Chapter 23: Chapter 23: The Goal Is Achieved
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Tsunade's head was pounding.
She couldn't believe what she was witnessing.
Right before her eyes, Naruto had just gouged out Danzo's right eye—right in the middle of the Hokage's office, in front of the entire Konoha leadership.
Danzo stood there, blood streaming down the right side of his face where his eye used to be, his only remaining eye filled with pure rage.
Tsunade didn't know what to say or how to react. How was she supposed to explain this?
More than anything, she was trying to figure out what the hell Naruto was thinking.
Didn't he say he was going to reveal the truth about the Fourth Hokage? Then why the hell was he pressing Danzo's eyeball into a culture flask?!
And more importantly—how dare he?!
This wasn't just defying orders. This was outright treason!
In the middle of the Hokage's office, in front of the village elders, in front of her, he had assaulted a high-ranking official and mutilated him.
Jiraiya and Kakashi were equally stunned.
But no one was more shocked than Danzo himself.
If someone had told Danzo before today that Naruto Uzumaki would gouge out his eye in the Hokage's office, he would've laughed in their face. Even if he imagined himself in Naruto's position, he wouldn't have dared to pull something like this.
Back when he took Shisui's Sharingan, he made sure to do it in secret, with a squad of Root operatives backing him. He had planned every step meticulously, even preparing to kill Shisui afterward to eliminate any loose ends.
After all, he still had to operate within Konoha.
But Naruto?
Naruto had just flipped the entire damn table.
And that was exactly why Danzo had let his guard down. He had never considered the possibility that someone would attack him here.
Naruto had taken advantage of that blind spot.
With a sudden ambush, he had succeeded in stealing his eye.
Now, staring at Danzo, Naruto let out a cold sneer.
"Danzo-sama, how does it feel? Back when you ripped out Uchiha Shisui's eye, did you ever think a day like this would come?"
The moment Naruto spoke, the entire room froze.
The ANBU, the advisors, and even Jiraiya hesitated.
Kakashi's lone eye widened in shock. "Naruto! Are you saying that eye is—"
"Shisui Uchiha's Sharingan," Naruto finished. "What, you thought I was bluffing? Why else would I bother taking it?"
With that, Naruto pulled out a small glass container filled with a preservation liquid and dropped the stolen Sharingan inside.
Shizune's breath caught in her throat.
That flask—she recognized it.
Not long ago, Naruto had come to her asking for a biological culture fluid. He had even claimed he needed it to raise a tadpole summon.
Now, it all made sense.
Naruto had planned this from the very beginning.
Danzo's face twisted in fury. His hand clenched into a shaking fist.
"That eye was given to me by Shisui! Stop spewing lies!" he growled, his voice filled with barely contained rage.
Then, he turned to Tsunade.
"Tsunade! If you don't kill Naruto right now, I swear on the foundation of Root, I will hunt him down myself!"
Naruto scoffed, placing the container safely into his pouch. "Relax, Danzo-sama. We're not done yet."
Buzz!
In a blink, Naruto vanished.
Danzo barely had time to register the movement before—
"I'll be taking your right arm too."
Naruto's voice came from right behind him.
Danzo spun around in horror, his instincts screaming danger.
But he was too slow.
There was a flash of steel.
Then, with another flicker of Flying Thunder God, Naruto reappeared where he had stood before—this time, holding Danzo's severed right arm in his hand.
Silence filled the room.
Tsunade's eyes widened.
Kakashi was too shocked to react.
Even Jiraiya, who had seen countless battles, felt his stomach drop.
That move—
It was the Second Stage of the Flying Thunder God.
A technique perfected by Naruto's father, the Fourth Hokage.
Everyone turned to look at Danzo.
He was in shambles.
His right eye was gone. His right arm was gone.
His only remaining eye was no longer burning with rage.
It was filled with fear.
For the first time in his life, Shimura Danzo was afraid.
Kakashi rushed to his side, his Sharingan scanning the room for any further threats.
Shizune immediately began working to stop Danzo's bleeding, wrapping bandages around the stump of his arm.
The ANBU quickly formed a protective formation around Tsunade.
Koharu and Homura, the two senior village advisors, stepped back instinctively, their faces pale.
They had never feared Naruto before.
But now, they did.
Jiraiya clenched his fists, his voice shaking with restrained anger.
"Naruto! Do you have any idea what you've just done?!"
Naruto ignored him.
Instead, he reached down and ripped the bandages off Danzo's severed arm.
Everyone sucked in a breath.
What was revealed underneath sent chills through the room.
The pale, unnatural skin.
The multiple Sharingan eyes embedded along the limb.
And most of all—
The Hashirama Senju cells.
Tsunade's expression darkened. "That arm… Those are my grandfather's cells."
Jiraiya's gaze hardened. The metallic sealing tags wrapped around the limb—it was clear that the arm required constant suppression.
Which meant Danzo had been hiding something dangerous.
Naruto looked at Danzo mockingly. "Danzo-sama, with all these Sharingan in your arm, suppressing them must've been a real pain. Look how kind I am—I saved you the trouble."
Danzo's breathing was ragged. His entire body trembled from blood loss.
But what shook him more than his injuries was the way Naruto was looking at him.
"Who… are you?" Danzo whispered hoarsely.
Because this wasn't the Naruto Uzumaki he knew.
Jiraiya took a step forward, his voice tense. "Naruto… You do realize what your actions mean, don't you?"
Naruto inhaled slowly, then exhaled.
"I do. But I had to do this."
Jiraiya's gut twisted.
Nagato had once strayed down a dark path.
And now, it seemed Naruto was doing the same.
Tsunade's voice was calm but firm. "Naruto, return Danzo's arm and eye. We can still talk this out."
Danzo's face twisted in hatred.
"No! I want him dead!"
Naruto sighed and spread his hands. "See, Grandma Tsunade? I'm out of options here."
Then, he turned to Danzo, his expression unreadable.
"Don't worry, Danzo-sama. I'm not going to kill you."
Danzo's eye widened in disbelief.
Naruto smirked.
"Your hands are stained with the blood of the Uchiha. It wouldn't be right if I took your life."
He turned, tossing Danzo's arm onto the floor.
"I'll leave that honor to Sasuke."
Then, in a single motion, he vanished in a Flying Thunder God flash.
Jiraiya called out after him. "Naruto! Where are you going?!"
Naruto's voice echoed back.
"Don't worry, Sensei. You'll be hearing my name again soon enough."
Jiraiya's fists clenched.
"So you're defecting from Konoha."
Naruto's tone was emotionless.
"No matter what Konoha does to me…"
"I will always be Naruto Uzumaki."
Then, he was gone.