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Hiruzen Sarutobi was about to move forward, to seal the coffin.
Nagato spoke, his voice calm. "Stop. Or I will revive Uchiha Madara immediately."
Hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi reluctantly halted, his expression grave. He secretly began to mold chakra, intending to use genjutsu to control Nagato. A single second—was all he needed to render Nagato incapable of molding chakra.
"Don't even think of using genjutsu on me. I'll say this one last time—Third Hokage of Konoha, if you make another move, I will revive Uchiha Madara instantly."
"Nagato! Must you continue down this path of error?" Failing a direct approach, Hiruzen resorted to softer tactics.
He employed his least practiced skill—Talk-no-Jutsu. "I know Amegakure has experienced nearly two years of 'rainless Sundays'—a miracle.
Outside, the civilians of Amegakure are already preparing to air out their damp clothes..."
"I swear on the Will of Fire, if you surrender, remove those eyes—Konoha will dispatch Shinobi to create sunny days!"
"Will you sacrifice your life to revive Uchiha Madara, plunging Amegakure back into war? Or will you, before you die, do one last thing for the people of Amegakure?!"
Hearing this, Nagato's eyes flickered, a hint of emotion stirring within him.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was right. The civilians of Amegakure were waiting for him to perform his miracle, to bring sunshine to this rain-shrouded land.
But—could Konoha truly be trusted?
Standing before him was one of the main culprits responsible for Amegakure's suffering, the one who had ruled Konoha the longest—Countless Amegakure citizens had died in the wars orchestrated by Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Nagato's parents—had died at the hands of Konoha Shinobi, under his orders!
If any other Shinobi had used Talk-no-Jutsu, perhaps they could have swayed Nagato by appealing to his concern for Amegakure's civilians. But ironically, the one using Talk-no-Jutsu was Hiruzen Sarutobi!
The source of Nagato's pain and hatred—number one was Danzo Shimura, number two was Gojo Kaigetsu, and number three—was Hiruzen Sarutobi!
The feud of patricide and matricide—irreconcilable.
Nagato's face contorted, fury surging within him. He unleashed the Rinnegan's ultimate dōjutsu, sacrificing his life:
"You Konoha Shinobi, are utterly untrustworthy! But I, Nagato Uzumaki, will follow my Shinobi way to the very end!"
"I will bring ultimate peace!"
"Outer Path—Samsara of Heavenly Life Jutsu!"
!!!
Hiruzen Sarutobi's pupils constricted. He pushed his Body Flicker Technique to its limits. The instant Nagato activated Rinne Rebirth, Hiruzen's hand pierced Nagato's withered heart. Simultaneously, his other hand snatched Nagato's Rinnegan.
But it was too late.
Outer Path—Samsara of Heavenly Life Jutsu.
The highest-level resurrection ninjutsu known in the Shinobi World, a forbidden jutsu of the Six Paths, usable only by Rinnegan wielders at the cost of their own lives. Unlike Edo Tensei, it didn't require a living sacrifice.
It infused the corpse with Yang Release, the ultimate power of creation, recalling the deceased's soul from the Pure Land, granting the body new life. The resurrected individual would be fully restored, with flesh, blood, and consciousness.
By forming the "Serpent" hand seal and maintaining it for a few seconds, the jutsu could be activated instantly.
In modern terms, "I'm waiting for the cooldown; what are you waiting for?"
The ultimate resurrection ninjutsu, fueled by Nagato's life, was unleashed! A faint green light emanated from Nagato's back, flowing entirely into the coffin.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression turned grim.
As a Shinobi born before Konoha's founding, he had witnessed Uchiha Madara's era. He knew how terrifying Madara was, the one who stood shoulder to shoulder with Hashirama Senju, the God of Shinobi, ruling the chaotic Warring States Period.
He was an existence beyond comparison for later generations of Shinobi.
Once Uchiha Madara was truly revived, the consequences would be unimaginable. Konoha, without its God of Shinobi, who could possibly stop Uchiha Madara?
Only by sealing him completely before he awakened!
The moment he made his decision, Hiruzen Sarutobi's hands flashed through seals: Serpent - Boar - Ram - Hare - Dog - Rat - Bird - Horse - Serpent - Clap Hands.
"Dead Demon Consuming Seal!!"
A cloud of grey smoke, visible only to those who had made a pact with the Shinigami, rose from behind Hiruzen Sarutobi.
The grey smoke gradually solidified, transforming into the Shinigami, holding prayer beads, a blade clenched in its teeth.
The Shinigami's eyes shifted downwards, locking onto Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had summoned it. With a turn of its prayer beads, it extracted Hiruzen Sarutobi's soul, suspending him like a crucified Jesus, arms outstretched.
Hiruzen Sarutobi grunted.
The feeling of having one's soul seized by the Shinigami was unpleasant.
Then, the Shinigami's hand ruthlessly pierced Hiruzen Sarutobi's chest. His clothes tore, revealing complex sealing formula patterns on his chest.
The Shinigami's eyes shifted downwards again, as if asking Hiruzen Sarutobi whom he wished to seal.
"Uchiha Madara! Seal him!" Hiruzen Sarutobi roared.
The Shinigami's spiritual hand began to extend, to grow, passing through the coffin, about to extract the soul within.
But in the next second...
The spiritual hand recoiled.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression was one of utter disbelief. Because his soul had been seized by the Shinigami, he could sense its emotions.
The Shinigami was disgusted, resistant! It refused to extract Uchiha Madara's soul from the coffin.
"How can this be?!" Hiruzen Sarutobi was stunned.
Why would the Shinigami resist a soul?
Because—the Shinigami wouldn't consume the same meal twice. And Uchiha Madara's soul had already been devoured by another Shinigami.
To ensure Madara returned at his peak strength after resurrection, Black Zetsu had stolen a Shinigami mask from the Uzumaki clan's Nakano Shrine and used a forbidden sealing jutsu. It had fed Madara's soul to another Shinigami, allowing it to rejuvenate...
Therefore, the Shinigami of the Dead Demon Consuming Seal refused to swallow Madara's soul.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, of course, knew none of this. But it was too late for regrets.
He'd sacrificed his life to summon the Shinigami. It couldn't be for nothing, could it?
Fragments of Hiruzen Sarutobi's life flashed before his eyes.
Being accepted as the Second Hokage's student; forging a bond of friendship with Danzo; attending Danzo's funeral—Finally, the image settled on Gojo Kaigetsu entrusting him with a mission:
Gojo Kaigetsu had instructed him: Seal Black Zetsu!
"Then—seal Black Zetsu for me!"
The Shinigami nodded. Its prayer beads turned again. It easily seized Black Zetsu, still impaled on the Adamantine Staff.
This time, the Shinigami showed no resistance, no disgust. It simply pulled Black Zetsu up...
The Dead Demon Consuming Seal targeted the soul.
The Shinigami would sever the target's soul with its blade and devour it, sealing it within its stomach. The size of the sealed soul depended on the caster. The target, once caught, couldn't use any jutsu.
The Shinigami was merciful, taking only the soul, leaving the body intact.
Allowing living Shinobi to—repurpose it as a puppet.
But such mercy didn't apply to Black Zetsu.
Black Zetsu—was Kaguya Ōtsutsuki's will incarnate.
Its body was its soul; its soul was its body.
It was a key, a key to unsealing Kaguya Ōtsutsuki's soul, the final step in reviving Kaguya!
A common sight in the Shinobi World—
Parents, to prevent their children from wandering off, would lock them at home. Worried the children might find the key and escape, or accidentally swallow it—the parents would swallow the key themselves!
Thus, preventing any further trouble.
Black Zetsu's mud-like body was pulled up whole. It let out an unwilling shriek, a mournful howl, glaring at the Shinigami that had captured it.
"Bastard!"
"Let me go!"
"Do you know who my mother is??"
However, the Shinigami didn't understand human speech. It simply dragged Black Zetsu over like a chick, opened its massive maw, and with a gulp, swallowed Black Zetsu whole.
If it could still mold chakra, perhaps Black Zetsu could have struggled.
But...
Black Zetsu, under the Five Elements Seal, had lost even its final means of resistance.
Seeing Black Zetsu devoured by the Shinigami, Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled in relief. His body swayed, as if about to collapse.
The Shinigami behind him was steadily consuming his soul!
The moment the Dead Demon Consuming Seal was completed, the caster entered a pact with the Shinigami—selling their soul. Meaning, after devouring the target's soul, their own soul would also be devoured by the Shinigami. Thereafter, their souls, and the souls of their enemies, would eternally hate and fight each other within the Shinigami's stomach, never to be reincarnated...
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