It worked!
Hiruzen stared fixedly at Madara.
The White Fang blade shot forward—
Piercing straight through Madara's chest!
The Complete Body Susanoo collapsed instantly!
"Sakumo! Well done!"
A hole over ten centimeters wide opened in Madara's chest.
His clothes tore apart—
And Hiruzen saw something that made his breath stop.
A face.
Embedded in Madara's chest.
Hiruzen's mouth slowly opened in shock.
That face—
Was the First Hokage.
So that was it…
Madara's Wood Release—
Came from implanted Hashirama cells.
But his method was far superior to Orochimaru's.
Even stronger than Danzo's.
Stronger than Fox's.
Above—
Sakumo fell.
Like a broken sack.
Thud.
He hit the ground in a grotesque shape.
Tsunade only needed one glance—
His spine was shattered.
His ribs were crushed.
Hit head-on by the Uchiha Gunbai—
With Madara's strength—
With that weapon—
There was no saving him.
Tsunade rushed forward.
Green medical chakra filled her hands.
But for the first time—
She didn't know where to begin.
His chest cavity was gone.
When she searched for his heart—
She found only pulp.
Fragments—
Of heart and lungs mixed together.
Tsunade swallowed hard.
This injury…
Even she…
Could do nothing.
Sakumo's mouth filled with blood and shattered organs.
He tried to speak.
"Minato… Kakashi…"
Tsunade nodded immediately.
"I understand. I'll take care of them."
Minato—
Was everything to Kushina.
And Kakashi—
Would follow Minato's path.
That much was obvious.
Sakumo had given his life to kill Madara.
That alone—
Earned her respect.
But then—
A third name.
"Fox…"
The word was drowned in blood—
But Tsunade heard it clearly.
Fox?
Sakumo… and Fox?
In that instant—
Everything clicked.
Sakumo's rise.
His flawless missions.
His promotion.
It wasn't just strength.
Someone—
Had cleared his path from the shadows.
Fox.
One in light—
One in darkness.
Working together.
Because of Minato and Kushina—
Sakumo chose to trust her.
Hiruzen stood far away.
He couldn't hear Sakumo's final words.
Tsunade slowly let the medical chakra fade.
Hiruzen saw it—
And his heart tightened.
He had always restrained Sakumo.
A man too idealistic.
Too dangerous to elevate.
And yet—
When it mattered—
Sakumo gave everything.
No hesitation.
No resentment.
That final strike—
He chose death—
To guarantee Madara's.
Hiruzen lowered his gaze.
Konoha's sharpest blade—
Was broken.
Koharu dead.
Sakumo dead.
What now?
He swallowed hard—
And stepped forward.
Then—
The staff spoke.
"Hiruzen! Don't lose focus!"
He froze—
And looked up.
Madara.
Standing on a tree branch.
Looking down at them.
His voice—
Cold enough to freeze blood.
"I didn't expect…"
"That this rotten village still had a real shinobi."
"Hatake Sakumo…"
"You're the second to force me to use this."
"The first…"
"Was Hashirama."
Hiruzen's eyes narrowed.
Madara's left eye—
Was gray.
Izanagi.
He had sacrificed an eye—
To rewrite reality.
To survive.
Hiruzen clenched his teeth.
He should have known.
He should have expected it.
Tsunade stared at Madara's chest.
There should have been a hole.
His heart should have been gone.
Then she realized—
Izanagi.
A forbidden Uchiha technique.
Their eyes—
Were monsters.
Madara spoke again.
"I take it back."
"There is only one shinobi left in this village."
"Hatake Sakumo."
"The rest…"
"Are parasites feeding on its corpse."
A rare emotion flickered in his voice.
"That excitement…"
"I haven't felt it since Hashirama."
"I acknowledge you, Sakumo."
"Too bad you're dead."
Hiruzen gathered chakra again.
But doubt crept in.
Without Sakumo—
Could he still win?
He forced his voice steady.
"Madara!"
"When you lose your second eye—"
"That will be your end!"
Madara snorted.
"Ten years ago, you already died."
"When you did nothing after Kagami Uchiha's death."
"You are no longer the man Hashirama trusted."
"You're a corpse driven by greed."
"To you—"
"Your comrades mean nothing."
"Only power and reputation."
"Sakumo died by my hand."
"But you—"
"You were killed long ago by yourself."
Hiruzen's expression changed.
Every word—
Cut deep.
Tsunade stepped forward.
Her stored chakra was nearly gone.
She thought back to the clan records.
Madara—
Didn't always kill.
When satisfied—
He sometimes spared enemies.
Maybe—
Just maybe—
He would leave.
Madara turned—
Looking over Konoha.
"I won't destroy this shell."
"This dead city will collapse on its own."
"And when it does—"
"It will prove Hashirama wrong."
Then—
He turned.
And disappeared into the tree.
Tsunade exhaled.
Relief washed over her.
Whether from caution—
Or satisfaction—
Madara had left.
Elsewhere—
Yako chased Guruguru toward the western side of the village.
Danzo was still fighting a Susanoo—
From a distance.
Buildings within two hundred meters of the wall—
Were gone.
"Spiral Zetsu! Madara-sama has left!"
"Then we leave too!"
Yako looked beyond the wall.
The towering Susanoo—
Had vanished.
Madara was truly gone.
Then—
A figure appeared behind Guruguru.
Danzo.
He had been pretending.
He could have ended the Susanoo long ago.
Now—
He moved.
Guruguru reacted instantly.
Wooden spears shot backward.
Danzo's hand—
Like a hawk's claw—
Reached for his throat.
At the same time—
A wind shuriken cut through the air—
Severing the spear.
Danzo's movement didn't slow.
His fingers—
Closed around Guruguru's neck.
Guruguru thought—
You can't kill me like that.
Then—
Sealing marks appeared.
Self-Cursing Seal.
He froze.
Danzo's other hand—
Reached for his eye.
The Mangekyō.
Panic.
Guruguru activated it instantly.
"Heavenly Pillar!"
Danzo was sealed inside the chakra pillar.
But he didn't panic.
He knew what came next.
The black island—
Would kill him.
And he would return—
With Izanagi.
Below—
The black point spread.
Yako smiled faintly beneath his mask.
He knew this trick too well.
You want the Mangekyō?
In front of me?
Dream on.
His seals were already complete.
"Wood Release: Great Wooden Pillar!"
A massive pillar burst from the wall—
Slamming into the Heavenly Pillar—
Knocking it aside.
The collapse—
Didn't happen.
Danzo—
Didn't die.
And without death—
No Izanagi.
Saving him—
Was sabotaging him.
Guruguru didn't hesitate.
He sank into the ground—
And escaped.
The wooden pillar pinned the chakra construct against a wall.
Yako approached—
Voice urgent.
"Danzo-sama! Are you alright?!"
"How do I get you out?!"