Chapter 117: Reaper Death Seal and the End of Hiruzen Sarutobi
It was impossible to tell if it was a Reverse Summoning or a Transformation Jutsu. It all happened in a flash.
Hiruzen had already completed the final hand seal.
"Reaper Death Seal."
Dana felt a sudden, chilling presence, and then he couldn't move.
It was as if something had passed through him. His body, his chakra—he had lost control of them all. Even his thoughts had become sluggish. Only the thunder dragon beneath his feet continued to circle, following its last command.
Hiruzen was held in the air by some strange force, a complex expression on his face as he looked at the young man before him.
"It's not so easy to keep you here, is it, Yotsuki Dana?"
Dana could still speak, but that was all. A cold sweat on his brow, he said with difficulty, "To use a jutsu like this right from the start... isn't that a bit much?"
"No," Hiruzen replied. "You are worthy of it."
He looked down one last time at the devastated village below.
The fires, the ruins, the cries of the wounded.
He closed his eyes in pain.
"Lord First... Sensei... I was truly wrong."
When he had returned to the village and had seen the ruins, he had had an epiphany. He had suddenly realized what Konoha would face after today.
Defeated in the Second Great Ninja War, a retired Hokage, a Jinchuriki lost to a traitor, a village attacked and destroyed.
The morale of the village was about to collapse.
The pride of the strongest village was trampled underfoot. The women and children were crying in the shelters. The clans would be resentful of the Hokage's decisions and would begin to scheme. The ninja would doubt the abilities of their leaders and would shy away from battle. The newly appointed Fourth Hokage's authority would be in tatters.
And all the political maneuvering he had been so proud of was meaningless.
Even if he could suppress the Uchiha.
Even if he could steal the title of the "Strongest Hokage."
Even if, even after stepping down, he could still wield a power no less than that of the Hokage.
What good was it?
In all of Konoha, only two ninja had the speed to catch this young man.
Strength was the foundation of a village. The strong were its protectors.
Otherwise, you would be as helpless as they were now against the Cloud.
He, Yotsuki Dana, could come here today, and he could come again tomorrow.
After today, the Will of Fire would be shaken.
And he would not allow it.
The sound of tearing cloth. The specter of the Shinigami behind him had taken out his soul.
"At least I still have a chance to make things right."
"Only by keeping you here will Konoha have a hope of facing the Cloud in the future."
"Only my death will unite the hearts of the people and rally them against a common enemy."
"Only if I die will they not resent the Fourth."
"Where the leaves of Konoha dance, one shall find flames!"
He would use his own death to save the hearts of his people.
And at the same time, he would eliminate this terrifying Cloud genius.
The Shinigami's arm passed through his chest and into Dana's body.
The chill of death ran through him.
"Old man! If you want to die, fine! But don't take me with you!" Dana used every ounce of his strength, but he could not break free from the strange restraint.
A massive amount of lightning chakra poured from his body, making him look as if he were on fire. It even caused the weather to change. A fierce wind blew, and lightning flashed in the dark clouds.
"Aah! Break!"
Faced with his own death, he went mad.
"What a talent," Hiruzen said, shocked. "My choice was indeed the right one."
He glanced down at Sakumo and said, in a voice he could not have possibly heard, "I'm sorry, Fourth. I didn't have time to teach you everything. Konoha is in your hands."
The Reaper Death Seal was in its final stage. The terrifying specter, a tanto in its mouth, had flown in front of Dana.
"Yotsuki Dana," Hiruzen said, "come with me. Let us fight for all eternity in the belly of the Shinigami."
Dana felt his body grow even colder, and then his vision detached. He could see his own body from another perspective.
And he could finally see the specter of the Shinigami behind Hiruzen.
His soul was already halfway out.
"Dammit!"
The lightning chakra burned furiously, but it was a meaningless struggle. It was not being converted into a jutsu, not enhancing his attacks. It was just burning.
It was the only thing he could do. He frantically searched for a way out.
His soul was being pulled from his body, bit by bit.
The storm in the sky grew more and more violent, as if the thunderclouds themselves were crying out in protest.
Just as his soul was almost completely out, the golden lower half of his spine began to hum.
Buzz...
Buzz...
Buzz...
The Shinigami's power seemed to be absolute. His soul continued to be pulled.
He had finally found a glimmer of hope.
The moment his soul was completely detached, the golden spine within his body went from a hum to a roar.
BOOM!
All the natural energy stored within it was released in an instant. A tide of invisible natural energy swept through the air.
The weather, in that moment, was ignited by the natural energy. A massive bolt of lightning struck the spot where he was, and both he and Hiruzen were bathed in its light.
But the result was completely different for each of them.
Dana was unharmed. But half of Hiruzen's body was charred black. He had been in the middle of using the Reaper Death Seal and had no way to defend himself.
"Agh!" He coughed up a mouthful of blood and smoke. He knew he was going to die, but he held on with sheer willpower.
"No... I can't fail now."
But when he tried to grab Dana again, he had lost all feeling in his hands.
"How..."
He looked down. His hands had turned to stone and were slowly crumbling away. And the petrification was spreading.
"What is this jutsu?! Impossible!" he said in despair.
With Hiruzen severely injured, a part of Dana's soul returned to his body. "This is..." he panted, "the... the erosion of natural energy."
The petrification spread to his chest and abdomen. The charred flesh turned to dust and drifted away in the wind.
His soul finally returned to his body, and the chilling sensation was gone.
"Hiruzen Sarutobi," he panted, "I'm sorry. It seems I've won."
With only one eye left of flesh and blood, Hiruzen slowly fell. Even in death, his eyes were fixed on Dana.
In a vision that Dana could not see, the illusory Shinigami roared in anger and then swallowed Hiruzen's soul.
Below, countless ninja watched in horror as he fell. When they caught him, they found that he was just a shattered stone statue.
And Yotsuki Dana, stumbling, flew towards the sea.
He plunged into the water and, using his absolute speed, shook off the pursuing Konoha ninja. After a full day of detours, he finally found Blue Bee and the others, who were hiding with the island turtle.
It was then that he learned that Kayo had been attacked again by the Root and was in a coma.
They were all battered and bruised. After a brief discussion, they decided to return to the Hidden Cloud on the island turtle.
The Third Raikage and his elite troops had flown off to who knows where. The Cloud was in a state of chaos.
Or rather, the entire ninja world was in a state of chaos.
Konoha, Foundation Headquarters
Kushina stared at Danzo in horror.
"What did you do to me?!"
"Lord Danzo," a Root member reported, "the thirteen-fold jutsu has been set."
"Well then," he said, "let's give it a try. Kushina Uzumaki, stand up."
Kushina didn't move.
"Kushina Uzumaki, stand up and come to me!"
She suddenly felt a burning sensation on her back. A large number of black curse marks appeared, and her body began to move on its own.
She found, to her horror, that she could not refuse his commands.
She walked stiffly to him.
He nodded in satisfaction. "First, seal her connection to the Nine-Tails," he ordered. "Then, begin the Sharingan transplant immediately."