"And I'll gladly take your chakra as well."
"Come out!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi yanked hard, rapidly drawing the two men's chakra into his own body.
Their hearts had been destroyed, their Rinnegan and Tenseigan gouged out, and black rods were embedded in their bodies. They could not use even a trace of chakra and could only let Hiruzen Sarutobi drain it from them.
"T-Tie Kui, a-are you all right?"
Tenmon Namikaze was somewhat weakened as well. He finally found Tie Kui and dug her out from the mountain. Seeing that she was still breathing, he let out a sigh of relief.
"Hmm?"
"Me? Me?"
Tie Kui felt intense pain throughout her body and slowly opened her eyes. When she saw Tenmon Namikaze's sunny, handsome face, a trace of shyness flashed through her eyes.
"T-Tenmon?"
"I, I...!"
Tie Kui's pale face flushed slightly as she looked at Tenmon Namikaze before her, her eyes brimming with endless love.
Only now did she realize that the person she truly loved was Tenmon Namikaze.
What she had felt for Senju Fujima before had not been love. It had all been quite a farce.
Yet she had to admit that when Tenmon Namikaze saved her, her heart clearly understood that the person she loved had always been the blond man before her.
"Tie Kui, don't speak yet."
"I know."
"I'll take you to the hospital for treatment now. You need to rest properly."
Tenmon Namikaze looked at Tie Kui with love in his eyes. Narrowing his eyes with a gentle smile, he picked her up and vanished from the spot.
No one knew how long the battle had lasted, but Hiruzen Sarutobi finally killed both Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha, absorbing every last bit of their chakra. The two lay in pools of blood,