Chapter 798: I Must Not Lose! I Have to Win!
"What?!"
Hiruzen didn’t know the story of what had happened in Uzushiogakure before, nor did he know that Danzō had once willingly asked Tobirama to amputate one of his arms just to gain the trust of the Second Kazekage, Shamon.
Therefore, he didn’t know that Danzō had replaced his right arm with a mechanical prosthetic.
Moreover, Danzō had always used fake skin to cover it—his disguise was so perfect that even Hiruzen had never noticed.
He also never imagined that this seemingly ordinary mechanical arm could transform as flexibly as a puppet. That was truly extraordinary!
Still, considering Danzō had been a spy in Sunagakure, he’d had many opportunities to interact with puppet techniques—so this wasn’t too surprising.
However, Hiruzen clearly underestimated Danzō’s next move.
He never expected that the mechanical arm could not only switch into defense mode but also be equipped with an attack module possessing terrifying power!
When he saw Danzō’s right hand transform into a pitch-black cannon barrel aimed directly at him and charging chakra, Hiruzen felt a chilling danger run down his spine!
"This is bad!"
Hiruzen screamed inwardly. Though he didn’t know what the weapon was, he sensed it was extremely dangerous.
Like a brown bear unaware of the "16mm caliber iron stick" in a human’s hand, yet instinctively sensing death approaching from its ancestors.
Especially since a ninja’s fifth sense was sharper, and their perception of chakra far clearer.
Feeling the danger, Hiruzen almost moved sideways instinctively before his brain could issue the command.
Nerve impulses rapidly traveled along motor neuron axons, instantly reaching muscle junctions.
Hiruzen’s quadriceps muscles contracted fiercely; sarcomeres shortened, chemical energy converted into mechanical energy, then chakra enhancement added explosive force directly to his leg. He kicked the ground hard, launching his body sideways.
At that moment, Hiruzen maximized the effect of Shunshin no Jutsu (Body Flicker Technique). The ground around him collapsed from the explosive force of his kick.
Unfortunately, it still wasn’t fast enough!
At ranges beyond seven steps, a pistol was fast—but a chakra laser cannon at ranges beyond seven steps was faster and more accurate!
*DZZZT—!*
A bluish-green chakra laser suddenly shot from Danzō’s artificial cannon, piercing through the air straight toward Hiruzen.
The speed of the chakra laser was far slower than light, but still beyond what ordinary ninjutsu could match.
It crossed dozens of meters in an instant.
It struck Hiruzen’s left waist directly.
Thankfully, the explosion from the *Shunshin shifted his body by several centimeters, so the laser didn’t pierce straight through.
Instead, it only grazed his left waist, leaving a bleeding, semicircular hole wound three centimeters in diameter.
Though it hadn’t hit vital organs, the injury was serious.
Even a few-centimeter knife slash could cause heavy bleeding—let alone a chakra laser-burned hole.
After this, whether it was intense pain, massive blood loss, or mental and emotional strain...
This wound would severely weaken Hiruzen’s combat strength and drastically reduce his condition.
No choice.
No matter how much Hiruzen valued his friend Danzō, he never expected his opponent would unleash such a treacherous, deadly technique!
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On the other side,
After firing that shot, Danzō’s face turned slightly pale, cold sweat on his forehead.
Clearly, this attack had drained a lot of his chakra too.
One shot consumed over half his chakra—truly terrifying.
But it was all worth it!
Thanks to this deadly technique, he’d successfully wounded Hiruzen severely and for the first time gained full advantage!
(Thank you, Chiyo, and that useless old man!)
Danzō silently thanked them in his heart.
His self-made mechanical arm didn’t just integrate Sunagakure’s puppet techniques—it also incorporated advanced high-energy technology from the future.
All of this was possible only due to full support from Chiyo and Danzō from Parallel World 4.
(Damn it, I’ve never fought alone!)
Danzō glanced at his mechanical right arm. Hot smoke rose from the barrel, clearly still cooling down.
And some mechanical components were severely deformed, seemingly on the verge of breaking.
With the technology provided by Danzō from Parallel World 4, Sunagakure’s current technological level made it extremely difficult to produce such a powerful mechanical arm.
Right now, he couldn’t expect it to function long-term under high stress.
But the battle wasn’t over.
"Hiruzen, how was my technique?"
"Your arm..."
"Don’t talk too much. This wound won’t make you lose your fighting strength, will it? Come on, let’s continue!"
Danzō wore a satisfied smile—he felt a freedom and joy he’d never experienced before.
"..."
Hiruzen clutched the wound on his left abdomen, eyebrows furrowed, eyes filled with shock and sorrow.
He could sense his opponent was fighting desperately to defeat him.
That chakra laser attack, though weaker than Kumogakure’s chakra cannons, was a futuristic trump card.
Despite slightly less raw power, when factoring in speed, accuracy, stealth, and more...
That single chakra laser shot could be considered equivalent to a standard S-rank forbidden technique.
Fortunately, Danzō hadn’t aimed at his chest or head.
If he’d aimed at the head, even a graze on the scalp would’ve sent Hiruzen teetering at death’s door.
And Hiruzen himself knew this—he realized Danzō had held back.
(He really does care about me!)
(Even with his strong desire to win, he couldn’t bring himself to kill me. Danzō... I’m touched...)
(Why aim at my kidney? Couldn’t he have gone for the leg?)
Because of this, Hiruzen already intended to withdraw.
Since Danzō wanted victory so badly, giving it to him in this fight wouldn’t be bad. After all, in the previous exchange, he had indeed fallen behind.
Just as Hiruzen was about to surrender voluntarily, a familiar voice suddenly entered his ear.
"Saru, you can still hold on, right?"
(Sensei?!?)
Hiruzen was shocked—he just realized Tobirama had secretly sent him a private message.
"If you can endure, nod."
Hiruzen obediently nodded.
"Good. Saru, keep fighting well—you must defeat Danzō!"
(Huh?!)
"Don’t ask questions. If you lose, I’ll send you to the moon to mine ore—and forget about Biwako!"
Tobirama from Parallel World 2 perfectly targeted Hiruzen’s weak spot, launching an even more ruthless "kidney strike"! This was far crueler than Danzō’s earlier attack.
(NO!!!) Hiruzen was horrified.
Having tasted the "forbidden fruit" for the first time, he was in a phase where he wanted to experience it endlessly and never let go.
How could he leave Biwako alone while being sent to the moon to mine?
No—this match must not be lost!
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On the other side, Danzō also received a familiar secret message.
"Danzō, great job!"
(Tobirama-sensei!!!)
"Danzō, keep going like this, fight well. If you win this fight, I’ll make you Hokage!"
Tobirama from Parallel World 1 made a promise without moral grounding. Whether he could keep it? That was a problem for later. Clearly, this bet couldn’t be lost.
(WHAT!!!)
Danzō was ecstatic, exhaling hot breath through his nose. His previously pale face quickly turned red with excitement.
He felt like he’d been injected with adrenaline.
(This is the most direct promise and recognition from Tobirama-sensei!)
(Sensei cares about me—he’s always supported me!)
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
At this moment, both Danzō and Hiruzen were filled with motivation and determination they’d never felt before!
Hiruzen pulled out a kunai, breathed fire chakra onto its surface until it glowed red-hot, then bit down and pressed it against the wound on his left waist, cauterizing it shut to stop the bleeding.
Danzō didn’t seize the opportunity to attack—it wouldn’t help. He discarded his nearly broken mechanical arm, then unrolled a scroll, summoning a new replacement. Though its functions weren’t as good as the original, it wasn’t too bad—sufficient for battle.
After half a minute,
Both, now ready, locked eyes again—and the air trembled.
They vanished from their spots, and fierce combat erupted once more.
"I must not lose!"
"I have to win!"
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In the highest seats, both Tobiramas also noticed the shift in confidence from the two fighters below.
They both sensed the determination to win radiating from Danzō and Hiruzen.
Both Tobiramas immediately understood—the other side must have cheated!
"You cunning bastard, what did you do?"
"Cheater, you know what you did yourself."
"What did you say to Saru?"
"What did you say to Danzō?"
"You cheated!"
"What rule bans voice messages? Besides, you did it too, didn’t you?"
"You damn bastard!"
"You’re even more of a bastard!"
The two Tobiramas glared angrily at each other, unable to resist hurling insults.
Students trained by the same teacher couldn’t counter each other’s techniques. But they, being the same teacher, naturally shared the same understanding.
Or rather, equally cunning and ruthless.
For the victory of their chosen side, they shamelessly sent voice messages to provoke the participants—without a shred of embarrassment.
"You two, calm down, be quiet!"
"Don’t be rude in front of Lord!"
Mito couldn’t take it anymore, speaking up again to stop the two Tobiramas’ quarrel.
How shameful!
A Hokage resorting to such petty tricks. If outsiders found out, they’d laugh their heads off.
These two Tobiramas were equally unreliable—neither could be trusted.
"Hmph, you cheated!" muttered the younger Tobirama from Parallel World 1, dissatisfied.
"The same to you. But Danzō’s performance truly exceeded my expectations."
Tobirama from Parallel World 1 was slightly surprised.
He had to admit—he’d underestimated Danzō.
He thought Danzō, as a spy in Sunagakure, wouldn’t have time to train, having lost an arm and an eye—his strength should’ve declined, or at least not progressed.
He never expected Danzō could advance so rapidly, even creating such a mechanical arm for himself.
That laser attack earlier—its power nearly matched Tobirama’s water techniques, and its firing speed was even faster—truly incredible.
"What’s up with his right hand? Can Sunagakure really make something this good?"
"Not sure. Doesn’t seem entirely Sunagakure-made—the technology isn’t from this era."
"What do you mean?"
"Likely from another dimension in the future? Maybe Lord gave him an object connecting him to his future self?"
"Oh! Hahaha, seems Danzō has a great chance to win. Old man, you’re gonna lose, right? Better clean your butt and wait!"
"Hmph! Why so proud? It’s not decided yet. Saru won’t give up easily. And that mechanical arm seems near-breaking. Without puppet tool support, Danzō’s still slightly inferior to Saru..."
"If you’re so confident, why did you cheat earlier?"
"You did too, didn’t you?"
"Tch—!"
"Tch—!"
As the two Tobiramas clashed outside the arena, refusing to be each other’s pawn.
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The battle between Hiruzen and Danzō inside the arena reached its peak.
Both had reasons they couldn’t afford to lose.
By now, they began fighting with their full strength, holding nothing back.
Hiruzen even used the summoning technique Kuchiyose no Jutsu, calling forth Enma, the Monkey King—one of the few beings outside the Three Sacred Places whose strength could rival the summons from sacred locations.
Impossible for a creature capable of catching the Kusanagi sword bare-handed to be weak!
Danzō on the other side refused to fall behind either—he summoned his own summoning beast, Baku.
As a rare wind-element summoning beast, Baku was no joke.
With Baku’s suction power added, Danzō’s wind techniques could even penetrate Susano’o, famed as the strongest defense—proving its worth.
But serious Hiruzen wouldn’t give Danzō another chance.
He immediately ordered Enma to transform into the Ruyi Jingu Staff, gaining a weapon and power far stronger.
Then he controlled the staff, suddenly extending it forward hundreds of meters—with tremendous force, it pierced straight through Baku’s open mouth as it tried to suck in air.
*BAM!*
Baku, struck hard, exploded into a puff of white smoke, vanishing and forced out of the battle.
No choice.
How strong and long was Hiruzen’s staff?
Kurama had experienced it firsthand!
In another parallel world, even 50-year-old Hiruzen still used the Ruyi Staff. He struck Kurama out of Konoha Village—demonstrating Hiruzen’s immense strength and Enma’s power.
Though Hiruzen had only recently signed the contract with Enma, he’d already gained extraordinary strength.
If the angle was right, blowing up Baku wasn’t difficult.
"Give up! You won’t win!"
Hiruzen attacked while trying to persuade him to surrender.
If possible, he truly didn’t want to disable Danzō.
"Nonsense—you won’t win!"
Danzō refused to accept it. Though his summoning beast wasn’t as strong as Hiruzen’s, it didn’t mean he’d lose.
With the backup mechanical arm and his wind-element mastery, he could still withstand Hiruzen’s attacks. If he endured longer, he might get a chance to turn the tide!
After all, Hiruzen’s waist wound was still there. Though it had been cauterized earlier, now with intense movement and combat, it had begun reopening and bleeding again.
If he lasted longer, perhaps Hiruzen himself would collapse from blood loss.
But Hiruzen himself was very aware of this.
So he didn’t want to delay further, delivering a final ultimatum.
"Don’t force me!"
"You don’t force me either!"
"I have a reason why I must not lose!"
"Silence—I have a reason why I must win!"
For the happiness of the rest of their lives, neither Hiruzen nor Danzō could easily surrender—they had to win.
"Then, forgive me!"
"This is a combined technique I just mastered—it’s extremely powerful. Be careful!"
Hiruzen steeled himself, deciding to use his ultimate technique to end this battle.
He quickly created four shadow clones positioned around one side of the arena, working together with his real body to amplify the technique.
"Ninjutsu: Goton: Dairendan no Jutsu!" (Five Elements: Great Continuous Fireball Technique!)