It was not a lack of will that stayed Danzō's hand, but a complete lack of ability. Madara's Gunbai fan rendered his most powerful techniques useless, the Wind Style he had spent a lifetime perfecting was no more than a gentle breeze against its power.

Unforgivable! Such humiliation! This was the first time in his long, storied life that he had been so thoroughly dominated by a member of the Uchiha clan, completely defenseless, treated as nothing more than a plaything.

Though his body was battered and his pride shattered, a sliver of defiance remained in Danzō's mind. It was time to use his ultimate trump card. His right eye, the eye he had stolen from Shisui Uchiha. Although he was reluctant to expend its power, at this moment of life and death, he had no other choice.

Danzō staggered to his feet, wiping a trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth where Madara had struck him. Become my puppet! Uchiha Madara, not even you can block this technique! He ripped the bandages from his face, revealing the stolen Sharingan beneath. Gradually, the tomoe within the eye began to shift, spinning into the distinct pinwheel pattern of the Mangekyō.

"Ghh!" A wave of profound dizziness and a crushing heaviness instantly spread through his body. Without Uchiha blood or the restorative power of Hashirama's cells, he could not fully wield the power of the Mangekyō. The cost was immense. His body screamed in protest, every fiber of his being rejecting the foreign power, leaving him completely drained.

Hah… After this is over, I must have Orochimaru transplant Hashirama's cells into me as soon as possible! The thought was a fleeting one, a desperate hope in the face of oblivion.

Just as he activated the Mangekyō, a small hand had already reached his face.

"Hmph. Danzō, did you truly think I was unaware of your final trump card, the Kotoamatsukami?"

Pluck!

With blinding speed, Shiro's hand shot out. His small fingers, impossibly strong, plunged directly into Danzō's eye socket, ripping the stolen Sharingan from its moorings.

"Ahhhhhh!" Blood gushed from the empty socket. Danzō fell to his knees, howling in agony. "My eye! My eye!"

"Damn you… how did you know?" Danzō gasped, his mind reeling in confusion. He had intended to take Madara by surprise. The fact that he possessed Shisui's eye was a dark secret; not even the legendary Uchiha himself should have known. But this child… this demon… had seen right through him. He tried to struggle, to take back the eye from Shiro, but his body was overwhelmed from the strain of using the Mangekyō. He didn't even have the strength to lift his hands.

"Hmm? Strange…" Uchiha Madara, who had been observing from the sidelines, slowly came back to himself. "Just now, for a moment, my consciousness seemed to vanish, and yet… it did not." The meticulous Madara knew something was amiss.

"Father!" Shiro jumped to Madara's side, holding up the bloody eyeball in his palm. "Just now, this old man tried to use the Sharingan to control you. I took it from him just as he activated it."

"Oh?" Uchiha Madara was slightly surprised. "Whose eye is this? It can actually control me?"

Shiro explained, "It belonged to Uchiha Shisui. His Mangekyō Sharingan possessed the ability of Kotoamatsukami, known as the strongest genjutsu. It can control a target's will without them ever knowing."

"…" Uchiha Madara pondered this for a moment and couldn't help but praise, "Hah. A truly formidable ability." With that, Madara took Shiro's hand and slowly walked over to Danzō. Looking down at the man groaning in pain on the ground, he shouted coldly, "You dare to steal the power of my Uchiha clan? A non-Uchiha using the Mangekyō… I imagine you don't even have the strength to stand now."

"At first, I intended to simply kill you. But now, I have no interest in taking your life. To simply kill a man like you, who has spent a lifetime persecuting my clan, would be a mercy you do not deserve. No. From this day forward, you will be my son's dog. You will use what remains of your pathetic life to atone for your sins!"

"White Zetsu!" Uchiha Madara shouted, and the plant-like creature emerged from the ground.

"Hehe, I've got Danzō, Madara. What do you need from me?"

Madara casually tossed Shisui's eye to White Zetsu. "Take this right eye."

"Understood." White Zetsu didn't question the order, simply doing as he was told.

Pluck. White Zetsu stuffed the eyeball into its own right socket. "Wow! So this is the vision of the Sharingan! It feels amazing!" White Zetsu looked around like a curious child.

"Alright! Stop playing around. Use the power of the Mangekyō to control Danzō. Make him understand that he is Shiro's dog!"

"Don't tell me you can't activate the Mangekyō. Even Danzō could do it. You've been by my side for so many years. If you are incapable, then you are useless."

"Okay," White Zetsu said with a playful smile. "Don't worry, Madara. I am also very talented." As he spoke, White Zetsu crawled in front of Danzō, lifted his chin, and said with a sly smile, "Come now, little Danzō. Remember, you are a dog. A good dog who guards the house for Shiro."

Danzō's eyes, which had been filled with rage, slowly went slack, then turned into a clear, thoughtless stupor. "I… I am Lord Shiro's dog," he muttered numbly.

"No, no, no," White Zetsu shook his head, gently scratching Danzō's chin. "So-called dogs cannot speak human language."

Danzō tilted his head, humming for a moment, before suddenly letting out a series of sharp, guttural barks. "Woof! Woof woof woof!"

"Good boy," White Zetsu said, clearly satisfied. He turned to Madara to report his success. "It is done, Madara."

"Very good." Madara used his Wood Release to create a thick, sturdy vine and handed it to Shiro. "Here, my son. Take this. It is a leash. From now on, this old man is yours to command. If anyone ever bullies you, just let Danzō out to bite them." White Zetsu took the other end of the vine and tied it tightly around Danzō's neck.

Shiro was a little bewildered. He never thought his first pet in this new world would be Danzō Shimura. He almost lost his dinner as he watched the former elder of Konoha stick out his tongue and wag his backside in a fawning, pathetic display. It was truly grotesque.

"Father, is it really alright for me to keep this thing?" he asked, a little embarrassed. "Do I have to take it for walks? I'm afraid I won't be able to get up in the mornings."

"It's fine," Uchiha Madara smiled gently. "He is a senior advisor of Konoha and a disciple of Tobirama. He is barely worthy of being a dog for us Uchiha. Consider this an early birthday present from your father. You must accept it." Shiro then remembered that tomorrow was his birthday. He was getting another year older, which meant the sign-in moment he had been looking forward to was almost here. Seeing how insistent his father was, Shiro decided to accept, for now. It wasn't a bad thing to have a loyal dog for a bodyguard.

"Let's go, son. Let's go back and get some sleep," Madara said with a stretch. Shiro held Danzō's leash in his left hand and Madara's hand in his right, and together with White Zetsu, they returned to the base.

"Woof! Woof!"

On the other side of the battlefield, the ground was littered with the black-robed corpses of Root ninja. Uchiha Fugaku, Itachi, Inahiro, and Yakumi stood before the gate, their expressions fierce and determined. Across from them, only three Root members remained alive.

"Damn it! Why hasn't Lord Danzō arrived yet?"

"Without him, we are no match for these Uchiha!"

"No! Have you not yet faced reality?" the Root captain, Terai, said, his voice shaking with unwilling admiration. "The Uchiha's power has increased significantly! It is as if their chakra is endless!"

The two Root members behind him were silent. They knew their captain was right. Uchiha Fugaku was one thing, but Inahiro and Yakumi had each been able to kill dozens of Root members, a feat that was completely inconsistent with their previous strength.

Terai gritted his teeth and whispered, "I will release a smoke bomb. On my signal, we escape. As many as possible. We must inform Lord Danzō that the Uchiha have grown exponentially stronger!"

"Understood!"

"Alright, get ready…" Taking advantage of the darkness, Terai quietly reached into the pouch at his waist. Just as he was about to drop the smoke bomb, a howl like that of a savage beast shattered the silence.

"What is that sound?!" Fugaku frowned. He had never heard such a sound before. It sounded like a man barking like a dog. "Be careful! It may be Root reinforcements!" he warned.

Suddenly, a figure appeared with blinding speed between the two opposing forces.

"Captain! Look! It's Lord Danzō!" After seeing the figure clearly, the Root ninja were overjoyed. Their leader had finally arrived. They were saved!

But as they looked closer, Terai realized his leader looked completely different. Danzō was on all fours like a member of the Inuzuka clan, his right cheek swollen and bruised. He was drooling, his eyes fixed on the three remaining Root members with a furious glare.

Fugaku was also confused. Is that Danzō? How did he become like this in just half a year?

"Lord Danzō, what's wrong?" Terai asked hurriedly.

Danzō dug his hands into the dirt, gritted his teeth, and shouted at his former subordinates, a stream of furious, nonsensical sounds.

"Woof! Woof woof woof!!!"