The Forbidden Visual Jutsu

Synopsis
Danzō comes face-to-face with "Itachi" as Sasuke attempts to impale him from behind. However, Sasuke is paralysed at the last second while Danzō muses that Sasuke's genjutsu pales in comparison to Itachi's proficiency with the Tsukuyomi. A cursed seal begins to spread throughout Sasuke's body and Madara realises that Danzō must have applied it when he grabbed Sasuke's throat earlier. Danzō, prying Sasuke's sword out of his hands, muses that leaving him alive was Itachi's greatest mistake and remarks why Itachi would have done such a thing. Recalling how Madara had told him how Itachi was unable to kill him because he thought Sasuke's life was precious, Sasuke manages to manifest a full Susanoo transformation, the resulting chakra eradicating the cursed seal.

Danzō jumps down the ground and uses his Wind Release: Vacuum Great Sphere to expel a sphere of compressed wind, although it is unable to take out the Susanoo. Sasuke fashions a bow out of his Susanoo and fires an arrow at Danzō. Despite being impaled, Danzō disappears and rematerialises next to the arrow. Madara is shocked to see that Danzō is employing a secret kinjutsu of the Uchiha clan known as Izanagi, which is a powerful genjutsu capable of blurring the lines between reality and illusion and thus can grant its user the ability to avoid being killed. Sasuke fires another arrow at Danzō, who is forced to sprout a tree from his right shoulder to shield himself. Karin wonders why Danzō did not simply use his "immortality" technique to avoid the attack like he had been doing all along, noticing that using the tree significantly decreased his chakra levels. Meanwhile, Madara realises that Danzō's ability to use Wood Release means that Danzō had been transplanted with Hashirama Senju's cells by Orochimaru, and that the Senju cells allows him to wield multiple Sharingan eyes and to use Izanagi despite not being of Uchiha blood; additionally, possessing the First Hokage's Wood Release in conjunction with the Uchiha's Sharingan would grant Danzō the ability to control a tailed beast, notably the Nine-Tailed Fox, and thus realises that obtaining Naruto is one of Danzō's goals.

Despite bleeding out of his eye, Sasuke strains himself to fire another arrow, yet Danzō simply uses Izanagi once more to negate its effects. Noticing that Madara is keenly observing the battle and fearful that he may soon join the fray, Danzō decides to summon Baku, a tapir. Using its powerful inhalation, Baku attempts to draw in Sasuke and his Susanoo. Danzō appears behind Sasuke and bombards him with his Wind Release: Vacuum Serial Waves, which are augmented by Baku's power, to force the Susanoo towards the tapir. Sasuke takes advantage of Baku's inhalation by unleashing his Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique, which Baku immediately ingests; in pain, it dispels itself out of the battle. As Danzō attempts to strike Sasuke from behind, his attack having caused a weak spot in Susanoo's rear armour, Sasuke turns around and has the Susanoo punch Danzō, who uses Izanagi once more to survive unharmed.

Karin observes that another Sharingan eye has shut itself on Danzō's right arm. She counts the ten eyes and notices that there are only five left and realises that once the remaining five are sealed shut, Danzō would not be able to evade fatal injuries anymore. She attempts to relay her findings to Sasuke, but he merely tells her that he had already caught on earlier and thus had been forcing Danzō the entire time to continue relying on Izanagi until he used up all ten eyes. Infuriated, Danzō uses Wind Release Slash to attack the oncoming Susanoo; while he does not destroy it, he is able to block it. However, Danzō is punched by the Susanoo once more and uses his seventh eye to utilise Izanagi again. Manifesting himself behind Sasuke, whose Susanoo has faded away, Danzō throws kunai towards him, although Sasuke uses his bracelets to produce shuriken, which he throws back. Unable to evade it in mid-air, Danzō employs Izanagi to elude it, leaving him with only two Sharingan eyes on his right arm. As Sasuke forms his Chidori Sharp Spear, he asks Danzō how many Uchihas' had to die in order for him to gain ten Sharingan eyes; Danzo, using his Wind Release: Vacuum Blade to transform his kunai into a sword, replies that he could not have done it without Itachi. The two then lunge towards one another, clashing their blades.