Many people began to realize what Isobu was preparing to unleash.

"That's…"

"The Tailed Beast Ball…"

"Damn it… Is this the end…?"

Though every heart still burned with anger and a desire to survive—

The truth loomed like a death sentence.

There was no way they could survive a direct hit from a Tailed Beast Ball.

All of it—this despair—fell into the eyes of Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Still half-kneeling, Sarutobi Hiruzen slowly rose to his feet.

In that moment, the image of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, returned to his mind.

That night—the night of the Nine-Tails attack—it was thanks to that couple that Konoha's casualties had been minimized.

Sarutobi Hiruzen gave a soft, bitter chuckle and shook his head.

"Heh… when you're old, you tend to live in the past…"

His chakra was depleted.

His meridians had been torn apart.

But he was Sarutobi Hiruzen.

The Third Hokage of Konoha.

Even if it meant death, he had to step forward.

The deaths of Tobirama Senju and Minato, the grievous injuries to Orochimaru—

Both memory and reality screamed at his soul.

Gritting his teeth against the backlash of the secret medicine still burning through his system, Sarutobi Hiruzen stood before Sarutobi Shinnosuke.

He raised a trembling hand and blocked his son from stepping forward.

"Leave it to me."

Shinnosuke looked at his father.

Wounded from head to toe, Sarutobi Hiruzen's blood had soaked through his flak jacket, staining it a deep crimson.

"But—"

"No buts!"

"I am the Third Hokage of Konoha!" Hiruzen roared.

He looked back at his son, and the Konoha shinobi behind him.

"You are the future of this village. Let an old man carry this burden."

Then he turned and ran toward Isobu, his hands already moving behind his back to form seals.

"Lord Third!!!"

Shinnosuke stared, stunned.

The realization struck him like a kunai to the chest.

But he couldn't bring himself to shout for his father to stop.

Because… he was right.

He wasn't just his father.

He was the Hokage.

The chakra in Isobu's mouth continued to condense, swelling into a deadly sphere, while Sarutobi Hiruzen now stood directly in front of the beast.

Isobu glanced at the fragile figure before him with one massive eye.

Then dismissed him.

That tiny flicker of flame—what could it possibly do?

Once this Tailed Beast Ball was complete, it would all be over.

Everyone would die.

But Hiruzen… stood tall.

He raised his hands—shaking, trembling—and began to form hand seals.

In his eyes burned only resolve.

Tiger!

Boar!

Ram!

Rabbit!

Dog!

Rat!

Rooster!

Horse!

Tiger!

With the final clap of his palms, the seal was complete.

His whole body shuddered violently.

It felt as if his soul were being ripped from his flesh, his limbs shackled by something invisible.

"Ahhhgh!"

He staggered but did not fall.

His will kept him upright, hands pressed firmly together.

To those watching from behind—Shinnosuke and the rest of Konoha's forces—they could only see the Third Hokage's silhouette tremble slightly.

Tears welled uncontrollably in Shinnosuke's eyes.

"What… what is this…"

Then, behind Hiruzen, an ethereal form began to materialize.

An enormous figure cloaked in tattered white robes with long, disheveled hair—longer even than the robes themselves.

The shape of the Shinigami.

Maruboshi Kosuke stood beside Shinnosuke, his old eyes turning glassy.

He wasn't the only one.

All the veteran shinobi who had survived the Nine-Tails Rebellion… recognized what they were seeing.

"The Dead Demon Consuming Seal…"

The vague spirit body condensed further—until it could be seen clearly with the naked eye.

Its skeletal frame was wrapped in white cloth, with a ghastly purple hue to its skin. Its bony chest and sunken abdomen gave off a grotesque aura of hunger.

Its face was demonic—two dark horns protruded from its temples, blackened claws tipped its fingers, and in its mouth, it held a ritual dagger.

Bound to the Shinigami's chest was the soul of Sarutobi Hiruzen.

The god of death stared directly into his soul.

Hiruzen could feel his grip on his body loosening—his soul sliding from his flesh.

He bit his tongue hard—blood spilled from his lips—and forced himself back into control.

The pain pulled him from the brink, and his eyes locked onto the Three-Tails before him.

"Sealing Jutsu: Dead Demon Consuming Seal!!!"

The next instant, a massive spectral hand—inscribed with intricate sealing kanji—erupted from the Shinigami's abdomen.

It passed through Hiruzen's soul and pierced his physical body.

The hand shot through him, out his back, tearing through his battle-worn uniform.

The flesh it touched immediately turned purple—necrotic from the soul-corruption.

The agony of having both soul and flesh pierced wracked his entire being.

His vision blurred—but he grit his teeth.

"I… can't collapse… not now…!"

The ghost hand surged forward—aimed directly at Isobu.

Sensing the danger, Isobu reacted on instinct.

He whipped his tails forward, aiming them at Sarutobi Hiruzen.

The sealing hand was still several meters from the beast, but Isobu's tails were nearly upon him.

Sarutobi Hiruzen made a decision in an instant.

He changed the trajectory of the ghost hand—redirecting it toward Isobu's tails.

The spectral fingers latched onto one of the massive tails—just as that same tail slammed into Hiruzen.

A peaceful smile spread across his face.

"Seal!!!"

As the ghost hand grasped both Yagura's and Isobu's souls, it began to drag them back—violently.

WHAM!!!

Isobu's tail struck Hiruzen dead-on, sending his body flying.

But the sealing had already begun.

The berserk tailed beast and the unconscious Jinchūriki could not resist the Shinigami.

Using that impact as a pull—both souls were dragged from their bodies.

Yagura's eyes snapped open midair.

The illusion was broken.

He saw his body lying limp below, saw the ghostly hand pulling both himself and Isobu toward the Shinigami.

In that moment, everything became clear.

He reached out, placing his hand gently on Isobu's shell.

"I'm sorry, Isobu…"

"No need to apologize," the beast replied, its voice deep and calm. "We can finally rest now…"

Yagura smiled faintly.

"Yeah… it's over. I just hope Mei Terumi can protect Kirigakure's future…"

His final gaze drifted toward the sea.

"Zzzzzhhhh…"

The ghost hand dragged both souls through Hiruzen's broken body and delivered them to the Shinigami's chest.

The death god raised his hand, drew the ritual dagger from his mouth—

And drove it between Hiruzen and his soul.

Severing their last connection.

Then, he devoured all three souls.

And vanished.

—

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