As the god of death's proclamation echoed through the abyss, thick black mist began gathering around its form. The substance was more than vapor—it was concentrated essence, distilled divinity, the fundamental material of its existence.
The mist coalesced, compressed, became denser until it seemed almost solid.
Then a single wisp separated. Tiny. Thread-thin. Carrying just enough consciousness to maintain awareness and execute vengeance.
The wisp vanished, crossing dimensional barriers in an instant.
"My consciousness fragment has departed," the deity's voice whispered through the darkness. "Wait for the punishment of Death, humble creature. Wait for annihilation."
In the ruins of the Hokage Building, the System had already executed its Universal Single Replacement Method.
Invisible threads—manifestations of intent that existed beyond normal perception—wrapped around the damaged Shinigami projection. Absorbed its essence. Traced connections backward through dimensional space, seeking the source.
Following the trail to the deity's true body.
Then the System's tone shifted to surprised delight.
[Oh! This is unexpected good fortune,] it announced in Naruto's mind. [I was prepared to trace back to the source through expensive methods, burning significant resources. But the little demon has voluntarily sent a fragment of its main consciousness here!]
[Naruto, attack it immediately with Opening the Netherworld. While the connection is fresh and strong!]
Actually, even without the System's reminder, Naruto had already noticed the change.
The Shinigami projection in front of him had suddenly become... different. More alive. Less mechanical. Like an automaton that had just received a genuine soul.
Under Sarutobi Hiruzen's shocked expression—the old Hokage still processing that his ultimate technique had been damaged—Naruto launched another assault.
Thousand Buddhas Ascend to Heaven. The Opening the Netherworld technique executed a thousand times in rapid succession, all strikes targeting the Shinigami's already-damaged projection.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The impacts resonated through spiritual dimensions.
At that precise moment, the god of death's instinctive consciousness fully descended into the projection. Two eyes—previously lifeless and fixed—suddenly rolled in their sockets, gaining focus and awareness.
Then came the scream.
High-pitched. Agonized. Carrying genuine suffering despite the entity's divine nature.
Although the god of death couldn't truly die in any permanent sense, it could absolutely feel pain. And Opening the Netherworld was designed specifically to inflict spiritual torment.
Under the relentless assault, the deity felt its consciousness beginning to melt. Dissolve. Fragment into component pieces that couldn't maintain coherent thought.
"How dare you!" the Shinigami roared, fury overwhelming its agony. "I have descended! My true consciousness has arrived! How dare you show such disrespect!"
Its eyes—now fully animate—rose to glare at the insolent being responsible for this suffering.
Then stopped.
It could only see a section of torso. Like looking at a wall rather than a person.
The deity's heart—metaphorical though it was—went cold.
Slowly, with growing dread, it raised its neck. Looked upward. And upward. And further upward still.
Finally, it saw Naruto's face.
"Oh my gods," the Shinigami whispered, horror dawning. "It's THAT kind of short-lived species. One that defies heaven itself."
The deity could feel it clearly now—the terrifying power contained in Naruto's transformed body. Power that exceeded dimensional weight classes. Strength that shouldn't exist in a being so young, so temporary, so fundamentally mortal.
Among the countless planes of existence, across infinite dimensional realms, the god of death feared exactly one type of creature above all others.
Short-lived species that defy heaven.
These anomalies appeared occasionally throughout the multiverse. Mortals who achieved power that rivaled or exceeded immortals. Beings whose brief lifespans burned with such intensity that they could devour gods and demons as mere food.
The deity had encountered one before. Had projected its belief manifestation to a higher-tier plane, confident in its divine authority.
Then it had met such a being. Been beaten thoroughly. The assault had followed the projection's connection back to strike the main body itself.
Only desperate wit and immediate retreat had saved it from permanent destruction.
Since that traumatic encounter, the god of death had been careful. Had only projected to lower-tier planes. To realms where its power would be relatively supreme, where threats would be manageable.
And yet somehow, I've encountered another one, the deity thought with rising panic. A short-lived species that defies heaven, existing in what should be a safe, inferior realm.
Its gaze dropped to examine its own projection. Saw massive holes throughout its form—fist-sized punctures through spiritual flesh. Sunlight streamed through the damage, creating beams that illuminated internal emptiness.
"I said why it hurt so much when I woke," the Shinigami muttered to itself. "This short-lived species has already riddled me with holes. Stabbed me into this wretched state."
Understanding finally crystalized. That's why my sleep was interrupted. Because my belief projection was being destroyed.
But the deity kept these thoughts carefully internal. Didn't speak them aloud. Terrified that Naruto might hear, might follow the consciousness connection backward, might arrive to beat the main body directly.
Always before, beings looked up at me, the Shinigami reflected with bitter irony. Today I'm the one looking up at another. Today I'm the inferior one.
Perhaps there's nothing wrong with playing the loser in this situation. Better to be humiliated than destroyed.
"Hey," Naruto's voice carried surprised interest. "There's still a fragment of consciousness remaining in Death's projection."
He raised his hand casually.
No! the deity's mind screamed.
Then Naruto's fist moved. Thousand strikes delivered in the span of a heartbeat, all targeting the Shinigami projection.
The god of death screamed again. Louder this time. More desperate.
Just as expected! its thoughts wailed. These short-lived species are all insane and violent! Can't they just sit down and discuss things reasonably?! Use words instead of endless assault?!
When the scream finally faded, when the echoes died, the god of death's consciousness was devastated. Like a victim of prolonged torture. Like someone violated a thousand times over.
The fragment of awareness that had descended was now like a candle flame in strong wind—ready to extinguish at the slightest breath. Extremely weak. Barely maintaining coherence.
At this moment, finally, the god of death became genuinely angry.
However, its rage wasn't directed at Naruto.
I'm not that stupid, the deity thought with what remained of rational thought.
Instead, it turned its fury toward Sarutobi Hiruzen.
"This is YOUR fault!" the Shinigami snarled, its voice carrying venom. "Damn monkey! You dared summon me to face such a powerful enemy! You brought me into this disaster! I will devour your soul as payment for the damage to my consciousness!"
The deity's reasoning was straightforward: its consciousness fragment was about to dissipate. When it died, the short-lived species might trace the connection back to find the main body. After all, these heaven-defying beings were notoriously meticulous about eliminating threats completely.
But before I fade, the god of death decided, I must punish the culprit who summoned me. Must exact some vengeance to satisfy my rage.
Thus, the Shinigami reached toward Sarutobi Hiruzen with its remaining hand.
Though at this point, the deity only had one functional arm remaining.
It raised that arm. The wakizashi blade—still held between fanged teeth—moved to strike. The weapon split toward Hiruzaru Sarutobi's body.
But what it cut wasn't flesh. It was soul.
For a moment, Sarutobi Hiruzen—still frozen in shock from watching Naruto demolish the Shinigami—felt his very essence being torn from his body. Ripped away through means that transcended physical damage.
Shock and fury exploded through his dying consciousness.
This ninjutsu... it's not supposed to work like this! The technique should seal NARUTO, not me!
But the god of death had changed the rules. Had decided the summoner would pay the price instead of the intended target.
Naruto noticed the deity's consciousness hadn't fully dissipated yet. Observed it making one final action. Raised his hand to deliver another series of strikes.
Seeing Naruto's movement, the Shinigami panicked completely.
In one desperate motion—pulling together every remaining fragment of power—it severed Sarutobi Hiruzen's soul completely. Swallowed it into its stomach. Then vanished.
Fled back across dimensional barriers to its home plane.
However, the god of death didn't notice the invisible thread still entangled in its consciousness. Following. Maintaining connection. Trailing back to the main body's location.
In the abyss of the lower-tier realm, the deity's consciousness snapped back into its true form.
"Finally!" it gasped, patting its chest with relief. "Back safe. Away from that brutal short-lived species."
Its form slumped with exhaustion and residual terror.
"All that damn monkey fault," the deity muttered bitterly. "If he hadn't summoned me carelessly, I wouldn't have been beaten by that monster."
Thinking of the human who'd caused this disaster, the Shinigami spread its palm. A confused, incoherent figure floated there—Sarutobi Hiruzen's soul.
The deity had already consumed Hiruzen's consciousness and memories while crossing back. Knew the human's entire life story now. Every decision, every regret, every manipulation.
Pathetic creature, the god of death thought with contempt.
Suddenly—CLANG!
The sound of metal striking metal rang through the abyss.
The deity startled violently. Could the short-lived species have followed me?! Is it here to continue the beating?!
It whirled around frantically, searching for threats.
But what it saw was simply the balance—the metaphysical scales beside its resting place. The instrument had tilted sharply to one side. The equilibrium that should have been maintained was broken.
Two souls were missing from the scale.
The System had completed its Universal Single Replacement Method. Had reached across dimensions while the connection was fresh. Had stolen Namikaze Minato's soul fragments and Nine-Tails' Yin attribute chakra from the balance without the deity noticing.
That's why the scales had become unbalanced. Had tilted down. Had created the sound of metal impacting metal.
"Oh, it's just that two souls were stolen," the god of death said with relief. "If it's not the short-lived species coming to beat me up, then it's fine. Perfectly acceptable."
Two souls meant nothing compared to being hunted across dimensional space.
The deity yawned hugely, exhaustion catching up.
"My consciousness fragment was scattered. I'll need to sleep deeply again to recover properly."
Opening its corrupt mouth—revealing rows of teeth designed for consuming essence rather than physical matter—the Shinigami sucked toward the balance.
All the remaining souls on the scales flew into its mouth in a stream of translucent forms.
Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.
The deity chewed, creating sounds like popping beans. Like grinding gravel. Disturbing and final.
"I should eat this one too," it muttered, examining Sarutobi Hiruzen's soul floating in its palm.
The former Hokage's essence went into the Shinigami's mouth.
Crunch.
One final bite. One final consumption.
Sarutobi Hiruzen—Third Hokage of Konohagakure, Professor of ninja techniques, ruler of the village for decades—ceased to exist in any meaningful sense.
Not just dead. Devoured. Soul destroyed beyond any possibility of resurrection or reincarnation.
Complete erasure.
In the ruins of the Hokage Building, in the physical world of the ninja realm, Sarutobi Hiruzen's body collapsed.
The moment the god of death had severed his soul, the connection between spirit and flesh had been cut permanently.
His corpse fell backward, landing in the rubble with a dull thud.
No breathing. No heartbeat. No lingering chakra.
Dead.
Completely and irrevocably dead.
The Third Hokage's reign had ended.