At this moment, Hiruzen couldn't believe he'd ever come across something this ridiculous in his entire life!
He had finally gathered his courage to unleash this ultimate, self-sacrificial forbidden sealing technique—
Only to end up grabbing a corpse.
He hadn't even managed to capture the enemy's soul!
What the hell was the point of using the [Dead Demon Consuming Seal] then?!
Too bad.
It was already too late.
Once the [Dead Demon Consuming Seal] was activated, there was no turning back.
No matter whether it successfully consumed the target's soul or not,
his own soul had already been offered to the Shinigami—no refunds.
Right now, the Shinigami wouldn't make a losing deal...
Therefore, Hiruzen's death was already sealed.
But he couldn't accept it!
If he died without accomplishing anything, he'd surely be remembered as the dumbest Hokage in history!
At the very least, the Fourth—Minato—had taken the Nine-Tails down with him when he died!
If he used the [Dead Demon Consuming Seal] to seal nothing but emptiness, they'd probably laugh themselves to death over it!
This could *not* happen!
Hiruzen bit his tongue hard, clearing his mind.
Quickly, he redirected the Shinigami's arm, already retreating, and forced it to veer sharply midair.
Swinging leftward toward Biwa Juzo, who was currently locked in a fight with one of Hiruzen's clones.
What else could he do?
Pain was a puppet, with no soul to take.
Konan, that kunoichi, had turned into countless pieces of white paper scattered across the sky—her true body impossible to locate.
And that brat Shimoku Uchiha stood too far away to reach.
Among all the enemies present,
the only one left to target was Biwa Juzo.
After all, he used to be an elite Jonin from the Mist, and still barely maintained Kage-level strength. Capturing such an enemy might at least salvage some dignity...
Poor Biwa Juzo.
He had been locked in a thrilling, evenly matched battle with Hiruzen's clone, fully immersed in the fight.
Then, in the next second—
"Whoosh!"
Out of nowhere, a shadowy arm shot forth, piercing through his body and plunging deep into his abdomen.
Clamping tightly around his soul...
As easily as snatching up a baby chick.
"Ahhh!"
A piercing chill surged from the soles of Biwa Juzo's feet, instantly exploding into his skull.
The moment he was seized by the Shinigami's grip, everything became clear to him.
He saw the terrifying ghostly image of the [Shinigami] floating behind Hiruzen.
His face instantly drained of color, paralyzed with fear.
"What the hell is that?!!!"
"It hurts!"
"What's happening to my body?!"
"No!—"
The next instant,
before Biwa Juzo could even resist, the Shinigami's arm yanked his soul clean out,
and flew straight toward Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Seal it!"
Hiruzen roared.
In an instant, the Shinigami pulled Biwa Juzo's soul into Hiruzen's abdomen along with itself.
"Ssshh—"
White smoke rose.
A sealing formula formed over Hiruzen's belly.
Thus, the [Dead Demon Consuming Seal] completed the sealing process.
...
"Cough... cough..."
"Didn't expect I'd end up this pathetic after all!"
"What a waste! I didn't expect it would take so long just to fight Biwa Juzo... only for him to turn out to be a puppet all along!"
"Goodbye... my village..."
With his last ounce of strength, Sarutobi let out a final sigh of regret. Then, he shut his eyes and crumpled to the ground.
Thus fell the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
What a shame.
Biwa Juzo probably never saw *this* coming—least of all in his nightmares.
He didn't die under Might Duy's fists, nor did he fall to Might Guy's attacks.
In the end, he was defeated by the Third Hokage's forbidden sealing technique...
Still, trading his life for Sarutobi's was probably the proudest moment of his life.
Near Deva Path Pain, countless pieces of paper swirled together, shaping into Konan's form.
Watching everything unfold,
Hiruzen Sarutobi had taken Biwa Juzo away in a way completely beyond her comprehension.
Even Konan was visibly shaken.
"Longmen, what just happened?..."
"[Soul-binding Sealing Technique], I believe! Extremely powerful—nearly impossible to evade..."
Deva Path responded solemnly.
Though he couldn't see the Shinigami,
based on what he'd just felt and Biwa Juzo's expression in death,
figuring out the technique's effects wasn't difficult.
That was exactly why he felt a chill run down his spine.
Never did he imagine that old man Sarutobi still had such a terrifying hidden card up his sleeve!
Even though he called himself the "God of Order," compared to the real Shinigami, there was still a huge gap...
Fortunately, his true body and soul weren't present here.
Otherwise, he might have been caught off guard by Sarutobi just now...
No wonder great nations have such deep roots.
"Konan, leave this place and stay farther away."
"Don't give the enemy another chance to use similar techniques..."
"But our opponent likely doesn't have the strength to keep fighting either..."
Deva Path commanded Konan.
If not for Biwa Juzo acting as a scapegoat just now, Konan herself would have been in danger too.
He wouldn't fall for the same weakness twice.
He needed to keep Konan at a safe distance...
As for his puppet body, he had nothing to fear.
Besides, after everything they'd just gone through,
Deva Path's abilities had finally recovered—he was ready to fight again.
...
At the same time,
From afar, Shimoku—who had witnessed the entire battle—couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"Hahahaha!"
"Funny, so funny! Absolutely hilarious!"
"That old geezer Sarutobi only dragged Biwa Juzo down with him!"
"What terrible luck! This one truly cracks me up!"
"Well then, let's pause for half a second to honor the brave Mr. Biwa Juzo."
"Hahahaha..."
Truthfully, he hadn't expected this either.
Even the [Dead Demon Consuming Seal], a deadly kinjutsu that once gave him pause in the past,
was wasted so casually by that old man Sarutobi.
A mix of nostalgia and absurdity filled Shimoku's heart.
Of course, after the wistfulness,
came waves of joy.
Despite some twists and turns along the way,
his plan had finally succeeded.
Indeed, leveraging Akatsuki's manpower had crippled Konoha...
Not only did it trigger the contingency plan left behind by the First Hokage, but it also resulted in Hiruzen Sarutobi's demise.
This time around, there were no more threats left within Konoha!
"The old man... died?"
"What kind of jutsu was that?!!!"
Unlike the elated Shimoku, Orochimaru standing next to him remained frozen in place.
Although he had mentally prepared himself for comrades like Hiruzen dying in battle,
seeing his former mentor actually perish right before his eyes still stirred up a complex mix of emotions deep within.
After all, this was indeed his former mentor and benefactor.
And even worse, dying from a soul-exchange jutsu he'd never seen before.
"[Shiki Fuin]. A sealing kinjutsu originally from the Uzumaki clan. The Fourth Hokage mastered and modified it, eventually incorporating it into Konoha's overall ninjutsu system."
"It uses the user's own soul as the offering to strike a pact with the Shinigami, forcibly sealing away enemy souls—ignoring physical defenses—in a kinjutsu technique."
"This very technique was what the Fourth Hokage used to seal away the Nine-Tails..."
Lord Shimoku explained plainly.
After all, given Orochimaru's intelligence network and brainpower, discovering this technique afterward would only be a matter of time anyway...
"So there's actually such a sealing technique too!"
Orochimaru couldn't help but exclaim in amazement.
He always felt a mix of fascination—and wariness—when it came to soul-related techniques.
Especially when they were forbidden techniques like this one.
"Seems you already knew about it, Lord Shimoku!"
"So that's why you sent Pain and others to spearhead the attack?"
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes, having guessed the truth.
"Pfft."
"I'm still young after all!"
"Don't want to end up sealed inside the Shinigami's belly like some old coot sacrificing himself in a final exchange."
"And what about you? Weren't you worried the old man might take you down with him in one go?"
Orochimaru couldn't help but shiver upon hearing that.
His mind immediately flashed back to his original Konoha Destruction Plan.
If he had unknowingly launched that plan someday in the future,
it was possible—just maybe—that his former teacher Sarutobi-sensei could've taken him down in one move!
The very thought sent shivers down his spine...
"Enough thinking already."
"It's our turn to step onstage now."
"The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind."
"Feeling like the oriole sure feels pretty good, doesn't it?"
Lord Shimoku patted Orochimaru on the shoulder comfortingly.
Then, crouching low, he sprang forward.
Covering over a hundred meters in one bound, he landed straight onto the battlefield.
Without Sarutobi, Konoha was now just like an innocent girl stripped of resistance.
Finally, he could do whatever he pleased.
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