Danzo was indeed still alive, but his current condition was far from good.
When the Root ninja arrived at the center of the explosion, they found Danzo lying in the middle of a massive crater. He was missing an arm, covered in blood, and his breathing was weak.
On his exposed, pale arm, one of the three Sharingan eyes slowly closed.
"Danzo-sama, are you alright?"
The Root Ninjas quickly surrounded Danzo, one of them stepping forward to tend to his wounds while the others remained vigilant, scanning the area for any further attacks.
None of them questioned the bizarre, almost grotesque appearance of Danzo's right arm, nor did they show any fear at the terrifying aftermath of the explosion.
They were Root Ninja, utterly loyal to Danzo. Even if Danzo ordered them to die, they wouldn't hesitate.
"Cough, cough, cough, cough-"
Danzo coughed violently, and one of the Root Ninja quickly handed him a water bottle, holding it to his lips.
He took a small sip, his heart still racing. When he saw the cat-masked man holding that black orb, he could swear he had never felt so close to death.
The imminent threat of death had pushed his aged body to its limits, forcing him to grasp at his last lifeline.
With all his strength, he tore off the bandages on his right arm and, after several failed attempts, finally activated Izanagi just before the explosion hit, narrowly escaping the attack.
Danzo's face showed no relief at having survived. The terror of brushing against death, the strain on his nerves, and the pain of losing an arm left him pale and drenched in cold sweat.
"Where is that woman, Nono?"
Danzo frowned as he asked. The wound from his severed arm was severe, and he needed a skilled medical ninja to treat it. As for whether he could get a new arm, that would depend on Orochimaru.
The Root Ninja who was helping Danzo stop the bleeding was also stunned for a moment. He looked at the people around him and found that Nono was nowhere to be seen.
"She might have been knocked out by that green giant and didn't follow us."
The Root Ninjas had been startled first by Shisui's Susanoo, then by the massive explosion, and finally by finding Danzo at the center of it all. They hadn't had the chance to notice what had happened to Nono.
"Green giant?"
Danzo was momentarily stunned, then his face twisted in rage. He gritted his teeth, a low growl escaping from between them.
Danzo remembered what that green giant was. His teacher, Senju Tobirama, had once told them about the true power of the Mangekyo Sharingan… not just its mysterious Dojutsu, but also the ability to manifest a giant.
The Third Power - Susanoo.
It was a power wielded by Uchiha Madara, the same power that had allowed Madara and Hashirama to found Konoha together. And now, it had slipped through his fingers.
"Kotoamatsukami!"
"My Kotoamatsukami!"
"My Mangekyo Sharingan!"
"Aaaahhhh!"
After a series of agonized cries, Danzo's head slumped, and he passed out.
"Danzo-sama!"
"Danzo-sama!"
"Danzo-sama!"
This scene can be said to have frightened the Root Ninjas, who hurriedly called Danzo's name.
After a thorough check, they realized Danzo had simply fainted from the overwhelming stress.
The position of Hokage had been Danzo's lifelong dream, something he had yearned for but could never attain. That one moment of hesitation in his youth had forever barred him from his dream.
Yet, he had never stopped pursuing it, no matter how difficult the path. He had founded Root, taken on all of Hiruzen's dirty work, and even attempted to assassinate the Hokage, only to fail and forever lose face in front of Hiruzen.
Now, he had been so close to his dream. With Kotoamatsukami and the Mangekyo Sharingan, becoming Hokage would have been within his grasp.
In his mind, with those eyes, unifying the Ninja World might not have been impossible.
But in the end, it was all for nothing.
'That damned masked man!'
"What is that?"
A Sensor-Type Root Ninja suddenly noticed a large group of Ninja approaching from two directions. It was obvious that one group was led by the Hokage and various clan members, while the other was the Uchiha Clan arriving from their compound.
He quickly informed the others, "The Hokage is coming."
Their expressions turned grim as they looked at Danzo's arm. They hurriedly wrapped it back in bandages.
After a quick discussion, they agreed on a unified story and decided to remain silent until Danzo woke up.
After all, with the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal, they couldn't reveal anything detrimental to Danzo.
Sarutobi, accompanied by various clan members, and Fugaku, leading the Uchiha Clan, arrived at the scene simultaneously.
Seeing the massive crater spanning a hundred meters, both sides were stunned. After all, this didn't look like the work of any ordinary Ninjutsu.
After a brief moment of eye contact between the two leaders, Fugaku slowly lowered his head and led the Uchiha Clan's members to stand behind Hiruzen.
Although Fugaku had chosen to back down, the icy glint in Hiruzen's eyes beneath the Hokage's hat was unmistakable.
Fugaku's mood was equally grim. The clan's anger toward the Hokage's faction had been growing stronger. Many clan members had overheard members of the Sarutobi Clan loudly discussing the Uchiha Clan in the streets. Yet, Hiruzen, always wearing a smile, had done nothing to address it. Instead, he had continued to suppress the Uchiha Clan, fueling the voices of the radicals within the clan.
If he had stood behind Hiruzen without a word, his standing within the clan would have suffered.
Hiruzen quickly masked his emotions and turned his attention to Danzo, who lay unconscious on the ground.
Danzo's condition was pitiful. His clothes were in tatters, his body wrapped in bandages that were still soaked with blood. He looked like a man drenched in blood.
Especially when he looked at the cleanly severed arm, a wave of sorrow washed over Hiruzen. Danzo's right arm had already been crippled in the war, and now his left arm was gone. His old friend…
'Perhaps it was time to let Danzo take fewer blames.'
"What exactly happened here?"
Hiruzen frowned as he looked at the Root Ninja. The massive crater could easily become a tourist attraction.
'The power of the Mangekyo Sharingan was truly terrifying.'
To be honest, he was starting to feel some regret.
The leading Root Ninja stepped forward and said, "Hokage-sama, Danzo-sama is the one involved in this battle. I believe we should prioritize his treatment."
Hiruzen then noticed that the Root Ninja were completely unharmed, while Danzo was on the verge of death. He couldn't help but feel puzzled.
'Danzo actually went on to fight Shisui in person?'
Hiruzen found this uncharacteristic of his old friend, but with so many people present, he could only nod. "Take Danzo to receive treatment immediately. Everyone else, follow me to the Hokage Tower for a meeting."
"Yes."
No one objected. A village elder being severely injured within the village, coupled with such a devastating explosion, was no small matter. Fortunately, it had occurred in the Konoha Forest. If it had happened in a place like the commercial district, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
Hiruzen subtly scanned the Uchiha Clan's members present, noticing that Shisui was nowhere to be seen. At this time, a sense of unease crept into his mind.