Danzo : This Time I Want to Be a Good Person

"Take care of Konan. You must survive!"

Yahiko and Nagato exchanged a final glance as Yahiko spoke his last words.

"What a tiresome drama."

Danzo, observing from the sidelines, sighed. If he didn't step in soon, these naive kids were really going to die.

He hadn't even gained their trust yet; letting them die now would be unacceptable.

"Tatsuma, lend me your mask."

Calling it "borrowing" was generous—"snatching" was more accurate.

Danzo unceremoniously ripped Tatsuma's mask off and pressed it onto his own face. With a quick hand seal, he activated a freshly acquired jutsu.

Water Body Flicker Technique!

Though it was his first time using it, the system's support ensured he executed it effortlessly.

In the next moment, masked Danzo appeared right beside Hanzo.

The kunai in his hand, infused with Wind Release chakra, became razor-sharp, slicing through the air with a piercing sound as it aimed straight for Hanzo.

Caught off guard by the sudden attack, Hanzo instinctively threw the hostage in his arms as a human shield.

But this was precisely what Danzo had anticipated.

Prepared for the move, he swiftly reversed the kunai in his hand, catching Konan with the other and leaping towards the valley below.

Hanzo's face twisted in fury, realizing he'd been outmaneuvered.

He, who had always been the one setting traps, was now the victim of someone else's scheme?

Seething with rage, Hanzo activated a pre-set trap of his own.

"Fire Style: Exploding Flame Formation!"

With a rapid sequence of hand seals, black sealing patterns spread across the ground beneath Yahiko and Nagato.

"Die!"

The next moment, a series of violent explosions erupted, engulfing them in a sea of flames.

Meanwhile, Danzo used the Body Flicker Technique again to escape the blast zone. The smoke and ash trailed behind him in thin streaks as he moved.

"Yahiko! Nagato!"

Now momentarily safe, Konan cried out in despair toward the center of the explosions.

Fortunately, a shadow soon emerged from the thick smoke.

More accurately, two shadows.

Yahiko lay charred and unconscious in Nagato's arms, his life hanging by a thread. Nagato, on the other hand, appeared mostly unscathed.

"Yahiko shielded me from the explosion!" Nagato explained hurriedly.

Before they could recover, a large number of Hanzo's Rain Ninja surrounded them, layer by layer.

From his vantage point, Hanzo remained lofty and condescending, exuding the aura of a dominant force.

His gaze landed on Danzo's mask, and he scowled.

"From Root, are you?"

Danzo's response came in Tatsuma's tone:

"That's right! I am from Root!"

His straightforward admission made Hanzo skeptical.

He couldn't fathom why Danzo would do such a thing. If Danzo didn't want to destroy the Akatsuki, there was no need for him to interfere and put on this farce.

"Well, it doesn't matter…"

Hanzo slowly drew his signature weapon—a sickle attached to a chain.

The main blade resembled a scythe, but the chain's end bore a heavy iron weight, a hybrid of a flail and a scythe.

"No matter who you really are, I'll just kill you and send your head to Danzo for confirmation."

His raspy voice carried a deadly edge.

"Everyone, attack!"

With Hanzo's command, a swarm of Rain Ninja flooded into the valley and emerged from ambushes on both sides, surging toward the group.

"Water Style: Great Waterfall Jutsu!"

"Water Style: Water Colliding Wave!"

"Water Style: Wild Water Wave!"

Countless Water Style jutsu were unleashed, converging into a raging torrent that surged toward the four.

Nagato, consumed by anger, quickly carried Yahiko over to Konan before stepping forward to confront the enemy. He slammed his hands onto the ground.

"Earth Style: Earth-Style Wall!"

The ground trembled as a massive, solid earth wall rose with a thunderous roar, blocking the incoming flood entirely.

The collision of water against earth created a powerful shockwave that whipped Nagato's red hair into the air, revealing the majestic Rinnegan beneath.

Hanzo, watching from the sidelines, narrowed his eyes.

A staunch believer in the supremacy of strength, he realized he might have made a grave mistake. This boy with the Rinnegan—he might be the true leader of the Akatsuki!

Though the flood had been stopped, the Rain Ninja's assault continued relentlessly. Taking advantage of the water's cover, several Rain Ninja scaled the earth wall, blades gleaming as they charged at Nagato.

"I'll hold them off—go quickly!"

Danzo stepped forward, forming hand seals and channeling his chakra.

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"

A violent gust erupted from his mouth, forming a gale that hurled the attacking Rain Ninja off the wall.

"It's too dangerous for you to stay behind alone!" Nagato protested immediately.

They had already failed Danzo-sama's goodwill once. Now, letting a Root member sacrifice himself for their safety? That was something Nagato couldn't accept.

Danzo wasn't surprised by Nagato's reaction.

Wrapping his kunai in Wind Chakra, he used the Body Flicker Technique to close in on two Rain Ninja attacking Yahiko. In a blur of motion, he swiftly dispatched them and barked:

"I act on Danzo-sama's orders—to protect you at all costs! No arguments, now go!"

Nagato hesitated, his expression conflicted as he struck a Rain Ninja with a Violent Wind Palm, sending the foe flying.

The Rain Ninja's relentless attacks were rapidly depleting his chakra. With the overwhelming numbers, it was clear: if they stayed, all four of them would die.

Someone had to stay behind to hold the enemy off.

Nagato's Rinnegan gleamed with resolve as he turned to Konan, speaking in a tone that left no room for argument.

"Konan, take Yahiko and go!"

"No!"

Konan instinctively refused, only to be met with Nagato's stern rebuke.

"You'll only hold us back if you stay! You're the only one who can get Yahiko out of here safely with your jutsu!"

"Go! Trust me!"

Konan bit her lip but understood that staying would only worsen the situation. She nodded reluctantly.

"We'll wait for you to return!"

As she spoke, paper wings formed on her back, spreading wide and luminous. Carrying Yahiko, she soared into the air.

"I'll cover you!"

Danzo didn't hesitate, gathering a large amount of chakra.

"Wind Style: Vacuum Great Sphere!"

Compressing massive amounts of air in his chest, he unleashed a colossal, high-pressure air bullet that roared toward the Rain Ninja with a deafening explosion.

Nagato quickly joined in. At ten years old, he had already mastered all chakra natures, allowing him to complement almost any jutsu.

To amplify Danzo's Wind Style, he unleashed a Fire Style technique.

Flames spewed from his mouth, merging with Danzo's Vacuum Great Sphere. Wind fanned the flames, creating an inferno far greater than the sum of its parts.

A massive fireball crashed into the Rain Ninja's ranks, igniting an earth-shaking explosion.

Flames and dense smoke erupted, throwing the Rain Ninja into chaos.

Taking advantage of the commotion, Konan, with Yahiko in tow, flew at full speed through the smoke, escaping the valley.

Nagato glanced at the unknown Root ninja who had stayed behind with him. His heart swelled with gratitude and guilt.

Who said Root members were heartless villains?

Their kindness ran as deep as the ocean.