Infinite Anime [256-257] (Patreon)

Chapter 256: Double the Good News?

"I know. I just wanted to confirm the details of the operation with you."

Fugaku spoke. He didn't resent his son for keeping things from him; on the contrary, he was gratified by his eldest son's caution.

"The Konoha Destruction Plan will begin three days from now…"

Itachi began slowly explaining the plan to his father. Since he'd been exposed, there was nothing left to hide.

There were benefits to letting his father know the plan—after all, he was the head of the Uchiha clan. He could coordinate on a broader scale, far better than Itachi could as the clan's heir.

Itachi also felt a bit relieved. His father was far stronger than he had imagined. Fortunately, they'd talked before the plan began. Otherwise, if his father went all out against Gusion-senpai, Gusion-senpai might have been in danger.

"You're saying Danzō summoned you, and at the same time, Gusion also received an internal Akatsuki assignment to meet Danzō?"

Fugaku frowned slightly after hearing Itachi's words. "That's suspicious. Danzō is probably planning something against you. Shisui's eye is still with him."

As he spoke, he was about to use his Mangekyō to glimpse the future and see what was going on, but Itachi stopped him.

"Father, it's best not to use Mangekyō's ocular power recklessly. Since it's on the same day, I can go with Gusion-senpai. We can watch each other's backs; nothing will happen."

Itachi had confidence in his own abilities and in Gusion's strength.

With precautions in place, he wouldn't get caught by Kotoamatsukami so easily. Depending on the situation, Gusion-senpai might act directly; he would only need to take it easy.

If things turned serious, at most he'd step in himself to cooperate with Gusion, kill Danzō, and then clean out Root to erase the secrets.

"Mm, that's fine too. You can go now. Spend some time with Sasuke when you can—he really likes you, Itachi."

Fugaku smiled, stood up, and prepared to gather the clan's elites for a meeting, to check on the condition of their top fighters and think through strategies for three days from now.

…

Konoha at this moment was like a stack of dry leaves with embers smoldering beneath, wisps of smoke curling up—ready to burst into flames at any time.

Elsewhere, at the Wind Country's border, in the vast desert behind a wind-scoured rocky hill, two bedraggled figures sat to rest.

"Lord Orochimaru, it's because I failed that things ended up like this. Please punish me."

Kabuto said, face full of guilt. Since he became a spy, it was his first time crashing this hard.

"It's not your fault. I'm just puzzled—where did those strange ninja come from…"

Orochimaru's expression was grim. There was no question his plan to assassinate the Kazekage and take his place had failed.

It wasn't just because his and Kabuto's plot had been seen through in advance; it was also because the Kazekage had a group of powerful mercenary ninja at his side.

If Gusion hadn't warned him ahead of time and if he hadn't been mentally prepared, he might have been trapped and unable to return from the Wind Country.

Even so, the battle cost him dearly. Some of the trump cards he'd prepared for attacking Konoha were consumed.

If not for the fact that those mercenary ninja inexplicably opened a gap at the last moment to let him break out, he was ready to use Impure World Reincarnation to summon the Hokage.

"Lord Orochimaru," Kabuto reminded.

"I know."

Orochimaru stood, walked out of the rock's shadow, and looked at the group rounding the corner.

He licked his parched lips. "You've chased me all the way to the border. Don't tell me you think I can't deal with you?"

"Mr. Orochimaru, you misunderstand. We aren't from Sunagakure—we're just mercenary ninja. If you offer a high enough price, we can work with you."

The leader had sunken eyes and wore a black mage's robe. If Gusion were here, he would have recognized him as Dark Sky Demon, whom he'd seen at the trading market.

"Oh? Interesting. State your terms."

Orochimaru's lips curled. He was never one to fight at the drop of a hat; more often, he preferred to resolve things through negotiation.

"Our contract with the Kazekage has expired. If your price is right, we can do anything for you."

Dark Sky Demon smiled. He was a veteran explorer; he'd already squeezed enough benefits out of Suna. Next, he wanted to hitch a ride on Orochimaru's operation to see if he could pick up any high-yield hidden quests.

"Heh, how amusing. Let's talk."

Orochimaru flashed a chilling smile. He hadn't expected his Sunagakure trip to take such a turn. Although he hadn't recruited Suna itself as a fighting force, picking up a few powerful elite mercenaries wasn't bad.

…

On a tall utility pole in the center of Konoha's streets, a figure with white, bristly long hair landed. A huge scroll was strapped to his back. His gaze swept over the village and finally fixed on a small figure in the park.

"Huh, so that's Minato's son? Why does he look so withdrawn?"

Jiraiya muttered, puzzled. He had rushed back from abroad after receiving an urgent message from the Third Hokage.

The Third had tried repeatedly to call him back recently, but he'd been busy gathering material, and didn't want to pay attention to the old man.

But two days ago, the Third's letter said Minato's son—the Nine-Tails jinchuriki—had grown alienated from the village. He asked Jiraiya to return and see if there was a way to help Naruto feel the village's warmth again.

Jiraiya had been traveling for years. He wasn't in the village when the Fourth Hokage died and had only returned once to pay his respects. He'd never met Naruto.

Seeing the blond kid on the swing, swaying alone, his feelings were complicated.

He already roughly understood the situation. As a disciple, he couldn't very well scold the Third, but he thought the matter had been poorly handled. How could his student's child suffer such grievances?

Jiraiya wasn't good with words, and for a moment he didn't know how to cheer little Naruto up.

So he turned to look at another figure standing atop a utility pole across the way: a curvy blonde with an ample chest—impossible to miss.

"Don't look at me. I'm not interested in coaxing brats. Jinchuriki or whatever—they're not important to me."

Tsunade's expression was icy. She'd just taken a big loss and was in a foul mood.

Part of dismissing the importance of jinchuriki was emotional, but she truly didn't think tailed beasts could change the world's balance. In her grandfather's time, those things were like little pets he played with.

"It's been years—no need to keep that cold face. How about a drink at the izakaya tonight?"

Jiraiya grinned. He felt Naruto's issue couldn't be rushed. He needed a plan before approaching him; otherwise, if he bungled it too, there'd be no way to comfort the kid.

"Let's see the old man first. He sounded anxious in the letter—said if we didn't come back, the village would be gone."

Tsunade didn't accept Jiraiya's invitation. She leapt away toward the Hokage's office.

Jiraiya shook his head helplessly and followed.

…

Down in the bustling streets, Gusion watched the two powerful figures leap past, itching to complain.

You're only arriving in Konoha today?

He'd given Konoha plenty of prep time. Today was the day of Orochimaru's attack on Konoha—Tsunade and Jiraiya had cut it close.

If he'd moved a day earlier, these two irresponsible Sannin would likely be looking at Konoha's ruins.

Gusion could pretend, but that didn't mean Orochimaru wouldn't go all out. Orochimaru was serious about destroying Konoha; if he could win, he'd crush them without mercy.

Walking the streets, looking at Konoha's surface prosperity, Gusion felt a pang. This scene wouldn't last much longer.

By his plan and assessment of Konoha's strength, they likely couldn't be pushed into the core of the village. So if Konoha responded properly, the civilians could complete evacuation before the fighting reached a fever pitch.

Of course, to pressure Konoha, he would definitely breach the main gate, giving the Uchiha a chance to turn the tide.

Even if it was a staged show for the Uchiha's rise, Konoha's buildings would likely suffer widespread destruction, setting the economy back by years.

With that in mind, Gusion entered the Forest of Death to meet the fully armed Itachi.

That very day, Itachi had secretly accepted Danzō's invitation. However, he set a condition: given his sensitive Uchiha status, he didn't want the clan or the Hokage to know he was meeting Danzō privately; thus, he would meet at midnight.

Danzō hadn't expected Itachi to pick that time—it conflicted with his plan to kill Gusion. After some thought, he decided to have Itachi also come to the southeastern woods at that hour.

Gusion could guess Danzō's thinking. Considering this Akatsuki assignment was likely not from Nagato but from Obito, it was probably Danzō's setup to kill him.

In that case, having Itachi show up would only seem beneficial from Danzō's perspective.

First, Itachi might not agree to another private meeting. Second, Danzō believed Itachi—who had told the Third he would slaughter the entire clan if necessary—was absolutely loyal to Konoha, easy to manipulate like Shisui.

If the siege of Calamity failed, Itachi, as a Konoha ninja, could still count as Danzō's fighting power.

…

Time crept by.

After night fell, Gusion and Itachi set out one after the other for the meeting place Danzō had specified.

It was not a moonless, windy night. On the contrary, the bright moon hung high and the stars glittered.

When Gusion arrived at the grove, he sensed the hidden Root forces in the shadows. Danzō had vastly underestimated his sensory ability.

With Observation Haki plus the electrical sense of the Goro Goro no Mi, without some special invisibility, within a kilometer he could detect even an ant's movement.

Judging by the numbers and chakra, Gusion estimated Danzō had probably brought Root's main force to kill him.

Gusion looked up at the figure standing on the tree trunk—a gray-haired old man.

He wore neatly trimmed sideburns and had a long, narrow eye with a sly, deep gaze. His head and right eye were wrapped in bandages, hiding Shisui's Sharingan.

A black-gray kimono fluttered in the night wind. His right arm was hidden in his sleeve as if it were broken and slung up.

One glance was enough for Gusion to identify him, and under his scouting skill, he relaxed.

[Shimura Danzō]

Constitution: 70

Strength: 68

Agility: 72

Spirit: 76

Charisma: 28

Because he'd transplanted the First Hokage's cells, Danzō's physical stats weren't low. His mental stat was high too, but not at the absurd level of 80—just low 70s.

If Gusion released his Initial Shikai, he could completely nullify Danzō's mental control skills, including dangerous genjutsu like Kotoamatsukami.

That was the dominance of the Clear-Heart bloodline. The System never misleads in its descriptions; if there are tier or attribute-gap limits, it always notes them.

Worth noting: the stat panel Gusion's scouting shows is the target's overall state. Essentially, ninja are squishy. Without chakra support, their physical stats drop significantly.

Chakra is a mix of spiritual and physical energy. Powerful chakra naturally buffs a ninja's body.

Like Guy's Eight Gates: it doesn't directly strengthen the body; the explosive release of chakra manifests as a huge boost to Strength and other stats.

The Fourth Raikage is the same. With ample chakra, he's peerless in speed; without chakra, he's just a very strong ordinary man.

So aside from chakra monsters like jinchuriki, Gusion's Mana-Drain is highly effective against ninja. In prolonged fights, once the opponent's chakra dips below a threshold, they get weaker and weaker while he stays at peak.

Facing Danzō, Gusion was already wondering: if he drained Danzō dry, could Danzō still use Izanagi?

"Calamity, long time no see."

Danzō looked down at Gusion and said loftily, "I didn't expect Akatsuki to send you to liaise with me."

Chapter 257: My Kotoamatsukami Worked!

"The intel?"

Gusion, feigning impatience, didn't want to chat with Danzō.

"The Nine-Tails jinchuriki has already—"

Danzō was about to spout some recent Naruto intel to string Gusion along and buy time for his men to prepare, when another visitor arrived, forcing him to stop.

In the night, a figure in ANBU combat gear moved through the trees and halted only after seeing Gusion and Danzō.

In the moonlight, the youth's handsome face was clear. Upon seeing Gusion, he immediately took a fighting stance, highly alert.

Seeing Itachi arrive unexpectedly, Danzō had to change his plan. He couldn't very well discuss village secrets with Gusion—a Konoha traitor and internationally wanted Akatsuki—right in front of Itachi. That would be blatant treason.

A seasoned politician, his mind spun fast. In an instant he decided, and he bellowed at Gusion, "Calamity! You betrayed Konoha and wreak havoc on the ninja world. Today you've fallen into my trap. Surrender!"

At his shout, the Root ninja moved, activating a chakra formation they had set up in advance. It was a forbidden jutsu array Danzō had obtained from a certain heretical cult. By channeling chakra into it, it could suppress the chakra of anyone in the formation who wasn't marked.

Once hit, even a jinchuriki couldn't use a tenth of their chakra. Danzō believed Gusion would fare no better and would be greatly weakened.

Then, with him and Root's men swarming, how could they not kill this menace?

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—

The instant the array flared, several Root operatives lunged from the shadows toward Gusion, whose expression looked oddly amused.

When the array activated, Gusion felt a pulling force that sucked away the chakra in his body. Yes… he had gathered a bit of chakra for using ninjutsu, but it was far less than 1% of his soul-source cap.

And he wasn't a ninja. His stats didn't depend on chakra. This kind of trick was useless against him.

Gusion's odd expression wasn't because of Danzō's countermeasures—Danzō didn't know he was an outsider to the ninja world. He simply found it funny that Danzō was trying to sell him information about things Danzō himself had done.

Boom—

Lightning erupted around Gusion. High-voltage current instantly pierced the hearts of several Root ninja; the residual arcs charred nearby trees and set them ablaze.

In the firelight, their faces were illuminated—Gusion's eyes mocking, Danzō's eyes shocked.

Danzō had never imagined this forbidden technique would have no effect on Gusion. He wasn't one to be duped by a heretical cult; he'd tested the technique before daring to use it in battle.

Yet Gusion seemed entirely unaffected. Danzō panicked.

…

The thunderclap and the blaze roaring up from the woods were like a match to gunpowder. Elsewhere, seeing the fire in the trees, Orochimaru issued the order for a full-scale attack on Konoha.

At his command, the assault began. A large-scale jutsu struck Konoha's main gate. Amid the flying sparks, the clash of ninja shattered the night's quiet.

Civilians fled in terror, unable to believe that peaceful Konoha could be directly attacked.

Even during the three great ninja wars, no one had ever brought the fight to Konoha's doorstep.

"Don't panic! Proceed to the shelters as directed!"

Konoha genin and chunin handled evacuation with steady expressions.

They clearly hadn't grasped the severity. As the foremost of the Five Great Nations, Konoha had long been synonymous with strength. While the attack surprised them, it didn't cow them.

Unlike civilians, they'd been through the Academy and believed in the Will of Fire.

In their view, though Konoha was under attack, the Hokage would surely lead the jonin to easily defeat the enemy and capture the culprits for public execution.

On the rooftops, silhouettes sprinted across shingles. ANBU and elite jonin mobilized en masse, heading to the main battlefield.

One figure led the way: an elderly man with a resolute expression. His flowing cloak gone, he now wore black combat gear, looking far more vigorous than usual.

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, donned his armor once more after many years. With the summoned adamantine staff in hand, he truly looked the indomitable old general.

"Squads One and Two with me! Three and Four to the right flank! Five covers civilian evacuation!"

He issued orders as he ran, his eyes grave as he looked toward the battlefield at the main gate.

Unlike the optimistic genin, he smelled danger in this attack—like the night years ago when the Nine-Tails ravaged Konoha. Handled poorly, Konoha could be badly wounded.

By firelight, his aged eyes saw Manda's massive form, and he guessed who the attacker was.

Orochimaru… so you still hold a grudge against the village…

A teacher knows a student's strength best. If it were only Orochimaru attacking, he felt he could control the situation—his student's raw power wasn't overwhelming.

But knowing Orochimaru's mind, he would never attack Konoha alone. He must have come prepared.

Rumble—

Manda had already smashed through Konoha's wall, its massive body bulldozing buildings and devouring weaker ninja who dared to attack.

"Orochimaru, it's rare you call me out to have some real fun. I'm quite pleased."

Manda rampaged, laughing madly. Cruel and vicious, every summoning demanded sacrifices—he needed many people to sate his hunger.

"Eat as you like. Treat it like an all-you-can-eat buffet."

Orochimaru rasped, standing atop Manda and gazing into the distance. Seeing the Third's aged figure, he licked his lips and smiled. "Teacher Sarutobi, I've come to send you off."

"Orochimaru! You dare attack Konoha!"

The older ninja nearby recognized him and shouted in fury. None could imagine that one of the Legendary Sannin, record-holder for missions, would one day do this.

"How laughable. Drunk on false peace—you've forgotten who I am."

Orochimaru sneered, commanding his forces to attack.

They actually lacked numbers. Most Sound ninja were cannon fodder, but the new mercenaries' overwhelming strength made up for it.

Dark Sky Demon's party fired like arcane machine guns, unleashing powerful magic that pinned the Konoha forces down.

Mages chant; ninja form seals. In terms of pre-cast windup, they were even. But for AOE firepower, Dark Sky Demon's group had the edge.

As explorers, they had strict tactics and flawless coordination. Their overlapping fire was so dense that just the four of them fought like an army.

"I'll stop this snake!"

A burly figure entered the fray—Akimichi Choza. Using Multi-Size Technique, he became a massive giant and grappled with Manda.

Orochimaru didn't intervene. He leapt from Manda to a tall utility pole, overlooking the spreading fires of Konoha with a look of intoxication.

Below, Dark Sky Demon's barrage was checked for a moment. Their combined spell roared toward a cluster of ninja, but a figure burst from the flank to block it.

He raised a tower shield—tall, broad-shouldered, with slightly shifty eyes. He tanked the bombardment and still found time to taunt, "Foreskin Mage, you again? Just a few of you, and you dare attack Konoha?"

Dark Sky Demon's face darkened at the sight of the tower-shield bearer, and his guard went up.

The next moment, he sensed danger, shoved his three companions away with a spell, and conjured a powerful magical barrier for himself.

Sure enough, a thick bolt of lightning crashed down like a waterfall, hammering him.

Thanks to his preemptive skill, he wasn't fried to charcoal.

"Dog-Bark Duo—you two really are like lingering ghosts…"

Dark Sky Demon frowned. He hadn't expected them to enter the Naruto world as well, and embedded on Konoha's side.

…

In the southeastern woods, after sending the signal, Gusion slowly drew the Mazuko from his waist. Purple mist curled as he released Shikai. He pointed the blade at Danzō. "Since you made the first move, cutting you down is only reasonable, isn't it?"

Now he didn't even need an excuse. Nagato wouldn't hold him accountable for counter-killing Danzō. Being enraged by Danzō's ambush and then charging into Konoha would be perfectly reasonable, right?

"You insolent brat! Who do you think I am!?"

Being leveled at by Gusion's blade, Danzō was both shocked and furious. He knew trickery wouldn't win now, but he wasn't about to roll over.

Despite his words, he instinctively leapt back to open distance and called for Root to swarm.

As he retreated, he bit his finger and used a summoning.

Bang—

In a puff of smoke, a huge figure appeared: a red-furred Baku.

The moment Baku appeared, Gusion cut six Root operatives in half with a single stroke, then performed a summoning of his own.

Baku was about to unleash a Wind Style blast at Gusion when an even bigger cloud of smoke rose before it. A colossal being loomed overhead, looking down.

"This little mouse smells tasty. Can I eat it?"

The moment Garaga appeared, he flicked his tongue and eyed Baku, clearly eager.

"Up to you. Eat it and then keep pushing northwest."

Gusion ordered, then flash-stepped toward Danzō.

In Lightning Chakra Mode, combined with Shunpo, he was like a deathly phantom in the woods. Root elites were sliced in half before they even saw his shadow.

Danzō was horrified. Seeing the phantom dash his way, he instinctively used Wood Style: "Wood Style: Tree-Spear Barrage!"

He transformed his right arm into a great tree, raising it like a shield.

Gusion didn't change course. He layered Conqueror's Haki and Ryuo on the Mazuko and brought down a mountain-cleaving slash.

The dark red blade light tore through the moonlit air, shearing the Wood Style tree apart and bisecting Danzō's body in one blow.

"Lord Danzō!"

Loyal Root operatives cried out and charged.

Gusion didn't move. He merely unleashed Conqueror's Haki to stun them. In that instant of stiffness, dark-red lightning spread like a web and charred them black.

He flicked the blood from his blade and looked at Danzō's corpse. "Get up. You're not dead yet, are you?"