"Jiraiya!!!"
Tsunade's pupils trembled, and tears streamed uncontrollably down her face.
A wave of helplessness crashed over her. She reached out and placed a hand on Shizune's shoulder, lowered her head, and let her long golden hair fall to either side of her face, hiding her expression. She bit her lip hard and slowly crouched down.
She had imagined many possible scenarios:
Jiraiya lying wounded, covered in blood, needing her—someone now traumatized by the sight of blood—to rush to his aid.
Jiraiya successfully rescuing Hiashi.
So many possibilities crossed her mind.
But not once had she imagined Uchiha Yu unleashing such overwhelming power, obliterating both Jiraiya and Gamabunta in an instant, erasing them from the world.
After Susanoo drew its sword—
The rain shattered.
The earth cracked.
Tsunade could no longer sense any trace of Jiraiya's presence.
Such a cruel and absurd reality.
She couldn't accept it.
"You idiot!"
Tsunade clenched her right fist tightly, brows furrowed. Her teeth dug into her lip, drawing blood.
She hugged the little pig, Tonton, tightly to her chest.
She couldn't empathize with Jiraiya's reckless death wish. She simply couldn't accept that the old friend she had just spoken to… was gone, just like that.
Even she could see it—
This was not the time to take action.
So why had that stubborn fool Jiraiya insisted on acting?
Hiashi showing up here meant the Hyuga Clan had surely made arrangements.
What did it have to do with Jiraiya?
The moment Jiraiya died—
The grief that struck Tsunade didn't even have time to fully rise before Jiraiya had already been erased.
Uchiha Yu!!
Tsunade's eyes burned with rage as she stared at the towering figure in the distance.
Still, through Hiashi's sacrifice, she vaguely began to piece things together.
"Lady Tsunade…"
Shizune furrowed her brow, heart full of anxiety and sorrow. She didn't know how to comfort Tsunade in a situation like this.
Jiraiya and Lord Yu stood on opposite sides.
That was all there was to it.
But right now, there was something else that needed Tsunade's attention.
"Milady…"
Holding an umbrella in her left hand, Shizune gently patted Tsunade's shoulder with her right. Her gaze quivered as she looked into the distance.
Tsunade snapped out of her daze and looked up, following Shizune's gaze.
The battle on the other side was still raging.
"People change. The structure of the ninja world is changing too. Jiraiya, you clung to your beliefs… But now, death is the only destination left for you.
You died before the change could come.
That is the end of your ninja way."
Inside the Yamata no Orochi, Orochimaru had learned of Jiraiya and Gamabunta's annihilation. He sighed with mixed emotions.
BOOM—
A thunderous crash sounded.
Itachi's orange-red Susanoo struck again—taking advantage of Orochimaru's moment of distraction, mourning Jiraiya—and severed one of the serpent's white-scaled heads in a single slash.
Splat!
Blood sprayed like a geyser.
The serpent head hit the ground with a thud.
"Hiss—!"
Blinding pain surged through him.
The eyes of the remaining serpent heads shrank sharply as the Yamata no Orochi let out a shrill, hoarse screech.
Only three heads remained—its vast body now appeared utterly battered and worn.
"Itachi!!!"
The Yamata no Orochi's eyes gleamed with killing intent—but there was little it could do against Itachi's Susanoo.
In terms of raw power, it might have been slightly stronger—
But Itachi's Susanoo wielded the Totsuka Blade—every slash cut effortlessly through the serpent's tough white scales.
If not for the momentary pause brought on by Yu's explosive display, the battle might already be over.
Inside the Yamata no Orochi, Orochimaru realized grimly:
He was finished.
Through this battle, Orochimaru had come to terms with the limits of his strength.
Before, he had considered using Kakashi's Sharingan to set a trap for Lord Yu…
But now he understood—he couldn't even beat Itachi.
Let alone Uchiha Yu, who had erased Jiraiya from existence with a single strike.
Trying to outwit Yu was like dancing on the edge of death—a single misstep would mean the end.
"Damn it!"
Inside the Yamata no Orochi, Orochimaru forcibly cut off his thoughts and focused on dealing with Itachi, controlling the serpent's massive body like a collapsing mountain, crashing it toward his opponent.
Boom—
Itachi spat out a mouthful of blood. He gritted his teeth through the searing pain of summoning Susanoo, raising the Yata Mirror with his left hand. The blazing divine shield guarded his chest, stopping the Yamata no Orochi's suicidal charge.
Both colossal bodies trembled violently on impact.
The Yamata no Orochi staggered backward. Orochimaru was shocked—Itachi had another spiritual weapon!
Itachi narrowed his eyes slightly and commanded Susanoo to swing its sword—the Totsuka Blade once again effortlessly severed one of Orochimaru's serpent heads.
Thud—
The severed snake head slammed to the ground.
Orochimaru's heart sank to rock bottom. He had sworn with utmost confidence to Yu that he could handle Itachi and the mysterious intruder.
But now, if Yu didn't step in soon, he would end up just like Jiraiya—completely erased.
Itachi's gaze was ice-cold as he stared down the Yamata no Orochi. He could see its life force and chakra nearly drained by his Susanoo.
Jiraiya hadn't even lasted against Yu. Hiashi was most likely dead.
He knew now—he stood no chance against Uchiha Yu as he was.
And worse yet, he had already been marked—branded with some sort of seal.
Itachi's expression turned grim. Thoughts churned within him, regret swelling in his chest.
He should have realized it. The man had eyes just like his—how could he not know of the ultimate power hidden within them?
He just didn't want to believe that someone who had only recently acquired those eyes could already discover that power—and forcibly control it.
At this moment, the man claiming to be Madara had already withdrawn.
If the fight continued, Itachi was certain—he would die.
His mission was to hunt the Uchiha squad and ensure Hiashi's safe retreat.
Now both objectives had failed.
Even with a Kage-level mindset, Itachi couldn't think of a solution. If he returned to the Hidden Leaf now, he'd face enormous political pressure from all sides.
Being condemned by public opinion was the least of his worries—
Itachi and Sasuke's positions within the village… would surely plummet.
RUMBLE—
From the rubble of the shattered cliff, the dark-red, fully manifested Susanoo stood tall like a mountain risen from the earth.
As it shifted its body, the armored boots crushed the ground beneath, leaving deep pits. The earth trembled with every step.
The Uchiha all lifted their hoods to shield themselves from the violent gales sweeping through the battlefield.
"With that kind of power... why didn't Lord Yu just flatten Konoha from the start?"
Kimimaro's right arm transformed into a bone spear, stabbing into the ground, carving a long trench as he braced himself against the raging winds.
Uchiha Minami shook her head.
"That wasn't a power Captain Yu had from the beginning. His chakra comes from us—from the fallen shinobi."
Upon hearing that, Kimimaro suddenly understood. A faint light flickered in his eyes as he looked toward the direction where the massive, dark-red Susanoo faced off—toward Orochimaru's Yamata no Orochi and Itachi's own Susanoo.
Compared to Lord Yu's Susanoo, both Itachi's and Orochimaru's beasts looked like children who hadn't yet grown up.
Kimimaro recalled what Yu once said to him:
"Just watch."
So that's what he meant…
"Sigh—"
Bathed in the crimson glow, Kimimaro's expression froze as he let out a quiet sigh.
No wonder Orochimaru had been so obsessed with the Sharingan. No wonder he had cared so deeply about Itachi.
BOOM—BOOM—BOOM—
The fully manifested dark-red Susanoo advanced step by step. With each step, the ground trembled and collapsed.
Flames burned across the dark-red armor. Within the blood-red rhomboid gemstone embedded in its chest, Yu remained calm—even now, it was too late to save Orochimaru.
The Susanoo's armor glowed with flashing red light.
Yu remotely released the Yasakani Magatama, mentally controlling it to freeze Itachi in place.
But Itachi, after weakening the Yamata no Orochi, had already driven the Totsuka Blade through its core, initiating the sealing technique.
The world warped.
Orange-red flames burst into the sky, attempting to resist the overwhelming crimson radiance—but it was like fireflies trying to rival the sun.
As it flickered out, it transformed the Yamata no Orochi's massive body into pure energy, drawing it into the seal.
The Yamata no Orochi became a twisted stream of white energy, sucked into the Totsuka Blade.
Itachi let out a breath of relief.
Yu had no particular plans for Sasuke, but Orochimaru harbored dark intentions.
No matter what, Itachi had to seal him away.
"No—!!"
Inside the Yamata no Orochi, Orochimaru felt an abyssal force closing in on him.
Terror welled up in his heart. He couldn't resist this divine power—he could feel his chakra draining away rapidly.
Until he was fully sealed.
The world seemed to fall into stillness.
Tsunade stood dumbfounded at the edge of the cliff.
She had witnessed it all.
From this day on, there would be no more Legendary Sannin in the ninja world.
°°°
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