As the blinding white light devoured everything in sight, an unbearable pain surged through his body, only to vanish just as quickly.
Scenes from his entire life unfolded before his eyes, flashing by like still frames in a storybook.
"Ah, how ridiculous I was back then, just an optimistic dead-last."
A young boy grinned as he threw a barrage of shuriken, unknowingly using the Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu without even realizing its significance.
Meanwhile, Orochimaru, ever the prodigy, performed the technique effortlessly, his expression calm and unreadable.
"That bastard Orochimaru... truly a genius through and through. Sometimes, I really envied his talent."
"Tsunade's chest used to be flat back then. But I knew, it was obvious to me that one day, she'd definitely grow into a beauty. And I was right. My instincts never fail."
A youthful Tsunade, already a stunning beauty, yet for a time, her chest was completely flat.
Her punches, however, had been powerful from the very beginning.
"Dan and Tsunade… they really made a good couple."
The sight of Tsunade and Dan standing together stung his heart more than he cared to admit.
"Taking Minato as my student was the best decision I ever made. He's the most naturally gifted ninja I've ever seen, a true genius in every sense of the word."
A young Minato, his face beaming with excitement, held up a Rasengan, eagerly describing its mechanics to him.
"They remind me so much of us when we were younger. I just wish Kushina would focus more on Minato… instead of ending up like me. No matter how charming I was, I could never win over the one I truly loved."
A red-haired girl walked forward along the street, while a dark-haired boy headed in the opposite direction.
Meanwhile, on the rooftops, a blond-haired boy walked side by side with the girl.
"I've always been a failure. Too many things… I was powerless to change."
A moonlit forest.
A familiar figure, walking away.
No matter how hard he tried, he could never bring them back.
"This is the second time I've seen Tsunade in so much pain… Will you grieve for a third time because of a failure like me?"
A heartbroken Tsunade, sobbing uncontrollably over the lifeless body of her beloved.
And he… could do nothing.
"So… is this the final chapter of my story?"
"If possible… I'd like to see you cry for me, Tsunade."
The blinding white light rushed toward him, carrying a searing heat that engulfed his entire being.
The faintest smile curved his lips, bitter yet regretful, before it was completely swallowed by the explosion.
Boom!
The violent explosion echoed across the vast landscape, sending dust and debris into the air.
A thick cloud of smoke slowly spread over the battlefield.
After a long moment...
A silhouette emerged from the lingering dust.
As the haze cleared, Ye Zi's figure was revealed.
"Was he… smiling?"
Ye Zi's right sleeve had been completely burned away, his arm scorched and reddened from the intense heat.
He stood coldly, gazing at the mangled remains of Jiraiya's body, lying a hundred meters away.
Jiraiya's final suicidal attack, detonating countless explosive tags alongside Rasengan, had only managed to burn Ye Zi's arm.
And yet...
Jiraiya's body had been torn apart, his upper half lying amidst scattered rubble.
His lifeless eyes remained fixed on the sky, devoid of all light.
He was dead.
Ye Zi shifted his gaze away from Jiraiya's corpse and raised his burned arm.
A faint hissing sound filled the air as white smoke rose from his damaged flesh.
Within moments, his wounds began to heal at an unnatural speed.
Seconds later, his right arm was fully restored.
Lowering his arm, Ye Zi spoke indifferently to the empty air:
"Go retrieve my sword. And bring back that toad's corpse."
The ground at his feet suddenly bulged, revealing a clone implanted with the Byakugan.
Nodding silently, the clone leapt into the distance, heading toward the direction where Shima's body had fallen.
With his clone handling the retrieval, Ye Zi gathered enough DNA samples from Fukasaku and Jiraiya.
Then, using Inorganic Reincarnation, he buried them deep beneath the earth.
Thus, one of the Three Legendary Sannin of Konoha, Jiraiya, met his end here.
Ye Zi waited for a while.
Soon, his clone returned, sword in hand.
Ye Zi took the blade, slid it back into its sheath, then extracted enough DNA from Shima's corpse for Edo Tensei.
Finally, he buried her remains alongside Fukasaku.
Before leaving, he turned to Jiraiya's burial site and murmured:
"Death is not an end… but a beginning."
Then, without lingering, he split off multiple Wood Clones, sending them in various directions to track different squads of Hebi Squad.
His true body followed the First Squad, where Kimimaro was stationed.
.....
The Night of Bloodshed Begins
Darkness descended upon the land.
Hidden within the night's embrace, the shadow of death shimmered coldly.
Shing!
A streak of lightning flashed, instantly slicing through an enemy.
A sharp cry of agony followed as the body collapsed lifelessly.
A warrior, his body engraved with seals, coldly glanced at his fallen foe.
Lightning crackled across both his body and blade.
Without pause, Nai Yokoyama lunged toward another enemy, his form like a lightning bolt cutting through the battlefield, a brilliant beacon beneath the moonlight.
...
"Such weak power."
Koyo Kohaku with rock-hard arms, his body transformed in Cursed Seal Form 2, overpowered an opponent who appeared to be a former Iwagakure ninja.
Every punch sent shockwaves rippling through the air, forcing the Iwa shinobi to retreat again and again.
"What… what kind of monster is this?!"
The Iwa shinobi struggled desperately, but around him, his allies were falling one by one—each slain by terrifying, inhuman opponents.
"It's over."
With a cruel smirk, Koyo smashed his colossal fist into the enemy, sending him crashing into the ground.
.....
The sharp cries of a thousand birds filled the air.
A youth cloaked in lightning stood among his allies, his blade held before him.
With a confident smile, Haruteru Igarashi gazed at the cornered, desperate enemies.
"I won't fall behind that guy."
"The only one worthy of inheriting Ye Zi-sama's combat skills… is me."
With those words, he charged forward, leading his squad into the slaughter.
...
"Apologies… but you were unfortunate enough to be Ye Zi-sama's enemies."
A group of terrified enemy shinobi, struggling helplessly in a swamp of quicksand.
Smiling gently, Shigeki Uno gestured...
Immediately, his teammates unleashed a barrage of powerful jutsu, annihilating their helpless foes.
...
"A surprise attack."
Shuriken and kunai, connected by thin wires, sliced through the moonlit sky, leaving behind sharp, gleaming arcs, each trajectory painting the night with blood.
"For Ye Zi-sama…!"
A young girl with spiked-up hair hovered silently in the air, her expression emotionless.
Behind her, the full moon shone brilliantly.
She slowly extended her arms, then yanked them apart with force.
The trapped enemies, cornered into position by her teammates, froze in place, unable to move.
"What… is this?"
The immobilized enemies wore expressions of shock and horror.
But all that awaited them was the merciless, annihilating strikes of Hebi Squad's warriors.
.....
"Captain Jūgo's strength is incredible!"
With a single, devastating punch, air pressure burst forth, launching an enemy ninja into the mountainside with tremendous force.
The entire mountain quaked from the impact.
The members of Second Squad all entered Cursed Seal transformations, turning into nightmarish demons in the eyes of their enemies.
"Monsters!"
The battle had become completely one-sided, Hebi Squad's overwhelming power was fully unleashed.
...
Shikotsumyaku: Bracken Dance.
The pure white bone blades, indistinguishable from moonlight, emerged from the ground, forming a forest of razor-sharp spikes.
Under the pale glow of the moon, the interlocking, jagged bone spears bathed in silver light, and in blood.
One by one, enemies were impaled, their screams of agony piercing the night as their final moments were drowned in despair.
Crimson blood dripped down the gleaming white bones, creating an eerily stark contrast against the deathly pale landscape.
"Anyone who dares stand in Ye Zi-sama's way…"
Under the moonlight, Kimimaro, his right cheek marred with dark Cursed Seal markings, watched impassively as his enemies were skewered upon his bone spears.
Then, he turned his head toward the distance.
"That side should be finishing up soon as well."
In this operation to purge enemy intelligence operatives, Hebi Squad's true strength was fully unveiled..
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Currently on Chapter 539 - Kushina and The Nine-Tails