A few moments earlier—
Just after the Reaper's blade severed part of Orochimaru's soul, Yusuke's slash shattered the Four Violet Flames Formation.
The resulting shockwave blasted both combatants apart.
Orochimaru struggled to his feet.
Then he froze.
His arms—
The color was wrong. Dark. Lifeless.
No sensation.
No response.
Only crushing heaviness and searing pain.
"My hands…!"
His face twisted in horror.
"Give them back! Give me back my hands, you old bastard! Give them back!"
Not far away, Hiruzen Sarutobi lay impaled by the Kusanagi blade.
His loyal summon, Enma, had shielded him from the worst of the blast.
But it was meaningless now.
The Reaper Death Seal demanded a price.
His soul had already been offered.
Death was inevitable.
Still—
He had sealed Orochimaru's arms.
That alone gave him grim satisfaction.
"I arrived just in time."
The calm voice cut through the smoke.
Hiruzen, who had been quietly waiting for death, forced his fading eyes open.
Uchiha Yusuke stood there.
He wasn't surprised.
After years of political opposition and rivalry, Hiruzen had never expected Yusuke to assist him.
The fact that Yusuke hadn't sided with Orochimaru was already more than enough.
"Orochimaru!"
A furious roar exploded across the battlefield.
BOOM!
"GAAH—!"
Tsunade arrived like a thunderbolt.
Her fist smashed into Orochimaru's face and sent him flying again.
"Tsunade… Yusuke… so you've come…"
Hiruzen forced the words out, breath thin and ragged.
Yusuke looked at him quietly.
For ten years they had opposed each other—maneuvering, clashing, testing.
Now the old rival lay dying.
Yusuke felt no sorrow.
Only faint… reflection.
Tsunade stared at her former teacher.
Her expression was complicated.
Hiruzen gave a bitter smile.
How ironic.
Of his three students—
One sought to kill him.
One stood cold and distant, their bond long eroded.
And the third—Jiraiya—
Drifted through life untethered, neither hostile nor devoted.
What a failure of a teacher.
"Yusuke… protect Konoha… after I'm gone…"
He had to pause between each word.
Under Yusuke's leadership, the Uchiha clan had become Konoha's strongest house.
Once he died—
No one would remain capable of restraining him.
Yet one question had always puzzled Hiruzen.
Why hadn't Yusuke simply overthrown him and taken the Hokage seat?
He didn't know—
That Yusuke had long since grown uninterested in the burden.
Hokage meant endless paperwork.
Responsibility.
Restriction.
Troublesome.
"I would have done so regardless," Yusuke replied calmly.
"…Then I can rest easy…"
Hiruzen closed his eyes.
And passed.
Tsunade's mood turned dark.
Whatever their differences—
A bond once existed.
Even stray animals leave behind attachment.
How much more so a teacher?
She needed release.
She turned—
And charged.
"Orochimaru! Look at the disaster you've created!"
"I'll kill you today!"
This time—
She was serious.
Her fists could shatter boulders.
After battling Hiruzen, with his arms sealed and body exhausted—
Orochimaru had no resistance left.
He became a sandbag.
BOOM!
CRACK!
THUD!
Each punch distorted bone and flesh.
Yusuke watched silently.
Even he felt a faint twinge of sympathy.
At this rate—
Orochimaru might actually be beaten to death.
He made no move to stop her.
He had already promised.
Tsunade could deal with Orochimaru as she pleased.
Besides—
She needed this.
Blood poured from Orochimaru's mouth.
"Sto—stop… Tsunade…"
"Shut up! Die!"
Yusuke sighed inwardly.
Don't actually die.
Though even if he did—
Orochimaru had contingencies.
Curse marks.
Fragments of consciousness embedded within vessels.
Even death wasn't truly death for a man like him.
It was grotesque—
But ingenious.
Finally—
Tsunade stopped.
Breathing hard.
Orochimaru lay sprawled on the ground like a broken corpse.
If not for the faint twitch in his limbs—
One might assume him dead.
His nose collapsed.
Face unrecognizable.
Limbs twisted.
Ribs crushed.
Not a single intact bone.
Even the Sound Four likely wouldn't recognize their master.
Yusuke stepped beside Tsunade.
"Feel better?"
She didn't answer.
Her gaze remained cold.
Orochimaru wheezed.
More exhale than inhale.
He truly looked close to death.
"Want me to finish him?" Yusuke asked lightly.
No hesitation.
No emotional burden.
If Tsunade wanted him dead—
Yusuke would end it instantly.
After all—
Unlike Hiruzen,
He would not hesitate.
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