Chapter 17: Sealing Jutsu: Reaper Death Seal
Chapter 17: Sealing Jutsu: Reaper Death Seal
There's a superstition that states it's bad luck to pop open a champagne bottle halfway. And true to that belief, just as Orochimaru was about to sever his last karmic tie, things took an unexpected turn.
Bound by the trees, Hiruzen Sarutobi gritted his teeth and slapped his hand on the trunk.
"Ninja Art: Summoning Technique!"
"Come forth, King Monkey King!"
A loud bang echoed as a huge cloud of white smoke rose.
A burly figure with an indestructible body, Enma the Monkey Spirit, appeared beside Hiruzen Sarutobi, his old comrade-in-arms.
Seeing this, Orochimaru's face twisted in displeasure as he realized he was too late to stop this development. "A troublesome guest has arrived," he muttered.
At the same time, Enma turned and fixed his gaze on Orochimaru, his voice cold. "Orochimaru!"
"So it is as I suspected." Enma turned back to look at his old friend, who was tightly bound and immobilized. "How sad, Hiruzen. This is the consequence of your reluctance to kill him back then."
Long ago, Enma had warned Hiruzen Sarutobi about his prodigiously talented disciple, Orochimaru, and his dubious nature.
But Hiruzen Sarutobi had not heeded his words.
Later, when Orochimaru's human experiments were exposed, Hiruzen Sarutobi led a team to capture him, and even then, Enma had advised him not to show mercy.
Yet, Hiruzen Sarutobi had let Orochimaru go.
The consequences of yesterday's actions were now playing out today.
As Enma was summoned and witnessed the scene before him, he couldn't help but sigh.
Hearing Enma's words, Hiruzen Sarutobi replied with unwavering determination, "This time, I will put an end to this once and for all."
"Is that so? It's already too late," Enma said, though he still complied with Hiruzen Sarutobi's request to transform into the Kongo Nyoi Hoshu, the staff that could extend and contract at will.
"Stop him!" Orochimaru ordered, his face contorting in surprise.
But it was too late.
Enma, who had easily repelled the three Senju Hashirama clones, transformed into the staff with a loud bang.
With a swift sweep, he severed the large tree that had been entangling Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Excellent!"
Now free, Hiruzen Sarutobi skillfully wielded the Kongo Nyoi Hoshu, extending and retracting it with ease as he moved with the Body Flicker Technique, aiming straight for Orochimaru.
"Intriguing," Orochimaru commented, spitting out a Kusanagi sword and facing his former master head-on without hesitation.
Once again, master and disciple clashed in direct combat.
It must be said that experience trumps youth, as the combination of Hiruzen Sarutobi and Enma proved to be a challenging opponent for Orochimaru.
Following Senju Hashirama's orders, the three clones joined the fray.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes narrowed as he seized the opportunity, despite his injuries, to secretly attach explosive tags to the three clones.
However, the outcome was not as favorable as he had hoped.
Boom! Boom! Boom! The three Senju Hashirama clones were blown away, their bodies covered in fluttering paper scraps.
In the blink of an eye, their injuries were healed, and they returned to their original state.
"At this rate, I'll only end up exhausting myself," Hiruzen Sarutobi thought, his eyes narrowing as he made a decision. "As I suspected! I must find a way to free the souls bound by the Impure World Reincarnation, or this will be futile."
"In that case, I have no choice but to use the jutsu of the Fourth Hokage."
Hiruzen Sarutobi brought his hands together, his eyes filled with unwavering determination.
Boom! Boom! Within the four purple flame barriers, the battle between the Kage-level fighters reached its climax.
Outside the barrier, the battle within Konoha also intensified.
"Fifteen, sixteen, seventeen..."
"I've already taken care of twenty."
"As expected of my eternal rival, Kakashi Hatake! I must keep up! Eighteen, nineteen..."
At the Chunin Exam arena, after sending the energized Naruto and his team on their long-awaited S-rank mission, Kakashi Hatake and Might Guy, the elite ninjas of Konoha, remained behind to battle the incoming Sunagakure and Otogakure ninjas, protecting the thousands of unconscious spectators.
Kakashi Hatake kicked the Sunagakure ninja in front of him aside and glanced at the barrier, his Sharingan eye revealing the scene within. His expression remained calm, but he felt a sense of urgency growing within him.
"The Third Hokage is getting old. The longer this drags on, the more dangerous it will be for him."
"And Orochimaru isn't his only opponent."
"That's right. It's the First and Second Hokage!"
"Who's the last one? To be summoned alongside the First and Second, they must be formidable as well."
"Has the barrier been broken yet?"
Kakashi shook his head, a sense of foreboding washing over him.
Something unexpected was happening inside the barrier once more.
Just as Hiruzen Sarutobi was about to make his move, Orochimaru suddenly transformed into a huge snake, and the sight nearly blinded him.
Upon realizing that his disciple had completed the bizarre and sinister Impure World Reincarnation technique, his determination to stop him only grew stronger.
"Orochimaru! I will bury you here and now to make up for my past mistakes."
Orochimaru, having resumed his original appearance, let out a dry laugh. "It's too late for that."
Hiruzen looked deeply into Orochimaru's eyes one last time and performed a series of hand seals.
"Shadow Clone Technique!"
Boom! Boom! Boom! Three shadow clones appeared around him.
"Why use the Shadow Clone Technique? That will only deplete your already limited chakra," wondered a Konoha ninja who was observing from a distance.
Orochimaru scoffed, "It seems that you truly have grown old, Teacher, if you're so eager to end your own life."
Only the true Yuyi Xuan Yue, who was quietly observing, and Enma, who was very familiar with Hiruzen, knew what was about to happen.
"Hiruzen, you..." Enma, transformed into the Kongo Nyoi Hoju, spoke with a mix of shock and sadness in his voice.
Watching his old friend perform the hand seals, Enma knew exactly what they meant.
Yi-Hai-Mo-Mao-Xu-Zi-You-Wu-Si.
Hands pressed together.
A projection of the Grim Reaper, visible only to the caster, appeared behind Hiruzen.
Oblivious to Hiruzen's intentions, Orochimaru taunted, "It's too late for anything now. I've won, and Konoha will perish!"
"Genjutsu: Dark Alley Technique!"
As Orochimaru finished speaking, Tobirama Senju beside him took action without hesitation.
Hiruzen felt his vision darken.
The next second—
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Attacks from Hashirama Senju and Yuyi Xuan Yue rained down on him relentlessly.
Hiruzen endured the pain and managed to defend himself while responding to Orochimaru's mockery of Konoha and the Hokage.
Finally!
In his final moments, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had spoken countless times about the Will of Fire, truly embodied it as he faced the Grim Reaper.
Everything was in place.
Without hesitation, Hiruzen continued.
"I am the man who carries on the will of the First and Second Hokage. I am the Third Hokage of Konoha! No matter how you scheme against Konoha, Orochimaru, I and the new Hokage who will carry on my will shall be the pillars of Konoha, protecting this village we call home."
"That's right, Fourth Hokage," he said to himself.
With that, Hiruzen performed the final seal—the Tiger seal.
"Orochimaru, I will now show you a secret ninja technique of Konoha that you have never seen before."
"Embrace your end."
"Sealing Jutsu: Reaper Death Seal!"
(End of Chapter)
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