This Danzo Is Weird!

Nagato had always restrained the violent power within him.

He didn't want to lose control and let this force rampage, potentially hurting others.

Even when he killed enemies to protect Yahiko and Konan, he felt an overwhelming sense of guilt and self-reproach.

But not anymore.

For the first time, he truly understood just how cruel this world was and how unbearable reality could be.

And so...

He would destroy everything before him, annihilate Hanzō—the self-proclaimed hero with his hypocritical facade!

The towering Gedo Statue stood on the battlefield like a demonic deity, its massive shadow looming over everyone like a mountain crushing their hearts.

"What... is this thing?"

"Can we really fight against such a monster?"

The Rain shinobi present were filled with doubt and fear.

Even Hanzō, who had personally fought through two Shinobi World Wars and seen countless battles, was momentarily stunned.

The overwhelming presence of the Gedo Statue left everyone shaken.

It instilled an involuntary sense of helplessness, as if nothing could stand against it.

"Feel pain!"

Nagato had no intention of giving them time to prepare. The statue, as massive as a mountain, suddenly moved, its enormous fist descending like a meteor from the heavens!

With a deafening roar, the unimaginable force seemed to tear the ground apart.

Under such terrifying power, the earth crumbled like tofu.

The Rain shinobi caught beneath the fist were crushed into nothing but pulp.

Even those who had narrowly survived were hurled away by the shockwave—thick with smoke and debris—caused by the impact.

With just one strike, the Rain shinobi suffered devastating losses.

"So this is the power of the Rinnegan?"

Hanzō stared at the enraged Nagato and his deep purple eyes, a flicker of fear showing in his gaze.

This was a man who hadn't flinched when he led the Rain Village, weak as it was, to declare war on three great nations. Yet now, he was afraid.

If only this power could be mine...

Before Hanzō could indulge in fantasies of seizing the Rinnegan, the Gedo Statue's next punch shattered his illusions completely.

As the fist struck, the battlefield seemed to collapse in on itself, the ground cracking and breaking apart.

The psychological pressure was too much for the Rain shinobi, and signs of a complete retreat began to appear.

"Nobody runs!"

"Don't be afraid! It's just big!"

"Use explosive tags to blow it up!"

Hanzō quickly issued commands to prevent his forces from collapsing.

Thanks to years under his leadership, his subordinates obeyed him with remarkable discipline.

They steeled their resolve and hurled a barrage of kunai at the Gedo Statue, each one armed with explosive tags capable of producing powerful blasts.

But Nagato, consumed by rage, paid them no mind. He controlled the Gedo Statue's massive arms to sweep through the attacks.

The explosive tags detonated upon contact with the statue's arm, but the damage amounted to little more than scratches.

After all, the Gedo Statue was the legendary shell of the Ten-Tails. If mere explosive tags could penetrate its defenses, that would be truly absurd.

Faced with an enemy that seemed invincible and a leader who hesitated to act, these two factors combined to shatter the morale of the Rain shinobi entirely.

Watching the scattered Rain shinobi attempting to flee, Nagato's gaze seemed to freeze the air itself.

"No way am I letting you escape!"

His expression twisted into madness, his eyes narrowing with intensity.

In the next moment, black rods extended from the Gedo Statue, piercing directly into Nagato's body.

Fueled by hatred, Nagato began to burn his own life force recklessly. A surge of immense chakra erupted from him, channeling into the Gedo Statue through the black rods.

The Gedo Statue, now filled with this chakra, opened its massive mouth. Under the terrified gaze of all present, a ferocious dragon formed entirely of chakra burst forth.

A sense of overwhelming dread and terror enveloped the Rain shinobi. Instinctively, they tried to flee, but the purple chakra dragon was far too fast. Before they could even react, it was already upon them.

In an instant, the abyss-like maw of the dragon devoured them all.

Inside the dragon, their chakra was drained in mere moments, leaving them as hollowed husks, as if their souls had been stolen by a demon.

Witnessing this, Hanzō's pupils contracted sharply. He no longer had the courage to challenge Nagato. Overcome with terror, he abandoned his loyal subordinates and fled with his signature teleportation technique, leaving in disgrace.

---

Even from several kilometers away, the colossal form of the Gedo Statue was still clearly visible.

"So this is the power of the Rinnegan?"

Aburame Ryoma stared at the godlike figure in disbelief.

It was hard to blame him—anyone witnessing such a display of power would feel a deep sense of despair.

"Well, it is said to be the eyes of the legendary Sage of Six Paths. A bit of exaggeration is only natural," Danzō remarked, leaning on his cane, his expression inscrutable as he observed the Gedo Statue's rampage from afar.

He had removed his mask, revealing his Sharingan, which had turned gray—a side effect of using Izanagi.

As one of the Uchiha clan's forbidden techniques, Izanagi allowed its user to turn illusions into reality and reality into illusions.

Danzō had used this technique to nullify the reality of being fatally struck by Hanzō, enabling him to escape unscathed.

The reason? It was simple: to gain Nagato's trust and goodwill.

According to the system, the stronger the target's gratitude, the better the skill rewards he could receive.

So, Danzō went all in, staging his "death" to leave a deep impression on Nagato and pave the way for future cooperation between Root and the Akatsuki.

As the second major antagonist in the saga of Sharingan legends, the pressure emanating from the Rinnegan was immense.

Apart from a select few—like the hidden Madara Uchiha or the sealed Kaguya Ōtsutsuki—there was almost no one who could rival Nagato at his peak.

Thus, gaining influence over and guiding the Akatsuki was a critical step in Danzō's quest to become the ultimate savior of the shinobi world.

"The battle seems to be over, Lord Danzō," Aburame Ryoma said, pointing to the now-quieting battlefield.

Danzō nodded. "It seems so."

Earlier, he had seen the purple chakra dragon soaring through the sky, which likely meant that old Hanzō had already fled the scene.

It was ironic—once a "Demi-God," Hanzō now lacked even the courage to face a strong opponent.

Time truly softens even the sharpest blades.

Then again, wasn't the original Danzō much the same?

He had clung to life during numerous wars for the sake of his ambition for the Hokage seat, only to end up as a mere temporary Sixth Hokage in the end.

But such a fate would not be repeated.

Danzō's gaze burned as he looked toward the battlefield.

"Don't let me down, Nagato."