Blocked, Hiruzen Sarutobi's aged face flushed with an unnatural red.
One could only imagine how furious Hiruzen was at this moment.
"Uchiha Kazama, no matter what you say today!"
"Even if I die, I will drag you down with me!"
"Konoha does not allow a crazy demon like you to exist."
Having spoken, Hiruzen directly discarded the Adamantine Staff in his hand.
Enma transformed back into his true form and stood to the side, a hint of sorrow in his eyes.
"Hiruzen, you..."
Enma was already somewhat at a loss for words.
After all, having partnered with Hiruzen for so long, suddenly facing such a situation made it hard to hold back feelings of grief.
"This is my decision, Enma!"
"Right now, what you need to do is help me!"
"Do not let me be affected by genjutsu!"
Finishing his words, Hiruzen immediately began forming Hand Seals.
Uchiha Ryunen and the others instantly moved to stop Hiruzen.
Although they still did not know what Hiruzen was about to do, they knew they could not let this technique be completed.
It was precisely at this moment that ANBU members suddenly appeared, blocking their path.
"Protect the Hokage!"
The ANBU members all drew their Short Swords and charged at Uchiha Ryunen and the others.
The battle that had just stopped resumed once more because of Hiruzen's action.
"Everyone, did you see that!?"
"This is our Lord Hokage who possesses the Will of Fire!"
"Willing to give everything for the village, he now starts the battle anew."
"See it clearly, this Hiruzen Sarutobi is just a weak and trashy fellow!"
"His whole life has been about scheming, weighing options, and harming people and clans that posed a threat to him within the village!"
"Therefore, only by slaughtering all these high-ranking worms in Konoha can the village possibly grow stronger!"
Finished speaking, Uchiha Kazama also drew the Short Sword from his back.
Within his eyes, killing intent and madness emerged.
Immediately, Uchiha Kazama vanished from the spot.
Reaper Death Seal!
Hiruzen did not linger any longer either.
Chakra surged wildly, and simultaneously, a ghostly figure crawled out from his body, standing behind Hiruzen.
It was also at this moment that Hiruzen discovered the surrounding environment was changing.
Even spinning around.
Had he... fallen under a genjutsu?
That wasn't right. With Enma present, he shouldn't have been controlled by genjutsu so easily...
Besides, he had already...
Just as Hiruzen's thoughts flashed rapidly, he suddenly saw a familiar body...
That's right, a body!
A body without a head.
Behind this body was Uchiha Kazama, holding a Short Sword.
What had happened?!
Why...
Realizing this, his consciousness stopped.
Because this head had already rolled heavily onto the ground.
At this moment, the Reaper that had appeared behind Hiruzen was stunned.
This... he had just been summoned.
Now he was supposed to harvest a soul.
Yet, Hiruzen was directly decapitated, leaving it seemingly with nothing to do...
The Reaper glanced at Uchiha Kazama, then turned into nothingness and vanished.
With the caster already gone, he no longer had a vessel to exist in.
"Swish..."
Uchiha Kazama flicked the blood off his short sword.
"I said, I would kill him today."
"Next, it's you... Danzo!"
Uchiha Kazama's Mangekyō Sharingan stared at Shimura Danzō.
Because of Hiruzen Sarutobi's death, the kunai and short swords in the hands of the surrounding ANBU dropped to the ground.
The organization built by Hiruzen Sarutobi shattered and collapsed in this very moment.
Shimura Danzo quickly distanced himself from Uchiha Kazama at the first possible instance.
He hadn't seen clearly at all just now before Uchiha Kazama directly cut down Hiruzen Sarutobi.
This terrifying killing ability made Shimura Danzo lose the courage to stand before Uchiha Kazama.
"You killed the Hokage?!"
"Uchiha Kazama, an action like this has already..."
"Shut up!"
Before Uchiha Itachi could finish speaking, Uchiha Fugaku charged straight ahead.
Without a word, he summoned his Susanoo and instantly struck Uchiha Itachi!
Interrupted by Uchiha Fugaku, Uchiha Itachi had no way to continue speaking.
Uchiha Fugaku, having activated his Susanoo, still possessed formidable strength.
"Now, as long as you drop the weapons in your hands and return to your homes to sleep, I will not pursue any retaliatory actions against you."
"Of course, for those who choose to stay."
"Regardless of whether you are trying to protect the village or following that old dog the Third."
"I will slaughter every single one of you!"
"After all, this is for the stability of the village!"
Once Uchiha Kazama finished speaking, he could not suppress the smile at the corners of his mouth.
Anyone could utter high-sounding phrases.
As long as the blade never fell upon them, they would never feel the pain!
Facing Uchiha Kazama's words, some civilian shinobi froze.
The heroic manner in which the Third had just met his end truly seemed to make people want to follow him.
Yet...
Hiruzen Sarutobi did not commit seppuku in the end; he did not march to his death for the village's stability.
He still chose to attack Uchiha Kazama.
Though the result was that he died.
The motive was already different.
None of the people who could become Chunin and Jōnin were fools.
Normally they were brainwashed often, but suddenly the core of that brainwashing had become a joke.
Furthermore, Uchiha Kazama truly had not arbitrarily attacked ordinary people like them.
Quite a few people were already beginning to waver.
"Is the Will of Fire truly unsuited for the higher-ups, only targeting ordinary shinobi?!"
"Are you still unclear about the Fourth Hokage's death?!"
Suddenly, a voice rang out.
No one knew who had shouted it.
Upon hearing those words, the civilian shinobi vanished from the spot one by one using the Body Flicker Technique.
Only a dozen or so ANBU shinobi remained.
They stood dazedly in place.
"Can we quit the ANBU now?"
Suddenly, an ANBU wearing a goat mask spoke in a somewhat raspy voice.
After saying those words, he removed his mask.
"Luochuan?!"
"You... you actually joined the ANBU after graduation!?"
Uchiha Ryunen saw this person and spoke in some astonishment.
Luochuan, a civilian genius shinobi who was in the same cohort as him.
Back then, even in combat training sessions with Uchiha Ryunen, he had still been able to suppress him.
Just now in the battle against the ANBU, those had all been life-or-death struggles.
He had still survived.
One could imagine the strength of this Anbu Ninja.
"Yeah, I joined the ANBU right after graduation."
"However, my usual missions were nothing like what I'd imagined."
"What we carried out wasn't guarding the village at all, but rather dealing with things lurking in the shadows."
"I never expected that I'd finally leave the ANBU in this kind of way..."
Luochuan spoke with a sense of loss.
Yet it also seemed like a release!