Naruto: Creating Immortal Techniques at Six, Shocking Uncle Snake

Chapter 115: The Reaper's Arm! The Death of the Third Hokage!

"Perfect! I'll slice you up!"

Ishihara sneered at the reaper hovering in mid-air, swinging his sword in a sweeping arc. The cold glint of his blade sliced through the reaper's arm with a strange sensation as it passed through.

A severed arm fell to the ground!

A flash of satisfaction crossed Ishihara's eyes. His Zanpakutō was effective. However, he held back and merely watched the reaper, waiting for its reaction.

Roar!

The reaper let out a roar of pain, glancing down at him with eyes full of hatred and ferocity. Yet, to his surprise, the reaper did not retaliate. Instead, it continued to perform the Reaper Death Seal. It felt like a bound entity, constrained by some kind of program.

Ishihara looked thoughtful.

The battlefield fell into dead silence.

Aside from Ishihara, all the Konoha shinobi were frozen in fear. They stared at the Third Hokage, who was rooted in place, paralyzed with terror. This was Konoha's Hokage, the village's strongest defender—subdued so easily.

Kakashi and other key figures exchanged uneasy glances.

"Should we try to save Lord Hokage?"

"How exactly?"

"No idea!"

"Then why even suggest it!"

Left without a clear answer, the group collectively decided to pretend nothing was happening to the Third Hokage or Ishihara. Some gazed up at the sky, while others looked down to observe ants on the ground.

Even the Nine-Tails, wide-eyed and drooling, stayed perfectly still. It wasn't about to provoke Ishihara, not with its knowledge of his power.

Thus, the battlefield entered an unusual standoff.

Ishihara stood before the reaper, deep in thought. Meanwhile, the reaper's arm slowly penetrated the Third Hokage's abdomen, twisting his face in agony. The Konoha crowd looked the other way, while the Nine-Tails froze like a statue.

Until—

"Ah!"

The Third Hokage's scream snapped Ishihara out of his trance. He suddenly remembered the Third Hokage was performing the Reaper Death Seal and needed to witness the entire process.

Retrieving a scroll, Ishihara sealed away the reaper's fallen arm before releasing his genjutsu control over the Third Hokage.

Huff…huff…

The Third Hokage, overwhelmed with dread, dared not meet Ishihara's gaze. The extent of Ishihara's genjutsu had shocked him beyond words. He'd fallen under Ishihara's illusion without even realizing it—a terrifying fact.

Using the Reaper Death Seal to trap Ishihara? The Third Hokage shivered at the thought. That would be a death wish, an utterly worthless sacrifice.

As if nothing had happened, he shouted, "Shikaku, restrain the Nine-Tails!"

"Yes, sir!"

Shikaku and the others promptly complied, acting as if the last few minutes had never occurred.

Roar!!!

The Nine-Tails gave a coordinated howl, resembling a video paused and resumed.

Watching the scene, Ishihara felt somewhat speechless.

Originally planning to intervene in the battle, he abandoned the idea altogether and stepped back to observe, now a spectator.

While Ishihara stood leisurely, the Third Hokage and the Konoha shinobi fought desperately. With Shikaku, their strategist, and Inoichi, their intelligence relay expert, Konoha's forces operated at maximum efficiency.

"Earth Release: Earth Wall!"

"Water Release: Water Surge!"

"Lightning Release: Lightning Ball!"

Dozens, even hundreds, of shinobi unleashed basic jutsu with enough force to be truly fearsome. Walls of earth encircled the Nine-Tails, water flowed in to contain it, lightning struck, and fire blazed in an endless onslaught. Though the Nine-Tails suffered minimal injury, the massive scale of these attacks was awe-inspiring.

"Shadow Imitation Technique!"

Shoo! Shoo! Shoo!

Countless shadows stretched from behind Konoha's forces, seizing the Nine-Tails' shadow amidst the chaos, binding it in place!

The Third Hokage immediately used the Body Flicker Technique to appear by the Nine-Tails and grabbed hold of it.

"Got you!"

"You old fool! So what if you've caught me!" The Nine-Tails roared furiously, struggling violently against the familiar shadow binding. The Hokage's grip seemed almost childlike next to the beast's size.

But in the next instant, the Nine-Tails' expression shifted to horror.

"Damn it! That's the Fourth Hokage's jutsu! What are you planning?!"

The Third Hokage's eyes were cold. "This ends here."

"Reaper Death Seal!"

With his shout, the reaper's arm burst through the Third Hokage's abdomen and seized the Nine-Tails' soul, pulling it from his body.

"Damn you! Not again! I won't forgive you, Third Hokage!"

The Nine-Tails thrashed, but it was futile! The Third Hokage, though no longer in his prime, was in better shape than during the series' events. The Nine-Tails could not resist, its soul pulled from its body effortlessly.

Seeing this, Ishihara squinted.

"Could it be that soul attacks have unique properties? Or is it something specific to the reaper?"

He thought of the Spirit Transformation Technique, which, when used inside an enemy's body, could kill instantly. "There must be some hidden secrets here."

Making a mental note, Ishihara's gaze turned curious as he watched the Third Hokage. The Reaper Death Seal targeted the soul, or chakra itself! Was the Third Hokage planning to seal the entire Nine-Tails? Or merely a portion, like the Fourth Hokage?

The Third Hokage shouted, "Sealing Squad, prepare to seal the Nine-Tails!"

The Sealing Squad rushed forward, unrolling a massive sealing scroll. The Nine-Tails, immobilized by the reaper, could only watch as the seal began to descend upon him, howling in rage:

"You fools! Are you just going to let this brat die?"

Sealing him elsewhere would mean Naruto's death!

With grief, the Third Hokage said, "All for Konoha."

"Damn it!"

In a sudden turn, the Nine-Tails made a choice. Better sealed within Naruto, with whom it had a bond, than in a new host.

Feeling the reaper's chilling aura, it yelled, "Let go of me! I'll return to the brat's body!"

The Third Hokage froze, his face twisting in astonishment. He'd abandoned hope of sealing the Nine-Tails back in Naruto. Yet here was a surprising opportunity.

With time running out, he yelled, "Now! Act quickly, or I'll seal you immediately!"

As the Third Hokage sealed part of the Nine-Tails' soul, the beast's body shrank in pain.

He reluctantly loosened his grip, letting Naruto's body emerge as the Nine-Tails dissipated. Ishihara watched in disbelief.

"Is this the protagonist's plot armor?"

"Not only did he escape the seal, but the Nine-Tails willingly returned to its prison?!"

Ishihara was speechless. The Nine-Tails' surrender left the Third Hokage and Konoha ninja equally stunned.

The Hokage regained his composure. "Quick! Place a new seal on Naruto and wait for Jiraiya to repair it when he returns."

The Barrier Corps swiftly acted, layering a new seal over Naruto's Eight Trigrams Seal.

The Third Hokage breathed a sigh of relief. Naruto was safe.

Knowing his time was short, he issued final instructions.

"Kakashi, Shikaku, Guy. After I'm gone, the three of you are in charge of Konoha's affairs!"

"Recall Jiraiya and Tsunade. I've already sent word—they'll choose the Fifth Hokage."

Finishing his orders, the Third Hokage stared blankly towards Konoha, his gaze gradually dulling as he collapsed.

"Lord Hokage!"

Kakashi and the others rushed to check him, their faces pale. The Third Hokage had died.

Glancing at each other, they sighed collectively. The Uchiha incident had seemingly concluded, with the Uchiha clan suffering heavy losses. Any risk of rebellion was gone.

The Nine-Tails had been suppressed, resealed within Naruto. Despite the casualties, Konoha's trials seemed to have ended.

Suddenly, their faces froze.

Not far away, Ishihara stood openly, deep in thought.

Indeed, he was contemplating.

Observing the entire process of the Reaper Death Seal and the reaper, he'd made a new discovery. After consuming the Third Hokage's soul, the reaper dispersed like mist.

This time, he sensed a spatial ninjutsu fluctuation!

"Just as I thought, it's like a summoning technique."

The fleeting aura hinted at a separate realm, similar to the Afterworld he had previously traced. Yet the reaper's power was distinct from chakra or natural energy, which was puzzling.

Ishihara shook his head, committing the mystery to memory, and decided to summon the reaper for further study next time.

Just then, Kakashi, pushed by his comrades, cautiously approached Ishihara, his face conflicted as he looked at him.

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