Although the Shinigami's presence filled Naruto with unease, he noticed something curious — the Death God wasn't invincible.
There were rules it seemed to follow.
Naruto's gaze turned toward the Third Hokage, who was dragging Orochimaru's soul from his body, trying to tear it away. The Shinigami mirrored his movements, and then, before Naruto's eyes, it pulled the Third Hokage's soul as well.
The Death God devoured both of Orochimaru's arms into its stomach.
Despite the dread that the Shinigami inspired, Naruto didn't feel that it was some unstoppable divine force. If anything, it felt… tangible — limited.
In terms of power, Naruto estimated that the Shinigami was roughly at the Advanced Super Kage level. Perhaps the Shinigami wasn't a god at all, but a type of higher being or spirit.
Orochimaru's scream echoed across the rooftop. Sweat drenched his pale face as his arms fell limp and lifeless. His hands had lost all color, drained of vitality.
The Third Hokage, however, collapsed with a faint, relieved smile.
Naruto couldn't help but smirk. So, this is how it ends...
Hiruzen Sarutobi had always wanted to die as a hero, but this was an ironic twist — he didn't take Orochimaru down with him. Instead, he robbed him of something worse than death. Losing his arms meant losing the ability to perform Ninjutsu. For Orochimaru, that was a punishment worse than any execution.
The sudden shift stunned everyone watching. How had things changed so quickly? None of them could see the Shinigami — only the Second Hokage understood what had taken place.
The Third Hokage had used the Reaper Death Seal.
That forbidden Jutsu, one that sealed both the target's and the caster's souls, had been developed through research involving the Uzumaki Clan's sealing arts — and even required their demon mask to invoke.
Once the Shinigami devoured both Hiruzen and a portion of Orochimaru's soul, it vanished into the void.
The Sound Four immediately dropped their barrier technique. Orochimaru's survival was their top priority. Kabuto leapt onto the rooftop, rushing to his master's side.
"Lord Orochimaru! Are you alright?" he asked, panic etched across his face.
Orochimaru gave a weak smile. "I'll live… take me away."
Though his soul was still intact, the damage was severe. It wasn't just his hands that had been taken — roughly a tenth of his soul power was gone. The very foundation of his existence had been shaken.
Kabuto supported Orochimaru and retreated under the protection of the Sound Four.
The Konoha ninja didn't pursue. Most were still focused on quelling the chaos within the village. The invading Otogakure shinobi had served their purpose — pawns in Orochimaru's scheme.
It had to be admitted — Orochimaru truly had a way with people. These followers were willing to die for him without hesitation.
Soon, the truth spread through the Konoha ranks — the Third Hokage had used a forbidden technique in an attempt to take Orochimaru down with him. In the end, Hiruzen paid with his life, and Orochimaru barely escaped with his.
Elsewhere, Gaara's sand attacks gradually weakened until he was subdued by Might Guy. The battlefront in the village calmed. Sunagakure's shinobi realized the truth — they had been deceived by Orochimaru, and their Kazekage had likely already been killed.
"Sasuke," Naruto called out, "wait for me outside the village. Take Lee and the others with you and go!"
Sasuke nodded without question. Naruto formed ten Shadow Clones to assist in covering their retreat.
"Sasuke! No!" Sakura screamed, her voice trembling as she reached out.
Sasuke glanced at her once but didn't stop. He disappeared from sight, without hesitation.
Yakumo Kurama had stayed out of the fight; her abilities weren't yet stable, and exposing her now would've been reckless.
Then Jiraiya appeared before Naruto, his expression pained. "Naruto… are you really going to betray Konoha?"
Naruto looked at him quietly. Jiraiya was one of the few in the village who had ever truly cared for him. But even so, how could he stay?
"It's not me who betrayed Konoha," Naruto said coldly. "It's Konoha that's never accepted me."
He turned to leave.
As he walked away, he glanced back — his eyes meeting Hinata's. A gentle voice reached her mind: 'Hinata, I'll come back. Wait for me.'
Tears rolled down Hinata's cheeks as she watched him vanish into the distance.
Hiashi Hyūga placed a hand on his daughter's shoulder and shook his head solemnly.
When another ninja moved to chase after Naruto, the Second Hokage raised a hand. "Let him go."
He knew pursuing Naruto now would only lead to unnecessary deaths. Having faced him in battle, he understood the boy's terrifying strength.
...
Inside a Root base…
"Report to Lord Danzō — the Third Hokage has fallen in battle!"
The Root operative kneeled, voice steady.
For a brief moment, Danzō froze. A storm of conflicting emotions rose within him — grief, satisfaction, ambition.
But the sorrow faded quickly. The lust for power crushed it like dust beneath his heel.
"And…?" he asked sharply.
The operative hesitated.
"What else? Speak!" Danzō barked.
"Lord Danzō, the Second Hokage has summoned you!"
The Root operative's voice broke through the dim silence of the underground base.
Danzō's eyes narrowed. "The Second Hokage…? Sensei?"
His tone was cautious, suspicious.
The Root ninja quickly explained everything — Orochimaru's invasion, the resurrection of the First and Second Hokage, and the chaos that followed.
When he heard the words Edo Tensei, Danzō's expression hardened, and an ominous feeling spread through his chest.
"Impure World Reincarnation…" he muttered grimly.
"So that's what he used."
The Root base was deep underground, sealed by layers of barrier and sealing techniques. The noise from the surface was distant, muffled — but Danzō had felt something wrong in the air from the start.
He rose from his seat, cloak rustling as he strode toward the exit. His face was shadowed, unreadable.
Days passed after the Konoha Crush Incident, and its consequences spread like wildfire.
Barely twenty-four hours after Naruto and his companions left the village, reports about the battle reached every major shinobi village across the continent.
Before long, a single message lay open on the desks of the Kage and their councils —
The Third Hokage of Konoha has fallen in battle.
The Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki, Uzumaki Naruto, has defected.
The Uchiha Clan's last heir, Uchiha Sasuke, has followed him into exile.
Alongside them: Hyūga Neji of the Branch Family, Yakumo Kurama of the Kurama Clan, and the taijutsu prodigy, Rock Lee.
But that wasn't all.
Reports also revealed that Hyūga Neji had led several Branch Family members away from the village, effectively splitting the Hyūga Clan for the first time in history.
The world was shaken.
At the same time, another message caused further uproar — Orochimaru had used a forbidden technique to resurrect the First and Second Hokage. The Second Hokage had reportedly broken free from Orochimaru's control and returned to Konoha.
Rumors spread like wildfire, crossing borders faster than any messenger.
Within the Akatsuki, members gathered as word of Konoha's disaster reached their ears.
"Konoha has truly suffered a tremendous loss," one of them sneered.
Laughter filled the room — cold, amused, cruel. Only Uchiha Itachi sat silently, his Sharingan dimly glowing beneath his calm exterior. His eyes flickered — not with satisfaction, but something else. Reflection. Calculation. Regret, perhaps.
In the Land of Water, the Hidden Mist Village was the last of the Great Nations to receive the report.
When the Mizukage read the dispatch, disbelief crossed her face — followed by a small, satisfied smile.
For years, Kirigakure had been the weakest of the Five Great Nations, barely rising above Sunagakure after long internal strife. But now? With Konoha crippled, the balance of power shifted.
Their decline might finally reverse.
At the Umbrella Organization's base, Shisui Uchiha stared at the intelligence report in front of him, his hands trembling slightly — not with fear, but excitement.
"So… he's finally escaped," Shisui murmured, eyes lighting up.
"Naruto… you've finally broken free of that cage."
For years, Shisui had carried the burden of leadership in Naruto's absence, shaping and protecting the Umbrella Organization from the shadows. Now that Naruto was free, the future no longer felt so heavy.
He exhaled slowly, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
"The fledgling has spread his wings," he said softly. "From here on, the Umbrella will soar."
His gaze darkened slightly as he turned to the final line of the report.
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, perished in battle.
A bitter laugh escaped him. "He got off easy."
For all the Third Hokage's sins — for his hypocrisy, his blindness — he would now be remembered as a hero. The village would mourn him, sing his praises, and forget the truth.
But not everyone would forget.
...
TN:
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