radicalducati Chapter 241 Respectfully Sending Off the Third Hokage, Danzo Arrives
Chapter 241 Respectfully Sending Off the Third Hokage, Danzo Arrives
"You old bastard, let go of me!!" Orochimaru roared in terror as he felt half of his soul being extracted from the Four Purple Flame Formation, once again experiencing the long-lost fear of death.
The more afraid of death a person is, the more they fear death; otherwise, he wouldn't have developed a forbidden technique like the Reincarnation of the Corpse!
Damn it, he still has so many interests and ninjutsu he hasn't finished; he can't die here.
"Ha!!" Gritting his teeth and fighting with all his might, the Sky Blade Kusanagi suddenly thrust forward, causing the Third Hokage to spit out blood.
"Sarutobi!" The Monkey King gripped the Kusanagi Sword tightly in an attempt to stop him, but it had little effect.
"Ahem, it seems I can't take your entire soul with me when I leave, Orochimaru." The Third Hokage, on the verge of death, coughed twice and made a decision as he looked at his former beloved student. "However, as punishment, I will take your ninjutsu with me."
"Compared to others, this will cause you more pain, and you will forever remember this day in your torment. Orochimaru, your ambition ends here!" As he spoke, the Third Hokage's gaze was resolute, as if he were facing death.
The next instant, the phantom of death behind them suddenly moved, taking the short sword from its mouth and slashing down!
"Damn it... You wretched old man, how dare you take my hands away..." Orochimaru shouted, his spirit breaking through his defenses, but no matter how unwilling he was, he couldn't stop the Grim Reaper's short sword.
With a silent slicing motion, Orochimaru's soul was severed from his hands and pulled into the stomach of the Shinigami.
"You old bastard, you actually stole my ninjutsu! Give me back my hands..."
"Orochimaru, your plan to destroy Konoha has completely failed!" Watching Orochimaru's final, powerless roar, the Third Hokage slowly collapsed with a smile on his lips.
"The Third Hokage..."
Outside the barrier, Hokage's guards Genma Raido and the Anbu members cried out in grief. Kakashi, who was also deeply saddened, immediately focused his left eye on Orochimaru's head.
"Orochimaru, I will continue to carry out what the Third Hokage did not finish. Go and join him!" Kakashi roared angrily, unleashing his Mangekyou Sharingan.
"Divine power..."
In an instant, Kakashi ignored the Four Purple Flame Formation and tore through space, tearing open Orochimaru's neck and creating a gash in front of the horrified expressions of the Konoha ninja and the Sound Four.
"Is this your Mangekyou Sharingan technique? It's actually a space-time ninjutsu!!" Still in shock, Orochimaru broke down again, his legs exploding at their limit as he tried to dodge.
Despite his speed, he could only escape with his upper body before his lower body was torn apart and pulled into the void by the divine power and disappeared.
Instant kill! Under everyone's shocked gaze, Kakashi used his Mangekyou Sharingan to instantly kill the culprit who launched the Konoha Crush and killed the Third Hokage!
"Orochimaru, it seems you are destined to accompany me on my journey..." In his final moments, as his consciousness faded, the Third Hokage saw Orochimaru being strangled and closed his eyes peacefully.
Kakashi, who killed Orochimaru, could intimidate all those who dared to defy him, both inside and outside the village, and uphold the great tree of Konoha!
"Lord Orochimaru..."
Almost the instant the Third Hokage closed his eyes, the Sound Four simultaneously changed color, immediately dispelled the barrier, and used their teleportation ability to pick up Orochimaru's corpse and run away.
"Damn it, don't even think about escaping!" The members of the Dark Guard and Genma Raido chased after them without hesitation.
As members of the Anbu and the Hokage's bodyguards, allowing the Third Hokage to fight and die alone was a grave dereliction of duty. Now that Orochimaru is dead, how can they allow these guys to escape with his corpse?
Kakashi paid no attention to this, but instead, with a complicated expression, he instantly appeared before the Third Hokage's corpse, his gaze filled with sorrow and his heart in turmoil...
Can he really succeed as the Fifth Hokage?
"Ninja Art: Spider Binding Technique..."
While Kakashi was lost in thought, Kidomaru, who was being chased, quickly turned around, completed hand seals, and opened his mouth to create a giant net of chakra that enveloped the Konoha members.
"Ninja Art: Thousand Rain." The moment Genma was trapped, he opened his mouth and spat out a thousand bamboo sticks, which instantly transformed into hundreds of bamboo sticks that shot out like a rain of snow.
Just as the Sound Four were about to counterattack, Kabuto Yakushi suddenly appeared, formed hand seals, and shouted, "Water Release: Water Chaos Wave..."
A jet of water shot out, blocking the Senbon Rain. Kabuto Yakushi, without lingering in the fight, went straight to the four. "Lord Orochimaru, we will now escort you to safety!"
The next instant, the dead Orochimaru suddenly opened his mouth, and a ghostly figure with a face as white as paper quickly slid out, his hands hanging limply at his waist, drenched in sweat.
"What is that??"
"Orochimaru is still alive! He's a monster!!"
The Konoha members who witnessed this exclaimed in surprise, but before they could give chase, they saw the four members and Kabuto escorting Orochimaru away at high speed.
Only Orochimaru's half-body remained, looking like he had shed his skin, sending chills down one's spine!
"Orochimaru..." At the same time, Kakashi, who heard the commotion, turned his head quickly with a sharp gaze, but Orochimaru was too far away to lock onto him and activate his eye technique.
"Fifth Hokage, should we activate the Anbu to continue the pursuit?" The Anbu squad leader quickly stepped forward and asked in a low voice.
The Anbu is a force directly under the Hokage. Now that Konoha is leaderless, it is only appropriate for the Fifth Hokage, who has been recognized by the Third Hokage, to give orders.
"The Fifth Hokage? Kakashi??"
Instantly, Might Guy, who came from behind, bulged his eyes and screamed in surprise. Asuma, Kurenai, and other famous Jonin such as the previous Ino-Shika-Cho trio also gaped in disbelief.
When did Kakashi become the Fifth Hokage?
"Everyone, this is the Third Hokage's appointment before his death, there is no doubt about it." The ANBU squad leader spoke succinctly, and the two ANBU members beside him nodded in unison.
“That’s right, Lei Tong and I can also testify about this.” Just as everyone was looking at each other in confusion, Xuan Jian ran back with Lei Tong and shouted.
Immediately, everyone gasped, quickly processing this news that would change the landscape of Konoha...
"Fifth Hokage? Without the vote of all the Jonin in the village and the certification of the Daimyo, even the Third Hokage's approval is not enough! At most, Kakashi can only be considered a candidate for the Fifth Hokage." Just when everyone had basically accepted this reality, an old voice suddenly rang out.
Everyone turned to look and saw Danzo Shimura, the leader of the Anbu, walking over with two Hokage advisors, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado...
“Kakashi, Danzo is right. The Hokage is chosen and recognized by everyone, not by the Third Hokage alone! As for the Fifth Hokage, we still need to go through the village's election process.” Koharu Utatane said righteously, while Homura Mitokado and Danzo Nabekage nodded in agreement.
Danzo, in particular, looked at the Third Hokage's corpse with not only a little grief but also more anger and resentment!
Even if Sarutobi dies, will he still try to stop him from becoming Hokage?
Damn it! What makes Kakashi even worthy of becoming the Fifth Hokage? Just because of that Mangekyou Sharingan?? Ridiculous…
"Oh dear, I seem to remember that this is how the old man was when he became the Third Hokage. You three old guys didn't say that back then. Are you going to bully Kakashi because he's all alone and outnumbered?" Just as the atmosphere was tense and everyone was at a loss, a free and unrestrained figure appeared in an instant.
"Lord Jiraiya..."
Upon seeing the newcomers, the Konoha ninja all shouted in response, their gazes varying.