The Death of Hiruzen Sarutobi

"Just as I thought. Without Hashirama Cells transplanted into me, and with only 6 points of chakra, controlling the Complete Body Susanoo is incredibly taxing."

Du Yang stood in the brow of the Complete Body Susanoo, frowning as he felt his chakra rapidly draining away.

He controlled the Susanoo, pointing its lightsaber down toward Konoha and swinging it casually a few more times.

Boom! Rumble!!!

Three enormous mushroom clouds rose along the horizon.

The centers of all three explosions were completely flattened. Violent shock waves swept toward them, carrying dust and shattered stones. The windows of countless buildings rattled, and some of the more fragile ones shattered outright.

A casual strike from the Complete Body Susanoo could reshape the landscape and flatten hills. Its attacks were like natural disasters.

However, Du Yang's biggest problem was his lack of stamina.

It seemed that relying entirely on borrowed power did indeed have its drawbacks.

At the very least, he needed to be able to reach Kage Level through ninjutsu alone, without using Kekkei Genkai or borrowed abilities.

After plunging Konoha into even greater chaos, he quickly dispelled the Complete Body Susanoo.

Once he landed safely, he headed toward the outskirts of the village.

Although he had very little chakra left, Du Yang wasn't afraid of anyone catching up to him. He still had ways to protect himself.

He had already accomplished his goal; there was no need to create more trouble.

For now, Konoha had no time to concern itself with the Uchiha Clan.

The important thing was to get the Uchiha Clan out of Konoha as quickly as possible.

At that moment, Konoha truly had no time to concern itself with the Uchiha Clan.

The sudden appearance of the Complete Body Susanoo and the unexpected explosions had left most of Konoha's ninja completely bewildered.

On the edge of the ruins of the Hokage Building, beneath a relatively intact section of broken wall, Hiruzen Sarutobi leaned against the shattered reinforced concrete. A massive hole pierced through his chest, straight through from front to back.

His blood had long since soaked through the robe that marked him as Hokage, pooling on the ground in a startling red puddle.

His face was as pale as paper, and his breathing was weak and ragged. Each time he drew breath, blood trickled from the corners of his mouth.

Tsunade knelt beside him, her hands glowing with green medical chakra as she pressed them firmly around the horrific wound.

The Yin Seal on her forehead was fully released, its black markings spreading. She poured the power of the Strength of a Hundred Technique into her teacher without reservation, trying to hold on to his rapidly fading life.

But the wound in Hiruzen Sarutobi's chest was beyond healing. A lingering purifying force prevented any effective regeneration of tissue.

"Hang in there, old man. Don't fall asleep. Look at me." Sweat covered Tsunade's determined face.

No one could have imagined just how much power Uchiha Du Yang had unleashed.

Jiraiya knelt on one knee on the other side, his hands clenched into fists. His fingernails dug deep into his palms, drawing blood.

He stared fixedly at the wound in his teacher's chest, hating himself for failing to protect him.

Danzo stood a little farther away, his face as dark as the depths of the sea. No one knew what he was thinking.

Meanwhile, more and more Konoha ninja hurried to the scene.

Kakashi, Might Guy, Iruka, Kurenai, Asuma Sarutobi, and the others all arrived.

The jonin and elite Chunin from the clans who had remained in the village stared at the shattered building, especially the Third Hokage lying in a pool of blood. Their eyes were wide with rage and shock.

Then, more elite Anbu squads arrived as quickly as they could, immediately forming a tight perimeter around the area.

Some of the medical ninja from Konoha Hospital rushed over as well. But with even Tsunade, a master healer, unable to do anything, they could only watch with red-rimmed eyes and helplessly offer what little support they could.

In the blink of an eye, nearly all the top and key personnel available in the village had gathered around the place where Hiruzen Sarutobi had fallen.

Many couldn't believe that the Third Hokage had died just like that.

But just then, Hiruzen Sarutobi, breathing his last, suddenly summoned enough strength to raise a hand and point at Shimura Danzō, who stood nearby.

The gesture jolted everyone, and all eyes immediately turned toward him.

Danzo's single eye narrowed sharply.

Hiruzen Sarutobi seemed to rally for one last moment. His body stiffened, and he abruptly spoke. "It was Danzo. He ambushed me. He'd been conspiring with the Uchiha for a long time."

At his words, complete silence fell.

Everyone looked utterly disbelieving.

Tsunade's hands, still channeling chakra into him, trembled. She stared at Danzo in disbelief, then lowered her gaze to the teacher in her arms.

The Konoha jonin and elite Anbu gathered around them were even more baffled.

What had they just heard?

The Third Hokage had accused the elder, Shimura Danzō, of colluding with the rogue Uchiha Clan and ambushing him to deliver the fatal blow.

How was that possible?

Danzo had always been a hard-line opponent of the Uchiha. He led Root and was the village's protector in the shadows.

How could he have conspired with the Uchiha and ambushed the Hokage?

But the one saying this was the Third Hokage himself.

An accusation from a dying man—when a person was about to die, his words were often sincere. Could it be...

A flicker of panic crossed Danzo's single eye. He had never expected Hiruzen to pull something like this in his final moments.

It was a blatant slander.

In fact, ever since the Nine-Tails Incident, he had come up with countless schemes to assassinate the Third Hokage. None had succeeded, and in the end, he had simply given up.

"Hiruzen, you're under the control of a dōjutsu," Danzo said calmly. "It was Uchiha Du Yang. He used Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan and Kotoamatsukami to alter your mind, making you accuse me at the end."

"Cough, cough..." Hiruzen Sarutobi coughed violently, more blood welling up. "I know exactly what I'm doing, Danzo. You've betrayed Konoha."

Before he had even finished speaking, his raised hand fell limp, and the light in his eyes faded completely.

His head tilted to the side. The Third Hokage's breathing stopped for good.

"Teacher!" Tsunade clutched his body and broke down in tears.

Jiraiya trembled all over. He looked at his teacher's open-eyed corpse, then at Danzo, who was desperately trying to defend himself, but in the end, he didn't attack.

At that moment, all of Konoha was plunged into chaos and division.

Danzo's face turned ashen. His explanation sounded so weak.

Even if he had guessed how Uchiha Du Yang had done it, how many people knew about Shisui's eye?

His excuse obviously sounded like a complete fabrication.

Many no longer looked at Danzo with only the deference due to a senior adviser. There was scrutiny in their eyes now, and even the hint of hostility.

Danzo knew he had been thrust into the eye of the storm.

However, his standing in Konoha was second only to Hiruzen Sarutobi's.

At once, many of the Anbu ninja stepped in front of him to shield him.

Danzo and the Third Hokage were ninja of the same generation. He commanded immense respect and had already secured considerable power in Konoha.

The fact that he had been able to serve as Hokage temporarily after Pain attacked Konoha was proof enough.

Danzo certainly wasn't going to sit back and do nothing. He continued to explain:

"Don't let that bastard Uchiha Du Yang deceive you. He killed Monkey and used a dōjutsu to alter his mind. I had nothing to do with it."