Chapter 64: Even the Hokage Can’t Stop Me—Completely Killing Danzo

Time passed little by little.

While recovering his chakra, Reiji waited in place for the duration of Izanagi to end.

Since Danzo did not possess Uchiha blood, Izanagi should only last for one minute.

He had to kill Danzo as soon as possible after the latter revived.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was very likely already on his way here.

Today, the Root organization had already been wiped out, but Danzo had to die as well!

Silently counting the time, Reiji waited.

"...58, 59, 60!"

In the open space ahead!

A figure gradually solidified from the void!

At the same time.

From the nearby forest came the sound of someone rapidly approaching.

Having just revived through Izanagi, Danzo heard the sound and immediately guessed that Hiruzen Sarutobi had come to rescue him.

His desire to survive surged!

He understood that as long as he could hold out for just a few breaths, he would be saved.

Without the slightest hesitation, Danzo turned around and fled!

Unfortunately.

He was still too late.

"What a pity. Hiruzen Sarutobi is still a little too late."

Reiji’s face was filled with an irrepressible smile of delight as he rapidly formed a hand seal and released a ninjutsu:

"Fire Release: Dragon Flame Song Technique!"

Four enormous dragon-shaped flames charged toward Danzo from different directions!

They completely sealed off every possible direction Danzo could escape, leaving him nowhere to dodge.

"No!"

Danzo’s soul nearly left his body in terror. His eyes bulged as he screamed desperately!

However.

It was already too late.

The flames completely swallowed him.

Hiruzen Sarutobi had already arrived nearby, but Uchiha Lihuo had delayed him for a while.

By the time Hiruzen finally rushed out of the forest and reached the battlefield, what he saw was precisely the scene of Danzo being engulfed by flames.

And Uchiha Reiji was still charging toward Danzo with his blade in hand.

Clearly, he had no intention of leaving Danzo any chance of survival!

"Danzo!"

"Uchiha Reiji, stop!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi’s eyes were wide with rage. Holding a black staff in his hand, the Adamantine Staff rapidly extended and shot straight toward Uchiha Reiji!

If medical ninja could immediately treat Danzo, there might still be a chance to save him.

But Uchiha Reiji, that damned bastard!

He actually intended to completely eliminate Danzo, leaving him not the slightest chance of survival!

"Uchiha Reiji, I order you to stop!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi roared at the top of his lungs.

However.

Reiji’s figure nimbly dodged the Adamantine Staff striking toward him. His gaze remained utterly resolute as he drew his blade and charged forward!

In front of him was Danzo, whose body had been burned completely black and whose original appearance could no longer be recognized.

Slash!

One slash fell, and Danzo’s head flew into the air.

As if he felt that Danzo still had not died thoroughly enough.

Reiji immediately fired another Fireball Technique without forming hand seals, giving the decapitated Danzo another cremation.

When the flames finally dissipated.

Only a charred, blackened mass remained on the ground, impossible to recognize.

"Danzo..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi’s mind went completely blank.

His brain throbbed with a piercing pain, as if a sharp awl had been driven inside and violently twisted around.

Danzo... was dead?

His old friend, who had accompanied him for decades, had just died like this?

And he had died so miserably, right before his very eyes?

He had rushed over at his fastest possible speed, yet he had failed to save Danzo. Instead, he had witnessed Danzo being killed!

"U! Chi! Ha! Chang! Ye!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi pronounced every word one by one, his eyes filled with a murderous glare.

Someone had actually killed one of Konoha’s highest-ranking officials, second only to the Hokage, right in front of him!

Even his order as Hokage had failed to stop him!

In an instant!

Hiruzen Sarutobi recalled Danzo’s evaluation of Uchiha Reiji.

Reckless and unrestrained!

Someone like this was a hidden danger to Konoha and had to be eliminated!

If only he had recognized Uchiha Reiji’s true nature earlier.

If only he had made up his mind to eliminate Uchiha Reiji sooner.

If only he had come to support Danzo earlier.

For a moment, fury and regret completely filled Hiruzen Sarutobi’s heart.

As for Reiji.

He paid no attention whatsoever to Hiruzen Sarutobi’s fury.

Instead, he bluntly retorted:

"Third Hokage, wasn’t Danzo removed from his position as the leader of Root?"

"What is the meaning of what happened today?"

"I was cultivating by the river. Why did Danzo bring so many people to kill me?"

"..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi’s expression was terrifyingly gloomy. He completely avoided answering Reiji’s questions.

"Uchiha Reiji, you arbitrarily killed a village elder and disregarded the Hokage’s orders! Anbu, seize him!"

The three Anbu who had followed Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately prepared to attack.

In front of them.

After eliminating all the Root ninja who had participated in the battle, more than a dozen Uchiha clan members had also returned and were now protecting Reiji.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was stunned.

Why were there so many Uchiha clan members here?

When had they arrived?

He then recalled the Uchiha ninja who had delayed him earlier.

A guess emerged in Hiruzen Sarutobi’s mind.

Could these people have been lying in ambush here since the battle began?

Could today’s incident have been a trap set by the Uchiha clan specifically to eliminate Danzo?

The moment he thought of this, Hiruzen Sarutobi’s killing intent surged!

Damn Uchiha!

His Second Master had indeed been right. The Uchiha clan truly was a clan born evil!

They had even dared to set up an ambush and eliminate a high-ranking village official like Danzo!

Then, even against him, the Hokage, the Uchiha clan could probably strike without hesitation!

"You people, step aside now, and I can overlook what happened today."

Hiruzen Sarutobi stared coldly at the more than ten Uchiha ninja in front of him.

"Today, I will only deal with Uchiha Reiji!"

However.

A gentle breeze swept across the devastated battlefield.

Not a single person moved.

Every Uchiha clan member present remained completely unmoved, even in the face of the Hokage’s order.

They were Reiji’s subordinates to begin with.

After witnessing Reiji’s previous battle, their faith in their squad captain had only grown stronger.

Why would they obey Hiruzen Sarutobi’s orders?

Moreover!

Danzo had been the one who had first planned to surround and kill their captain today!

They had merely turned his own plan against him!

"Ha, good, good, good!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi laughed furiously.

Sure enough!

It wasn’t only Uchiha Reiji who disregarded the Hokage!

It was the entire Uchiha clan!

Immediately, Hiruzen Sarutobi issued a stern command:

"Anbu, seize every one of them!"

After saying this, he even prepared to personally take action and deal with the Uchiha who were blocking his path.

"Wait!"

A voice suddenly came from far away.

Accompanying it was the sound of a large group of people rapidly approaching.

Uchiha Fugaku had arrived, leading a large number of Uchiha clan members.

Earlier, when Uchiha Yehhuo went to notify the members of the Second Squad, he had also informed Uchiha Fugaku.

The South River was not far from the Uchiha clan’s territory to begin with.

Earlier, because of the barrier surrounding the battlefield, the Uchiha clan members had been unable to detect the fighting here.

But after the Fire Release: Kirin had been unleashed, the commotion could no longer be concealed!

Following the direction of the noise, Uchiha Fugaku led a large number of clan members directly to the scene!

On Hiruzen Sarutobi’s side.

A large number of Anbu were also rapidly arriving.

Earlier, in his anxiety, Hiruzen Sarutobi had only brought the three Anbu who had been guarding him at the time.

However, after Hiruzen Sarutobi left the Hokage Building, Anbu Commander Asuma Sarutobi immediately gave the order and led a group of people in the direction Hiruzen had gone.

They had also arrived here now.

By the banks of the South River.

A large number of Uchiha ninja and a large number of Anbu stood divided into two opposing factions, facing each other.

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