Chapter 33: The Victory of Young Danzo! (Happy New Year!)

"Lord Emiya will be leaving Konoha."

The upper echelons of Konoha had already accepted that this outcome was inevitable. Yet, no one could find a reason to make him stay. Before his departure, Emiya Shirou had spent his time devoted to treating patients at the Konoha Hospital, leaving behind invaluable medical expertise that even the assistants who monitored him felt a sense of shame for their own lack of dedication.

Of course, Tobirama Senju would never be prone to such emotions. Until the lifespan of Hashirama Senju was secured, Tobirama knew the weight of responsibility he carried for Konoha; he would only choose plans that served the village's interests.

At Konoha's Training Ground No. 3, two youths stood ready. They were Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura, both rising stars from Tobirama Senju’s short-term special training. Now fourteen or fifteen, they stood as each other’s final opponents, much like they had during their days at the Ninja Academy.

"Danzo," Hiruzen said, looking at his friend with sincere concern, "let’s treat this as a sparring match. I don't want to hurt you."

"Do you think you’ve already won?" Young Danzo gritted his teeth, his face flushed with the irritation of being looked down upon. "Hiruzen, don't underestimate me! I won't lose to you this time!"

The outcome of this fight was yet to be decided... Did this jerk really think he could just issue a declaration of victory? In the past, he had indeed lost more than he had won. But this time was different; for the final results of this special training, Danzo had sweated more than ever before, and he had mastered even more techniques!

As Tobirama Senju gave the signal to begin, Danzo surged forward instantly, drawing his ninja blade with lightning speed to strike!

"Still so impatient..." Hiruzen smiled and shook his head, pulling two shuriken from his pouch and scattering them. The angles of the throw were devious, one flying to the left and one to the right!

Danzo swatted one shuriken away with his blade and quickly turned the hilt to block the other. He had long been accustomed to Hiruzen’s exceptional shurikenjutsu. He knew full well the mastery Hiruzen possessed; in his hands, even the throwing of tiles and pebbles could be honed to perfection!

No one could deny it—Hiruzen Sarutobi was a true top-tier student. Though everyone considered his personality somewhat flighty, they had to admit his academic performance was excellent, and his ninja foundations were rock solid. Whether it was the most basic chakra refinement, taijutsu, shurikenjutsu, the Three Basic Jutsu, or fundamental ninjutsu, he practiced them all with genuine enthusiasm, never once looking down on the power of these core combat skills.

*Clang!*

A crisp sound of metal striking metal rang out. Hiruzen hooked a kunai with his fingers, waving it to parry the blade coming from Danzo. His demeanor suddenly turned serious. Danzo stared fixedly at Hiruzen’s face, his blade striking three times in rapid succession, only to be blocked completely by that single kunai.

"You’ve been practicing swordsmanship, too..." Danzo glared at his companion with resentment.

"Just some basic sword techniques..." Hiruzen did not boast. The short kunai turned in his hand, allowing him to trade blows evenly with the sharp long blade.

Clearly, this was modesty. Because even the swordsmanship Danzo took such pride in could not overcome Hiruzen, his ego was bruised, and a surge of discontent flared in his heart.

As Danzo forced Hiruzen back with a flurry of blade strikes, he opened his mouth and spat out a sharp gust of Wind Release ninjutsu!

"Wind Release: Vacuum Wave!"

The technique was released with extreme cunning. Even though Hiruzen had anticipated it and tilted his head to dodge, the blade-like, slender current of air still sliced through his hair.

"That’s too dangerous!" A bespectacled youth standing near Tobirama Senju looked on with fear, his heart unsettled as he watched his friends fight. "We’re comrades..."

"Monkey will definitely be able to dodge it," Tobirama said, unfazed and feeling the concern was an overreaction. "Battles between ninjas are never gentle games of house; they are fights where a single mistake can cost you your life..."

Of course, Tobirama had his own confidence. If the two youths were to truly lose their tempers or if a life-threatening danger arose, he had absolute certainty in his ability to stop the fight. After all, he was known as the fastest ninja in the shinobi world.

However, Tobirama also realized something: Danzo’s combat style was indeed a bit excessive, using underhanded tactics meant for enemies against his own comrade. If he hadn't been there, or if the opponent hadn't been the capable Hiruzen, they might have been severely wounded by that treacherous Wind Release.

Wind Release was indeed Danzo’s specialty.

"Wind Release: Shuriken!" A diamond-shaped shuriken appeared between Danzo’s fingers. He spat Wind Release chakra onto it, sending the spinning, razor-sharp projectile flying!

"Earth Release: Earth Wall!" A sturdy stone wall blocked the shuriken.

"Tch!" Danzo showed a hint of disdain, pulling his blade and charging at high speed. He vaulted over the wall, slashing down at Hiruzen, who was hiding behind it!

*Crack!*

A log was sliced in two!

"Substitution Jutsu..." Danzo instantly recognized that the wood was merely a prop for the most basic ninja technique. His eyes darted around, searching for his opponent.

"When did you..."

*Bam!*

He felt a kick to his wrist! The ninja blade flew from his grip before he could react. Danzo retreated rapidly, pressing his back against the wall. He spotted his opponent, reached out to grab the ankle of his rival, blocked a follow-up kick, and forcefully threw the opponent away.

"Truly unexpected, Danzo..." Hiruzen landed on the ground, undeterred, and smiled as he praised his friend. "Your reflexes are much faster than before..."

"I haven't wasted the results of this special training..." Danzo replied coldly. He pulled a kunai from his pocket. His chakra was not abundant; he had to seize this opportunity for close-quarters combat and use it to execute the move that would secure his victory!

"Wind Release: Vacuum Sword!" Danzo breathed a gust of wind onto his kunai, which condensed into an illusory wind blade, and charged once more!

"Hey, hey, hey! That’s cheating!" Hiruzen looked in surprise at the sword formed by the Wind Release technique, pulling his own kunai to meet the charge!

The two youths began another round of combat. This exchange was more intense than any in the past, as their strength had grown significantly through the special training prepared by Tobirama.

Yet, the result of the battle seemed no different from past duels. As the universally acknowledged next generation of Konoha's finest, Hiruzen Sarutobi shattered Danzo’s last shred of hope with his exquisite taijutsu and swordsmanship.

When the fight ended, Hiruzen still had plenty of chakra left, his fist hovering just before Danzo’s face.

"It’s over... Danzo." Hiruzen had held back for his friend, using his ninjutsu primarily to defend. To avoid the fight spiraling out of control and hurting his friend, he had insisted on using taijutsu to decide the outcome.

"Hiruzen..." Danzo raised a finger, looking at his opponent with a contemptuous smirk. "Do you really think you’ve won?"

The next moment, a sudden change occurred!

A black pattern appeared on Hiruzen’s arm, spreading across his body and binding his ability to move!

"Self-Immolation Curse Seal."

"A curse seal planted on an enemy by touching them during the gaps in combat..."

"Once the seal is truly complete, the caster can trigger it at any time to instantly restrict all of the enemy's actions."

Tobirama’s voice appeared in their ears. He introduced the curse seal Danzo had used with a blank expression and personally announced the winner of the duel.

"Monkey, you lost."

"You were too careless in this fight."

"Both of you, come with me. I have the next mission to assign to you. This mission may very well change the future of the entire Konoha, and perhaps even the ninja world..."