Shukaku retreated—it was scared.
It had fought against opponents like Madara Uchiha before.
Back then, it never felt fear. No matter how many years passed, it would always be a proud beast.
But this weird kid?
This was different.
Being beaten like this was humiliating. If this continued, it might start questioning its very existence.
So, Shukaku made the only rational decision—
It ran.
Gaara, who had been unconscious, slowly woke up.
His vision was still blurry. He felt the cool ground beneath him, and as his senses returned, he noticed someone staring at him.
A pair of big, curious eyes blinked down at him.
It was Sakiya.
Gaara, still groggy, stared back in confusion.
Sakiya's eyes lit up, as if she had just realized something.
"Oh~! So you're the pet of the Desert God! The little kid of that big civet cat!"
She covered one eye with her hand and pointed at Gaara with her other in a dramatic pose, her face full of excitement.
"I knew it! I guessed right!"
Gaara, now a bit more awake, started piecing together what had happened.
But when he heard that sentence—
A vein twitched on his forehead.
With a glare, he snapped, "I'm a human! And I'm your enemy!"
Sakiya blinked.
Then, as if completely ignoring his declaration, she casually reached to the side and—
pulled out a massive wooden mallet.
Gaara's eyes widened.
"What the—?!"
Before he could even react, Sakiya swung the mallet straight at his head!
WHAM!
Gaara barely managed to roll to the side, dodging the first strike.
He scrambled back up, his mind racing—
Only to see Sakiya standing in the exact same spot, now holding an even bigger club.
"Wait—!"
THWACK!
The club slammed down onto his head.
Gaara saw stars—and then—
Darkness.
Sakiya stepped back, looking at Gaara's head now half-buried in the ground, the floor around him cracked from the impact.
She scratched her cheek, looking a little guilty.
"...Maybe that was a bit too hard."
Then, after a moment, she tilted her head.
"But wow, his head's really tough."
She crouched down, inspecting the sight before her—
Gaara's smoking head poking out of the ground like a freshly harvested potato.
She tried to hold back a laugh.
At that moment—
Ino and the others finally arrived.
They had been watching Sakiya chase the giant monster around the battlefield earlier, so they already knew she was strong.
But seeing this—
Ino's eye twitched as she looked at Gaara, face-down in the dirt beside Sakiya.
With a blank expression, she muttered—
"Sakiya, why didn't you ever tell me you were this strong?"
Sakiya blinked at her.
"Huh? Didn't I tell you? Like, a lot of times?"
Ino frowned.
"Huh?"
Sakiya casually tilted her head and murmured under her breath—
"My Eye of Death is the strongest…"
---
Meanwhile, on the Other Side of the Battlefield—
The battle raged on.
The Second Hokage raised his hands, a surge of chakra flooding through his body.
"Water Style: Water Dragon Bite!"
The First Hokage followed suit, forming a seal.
"Wood Style: Diamond Wood!"
A massive water dragon surged into the sky, barreling toward Kakashi.
At the same time, thick wooden spikes shot out from the ground, aiming straight for the Third Hokage.
Hiruzen reacted quickly.
He swung his golden staff, deflecting the sharp wood.
At the same time, he formed seals and inhaled deeply—
"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Bomb!"
The flaming dragon surged forward—
colliding directly with the oncoming water dragon.
BOOM!
The explosion ripped through the battlefield, sending a fine drizzle cascading down.
Kakashi stood nearby, his breath heavy.
Hiruzen glanced at him, his sharp eyes noticing something.
Kakashi was exhausted.
And for good reason—
During this fight, he had already used Raikiri twice.
Now, Chakra was nearly depleted.
Despite this, the Third Hokage did not hesitate.
"Kakashi!"
Kakashi's head snapped up in surprise.
"Lord Third!"
The Hokage's gaze was serious.
"Go! Take the Anbu and secure the village. Protect the villagers! Leave this to me!"
Kakashi hesitated.
He could tell—something was off.
"But—"
"GO, KAKASHI!"
For a moment, Kakashi clenched his fists—then, finally, he nodded.
"Understood!"
Without another word, he vanished.
Hiruzen watched him disappear, then turned back to face his former student—
Orochimaru.
His wrinkled face was calm, but his eyes burned with conviction.
"It seems I have no choice but to use that technique."
For the first time in years, Orochimaru felt a shiver run down his spine.
"Tch...!"
He knew what was coming.
This isn't good.
But before he could react, the Third Hokage formed a seal—
And in an instant, two shadow clones appeared beside him.
"Orochimaru! Today, I will correct my own mistakes!"
His voice was steady—but there was a fire in his tone.
"Even if it costs me everything!"
Damn it.
Orochimaru's mind raced.
He had to stop it!
Without hesitation, he commanded the reanimated First and Second Hokage to attack.
Stop him.
Stop him before it's too late!
But—
It was already too late.
Hiruzen's hands completed the final seal.
And then—
A massive, white, spectral figure loomed behind him.
The Reaper had arrived.
"Dead Demon Consuming Seal!"
The moment those words left his lips, the Shinigami's hand reached forward—
And ripped the souls of the First and Second Hokage straight from their bodies.
Orochimaru could feel it—
A terrible presence, unseen to his eyes, but undeniably real.
He felt death itself.
His body went cold.
His hands trembled.
"W-What... what is this?! What have you done?!"
The Third Hokage merely smiled.
It was a weary smile—one filled with both regret and resolve.
"It's over, Orochimaru."
His old, wrinkled fingers clenched into a final seal.
"Now, let's go to hell together."
Unlike before—
Hiruzen was not exhausted.
This time, his body was still strong.
His chakra reserves were low, but compared to before, he was far from finished.
The original Hiruzen from history had been weakened—his body frail, his stamina nearly drained.
In that timeline, he could only seal away Orochimaru's arms.
But now?
Now, he had the strength to take Orochimaru down completely.
The moment the thought crossed Orochimaru's mind, he felt a chilling grip wrap around his soul.
"No... no...!"
Hiruzen's voice rang out, firm and absolute.
"Dead Demon Consuming Seal!"
For a single, horrifying instant—
Orochimaru felt his soul being torn from his body.
A heavy, crushing force pulled at his very existence.
His vision darkened.
His breath caught in his throat.
His fingers twitched—
And in that moment—
He knew he was going to die.
"...Tch!!"
Orochimaru's golden eyes flashed with fury.
No.
He wouldn't let it end like this.
There was one way.
One final chance.
"I have no choice!" he hissed.
In a blur of movement, his hands formed a rapid seal.
At the very last second—
Before the Shinigami's hands could completely grasp his soul—
Orochimaru disappeared.
---
Across the Battlefield—
Sakiya felt it.
Even before she could see the ghostly figure looming over the Hokage, she sensed the shift in energy.
Something terrible had just happened.
Her crimson eyes widened.
Her chest tightened.
She didn't even have time to react before she saw it.
The Reaper.
The sealing.
And then—
Orochimaru... gone.
Her breath caught in her throat.
She had thought—
With Kakashi fighting alongside the Hokage, maybe, just maybe, they could change this outcome.
But she was wrong.
She saw it happen.
Hiruzen Sarutobi had—
Sacrificed himself.
For Konoha.
Again.
A strange emotion rose in her chest.
She couldn't quite name it.
Regret?
Frustration?
Sadness?
She didn't know.
But she did know one thing—
This was not how she wanted it to end.
---
Ino Noticed It Too.
She had followed Sakiya's gaze.
Her own blue eyes turned toward the battlefield—
And froze.
The battlefield where the Hokage had been fighting...
Was silent.
Empty.
Gone.
A terrible realization struck her like a thunderbolt.
"D-Did Lord Third... win?"
Her lips trembled.
Her body tensed.
And then—
She saw it.
Two bodies.
Lying on the ground.
Motionless.
Orochimaru.
And—
The Third Hokage.
Neither moved.
Neither breathed.
Ino's pupils shrank.
Her voice came out in a whisper.
"No..."
Silence fell over the battlefield.
And for the first time since the fight began—
The war was over.
_____________
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