The Death of Sarutobi

Orochimaru resisted fiercely, constantly summoning the Kusanagi Sword, but the Third Hokage's old and frail body was no longer able to extract Orochimaru's complete soul from his body.

The Third Hokage's strength gradually waned, Orochimaru's soul shrank a little inside his body. Just when Orochimaru thought the Third was no longer able to seal him, the Third's power, which seemed to come from nowhere, pulled Orochimaru's soul out of his body a little more.

Orochimaru cried out in fear, "Old man, let go! Where do you get your power from?!"

The Third Hokage said defiantly, "Hmph, Orochimaru, you underestimate the power of this village. I didn't want to give up, but thinking Issui that little guy Ikki's desperate fight, I told myself to try my best and seal you away. That would be my last act for this village, because I am the Hokage of this village, and everyone in this village is my family. I believe the Will of Fire will be passed down. My power comes from all the members of the village. I love this village, and I love everyone in it. Since I can no longer seal your entire soul, I will seal your most prized possession—your hands. Without your hands, you can no longer use Ninjutsu." The Third Hokage slowly pulled Orochimaru's hands away, and the Shinigami's blade severed Orochimaru's hands, sealing them within the Third's body.

Orochimaru felt a burning pain in his hand and yelled at the Third Hokage, "Old man, give it back to me!"

The Third Hokage closed his eyes with a smile, "Orochimaru... my foolish disciple..."

Orochimaru was still shouting, but the Third was already dead. Thus, the Third Hokage of Konoha, Hiruzen Sarutobi, passed away...

Issui thought that as a time traveler, he would never feel sadness over the death of the Third, but when he saw the old body lying on the ground, his heart felt as if it had been stabbed. This old man who had accepted him, given him missions, and watched him grow up had died like this? I want to cry so badly, but why can't I cry? So this is the sadness left behind by the death of a loved one. This old man gave his last life for the village he loved and cherished.

"Grandpa of the Third..." Issui finally couldn't hold back his tears and burst into sobs. He did not suppress his grief at all. The hot blood in his Ice Heart was churning. He was not a cold-blooded person, but a person full of emotions.

Hearing the cries of anguish from within the Four Flames Violet Formation, the members of the Anbu outside were filled with immense panic and confusion.

"What's going on? Didn't that brat come back to life? I just saw him wake up and seal the Second. Why is he crying now? What happened?" an Anbu asked excitedly.

"Look, the portrait of the Third Hokage on the Hokage Rock has cracked at some point..." an Anbu said, pointing at the Hokage Rock in the village.

"Perhaps, perhaps it's that lord..." a member of the Anbu said hurriedly, trying his best to suppress his emotions.

Seeing Orochimaru's dejected state, the person Sakon and Ukon anxiously said, "Lord Orochimaru..."

Seeing that the situation was already decided, Orochimaru had no choice but to say to the Sound Four, "Ignore the barrier, just take me with you. Operation plan is over..."

The Sound Four nodded and said, "Yes."

Then the Four Violet Flames Formation disappeared, Sound Four dispelled the barrier, grabbing Orochimaru and preparing to escape. The Anbu hurriedly gave chase, but Kidomaru used a spider web from his mouth to bind them. In the end, Orochimaru and his subordinates still managed to escape.

By this time, thanks to the previous clearing efforts of Konoha, the cleanup by Issui Konoha Jonin, and the later addition of Jiraiya, the enemy had been completely eliminated from the outer perimeter of Konoha.

Jiraiya said in surprise, "What's going on? Why are there so few enemies? Most of them were attacked by Fire Style. Who is so powerful? The Third? Impossible. He should be fighting Orochimaru. I don't remember having such a person in the village."

A Chunin suddenly interjected excitedly, "Lord Jiraiya, you're talking about that person? You might not have heard of him, but his name is Issui Kanna. He's the only genius ninja in our village's history to become Jonin at the age of 11! That person is a hero in the hearts of us low-ranking ninjas! You haven't seen how powerful he is! Like Demon God, he first summoned a giant flying dragon ninja beast, instantly destroying several giant snakes, and then used Secret Technique to transform into a fire giant over thirty meters tall! He's simply amazing!! Haha, with that person's help, the invaders were like clay chickens and earthenware dogs, so easily defeated! It was so satisfying, haha..."

"Yes, that lord is like a hero. It's truly an honor for us to fight alongside him..."

"Yes, I heard that sir Jonin the Sunagakure leader in an instant and then joined the battle. I followed that sir from the exam hall..."

"Really? You're so lucky to be able to go to the battlefield with that lord. I don't have that kind of fortune..."

"Speaking of which, just when I was about to be killed by a Sunagakure, that lord suddenly appeared and killed the Sunagakure who attacked me. He's my savior..."

"Really? You're incredibly lucky, kid. That person actually saved you. But seriously, you need to work hard at your cultivation. We can't let that person look down on us..."

All the Genin and Chunin gathered together to talk about Issui. Everyone was no longer saddened by the battle. Issui's addition had greatly reduced the losses of Konoha's lower-ranking ninjas.

Jiraiya suddenly remembered the kid he had met a few years ago. He never expected him to be so powerful now, a genius on par with the Fourth.

Ibiki also seemed very happy. "That brat really surprised everyone. The number of Konoha's low-ranking ninjas, Genin, and Chunin was almost negligible. As long as the Third Hokage is alright, the Sunagakure and Otogakure's collapse plan was completely ineffective. I heard that after that brat cleaned up the battlefield, he went to help the Third Hokage. I wonder how he is doing."

Jiraiya looked towards the center of the exam hall where the Third and Orochimaru had fought. "Hmm, it seems it's already over. What will the result be?"

Ibiki followed Jiraiya's gaze and said happily, "The battle is over. The Third Hokage must have won. After all, he's the strongest Kage of the Five Great Nations. That must be it."

Jiraiya shook his head and sighed, "It's probably unlikely. The old man's health isn't what it used to be. He'll probably be seriously injured even if he doesn't die this time. Let's go check on him."

As soon as the Four Violet Flames Formation Hinata and Haku rushed to the top floor, wanting to know how Issui was doing.

Seeing that the situation was dire, with Kakashi and Guy fighting him simultaneously, there was no need to continue the battle. Lord Orochimaru also gave up and decided to leave.

Kakashi and Guy, seeing that Kabuto had already escaped, followed Hinata and the others to the top floor where the Third Hinata was fighting Orochimaru.

When everyone arrived at the top floor, Issui was lying on one side, crying, while the Third lay there quietly, his expression before death extremely peaceful. Several Anbu knelt beside the Third's body and bowed their heads.

Hinata and Haku were overjoyed to see that Issui was still alive and ran to Issui side to tell him how worried they had been.

Hinata streaming down her face, nestled against Issui and hugged him tightly. "You silly boy, you made me so worried..."

Bai stood quietly to the side, smiling.

Namiashi Raidō regained consciousness, he went up to the top floor. Looking at Issui lying alive on the ground and the Third lying peacefully on the ground, he was furious. It must have been this brat who caused the Third Hokage to be in such an Issui situation. He grabbed Issui's clothes, pulled him up, and punched Ikki hard in the face.

"Pfft..." Having just escaped the battle, how could Issui withstand the furious punch from Namiashi Raidō? He suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood.

Seeing Issui's silent demeanor, Namiashi Raidō flew into a rage. "It must be you, you brat who doesn't know how powerful you are, who dragged the Lord Hokage down! It must be the Third Hokage who was killed by Orochimaru while trying to save you! It must be you! I'll kill you!"

Issui did not put up any resistance. It wasn't that he didn't want to, but rather that he was completely exhausted and heartbroken by the death of the Third.

With Namiashi Raidō said fiercely, "You admit it now, so pay with your life!"

Shuriken appeared in Namiashi Raidō's hand, about to pierce Issui's heart!

"No!!!" Hinata cried out in anguish.

"Snap!" Kakashi appeared just in time, stopping Namiashi Raidō's actions.

Kai remained silent for a moment before saying, "Kakashi, did this brat really kill the Third? Otherwise..."

"Don't jump to conclusions too quickly. This kid is a hero of the village, and besides, I'm afraid that's not the case!" Jiraiya appeared as well.

"Hmph, you attacked recklessly without even understanding the situation. You're not acting like proper ninjas. Do you know that this brat single-handedly sealed away the First Hokage and Second Hokage, Summoning Orochimaru using a forbidden technique, just to save the Third Hokage? He almost died at the Second Hokage's hands, but miraculously revived and then sealed the Second again. His actions make me proud of him. He's a true ninja. The Third Hokage died because he was exhausted and unable to fight, but he also severely injured Orochimaru, allowing Orochimaru to escape. He saved this village." An Anbu stood up and said grimly.

What? This brat actually sealed away the reincarnated First Hokage and Second Hokage? That's a lie! Besides the legendary Sannin and all the previous Hokage, who else has such an ability? Sealing away two powerful and famous figures in succession is already a miracle; what more can you expect from him?

"Besides, this kid saved the lives of most of the Genin and Chunin on the front lines. A third of the enemy was killed or wounded by him. He should be the village's hero, not the one being blamed. He's only twelve years old and he's already done his best for the village. What right do we adults have to pin the Third's death on him alone? If there's any responsibility, it's our responsibility as adults," Ibiki said.

"Furthermore, Baki, the Sunagakure's captain in this operation, has been knocked unconscious by him, giving them a significant advantage in future negotiations with Sunagakure," Kakashi added.

With Namiashi Raidō, Namiya put the Issui down and said, "I'm sorry, are you alright? It's all my fault..."

Issui shook his head and said, "It's nothing. I was very sad to see my Third grandfather die. I'm still not strong enough. Your punch actually made me feel a little better."

Jiraiya interjected, "Stop standing around doing nothing! Let's hurry up and clean up the battlefield. Konoha has suffered considerable losses this time; we have no time for grief..."