Whitebeard?"

"Wind Release—"

Danzo quickly formed hand signs and spat: "—Vacuum Wave!!!"

A crescent-shaped wind blade shot from his mouth.

It was over ten meters long!

The blade flew straight at Whitebeard!

"A swordsman's slash?" The familiar sight made Whitebeard raise an eyebrow, smiling even more: "A slash from the mouth? This brings back memories!"

"Gurararara!" Laughing heartily, Whitebeard swung his naginata through the air.

Buzz—

The blade's wind pressure seemed to align perfectly with nature, and a visible slash wave flew out from Whitebeard's strike!

It was longer and wider than Danzo's "Vacuum Wave"!

When they collided mid-air, Danzo was shocked to see his Vacuum Wave shattered. Whitebeard's slash showed no trace of chakra.

"What is this? What technique?!"

Danzo's eyes widened, not bothering to dodge the slash, letting it tear him apart.

The next moment… he reappeared in front of Whitebeard.

He bit his thumb.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

"Baku!!!"

Boom—

A massive summoned beast appeared before Whitebeard, with Danzo standing on its head.

The giant Baku immediately attacked Whitebeard, its claws slashing down.

"Gurararara!" Whitebeard was slightly surprised: "I thought ninjas could only summon cats, dogs, and monkeys! To summon such a huge beast?"

Kakashi, watching from a distance: "…"

Facing the Baku's massive claws, Whitebeard didn't dodge.

Instead, he raised one hand to meet it.

Boom!!!!

The massive strength of the summoned beast crushed the ground beneath Whitebeard. But surprisingly, Whitebeard held his ground with one hand.

And lifted the Baku!

The Baku stumbled back, its huge eyes filled with shock.

'Danzo, what kind of monster have you provoked?'

The Baku couldn't speak but communicated mentally with a tone of horror and disbelief.

"…I didn't want to encounter him either."

Danzo's face was grim: "Baku, I have thirty seconds left, show your best!"

'Understood!'

The Baku opened its mouth wide, unleashing a terrifying suction force that pulled in everything ahead—even the seawater!

Its mouth was like an invisible black hole, trying to devour everything in front.

Even Kakashi and the others at a distance were shocked.

"What's happening?" Naruto felt his feet leave the ground, trying to grab onto something but finding nothing.

"Ahhh!!!"

Naruto, Kakashi, Karin, and Kushina were all lifted off the ground!

Ox—Rabbit—Dog!

"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!" Kakashi quickly formed hand signs, raising a thick earth wall in front.

The wall barely blocked the suction.

Letting them land.

"Almost got eaten…" Naruto was shaken, noticing Karin staring behind him in shock.

"Look behind…" Karin pointed to the sea, her pale face showing her shock.

They turned to see...

And were horrified!

The seawater sucked up by the Baku surged like a giant wave, at least ten meters high, with fish drawn in.

"No wonder he was once a teammate of the Third Hokage; even his summoned beast is so exaggerated."

Kakashi's forehead beaded with sweat.

He believed Danzo might not be weaker than the Third Hokage.

"Kakashi-san, the seawater is coming!" Kushina took a deep breath, setting down the unconscious Shisui, seriously suggesting: "Let's both create earth walls to block the waves."

"Alright!" Although two kids were dragging them down, at least there was another Uzumaki ninja.

Even if Kushina was just Chunin-level and very weak, any help was better than none.

Kakashi started forming hand signs, and so did Kushina.

But then…

Both froze, their eyes on Whitebeard's back.

"Whitebeard…" Kakashi's eyes widened.

"Dad…" Kushina sighed in relief.

Whitebeard's left fist was enveloped in a vibrating white light as he casually punched behind him.

Crack—

The air shattered, the intense vibration rippling through and hitting the giant wave.

Instantly, the wave halted.

The seawater seemed to crack, the fissures spreading rapidly.

Boom!!!

The ten-meter wave exploded!

Water splashed everywhere, turning into a torrential downpour over half the town.

The scene was astonishing.

"Gurararara! Can't you see my sons and daughters are behind me?" Whitebeard's eyes flashed coldly, the Baku's suction pulling him forward, his feet carving trenches in the ground.

"Hmph! That's what I wanted!" Though shocked by Whitebeard's power, Danzo seized the moment.

"You can't move under the Baku's suction, Whitebeard! Don't think defeating Hiruzen Sarutobi makes you invincible! I am the strongest in Konoha!"

Danzo formed hand signs.

"Wind Release: Vacuum Great Sphere!"

He took a deep breath, his chest expanding.

Then he exhaled!

A powerful wind sphere shot towards Whitebeard like a cannonball.

The "Vacuum Great Sphere" tore the ground apart.

Creating a straight, artificial ravine.

Destroying everything in its path!

"Don't get too cocky, you foul-mouthed windbag brat!" Whitebeard's left fist glowed white again, activating the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit. With a simple motion, he threw a punch forward.

Crack—

The "Vacuum Great Sphere" shattered in the blink of an eye.

The terrifying vibrations didn't lessen; both Danzo and his summon, the Baku, were horrified.

The vibrations caused cracks to spread across the Baku's skin, its bones breaking in numerous places.

Its eyes filled with blood.

"Roarrr!!!"

The Baku let out a deafening howl of pain.

The vibrations were too swift; standing atop the Baku, Danzo had no chance to evade, and his body exploded.

"Izanagi's time is up..."

When Danzo reappeared, he had no injuries, but his expression showed a hint of fear.

"Damn it!"

Danzo cursed under his breath. Losing two Sharingan at a time like this was agonizing.

The problem was… besides the eye he took from Shisui…

He had no more spare Sharingan.

He couldn't just use Shisui's eye immediately, could he?

That eye couldn't be wasted here.

As much as he hated to admit it, Danzo had to face reality; he wasn't a match for Whitebeard.

He had only survived this long because of Izanagi.

Without this technique, he would have died multiple times!

Looking at Whitebeard holding the naginata, Danzo felt an unprecedented pressure. Without Izanagi, he had only one life left.

One more death, and he was truly done for!

He had to escape! Now!

Aside from the dead Root ninjas, he had a support team on the way.

If he could meet up with them, he could survive. He couldn't die here.

He hadn't fulfilled his mission for Konoha yet!

He hadn't become Hokage yet!

The fear of impending death made Danzo urgently shout to his summon, "Baku, stall him! I have a way to defeat him!"

'Alright!'

The Baku didn't doubt him.

Even with numerous broken bones and blood pouring from its eyes and mouth, it continued to blow a fierce gale towards Whitebeard.

The windstorm carried stones and debris, blowing away rocks weighing hundreds of pounds.

'Danzo, his vision is obstructed. You can now… Danzo?' The Baku widened its bloodshot eyes, incredulously watching Danzo's small figure retreating into the distance.

It even saw Danzo using a Wind Release technique to propel himself faster.

'…Oh no!' The Baku turned back to Whitebeard, seeing his naginata already enveloped in vibrating waves.

"Abandoning your comrade, huh? How despicable!" Whitebeard's Haki sensed Danzo's hasty retreat, and his face showed clear disdain.

Whitebeard mercilessly swung his naginata. For those who threatened his family, he had no mercy.

The blade, wrapped in vibrating energy, struck the air. The Baku felt everything around it go silent, its vision turning black and white.

The few surviving Root ninjas, thrown far away, barely opened their eyes.

They were shocked to see the sky change colors!

Their hearing and movement seemed to fail simultaneously.

Though time didn't stop, it felt like it.

Danzo, who had fled hundreds of meters away, suddenly realized he was frozen.

Or rather, under Whitebeard's strange power, everything in range was immobilized.

The sense of danger was more intense than before!

Every hair on Danzo's body stood up, cold sweat pouring from his pores.

The fear was instinctual, not just mental.

Crack—

Danzo suddenly heard the sound of breaking glass, coming from all directions, which made him feel conflicted.

The next moment…

The world turned upside down!

The remaining Root ninjas exploded without even a chance to scream, their bodies bursting like firecrackers.

The ground cracked in various directions.

Even the air had visible cracks spreading.

Buildings couldn't withstand the tremors.

Glass shattered.

Walls split.

Until everything collapsed!

The people inside the buildings didn't matter anymore; the Root's poison and jutsu had already killed everyone in that area.

The giant Baku, unable to escape, suffered the worst.

It was closest to Whitebeard!

"Arghhh!!!"

Blood gushed from the Baku's giant body like a fountain.

Its limbs were shattered, bones and skin torn apart.

Its massive body twisted in agony.

Bones shattered within!

Bone fragments burst from its flesh.

Until…

—Boom!!!!

In the astonished gaze of Kakashi, Naruto, Kushina, and Karin.

Danzo's summoned Baku…

Exploded like an overinflated balloon!