Having successfully locked onto Orochimaru's soul, Sarutobi wanted to pull it out in one go. As the Death God's claw extended from Sarutobi's body, the thick claw pierced Orochimaru's body, wrenching out more than half of his soul body at once.
The chill of death instantly enveloped Orochimaru's heart.
But Sarutobi was not Minato, after all. Old and frail, and drained by the earlier fighting, he had already reached his limit. Driven by his survival instinct, Orochimaru began to resist. Forming hand seals with one hand, he controlled the Kusanagi Sword and stabbed it into Sarutobi's body from behind. The two began a desperate tug-of-war over his soul.
Unable to make sense of the battle, Sasori could only ask Anyo, "Kurotsuchi, how's it going to turn out?"
Anyo analyzed the situation. "They're at a stalemate. In Sarutobi's current state, completely sealing Orochimaru is impossible. The outcome will inevitably be one dead and one injured."
"He can still hurt Orochimaru in this state?" Sasori asked. "How do you counter this sealing jutsu?"
Anyo smiled easily. "This sealing jutsu is useless against me. The Spirit Transformation Technique lets me leave my body first. As for you, puppets are the best defense. He can't even find your real body."
"True." Sasori breathed a sigh of relief. At the same time, he realized that spending too long around Anyo made him unconsciously grow dependent on him. In truth, with his own tactical thinking, he could very well have come up with a counter.
As Sasori pondered this, he suddenly heard Anyo say gravely, "Here it comes. The final moment."
Inside the barrier, Sarutobi roared, "Seal!"
A sealing formula formed on his chest. His frail body could no longer hold out, and he toppled over stiffly. Although Orochimaru had successfully killed Sarutobi, there was not