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Chapter 132 - Chapter 132: Punishing Danzō (4K)

"Nobody interfere."

Danzō raised a hand, signaling his subordinates to retreat. He wanted to personally punish Heiyan—doing so would bring a greater sense of vengeance and redemption.

Upon hearing this, the Root members' faces lit up with excitement and anticipation, for rarely did they get to see Danzō personally fight. Many of them believed that as the leader of Root, Danzō's strength as an old-school powerhouse was definitely no less than the Third Hokage.

As for his earlier ambush by Heiyan? That had merely been a momentary lapse in vigilance. When Danzō got serious, Heiyan wouldn't have the slightest chance of victory.

Only Orochimaru, his eyes glinting with an unreadable expression, silently stepped back into the shadows of the crowd.

At this moment, Danzō made his move.

Swiftly forming three hand seals—Tora (Tiger), U (Rabbit), and Inu (Dog)—he then puffed up his cheeks and spat forward. Dozens of Wind Release energy spheres flew out like bullets toward every part of Heiyan's body.

[Wind Release: Great Vacuum Sphere]

This technique was similar to the Fireball Jutsu; the chakra bullets spewed from Danzō's mouth like machine-gun fire, riddling an enemy with holes.

Is that all you've got?

Faced with the incoming Wind Release projectiles, Heiyan swiped his hand dismissively.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

Countless senbon needles of Lightning Release burst from his sleeves in a hail of lightning-fast strikes, piercing through each Vacuum Sphere before continuing their path forward, counterattacking Danzō himself.

Startled, Danzō quickly dodged sideways.

His earlier attack had been just a probe, but even then, the Vacuum Sphere packed serious punch. Moreover, everyone knew wind release countered lightning release. Yet Heiyan had actually defeated the Wind Release using pure strength alone—Lightning Release.

Once again, Danzō felt Heiyan's contempt.

Realizing this, Danzō's expression darkened. No longer holding back, he launched a full-force assault against Heiyan.

He rapidly formed seals once more, then forcefully exhaled forward.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Several white whirlwinds, similar to those created by Kamanekko, swept across the entire underground passage—several times stronger than the previous Vacuum Spheres.

[Wind Release: Vacuum Serial Waves]

Danzō played it cleverly this time. The attack targeted not only Heiyan's original body but also aimed at the transportation array behind him. If Heiyan dodged the strike, the formation would be destroyed.

Facing the ferocious Vacuum Serial Waves, Heiyan didn't even bother dodging—he saw no reason to move at all.

With one hand forming a seal, countless mist droplets gathered before him, instantly forming a tall, thick wall of water blocking off the entire tunnel.

[Water Release: Water Formation Wall]

Plop! Plop! Plop!

The Vacuum Serial Waves slammed into the Water Formation Wall, splashing harmlessly before vanishing into it without leaving a trace.

"What?!"

Seeing this, Danzō twitched in disbelief. Filled with rage, he could do nothing but unleash his final secret Wind Release technique.

He bent his torso backward, took a deep breath, and inflated his mouth like a balloon. A massive sphere of Wind Release chakra erupted violently from his mouth.

[Wind Release: Great Vacuum Cannon]

This was an upgraded version of the Vacuum Sphere technique. If the Vacuum Sphere was a bullet, then the Great Vacuum Cannon was a rocket launcher—an instant explosion capable of obliterating an enemy completely.

Danzo was confident that neither Lightning Release nor Water Release techniques from Heiyan could withstand his Great Vacuum Cannon.

But regrettably,

Heiyan had already decided to end things with Danzo, since the latter's strength proved so disappointing.

So, he formed the Tori seal and then opened his mouth.

Boom!

A stream of fire shot out, forming a massive fireball several meters in diameter. Wrapped in scorching heat, it roared through the underground passage.

Huh?

Observing from behind, Orochimaru suddenly shuddered as the flames approached. There was something eerily familiar about this scene—it reminded him instantly of the day his underground laboratory got destroyed.

Next second.

When Danzo's Great Vacuum Cannon collided head-on with the fireball, not only did it disintegrate immediately, but because Wind Release jutsu were inherently inferior to Fire Release ones, it actually intensified the fireball's effect. The inferno expanded further, like a blazing sun.

Boom!

As Danzo and others looked on in shock, the fireball detonated violently. Brilliant flames engulfed the entire underground corridor, while the earth trembled like during an earthquake.

Thus, this brief battle came to a close.

During the fight, Heiyan had alternated between Lightning, Water, and Fire Releases, showcasing three different chakra natures to decisively overwhelm Danzo's Wind Release abilities. This was exactly what made Sage Transformation so impressive—its enormous chakra reserves combined with enhanced ninjutsu capabilities gave him tremendous versatility.

After the explosion, the ground turned charred black, sparks flying everywhere.

Walking calmly through the burning ruins, Heiyan advanced steadily toward Root's forces.

"Ahh..."

Faced with Heiyan approaching ever closer, Danzo suddenly let out a pained growl. His entire left side began bulging wildly, as if something desperate to break free lurked within.

Trees — emerging from within him!

A full-grown tree erupted from Danzo's body and shot straight ahead. With a tremendous crash, it struck Heiyan's position.

[Wood Release: Exploding Spear Tree]

This was the ultimate Wood Release technique Danzo possessed after implanting Hashirama cells into his body. He had been holding back all along, waiting for the precise moment when Heiyan would let his guard down.

"Indeed, the First Hokage's Wood Release is invincible."

Seeing Heiyan swallowed completely by the exploding tree, silent and motionless, Danzo couldn't help but smile joyfully.

Back then, losing Kagami Uchiha's Sharingan eye extracted by Madara had greatly weakened him. Now, finally wielding Wood Release techniques, Danzo felt ready to regain his former strength and status.

Yet just moments later, his expression froze. Because the supposedly doomed Heiyan emerged unscathed from beneath the wreckage.

"The invincibility doesn't come from Wood Release itself; it comes from the one who wields it."

Facing Danzo and his men, Heiyan said calmly before joining both hands together, channeling his chakra into the earth as a source of life energy.

Boom!

The ground shook violently as countless trees erupted from beneath the surface. Rapidly growing, they intertwined within seconds, creating an expansive woodland filling the vast underground space.

In the woods, countless branches lashed out wildly under Heiyan's control, binding Danzo, Orochimaru, and over a dozen others. No matter how fiercely they struggled, they couldn't break free.

"How is this possible?"

Danzo was horrified beyond words, his face pale with shock, because he clearly recognized the name of the jutsu Heiyan had used—[Tree Encampment Creation]. It was an extremely powerful Wood Release technique that only Hashirama Senju was known for being the only one capable of using.

Beside him, Orochimaru was just as shocked, if not more so.

He had originally watched the clash between Heiyan and Danzo with cold indifference, like watching a play unfold. However, after witnessing Heiyan's fireball and Wood Release techniques, Orochimaru became almost certain—the catgirl who had broken into Root's laboratory back then was Heiyan in disguise.

Realizing this, a glint of cold fury flashed through his pupils, and killing intent surged within him.

At this moment,

Heiyan's figure flickered forward using the Shifting Body Technique, appearing directly in front of Danzo. Blazing lightning surged from his right hand, accompanied by an even louder Chidori Chirping.

"Uzumaki Heiyan! I am the Hokage's advisor and leader of Root! As a Konoha ninja, are you really going to betray your superiors?! I warn you one last time—release me now!"

Facing death, Danzo did not scream or plead pitifully; instead, he remained unusually calm. Still maintaining a domineering presence, his gaze was sharp and menacing, his tone commanding.

"You talk too much."

Without expression, Heiyan replied bluntly. In front of everyone from Root, he raised his hand and pierced Danzo's heart with Chidori.

This time, even with Wood Release cells, Danzo would be unable to heal such a fatal wound.

"Lord Danzo!"

When the Root agents witnessed this, it felt as if the world had come crashing down around them.

But Heiyan didn't stop there.

He knew Danzo might possess the Sharingan, and combined with Hashirama's cells, he likely had enough power to use Izanagi.

Moreover, Izanagi could be activated at a delayed time. For instance, back in the day, Madara had used this very method to resurrect himself from his grave.

Therefore, Heiyan intended to completely destroy Danzo's corpse—reducing it to dust and scattering it to the winds.

Yet just as he was about to strike, Danzo's body suddenly changed—it transformed before Heiyan's very eyes, turning into a log shaped like a human torso.

It turned out… it was a Wood Clone.

A Wood Release clone was far more realistic than an ordinary Shadow Clone—almost indistinguishable.

Who would have thought that Danzo, that sly old fox, was actually this cautious? He never risked his original body. Even Orochimaru and the Root agents had been fooled by his Wood Clone.

Now Heiyan understood why Danzo's power felt weaker than expected, and why he had looked so fearless at the edge of death.

Because his true body hadn't been here at all—it had remained hidden somewhere outside the battlefield.

What a pity.

Upon realizing this, Heiyan frowned.

This time, Danzo had narrowly escaped death—lucky enough to save his life.

Just as Heiyan was drawn in by Danzo's Wood Clone—

"Guh!"

Orochimaru, bound hand and foot by the Wood Release, spat out a snake from his mouth. And from the snake's mouth came a sword dripping with slimy saliva.

This blade took the standard shape of a samurai katana, its blade exceeding one meter in length—clearly qualifying it as a true tachi.

[Heavenly Sword — Ku no Taiga!]

With two fingers extended, Orochimaru manipulated the sword remotely, slicing through all the wooden branches binding him and freeing himself.

"Go!"

He then gave a low shout, pointing his finger at Heiyan. The sword spun midair and charged straight toward Heiyan.

Swish!

The flying sword shot forward with blinding speed.

In an instant, Heiyan raised his right arm defensively, blocking with the bracer on his Shanwenjia armor. Sparks flew and a deafening clang rang out as it struck.

Tsch!

Unexpectedly, the living armor was pierced effortlessly by the strike. Not only had it pierced his living armor, but it had carved a deep gash along Heiyan's right arm, blood beginning to seep out.

Swish.

After successfully striking, the flying sword returned under Orochimaru's remote control, landing back into his hand.

Sword of Kusanagi?

Seeing this, Heiyan felt a quiet jolt of alarm inwardly.

Kusanagi wasn't a specific sword—it was a general term for a category of blades.

Though differing in appearance, these swords shared one common trait—they were extremely hard!

It could be said that Kusanagi swords exceeded all other cold weapons within the shinobi world in both durability and sharpness, truly reigning as kings among melee weapons.

Each Kusanagi was unique too—some could extend or retract, others held sealing power, and some could channel Chakra like a conduit.

The blade Orochimaru held clearly had the power of flight, allowing it to strike enemies remotely under his control.

Heiyan recalled how, in the prime timeline, Orochimaru had wielded this very Kusanagi during his invasion of Konoha against Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Extremely sharp, the flying blade had once wounded Enma, who possessed a diamond-hard body, causing him real pain.

Heiyan had definitely felt a piercing pain from the wound just moments ago. Fortunately, it wasn't severe—his injury was already nearly healed after just a few seconds.

Across from him,

Orochimaru's shock ran even deeper than Heiyan's.

The Kusanagi was his secret weapon—rarely drawn, but always deployed for a decisive killing blow.

Yet despite channeling his full strength, his strike had only left a shallow cut across Heiyan's body. That guy was practically made of steel.

At that moment, Orochimaru suddenly sensed Heiyan's gaze lock firmly onto the Kusanagi sword in his hand.

As for Heiyan, although he wasn't too eager to kill off Orochimaru—who was essentially a scientific genius—he had conditions: as long as the latter didn't provoke trouble recklessly. Even if not killed, every time Orochimaru chose to mess with him, there would certainly be consequences.

As fate would have it, Heiyan had just handed the Thunder God Sword over to Minato Namikaze, leaving him temporarily without a worthy weapon.

So Heiyan gave a slight smile and said to Orochimaru, "Your Sword of Kusanagi is quite impressive. Mind if I borrow it for a few days?"

"..."

Being stared at by Heiyan like that made Orochimaru shiver involuntarily. At the same time, he finally realized that attacking Heiyan might have been a very wrong decision...

Shikkotsu Forest.

Tsunade sat immersed in the crater lake at the mountaintop, hands forming hand seals as she closed her eyes, fully concentrating on sensing the surrounding natural energy.

Her Sage Mode was currently far behind Heiyan's. Plus, lacking prior experience practicing cultivation techniques, she needed to proceed cautiously during training, making her progress much slower.

If she continued training here, according to Sage Slug Katsuyu's estimation, assuming no unexpected breakthroughs occurred, it would take over three years before she could successfully master Sage Mode.

However, Tsunade's training was soon interrupted.

Midway down the mountainside, a massive beam of light descended, accompanied by intense chakra fluctuations.

When the light dissipated, over a hundred Uzumaki clan members looked around in confusion at their unfamiliar surroundings.

What... happened?

Sensing this anomaly, Tsunade opened her eyes and rose from the crater lake. As she dressed, she learned about the transportation array from Sage Slug Katsuyu.

Immediately afterward, upon meeting the Uzumaki clan members and hearing reports about Uzugakure's current critical situation, Tsunade became extremely anxious.

Wait, Heiyan never even told me about this?

Hearing this, Tsunade felt urgent concern. She wished she could just show up in Uzugakure right away to help Heiyan.

However, what Sage Slug Katsuyu said next poured cold water on her hopes.

It turned out the transportation array between Uzugakure and Shikkotsu Forest was one-directional. Creating a two-way transmission formation would have required double the construction time.

Therefore, Tsunade couldn't use this transportation array to get to Uzugakure.

Additionally, although the distance between Shikkotsu Forest's island and Uzugakure wasn't extremely far, it still took about two days' travel by sea. Now, traveling by sea would take so long that the war would likely be over by then.

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