Hearing Reiji's flippant reply, Danzō Shimura's face immediately darkened.
"Reiji Sakuhō, what do you mean by that?" he asked in a low voice.
Reiji shrugged, spreading his hands with an innocent look.
"What do I mean? If you can beat me, then we can talk about cooperation. Otherwise, you're just talking crap."
The moment he finished speaking, a sharp gust of compressed air sliced through the room, aiming straight for Reiji's neck.
Heh. Old bastard.
With a quiet chuckle in his mind, Reiji bent his knees and dropped his body low, narrowly dodging the razor-sharp air blade.
Whoosh! The force didn't slow, slicing clean through the door of the underground chamber behind him.
Glancing at the precise cut left in the metal door, Reiji couldn't help but applaud.
"Impressive. A real Wind Release master."
Before he could finish the thought, another sharp blast of air came flying at his knees.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere!"
Reiji quickly formed hand seals and shouted,
"Magnet Release: Iron Sand Wall!"
A mass of dark iron sand surged from the floor beneath his feet, rapidly hardening under his chakra's control to block the incoming attack.
A harsh clang echoed through the chamber as the vacuum blast collided with the barrier. Though sharp, the jutsu dispersed into harmless gusts against the dense iron sand.
"Nice use of Magnet Release," Danzō remarked, rising slowly from his seat.
"But how about this? Wind Release: Great Vacuum Sphere!"
The hell you testing now, your mother?
Reiji muttered inwardly, and in the next instant, his body pulsed with power.
Blue lightning crackled across his body, accompanied by a piercing hum of thunder.
"Lightning Release Chakra Mode—Activate!"
With that low growl, Reiji vanished from behind the iron sand wall, leaving the Great Vacuum Sphere to hit nothing but air.
"So fast!" gasped the ANBU beside Danzō, his hands flashing through seals at breakneck speed from within his sleeves.
With a splatter, he spat a wad of mud onto the ground.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
In a blink, a thick wall of packed earth rose between Danzō and the incoming threat.
But the wall barely lasted a second before it burst open—blown apart by a lightning-charged hand tearing through it like paper. That hand clamped tightly around the ANBU's neck.
Take out the support first! Screw your damn support roles, Braum!
Lightning arced and danced wildly from Reiji's hands as the electricity surged into the ANBU's body, giving him a fresh new hairstyle.
The Reiji Signature: Electro Afro.
The next second, Reiji let go, and the ANBU dropped, eyes rolled back, smoke rising from his head as he hit the ground with a thud.
Just then, a whirling shuriken laced with a transparent wind aura spun toward them, wide enough to strike both Reiji and the fallen ANBU.
"Hah~" Reiji let out a short laugh, lifting his arm to meet it head-on.
The heavy iron bracer on his arm took the full brunt of the spinning projectile wrapped in Wind Release.
Sparks flew violently as the chakra blade ground against the steel.
Gradually, the wind chakra began slicing through the metal.
But the moment it touched Reiji's skin, glowing with electricity, its speed dropped sharply—like it had hit a wall.
"Move!" Reiji charged through the crumbling earth wall, swiping his arm to knock the wind-charged shuriken aside.
Seeing this, Danzō, standing behind another ANBU, scowled deeply.
He recognized that technique.
Having fought Kumogakure shinobi before, he knew exactly what this was—the infamous Lightning Release Chakra Mode. Master it, and it becomes a living suit of indestructible armor—also known as the Lightning Armor.
A nintaijutsu exclusive to Kumogakure, and a serious headache in battle.
Danzō grit his teeth.
When did this brat become so troublesome?!
He deflected my Wind Release with ease... I need more power!
With no more hesitation, he gave the signal for reinforcements.
What good was having this territory if he didn't use it? That would be a waste of his authority.
A sharp whistle echoed.
In under three seconds, a squad of ANBU armed with ninja blades stormed into the underground chamber.
"Go! Protect Danzō-sama!"
Reiji showed no signs of panic.
He'd fought the Two-Tails before—what was a squad of Root operatives to him?
Besides, now he had the Lightning Release Chakra Mode. He was miles ahead of where he'd been.
In a flash of decision, Reiji ignored the incoming ANBU and clapped his hands together.
"Sword Technique No. 15."
Instantly, the iron sand on the floor disintegrated, re-forming into dozens of razor-sharp blades that orbited his body.
Lightning surged, leaping from his skin and connecting with each of the flying swords.
From afar, Reiji looked like a whirlwind of blue light—a human meat grinder.
"Let's go," he whispered.
In the next instant, he became a bolt of lightning, crashing into the approaching ANBU.
His body surged with chakra, channeling into lightning and rapidly spinning blades.
Blood sprayed. Severed limbs flew.
Anyone who got close was shredded to pieces by the whirling swords.
As his men were slaughtered, Danzō didn't flinch. Instead, his eyes gleamed with unrestrained fanaticism.
Reiji Sakuhō... utterly perfect. A flawless weapon of war.
In times of peace, a master tactician.
And in times of war... my greatest asset.
In wartime, he was more than strong enough to protect himself.
At that moment, Danzō Shimura stared hungrily at Reiji, consumed by a single thought—control him. Make this divine weapon his own.
Eager to act, Danzō quickly signaled to the ANBU who had remained motionless by his side.
The ANBU respectfully nodded, then raised a hand beneath his sleeve into a strange triangular seal.
Now was the moment. As Reiji turned his head, the ANBU's eyes locked onto his.
"Secret Technique: Mind Body Switch!"
The words had barely left his mouth when his body slumped to the ground.
A second later, Reiji's rampaging form froze, and the whirling blades surrounding him clattered to the floor.
Success!
Danzō's heart leapt with joy. He immediately raised his hand, signaling the others to halt.
But before anyone could relax, the unconscious ANBU let out a blood-curdling scream, foaming at the mouth and convulsing violently.
Blood poured from his eyes, nose, and mouth.
He didn't even seem aware of it.
His eyes bulged grotesquely, his limbs twisted into unnatural angles, and his fingernails tore savagely at his own face.
Worst of all, he was silently laughing.
Everyone present was frozen in horror, their sanity reeling.
Reiji scratched his head and offered an awkward smile.
"Uh... sorry about that. Bit embarrassing."
He knew the guy—likely from the Yamanaka Clan—had come face-to-face with the "other" inside him.
Poor bastard.
Even Reiji, with his iron will, relied on an anchor to suppress that alternate self. There was no way someone else could handle it.
The trauma of the Jashin cult—so much pain, torture, and suffering—had given birth to a monster within him.
But it was that very monster, emotionless and consumed by destruction, that allowed Reiji to see through people's hearts.
Still, he usually kept it well hidden.
Hearing Reiji's casual remark, everyone, Danzō included, broke out in cold sweat, their scalps tingling.
"So... shall we continue?" Reiji asked lightly.
Without waiting for a response, he vanished.
When he reappeared, he was right behind Danzō, one arm thrown warmly over his shoulder.
"So fast!" the crowd gasped in unison.
This wasn't just the Body Flicker Technique—it was something far beyond.
Danzō, caught in Reiji's grip, was drenched in cold sweat.
Now he understood.
This whole time, the guy had just been toying with him.
With that kind of ability, even elite Jōnin wouldn't stand a chance if they let their guard down.
Maybe... only Hiruzen or Kagami could handle him.
The realization made the young Danzō tremble.
"R-Reiji... I'm a village elder. You... you can't kill me!"
Reiji nodded sincerely.
"Of course! How could I ever harm Danzō-sama?"
He released his grip, gave Danzō a friendly pat on the shoulder, then leaned in to whisper,
"Still... looks like you're not strong enough yet.
If you want to wield me—this weapon—and cut down your enemies, you'll have to get stronger.
Oh, and my weights broke. You're paying for that."
With that, Reiji casually reached into Danzō's robes and pulled out a bulging money pouch.
He opened it—and sucked in a breath.
Holy crap. This guy's loaded.
Easily four or five hundred thousand ryō, and that was just a single pouch.
A smirk crept onto Reiji's face. He threw his arm around Danzō again, grinning like a true hustler.
"One million ryō... per target."
Danzō, having regained some composure, narrowed his eyes and asked in a low voice,
"What about Kagami Uchiha?"
Reiji froze, then looked at Danzō like he'd just heard the most outrageous thing in the world.
"Danzō-sama! Kagami Uchiha is my dearest brother—my flesh and blood, my family!
That's extra."