The Uchiha Clan's Sun

Shimura Danzo's gaze was fierce, and he pressed his katana forward relentlessly.

The excessive force caused both the katana in his hand and the scythe in Hanzo's hand to tremble incessantly!

Although he was the only one left among those who attacked Hanzo the Salamander, Hanzo had lost one of his hands!

A ninja who loses one hand is unable to perform hand seals with both hands, and his strength is reduced by more than half!

As for Hanzo the Salamander, his special swordsmanship requires both hands to unleash its full power, which has further diminished his strength!

Danzo Shimura was confident of achieving final victory in this battle!

"Don't make any grand promises. Killing you is as easy as using one hand!"

Hanzo the Salamander snorted coldly, shook his arm to deflect the katana from Danzo Shimura's hand, and retreated.

"Don't try to escape!"

Seeing this, Shimura Danzo immediately gave chase, his katana flashing rapidly, leaving only afterimages, not wanting to give Hanzo the Salamander any chance to catch his breath!

Hanzo the Salamander fought and retreated, constantly wielding his scythe to block all of Danzo Shimura's attacks.

Danzo Shimura frowned slightly, realizing that something was amiss!

Someone like Hanzo the Salamander, after being injured, should launch an even more ferocious attack on his opponent, just like a wounded beast!

Instead of just defending like we are now!

Danzo Shimura had already prepared to defend, waiting for Hanzo the Salamander to exhaust his stamina.

But now the situation has reversed.

Something's not right! There's definitely something fishy going on here!

Shimura Danzo continued his offensive, but secretly he became more vigilant, diverting some of his attention to his surroundings and carefully keeping watch.

That is, Danzo Shimura was shocked to discover that the Root ninjas he had sent to deal with the Salamander Ibuse had not yet completed their mission!

Moreover, judging from the situation there, the salamander Ibuki has not suffered much damage, and it is almost impossible to eliminate it in a short period of time.

So, is Hanzo the Salamander stalling for time?

"This bunch of trash!"

Danzo Shimura cursed angrily and intensified his attack on Hanzo the Salamander!

If we wait for the Salamander Ibuki to unleash its poison spray again, there's a good chance that Hanzo the Salamander will turn the tide of the battle!

The only way forward is to deal with Hanzo the Salamander before that happens!

It's really not that those Root ninjas were incompetent.

The Salamander Ibuki was already incredibly powerful; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to suppress the summoning beasts of the three great summoning holy lands all by himself.

Even if they can't use poison spray for the time being, the Salamander Ibuki's elusive burrowing ability is something that the Root ninjas can't take down in a short time!

And in the end, it's still uncertain who will resolve the conflict!

"Wind Escape·Vacuum Jade!"

Danzo Shimura forced Hanzo of the Salamander to retreat with a single strike, and quickly formed hand seals to unleash a ninjutsu.

At this crucial moment, Shimura Danzo's body stiffened slightly, and his movements slowed down by half a beat!

"Iai Slash!"

Hanzo the Salamander seized the opportunity, his figure flashed, and his sickle swiftly slashed towards Danzo Shimura!

Danzo Shimura's pupils contracted. Even though he dodged with all his might, his right hand, which was holding the katana, was still slashed with a deep wound that exposed the bone!

Danzo Shimura's expression was extremely grim. He quickly withdrew and retreated, turning his katana to his left hand. Then, without hesitation, he raised his hand and severed his own right arm!

He had already experienced the poison on Hanzo's sickle; if he didn't do this, he would surely die!

and......

Feeling a slight numbness in his body, Shimura Danzo looked at Hanzo of the Salamander and asked in confusion, "When did you poison me?"

"Oh, you're already feeling numbness in your body?" Hanzo the Salamander grinned menacingly, making no attempt to hide anything, and explained, "My blood is a more potent poison than the one in Ibuki's body!"

"Although the amount is small, the toxins in my blood, once released into the air, will be enough to paralyze your body and render you unable to move!"

Danzo Shimura's expression was extremely ugly!

It seems that his long absence from the battlefield has caused his combat awareness to deteriorate, and he has even overlooked such a crucial element!

He's probably in grave danger today!

"Poison spray!"

As if things weren't bad enough, just then, the salamander, Ibuki, finally finished accumulating toxins and unleashed its poison spray once again!

A large area of ​​purple poisonous mist spread out and rapidly spread to the surrounding area!

"Watch out! Get out of here right now!"

Seeing that things were not going well, the Root ninjas who had been watching the Salamander Ibuse immediately distanced themselves from the Salamander Ibuse and surrounded Shimura Danzo.

"Lord Danzo, let's retreat! You can't fall here!"

The few remaining Root ninjas stood in front of Shimura Danzo, trying to cover his retreat!

"Stop struggling, none of you are leaving here today!"

Hanzo the Salamander shook his head slightly as he looked at the group of defeated soldiers opposite him and said in a cold voice.

Of the remaining Root ninjas, the strongest were only two Special Jonin; the rest were Chunin, and they couldn't stop him at all!

Danzo Shimura was well aware of this!

If they dispersed and retreated, the other Root ninjas might have a chance to survive, but he himself, as Hanzo of the Salamander's primary target, was certain to die!

So instead of fleeing, it's better to fight to the death and take Hanzo the Salamander with us!

A resolute glint flashed in Shimura Danzo's eyes; he still had one trump card left—a card that allowed him to perish together with the enemy!

"You guys, go up and hold him off! Buy me some time..."

"Um?!"

Danzo Shimura ordered the remaining Root ninjas to go up and hold off Hanzo the Salamander, buying him time to unleash the Reverse Four Symbols Sealing Technique.

But before he could finish speaking, Hanzo the Salamander seemed to have noticed something and looked up into the distance!

Danzo Shimura also looked in that direction, but found nothing!

He is not a sensory ninja; his sensory abilities are not very strong!

However, a Root ninja with sensory abilities spoke up, "Lord Danzo, there's a fighting going on over there! Judging from the chakra fluctuations, it should be those two brats who escaped earlier!"

Upon hearing this, Danzo Shimura's eyes flashed with a sharp light. He looked at Hanzo the Salamander and said, "Lord Hanzo, it seems those brats you were protecting are in danger!"

"So, are you going to keep wasting your time here with me?"

"Although we are at a disadvantage now, we are still confident that we can replace you before we die!"

Danzo Shimura's tone was full of danger, but he was also very uneasy!

This is his last chance!

Who would want to die if they could live?

Hanzo the Salamander's gaze was icy as he peered through Danzo Shimura's torn sleeve at the faint black runes on his chest.

"Consider yourself lucky!"

Without much hesitation, Hanzo the Salamander left a message and then disappeared from the spot!

Seeing this, Shimura Danzo breathed a sigh of relief, and his entire aura weakened!

"Let's go! To the Konoha camp!"

......

Chapter 43 Kenji Uchiha!

Not long ago, Danzo Shimura and Hanzo the Salamander fought in a dark corner not far from the valley.

Wearing masks, Obito Uchiha and Zetsu concealed themselves in the shadows, silently observing how things unfolded.

"Tsk tsk, Hanzo of the Salamander actually kidnapped Konan to threaten Nagato and Yahiko... I have to say, this guy really is a pure ninja!"

Black Zetsu glanced at the situation below, then at the silent Obito Uchiha, and said something meaningful.

Kenji Uchiha, oblivious to Black Zetsu's strange tone, said in a deep voice, "This is even better, it will allow Nagato to experience the darkness of this world more deeply!"

Black Zetsu couldn't help but laugh, and he couldn't help but imagine that perhaps only when that little brat Obito Uchiha knew the final truth would he know what true darkness was!

In Black Zetsu's eyes, Obito Uchiha was nothing more than a foolish young man who was forcing himself to write new poems and expressing his sorrows!

"They're coming!"

Obito Uchiha suddenly perked up and looked at Nagato and Yahiko, who had appeared at the entrance of the valley.

Obito Uchiha's lips curled up slightly beneath his mask, revealing a cold smile, while Black Zetsu also perked up.

They can't wait to see what's going to happen next!

But soon Obito Uchiha and Black Zetsu both froze!

Things took an unexpected turn!

"Why? Why would Hanzo the Salamander attack those who support Danzo?!"

Obito Uchiha couldn't understand why Hanzo of the Salamander would make such a choice!

"Could it be that Hanzo of the Salamander wanted to protect Nagato and the others? Impossible! How could someone in power like Hanzo of the Salamander do such a thing!"

Obito Uchiha frowned deeply, racking his brains but still finding no clue.

However, Black Zetsu, this old schemer who has lived for thousands of years, saw through some clues after thinking carefully for a moment!

Black Zetsu hesitated before speaking, "Perhaps Hanzo of the Salamander has a longer-term vision than we imagined!"

Obito Uchiha was taken aback by what he heard and asked, puzzled, "What do you mean?"

Black Zetsu explained based on his own understanding: "But given the current situation in the Land of Rain, it is true that Hanzo of the Salamander and Danzo Shimura can gain certain benefits by cooperating."

"But the gains come with risks!"

"To cooperate with Shimura Danzo, that infamous ninja sleight of hand, is tantamount to seeking a tiger's skin!"

"You should know that many of the policies that Konoha Village implemented to restrict the development of the Land of Rain were actually the work of Danzo Shimura!"

"So if Hanzo of the Salamander were to cooperate with Danzo Shimura, he might indeed gain some benefits in the short term, but it is foreseeable that the Land of Rain would have to pay a much higher price once Konoha takes action!"

"But more importantly, there's the current situation within Konoha Village!"

As Black Zetsu spoke, his tone became increasingly resolute.

"The situation within Konoha?" Obito Uchiha asked, puzzled. "What does this have to do with Konoha?"

“Of course there’s a connection!” Black Zetsu shook his head slightly and explained, “If we compare the will of the current Konoha Village leadership to a tiger, then Shimura Danzo is that tiger’s claws!”

"The personalities of Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others are too weak. If we lose Danzo Shimura, then the will of Konoha's high-level decision-making group will be like a toothless tiger—strong on the outside but weak on the inside!"

"It's foreseeable that Konoha will become weak and vulnerable under their rule!"

"Konoha's external policies will also become more about compromise!"

"From a long-term perspective, such a Konoha village would be more beneficial to the future development of the Land of Rain!"

"Hanzo the Salamander must have seen this point, which is why he made this choice!"

Obito Uchiha nodded slightly, his doubts lessening somewhat, but he still asked with some confusion, "But isn't there a rumor in Konoha that the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, is about to step down as Hokage?"

"The candidate for the Fourth Hokage should be either Orochimaru or... Minato Namikaze."

"Won't the will of Konoha's leadership change after the new Hokage takes office?"

"How can Hanzo the Salamander guarantee that Konoha's foreign policy won't become more aggressive after the new Hokage takes office?"

The fact that Hiruzen Sarutobi wanted to abdicate was common knowledge in Konoha, but it wasn't exactly a secret either.

In order to compete for the position of Fourth Hokage, Orochimaru and Minato Namikaze's supporters are also campaigning for them, and all the major ninja villages should have received some information about it!

Black Zetsu thought for a moment and then said, "Actually, there's no such thing as an election! Orochimaru has lost any chance of becoming Hokage, and the Fourth Hokage will most likely be Minato Namikaze!"