Crack—
Rumble—
Across the ground, shattered stones, broken tiles, and snapped trees began trembling violently.
Some of the shinobi standing too close suddenly felt darkness swallow their vision.
It was as if their souls were being forcibly dragged out of their bodies.
"N-no! This is bad! Everyone retreat farther!"
Realizing something was terribly wrong, Kakashi shouted immediately.
At the same time, the Mangekyō Sharingan in his left eye spun wildly.
The power of Kamui surged forward, trying to twist and distort the massive vortex forming above.
But—
It failed.
The Kamui only managed to remove a fragment of the vortex the size of a palm.
And that single attempt completely drained Kakashi's chakra.
Just as his vision blurred—
A green figure suddenly grabbed him and sprinted away.
Might Guy.
Sensing danger, Guy had already opened several of the Eight Gates.
With Yamato tucked under one arm and Kakashi under the other, he dashed away at full speed.
"Move! Move!"
Nearby, Nara Shikaku looked pale.
He had just attempted to use Shadow Possession to restrain the vortex above.
But against power at the level of rules and origin, it was utterly useless.
The backlash forced him to spit out a mouthful of blood.
All he could do was command the ANBU to evacuate everyone immediately.
"Sasuke! Naruto!"
Meanwhile, Uchiha Fugaku rushed against the fleeing crowd into the street.
His dark Susanoo appeared instantly, enveloping the two boys.
Yet even with Susanoo's protection, the terrifying suction above caused the skeletal structure to groan.
Creaaak… creaaak…
"Father…"
Gaara murmured as he stepped forward.
Ignoring the frantic screams of Shukaku inside him.
"Damn it! If they want to fight, why attack the village?!"
Tobirama now regretted everything.
Watching the village he and his brother built being destroyed made his heart ache.
Hashirama felt the same pain.
The sage markings that had disappeared earlier now spread across most of his forehead.
Immense Sage Chakra surged outward.
"Sage Art: Wood Release — True Several Thousand Hands!"
CRACK!
CRACK!
In an instant, brilliant green light erupted.
A massive Buddha statue far larger than the previous Wood Golem appeared.
Standing against the pull of the Death Origin vortex.
Protecting Konoha below.
"…Brother, you still had energy left?"
Tobirama blinked, his expression strange.
Earlier during the fight with Uchiha Kai, hadn't Hashirama said he couldn't use stronger techniques?
Then how—
But that thought only lasted a moment.
Another idea was rapidly forming in his mind.
He turned to the side and waved toward Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Monkey, come here."
"Yes, Sensei."
"Go."
"Seal the Shinigami."
Hiruzen froze.
He pointed at himself awkwardly.
"Me?"
Everyone present could clearly see how terrifying the Shinigami above was.
Especially now that it was going all out.
What could an old man like him possibly do?
Even sacrificing his life wouldn't be enough.
The difference in power was simply too great.
"Hmph… Monkey, you're still as slow as ever."
Tobirama shook his head in irritation.
"I'm telling you to use the Reaper Death Seal."
"Seal the Shinigami itself."
The question was—
Could the Reaper Death Seal seal the Shinigami summoned by the Reaper Death Seal?
Tobirama didn't know.
But they had to try.
Hiruzen was completely stunned.
Using the Reaper Death Seal to seal the Shinigami that the Reaper Death Seal summoned?
Was this some kind of recursive sealing technique?!
And would that even work?
He hesitated.
Then he looked up—
And met a pair of cold eyes.
Eyes filled with dissatisfaction.
And disappointment.
His heart skipped a beat.
Sensei… is disappointed in me?
So… he already saw through everything?
Hiruzen's wrinkled face turned complicated.
On one hand, admiration for his former teacher.
Even after being dead for so long, Tobirama could still pinpoint the problem instantly.
On the other hand—
The helplessness and reluctance of facing his own death.
He had stood at the top of this village for too long.
So long that he had forgotten the passion of his youth.
So long that he had become entangled in power and politics.
Eventually losing himself.
After a long silence, he took a deep breath.
The hesitation in his eyes faded.
"Understood, Sensei."
"Good."
"This might be the most correct thing you've done for the village."
Tobirama nodded.
At first, he had believed Uchiha Kai to be the one who would destroy the village.
That was why he attacked without hesitation.
But as the battle continued—
He noticed something strange.
The reactions of the ANBU.
The reactions of the Konoha shinobi.
They all cared more about that Uchiha boy.
This realization made him question everything.
Later, after overhearing the conversation between the Raikage and Tsuchikage downstairs—
He finally understood.
His own student—
Was the real villain in Konoha's current situation.
In that case—
There was nothing left to hesitate about.
The dead should not cling to the world of the living.
If necessary—
He would take them all down together.
Above them, Hashirama watched quietly.
He nodded slightly at Tobirama's decision.
Then he looked up at Uchiha Kai.
For the first time, genuine admiration appeared in his eyes.
"Reform…"
"What an impressive young man."
"Konoha might develop in a completely new direction under you."
He had already sensed the truth.
That was why he hadn't used his full Sage power earlier.
"But…"
"You pushed things a bit too far."
"You're still young."
"This time, let us elders clean up the mess for you."
As Hashirama prepared to clap his hands again…
Tobirama began forming hand seals…
And Hiruzen prepared to perform a suicidal sealing technique—
Something changed.
The clouds above moved.
More precisely—
Uchiha Kai moved.
At the center of the storm, Kai's small face became serious.
He didn't immediately attack.
Instead, he carefully sensed the vortex above.
The pull on his soul was extremely powerful.
Even he felt slightly dizzy when resisting it without using special abilities.
"Damn…"
"You're going this far?"
"Are you a god of death or a suicide bomber?"
He spat to the side, staring directly at the Shinigami.
From this close distance, he could clearly feel something.
The once orderly death laws inside the Shinigami's projection—
Had become chaotic.
Like a body that had lost its central nervous system.
If nothing stopped it—
The vortex of death above might remain permanently.
Even the Yin–Yang Tailed Beast Ball he had thrown earlier had barely made a ripple.
It hadn't affected the vortex at all.
After thinking for a moment—
Kai casually flicked his fingers.
The Myōjin Gate pillars disappeared.
Then he summoned his Light Susanoo closer.
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