The Death of Hiruzen Sarutobi

"As expected, without the Hashirama cells transplanted and with a chakra level of only six in energy, manipulating the Complete Body Susanoo is extremely taxing."

Uchiha Du Yang stood at the center of the Complete Body Susanoo's forehead, his brow furrowed as he felt his chakra depleting rapidly.

He controlled the Susanoo, casually swinging its blade of light toward the lower sections of Konoha a few more times.

BOOM! BOOM-BOOM!!!

Three massive mushroom clouds rose from the horizon.

The centers of the three explosions were razed to the ground, and violent shockwaves carrying dust and debris rushed toward him; countless windows in the surrounding houses rattled, with some of the more fragile ones shattering outright.

A casual strike from the Complete Body Susanoo was enough to alter the landscape and level hills, an attack akin to a natural disaster.

However, Uchiha Du Yang's greatest issue was his lack of stamina.

It seems that relying solely on borrowed power indeed carries certain flaws.

He himself, at the very least, needs to reach the Kage level using only ninjutsu, without relying on bloodline limits or shared abilities.

After plunging Konoha into even greater chaos, he hurriedly deactivated the Complete Body Susanoo.

After landing steadily, he rushed toward the outskirts of the village.

Although he had little chakra left, Uchiha Du Yang was not afraid of being pursued; he still had means of self-preservation.

His goal had been achieved, and it was not wise to stir up more trouble.

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

What mattered now was to get the Uchiha Clan out of Konoha as quickly as possible.

At this moment, Konoha was indeed too busy to concern itself with the Uchiha Clan.

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

On the edge of the ruins of the Hokage Building, beneath a relatively intact section of wall, Hiruzen Sarutobi leaned against a broken piece of reinforced concrete, a massive hole in his chest that went straight through to his back.

Blood had long since soaked his Hokage haori, pooling into a glaring puddle on the ground.

His face was as pale as paper, his breathing weak and rapid, each inhalation accompanied by blood foam spilling from the corners of his mouth.

Tsunade knelt beside him, her hands glowing with green medical chakra, pressing firmly around the horrific wound.

The Yin Seal on her forehead was fully released, black markings spreading across her skin as she poured the power of the Strength of a Hundred Technique into her teacher without reservation, attempting to grasp at his rapidly fading life force.

However, the wound in Hiruzen Sarutobi's chest simply would not heal; a residual, purifying power prevented any effective tissue regeneration.

"Hold on, old man, don't sleep, look at me." Tsunade's heroic face was covered in sweat.

No one could have imagined just how powerful a force Uchiha Du Yang had unleashed at that moment.

Jiraiya knelt on the other side, his hands clenched into fists, his nails digging deep into his palms until blood flowed.

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

Shimura Danzō stood a little further away, his expression as gloomy as water, his thoughts unreadable.

Meanwhile, more and more Konoha ninjas were arriving.

Kakashi, Might Guy, Iruka, Kurenai, Asuma Sarutobi, and others had all rushed to the scene.

The jonin and elite chunin of the various clans remaining in the village looked at the shattered building, and especially at the Third Hokage lying in a pool of blood, their eyes splitting with rage and their hearts filled with horror.

Following them, more elite Anbu squads arrived at top speed, immediately forming a tight security perimeter.

Medical ninjas from the Konoha Hospital also hurried over, but with even Tsunade, the master of medical ninjutsu, at a loss, they could only provide futile assistance with tear-filled eyes.

In the blink of an eye, the area around where Hiruzen Sarutobi had fallen became the gathering point for almost all the top-tier and vital combatants currently in the village.

Many could not believe that the Third Hokage had actually died just like that.

However, at that very moment, the fading Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly used his last ounce of strength to raise his hand, pointing at Shimura Danzō, who was standing to the side.

This gesture sent a shock through everyone, their gazes instantly focusing on him.

Danzō's single eye contracted violently.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, as if experiencing a final burst of clarity, straightened his body and spoke abruptly: "It was Danzō... he ambushed me... he has been colluding with the Uchiha all along."

Once these words were spoken, a deathly silence fell.

Everyone wore an expression of utter disbelief.

Tsunade's hands, which were channeling chakra, trembled violently; she looked at Danzō in disbelief, then looked down at her teacher in her arms.

The surrounding Konoha jonin and elite Anbu were left completely baffled.

What had they just heard?

The Third Hokage, on his deathbed, had accused Elder Shimura Danzō of colluding with the defecting Uchiha Clan and being the culprit who ambushed and murdered him.

How could this be possible!

Danzō had always been a hardline anti-Uchiha figure, the leader of Root, and the village's shadow protector.

How could he possibly collude with the Uchiha, let alone ambush the Hokage?

But the one saying this was the Third Hokage himself.

The final accusation of a dying man—when a person is about to die, their words are sincere. Could it be...

A flicker of panic flashed through Danzo's single eye. He had never expected that Hiruzen would pull such a stunt on the verge of death.

This was a naked, blatant slander.

In truth, ever since the Nine-Tails Incident, he had harbored countless schemes to assassinate the Third Hokage, but he had never succeeded, eventually giving up on the idea altogether.

"Hiruzen, you have been controlled by a dojutsu," Danzo analyzed calmly. "It is Uchiha Du Yang. He used Shisui's Mangekyou Sharingan to alter your mind with Kotoamatsukami, forcing you to point the finger at me in your final moments."

"Cough, cough..." Hiruzen Sarutobi began to cough violently, more blood gushing out. "I am very clear about what I am doing. Danzo, you have failed Konoha."

Before the words had even faded, his raised hand fell limply, the light in his eyes dimming completely.

His head tilted to the side, and the Third Hokage's breath ceased entirely.

"Sensei." Tsunade clutched her teacher's corpse tightly, sobbing uncontrollably.

Jiraiya trembled all over, looking at his teacher's face, which remained frozen in a look of lingering resentment, then glancing at Danzo, who was desperately trying to defend himself. In the end, he did not make a move.

The entirety of Konoha was, at this moment, plunged into massive chaos and division.

Danzo's face was ashen; his explanation sounded so pale and powerless.

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

This excuse, quite obviously, sounded like complete nonsense.

The gazes many directed toward Danzo were no longer filled with the awe reserved for a high-ranking advisor; they were now filled with scrutiny, and even faint hostility.

Danzo knew that he had been pushed to the forefront of the storm in an instant.

However, his prestige in Konoha was, in fact, second only to Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Immediately, many ninjas within the Anbu stepped in front of him, shielding him.

Clearly, Danzo belonged to the same generation of ninjas as the Third Hokage; his prestige was immense, and he already held a considerably large amount of power within Konoha.

The fact that he was able to temporarily serve as Hokage after Pain attacked Konoha was the best proof of this.

Danzo, of course, could not sit still and wait for death, so he continued to explain:

"Everyone, do not be deceived by that guy Uchiha Du Yang! It was that fellow who killed the Monkey and used a dojutsu to alter him. This has nothing to do with me!"