The Adventurous Gamer Ninja - Daichi Hekima

In an instant, the atmosphere shifted. The Root ninjas, despite their injuries, sprang into action with renewed ferocity. They launched themselves at the Anbu, weapons drawn and jutsu at the ready. Even though Hawk was taken aback by their sudden aggression, he reacted swiftly thanks to instincts honed from years of combat.

"Fire Style - Great Fireball jutsu!" One of the Root ninjas who was proficient at ninjutsu unleashed a massive fireball, aiming to engulf the Anbu in flames.

Hawk countered by weaving hand signs and releasing a powerful gust of wind. "Wind Style - Great Breakthrough!" The wind blast met the fireball, causing an explosive collision that sent shockwaves through the chamber.

Meanwhile, Anbu Tiger was already moving. He engaged the other Root ninja in close-quarters combat, their movements invisible to the ordinary naked eye. The Root shinobi aimed a series of rapid strikes, but Tiger deflected each blow with perfect precision. He then retaliated with a swift, brutal knee to the gut, followed by a spinning kick that sent the enemy crashing into a wall.

Before the Root ninja could gather his bearings, several kunai riddled his body. He took his last breath and something close to regret flashed in his eyes before they closed forever.

The last Root ninja, undeterred by the chaos, formed hand signs and called out, "Earth Style Earth Flow Spears!"

Once again spikes of earth erupted from the ground, forcing Tiger to dodge and weave through the deadly terrain. Hawk saw the earth spikes coming and leaped into the air, barely avoiding them.

The two Anbu landed and Hawk's eyes flashed with anger. He quickly formed hand signs for another jutsu. "Water Style - Water Dragon Bullet!"

He spit out a large amount of water and a massive water dragon was created. It surged forward and crashed through the earth spikes and barreled towards the Root ninja. The watery beast roared as it almost collided with the enemy.

"Earth Style - Defense dome jutsu." The root ninja quickly gathered his chakra and created a powerful wall that protected him from the raging water dragon. Hawk focused his ninjutsu and had the water dragon crash into the earth wall several times until it finally broke.

But just before he could deal the final blow, Hawk fell forward with ragged breath. "It looks like I'm at the end of my ropes." With those words he closed his eyes and fell unconscious.

Tiger knelt and placed a hand on his body. He examined his friend's vials and after a few seconds let out a breath of relief. 'It's chakra exhaustion. Not surprising. He's been using several high intensity jutsu since the battle started.'

"Rest Easy. I'll handle the rest." Tiger stood and spread out his senses. He quickly located the enemy and moved in.

The final Root ninja, cornered and desperate, unleashed a flurry of shuriken infused with explosive tags at the oncoming enemy. Tiger dodged the projectiles, but one exploded nearby, sending debris and smoke into the air. Through the haze, the Anbu saw the last Root ninja charging at them, a kunai aimed for their throat.

With a swift motion, the Tiger-masked Anbu caught the ninja's wrist, twisting it with a sickening crack. The kunai fell to the ground as the Root ninja gasped in pain. Tiger's eyes were cold and determined as he delivered a final strike to the ninja's chest, sending him crumpling to the floor.

The chamber fell silent once more as the atmosphere was filled with the scent of smoke and blood. The Root ninjas lay on the ground, defeated and lifeless, their defiance met with the harsh reality of combat.

Tiger stood amidst the aftermath, breathing heavily. His mask concealed his expressions, but his posture revealed the weight of what had transpired.

Th lone Anbu looked all around him. He understood why the Hokage took action and knew Danzo needed to be stopped. But he was not happy.

The Root ninjas were part of the village and he had hoped to avoid further bloodshed, but the loyalty and determination of Danzo's followers had left them with no choice.

The battle was over, but Tiger knew the consequences of this conflict would resonate far beyond the walls of the Root base. He turned his head and glanced in Lord Hokage's direction.

'It looks like that battle is almost over.'

Hiruzen vs Danzo (Few Minutes ago)

Amid the chaos, Hiruzen closed the distance between himself and Danzo.

As the two veteran shinobi clashed Danzo spoke. "Hiruzen… Whether you win or I do… This will be the last battle between us. So you better not hold back."

Hiruzen scoffed as he dodged a slash. "I never had any intentions of restraining myself from the start of this fight. I'll show the courtesy of fighting you with all my strength. After all, it's the least I could do… For an old friend."

Adamantine staff met two kunai enhanced with strong wind chakra nature. The two elders exchanged blows with lethal precision while dodging strikes that would have killed them. Their skills were a testament to their decades of experience as a shinobi. ꭆã

Hiruzen's staff, Enma, transformed into its adamantine form and swung with deadly force. Danzo countered with swift, fast strikes, parrying the blows to bleed off the opposing force even as blood continued to drip from his shoulder wound.

"Earth Style - Earth Dragon Bullet!" Hiruzen summoned a dragon-shaped torrent of earth, which surged towards Danzo with destructive force.

Danzo, undeterred, performed a single seal. "Wind Style - Vacuum Bullets!" Compressed air bullets shot out, shattering the earthen dragon and sending debris flying.

As they clashed, Hiruzen found an opening. With a swift, decisive movement, he thrust Enma forward, aiming for Danzo's chest.

Danzo twisted to the side and avoided a fatal blow but received a deep gash across his torso. He staggered back and was breathing heavily as tiredness creeped through his body. But his eyes still blazed with defiance.

"You're weakening, Danzo. Surrender now." Hiruzen demanded with a stern voice.

"Never!" Danzo roared. He formed another series of seals, preparing a final attack.

"Wind Style - Vacuum Great Sphere!" A massive sphere of wind chakra formed, its power immense despite Danzo's near depleted state.

Hiruzen braced himself and quickly gathered his chakra. "Earth Style - Mud Wall!" A thick barrier of earth rose, absorbing the brunt of the attack, but the force of Danzo's attack sent Hiruzen skidding back.

The battlefield was a scene of devastation as the fight raged on around them. Root and Anbu operatives fought fiercely, but it was clear that Anbu ninjas had the advantage.

Summoning more of his strength, Hiruzen pressed forward. Danzo was equally unwilling to give up to his rival. Even with bleeding wounds he rushed forward and attacked with a rare ferocity.

The two veteran ninjas clashed again. Hiruzen's staff met Danzo's kunai in a flurry of strikes. The blade in Danzo's hands hummed with a sharp, cutting aura, capable of slicing through nearly anything.

But the Third Hokage's experience and versatility began to show, his attacks becoming more precise and relentless. Enma, in his adamantine staff form, was unyielding as he parried and blocked the wind-chakra-infused kunai.

The sound of wind chakra enhanced metal clashing with the hardened staff echoed through the corridor in a strange rhythm like the symphony of a deadly battle. Sparks flew as the two former comrades engaged in an intense taijutsu bout, each move was a precise display of power and technique.

'To think he could still fight like this. It's no wonder he thought he could challenge my position. Either I've gotten too weak in my old age or Danzo has gotten a lot stronger than before. I suppose I have to attribute some of that strength to Lord Hashirama's cells in him… It seems his battle senses are sharpening. Guess those memories of long ago are coming back huh old friend?' Hiruzen didn't show any emotions on his face but he was impressed with the man.

What he didn't know was that Danzo was feeling a similar sentiment.

'I never expected you to be so cautious and calculating. Especially at this time. To launch an attack on me even during such a tumultuous time… Then again if I was in your position I would have done the same. It looks like you've reached your breaking point with me huh. Perhaps if you had such nerves years ago we could have avoided all this.' Despite the situation Danzo had begrudging respect for his rival.

Danzo knew that if he was the Hokage he wouldn't have allowed another force inside the village to go unchecked for so long.

Despite their inner thoughts and feelings they didn't relent or back down even for a moment, as they both believed that their methods were the right ones.

The battle raged on and Danzo's strikes were fierce and relentless, but Hiruzen, with his calm composure, skillfully countered each one. Using Enma's versatility, he extended the staff to force Danzo back, then retracted it to deliver swift, precise blows.

Danzo was forced several steps back and Hiruzen immediately used a single seal. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" 'I'm running out of chakra. I won't be able to use clone jutsu for much longer. I have to end this fast.'

The old kage created two clones, each wielding an Enma staff. They surrounded Danzo and began attacking from all sides. Danzo, already weakened, struggled to fend off the barrage. He struggled but finally destroyed the clones while taking several injuries.

But in that moment, with a final decisive strike Hiruzen disarmed Danzo, knocking the kunai from his grasp and sending him sprawling to the ground. He stood over his former comrade, breathing heavily but with a determined expression..

"It's over, Danzo," Hiruzen said. His voice was filled with finality. "For the future of the village, you have to be stopped."

Danzo glared up at Hiruzen. "You're not the only one with tricks up his sleeve."

Hiruzen's eyes narrowed and then suddenly he felt an unnatural stiffness in his body. As Hiruzen stood over Danzo, ready to deliver a finishing blow, he felt his muscles lock. His body refused to move as an invisible force bound him in place. A curse seal was spreading through his body.

Danzo's lips curled into a cold smile as he rose to his feet. He brushed off the dust and took several deep breaths of air. "You underestimated me, Hiruzen," he said, a glint of triumph in his eyes. 'Self-Binding Curse: Paralysis.'

The next moment Danzo coughed up a wad of blood and fell to one knee. It took several moments for him to steady himself and get back to both feet again. With blood dripping down his chin and torso, Danzo had a ferocious expression.

Hiruzen gritted his teeth, realizing he had fallen into Danzo's trap. 'This is a Hexagram curse seal. The Paralysis technique that can be placed on an opponent with contact. He must have placed it on me when we were fighting at close range.'

The curse was a powerful technique, paralyzing anyone within its range.

As the Hokage struggled against the invisible bonds, Enma sensed the danger. In a puff of smoke, he transformed back into his Monkey King form to help his summoner, but before he could react, Danzo was already upon him.

Channeling wind chakra into his hand, Danzo's arm became a deadly weapon, sharp and cutting like a blade yet wielding the force of a sledge hammer. With a swift motion, he struck Enma, sending the powerful summon crashing into the wall on the other side of the chamber. The impact was forceful and Enma let out a grunt of pain as he fell to the ground, momentarily stunned.

Danzo turned his attention back to Hiruzen who remained paralyzed. "For too long, you've held me back," Danzo snarled, his voice filled with years of pent-up resentment. "But no more."

Summoning the wind chakra to his hand once more, Danzo prepared to deliver a decisive blow. His hand glowed with a dangerous aura, ready to slice through flesh and bone. He moved with the intent to strike, but a sudden burst of smoke interrupted him.

Enma, despite the earlier attack, had quickly recovered and was now interposing himself between Danzo and Hiruzen.

"You will not touch Hiruzen," Enma growled, his eyes burning with protective fury. His arms extended, turning into staff-like limbs as he blocked Danzo's wind-infused hand. The clash of wind chakra and Enma's adamantine strength created a shockwave, sending dust and debris swirling around them.

Danzo staggered back, surprised by Enma's resilience. The momentary distraction was enough for Hiruzen to muster his willpower and remaining chakra and push against the curse's effects. With a last surge of chakra, he broke free from the paralysis and felt the invisible bonds snapping like fragile threads.

Danzo's eyes widened in shock as Hiruzen, who was now free, moved with the speed and precision of a seasoned warrior. Gripping Enma in staff form once again, the Hokage slammed the adamantine staff into the ground, creating a shockwave that destabilized the area and took away the enemy's footing.

"Danzo, this is the end!" Hiruzen swung his weapon with all his might. The staff extended, catching Danzo off guard and it landed a solid blow to his midsection. The old Root leader was sent flying, crashing into the far wall with a thunderous impact.

The room fell silent for a moment, the echoes of the battle slowly fading. The Hokage stood tall, breathing heavily but his eyes fixed on the fallen Danzo. The Root leader lay crumpled against the wall and struggled to move. His breath ragged and his vision went blank for a second.

Breathing heavily, Danzo struggled to rise as he glared at Hiruzen with a mix of hatred and respect. "You always were stronger, Hiruzen," he muttered, coughing up blood.

The Hokage looked down at his old comrade with slight pity in his eyes. 'He doesn't have much chakra left. But then again neither do I... What will you do now, Danzo? Will you surrender or will you fight to the bitter end? I'll let you end this on your own terms.'

The Hokage waited for Danzo to make his choice.

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Author's Note:

If you like my story and want to read ahead, then check out my P.a.T.R.E.0.N page. I've uploaded up to 30 additional chapters there.

Patre /MonkWithAPen (No space)