The moment the Baku’s eye slid toward Enma, its entire body tensed before a deep, guttural rumble shook the chamber. Its rage erupted without restraint as the suction intensified violently, the force spreading across the entire level. The air warped under the pressure as debris, shattered stone, and dust lifted from the ruined floor, spiraling toward the summon in a chaotic storm. Even Enma was dragged forward, his feet grinding against the stone as cracks spread beneath them. For a brief instant his massive frame lifted, white fur rippling under the strain before his raw strength forced him back down. Muscles bulged across his arms and shoulders, veins standing out as he roared and resisted, golden eyes burning with fury while the ground beneath him fractured further under the pressure.

  Danzo did not hesitate. His hands formed a sharp sign as a large section of the floor began to bloom in an ominous reddish glow. Seal patterns spread rapidly, overlapping in complex layers as intense fire chakra gathered beneath the surface. The buildup was violent, unstable, far more refined than his earlier detonations, the entire structure beneath them trembling as if it were about to erupt from within. Enma growled as Hiruzen shouted, “Enma, the floor,” the two moving in perfect unity born from decades of battle.

  Hiruzen slammed both hands into the ground and earth chakra surged outward, destabilizing the reinforced structure in an instant. The floor cracked and shifted, the seal network distorting as the terrain itself was forced out of alignment. Enma appeared beside him in a blur and drove both chakra-covered hands deep into the fractured stone, his massive muscles rippling as he lifted. An entire section of the floor tore free from its foundation, runes blazing across its surface as the unstable seals reached their critical point. With a powerful final push, Enma hurled the massive slab toward the Baku, the air screaming as the weight and chakra tore through it.

  Danzo’s eye widened but his reaction was immediate. His hands blurred through seals as wind chakra exploded outward, multiple compressed vacuum slashes tearing through the air. The blades struck the flying mass, carving deep lines across it and breaking it apart, reducing its size but failing to destroy it completely. The detonation had already begun. The fragments reached the Baku and the battlefield erupted in chained explosions. Fire and pressure tore across the chamber as the glowing debris struck from every direction. The Baku roared in agony, its enormous body convulsing as detonations ripped through flesh and chakra alike. Blood and smoke burst outward as it staggered, its legs buckling under the relentless bombardment while the suction faltered for a fraction of a second.

  That was the opening Hiruzen had been waiting for.

  Danzo sensed danger and reacted instantly, wind chakra surging around his body as he enhanced his speed and flickered sideways without hesitation. A heartbeat later a spear of condensed inferno tore through the space he had occupied, the heat alone distorting the air as the pressure split the ground in its wake. The attack did not slow. It struck the Baku directly. The impact was catastrophic. The flaming lance pierced through its chest and carved a massive hole, fire flooding into its body and consuming it from within. The temperature was so intense that blood evaporated before it could spill, its flesh and chakra breaking down under the relentless blaze. The Baku’s roar turned into a broken, choking sound as its enormous form withered violently, its chakra destabilizing beyond recovery. Cracks of light spread across its body before it collapsed completely, the summoning contract shattering as the creature dissolved into smoke and ash. Consumed from within, in seconds nothing remained of it.

  Silence followed. Heat and ash filled the chamber as the damage from their clash finally caught up with the structure. The chained detonations, the violent earth techniques, and the inferno that had pierced through multiple layers had weakened the foundation beyond recovery. Deep cracks spread beneath their feet, glowing faintly as unstable chakra reacted within the ruined seals. The ground groaned, then shattered, and the floor collapsed once more, dragging Hiruzen, Enma, and Danzo down to the lowest level of the Root headquarters.

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  The moment Hiruzen touched the ground he shouted, “Enma, transform into your adamantine form.”

  The Monkey King did not hesitate. His golden eyes sharpened as his massive frame surged with chakra, the air around him growing heavy and oppressive. For a brief instant his muscles tightened, every line of his body coiling with restrained power before that power compressed inward. His form began to shrink, white fur folding in on itself as dense chakra condensed, the sound of grinding stone echoing through the chamber as the pressure of the transformation distorted the air.

  Light flared.

  The towering figure collapsed into a streak of dark motion that snapped into Hiruzen’s waiting hand. The moment his fingers closed, the weapon solidified. The adamantine staff formed with undeniable strength emanating from it, black and unbreakable, its surface etched with faint, ancient patterns that pulsed with subdued chakra. Hiruzen caught it without hesitation, shifting his stance as the impact sent subtle shockwaves through the floor.

  Danzo looked at Hiruzen with dark eyes, anger and rage mixed with despair as he sighed. “I guess there is no preventing this one.” His hands moved through seals, but Hiruzen did not remain still. He threw the staff toward Danzo. It extended midair with tremendous speed, striking a barrier that appeared in front of Danzo. The impact lasted only a moment before the barrier shattered. Danzo tilted his head to evade the thrust, then lowered his entire body to slip under a sideways swing as the staff curved back toward him. At the same time he slammed both hands to the ground. “Forbidden Sealing Art: Burial Formation.”

  The entire building began to glow.

  Hiruzen observed carefully. He realized that the previous layers had been nothing more than contingencies. With each one destroyed, he had felt the chakra and debris marked with seals being drawn downward, a subtle pull against his senses that he had ignored in the heat of battle. The structure below was devouring everything. Residual chakra, shattered seal fragments, even incomplete formulas were being absorbed and rewritten, integrated into the next stage of the formation. Each collapse had strengthened the one beneath it, refining the network with every exchange.

  Enma acted on instinct. In staff form, he tore into the ground with horrifying speed, attempting to destroy the formation before it could fully activate. “Stop!” Hiruzen shouted, but it was too late. The seals Enma had destroyed began to crawl across his surface, glowing as they spread. Hiruzen summoned him back immediately. The moment the staff returned to his hand, he released a tremendous surge of chakra, overwhelming the seals through raw output while controlling the flow with exact precision. With his experience, he removed them without harming his summon. Danzo watched and smirked. “Of course you would do that. Your compassion will be the end of you, Hiruzen.” The delay gave him enough time to complete the technique.

  Suddenly Enma returned to his normal form beside Hiruzen, his expression tense. “Hiruzen, the chakra is unstable…” Before he could finish, his body dissolved into smoke.

  Hiruzen’s eyes widened. He reached out with his senses, but he could no longer feel Enma’s presence. More concerning was his own chakra. Its flow had become chaotic and unstable, as if something was interfering with it. At the same time, chains of glowing seal markings began rising from the ground, reaching toward him.

  Hiruzen understood immediately. This was Danzo’s final gamble. He had used far more chakra during the battle and spent much more stamina, while Danzo had conserved his strength, relying mostly on his seals and summon. The formation was stripping away Hiruzen’s greatest advantages to level the battlefield. However, a technique this powerful had to carry a drawback. He needed to find it, and that meant getting close.

  Danzo grinned. “Come on, Hiruzen. Let us settle this the old fashioned way.”

  Hiruzen moved with speed that belied his age, evading the increasing number of chains that sought to bind him in place. He closed the distance in a blur and threw a powerful punch. Danzo responded with a compressed air lash that sliced across Hiruzen’s arm, carving a long wound before a second lash cut into his shoulder. Hiruzen’s eyes widened in disbelief as Danzo spoke in a cold, sinister tone. “My turn.”