Darkness enveloped the battlefield as a flash of white light streaked through the air.
"~" Sarutobi Hiruzen let out a muffled grunt, leaping backward as he quickly formed hand seals and slammed his palm to the ground. Several earthen walls rose up around him, forming a makeshift defense.
Panting heavily, his hands trembled. A deep gash ran across his chest, exposing bone, with blood dripping steadily onto the ground.
Only after facing "White Fang" as an enemy did he truly understand how terrifying he was.
Despite his keen perception, Hiruzen still couldn't sense White Fang's presence.
The earth walls cracked and crumbled as tree roots slowly infiltrated them, reducing them to rubble.
Hiruzen knew he couldn't afford to wait any longer. If this continued, he might not even have a chance to fight back.
Taking a deep breath, his gaze grew more resolute than ever.
Where the leaves dance, the fire burns.
The fire's shadow will illuminate the village...
And new leaves shall sprout once more.
Let me become the nourishment that protects this great tree.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
He hurled Enma into the air.
In an instant, Enma transformed into dozens of adamantine staffs, interlocking around Hiruzen to form a dense barrier.
Just as the technique was completed, the earth walls finally collapsed. From every direction, countless thick branches surged forward, rapidly entwining around the adamantine cage.
In mere moments, they completely enveloped Hiruzen's defense.
Yet, Hiruzen showed no intention of escaping. His hands continued weaving seals.
"Gah—!" The pressure from the branches warped the adamantine staffs, causing Enma to groan in pain.
"Hold on, Enma..."
The moment the words left his mouth, a thin jet of water pierced through the outer layers of the wooden entanglement, slipping through the gaps in the adamantine prison—
And impaling Hiruzen's abdomen.
Gritting his teeth against the pain, he cast one last glance outward, as if looking past the layers of branches to gaze upon Konohagakure.
"Orochimaru... I cannot allow you to continue your evil deeds. Come with me to hell."
"Reaper Death Seal!"
With Hiruzen's resounding declaration—
A massive spectral figure materialized. Its grotesque mask bore a menacing grin, prayer beads in one hand, and a short dagger clutched between its teeth. It loomed above the battlefield, gazing down upon the insignificant beings below.
A suffocating aura of spiritual dread swept through the area.
White Fang and the Second Hokage, still under Edo Tensei's control, instinctively moved to Orochimaru's side, standing guard.
Nearby, hidden within the towering Mokuton branches, Danzo silently observed the enormous spectral figure.
Is this jutsu truly such a bug-like existence?
Can Orochimaru not see it?
Or am I the only one here capable of perceiving it? Just what is this Shinigami?
To Danzo's sensory perception, the entity felt like an external soul—something that did not belong to this world. It resembled a projection, connected to Hiruzen's own soul.
The Shinigami moved.
Unbeknownst to Orochimaru, its massive arm extended through Hiruzen's spectral form, splitting into three and reaching for the First Hokage, the Second Hokage, and White Fang.
Like an inescapable homing attack, all three were instantly seized. Their bodies stiffened, then collapsed.
The Edo Tensei technique began to unravel. Sheets of paper peeled away from their forms, revealing the sacrificial bodies hidden within.
"What did you do?!" Orochimaru's face twisted with shock. Before he could weave hand seals, his body suddenly froze.
In that moment, he finally saw it.
The towering spectral figure.
The massive hand reaching inside his own body.
And Hiruzen's bound soul staring at him with unwavering resolve.
"Orochimaru, come to hell with me and repent."
"Are you kidding me?!"
A terrifying force tugged at his very essence, a splitting sensation tearing at his soul. For the first time, Orochimaru felt powerless, an uncontrollable fear seeping into his heart.
"No—!"
He struggled with everything he had, but it was futile.
The Shinigami's arm continued to drag his soul from his body, nearly halfway extracted—
Then, a calm voice rang in his ear, like divine salvation.
"I understand wanting to hold a funeral for our teacher, but do you really intend to die with him, Orochimaru?"
Danzo.
Orochimaru's eyes widened. His body trembled, unable to speak, yet his gaze overflowed with desperate will to live.
"Danzo."
Though he wasn't bound to the Shinigami, and no external sound could be heard, Danzo still heard Hiruzen's voice.
Along with an unmistakable hostility.
If Hiruzen had any strength left, Danzo suspected he would have tried to drag him down as well.
Danzo retrieved a sealing scroll, a mask, and a White Zetsu clone.
"Orochimaru, let's conduct an experiment together. If it's you... you'll definitely survive."
His Mangekyō Sharingan spun to life as he placed the Shinigami Mask over Orochimaru's face.
Orochimaru, who had been desperately resisting, went completely rigid. Intricate sealing patterns rapidly spread from the mask, covering his entire body.
The Shinigami's arm abruptly released Orochimaru's soul—
And lunged toward Danzo instead.
"Oh?"
So it's conscious?
It knows what I'm trying to do? But even if you are the Shinigami... this is still the mortal realm.
"Mangekyo Sharingan: Tenshin."
The Shinigami's arm, which had passed through Hiruzen's soul to reach him, suddenly exploded into fragments.
At the same time, Orochimaru—now like a puppet—began forming a rapid series of hand seals.
The sealing patterns covering his body grew even brighter. The mask on his face seemed to come alive.
The Shinigami in the void also appeared to be frozen in place, resonating with the mask's presence.
As Orochimaru completed the ritual, he gathered chakra into his hand, forming a sharp blade—
And without hesitation, he sliced open his own stomach.
Blood and entrails gushed forth.
At that very moment, the Shinigami—beyond anyone's control—raised its dagger and carved open its own belly.
A soul drifted free from within.
"Mangekyo Sharingan: Tenshin."
The soul of Namikaze Minato, the Fourth Hokage, was pulled into Danzo's consciousness.
The shadowy figure of the Shinigami tightened its grip on the short blade, staring intently at Danzō.
It opened its mouth wide and inhaled sharply. The souls of the First, Second, and Third Hokage, along with White Fang, were rapidly drawn toward its gaping maw.
"I'll be taking this one. You can have three, but I'm taking two..." Danzō pointed at White Fang's soul, his Sharingan locked onto the Shinigami.
Before Danzō could finish his sentence, the Third Hokage's soul suddenly ignited. Even Danzō could hear his agonized screams.
The Shinigami's shadow grew denser, its presence becoming even more terrifying.
"If you were here in person, I wouldn't have a word to say. But right now..." Danzō no longer held back, releasing the full intensity of his own soul's aura.
The sheer force of his soul energy rivaled—even surpassed—that of the Shinigami's shadow.
The two formidable presences clashed, neither yielding an inch.
"Even if you burn through all your sacrifices, this soul is mine!" Danzō's voice carried unwavering determination.
The flames consuming the Third Hokage's soul gradually subsided. The Shinigami cast a deep, lingering gaze at Danzō before parting its jaws, swallowing the three remaining souls.
As the shadowy figure slowly faded, White Fang's soul was left drifting in the air. Danzō reached out, pulling it into his consciousness.
He could still feel the lingering presence and mark left by the Shinigami.
The message was clear: when Danzō eventually died, the Shinigami would personally come to claim his soul as compensation.
"Hmph, so petty. Looks like the Shinigami is nothing more than an exceptionally powerful entity after all."
It even weighed pros and cons—far from the untouchable concept of a deity.
...
"How's Orochimaru? Is he still alive?"
Nearby, a White Zetsu's body had begun shifting, gradually taking on Orochimaru's form. He even habitually licked his lips.
"What an excellent vessel..." Orochimaru's eyes gleamed as he swiftly familiarized himself with the intricate details of White Zetsu's body.
"Because of you, I'm in debt. Work for me for ten years to pay it off—or you can go keep the Shinigami company."
"If my lord doesn't mind that the Akatsuki are hunting me down, I would be more than happy to oblige."
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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