Chapter 274: Preconceived Notions!

"Hmm… looks like Shimura Danzō isn't stupid after all…"

Standing atop the rooftop of a small building, Uchiha Ren looked down at the massive crater below and couldn't help but sigh in admiration.

Back when he watched the anime in his previous life, Ren had always felt that the battle between Shimura Danzō and Uchiha Sasuke existed purely to highlight Sasuke's strength.

Logically speaking, Danzō was a seasoned veteran who had survived countless battles. In terms of combat experience and battlefield awareness, he shouldn't have been inferior to a newly grown Sasuke at all.

Yet during their fight, Danzō had treated Izanagi, a trump card capable of deciding the outcome of a battle, as if it were a basic attack.

He had even done something as absurd as stabbing Susanoo with a kunai.

Did Danzō not know about Susanoo?

Did he not understand how terrifying its power was?

Obviously, that was impossible.

Even if Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others might not fully understand the strength of Susanoo, Danzō certainly did.

After all, in the original storyline, Danzō had once forced Uchiha Shisui to use Susanoo. His Root organization had paid a heavy price for that encounter.

Having suffered greatly against Susanoo before, how could Danzō possibly underestimate it?

Therefore, when Danzō fought Sasuke, he must have been forcefully nerfed by the plot.

But now, without such "plot-induced stupidity," Danzō naturally wouldn't make those low-level mistakes. With Izanagi as his safety net, he had chosen a mutual-destruction strategy, repeatedly dragging his enemies into suicidal attacks that Hiruzen and the others simply could not avoid.

"From the sound of it, Clan Head Uchiha seems to know what ability Elder Danzō just used?"

Beside him, Shikaku Nara  had overheard Ren's muttering and immediately sensed something. Turning toward him, he asked the question.

Everyone present had witnessed Danzō's actions just now. His bizarre ability to seemingly die and come back to life had left them stunned.

Now, all of them turned their gazes toward Uchiha Ren, waiting for his explanation.

Ren thought for a moment but didn't hide anything.

"What Shimura Danzō used," he said calmly, "is the ultimate dōjutsu of the Uchiha clan — Izanagi."

"Izanagi?"

Shikaku Nara quickly searched through his memory but found no information whatsoever related to that name.

The Nara clan was a prestigious family that had existed in the shinobi world for generations. Yet even he, as the clan head, had never heard of Izanagi.

That alone proved one thing—

This technique was undoubtedly a closely guarded secret of the Uchiha clan.

But if that was the case…

How did Shimura Danzō learn it?

Ignoring the thoughts racing through Shikaku's mind, Ren continued explaining:

"Izanagi is a technique that can turn events unfavorable to the user into something that never happened, while allowing only the favorable outcomes to become reality."

"During its activation period, even if the user dies, the technique can rewrite reality itself."

"In other words… it's a terrifying dōjutsu that can make its user effectively invincible."

Normally, a technique like Izanagi, one capable of reversing the tide of battle, should never be revealed to outsiders.

However, Danzō had already displayed it openly in front of everyone. After this battle, people would inevitably investigate it anyway.

Although Izanagi was extremely secretive, the Uchiha clan had once fallen into a period of madness because of this very technique—until the creation of its counterpart, Izanami, finally brought things under control.

The shinobi world wasn't that big.

If even Shimura Danzō could obtain information about Izanagi, others might discover it sooner or later.

Since its existence could no longer be hidden, Ren decided it was better to reveal it openly. This way, he could leave everyone with a better impression while also creating a subtle deterrent.

"Hiss—rewriting reality that works against you… does such a technique really exist?"

Shikaku Nara sucked in a sharp breath, utterly shocked by Ren's explanation.

If Shikaku reacted like this, the others were even worse.

They stared wide-eyed, their mouths hanging open in disbelief.

But it wasn't entirely their fault.

After all, most shinobi were still fighting with techniques like breathing fire or spewing water—yet the Uchiha clan had already reached a level of transcending life and death itself, altering reality.

Compared to such secret techniques, the abilities of ordinary shinobi seemed almost laughably simple.

Their disbelief was understandable.

"Whether you believe it or not," Ren said calmly, pointing toward the battlefield below, "the facts are right in front of you."

"Although Izanagi is incredibly powerful, the cost is equally severe."

"That cost is permanently losing the light of a Sharingan."

"Danzō has six Sharingan in total—one in his right eye and five embedded in his right arm."

"With his ability, he can maintain Izanagi for about one minute per eye."

"That means he can use Izanagi six times, granting himself roughly six minutes of invincibility."

"Six minutes?!"

Shikaku Nara 's attention instantly shifted to the battlefield below.

"The self-destructive technique Elder Danzō just used only takes about a dozen seconds to activate. Even if we include preparation and observation time…"

"He could still perform that same suicidal attack at least six more times!"

"The Third Hokage… is in serious danger."

A shadow crossed Shikaku's heart.

At the same time, his wariness toward the Uchiha clan deepened even further.

Yes, the cost of using Izanagi was enormous.

But compared to losing one eye versus losing one's life, what did that matter?

The Uchiha clan was already terrifyingly powerful.

Now they possessed a technique like Izanagi—essentially giving someone multiple extra lives.

Their combat strength would increase exponentially.

The Uchiha truly deserved their reputation as the foremost clan of the shinobi world.

"Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others are indeed in great danger," Ren said with a faint smile, clearly satisfied with the current situation.

"But Shimura Danzō won't end up much better either."

He turned toward the gathered clan leaders and spoke slowly:

"You've all seen it with your own eyes."

"Shimura Danzō has not only stolen the Sharingan of the Uchiha clan, but has also obtained the secret techniques of our clan."

"I don't care what conflict exists between Danzō and Hiruzen Sarutobi."

"But Shimura Danzō's life belongs to the Uchiha clan."

"That shouldn't be a problem, right?"

As soon as these words were spoken, most of the people present—aside from a few insiders like Hiashi Hyūga —were stunned.

They looked at Uchiha Ren in confusion.

Judging purely from the facts, Danzō had seized the Uchiha clan's bloodline and secret techniques.

It was perfectly reasonable for the Uchiha clan to demand an explanation.

In fact, to prevent something similar from happening to their own clans, many of them would instinctively side with the Uchiha.

But…

Wasn't Shimura Danzō cooperating with the Uchiha clan?

Setting aside the Sharingan for the moment—

Wasn't the Izanagi technique supposedly taught to Danzō by the Uchiha themselves?

Over the years, the relationship between the Uchiha clan and Danzō had been far too ambiguous. Combined with the fact that Izanagi was a closely guarded secret of the Uchiha, everyone had naturally formed the same assumption.

They all believed that this entire matter had been a scheme planned jointly by Danzō and the Uchiha clan from the very beginning.

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