Fear Imprinted on the Soul, and Deliberate Release

Time seemed to stretch endlessly at this moment.

Kabuto Yakushi dragged the black mass of flesh formed from over a hundred venomous snakes, fleeing madly through the snow. His lungs burned with pain, and every breath felt like swallowing blades. Yet the exhaustion of his body was nothing compared to the mental string stretched taut to its absolute limit.

He did not dare look back.

Because he could feel that sacred aura, pressing down like the vault of heaven, had already locked onto him completely.

Just as he was about to drag Orochimaru into the depths of the dense forest, an indescribable tremor originating from the depths of his soul made every hair on his body stand on end!

From the corner of his eye, he glimpsed an image that would never be erased from his memory.

In midair.

That "Hyuga Hiashi," bathing in golden radiance like a God descending into the world, slowly raised his right hand.

No hand seals. No unnecessary movements.

He simply raised it, casually.

His index and middle fingers pressed together, pointing toward the direction in which they were fleeing.

It was coming!

The final judgment!

Kabuto Yakushi's mind went blank. An icy despair surged from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. He instinctively wanted to speed up and dodge, but his body had stiffened like a stone frozen solid, unable to move even a finger.

It was not a physical restraint, but an absolute suppression at the level of life itself.

How dare an ant move recklessly before a God?

Inside the Hokage's Office.

The warmth of the burning charcoal drove away the winter chill.

Baishi's fingertips lightly tapped the back of the chair, producing a rhythmic sound. Through the Water Mirror, his gaze coldly watched the two