When Danzo saw that ominous pirate ship, he was completely stunned.
Everyone could feel the heavy pressure coming from it. They hadn't even seen Shanks yet—just the sight of his ship alone caused something strange to happen to them.
The aura coming from that ship was actually affecting their chakra.
"Th-This is Shanks' Conqueror's Haki!!"
"We can't even look directly at Shanks' ship... What a terrifying man."
"But if Shanks came from that direction, then who are the people coming from the other side?"
At that moment, everyone froze—even Danzo was at a loss.
He had expected Konohagakure to show up, but that wasn't a big problem. He had planned to send some of his Root ninjas to hold them back.
But now, the entire Land of Waves was under siege.
This wasn't just Konoha's doing.
No one would be stupid enough to split their forces in an attack like this.
Root ninjas were already spread out, so if Konoha had sent a large group of elites, they would have just focused all their strength on a single point and easily broken through the Land of Waves' defenses.
Danzo's gaze shifted to Gato, who was hanging from the execution platform.
Kakashi being here made sense. But everyone else?
That wasn't because of him.
Danzo knew very well—he hadn't made enemies of this many people.
There was only one explanation.
They were here because of Gato.
"Danzo-sama, what should we do now?"
"Ignore them. Call everyone back. We're retreating."
Danzo made his decision instantly.
There were too many enemies.
Just from the forces surrounding them, he could tell that they weren't here for small talk. And their strength—far from ordinary.
And with Shanks here, there was no way they could win.
Luckily, Danzo had planned for a retreat from the very beginning.
Of course, before leaving, there was still one thing he had to do.
Show the world—Shanks' weakness.
"Go. Tell everyone to withdraw."
Danzo waved his hand confidently.
Everything was under his control.
Gato—he was the weakness of everyone who had gathered here.
"Yes, Danzo-sama."
His subordinates immediately scattered across the island.
Danzo stayed where he was, watching as the pirate ship slowly approached.
A cold smile appeared on his face.
"Shanks… just a reckless fool."
"The more you gain, the more you have to lose. If you had stayed away, I might have had some respect for you."
"But Shanks— The moment you showed up because of Gato's life or death, you had already lost."
"The more you refuse to let go, the more weaknesses you have. Hahaha!"
Danzo stood tall, radiating confidence.
His strength might not match Shanks'.
But his mind, his strategy—
He was among the best in the ninja world.
He had no weaknesses.
Because he had nothing he couldn't sacrifice.
That—was what a true ruler of the ninja world should be.
Shanks, on the other hand…
He was too young.
Young people were always held back by too many things.
No matter how many times they failed, they never learned.
Meanwhile, Danzo didn't notice—
Near the port, two "civilians" were also watching the sea.
"The greatest ship in the New World… the Red-Haired Pirates' ship."
Just seeing that ship sent a chill through Sasuke's heart.
Even a ship could make him feel this kind of pressure.
Back when Shanks fought against the strongest warriors of the ninja world, Sasuke was there.
He had experienced firsthand just how powerful Shanks' Conqueror's Haki was.
If it had been the old him, he probably wouldn't have even been able to stand in front of Shanks.
But right now, he wasn't facing Shanks.
He was only facing Shanks' ship.
And yet, just that ship alone was enough to make his heart tremble.
"It feels like even that ship is being suppressed by Shanks."
Naruto sighed.
He could also sense the malice coming from the ship, but his feelings about it were completely different from Sasuke's.
Naruto could clearly sense that the "malice" on the ship was being restrained by Shanks.
Only a man as strong as him could be the captain of that ship.
Compared to Sasuke, Naruto's ability to sense things ran deeper—not just when it came to others, but also to himself.
At least at this moment, when he saw that ship, he could feel that the "malice" buried deep within his own body had completely vanished.
Shanks wasn't just suppressing the malice on the ship.
He had even subdued the darkness inside Naruto.
It was as if it had never existed in the first place.
"As the world's strongest man, does he not even care about malice? A man who can shake the entire ninja world… Also has the strength to carry all that darkness on his shoulders."
Hearing Naruto's thoughts, Kurama inside him couldn't help but get frustrated.
"Does this brat even know what that Shanks guy has done?!"
"He built a ship using the trunk of the God Tree! That kind of thing… who the hell builds a ship out of that? Just getting close to it would drain an ordinary ninja's chakra without them even realizing it!"
"And we're not talking about just a small piece. That's a massive chunk of the God Tree's trunk. There's no way it doesn't have part of the Ten-Tails' consciousness in it! Using something like that to build a ship… What the hell is going on in that guy's head?"
Kurama really couldn't understand how these so-called "strong men" thought.
He used to think Hashirama was already an exceptional human,
But now, decades later, someone even more insane had shown up.
"And this brat… Why does he just assume Shanks can suppress me? Sure, you can sense my power, but could you at least use your brain a little? If I didn't willingly keep my power in check, Shanks wouldn't be able to suppress me at all! I'm not some weakling like the Eight-Tails."
Kurama grumbled as he curled up in a corner.
Now that he thought about it…
He was there when the Eight-Tails was killed.
And now, he was here again when Shanks appeared.
Thinking about it that way…
This was the second time he had faced Shanks and walked away unharmed.
That meant he had already left the Eight-Tails far behind.
Completely cut off from the outside world, Kurama finally felt a little better.
Sure, he was sealed away,
But at least he wasn't dead like the Eight-Tails.
Seeing his "brother" suffer an even worse fate somehow made him feel… fortunate.
"Naruto, get ready."
Seeing the barrier on the Great Naruto Bridge disappear, Sasuke quickly spoke up.
"Kakashi-sensei is about to arrive.
We need to use the chaos to get Gato out."
"Got it."
Naruto nodded.
Their mission was to ensure Gato's safety.
At this moment, Naruto looked toward the execution platform where Gato was being held.
Gato looked like he was on the brink of death.
But both Naruto and Sasuke knew…
He was probably just faking it.
According to the Blade-less Pirates,
Even if Gato were tied to a mast and left under the blazing sun for three or four days without food or water, he'd be fine—
He'd probably just lose a little weight.
They said he was the best at Seimei Kikan (Life Return),
Even better than Naruto, who had actually asked him for advice before.
And Gato's response?
"Just get beaten up a lot.
Get tied up and left hanging often.
Eventually, you'll master it naturally."
So right now, Naruto and Sasuke weren't the least bit worried about Gato's life.
That guy was definitely going to be fine.
Besides, it wasn't their turn to make a move yet.
Right now, Naruto and Sasuke's attention was completely on Gato.
"They're here!!"
Sasuke was the first to notice the distortion in the air, and Naruto reacted immediately. The two of them rushed toward the execution platform at the same time.
At the same moment, Danzo and the ninjas around him also noticed something was wrong.
A cold voice came from the distorted space.
"White Fang Sword Technique: Flash Burial!"
The next second, countless white slashes burst out of the distortion like a whirlwind, crashing toward Danzo and his men.
Kakashi shot out from the center of the white streaks, his short sword aimed straight at Danzo.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!!"
"Earth Release: Stone Wall!!"
"..."
The ninjas around Danzo weren't weaklings. Even in the Konoha, they were considered elite.
One after another, Earth Release jutsu formed barriers, blocking Kakashi's attack.
At the same time, the other ninjas had already prepared to launch their own jutsu.
But Kakashi was too fast. From the very start, his target had been locked onto Danzo.
"Danzo!!"
In an instant, Kakashi's short sword was right in front of Danzo.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Great Sphere!"
Danzo didn't back down at all. Against Kakashi? He was Danzo, after all.
If it hadn't been for the injuries he suffered from the Mizukage and Raikage back then, how could Kakashi and the Ino-Shika-Cho clan have dared to put him under house arrest?
In the next moment, the air around them compressed into Danzo's mouth, forming a massive air bullet that shot straight at Kakashi.
"Boom!!"
There was no wasted movement. The clash between them exploded violently, sending shockwaves rippling across the ground. A fierce windstorm formed behind Kakashi, creating a huge vacuum zone.
But Kakashi's sword was already at Danzo's throat.
*Clang!!*
Two blades blocked Kakashi's strike. Two ninjas had appeared in front of Danzo.
"Ninja Art: Ninja Soldier Chains!"
Black, twisted symbols appeared on the blades, spreading onto Kakashi's sword and locking his body in place.
Danzo glanced at the unsharpened edge of Kakashi's blade and smirked mockingly.
"What a pity. White Fang never even got the chance to sharpen this sword before he died."
"Hahaha, Kakashi, seeing a genius like you fall so far… what a pleasure. Are all Hatake clan members this weak-minded?"
"All I wanted back then was to suppress Hatake Sakumo a little so he wouldn't threaten the Hokage. Who would've thought he'd go and kill himself?"
Danzo took two steps back and started forming hand seals again.
"Looks like his son isn't that strong either. Just because his teammate died, he ended up like that. How pathetic!"
"The Hatake clan's talent and mental strength really don't match at all."
"Kakashi, don't you know your own weakness?"
"Genjutsu: Nightmare Cycle!"
Danzo unwrapped his arm, revealing the Sharingan embedded in it. The power of the Uchiha clan was fully unleashed.
Even though Danzo wasn't skilled in Genjutsu, and what he knew was far inferior to what the Uchiha could do, with the Sharingan's power,
against ordinary people, his Genjutsu was overwhelming.
What? You say Kakashi also has a Sharingan?
Yeah, that's why Kakashi could use Genjutsu on Zabuza.
But Kakashi only has one Sharingan.
I have a whole bunch.
That basically means Kakashi might as well not have one at all.
I believe in brute force—my Genjutsu might be weak, but with the Sharingan's support, it becomes powerful.
And with the Hatake clan's fragile minds, how could they possibly resist Genjutsu?
In the next moment, Kakashi was pulled into the illusion.
Danzo was right—under such overwhelming Genjutsu, Kakashi had no way to resist.
It was like someone too slow to dodge a bullet.
And Kakashi was that slow person.
But just because you can't dodge a bullet doesn't mean you can't take the hit and survive.
Kakashi was once again thrown into the most painful memories of his life.
His father took his own life after being falsely accused by the village's higher-ups.
The Hatake name was stained forever, and the great hero of the past was nailed to Konohagakure's pillar of shame.
Obito died before his eyes again.
And Rin—she once again ran straight into his Chidori, and he watched his own hand pierce through her chest.
Even his teacher, the one who had always cared for him, the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, died for the village.
One by one, everyone he cared about was gone.
Death surrounded him, and Kakashi himself became an omen of misfortune.
Anyone who got close to him would meet a tragic end.
The nightmares that had tormented him so many times were now repeating endlessly in his mind, hammering at his sanity like an endless cycle.
But this time, Kakashi didn't fall into self-blame like before.
"This is almost exactly what I've seen before."
"So, this is Genjutsu?"
"Looks like I've been trapped in my own Genjutsu for years."
"This so-called Nightmare Cycle… I've already been reliving it for more than ten years. And more than anyone else, I understand—"
"This isn't a dream. This is real. These are things that actually happened, Danzo!"
In the illusion, Kakashi let out a quiet sigh.
The next second, a pure white force shattered the illusion.
Back in reality, a surge of white energy burst out from Kakashi.
It was an overwhelming loneliness, an icy emptiness—like a bottomless abyss.
The restraints on his body cracked and crumbled under the force.
"Snap!! Crack! Crack! Crack!"
With the breaking of the seals, Kakashi's figure vanished from where he stood, leaving only the remnants of shattered markings in the air.
A white streak was left in the air.
"Flying Thunder God Slash!"
Kakashi appeared behind Danzo. From his left eye, which was usually covered by his headband, pure white energy swirled out like mist.
"Splurt!!"
Blood burst from Danzo's chest as his entire body was sliced in half.
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