The Trap Springs
"Seriously, old man?" Sasori stepped back. Twice. "If you're gonna die, just die. Why go full psycho on me?"
"HAHA!" Danzō's face twisted. Manic. Eyes too wide. Smile too sharp. "You don't understand, boy! The Four Symbols Seal—it'll drag you straight to HELL with me!"
Black ink erupted from his chest. Spraying. Splattering across sand, across Sasori's clothes, his face—
Sasori pulled out his notebook. Pen scratching.
"Ninth minute. Subject exhibiting irrational euphoria. Classic pre-death adrenaline spike."
He touched the ink on his cheek. Smeared it with one finger.
"Fascinating?!" Danzō's voice cracked. "You fool—you don't—"
"Yeah, yeah. Four Symbols Seal. I know." Sasori closed the notebook. Tossed it over his shoulder. "Shame about the data, though. Would've been interesting to track the full progression."
A hand caught the notebook mid-air.
Another Sasori stood twenty meters back. Pain beside him. Miyamoto's corpse wrapped and sealed at their feet.
"That's the guy who destroyed your village?" Sasori—the real Sasori—nodded toward Danzō. "Kinda pathetic, honestly."
"Yes." Pain's voice was flat. Empty. "Letting him die like this is mercy."
"Eh." Sasori shrugged. "Crow was my first wooden puppet. Primitive design. Cheap materials. But it had... sentimental value." He glanced at the cracking decoy. "Bit of a waste."
Pain's eyes narrowed. "Just for the toxin data?"
"You got me." Sasori stuck out his tongue. "But hey—guy was Hokage. Deserves burial goods, right? Call it... accumulating karma."
The Realization
Danzō stared at the two figures in the distance.
Then at the "Sasori" in front of him.
The fake tilted its head. Smiled.
Wooden joints creaking. Face cracking like dried clay. Chunks falling—
Rage detonated in Danzō's chest.
Blood filled his mouth. He spat—crimson spraying sand—
The Four Symbols Seal pulsed.
Too late to stop it.
But I'll take that BRAT with me—
The Legend Arrives
"Hey." Sasori nudged Pain. "Your girlfriend's having trouble. That Takikage's got moves."
Across the battlefield, Yugito and Amemiya clashed. Blue flames against water torrents. Neither giving ground.
"She doesn't need help." Pain's tone was certain. "Yugito's pride won't allow it. I interfere, she'll be furious."
"You're watching though."
Their expressions shifted.
Simultaneously. Instantly serious.
A figure materialized in front of Danzō.
Blue armor. White hair. Red eyes.
The voice was thunder.
Hands blurred through seals—twelve in two seconds—palm slamming against the expanding ink sphere.
"FOUR SYMBOLS RETURN TO TWO PRINCIPLES—RELEASE!"
Invisible. Crushing. The ink sphere convulsed—shrinking, compressing, forced back into Danzō's chest like water down a drain—
Danzō's eyes rolled back.
Legs kicked once.
Senju Tobirama, Second Hokage, stood over his fallen student.
"Poisoned." Not a question. His gaze snapped to Sasori and Pain. "Scorpion venom."
Tobirama reappeared between them. Instant. No sound.
His hand extended. Palm up.
Command. Not request.
"Who the hell—" Sasori's hand moved. Scroll materializing. "—are you?"
"Even if Poison Enemy Mountain venom had an antidote—" His grin was sharp. "—we're at war, grandpa. Why would I give it to you?"
(Truth: Chii had been an elder. Thousand-year-old scorpion. Venom so potent Sasori himself hadn't fully analyzed it yet.)
Tobirama's eyes went cold.
Pain's hand rose.
"ALMIGHTY PUSH!"
Tobirama launched backward—thirty meters in an instant—
White smoke exploded.
The real Tobirama materialized behind Pain. Kunai pressed to his skull.
"How—" Tobirama's voice was ice. "—do you know the Kazekage's Flying Thunder God?"
Pain didn't flinch. "How do you?"
"I INVENTED IT!" Tobirama's grip tightened. "Where is that brat Jinghang—"
"ALMIGHTY PUSH!"
Tobirama went flying again.
This time he caught himself mid-air. Landed in a crouch.
Pain's Rinnegan blazed.
"Insult me if you want." His voice was lethal. "But you will NOT disrespect the Kazekage."
Tobirama's eyes widened.
Rinnegan. The LEGENDARY—
His hands moved toward seals—
Something massive hit the sand.
Seven-Tails Chōmei. Unconscious. Body reverting—shrinking from beetle-form to a teenage boy who didn't move.
Jinghang dismounted casually. Dust settling around him. Sage Mode markings still glowing faintly on his face.
"Sorry I'm late!" He grinned. Waved. "That bug was fast. Took forever to wear him down." His eyes found Tobirama. "Tobirama-sama! Didn't expect to see you here. Sasori—" He pointed. "—put that scroll away. Show some respect."
Sasori rolled his eyes. Scroll vanished.
Tobirama lowered his hands. "I came to end this war."
Jinghang's grin widened.
"Yeah? You got the authority for that?"
"I..." Tobirama's jaw worked. "...should."
Jinghang's chakra surged.
He inhaled. Deep. Sage chakra amplifying his voice to impossible levels.
"EVERYONE! CEASE FIRE! NEGOTIATIONS BEGIN—NOW!"
The shout rolled across the desert.
Like the voice of god.
Every shinobi within five kilometers froze.
[Combat Note: Four Symbols Seal reversal = Tobirama's mastery of sealing arts. Flying Thunder God = signature technique, both sides use it. Almighty Push = Pain's Rinnegan gravity manipulation. Seven-Tails defeat = Jinghang's Sage Mode superiority, Fumio's chakra exhaustion. War-ending shout = Sage-enhanced voice projection across battlefield.]
[Power Hierarchy: Tobirama (legendary authority) vs Pain (Rinnegan loyalty) vs Jinghang (Sage dominance). Puppet reveal = Sasori's sadistic misdirection. Chii venom = thousand-year potency, no known antidote. Negotiation setup = Tobirama's diplomatic weight.]
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