"It's over, Danzō."
Hiruzen Sarutobi pointed his adamantine staff at Danzō Shimura, his voice low and filled with finality.
"This time, you've lost."
"Lost?"
Danzō stared at Hiruzen with a piercing gaze. He could feel the Chakra within him dissipating.
Moreover, he was fully aware of the battle situation on the other side; he knew he had lost.
Although being summoned through the Summoning: Impure World Reincarnation technique had stripped him of some of his abilities, it also granted him the advantage of an immortal body and unlimited Chakra.
Yet even with these advantages, he couldn't truly counter his old friend.
Especially when Orochimaru, who had summoned him, was struggling to fend for himself.
Danzō had relied solely on his own strength.
Looking at the old friend he had known for nearly seventy years, Danzō fell silent for a moment.
The bonds between shinobi were indeed strange.
Danzō harbored a deep hatred for Hiruzen, believing that Hiruzen had stolen the position of Hokage from him.
This resentment, even in death, could not be resolved.
Yet as everything seemed to draw to a close, he couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions.
"You're wrong, Monkey. I haven't lost!"
Suddenly, Danzō let out a cold snort and spoke indifferently.
"I was just unlucky, always a second too late. I didn't lose to you!"
"At this point, you're still being stubborn?"
Hiruzen's tone carried a hint of disappointment, but Danzō scoffed in response.
"Stubborn? At least under my leadership, Konohagakure would never have fallen into its current state! I could never lose to you!"
As his words fell, Danzō's body began to dissipate into nothingness, leaving behind only the lifeless corpse of an unknown shinobi.
"Sigh..."
Hiruzen could only sigh as he witnessed this scene.
The confrontation with Danzō left him in a somber mood, though he had no time to dwell on it.
His gaze shifted to the side, where Kitagawa Minamoto was approaching him.
"Minamoto, you've worked hard."
Looking at the young man before him, Hiruzen couldn't help but sigh.
Although he had been locked in combat with Danzō, he had kept an eye on the situation elsewhere.
He had witnessed Minamoto's astonishing performance, his masterful control of power.
The way Minamoto seized the opportunity to eliminate both the Fourth Kazekage and the Fourth Raikage in an instant—it filled Hiruzen with a deep sense of pride.
He was certain that this young man represented the future of Konohagakure.
"It's just... you're so much like Tobirama-sensei..."
Of course, Hiruzen also felt a slight headache.
He had noticed Minamoto's ruthless tactics, but he quickly shook his head, dismissing the thought.
"By the way, how did you learn Dust Release?"
Hiruzen asked curiously, giving Minamoto a knowing look.
"Actually, back when I first visited the Land of Earth, I had a faint sense of it," Minamoto replied, shaking the blood off his blade.
He glanced at the Iwagakure and Kirigakure shinobi who had jumped onto the platform after the battle ended, then continued with a smile.
"The Land of Earth..."
His words immediately drew everyone's attention to Ōnoki.
Ōnoki's forehead twitched slightly.
He hadn't forgotten that incident—it was the same time when Deidara had been abducted!
"However, I didn't think much of it at the time. I just kept the feeling in mind."
Minamoto turned to Deidara, then continued with a smile.
"And about a month ago, when Deidara sparred with me, he used Dust Release, which awakened my memory. So..."
He didn't finish the sentence, but everyone already understood his implication.
An understanding gained years ago, combined with time and Deidara's inadvertent guidance, had opened the final door for him.
Although it sounded simple, everyone present could comprehend just how extraordinary and difficult this process truly was.
"Minamoto Jōnin, is it the same with your Ice Release?"
Gengetsu Hōzuki couldn't help but ask.
The Yuki clan had been wiped out during Obito Uchiha's schemes, and Ice Release had disappeared along with them.
Seeing it again stirred deep emotions within him.
"Yes, I once encountered a shinobi who used Ice Release during my travels. I later developed it myself," Minamoto nodded, though he tactfully left some face for Kirigakure.
At the same time, he turned toward Deidara.
"Deidara, your art is truly remarkable. Without it, I wouldn't have won so easily."
"Of course!"
Deidara puffed up with pride, though an exasperated Ōnoki smacked him on the head.
Ōnoki's emotions were complicated.
Dust Release had been mastered by someone from Konohagakure, and that person also wielded the Flying Thunder God Technique.
It was an unsettling and frustrating situation.
Under normal circumstances, he would have done everything in his power to eliminate such a threat.
But now...
Boom—
At that moment, a thunderous roar echoed through Konohagakure, and the ground trembled once more.
The commotion snapped everyone back to reality, and their gazes turned toward the distance.
"Shukaku hasn't fully recovered yet. Let the sealing squad handle it. For now, let's head over and see what's happening," Hiruzen said after a moment of thought.
He turned to Ōnoki and Gengetsu.
"Thank you both for your choices. I hope we can have deeper discussions after all this is over. But for now, let's focus on the present."
"I have no objections," Gengetsu nodded, while Ōnoki let out a cold snort but remained silent.
What else could he do at this point?
The only consolation was that Hiruzen would offer compensation, and Deidara had inherited his Dust Release.
However, seeing Deidara's eager gaze fixed on Minamoto made Ōnoki feel another headache coming on.
"Why is it that Konohagakure's geniuses are so extraordinary? They've taken down the Fourth Raikage and the Fourth Kazekage, while my Deidara is such a disappointment..."
"Is the battle in the village over?"
Meanwhile, outside the village, Minamoto—now in his Ōtsutsuki Minamoto form—sensed the conclusion of the battle.
It had to be said that the "Divine Tree Clone" was far superior to ordinary shadow clones.
Since it was driven by the "Divine Tree Core" within him, the sharing of information was instantaneous.
As soon as the battle ended on the other side, Minamoto knew about it.
"It seems I need to speed things up as well."
Minamoto thought to himself.
The fact that his clone had taken down two Kage-level opponents didn't surprise him much.
Although it was just a clone, it had access to his information, the Flying Thunder God Technique, and even Dust Release.
Even if it wasn't as strong as his true body, it was more than capable of seizing opportunities and achieving such feats.
"Still, the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path is ridiculously tough..."
Looking at the roaring Demonic Statue, Minamoto couldn't help but curse inwardly.
The statue, being the vessel of the Ten-Tails, remained incredibly durable even without the Tailed Beasts' energy.
Although Minamoto's attacks with the Sword of Totsuka were effective, leaving scars with each strike, Nagato's relentless control allowed the statue to continuously regenerate.
"No wonder it had to be sealed on the moon. But why don't my eyes have the authority to control this thing?"
Dodging the statue's swinging arms with a flash, Minamoto pondered.
"Could it be that this authority is exclusive to the Rinnegan?"
As the statue's arms wreaked havoc, shaking the earth and sending debris flying, Minamoto shook his head slightly.
The next moment, his Chakra surged, and the Sword of Totsuka roared to life once more.
"Roar!"
Sensing the impending attack, the Demonic Statue clenched its massive fist and swung it toward the blade.
Boom—
The two forces collided, creating a sharp, deafening windstorm.
The visible shockwaves rippled outward, forcing Minamoto to retreat into the sky.
Meanwhile, the Demonic Statue was knocked to the ground, looking rather disheveled.
"You're not as strong as you claim to be."
As the statue's massive body rose again, its mouth opened to reveal Nagato within.
Nagato was panting heavily, his body connected to countless black rods.
Controlling the Demonic Statue was no easy task for him.
Yet his gaze remained fixed on Minamoto, a defiant smile on his face.
"Where's your arrogance now? Weren't you looking down on everyone?"
"Admittedly, your ability to control the Ten-Tails' vessel surprised me."
Minamoto raised an eyebrow but maintained his calm demeanor.
Through this battle, he had gauged the Demonic Statue's current strength.
He had ways to deal with it. After all, he hadn't revealed all his cards yet.
"I must say, the Rinnegan is indeed impressive. But it seems you've misunderstood something."
Minamoto spoke as he gathered his Chakra, his voice carrying a hint of amusement.
"I've always avoided unnecessary killing. To me, you're like ants. Killing for amusement would be beneath me."
As he spoke, his Chakra fluctuations intensified, and Nagato felt an overwhelming sense of suffocation.
Raising his head, Nagato looked toward the sky.
Though it was shrouded in dark clouds, he felt as if something monumental was about to happen.
"But don't misunderstand. When ants block my path, I will crush them without hesitation."
Minamoto's tone grew sharper.
"I've held back to avoid damaging the Rinnegan. But now, I'm curious about something else."
His voice turned distant, almost mocking.
"Have you ever wondered how the ants you crush feel in their final moments?"
As his words fell, the world seemed to fall into silence.
The ground beneath Nagato darkened further as thick clouds loomed overhead.
Staring blankly at the sky, Nagato's face filled with disbelief.
Minamoto's voice echoed once more.
"Perhaps I should phrase it differently: Have you ever experienced despair?"
(End of Chapter)~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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