"Hmm?"
Although Uchiha Akira had easily taken down the Root ninja with a single punch, he suddenly felt a searing pain in his arm. His arm quickly went numb, and his chakra began to drain away as if it were a flood bursting through a dam.
Uchiha Akira glanced down at his arm, frowning slightly. He saw that his arm had turned a deep purple, and the discoloration was spreading rapidly.
"Poison?" he muttered, realizing the situation. His expression darkened.
He recalled that the ninja he had just defeated was likely from the Aburame clan—a clan known for using insects and poison in battle.
"Did he sacrifice himself just to poison me?" Uchiha Akira thought, finally understanding the ninja's intentions. The ninja hadn't been trying to exploit the opening created by the
Yamanaka clan member's technique to kill him. His sole objective was to ensure Uchiha Akira was poisoned, even at the cost of his own life.
"I can't afford to waste any more time!"
Realizing that he was now poisoned and lacked any knowledge of how to detoxify himself, Uchiha Akira made up his mind to end this battle as quickly as possible.
With that, he executed the Body Flicker Technique, moving toward Danzo with lightning speed.
Whoosh!
But just as he was about to strike Danzo, a large staff came hurtling toward him from a distance.
Uchiha Akira's Sharingan narrowed as he quickly changed his attack trajectory, blocking the incoming staff with his arm. The force behind the staff was immense, and despite his efforts, Uchiha Akira found himself being pushed back hundreds of meters, his legs digging into the ground as he was forced to retreat.
"This staff... Could it extend infinitely?" Uchiha Akira wondered, his Sharingan locking onto the staff that was pinning him down. He knew exactly who was behind this attack.
This was the Adamantine Staff, transformed from Enma, the Third Hokage's summoning beast. In the original story, this staff had been strong enough to knock the Nine-Tails Fox out of Konoha.
As Uchiha Akira prepared to break free, two monkey-like arms emerged from the staff, grabbing onto his wrists and holding him in place.
"This summoning beast... It's stronger than I expected," Uchiha Akira thought, impressed by the staff's capabilities.
But with the Seventh Gate open, Uchiha Akira's chakra was on a whole different level than that of an ordinary ninja.
"Get off me!" he roared, his voice filled with power as he mustered all his strength to break free from Enma's grasp.
With a powerful twist of his body, he executed a Leaf Whirlwind kick, sending the Adamantine Staff flying off to the side.
In the same instant, he activated the Body Flicker Technique once more, continuing his charge toward Danzo.
"Uchiha Akira, stop!" The Third Hokage, clad in his combat gear, appeared as the staff returned to him, shouting urgently.
But Uchiha Akira had no intention of stopping. Things had escalated too far for him to simply back down because of the Third Hokage's command.
With a powerful punch, Uchiha Akira struck at Danzo, his speed and strength reaching their peak.
Danzo's eyes widened in terror as Uchiha Akira's punch hurtled toward him. There was no time to perform any jutsu; all Danzo could do was raise his arm, channeling all his chakra to meet the attack.
Knowing he was outmatched, Danzo still couldn't just stand there and do nothing. Boom!
The force of Uchiha Akira's punch sent Danzo flying as if he had been hit by a tailed beast. He spewed blood mid-air, his entire right arm exploding into a mess of bones, flesh, and blood that rained down everywhere.
Danzo crashed to the ground with a sickening thud, looking like a battered, broken doll.
"If you're down, stay down!" Uchiha Akira thought, noting that Danzo, despite being severely injured, was still alive. A testament to his Kage-level durability, no doubt.
"Uchiha Akira, I command you to stop!" The Third Hokage, having recalled the Adamantine Staff, swung it at Uchiha Akira, his voice filled with urgency.
But Uchiha Akira ignored him entirely. He executed another Body Flicker, his speed surpassing even that of the Third Hokage. He narrowly avoided the Adamantine Staff and appeared right in front of Danzo...