Reborn in the Mist

The rain fell in relentless sheets, hammering against the muddy ground like thousands of tiny needles. It clung to their skin, cold and heavy, soaking through their clothes, while the air tasted of metal and wet stone. The ROOT shinobi moved in near silence, the squelch of their boots in the thickening mud the only sound accompanying the steady drumming of rain. Every breath they took felt damp, weighed down by the humid air, yet they pressed on, their presence like a spear cutting through the storm.

Their feet propelled them further in tight groups of twelve and thirteen. Danzo's group lead three others, within it he was flanked by Tatsuma Aburame and Kinoto. Moving as a spearhead unit they had travelled well into the territory and were within the first of Amegakure's border towers.

They were well received.

Hundreds of kunai and shuriken hissed through the air, slicing through the rain like silver serpents. The sharp clang of metal on metal echoed in the narrow spaces between them as ROOT shinobi deflected the projectiles with precise, rapid motions. The smell of damp earth mixed with the acrid scent of gunpowder as paper bombs exploded in the distance, sending tremors through the ground that Danzo felt even beneath his feet. Despite the chaos, his shinobi moved as phantoms, their breaths controlled, their bodies slipping through the barrage unscathed.

Danzo hummed with some satisfaction at his ROOTs competency. Perhaps I've understated the threat. He mused and soon found that thought satisfactory as well. His shinobi didn't hesitate to apply the most effective method to the task, they didn't stutter over delegation or hierarchy. 

The reason Alpha, Beta and Gamma infiltration divisions were obliterated was simply because he failed to put the right method to the task. The Rinnegan surely had powers and abilities he couldn't comprehend as of yet, it was the Dojutsu of legend regardless of whether an idealistic child was wielding it or not.

His confidence in his ROOTs ability renewed, Danzo pressed the charge and allowed his shinobi continue to perform and impress him. Two large towers set apart by a small distance fired [Fuma Shuriken] at them. Once more their impeccable skill shone through as his ROOT countered while pressing their offence with calculated strikes at the tower's base and peak.

""Fire Release: Fireball!""

At least three of his ROOT spat out giant balls of fire at the towers, the blazing orbs of flame lit up the rainy battlegrounds. The Amegakure defenders proved their worth as well, countering with manifestations of Water Release.

Despite the environmental advantage one tower was simply too weak to present against the force of his ROOT tri-jutsu executions. The middle exploded inwards, tiles and blocks scattering to the mud as the structure collapsed in on itself. 

The second tower met its fate just as quick, without Danzo looking a ROOT-nin or a group had turned the slick muddy ground into an inescapeable pit of doom with Earth Release. As per their strategy Danzo zipped past, leading the rest forward as some stayed behind to ensure the full removal of their obstacles.

They travelled unbothered for a moment, most of the ROOT left behind caught up and they dashed between two more guard towers before Danzo's senses picked up a collection of chakra signatures up ahead.

He narrowed his sights at the enemy. Their shinobi had come out in full force to face them rather than use their village walls to their advantage. Fools. Danzo considered them for a moment and decided that even if they did choose to defend from their walls it wouldn't be able to repel them.

Amegakure stood beyond the congregation of its some four hundred defenders. The massive industrial village pumped the air with smoke and other likely toxins, Danzo spotted the last towers they would have to breach before completing their invasion of the village. Two towers connected by a broad, green gate.

Despite his contingent being nearly seven times outnumbered by the Amegakure defenders, Danzo didn't stop sprinting. He reached and unsheathed his sword from its scabbard on his back, forcing Kinoto and Tatsuma to give him space.

"Amegakure shinobi! The enemy comes, the enemy does not buckle and neither shall we! We lay our lives for our village, for Tenshi-sama, for-!" A kunai trailed by a paper bomb lodged in the bold man's throat, he clawed at the hissing paper but was far too busy choking on his blood to stop his head from being blown off.

More like it followed into the crowd of shinobi before the inexperienced fodders snapped to attention and charged Danzo's ROOT. Danzo dove into the horde, his blade carving through flesh with a wet, sickening sound. He felt the brief resistance of muscle and bone as he severed limbs, the warmth of fresh blood splattering against his rain chilled skin. The metallic scent of it filled the air, mixing with the acrid stench of sweat and fear that clung to the Amegakure shinobi. Eyes widened in horror, mouths opened in silent screams.

A mad-nervous shinobi shrieked and lunged at him with an axe. Danzo twitched his fingers at his pouches but Kinoto was already deflecting the man's strike, lightning crackled over his blade and within three slashes the man's head was sliced in half.

Danzo had already moved on to his next victim, an Ame-nin wielding a broad club swung at his head but he caught the strike with his special arm. The broad club slammed down onto Danzo's bandaged arm with a dull thud, but the limb didn't budge. The force of the strike reverberated up the weapon, sending a faint tremor through the handle and into his attacker's hands. Danzo barely felt the impact, his arm unnaturally solid, as though carved from ironwood. 

The Ame-nin's face twisted in shock, his eyes wide as his strike was absorbed without so much as a flinch. And yet Danzo idly thought, I could have caught that as easily with my natural arm. Danzo stopped comparing the two, no feeling was better than slight inconvenience anyday. He swiftly disarmed the Ame-nin and whipped him across the jaw with his own weapon.

Teeth splattered across the mud but to the man's credit he not only remained standing but reared a cocked fist from his smacked position, delivering a not insignificant punch that a bed of bugs spared Danzo from. The bugs instantly overcame the man, digging into his flesh and crawling into his eyes, mouth and nose as he screamed.

Tatsuma Aburame was very well at a disadvantage underneath the rain, but his [Kikachu] had already eaten the chakra and corpses of many Ame-nin in the short time the battle began. Nothing to worry about there. Tatsuma was as reliable as ever.

"Water Release: Gunshot!"

Danzo nimbly sidestepped a flurry of concussive water blasts, his feet dashed out in a zig-zag pattern that infuriated his attack and before they could do the sensible thing and retreat, Danzo had him. His fingers cracked and popped as he flipped through thirteen hand seals in a seconds, chakra spilled from his palms and with a centred strike to the gut, Danzo sent the man flying.

His body slammed against his mates and the accompanying release of Wind sent multiple tumbling through the mud, entangled in themselves. Four kunai trailed by paper bombs impaled and landed near the unfortunate Ame-nin. Danzo moved away from the resulting explosion, acknowledging Kinoto's assistance by maiming an Ame-nin behind him.

It had only been a few minutes but Danzo was quickly running out of opponents. His ROOT moved ahead of him, none wishing to let their Lord do more than their share. They mowed down Ame-nin after Ame-nin without mercy.

Blazing balls of fire lit up pairs of defenders, lightning paralyzed another half dozen, earth made quick burials and the gems of his battalion turned the enemy against themselves. Whether Yamanaka Mind Swapping or mere Genjutsu, Danzo did not know, all he saw was Amegakure's gates and the blood that would soak them.

"Lord Danzo!" To his shame it was only after his ROOT raised alarm and leaped to tackle him did Danzo sense the enemy above. Sheets of razor-sharp paper fell from the sky like deadly rain, slicing through the air with a harsh, metallic hiss. The paper blades buried themselves in the mud with dull thuds, some striking the ground so hard that they left narrow, clean cuts in the earth. 

While Danzo swiftly waved his sword and deflected the heavy shower of rain with his bandaged arm, those unfortunate enough to be caught in the shower screamed as the paper tore through flesh. Even the ROOT-nin that sensed the attack a beat earlier than he had a sheet of paper in lodged his back.

Danzo scowled behind his mask and shook his waist free of the gurgling, gasping ROOT-nin and faced the new enemy. He was not the only subject of their aerial attack, long, thin and pointed paper planes struck all across the field, creating a partition where vigilant ROOT-nin were forced to back away from the raw fodder of Amegakure's defenders.

Kinoto and Tatsuma fell to his side, their chakra roaring at the ready as three half paper bodies of a blue haired woman in an Akatsuki cloak looked down on them. Danzo recognized her instantly. The woman Hanzo threatened to kill that day…the one that made that boy go mad with the Rinnegan's power.

Her presence alone confirmed and validated all of ROOTs actions up till now, the Akatsuki, a threat to Konoha had taken over Amegakure and was possibly threatening Kirigakure now. Danzo didn't see it as clearly as he did now that all the pieces were in their predicted places but he saw it now, this could be yet another hotbed for a Shinobi World War. Kumo, Kiri, Iwa and even Suna would extend themselves for a chance to capture the power of the Rinnegan when it was in the hands of a group widely regarded as terrorists or mercenaries depending on what government was speaking.

"Danzo Shimura, you are trespassing." All three of the blue-haired women spoke, their voices overlapping in an eerie unison. Danzo would laugh if he weren't on the battlefield for a purpose, the imitation of godly aspects to fool a fodder village like Amegakure into worship.

With a pinch of disdain he answered, "You are the one they call Tenshi, the Angel of the Rain. Your jutsu is strong but paper wings do not grant one true flight or freedom nor do they grant you godhood." As the two sides of the blood drowned battlefield spectated, Danzo pointed up at her with his sword, "Your delusions will not protect you. You dared to attack a great shinobi village and dared again to plot terror behind Konoha's back. You executed Hanzo the Salamander and couped his nation for your mercenary means, the Akatsuki's time has come now, surrender now or die."

Her blank, unamused expression did not change as he said this, her lips merely parted as her paper wings stretched, "This will be your last warning, continue to violate Amegakure's sovereignty and-"

Amegakure behind her rocked with a series of explosions, towering metal structures toppled and crashed loudly in a mushroom cloud of smoke and dust. A moment passed before a massive sword cut through the dust, a giant flaming ball followed and dispersed the smoke. The fireball lit up the scene, revealing a giant toad manoeuvring away from the crumbling chaos. The fireball continued soaring in the opposite direction the Toad hopped but seemed to fizzle out of existence without delivering any further explosive damage.

Both Danzo and the so-called Angel were startled enough by the sudden explosion of battle to pause and watch but Danzo smirked behind his mask, it was not the outcome he wished for but it was what he was getting. Without a second to waste he flipped through hand seals and blew a gust of slicing winds to coat his sword.

He reached underneath the mask and pulled away the bandages on his right-eye before fueling the organ with chakra. The Sharingan activated behind his mask and without another word from the surprised Angel, he pressed the advantage, leaping to deliver a decapitating slice her wings swiftly came up to deflect.

The wind chakra surged along the edge of his blade, a sharp whistle accompanying each swing as it tore through the air. Residual gusts cut at the Angel's wings, the slicing winds leaving thin, precise lines in the paper as her jutsu buckled against his semi-aerial onslaught. The Angel flexed, chakra surged and the force and weight of her wings pushed Danzo aside once his blade connected, her wind chakra pulsed against his own, blasting him back behind the lines of his ROOT.

The two glared at each other before roaring, ""Kill them!""