Chapter 363: Hiruzen Sarutobi Devoured by Danzo

Yahiko growled under his breath.

With the white banner as the center, waves of gentle breeze spread out, enveloping a large area of the battlefield.

All players surrounded by the breeze felt their steps become light.

"Agility attribute increased by twenty points directly; what an overbearing ability!"

Tsuru observed herself and discovered an additional status effect that increased Agility.

This type of commander-class ability

is very suitable for the Navy.

However, some players did not enjoy the Reinforcement from the white banner.

For example, the grim-faced Akainu; the breeze bypassed him directly, and no buff status appeared at all.

He did not trust Yahiko in the slightest, so naturally, he could not be reinforced by Qi.

"Qi-Gazing Secret Art: Soldier!"

"Qi-Gazing Secret Art: Fire!"

"Qi-Gazing Secret Art: Demon-Breaking!"

"Qi-Gazing Secret Art: Evil-Slaying!"

As Yahiko continuously unleashed the Qi-Gazing Secret Arts, even the Elite players who previously had no power to fight back were reinforced to the point where they could barely contend with the Evil God.

Yahiko's face was pale, severely overdrawn, and he whispered: "The purity of the temporarily gathered Qi is still too poor, but at least I managed to release all the secret arts; the rest is up to everyone!"

【Qi】 requires the Qi-gazer to be trusted by others, who must willingly become partners or subordinates.

The higher the degree of trust and the stronger the strength of those who trust, the more 【Qi】 is gathered.

The strength of top-tier players is naturally unquestionable, but

Yahiko is serving as a temporary commander, so the degree of trust is naturally not very high.

However, being able to fully release all the Qi-Gazing Secret Arts is already the most impressive feat Yahiko has achieved since becoming a 【Qi-gazer】.

This is a goal achieved by the players being of one mind.

Bang! Bang! Bang! With successive explosions,

the Abyss halo atop the Evil God's head was completely crushed by the joint offensive of several top-tier players.

In the short term,

it is absolutely impossible for the Evil God to reopen the Abyss halo and enter an invincible state.

"Yahiko..."

Jiraiya's gaze was complex as he looked at Yahiko, the strongest support on the field,

his former disciple.

He had misjudged...

He had spent half his life listening to the Toad Sage's prophecy, searching for the legendary Child of Prophecy, the one who could revolutionize the ninja world.

Initially, he thought Namikaze Minato, who was as warm as the sun and talented, was the Child of Prophecy.

The facts were indeed as he expected; at a young age, he became the Golden Flash whom enemies avoided, serving as the Fourth Hokage and shouldering the entire village.

But the Nine-Tails Rebellion claimed Namikaze Minato's life.

Later,

he felt Nagato was the Child of Prophecy, possessing the unique, legendary eyes of the Sage of Six Paths, holding an immeasurable future, and destined to change the ninja world.

However, according to the videos played by the game merchant, Nagato was more like a destroyer than a messenger guiding peace.

Until now,

hearing Yahiko's impassioned words, seeing the Dawn Organization founded by Yahiko who returned from Hell, and feeling Yahiko's will...

So that was it; had my disciple who could revolutionize the ninja world been overlooked all along? "To change the ninja world, what is needed is not powerful strength, not excellent combat talent, nor a pair of unparalleled eyes."

Jiraiya's gaze was dazed, as if he saw a radiance emerging from Yahiko, and he muttered: "Is it a will that is firm enough while walking on the correct path?"

Boom.

The Evil God statue tilted.

Its right leg was severed by the Marine Headquarters, and losing its balance, it knelt straight down onto the ground.

The other factions were not to be outdone, scrambling to launch their strongest offensives; limbs of the Evil God statue were continuously smashed, and the sky-covering Evil God body fractured piece by piece like a collapsing mountain range.

Just at this moment, the Evil God, which had already fallen to the ground, raised its massive head, and all the Evil God's light gathered within its mouth; as if firing a Tailed Beast Bomb, the highly concentrated Pollution Energy gathered into a pitch-black sphere, with excess Pollution Energy overflowing like sewage.

Dripping onto the ground, it instantly evaporated the earth, corroding bottomless pits.

"Watch out and dodge, this is the Evil God's final struggle!"

The top-tier players retreated one after another, all feeling their hair stand on end; even Terumi Mei, the strongest present, swallowed her saliva involuntarily.

If hit by that level of Pollution Energy, even she would die! Crack!

The black sphere condensed from Pollution Energy split open, and a beam of Evil God light, as if destroying the world, shot out in the direction of Konohagakure! Everyone hurriedly dodged,

fearing that at the final moment of killing the Evil God, they would be killed in return by the Evil God beam.

Only those players from the Konoha Family, with eyes splitting from rage, stared straight at the Evil God beam shooting toward Konohagakure.

"Protect Konoha!"

Uzumaki Naruto roared.

His arms erupted with Sacred Golden Flame, burning through the black flame chains Sasuke used to bind him, and he stomped his feet on the ground, using the recoil to charge into the sky.

Bang.

The swung Claymore was burning with fierce golden flames, but upon contacting the Evil God beam, it was instantly extinguished as if encountering dead water.

The top-grade Claymore, infused with countless precious ores and baptized by various holy waters and holy light, shattered directly into iron shards.

Naruto was sent flying, his arms eroded by the pollution, gradually transforming into a polluted lifeform.

Swish! Sasuke was quick-witted and fast-handed, directly manipulating his flying sword to sever Uzumaki Naruto's two arms.

"The pollution of the Abyss of Flesh and Blood—how could Naruto, who isn't even wearing Silver Armor, possibly withstand it?"

Watching the battlefield, Fang Yi shook his head repeatedly; he hadn't expected the players to be quite so formidable. Although the price paid was immense, with tens of millions of players dead or injured, they had finally managed to kill the Polluted Evil God.

Of course,

looking at the current situation, the Konoha Family definitely wouldn't be able to hold on; they would be shot into ashes by the Evil God's beam immediately.

"No!"

Jiraiya released a series of black characters, constantly transforming them into various types of toads,

but the moment they touched the Evil God's beam, they were polluted and corrupted, becoming mutated toad monsters, only to be killed by the players.

Countless Konoha players wanted to use various means to stop the Evil God's beam,

but they had no way at all.

Yet, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had been silent all along, suddenly rushed toward the edge of the Evil God's head, his Yin-Yang Master energy mobilized to the limit.

"Hiruzen, have you gone mad?!"

Top-tier players were all dodging, watching as the thin, monkey-like, short figure nimbly stepped on countless rubble and broken cliffs, arriving at the edge of the Evil God's head at an extremely fast speed.

The one speaking was Tuanzang Linghun,

his face full of anxiety. Having mutated into a 【Yin-Death Treant】, he could feel the pressure growing ever greater.

The Treant's branches began to wither and rot due to the Pollution Energy overflowing from the Evil God's beam.

If this continued,

he would die!

"You old bag of bones, do you still want to play the hero?"

Tuanzang Linghun kept shouting angrily, agitatedly saying: "No one will care; they all want you dead. The Ninja Clan, Asuma, Tsunade, and Jiraiya—those ninjas who attempted to sideline you—if you die, they will clap and cheer, you stupid monkey!!!"

In the past, he would never have stopped Hiruzen Sarutobi from such suicidal behavior.

But now, he was bound to the monkey's life; if the monkey died, he, as a shikigami, would die as well.

"Looking back..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's cloudy eyes were covered with a layer of blood because he was too close to the Evil God's beam.

"The things I have done since becoming Hokage, many of them... were indeed, as you said, terribly wrong."

It was all to maintain the stability of the village,

but things often went against his wishes.

"Teacher, perhaps choosing me to be Hokage back then was truly a mistake..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed inwardly,

and strands of black and white energy emerged, attaching to his skin like armor.

A Yin-Yang Master symbolizes the two energies of the Yin and Yang sides.

He was able to become a Yin-Yang Master because Hiruzen Sarutobi's life was like two split colors: he had both the ambition of battling the four great nations and a brilliant life known as the Ninja Hero, as well as the ignominy of being forced to compromise and constantly retreat.

He had sympathy and guilt for the Fourth and Uzumaki Naruto, but also the cold-bloodedness of wanting to control the jinchuriki and deliberately showing weakness.

The Uchiha Clan, the Hatake, the Hyuga...

He had never been able to do things well; he could not plan everything according to a perfect route.

Even now,

when thinking of these things, he still did not have a very good way to handle them; there was mostly just confusion.

However, the only thing he was not confused about was this.

With Tuanzang Linghun in a state of panic, Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly muttered to himself: "As Hokage, protecting the village is something one should never be confused or retreat about."

"No!!"

"Hiruzen, I haven't become Hokage yet!!! It shouldn't be like this!!"

Tuanzang Linghun roared like a madman.

Turning a deaf ear, Hiruzen Sarutobi remained expressionless as the power of Yin and Yang transformed into chains, encircling the Evil God's head.

This technique was originally a control method used to bind enemies and then let the shikigami attack, but applied to the Evil God, it appeared so insignificant. Bang.

A black Energy Core shattered,

and Hiruzen Sarutobi spat out a mouthful of blood, throwing away the broken Yin energy core; the pitch-black chain instantly thickened.

Bang.

Next was the Yang energy core. The core power symbolizing the Yin-Yang Master's ability exploded; even if he were to be resurrected, Hiruzen Sarutobi would completely lose this part of his power.

The two Yin-Yang chains shone brilliantly,

and in the shocked gaze of everyone, the Evil God's head was fiercely pulled into the ground. The beam that should have destroyed Konohagakure grazed the defensive barrier, destroying only a portion of the village before plunging into the ground.

Boom.

The Evil God's beam that crashed into the ground exploded directly, spreading out like seawater.

It swallowed Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was closest and bore the brunt of it, leaving not even a scrap behind.

On the verge of death, the Yin-Death Treant, Tuanzang Linghun, shrank timidly into a ball. Taking advantage of the moment of Hiruzen Sarutobi's death, he kept shaking, wanting to escape the range of the Evil God's beam explosion, but he was simply not faster than the spreading ocean of pollution.

"Damn monkey, did you really think I would follow you to my death for nothing?"

Tuanzang Linghun's angry curse rang out at the very last moment before being swallowed by the pollution.

A moment later, a ninja who had previously been healed by the 【Yin-Death Treant】 and brought back to Konohagakure suddenly vomited blood.

Because he had already passed the danger period, no medical staff noticed.

A tree seed took root and sprouted inside his body.

Finally, Danzou crawled out from the mouth of the ninja who had been used as nutrients, much like a snake shedding its skin.

He rushed toward the Shimura clan's territory, "Damn idiot, hell-bent on throwing your life away, but this is fine too. As long as I get the Resurrection Coin, I can completely break free from your control!"

Tuanzang Linghun flickered on and off, looking as if it were about to dissipate.

Without a Yin-Yang Master's shikigami, it would soon be reclaimed by the game system.

He shoved open the gates of the Shimura estate and, relying on the stealth ability of the Yin-Death Tree Man, arrived in the secret chamber of the current clan head, Shimura Tanyo.

"Tanyo, I instructed you before I died that you must find a way to save up a Resurrection Coin—bring it out for me!"

Shimura Tanyo was stunned, not expecting his father to appear suddenly; he did not hesitate, immediately pulling out the treasured Resurrection Coin and handing it to Shimura Danzo.

Danzou activated the Resurrection Coin, and after a flash of white light, the body of Sarutobi Hiruzen, which had been corrupted and torn apart, gradually appeared, though the Yin-Yang Master energy within him had been completely lost.

Now, he was merely an aged Shadow-level expert.

"Danzou...?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen was confused and had not yet regained his senses,

when he was already stabbed through the heart by the prepared Shimura Tanyo; having just been resurrected, he fell into a near-death state once more.

"Monkey, I told you long ago that you aren't fit to be Hokage; the position of Hokage should belong to me!"

Tuanzang Linghun's eyes were cold,

and he controlled the Yin-Death Tree Man to shove the 【Yin-Death Tree Heart】, the core that stored the soul, directly into Sarutobi Hiruzen's chest, replacing the other's heart.

Soul Devour.

Having lost his Yin-Yang Master abilities, Sarutobi Hiruzen had no power to resist the soul devour of Danzou, and after a struggle, he was completely consumed.

Shimura Danzo climbed up from the ground,

pulled a Kunai from his Ninja Tool Pouch, and looking into a mirror at the face of Sarutobi Hiruzen, he began to laugh like a madman.

"Hiruzen, I am the true Hokage!"

(End of chapter)