Enma broke free from the state of the Adamantine Staff, his furry fist slamming down hard and sending Kisame, who had been gnawing at Sarutobi Hiruzen's flesh, flying through the air.
But Enma knew that punch hadn't actually connected solidly.
The Kisame trapped within the adamantine prison wall had been waiting for that exact moment.
He used the force of Enma's punch to propel himself straight toward Uchiha Itachi's position.
Susanoo caught Kisame with one hand, and with the other, brought down a hammering blow toward Sarutobi Hiruzen.
At this point, Hiruzen was already gravely wounded. He could no longer lift the staff. Enma alone was not enough to block Itachi's fully charged strike.
Enma grabbed Hiruzen, trying to push him out of Susanoo's attack range in the final second.
However, flames of black fire rained down.
Enma spread his arms wide, using his body as a shield to block the Amaterasu flames, but a portion of the blazing fire still landed on Hiruzen.
The fire burned their bodies, sealing off every route of escape.
They were trapped in a dead end.
"You dare!"
Enma roared.
He hadn't expected that Uchiha Itachi, the young man who had once been so loyal to the village, would truly try to kill the Third Hokage tonight.
But Uchiha Itachi dared.
He had killed his parents, slaughtered his own blood kin. What in this world was left that he wouldn't dare to do? Who was left that he wouldn't dare to kill?
Blood trickled from his eyes as Uchiha Itachi said coldly in a low voice,
"Lord Third… for Konoha's future, please die."
"Rising Leaf Adamantine Whirlwind!"
By the time that emerald-green figure appeared in Itachi's vision, Might Guy's attack was already over.
He spun once in the air, landing gracefully. Green steam rose from every part of his body, shrouding him completely.
Then, extending his left hand, palm up, his right hand folded behind him, the steam dispersed, revealing Guy's sharp, unwavering eyes.
BOOM!
Susanoo's orange-red arm crashed into the ground behind him, raising a cloud of dust.
Guy had actually kicked Susanoo's arm off.
Although Susanoo could repair any damage simply by feeding it chakra, the sheer destructive force of that kick was terrifying.
Normally, against a taijutsu specialist like Guy, Itachi could've used genjutsu to trap him. No matter how strong or fast he was, if he couldn't hit the target, it was useless.
But Guy wasn't alone, Hiruzen was there. With his vast experience as the "Professor of Ninjutsu," there was no way he'd allow Itachi a chance to cast genjutsu on Guy.
In that brief instant, Hiruzen had already stripped off his burnt clothes, rolled up an old sleeping robe like a scroll, and performed "Sealing Technique: Fire Seal Formula," sealing away the Amaterasu flames on his body.
"It's time to go!" Kisame shouted.
Itachi's eyelid twitched slightly.
He hadn't expected that after retirement, the Third Hokage would be guarding Naruto.
Nor had he expected that the seemingly ordinary Guy could unleash such terrifying power in a critical moment.
Kisame was right, they had to retreat.
But…
How were they supposed to leave?
Konoha was no longer the same village it once was. It wasn't a place you could come and go from freely anymore.
Guy blocked their escape. Hiruzen, though seriously injured, could still weave hand signs and unleash a storm of ninjutsu at any moment.
Behind them, Tsunade, Asuma, Kurenai, and others were closing in. They'd arrive in a matter of seconds.
Itachi still had many trump cards, Kotoamatsukami. Izanagi. Izanami.
Those were meant for Ryosuke. Itachi didn't want to waste them tonight.
"Amaterasu!"
Kisame pointed toward the sleeping village of Konoha.
"Itachi-san, unleash Amaterasu on the village! If they're busy putting out fires, they won't be able to chase us!"
Itachi's pupils trembled.
First the capture of the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki, then an assassination attempt on the active Fifth Hokage Tsunade, then trying to kill the former Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, and now, to escape, he'd have to set fire to the village itself…
Itachi felt his conviction beginning to crumble piece by piece.
Seeing his hesitation, Kisame dealt the fatal reminder, "All of this is to kill Ryosuke!"
Itachi suddenly came to his senses.
Yes.
Kill Ryosuke.
Everything they'd done was for that purpose.
As long as Ryosuke died, the ending of the story could be rewritten. So before Ryosuke was dead,
"I can't die yet."
A trace of madness flickered in Itachi's eyes as he turned toward the village.
'Amaterasu!'
Black flames burst out again, spreading across the settlement.
Susanoo's severed arm regenerated rapidly, the skeletal form filling with flesh and a thin layer of armor.
Seeing this, the experienced Enma realized, it was the result of extreme inner turmoil and anguish that had pushed the Sharingan's power even further.
But to that, he only roared, "Set the damn village on fire and you call that anguish?!"
Itachi turned away in pain and fled, Kisame close behind, not daring to linger.
As expected, the incoming Konoha shinobi had to split their forces, half to chase, half to extinguish the flames.
Seeing them about to escape, Guy couldn't let them go. He clenched his fists and was ready to charge.
"Don't chase."
Hiruzen's weak voice came from behind. "You can't handle the Sharingan's genjutsu alone. The enemy's abilities are too strange, too many... Guy, the village still needs you."
Guy froze mid-step, fists still clenched.
Hiruzen was right, and besides, he couldn't just abandon the heavily injured Third Hokage and the unconscious Nine-Tails jinchūriki here.
If there were still enemies hiding nearby, waiting for the reinforcements to leave to exploit the time gap, it would be disastrous.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Shadows flickered as reinforcements arrived.
Without a word, Tsunade rolled up her sleeves and began healing Hiruzen.
But...
It didn't work.
Mystical Palm Technique, Mitotic Regeneration, Creation Rebirth, none worked.
Even summoning Katsuyu failed to heal him.
The Third was too old.
He'd never practiced forbidden techniques that extended life. Years of battle in his youth and the exhaustion of leadership had already drained his vitality.
Medical ninjutsu, like Ripple energy, worked by activating cell activity to regenerate tissue.
But tonight Hiruzen's wounds were too many, his heart and lungs were pierced.
Most of his body was burned by Amaterasu's black fire.
And earlier, he'd suffered bone fractures and displaced organs from direct combat with Kisame and Susanoo.
His aged cells simply couldn't generate enough vitality to repair such damage.
Even if healed, his life force would be entirely spent, leaving only a flawless shell.
A corpse.
Hiruzen gently patted Tsunade's arm.
"Don't waste your chakra. You bear a heavier responsibility than me. Go on. I just want to sit quietly for a while."
Tsunade slowly stood, her gaze complicated.
She had spent her life mastering medical ninjutsu, yet one by one, those close to her still died.
And she, was powerless.
"Rest well, sensei," she whispered.
"Rest well, Lord Sarutobi," the others said, bowing deeply.
Hiruzen licked his dry lips, wanting to say he wasn't dead yet.
But seeing everyone's solemn, grief-stricken faces, some even shedding tears, he could only smile faintly and nod, watching them leave to fight the flames.
Guy, not good with ninjutsu, stood a few meters away, vigilant, scanning for any more attackers.
Once Tsunade and the others left, Hiruzen leaned against the wall, glancing at the unconscious Naruto.
He could feel his body growing colder. Fatigue washed over him. He knew his time was almost up.
Thinking of his imminent death, he felt little fear, only regret for the words unsaid and things undone.
With effort, Hiruzen lifted a trembling hand and touched Naruto's hair.
"I'm sorry, Naruto. For ten years, I thought giving you food, clothes, and a peaceful life free from too much trouble, that was happiness."
"For people of my generation, life was just like a wooden plank, plain and dull, and that was already happiness."
"But after retirement, I finally had the time to realize..."
He sighed softly.
"Many things are no longer the same as when I was a child."
Quietly, he said, "I'm sorry I didn't give you a happy childhood."
"I'm sorry I couldn't keep my promise to see the 'new world' with you."
"I'm sorry for leaving without saying goodbye."
His voice grew weaker and weaker, until finally, Sarutobi Hiruzen closed his eyes.
A cold winter wind blew through, carrying away his last bit of warmth.
He died at the hands of the monster he had helped create, Uchiha Itachi. Had he been stricter back then, maybe none of this would have happened.
What a tragedy.
Yet in his final moments, he traded his life to save Naruto Uzumaki and protect the village's future.
What a blessing.
Tragedy and blessing, two threads that had defined Sarutobi Hiruzen's entire life, finally met at its end.
Thus, the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, died.
———
"Sealing squad!"
Tsunade shouted, ordering the shinobi to hurry.
Not everyone could tear off a piece of sleepwear and use it as a sealing scroll like Hiruzen.
The inextinguishable Amaterasu flames were spreading across the village. It was still early morning, many people had just woken from sleep, confused and panicking.
In the darkness, they ran blindly. The flames of Amaterasu were black, one careless touch, and in moments, they'd become screaming figures of fire.
The blaze spread fast. The sealing teams were shorthanded. Casualties rose rapidly.
Kakashi approached Tsunade.
"Lady Tsunade, please have Lady Katsuyu transfer chakra to me and heal me. I have an idea!"
Without asking what it was, Tsunade simply summoned a Katsuyu clone and sent it to Kakashi's shoulder.
Kakashi lifted his forehead protector. The three tomoe spun rapidly.
"Kamui!"
The space at his focus twisted. The burning black flames were sucked into the Kamui dimension. In seconds, the entire street's Amaterasu fire was gone.
The Konoha shinobi sighed in relief.
———
[Far Away, in the Land of Lightning]
Obito, locked in fierce combat with Sasori, suddenly felt his body ignite.
"What the hell!?"
He had just phased into the Kamui dimension to dodge Sasori's poisoned needles when the terrifying black flames of Amaterasu clung to him.
He tore off his burning Akatsuki cloak, narrowly avoiding having his skin scorched.
"Kakashi!" Obito gritted his teeth.
Was he treating Kamui like a garbage bin?
First Deidara's explosions, now Itachi's Amaterasu, what next?
Ryosuke's iron spheres?
Sasori watched him coldly, unsure what new nonsense he was up to.
The puppet of Hanzo the Salamander lay broken nearby, its chained scythe shattered, its body cracked and immobile.
As for the summon, Salamander Ibuse, it had long since perished earlier in the battle.
Sasori had exhausted every puppet, every scroll, every drop of fuel and poison, fighting now with only taijutsu and mechanism skill.
Obito wasn't much better.
If not for the Hashirama cells granting him superhuman regeneration and chakra recovery, he'd already have been drained to death.
Both men were at their limit. After so many days of combat, they knew each other's tricks.
Now it was a battle of endurance.
Whoever broke first, made the first mistake, would die.
Here, Obito was at a disadvantage. Even with the boost from Hashirama's cells, he was still weaker than the fully mechanized Sasori.
And thanks to Ryosuke's deliberate rumors, everyone now knew Obito's intangibility had a time limit, and that he had to fully materialize to escape. Those were no longer secrets.
He couldn't run. If the fight dragged on, Sasori might literally exhaust him to death.
That was Sasori's art.
Eternal beauty.
Sasori saw the doubt flicker in Obito's eyes and raised his chin slightly.
"In Deidara's words…"
"My art surpasses yours."
Sasori lunged again, not giving him time to breathe.
Clang!
A long chain appeared between Obito's hands, a weapon he hadn't used before.
"I never thought of throwing Sasori into the Kamui dimension before, because he's different."
Most shinobi would fall unconscious from chakra disorder during spatial transfer, but not Sasori.
He neither felt hunger nor fatigue; he'd stay in Kamui's world indefinitely.
If Obito threw Sasori in there, he'd lose his ability to phase completely.
But now things were different.
That idiot Kakashi had just sent him Amaterasu's flames.
These were true killing flames that could destroy Sasori.
As long as Obito threw Sasori into Kamui before the object carrying Amaterasu burned away, he would win.
Their figures crossed.
Obito's chain pierced through Sasori's body, Sasori's blade sliced through Obito's neck. The instant the blade cut from behind his head, "Got you!"
Obito's hand slammed onto Sasori's chest.
Kamui activated, space twisted.
His neck, now inside the Kamui dimension, caught fire with Amaterasu, but Obito ignored it. With Hashirama's cells, he could last ten seconds before dying.
Half a second was enough to throw Sasori in.
Hanzo, lying on the ground, had thrown his chained scythe. It stabbed deep into Obito's back.
The poison of the salamander seeped into his bloodstream, turning his skin a sickly blue.
The Kamui transfer was forcibly stopped.
Sasori shoved Obito away.
"I told you, my art surpasses yours."
Obito staggered back two steps, disbelief filling his eyes.
"I… lost?"
Sasori waited calmly for Obito to die.
Then, he felt the ground soften beneath him. Hands grabbed his legs.
Zetsu.
Zetsu pulled Sasori's lower body into the earth.
At the same moment, the dazed Obito ripped off a chunk of his own flesh, his neck and chin still burning with Amaterasu, and flung it at Sasori, laughing madly.
"That's right! You beat me!"
"But you lost to us!"
"That's the power of teamwork!"
The black flames landed on Sasori's body, burning fiercely.
He knew Amaterasu's power. He didn't struggle. He just quietly watched Obito.
Like Amaterasu, the salamander's poison was also fatal and unending.
Sasori wanted to see, which of them would die first.
But then, three shadowy figures emerged from the forest, the trio of the Heretic White Snake.
They had been following behind all along, observing the fight.
Whichever of these two died, they'd make excellent material for Edo Tensei.
And if anyone could cure salamander poison, it would be Orochimaru, who had once fought Hanzo and survived his toxin.
The Heretic White Snake, inheritor of Orochimaru's legacy, naturally possessed antidotes.
Sasori lost.
He lost because he had no comrades.
"If only… that idiot Deidara were still alive," Sasori murmured.
He closed his eyes as the flames consumed him completely.
The legendary puppeteer, Sasori of the Red Sand, died.
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