As he devoured the Shinigami, Sasuke felt a gaze watching him.
But he didn't care. Worst case, he'd just discard the "Sasuke" identity like an old cloak.
Turning to Sarutobi Hiruzen's corpse, a chilling smile curled on Sasuke's lips.
Danzo… your little buddy's about to join you soon.
Excited?
Sasuke yanked out Sarutobi Hiruzen's soul. At that moment, the old man seemed to have accepted his fate. So what if he was about to be dumped into a cesspit?
A real man doesn't fear eating crap!
Well, not that he'd really be eating it. The soul only mimicked swallowing motions—no taste, no texture. Plus, he'd have Danzo and the others to keep him company.
In short: Sarutobi Hiruzen would never beg Sasuke for mercy. He'd rather die than disgrace his name.
Sasuke wasn't interested in a deep conversation about life or some philosophical talk. That was Itachi's kind of thing. Sarutobi didn't qualify for that level of treatment.
Sasuke simply patted Hiruzen's forehead three times and said, "You idiot. Time to wake up."
In an instant, Sarutobi's expression changed dramatically.
—Not because he felt humiliated by Sasuke's words, but because his memories and thoughts suddenly snapped back to normal!
He hadn't married a second wife.
He didn't have dozens of sons, daughters, grandsons, and granddaughters—nor any beautiful mistresses!
The Sarutobi clan had long since fled in disgrace, their strength broken. Those supposed hidden powerhouses like Sarutobi Conan or Sarutobi Nobita? Total fiction!
He cracked. Life suddenly felt like a dry, bottomless well.
"No… no! This isn't real…" Sarutobi Hiruzen muttered in disbelief. For a moment, he even suspected Sasuke had cast a genjutsu on his soul just to torture him.
But… the inconsistencies in those false memories were too obvious. While under the twisted perception, he'd subconsciously ignored them—but now, he couldn't lie to himself anymore.
Souls can't shed tears, so Sarutobi could only open his mouth and let out a silent, dry wail. He remembered every day and night with his imaginary second wife, the passionate nights with all those mistresses, and even his long-lost son Asuma...
"What the hell were those 'people'?!" Sarutobi roared in despair and fury.
Sasuke chuckled coldly and said nothing. He wasn't the kind of saint who kindly explained his trump cards to his enemies.
Those creatures were called False Ones—created and modified by demons, fused with a type of worm called Another that could alter perception and memory. They were crafted specifically to torment Uzumaki Naruto.
...
"Old man!" a voice called out from a distance.
Jiraiya and the others had finally sealed Itachi—but arrived too late. As soon as Sasuke heard them, he quickly absorbed Sarutobi Hiruzen's soul and grabbed his corpse, stepping on it with one foot.
Jiraiya's face twisted with fury. "You bastard! Hiruzen-sensei is already dead—can't you show a little respect for the fallen and your elders?!"
"Huh?" Sasuke casually dug a finger in his ear, as if he'd just heard a joke. "You're seriously asking your enemy for respect?"
Throughout history, if a defeated enemy was treated with dignity, it was out of the victor's mercy. If not, no matter how much humiliation they suffered, they could only endure it.
Sasuke clearly wasn't the merciful type.
Corpse spots had already begun to appear on Sarutobi Hiruzen's pale face. Sasuke ground his dusty boot into the man's head without a shred of courtesy. His whole demeanor radiated arrogance and sinister charm.
"The body's right here. If you want it, come get it yourselves."
Jiraiya's eyes went bloodshot as he roared and charged at Sasuke.
"Watch out—his eyes are Mangekyō! Don't look directly!" Tsunade shouted from the crowd.
She had just finished treating those burned by Amaterasu. Without the Slug Sage to help, her efficiency had dropped drastically, and she'd been running ragged. Now that she'd finally caught her breath, what she saw was the corpse of her former teacher.
Another person gone. Sadness outweighed anger in Tsunade's heart.
Might Guy, now fully healed, rocketed forward like a cannonball, charging after Jiraiya.
But Guy didn't seem particularly concerned about Sarutobi's body. He kept shouting,
"Where's Kakashi?! Where did he go?!"
Following the principle of "never satisfy the enemy's demands," Sasuke refused to answer. Instead, a blast of thick mist shot from his body toward Guy.
Guy punched through the fog—but it instantly fractured into countless tendrils that coiled around him. As they made contact, his skin began to rot, threatening to ooze with pus.
A searing, burning pain ripped through him. Guy howled in agony, his aura and pressure spiking. A shockwave exploded from his body as he forcefully broke free from the mist's grip.
...
Elsewhere, Jiraiya had already activated Sage Mode.
To be fair, Sage Jutsu really did surpass normal ninjutsu in power. But it still couldn't change the fundamental weakness of all shinobi—strong offense, poor defense. A ninja's fragile body was their greatest vulnerability.
Jiraiya could dodge countless attacks. But if Sasuke landed just one hit, it'd be over for him.
Conversely, Sasuke didn't seem to care much about taking damage. When Jiraiya's massive Sage Fireball slammed into his chest with a hiss and a burst of flame, Sasuke didn't even flinch. He continued his attack with the same rhythm, unfazed.
Jiraiya couldn't help but ask, "Are you even human anymore?"
Sasuke shot back, "Haven't you ever seen a ROOT shinobi?"
Jiraiya hesitated—and that instant was all Sasuke needed.
The mist wrapped around his fingers, forming razor-sharp claws that stabbed straight into Jiraiya's chest. His hand clamped down on the wildly beating heart and squeezed—
...
At the last possible second, Might Guy came charging in, howling like a beast. His body seemed to blaze like a raging tiger. One punch sent Sasuke flying, and he caught Jiraiya mid-fall, handing him off to Tsunade for treatment.
Tsunade immediately formed hand seals and used her chakra scalpel to cut open Jiraiya's chest, performing emergency heart surgery.
It's worth mentioning that ninja bodies were truly tough, with immune systems far surpassing those of normal humans.
Tsunade released green medical chakra over the wound, saving Jiraiya's life.
"As expected of Lady Tsunade..." Guy flashed a brilliant smile, his teeth reflecting a dim light, but they were so bright that it almost seemed as though he were the true "Konoha White Fang."
He seemed to have made up his mind, a look of determination in his eyes, and his body surged with an even more powerful aura...
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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