The Death of Dan Kato

Half a minute passed in silence, and Dosa had finished gathering his chakra. "Kalo, get out of the way!" Upon hearing this, Kalo immediately distanced himself from the Konoha ninja.

Dosa suddenly spread his arms wide. The earth trembled violently. "Boom!" Two hands, dozens of meters high, erupted from the sea of gold dust on the ground, one on the left and one on the right, trapping the few Konoha ninja who looked like mere ants between them.

"There's no escaping this time! Magnet Release: Gold Dust Hell!" Dosa brought his hands together, interlocking his fingers. The giant gold dust hands slammed shut. Tsunade wanted to intervene, but she was powerless to help, and even Katsuyu was too far away to reach them in time. Everyone watched as they were about to be flattened and crushed!

"I have to make it in time! Spirit Transformation Technique!" Dan Kato performed hand seals rapidly, forcing the use of the technique. The moment his spirit body manifested, it lunged at Dosa, who was still channeling his ninjutsu.

Caught off guard, Dosa summoned a mass of gold dust to block his front, using his will to control the Shield of Gold Dust for defense.

"It's useless!!" Being in spirit form, Dan Kato passed directly through the gaps in the gold dust shield, instantly reaching Dosa and plunging his right hand straight into his chest.

"Ah!" Dosa clutched his chest, let out a miserable scream, and collapsed to the ground. The two giant gold dust hands that were about to crush the Konoha ninja instantly crumbled, and all the gold dust slumped uselessly onto the ground.

Dan Kato intended to dive into his body to finish him off for good, but his spirit body felt a sudden wave of weakness. "Damn it, I'm out of chakra!" A flash of white light enveloped Dan Kato's spirit as it snapped back into his physical body. He gasped for air, utterly exhausted; the chakra remaining in his body was now only enough to sustain his life.

At the same time Dosa fell, Chiyo continued her assault on Tsunade from the other side. With a flick of her fingers, all her puppets opened their mouths, firing poison needles at Tsunade from every direction. Tsunade slammed a fist into the ground, and the violent shockwave swept all the needles away.

Suddenly, the three puppets behind Tsunade formed a triangle, secretly leaving a gap in the center. Kalo, who had been near Dosa, took advantage of the chaos caused by Dosa's large-scale ninjutsu to sneak behind Tsunade. He sneered and launched a surprise attack.

"Haha! Die! Wind Release: Vacuum Great Sphere!" Kalo spat out a massive vacuum wind bullet. The projectile moved with the speed of a cannonball, carving a path through the air as it shot toward Tsunade's back.

"Tsunade! Look out!!" Dan Kato, having just returned to his body, shouted. Tsunade finally realized the sneak attack, but she was caught off guard, and the wind bullet was already upon her!

Am I going to die here? A wave of sorrow washed over Tsunade. The wind style was too powerful to block, Katsuyu wasn't nearby to shield her, and it was too late to dodge! Yet, a figure appeared beside her, long, pale blue hair fluttering in the wind...

At the critical moment, Dan Kato exhausted his last shred of chakra to use a Body Flicker, appearing beside Tsunade and shoving her aside. The wind bullet struck Dan Kato's body head-on. Tsunade managed to shift slightly to the side, narrowly avoiding the attack.

"Dan!!" Tsunade watched helplessly as Dan Kato was sent flying. The wind bullet then violently expanded and detonated into a massive sphere. Dan Kato took the full force of the wind style; the gale acted like countless blades tearing at him, and the violent, raging power swallowed his body in an instant.

Dan Kato was blown back dozens of meters, slamming hard into the ground as blood sprayed from his mouth. The tactical vest, which had been reinforced by Hyuga Nichigetsu, tore apart under the gale after absorbing only a fraction of the impact. His clothes were shredded, his body covered in deep, bone-exposing wounds, and blood flowed without ceasing. He was a mangled, horrific sight.

"Dan Kato!" Tsunade and the three remaining jonin ran toward him without a second thought.

"Dosa, hang in there!" On the Hidden Sand side, Chiyo, Ebizo, and Kalo also rushed toward the fallen Dosa. With both sides having suffered heavy casualties, they both chose to temporarily cease hostilities.

"He's still breathing, Dosa! Hold on! Get him to medical aid!" Chiyo and the others immediately decided to evacuate him. Chiyo and Kalo carried Dosa away quickly. He was, after all, a disciple of the Third Kazekage, a wielder of the Magnet Release bloodline limit who could control gold dust! If Dosa died, the Third Kazekage would never forgive them...

Meanwhile, Ebizo, who had stayed behind, ordered the other Hidden Sand ninja: "Don't let a single one of them escape!" He surrounded Tsunade and her team with dozens of Hidden Sand ninja.

"Go! Run!!" Amidst the pouring rain, Chiyo and Kalo chose to retreat while the enemy was in disarray from Dosa's critical injury. Tsunade threw several kunai attached to explosive tags; taking advantage of the blasts, the three remaining elite jonin hoisted Dan Kato up and forced a breakout.

One Konoha jonin sacrificed his life so that Tsunade and the others could break through the encirclement. After shaking off the pursuit, their original squad of twelve was reduced to four, one of whom was still hovering between life and death...

(bgm: Neji's Death, Naruto/Sorrow and Sadness, 634)

The rain continued to fall, and the sky grew dim. In the forest, Dan Kato lay on the ground, his blood mixing with the rain to stain the earth red. His tattered vest had been removed, revealing large, bloody wounds; he looked like a man made of gore.

Tsunade's face was smeared with blood. She gritted her teeth, pressing both hands against Dan Kato's abdomen. The green glow of her Mystical Palm Technique pulsed desperately as she fought the Grim Reaper for this man's life. The sword-wielding jonin and the other survivor stood by in silence, their brows furrowed.

Dan Kato seemed to regain a sliver of consciousness, opening his eyes to look at Tsunade as she fought to save him.

"Tsu... Tsunade..." Dan Kato struggled to force the words out. His voice was as thin as a mosquito's, weak to the point of extinction, and blood trickled from the corners of his mouth.

"Dan! Don't talk!" Tsunade shouted, intensifying the output of her Mystical Palm Technique.

"If I don't... I won't have another chance..." Dan Kato's breath was like a fraying thread as he forced the words out. His chest shuddered, and as he exhaled, a fresh surge of blood gushed out.

"No, no..." Tsunade shook her head.

"Actually... I love... you. From the first time... I saw you..." Dan Kato gathered his remaining strength, speaking in broken fragments while the blood at his lips became unstoppable.

"Dan..." Tsunade's heart tightened, as if it had been cruelly twisted. Tears mingled with the rain, flowing uncontrollably; she didn't even notice the blood on her face being washed away.

"I... don't want to... die... I haven't yet... become Hokage... for my sister's sake... I still wanted... to be with you..." Dan Kato's eyes drifted shut, his consciousness fading as he muttered, as if he feared he would never have another chance to speak.

"Don't worry, the bleeding has stopped, you'll be fine. Dan, you're going to be okay!" Tsunade said, forcing a relaxed expression and smiling with squinted eyes. Yet, her body trembled uncontrollably, and she dared not look into Dan Kato's eyes, as if these words were meant to comfort herself.

The ninja nearby couldn't help but turn away, their hearts heavy with grief. It's useless. He can't be saved. Too much blood loss, massive bone fractures, ruptured blood vessels, his heart, liver, spleen, and kidneys are all severely damaged... his other organs are also compromised to varying degrees... he's been completely pulverized. Even Tsunade, one of the Sannin, can't save him... he's already beyond saving...

Hearing Tsunade's words, Dan Kato used his last ounce of strength to squint his eyes and offer a faint smile. "Is that so... that's good..."

"Thank you... Tsunade..." Then, he could no longer hold on. His consciousness slipped away, and his eyes slowly closed against his will.

"Being able to rush in... to save you... I... have no... regrets..." After whispering these words, Dan Kato's eyes closed completely, and the faint smile on his face vanished...

"Dan? Dan! Don't sleep! You can't sleep!" Tsunade panicked, shouting loudly. There was no response from Dan Kato.

"Dammit, dammit!" Tsunade realized his heartbeat was growing weaker and weaker, his breath nearly gone.

"Stop the bleeding! Stop it! Halt! Don't flow anymore! Stop! Stop!" Tsunade screamed, sounding somewhat hysterical. A sense of despair accompanied by grief washed over her. Tsunade felt terror; there were no miracles, and it seemed she was about to lose something precious, and she... was powerless.

Dan is dead. I couldn't save him... Tsunade wailed in her heart.

"Stop it! Don't die, don't die! Dan!" Amidst Tsunade's cries, Dan Kato's heart stopped beating...

"Stop! Don't die! Dan! Dan!" Tsunade shrieked at the top of her lungs.

"Don't do this, he's already gone! Tsunade!" the nearby ninja shook his head, trying to persuade her.

Hearing the ninja's words, Tsunade's face went blank, lost and bewildered. She stared fixedly at her blood-stained hands, which trembled incessantly. She felt as if she couldn't breathe; the blood-red color filled her with terror—a deep, profound terror! Pain, despair, regret, and self-reproach tore at her heart, causing Tsunade's spirit to collapse.

"Who said he's dead?! Huh?!" Just then, a figure leaped toward them at high speed. The jonin was startled and looked back at the newcomer. It was a Konoha ninja—was it reinforcements?

"Phew! Finally made it! Seems I'm a bit late." Hyuga Nichigetsu landed on a tree branch, panting, his expression cold and stern as he looked at the group. Seeing Dan Kato, who had already stopped breathing, Nichigetsu's brows furrowed tightly.

He used a Body Flicker to appear beside Dan Kato, using his Byakugan to rapidly assess the situation. Because Dan Kato was wearing the custom vest he had given him, his kidneys, while ruptured, were still intact, but the rest of his body had been pulverized by the wind style. There were wounds everywhere, massive fractures, severe internal organ damage, ruptured blood vessels, and heavy internal bleeding. His breathing and heartbeat had already ceased.

A few seconds later, Nichigetsu looked up at Tsunade, who sat blank-faced with wide, lifeless eyes, his gaze filled with an unquestionable authority.

"However, I haven't said he's dead yet, so he isn't!"