Naruto:Shockwave of Change

Danzo had always been a calculating man. From the moment he escaped Konoha, he knew the village would send someone after him.

And in his mind, the most likely hunter would be Sakamoto Hatake, the new elder and leader of ROOT.

"If Sakamoto comes after me… my chances of escaping are minimal."

Danzo wasn't delusional. Sakamoto was fast. Too fast. He had faced countless ninjas in his life, but never someone with such extreme speed as the Hatake.

With his instant movement technique and mastery of Hatake swordsmanship, few in the world could face him directly. Ninjas were known for their high offense and low defense, and those with extreme speed were unstoppable reapers, just like Minato Namikaze during the Third Great Ninja War.

Danzo knew that not even Izanagi could save him. After all, he didn't have a stockpile of Sharingans like he would in the future.

And his subordinates? They had no chance. Even if he used every man left, the result would be the same: all dead, and him captured.

"I need something that can stop Sakamoto."

That was when he devised the perfect plan.

If Sakamoto was an enemy based on speed… then Danzo needed to lure someone just as fast.

The Third Raikage.

With this in mind, Danzo forged an attack against Kumo, assassinating multiple ninjas at the border and spreading panic, ensuring that a distress signal would be sent directly to the Raikage.

The result?

Kumo believed Konoha had attacked them.

And the Third Raikage came personally to respond to the threat.

Now, it didn't matter if Konoha sent Sakamoto, Orochimaru, or any other powerful ninja.

The Third Raikage would be waiting.

---

The Battlefield

Danzo's plan worked perfectly.

Both Sal and the Third Raikage arrived at the battlefield at the same time.

When Sal saw the bodies of Kumo's ninjas scattered on the ground, the fresh scent of blood still in the air, he immediately understood what had happened.

"Danzo… you bastard."

But he didn't have time to process the shock.

A furious roar echoed through the battlefield.

— "BASTARD! YOU DARE ATTACK MY VILLAGE AND THEN SHOW UP HERE AS IF IT'S NOTHING?!"

The Third Raikage charged forward like a living thunderstorm.

Sal tried to explain, but it was already too late.

— "This is a mistake! I didn't kill anyone here! It was Danzo! I'm hunting him!"

But the Raikage heard nothing.

— "LIAR! YOU WANT TO JUSTIFY YOURSELF? THEN JUSTIFY IT IN HELL!"

He exploded forward in speed, moving faster than anything Sal had ever seen.

"Shit!"

Without hesitation, Sal drew the Demon-Slaying Sword and took a defensive stance.

"If I'm going to fight this monster… I need to use everything from the start."

The Raikage was fast. Faster than any enemy Sal had ever faced.

Even with Shunpō and Paper Drawing, he barely dodged the Kage's devastating attacks.

But…

He had a crucial advantage.

The Demon-Slaying Sword.

Every time the Raikage struck, Sal countered with the blade, forcing the Kage to retreat.

The effect was immediate.

With every block or parry, the Raikage's chakra was nullified.

The Lightning Release Cloak flickered and temporarily collapsed wherever the blade touched.

The Raikage's eyes widened for an instant.

— "What?! This blade…!"

Sal smiled, even as his body was pushed to its limit.

— "This sword cuts chakra… You can't protect yourself from it."

The Raikage roared in fury, his speed increasing even further.

Even with the Emperor's Eyes, Sal barely kept up.

He predicted the movements, but his body simply wasn't fast enough to react to every attack.

Then, one strike got through.

Lightning tore through his body, hurling him back like a ragdoll.

Sal fell to his knees, bleeding and exhausted.

"Damn it… he doesn't stop!"

He tried to stand, but his body refused to move.

The fight had pushed him beyond his physical limits.

If he continued, he would die.

"I thought I had finally reached the current peak of the ninja world… but I'm still so far away."

His muscles screamed in pain.

With no other choice, Sal forced Shunpō beyond its limit, escaping back to the Land of Fire.

But the price was high.

The chakra points in his legs were destroyed.

It was ironic.

He had helped bring Danzo to judgment, who had been sentenced to have his chakra points destroyed…

But by chasing him, he was the one who suffered that fate.

His body simply couldn't withstand the stress of Shunpō combined with Armament Haki.

The same jutsu that had protected him from the Raikage… also crippled him.

"If I hadn't used this hardening technique, I'd be dead right now."

"But also… it's because of it that I'm like this."

He wasn't an expert in medical jutsu, but he knew enough to realize…

If he didn't find a solution…

His ninja career might be over.