The Minato family, along with Jiraiya and Orochimaru, could all see the phantom of the Shinigami.
By all logic, that should have been impossible.
The Dead Demon Consuming Seal was supposed to be visible only to the caster and the one being sealed. And yet, this time, the Shinigami had appeared clearly before everyone present.
Something about it was obviously abnormal.
Even so, Kushina's eyes remained locked on her eldest son, her face full of worry.
Kirito had already told her not to worry, but how could she possibly stay calm?
She was an Uzumaki.
No one understood the terror of this sealing jutsu better than she did.
The Dead Demon Consuming Seal was not some ordinary technique. It was a forbidden jutsu that used the caster's own soul as the price. Once completed, the Shinigami would seize the enemy's soul along with the caster's, dragging both of them into its stomach, where they would remain entangled forever, unable even to pass on to the Pure Land.
Kushina had been the one who taught this jutsu to Minato in the first place.
So now, seeing the Shinigami appear right in front of Kirito, how could she, as his mother, not be afraid?
But unlike her, Namikaze Kirito only looked at the Shinigami with interest.
He had seen this jutsu before.
Back then, in order to release Minato's soul after the Nine-Tails incident, Orochimaru had once tricked the Shinigami and undone the effects of the seal.
But the Shinigami that appeared at that time had felt more like the manifestation of a technique.
Aside from Orochimaru, it had paid no attention to anyone else.
This time was different.
Its hollow, dark eyes were fixed directly on Kirito.
And more than that...
It almost looked afraid.
"So you do have a will of your own... Shinigami."
As he spoke, Kirito took a step forward.
There was no caution in his movements, no sign that he feared being attacked.
He simply reached one hand into the empty air before him—
And the Shinigami actually stepped back.
It was only one step.
But everyone in the room saw it clearly.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes widened so much it looked like his jaw might fall open.
This was the Shinigami.
A being tied to one of the Uzumaki clan's most dreadful sealing arts.
And yet it was retreating.
Retreating from Namikaze Kirito.
Hiruzen felt a chill run down his spine.
Could a human really reach such a realm?
Had this boy truly become something even death itself could not touch?
How could something so absurd exist?
Kirito, meanwhile, slowly smiled.
Now he understood.
The Shinigami was not truly wary of the Rinnegan.
What it feared... was the darkness within him.
More precisely, it feared the power of his evolved Dark-Dark Fruit.
Even Kirito himself could no longer clearly define the upper limit of that power.
Ever since he had stepped into the Six Paths tier, more and more of the templates had awakened completely. And the power of darkness had become stranger with every stage of evolution.
At this point, it had long since gone beyond the original Dark-Dark Fruit from the world of pirates.
Its presence alone now brought a suffocating sense of unease, as though something unknown and unnatural had stepped into reality.
Still, that was not a bad thing.
After all, enemies like the Ōtsutsuki would appear sooner or later. And with the mysteries surrounding other worlds and planets, who could say what even greater threats might exist beyond them?
If his power had a low ceiling, it would be useless when the time came.
The moment he saw the Shinigami retreat, Kirito stepped forward again.
Dark mist began to curl around his body.
Then—
Swish!
"Kirito, watch out!"
Kushina's voice rang out sharply.
The Shinigami had finally reached its limit.
Cornered by Kirito's pressure, it gave up on retreating and swung its blade down in one swift, violent slash.
But Kirito's expression did not change at all.
If the Shinigami had just stood there and let him observe it, it would not have been the Shinigami.
Still...
An attack on that level was nowhere near enough to threaten him.
Kirito did not even move.
A golden barrier instantly formed around his body.
It was one of the secret defensive techniques he had gained from absorbing Ōtsutsuki Momoshiki's abilities through darkness. Since he had taken all of Momoshiki's power into himself, those techniques naturally belonged to him now as well.
Clang!
The Shinigami's massive translucent blade crashed down onto the golden barrier with a deafening metallic roar. Sparks burst from the point of impact, and the shockwave that followed exploded through the room.
Air surged violently in every direction.
Aside from Kirito's parents, whom he protected instinctively, everyone else was forced to brace themselves. Even the walls of the house cracked under the pressure.
And that was only the aftermath.
It was enough to show just how much force the Shinigami had put into that strike.
Yet the golden barrier around Kirito did not so much as tremble.
There was not even the slightest ripple.
Kirito's hand, wrapped in swirling black mist, continued reaching toward the Shinigami.
And for the first time, panic appeared plainly on the Shinigami's face.
Then, just before Kirito's hand could touch it—
Poof.
The Shinigami turned into a burst of green smoke and vanished.
Just like that.
It fled.
It did not even take Sarutobi Hiruzen's soul with it.
The moment the Shinigami disappeared, the suffocating pressure that had filled the room also vanished.
Only then did everyone finally let out the breath they had been holding.
Sarutobi Hiruzen sat collapsed on the floor, staring blankly at Kirito.
Even staking his own life and soul had changed nothing.
The Shinigami had refused to act.
At that moment, only one thought remained in Hiruzen's mind.
How vast... was the gap between them?
His lips trembled faintly before he finally spat out two words.
"...A monster."
Yes.
That was the only word that fit.
Namikaze Kirito had already surpassed the realm of common sense. Looking back through the history of the shinobi world, even Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama did not feel as incomprehensible as the boy standing before him now.
He was something beyond normal human measure.
Something alien.
Something monstrous.
And Hiruzen knew it.
If even the Shinigami feared him, then what point was there in resisting any longer?
Future Orochimaru, on the other hand, seemed to be enjoying every second of his former teacher's despair.
"Well, Chief," he said with a crooked grin, "what do we do with the old man now? Jiraiya's here too. We could always reenact the classic student-kills-master scene."
"Shut up, Orochimaru," Jiraiya snapped immediately, glaring at him. "This isn't the time for your sick jokes."
He truly did not understand how the man beside him could speak so lightly at a moment like this.
Just like in the original timeline, Jiraiya still could not bring himself to raise a hand against Hiruzen.
Kirito already knew that.
That was why he had never intended to force him.
Without another word, Kirito walked forward and stopped in front of Sarutobi Hiruzen.
He looked down at him silently.
Hiruzen slowly raised his head—
And met those eyes.
For a moment, his breathing stopped.
Those eyes...
There was no anger in them... neither any hatred.
Only a cold indifference, as if the person standing before him no longer looked at the world the way ordinary people did.
It was not the gaze of someone standing above others out of arrogance.
It was the gaze of someone who had already gone far enough that everything below seemed distant.
A bitter smile appeared on Hiruzen's face.
To die by the hands of someone like this...
Perhaps that was fitting.
He let out a quiet breath, then spoke in a tired voice.
"Namikaze Kirito... if you're going to kill me, then do it."
His old eyes flickered once, toward Minato and Kushina, before returning to Kirito.
"But Konoha..."
His voice grew softer.
"Treat it well. No matter what happened... it is still the village your parents loved."
At the edge of life and death, Sarutobi Hiruzen seemed to have cast aside everything else.
For a brief moment, Jiraiya saw a glimpse of the teacher he remembered from long ago—the man who had once stood before them with patience, wisdom, and quiet strength.
Jiraiya opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something.
But in the end, no words came out.
And then—
Like a bubble silently bursting—
Sarutobi Hiruzen's figure disappeared.
Jiraiya froze where he stood, his expression tightening, but whatever he had wanted to say was swallowed back into silence.
--------------------------------------
Support me at patreon.com/Arthorain and read upto 50 Advanced Chapters and R-18 Content!
--------------------------------------
Update schedule: 7 chapters/week
Every 200 power stones = 1 Extra Chapter
By voting with [power stones], you can easily get double the number of chapters.