Time rewinds slightly—
After the Shinigami's blade severed a portion of Orochimaru's soul, Akihito's slash happened to shatter the Four Violet Flames Formation.
Sarutobi Hiruzen and Orochimaru were both blasted away by the immense shockwave.
Struggling to his feet, Orochimaru suddenly noticed his hands—
Their color darkened rapidly, turning an unnatural shade as corruption spread across them.
There was no sensation.
They felt abnormally heavy.
And then—
Excruciating pain.
Seeing this, Orochimaru no longer cared about what had just happened. He roared in fury:
"My hands…! Give me back my hands, you old bastard! Give them back to me!"
The Third Hokage, whose chest had been pierced by the Kusanagi Sword, had been shielded by his loyal summon, Enma, during the shockwave.
He was barely clinging to life.
The Dead Demon Consuming Seal was a unique sealing technique—
One that sacrificed the user's own soul to summon the Shinigami and seal another.
The Third Hokage had already offered his soul.
Death was inevitable.
But at least—
He had sealed Orochimaru's arms.
That was enough.
"It seems I arrived just in time."
A calm voice rang out.
The Third Hokage, who had been lying in Enma's arms waiting for death, seemed to experience a brief flash of clarity.
He struggled to open his eyes.
The one who had arrived—
Was Uchiha Akihito.
Hiruzen was not surprised.
After years of rivalry, he had never expected Akihito to come to his aid.
It would have been bad enough if Akihito had sided with Orochimaru.
"OROCHIMARU!"
A furious roar erupted—
Boom!
"Argh—!"
Orochimaru, who had just managed to stand, was sent flying by Tsunade's punch.
"Tsunade… Akihito… you've come…"
Forcing out the last of his breath, the Third Hokage spoke weakly.
Akihito gazed at the dying Hiruzen, calm eyes tinged with faint complexity.
Since ascending as Uchiha Clan Head, he had spent ten years locked in political struggle with this old man.
Now that his longtime rival was about to die—
He felt no sorrow.
Only a quiet sense of reflection.
Tsunade looked at her former teacher with a complicated expression, saying nothing.
Hiruzen gave a bitter smile.
How pitiful, he thought.
Of his three disciples—
One hated him enough to raise a blade against him.
One looked upon him with cold indifference, their bond nearly extinguished.
And the last—Jiraiya.
Their relationship had never broken, but Jiraiya wandered freely, coming and going as he pleased.
Whether he was present or absent hardly seemed to matter.
"Akihito… I entrust Konoha to you…"
Hiruzen spoke with great effort.
Under Akihito's leadership, the Uchiha clan had become Konoha's foremost powerhouse over the past decade.
Once he died, no one in Konoha would be able to restrain Akihito.
The Uchiha standing supreme was inevitable.
What Hiruzen had never understood was—
Akihito clearly had the strength to force him down and claim the position of Fifth Hokage.
Yet he never did.
What Hiruzen didn't know was—
Akihito had long since outgrown any interest in the Hokage's seat.
Becoming Hokage meant drowning in endless paperwork and political burdens.
Troublesome.
He had no desire for it.
"Go in peace," Akihito said lightly. "Even if you hadn't asked, I would have done so."
"Then… I can rest easy…"
The Third Hokage closed his eyes.
His breath faded.
Thus fell Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Tsunade stared at his peaceful face, her mood heavy and restless.
Though their bond had long since frayed—
It had not vanished entirely.
Even a pet kept for years left traces of attachment.
Her pent-up frustration demanded release.
She turned sharply, fists clenched, charging toward Orochimaru.
"You damned Orochimaru! Look at the mess you've made! I'll kill you today!"
When Tsunade got serious—
It was terrifying.
The force within her fists could shatter massive boulders with ease.
Let alone flesh and bone.
After battling the Third Hokage, Orochimaru's stamina was already depleted.
His arms were sealed.
He had just taken a punch that sent him flying.
He had no strength left to resist.
He could only endure Tsunade's onslaught.
Boom!
Crash!
Orochimaru was battered like a sandbag, flung around mercilessly.
Watching from the side, Akihito clicked his tongue inwardly.
With Orochimaru's already crippled condition—
He might actually get beaten to death.
Akihito did not intervene.
He had already promised Tsunade she could handle Orochimaru as she wished.
Besides—
In her current emotional state, she needed the outlet.
Blood poured from Orochimaru's mouth as he wailed,
"Pugh—ah—Tsunade… stop…"
"Shut up! Die, Orochimaru!"
Akihito silently offered him a moment of silence.
Try not to die.
Of course—
Even if Orochimaru did die here, Akihito knew he had contingencies.
The Cursed Seal.
A cunning man always prepared multiple escape routes.
Though Akihito had little regard for the Cursed Seal system—
He had to admit, it was ingenious.
Orochimaru had implanted fragments of his consciousness within the seals.
If his main body perished—
Those fragments could resurrect through a host bearing the mark.
Possession.
Rebirth.
It was grotesque—
But effective.
After a long while—
Tsunade, breathing heavily, finally stopped.
Orochimaru lay on the ground like a mangled corpse.
If not for the faint, occasional twitch—
Akihito might have assumed he was dead.
His nose was shattered and sunken in.
His face swollen beyond recognition.
Limbs broken.
Chest caved in.
Blood soaked his body.
Not a single bone intact.
If the Sound Four saw him now, they likely wouldn't even recognize him.
"Well? Feeling better?"
Akihito stepped beside Tsunade.
She said nothing, cold eyes still fixed on Orochimaru.
He was breathing out more than in.
Tsk.
He really might die.
"Want me to finish him?" Akihito suggested.
No matter how vile Orochimaru had become—
He was still Tsunade's fellow disciple.
She might hesitate to deliver the final blow.
Just as the Third Hokage once had—
When Orochimaru's forbidden experiments were exposed, Hiruzen had ultimately let him go.
But Akihito had no such reservations.
If Tsunade truly wished Orochimaru dead—
He wouldn't mind ending it for her.
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