"An illu...sion?"
The moment Orochimaru heard Aizen Yūsuke's words, the expression of disbelief, mixed with extreme rage as if he had been deceived, froze on his face for an instant.
That's right.
When exactly did he first see this sword with his own eyes?
Not just with this body, and not just this time.
As far back as the night he was ambushed, he had already witnessed the sharpness of this sword.
Furthermore, there were times in the Village, in the Root Base, during the skirmishes between Ninja Villages and Konoha, and in Yakushi Kabuto's countless memory replays... Although each time was merely an inadvertent glance, accumulated over countless times, he himself couldn't count how many times he had witnessed Kyōka Suigetsu being drawn.
Even though, out of caution, he had long ago separated the body deeply implanted with Hashirama cells from the remainder of his soul;
Even though, due to his fear of Aizen Yūsuke, he avoided directly observing any scene where the opponent personally made a move;
Even though, in this elaborate scheme, he only used a part of Yakushi Kabuto's body and a small fragment of the soul he had implanted in the child beforehand as a medium...
All these ambushes, preparations, schemes, and conjectures.
None of them had worked.
Furthermore, let alone him, the enemy.
Even Yakushi Kabuto, the subordinate who defected to him, or Uchiha Itachi standing nearby, had probably been subjected to Kyōka Suigetsu's Genjutsu long ago.
From the very beginning, his preparations, and his attempts to approach Aizen Yūsuke through the people around him to gather intelligence, could not have been effective.
At this moment, the gaze Orochimaru directed toward Aizen Yūsuke involuntarily carried a hint of admiration, interspersed with a touch of sighing.
"You bastard..."
"Did you really not trust anyone from the very start?"
Aizen Sōsuke lowered his head, gazing gently at the young man kneeling on the ground yet still holding his head high. His voice seemed devoid of any emotion: "I told Kabuto-kun one thing back when he first started following me."
"Lord Orochimaru."
"Now, I wish to present that same statement to you."
"So-called 'trust' is actually synonymous with 'reliance'."
"That is the behavior of the weak.
"We do not require it."
"Please do not trust anyone, and that, of course, includes me."
As he spoke, he gently wiped the residual blood from the blade, his fingertip producing a clear, ringing sound as it passed the tip.
"Lord Orochimaru."
"From the very beginning, I determined that you would be a difficult enemy to deal with, but your ruthlessness in dividing your soul into countless pieces and scattering them everywhere still exceeded my expectations."
"Precisely because of this, I hold you in considerable respect."
"Therefore, if there is a next time...
"
Aizen Yūsuke lowered his gaze toward him, half of his face seemingly engulfed in deep shadow, making even his gentle smile chilling: "Please choose methods that will be more entertaining for me."
"Heh..."
Under his gaze, Orochimaru slowly lowered his head, yet inadvertently let out a sound of mockery.
The blade in Aizen Yūsuke's hand lifted, the tip pointing directly at the back of Orochimaru's neck.
The instant Aizen Yūsuke raised his sword, the youthful-looking Orochimaru suddenly lifted his head as well.
"You think you've got me cornered?!"
Almost at the exact moment the shout left his mouth, large patches of white scales suddenly erupted from the surface of the young man's body.
But if one were to observe closer, they would see that each white scale was a tiny white serpent, rapidly wriggling and climbing along every inch of his limbs.
"Great Serpent Manipulation Technique!"
"Whoosh—!"
The moment this Ninjutsu was released, the countless small snakes originally clinging to his body suddenly spread out in all directions, centered on his body, transforming into countless tiny clones attempting to escape.
As for his main body, the moment the technique was executed, it became a completely hollowed-out shell of skin.
The dense mass of small snakes covered the sky and ground, scattering around like raindrops.
Orochimaru was perfectly clear in his mind.
Even if his five senses were manipulated, the small snakes connected to his inner self could break through his own limitations—after all, they were not parts of his body, but countless living creatures.
One snake.
As long as one could escape.
He would definitely be able to— "Swoosh!"
The sharp blade sliced through the air, leaving a clear, brilliant flash in everyone's eyes, moving as fast as lightning.
The instant the blade descended, a clear wound appeared on Orochimaru's body, which should have scattered.
Gushing blood erupted from the severed neck, spraying several meters past Aizen Yūsuke's feet.
The head, marked with purple eyeshadow, fell senselessly to the ground, making a dull "thud."
Orochimaru's body remained intact.
The countless erupting small snakes seemed entirely to be his own illusion.
Only a pair of golden vertical pupils remained wide open, seemingly retaining the heartfelt hope of his last living moment.
"How many times must I tell you before you truly understand?"
"Lord Orochimaru."
The blade shook off the blood, making a clang as it was slowly returned to the sheath.
"That was merely your illusion."
"Clang."
The sword guard struck the sheath, producing a crisp ring that echoed his calm voice, sounding exceptionally loud in the pin-drop silence of the secret room.
Everyone around watched the scene quietly, dumbfounded and unable to speak.
Whether it was Minato Namikaze, Senju Tobirama, or even Uchiha Itachi, none of them could utter a word at this moment.
Listening to Orochimaru's words, they could clearly realize that in the brief instant between the blade being raised and the blade falling, this man must have made many efforts that they "could not see."
However, all those actions were completely terminated by this seemingly ordinary slash.
This silent shock penetrated deep into everyone's hearts, causing them to tremble involuntarily, more profound than any words could convey.
Just watching this scene caused goosebumps to involuntarily rise on Uchiha Itachi's arms, and his fists clenched tightly.
No matter how many times he witnessed similar scenes, it instilled in him, a natural Sharingan user, a sense of inferiority in the realm of Genjutsu.
The gap in the mastery of the deepest recesses of the human heart was simply too vast to measure.
The only thing worth being thankful for was that he stood on Aizen Sōsuke's side.
Besides that, something else was equally astonishing.
Orochimaru's head, which had fallen to the ground, actually revealed a smile of unprecedented calmness.
His lifeless eyes gazed at the ground, and the slowly settling thoughts in his mind gradually came to an end.
The final thread of thought remaining in this brain was not any intense negative emotion.
"An illusion?"
"No."
"This time, I saw another part of your true face.
Aizen Sōsuke."
"This defeat... can definitely be utilized for the next time."
Once these final thoughts subsided, his eyes finally plunged into the deepest darkness.
Aizen Sōsuke paid no attention to Orochimaru's final thoughts. Instead, he turned around, approached the Dragon Vein Source, and activated the true power of the Dragon Vein.
This time, without the influence of Orochimaru's main consciousness, the reaction of the Wood Release body and the surrounding sealing Ninjutsu was naturally nonexistent.
Under his guidance, those who still retained consciousness could clearly sense an immensely powerful, vital energy source beneath their feet being forcefully pulled out from the deepest underground, steadily advancing toward this location.
"Buzz—
—"
The secret room emitted bursts of low humming sounds, and faintly, there was even a sense of internal organs being dislocated by the vibration. The excessively abundant energy caused the Chakra within their bodies to become highly active, as if it would spill out of their bodies at any moment.
Subtle light gradually seeped out from the cracks in the stone slabs, turning into a faint glow.
Senju Tobirama watched all this, struggling to lift his head to look at the young man ahead, his voice low: "I don't understand."
"Why would a young man like you, born in the Freshman Konoha, choose the path you are currently on?"
"Destroying the Ninja, destroying the world..."
"Does doing this satisfy you?"
While channeling the underground Dragon Vein power, Aizen Sōsuke clearly had ample reserve, even taking the time to look up at him, sounding slightly surprised: "A Ninjutsu to temporarily confine the soul within the body?"
"Truly worthy of being called a Master of Forbidden Ninjutsu."
"However, dragging out life longer in a body whose heart has been pierced will only add unnecessary pain for you."
"If I were you, I would choose to lie there quietly and wait for all this to end."
"Second Hokage."
Just as Aizen Sōsuke had said.
Senju Tobirama's body had died the moment his heart was pierced by the blade.
At this moment, having confined his soul within his body, he could clearly feel the coldness and numbness emanating from the corpse; even his body temperature had almost vanished.
Yet, he still supported his stiff body, slowly pushing himself up with one hand on the ground, gazing resolutely at the young man opposite him: "You still haven't answered my question."
"Such persistence."
Aizen Sōsuke's voice was completely flat, showing no annoyance at the persistent questioning: "What I am doing is merely the same thing that you and the First Hokage did."
"Because this world is incorrect, I must change it according to my own ideas."
"The so-called Ninja is merely a special profession born during a specific period due to the crude utilization of the energy known as Chakra."
"Once people realize the true method of utilizing this energy, they should naturally learn to use it for creation, not for destruction and slaughter, nor should they confine this technique to a small group through the form of clans, bloodlines, or even Ninja Villages."
"As an intelligent person recorded in history, you should also be aware of this point."
"But clearly, due to personal desires, the constraints of clans, and limitations in perspective, you and Lord Senju Hashirama unanimously chose to ignore this possibility, instead adopting a compromise—establishing Ninja Villages and having nations oppose each other."
"You neither had the determination to unify the Ninja World and proactively establish order, nor did you announce Ninjutsu to the public to elevate everyone and change the world's structure."
"Whether it was you or the First Hokage, you merely relied on opposing forces to barely mold out one half-finished product after another in this world."
Aizen Sōsuke's voice was so calm that it sounded as if he were discussing a trivial matter, yet his extensive words caused Senju Tobirama, who was seriously attempting to question him, to fall silent.
How could it be just a half-finished product?
Judging by the current world situation, future wars are still unavoidable, and friction between nations is increasingly severe. Once the absolute power in this world—namely, the presence of Hashirama—disappears, everything will likely explode at once.
The current state of confrontation between Ninja Villages is fundamentally a deformed creation formed under duress.
However, they also had their own reasons.
"Such a radical path...
"
"Have you never considered how many innocent lives would be sacrificed if this world were to proceed according to your ideas?"
Senju Tobirama's voice grew heavier, and an unnamed anger surged in his chest; he absolutely could not accept the attitude of treating human lives as worthless.
However, the rhetorical question uttered by Aizen Sōsuke caused him to pause.
"If you delay, will these sacrifices be avoided?"
His voice was unremarkable, as if he had seen such scenes countless times, and even his usually gentle tone sounded somewhat cold: "The victors dictate the shape of the world; the losers are crushed by the flood of the era on the path forward."
"The path of history has always been this way."
"There must always be sacrifices."
"It's merely the difference between paying the price now, or paying a higher price later."
Following his calm words, the momentum of the Dragon Vein power intensified, transforming from scattered light mist into a converging stream, finally forming a straight, upward column behind Aizen Sōsuke.
Watching this scene, Senju Tobirama finally let out a long sigh: "Differences in ideology cannot be reconciled."
"I cannot persuade you."
"But... I also have my own stance."
"Aizen Sōsuke."
For the first and last time, he spoke this name with such solemnity: "No matter what, I must stop you."
Almost the instant these words fell, a dense, sizzling sound abruptly erupted at high speed from Senju Tobirama's body.
Intense flashes of fire covered his entire torso, engulfing half of his body.
Aizen Sōsuke turned his head to look at him.
Senju Tobirama's voice was calm: "Mutual Exploding Tag Technique is a Ninjutsu that can proactively summon an infinite number of Exploding Tags from a different dimension for stacked detonation."
"I know I cannot deceive your five senses, nor can I break through your Genjutsu."
"But—"
A triumphant smile curled the corner of the man's mouth: "The conditions for this Ninjutsu were set many years ago."
"That is, to be actively triggered at the exact moment before my soul completely vanishes, and before anyone attempts to seal and preserve it."
He deliberately met Aizen Sōsuke's gaze, his smile growing more unrestrained. Moving his stiff body, he walked toward him step by step: "Allow me to take your radical path and return to the Pure Land together."
Senju Tobirama had sufficient confidence.
With the contingency he left behind, the power of the Mutual Exploding Tag Technique was enough not only to destroy the Dragon Vein but potentially even take the Land of a Thousand Towers with it.
This, he felt, was his final contribution to the future Konoha.
However, just as he was smiling confidently and calmly, deciding to step toward death.
He saw that Aizen Sōsuke was still quietly watching him, without any change in expression.
This overly calm reaction surprised him slightly, and a sudden, ominous feeling welled up in his heart.
"That's right."
"I suppose I haven't told you yet, have I?"
Aizen Sōsuke said this, drawing his blade again, which split into two blades, one long and one short, in his hand.
However, unlike the long sword he had drawn every previous time.
This time, Aizen Sōsuke extended the short blade, which was only the length of a forearm and looked rather inconspicuous.
"The name of this sword is Kyōka Suigetsu."
"However, the complete hypnosis that manipulates the five senses is merely the power of 'Kyōka'."
"As for 'Suigetsu', it is slightly different."
"Due to its unique nature, even I have not yet fully mastered 'her' power."
"But, dealing with these minor matters is sufficient."
Saying this, Aizen Sōsuke suddenly raised the short blade toward Senju Tobirama, pointing the tip at him.
This scene caused a strong sense of dread to suddenly rise in Senju Tobirama's heart, but his stiff body completely lacked its former agility; he could only barely raise his hand.
Then, the short blade gently sliced through the air.
In an instant.
Reality was torn apart.