Amid deafening explosions and scattering shards of chakra, everyone who witnessed the pitch-black sphere brimming with an aura of ultimate destruction instantly recognized the technique.
The already crumbling Four Violet Flames Formation completely shattered before that overwhelming power, turning into countless drifting violet motes that vanished into nothingness.
The cold smile on Orochimaru's face froze completely, and a bead of sweat slid uncontrollably down from his temple. Though he seemed to have uncovered a shocking secret, he could feel no joy at all.
Because it meant that the core objective he had painstakingly planned for—the seizure of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki—had completely fallen through.
Do I really have to temporarily give up on Uzumaki Naruto and activate that final backup plan? An unwilling thought spun rapidly through his mind.
Under everyone's horrified gazes, Menma's figure slowly descended from midair and landed atop the shattered roof. The mask on his face concealed every trace of emotion, but the eyes staring through its holes, along with the icy, bone-piercing killing intent radiating from his body as if it were tangible, locked precisely onto Orochimaru.
That killing intent was so intense that everyone could clearly feel his undisguised, overwhelming rage toward Orochimaru.
"..."
On the other side, although the Third Hokage had temporarily breathed a sigh of relief at not needing to use the Reaper Death Seal, the heaviness in his heart only grew.
Impossible... This is absolutely impossible... he repeatedly warned himself. Minato was dead. He had sacrificed himself to seal Kurama and protect Konoha... He had even personally arranged husband and wife's funeral and watched them be buried with his own eyes...
Yet once doubt arose in the depths of his heart over a "settled fact," all the details he had previously overlooked surfaced uncontrollably and grew larger, battering the dam of