Chapter 54: Curtain Falls
As Kaguya repelled the Baku, Danzo appeared behind her, launching a fierce kick with a howling wind towards Kaguya. Kaguya raised her hand but was kicked away by Danzo. Seeing her exposed, Danzo followed up with a powerful punch, and Kaguya struck back with a palm.
With a loud "bang," the two separated after the impact, creating a strong gust of wind. Danzo was sent flying, and Kaguya also took a few steps back.
Kaguya pulled out a shuriken, and with a spin, it shot towards Danzo like lightning. Danzo dodged, but it wasn't over.
"Substitution Technique!"
Kaguya suddenly appeared behind Danzo.
"What?!" Danzo was shocked, not expecting Kaguya to switch places with the shuriken in an instant.
"All-Killing Ash Bones!"
Kaguya extended her flawless arm, shooting a bone spike from her palm that instantly pierced Danzo in mid-air, disintegrating his body.
However, Kaguya knew Danzo was not dead, as Izanagi had not yet ended.
Sure enough, a shuriken suddenly shot towards Kaguya. Her eyes narrowed—this wasn't an ordinary shuriken. A wind blade surrounded the shuriken, creating a hissing sound as it cut through the air. If she only focused on the shuriken, she would fall into the trap. Kaguya twisted to dodge and, in a split second, caught the shuriken by its ring with her finger.
Another wind blade shuriken shot towards her. Kaguya swung her hand, and the wind blade shuriken in her hand collided with the incoming one, deflecting it.
Kaguya's Tenseigan emitted a faint green light, and in an instant, she located Danzo. She raised her arm, and four black Truth-Seeking Balls appeared, shooting towards Danzo's position.
She could have activated the Tenseigan Chakra Mode, but it consumed a lot of chakra. If she didn't finish the fight quickly and it turned into a prolonged battle, it would be disadvantageous. Moreover, she wasn't sure if the Truth-Seeking Balls could counter Izanagi, so she chose a more cautious approach.
With a deafening "boom," Danzo was blasted away, crashing heavily to the ground.
Watching Danzo struggle to his feet in the distance, Kaguya smirked and said, "What's wrong? Out of time?"
Danzo snorted coldly and forced himself up. "You're speaking too soon," he said, tearing off the bandages around his head to reveal a blood-red eye.
"Oh," Kaguya raised an eyebrow, "You have another Sharingan."
Without replying, Danzo kicked off the ground, accelerating straight towards Kaguya like an arrow.
Kaguya raised her hand, aiming at the charging Danzo. "Still resisting at this point?" she sneered.
She unleashed a burst of repulsive force, sending Danzo flying, crashing to the ground.
"Something's wrong," Kaguya suddenly noticed that the one she sent flying wasn't the real Danzo. At her feet, numerous explosive tags appeared, planted by Danzo at some point.
With a thunderous "boom," the explosion erupted, the shockwave and flames engulfing everything. Kaguya, caught off guard, used repulsive force to block the impact but was blasted away by the recoil.
Just then, a raspy voice sounded behind her.
"For Konoha, I cannot let you live."
Danzo had somehow appeared behind her, stripping off his upper garment to reveal black sealing marks on his chest, the Reverse Four Symbols Seal.
Kaguya snorted, having anticipated this move. As Danzo stripped, she had already used a substitution jutsu to switch places with a distant tree and then used the Body Flicker Technique to escape the sealing range.
From the surging ink, Danzo exploded violently, and a giant semi-transparent black sphere emerged from his body, enveloping the surrounding area. Everything within the black sphere vanished without a trace.
Looking at the semi-transparent light sphere, Kaguya felt a sense of shock. She could sense the threat it posed. This technique, which even made Obito flee, indeed had formidable power. If she were caught in this move, she wouldn't fare well either.
Danzo was finally dead. He could be considered a hero, or rather, half a hero. Cunning and adept at scheming, he was devoted to Konoha. Unfortunately, his methods were hard to agree with, making his death a deserved consequence.
Kaguya sighed, stood up, and dusted herself off. Suddenly, she turned her head towards a large tree in the distance and said, "Come out, I know you're there."
"Oh, you could sense me," said a man stepping out from behind the tree. He had white, spiky hair, a forehead protector with the word "oil," a tall build, wore brightly colored clothes, and wooden sandals.
"You're Jiraiya, one of the Three Sannin," Kaguya's beautiful eyes assessed the man from afar.
"That's right," Jiraiya smiled, "The once little girl has grown into a beautiful young lady."
"You've been watching for a while, haven't you?" Kaguya blinked.
"Not too long," Jiraiya replied, walking towards Kaguya, "I arrived when you said 'disgusting.'"
"Oh," Kaguya raised an eyebrow, "You and he are both from Konoha. Why didn't you help him?"
"You are also from Konoha," Jiraiya said seriously.
"I used to be," Kaguya said flatly.
"No, you still are," Jiraiya walked up to Kaguya. "I know about your situation. It's not your fault, and it has nothing to do with you."
"I am the one who killed the Third Hokage," Kaguya chuckled, "And I remember you were his student."
"Are you still trying to smear yourself?" Jiraiya said sternly, "The Third Hokage was not killed by you."
"What difference does it make if I killed him or not?" Kaguya lightly played with her silver hair.
Jiraiya sighed and said, "I understand how you feel, being wronged for no reason. But I don't want you to go astray out of anger."
"Thank you," Kaguya smiled brightly, "Everyone has a different path, just like some people like natto dumplings, while others prefer red bean dumplings."
"Alright," Jiraiya sighed, "Since you've decided, I won't insist. But many people are thinking about you, hoping you'll come back."
"Maybe someday," Kaguya smiled and waved, "I'll be going now." She then turned and left.
In the forest, Black Zetsu spoke, "Mother, Nagato's plan to capture the Tailed Beasts is underway. Your resurrection is near at hand."
"Hmm," Kaguya nodded.
"Let's go," Kaguya turned, her silver hair fluttering as she walked into the distance.