Although Senju Tobirama could not quite be called the God of Shinobi, his strength was still far beyond anything Danzō could compare to.
With a single punch, Tobirama blew Danzō's head apart.
Blood sprayed everywhere. Tobirama's chest heaved violently with rage.
A mist of blood drifted through the rain-lashed air. Nearby, Hanzō didn't even dare to breathe loudly.
After all, standing there was a Shinobi God.
Hanzō—at best a so-called "demigod," a title inflated by reputation—was nothing more than a man whose real danger lay in his poison.
But the one before him was a figure universally acknowledged by the ninja world.
Hanzō's legs trembled slightly, sweat soaking the grip of his weapon.
The torrential rain washed over him, yet he felt no chill at all.
Rainwater slid down Tobirama's hair as he slowly turned, frowning.
"Something's wrong. The caster is dead—why hasn't Edo Tensei been released?"
"Edo Tensei: Release!"
Suddenly, Danzō's hoarse shout rang out from afar.
Tobirama snapped his head around—only to find that the corpse at his feet was gone.
Danzō stood in the distance, holding the release seal of Edo Tensei in his hand.
At the same time, one of the Sharingan embedded in Danzō's arm turned gray and lifeless.
"Izanagi!"
Tobirama's eyes turned icy again. He was about to move—
But suddenly, his body began to crumble into paper-like fragments.
A powerful sensation of his soul being torn away surged through him.
Tobirama's pupils shrank sharply. He turned toward Wen Lan and roared:
"Uchiha brat—kill him!"
With those final words, both Tobirama's and Hashirama's bodies completely dispersed, leaving behind only the two sacrificed Root corpses.
From start to finish, Senju Hashirama remained silent, standing there calmly.
Perhaps he was disappointed with what the village had become…
or perhaps filled with regret over the Senju and Uzumaki clans.
Even with his overwhelming power, enough to forcibly break Edo Tensei's control, he still chose not to leave his soul behind.
Wen Lan rested his ninja blade on his shoulder and smiled at Danzō.
"Old dog, did you hear that? Your teacher told me to kill you."
Danzō's face twisted grotesquely.
"Evil Uchiha! I will kill you today!"
He launched himself forward in a suicidal charge.
He knew that ordinary attacks could no longer harm Wen Lan.
There was only one way left—
Activate the Four Symbols Seal at point-blank range!
Wen Lan let out a light laugh.
He sheathed his blade, lowered his stance like a drawn bow, left hand gripping the scabbard, right hand on the hilt.
"Inhale—
Thunder Breathing, First Form: Haze."
The next instant, violent golden lightning erupted from the blade, tearing through the rain like a divine bolt!
Everyone's vision flashed—
And Danzō's head flew straight into the air.
Blood gushed forth like a fountain.
His headless body stood frozen for a moment—then collapsed heavily to the ground.
But in the next second, Danzō's corpse vanished.
Suddenly, two massive hands wrapped around Wen Lan's body.
"Evil Uchiha brat—die with me!"
Danzō clung to him tightly, a feral grin spreading across his face.
Wen Lan frowned sharply and instantly opened the Sixth Gate of the Eight Gates—Gate of View.
The violent chakra surge vaporized the flesh on Danzō's arms, reducing them to bare bone—
Yet those skeletal arms remained locked together, gripping Wen Lan's chest with terrifying strength.
They wouldn't come loose.
Danzō's laughter echoed through the rain.
Black blood poured from his chest, splattering across Wen Lan's body.
In the air, a gigantic Four Symbols pattern manifested.
"Wen Lan——!"
Minato Namikaze's pupils contracted violently. He rushed forward, trying to save Wen Lan—
But it was already too late.
Naori's three-tomoe Sharingan spun wildly as he charged toward Wen Lan, but Shisui grabbed him tightly from behind.
"Shisui, damn it, let go of me! LET GO!"
"Third Elder——!"
Naori roared hysterically, his eyes bloodshot, his Sharingan almost tearing apart its own sockets.
He slammed his elbows back again and again into Shisui's ribs, his throat releasing feral, animalistic growls.
At that moment, Naori's Sharingan began to subtly change…
Shisui clenched his teeth, staring at Wen Lan's body being engulfed in black blood.
He knew how terrifying the Four Symbols Seal was—
if Naori rushed in now, he would only be throwing his life away.
Naori's screams tore through the rainstorm, but Shisui's arms remained like iron clamps.
Nearby, Konan stared blankly at the distance.
He was even younger than her…
He had saved her—
and she hadn't even had the chance to say thank you before her savior was about to die right in front of her.
Black blood continued to gush and spread, completely covering Wen Lan's body.
"Old dog… this was your plan?"
Wen Lan's voice carried a trace of disdain.
His right hand lifted the ninja blade again.
He couldn't cut through the skeletal restraint—
even his upper arm struggled to move against Danzō's desperate grip.
This was Danzō's final strength, amplified by the Four Symbols Seal.
Then—
Wen Lan slashed off his own left arm.
Blood erupted.
Without a change in expression, Wen Lan impaled the severed arm with his blade and hurled it toward Naori.
The arm cut through the rain, leaving a trail of blood droplets in the air.
Naori's pupils shrank. He instinctively reached out—
But Shisui was still holding him back. He couldn't catch it.
At that moment, a slender figure rushed forward and caught the arm midair—
It was Konan.
She caught the severed arm, but her exhausted body slammed heavily into the ground.
Her stamina had long since been depleted—otherwise, she wouldn't have been captured by Hanzō so easily.
Yet somehow, without knowing why, she had forced out every last bit of strength to catch that arm.
"…Go die————————!"
Danzō roared as black chakra flooded into Wen Lan's body.
The Four Symbols Seal condensed into a pitch-black sphere, rapidly expanding, devouring rain, air, and space itself.
The figures of Wen Lan and Danzō were gradually swallowed by the darkness.
Everyone nearby retreated rapidly, fleeing the seal's range.
Shisui dragged Naori toward Minato.
After a moment's hesitation, the ANBU grabbed Konan by the shoulder and retreated as well.
The severed arm in Konan's embrace continued to bleed, its fingers twitching faintly—
as if a trace of its owner's will still lingered.
There was no explosion.
Only a blinding flash of white light.
Everyone instinctively shut their eyes.
When they opened them again—
The massive stone outcrop was gone.
In its place lay a vast emptiness, with only a semicircular crater carved deeply into the ground.
Hanzō and the Rain Village shinobi stood at a distance, frowning at the scene.
Root forces stood on the opposite side, forming a triangle with Rain and Minato's group.
Danzō's figure slowly emerged from the crater.
Surveying the surroundings, he burst into wild laughter.
"Hahahahaha——!
Evil Uchiha brat, you're finally dead!"
Minato clenched his fists, teeth grinding. His pupils trembled slightly, betraying the turmoil in his heart.
Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan stared blankly at the crater.
They all knew that child had rushed in to save Konan—
And now, he had died just like that.
Naori, finally released by Shisui, saw the scene and roared in fury, punching Shisui hard in the face.
Shisui was sent crashing to the ground.
He didn't fight back.
His eyes, too, were filled with grief.
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