"Damn you, insignificant ant! Get off this great one!" On the battlefield, before either Orochimaru or the Third Hokage could even react to Jizo's forceful intervention, Manda, the colossal serpent beneath their feet, was clearly not pleased. It thrashed its massive head, roaring furiously.
"Be quiet!" Hearing Manda's enraged roar, a sharp, dangerous glint flashed in Jizo's eyes. A sky-blue skeletal framework of a Susanoo instantly materialized around him, and with a powerful downward smash, one of its ethereal fists slammed heavily onto Manda's head.
CRUNCH!
The force of the blow was immense, directly smashing Manda's enormous head hard into the ground. Manda let out a pained, guttural hiss, its reptilian eyes flashing with savage ferocity and a hint of madness. However, Manda's ferocity and madness quickly subsided. It was because it sensed an even stronger, more terrifying power coalescing from the figure standing atop its head. In the face of this overwhelming power, Manda felt the chilling, undeniable presence of death.
Without any further hesitation, Manda directly dispelled the summoning technique, vanishing from the battlefield in a puff of smoke. If it stayed any longer, it genuinely feared it would be instantly annihilated.
Seeing Jizo subdue the mighty Manda with a single, decisive blow, both Orochimaru's and the Third Hokage's eyes narrowed in stunned disbelief.
On one side of the battlefield, the intense fight between Tsunade and the duo of Kimimaro and Jugo had already concluded a short while ago. As the battle had grown more fierce, both Jugo and Kimimaro had sustained injuries, drawing blood. The moment Tsunade saw blood, her infamous hemophobia had kicked in, and she had effectively frozen. If Shizune hadn't reacted quickly and pulled her back, Tsunade, despite her legendary strength, might have suffered serious injuries under the combined assault of the two formidable young men. For the renowned Tsunade, one of the legendary Sannin, to be suppressed by two mere teenagers was a result that left her feeling deeply unwilling and intensely frustrated.
Having successfully held off Tsunade, Kimimaro didn't press his advantage further. He quickly moved to restrain the still-berserk Jugo, calming him down. Just as Jugo had reverted from his rampaging state, the Four Violet Flames Formation, maintained by the four Kusagakure ninja, was forcefully dispelled by Jizo's intervention.
Seeing Jizo suddenly appear beside Orochimaru, both Kimimaro and Jugo were greatly alarmed. They immediately flickered, rushing towards Orochimaru's side. The other Kusagakure ninja also quickly converged on their leader.
"Lord Orochimaru!" With a few swift leaps, Kimimaro and Jugo arrived beside Orochimaru, who had landed heavily on the ground after Manda's abrupt departure.
Orochimaru didn't speak. He raised a hand, stopping Kimimaro and Jugo from positioning themselves protectively in front of him. His gaze was fixed with an almost obsessive intensity on the Mangekyo Sharingan blazing within Jizo's eyes. An undeniable, almost palpable greed and yearning flickered in his serpentine orbs. Such magnificent, desirable power!
"Orochimaru, this battle has gone on long enough. It's time to stop," Jizo said, his body landing lightly on the ground. His gaze briefly swept over Kimimaro and Jugo, then turned to Orochimaru, his voice calm and even.
"So, he really is connected to you," Orochimaru stated, his voice a low, raspy hiss after a few seconds of tense silence, his eyes still locked on Jizo.
Jizo met Orochimaru's insinuation with a noncommittal shrug. "Stop now," he repeated. "Your primary objective has basically been achieved. After this battle, the Third Hokage's time in control of Konoha will likely not be long. If you continue fighting, you probably won't gain any further significant benefits."
Staring intently at Jizo for a long moment, Orochimaru slowly sheathed his Kusanagi Sword. Then, he said, his voice devoid of its usual malice, "In this battle, I never truly intended to take Sensei's life."
"Let's go," Orochimaru then instructed Kimimaro and Jugo. With that, the entire contingent from Kusagakure quickly flickered away, disappearing into the surrounding forest.
In the distance, the ethereal grey specter of the Reaper Death God still hovered silently behind the Third Hokage. However, with Orochimaru's departure, this terrifying apparition was now visible only to the Third Hokage himself. Jizo, with his Mangekyo Sharingan, could only vaguely sense its lingering, ominous presence.
Watching Orochimaru and his forces retreat, the Third Hokage made no further move to pursue them. His gaze remained fixed on Jizo. Because of Jizo's forceful intervention, the Third Hokage's desperate plan to take Orochimaru down with him using the Reaper Death Seal was now impossible to achieve. Despite this, there wasn't much frustration in the Third Hokage's heart. In his subconscious, a part of him had never truly wanted to personally end the life of his wayward, yet once beloved, student.
Moreover, compared to Orochimaru, this Divine Court member before him was clearly a far more troublesome and unpredictable entity.
Swoosh~
A sound of air being cut echoed, and Itachi, wearing his mask, flickered to Jizo's side.
In the distance, Tsunade, who had retreated to the side with Shizune, saw this and immediately instructed her apprentice, "Shizune, help me over there!"
"Yes, Lady Tsunade!" Shizune replied, supporting the still-weakened Tsunade as they hurried towards the Third Hokage.
"Tsunade, get away from here! Quickly!" Seeing Tsunade and Shizune approaching, the Third Hokage's expression changed, and he urgently shouted at them. However, Tsunade and Shizune paid no heed to his warning.
"Sensei, you must end this jutsu now! It's continuously draining your life force!" Tsunade, arriving beside the Third Hokage, immediately recognized the dire state he was in and urged him, her voice filled with concern.
The Third Hokage merely shook his head wearily, offering no reply. If he could, he would have ended the Reaper Death Seal technique long ago. But with two members of the Divine Court still present, the Third Hokage didn't dare to act rashly. Because if he were to voluntarily terminate the Reaper Death Seal, his body would suffer a severe backlash, rendering him completely powerless and vulnerable. The Reaper Death Seal was an S-rank sealing jutsu, incredibly demanding on the user, but also immensely powerful, capable of directly sealing an opponent's soul. However, the price for wielding such a technique was enormous.
Jizo stood where he was, looking at the Third Hokage, who was visibly being drained of his life force by the Reaper Death Seal. A faint smile played on Jizo's lips. "Third Hokage," he said, his voice carrying clearly, "my Divine Court has no intention of being your enemy. There was a group of troublesome little pests tailing you earlier. I've already taken care of them for you. Farewell!"
After saying this, Jizo didn't wait for the Third Hokage's reaction. He signaled to Itachi, and the two of them flickered away, disappearing from the scene. Their mission was complete; there was no need for them to linger any longer. After this battle, the Third Hokage would likely be in no condition to wage war in the ninja world ever again. His body's vital functions were on the verge of being completely overwhelmed and destroyed by the Reaper Death Seal.
A few moments after Jizo and Itachi had departed, the tense lines on the Third Hokage's face finally slackened. His hands began to move, forming a rapid sequence of seals.
"Release!" the Third Hokage uttered in a low, strained voice. The ghostly specter of the Reaper Death God hovering behind him began to slowly fade, its terrifying presence receding from the world.
As the Reaper Death God vanished, the Third Hokage's aura also rapidly diminished. He swayed unsteadily, then his legs gave out, and he collapsed heavily onto the ground.
"Sensei!" Tsunade cried out in alarm, seeing the Third Hokage, who seemed to have aged decades in an instant. She rushed to his side, her hands immediately glowing with medical chakra as she placed them on his back, attempting to heal his grievous injuries. The moment Tsunade's hands made contact with the Third Hokage's body, her expression changed drastically several times. Sensei's body… it's almost completely hollowed out!
After resting on the spot for over ten minutes, and with Tsunade's intensive medical treatment, the Third Hokage finally recovered a sliver of his former vitality. Tsunade, too, gradually recovered from her bout of hemophobia.
Once he had regained some strength, the Third Hokage moved to awaken the two ANBU ninja who had been knocked unconscious by Kimimaro and Jugo earlier. After ordering one of them to proceed to the Land of Iron and deliver a message regarding his inability to attend the summit, the Third Hokage, accompanied by Tsunade, Shizune, and the remaining ANBU operative, began the long, weary journey back the way they had come. In his current severely weakened state, he was no longer fit to attend the Five Kage Summit.