Esdeath stepped across the frozen air, each footfall echoing in the silent, colorless world.
Suspended before her, Uchiha Tobirama remained motionless—caught within the frozen space created by her ultimate technique.
"So this is it," Esdeath said softly, eyes shining with fierce intensity.
"No matter how overwhelming your power is, it means nothing when time itself stands still."
She raised her blade, its edge gleaming with absolute cold.
"Farewell."
She struck.
---
The moment the blade was about to land—
A hand caught her wrist.
Clap.
The sound was light, yet it rang out like thunder in the frozen world.
Esdeath's pupils shrank violently.
Her attack had stopped.
The white-haired man before her had moved.
Before she could react, a tremendous force pulled her forward, completely disrupting her balance. She was seized and restrained in a single motion, her weapon slipping from her grasp.
Esdeath froze—not from ice, but from shock.
The man who should have been frozen in time was looking directly at her.
"This technique of yours," Tobirama said calmly,
"is far from complete."
Esdeath stared at him, disbelief flooding her expression.
"That's impossible… I froze everything. Even the strongest creatures can't move in this state!"
Her understanding of the world shattered in that instant.
"Freezing time?" Tobirama replied coldly.
"You've only halted motion through extreme cold—creating an illusion."
His eyes flared with a profound power.
"Let me show you what real control over time means."
---
A deep tremor spread.
Cracks raced across the frozen space like shattered glass.
With a thunderous roar, the black-and-white world collapsed.
Color returned.
Wind surged.
The ruins fell once more.
Esdeath's ultimate technique—Mahapadma—was forcibly broken.
She staggered, her strength draining away as the backlash struck her. Tobirama released her, and she fell to one knee, breathing heavily.
She looked up at him.
Shock.
Defeat.
And finally—acceptance.
"You're right," Esdeath said quietly, her voice steady despite her loss.
"I was still too far away."
Tobirama looked down at her, expression unreadable.
"Trying to use time techniques against someone who truly understands time," he said,
"was a mistake."
---
Below, among the ruins, Minister Honest watched the scene unfold in horror.
The Empire's final pillar had fallen.
Desperation twisted his face as he activated his hidden Teigu, unleashing a final, reckless attack from behind.
A beam of energy streaked toward Tobirama.
He didn't turn around.
A thin line of purple light flashed past him in an instant.
The attack vanished.
Silence followed.
When the dust settled, the Minister collapsed, his schemes—and his reign—ended at last.
---
The battlefield grew quiet.
From afar, Kurome stood frozen in place, unable to process what she had witnessed.
Above the ruins, Tobirama looked once more at Esdeath.
"This battle is over," he said decisively.
"You've lost."
Esdeath lowered her head, acknowledging the outcome without resistance.
The fall of the Empire was complete.
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