Uchiha Ren revealed a cruel smile and raised the ninja blade in his hand as he charged toward Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Hiruzen's old strength was spent, and new strength had yet to recover. Watching Ren rapidly close in, anxiety filled his heart.
He desperately wanted to increase his speed to dodge, but in the blink of an eye, Ren had already shifted behind him.
"Slash!"
Blood splattered!
A wound was torn open across Hiruzen's back, but it wasn't fatal. Ren deliberately held back—killing him in one strike would be too boring.
"AHHH!!!"
Hiruzen screamed as he collapsed onto the ground.
But even now, he refused to give up.
I haven't become Hokage yet. I haven't fulfilled my teacher's will. How can I fall here?!
With sheer determination, Hiruzen struggled to get up.
But Ren gave him no opportunity. Another slash followed immediately!
"AAAAHHHH!!!"
Hiruzen cried out in agony once more.
Ren listened to the screams with satisfaction. Mercy toward an enemy was cruelty to oneself.
In the crowd, Danzo Shimura's face was already drenched in tears.
His best friend was being tortured before his eyes and was about to die.
Danzō desperately wanted to rush out and beat Ren down.
But he couldn't.
The Shimura clan head tightly gripped his arm and stared at him sternly.
"You are the genius of our clan, the hope of the Shimura. It's not worth throwing your life away for Hiruzen."
For small clans, every jōnin was their lifeline.
Each one was incredibly precious.
Danzō once again faced a choice in life.
To step forward bravely—
Or to remain silent like last time.
His body trembled uncontrollably. The same fear as on the battlefield surged through him again.
"AAAAHHHH!!!"
Hiruzen's screams echoed continuously in his ears, urging him to make a decision.
Hiruzen!
This time—I won't lose to you again!
Danzō suddenly broke free from the clan head's grip and rushed into the arena.
The trembling in his body stopped.
His eyes became firm.
This time, he would not lose!
"Wind Release: Vacuum Bullets!"
Danzō rapidly formed hand seals and spat out compressed air bullets toward Ren's head.
"Clang!"
Ren seemed to have eyes behind his back. He instantly turned and blocked with his blade, sparks flying upon impact.
Ren turned around and revealed a meaningful smile toward Danzō.
As if he had long expected this.
Finally, you've taken the bait.
Ren felt delighted.
What was the point of killing only Hiruzen?
At the very least, he should have company on the road to the afterlife.
And Danzō—
Was the perfect candidate.
One life, two brothers.
Happily heading to the underworld together!
"Outrageous!!!"
Hyuga Takuma shouted loudly.
Someone had dared to launch a sneak attack from behind—whose clan was this?
Were they courting death?!
All eyes turned toward Danzō.
Uchiha Inabi was already eager to step forward and kill him on the spot.
It's over!
The Shimura clan head's face turned pale.
The Shimura clan was finished.
He had already begun thinking about how to arrange the clan's aftermath—sending the younger generation out of Konoha to preserve even a single spark of survival.
"Hmph, Lady Mito."
"I'm in a life-and-death duel with Hiruzen, and Danzō suddenly interferes with a sneak attack. I was almost killed."
"How do you think this should be handled?"
Ren deliberately patted his chest as if he had been frightened and asked Mito Uzumaki for her judgment.
Mito looked at Danzō with cold eyes and spoke decisively:
"Kill him."
"The Shimura clan will be expelled from Konoha."
Good.
Ren was very satisfied with this answer.
Mito truly was someone who had survived since the Warring States era—decisive when it mattered.
"Then I'll do it myself."
Ren kicked aside Hiruzen's hand, which was getting in the way, and looked toward Danzō.
Hiruzen, covered in blood, looked at Danzō in confusion, unable to understand why he had come out to die.
Danzō gave him a faint smile.
Then charged at Ren with a kunai, intending to engage in close combat.
Ren couldn't help but laugh.
A moth flying into the flame.
Danzō's actions were no different from seeking death. No matter what, he wouldn't be leaving Konoha alive today.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
Blade and kunai clashed repeatedly, sparks flying.
At first, Danzō could barely keep up, but gradually he became overwhelmed, unable to match Ren's speed.
"Slash!"
The blade cut through the air with a sharp sound, striking Danzō.
Ren followed with a kick, sending him flying.
Danzō rolled across the ground, stopping beside Hiruzen.
"This game should come to an end."
Ren lowered his blade.
A Lava Release Rasenshuriken formed in his hand.
He intended to send both Danzō and Hiruzen to meet the Sage of Six Paths with this single attack.
Danzō would later become a madman, even carving the Four Symbols Seal onto his own body, intending to take enemies down with him when he died.
Ren didn't know if Danzō had already reached that level of madness.
To be safe—
It was better to finish them off with this technique.
There was no bridge here to save anyone.
"Goodbye."
Ren revealed a gentle smile toward the two of them, wishing them a pleasant next life.
He considered himself quite a kind person.
Then he threw the Lava Release Rasenshuriken.
"Boom!"
A massive explosion erupted, accompanied by blinding light.
Everyone present was shocked by its power.
S-rank.
This was absolutely an S-rank forbidden technique!
Using such a move to send Hiruzen and Danzō off—
Was more than enough respect.
The light gradually faded.
A massive crater remained.
Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura—
Had completely vanished from this world.
Not even ashes remained.
Ren let out a relaxed breath.
Finally—
Those future threats to Konoha were eliminated.
In the original timeline, after Hiruzen's death, Konoha had nearly failed to even select a Hokage.
Its strength had declined to an unimaginable level.
If not for Naruto's rise—
Konoha might have fallen.
And behind that outcome—
Hiruzen and Danzō had contributed greatly.
But now—
None of that would happen anymore.
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