Chapter 8: The Death of Sarutobi Hiruzen
"Hahaha… are you kidding me?"
Uchiha Raizen's laughter echoed like thunder across the battlefield. A heartbeat later, thick black chains erupted from the ground like serpents and pierced straight through Sarutobi Hiruzen's body.
The Third Hokage let out a guttural roar, struggling with all his might. His aged hands gripped the chains, his chakra flaring in defiance. Yet, no matter how hard he resisted, the bindings held firm, draining his strength. His face twisted with grim resolve as he finally stopped resisting.
Closing his eyes for a moment, he let his hands fall to his sides. His chakra began to flow violently, the very air trembling from the sheer force of his will. Opening his eyes again, he locked his gaze on Raizen's crimson Sharingan, eyes filled with unyielding determination.
Uchiha Raizen tightened his grip, his voice cold as steel.
"Sarutobi Hiruzen… your time is over!"
He raised his hand to deliver the killing blow.
But Hiruzen's eyes flared with one last burst of defiance. His hands formed seals even as blood spilled from his mouth.
"No… Raizen. It is you who will die! Shiki—"
Before the words could be completed, Raizen's chains constricted.
Boom!
The sound of flesh and bone rupturing filled the air. The Third Hokage's body burst apart in a spray of blood and chakra, his final technique crushed before it could be unleashed.
Sarutobi Hiruzen—The Professor, the God of Shinobi of his era—was gone.
In his final moments, he never even knew the true name of the one who struck him down. He only carried the bitter knowledge that everything had spiraled into chaos because of Shimura Danzo's schemes, Uchiha Itachi's betrayal, and his own silent acquiescence.
Perhaps, if he had known Raizen's name… would he have chosen differently?
But regrets have no meaning.
Shimura Danzo was dead. Uchiha Itachi was gone. And now, Sarutobi Hiruzen had fallen.
"Hah! Did you think I wouldn't see through your futile attempt?"
Raizen's voice was full of contempt. He released his grip, and his massive Susanoo-clad form began to rise slowly into the night sky. His enormous figure blotted out the moonlight, casting a long, suffocating shadow over the ruins of Konoha.
"Come then, world! Welcome your end!"
Raizen lifted his hand. From his palm, a golden halo began to shimmer, growing larger and brighter with each passing second.
It was the second artifact of his Susanoo—the Energy-Gathering Ring.
The massive golden ring expanded outward, surrounding his colossal figure. The moment it activated, the entire world seemed to dim. The moonlight bent unnaturally, flowing toward him in streams of silver like rivers of light.
The air grew colder. The night itself seemed to wither.
The Energy Ring did not strike directly, but its purpose was far more terrifying—it amplified Raizen's natural ability to consume energy. Every flicker of light, every trace of chakra, even the very warmth of the world itself… all of it was pulled into him.
His voice boomed with manic joy:
"Yes! Power! Endless, surging power! Hahahaha!"
His chakra swelled without limit, his body evolving with every ounce of energy devoured. Strength, speed, endurance, chakra reserves—even his very lifespan—continued to skyrocket without restraint.
He was no longer simply consuming light. He drank the heat from the air, the chakra of every shinobi caught in his field, even the lifeblood of nature itself. Within his devouring domain, no energy was safe.
The world around him grew dimmer, colder, and more desolate. As his absorption expanded, the light of the moon dulled, and the warmth of life waned. Left unchecked, Raizen's existence itself would mean the death of the world.
Uchiha Raizen was no longer merely a man. He was a calamity, a black hole in human form.
Far below, chaos spread throughout Konoha. Ninjas scrambled to evacuate civilians, leading them away from the monster that had just slain their Hokage.
"The Third is dead!" someone cried out in despair.
"What do we do now?!"
"Find Jiraiya-sama! Summon Tsunade-sama! Without them, Konoha has no hope!"
Others shouted in rage and fear as the truth spread.
"This all started with Danzo! That old snake wanted to wipe out the Uchiha clan!"
"I saw it—the eyes of that giant! The Sharingan! This is an Uchiha! He must have awakened this power after the massacre!"
"Danzo Shimura! That bastard doomed us all! Because of his schemes, because of his obsession with power, the Hokage is dead and Konoha is in ruins!"
The shinobi clenched their fists in frustration. Many of them had despised Danzo for years, but no one could have predicted that his plots would lead to something so catastrophic. His thirst for control had birthed a monster beyond imagination.
"This… this is worse than the Nine-Tails' attack…" one ninja whispered, trembling as he remembered the night Kurama nearly destroyed their village. "At least then, we had a chance. But now… against this monster… there's nothing we can do but run."
Their voices cracked with grief as they shepherded civilians away from their shattered home. They had lost their Hokage, their leader, their shield—and Konoha itself was slipping from their grasp.
Yet amidst the chaos, one Hyuga ninja spoke hesitantly.
"Maybe… maybe we can reason with him. Uchiha Raizen is still a Konoha shinobi, isn't he? If we speak to him, maybe he will see his mistake… maybe he will stop."
His words were met with silence at first. Then, one Nara ninja scoffed coldly, his expression full of disdain.
"Are you an idiot? Have you already forgotten? He killed countless shinobi… even the Hokage! That monster has abandoned Konoha. He doesn't care about the village, or about us. Do you really think words will reach him?"
The Hyuga fell silent, shame filling his face. The others glared at him as if he had lost his mind. Reason with Raizen? With the walking calamity that had just torn their world apart?
It was already far too late for words.