When Makoto vanished before Kakashi and the others using the Flying Thunder God Technique, all the Konoha's Ninjas assumed he had gone to reinforce Hiruzen within the Four Violet Flames Formation.
But in reality, he appeared in the Hokage Building beneath the Hokage Rock.
More precisely, in the advisors' office.
The two advisors, also core members of the Elder Council, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura, were hiding there.
Seeing Makoto suddenly appear, both were momentarily stunned, then stood.
Koharu: "Makoto, why are you here?"
Homura: "We're fine. Hurry up and reinforce Hiruzen."
They automatically assumed Makoto had come to check on their safety.
'What a fine workhorse.'
'Sigh. Why couldn't Hatake Sakumo and Uchiha Shisui have been this obedient back then?'
Makoto smiled and asked, "Honored advisors, Konoha is now at a critical moment of survival. Will the two of you join the battle? Sensei has already gone."
Their expressions changed slightly at this.
The question was a bit presumptuous.
"As advisors, we have the duty to command from the rear, just as Hiruzen did during the last Great Ninja War."
Koharu said, "Enough, don't waste time. You don't want anything to happen to Hiruzen, do you?"
Makoto couldn't help it and laughed out loud.
'Command from the rear?'
'How did that relate to you advisors?'
'Truth be told, it was already a joke for a Kage-level Ninja to stay behind the lines and command during the Third Great Ninja War, letting Minato, Orochimaru, and others fight on the front.'
'What made it even more absurd was that the four of you combined probably couldn't match Nara Shikaku's strategic ability. What was there to command?'
'If you were afraid to die, just say so. Why make it sound so noble?'
Seeing Makoto laugh out loud, Koharu and Homura frowned, finally sensing that something was wrong.
"Nishikawa Makoto, what are you still standing there for? Go now!"
Koharu's tone sharpened. She no longer called him 'Makoto' but addressed him by his full name.
The next instant,
Makoto was standing before her.
The Flying Thunder God kunai in his hand pierced straight through her throat.
Koharu's mouth gaped open in shock as blood gushed from her throat.
Beside her, Homura stared in disbelief.
"I'm genuinely curious,"
Makoto twisted the kunai in her throat, his tone as casual as if making small talk, "Senju Tobirama was such a shrewd man. How did he pick idiots like you as his disciples?"
Koharu couldn't answer. She could only stare at him with wide eyes.
"I was originally going to torment you slowly before killing you. But time is short now, so I don't have that luxury. You should be grateful that I'm letting you parasites die so quickly."
Thud!
Koharu fell to the ground, her eyes still wide open. Even in death, her gaze was filled with resentment.
"M-Makoto, what are you doing?!"
Homura was so terrified he fell back onto his rear, scrambling backward.
"It's nothing, Advisor Homura. It'll be over soon."
Makoto looked down at him, his smile gentle: "Mediocrities like you have sat in Konoha's highest seats of power for nearly half a century. You've enjoyed it long enough, haven't you? And I've been merciful, letting you die without much pain."
Homura was utterly terrified.
"Could it be... that everything you've done up to now was an act?"
'He had been acting since he was eight? That was some serious acting!'
Makoto couldn't be bothered to answer, raising the Flying Thunder God kunai high.
"H-Hiruzen won't let you get away with this!" Homura made a final desperate threat.
Makoto's smile remained: "Don't worry. In about ten minutes, he'll be joining you."
Homura's mouth fell open wider.
The kunai fell.
He could speak no more.
Makoto gave the two parasite corpses one last glance before disappearing again.
This time, he truly used the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport inside the Four Violet Flames Formation.
At this moment, the battle between the Third Hokage and Orochimaru was at a stalemate.
Hiruzen had given his all, managing to temporarily repel Hashirama and Tobirama, whose strength was perhaps less than twenty percent of what it was in life.
But the Edo Tensei bodies could regenerate. The brothers were now reassembling from the damage caused by explosive tags, and Hiruzen seized this opportunity to try to defeat Orochimaru in one decisive blow.
Makoto suddenly appeared.
Both Hiruzen and Orochimaru, locked in combat, were startled.
One pleasantly, the other unpleasantly.
"It's Makoto! Makoto is here!"
"We've won! There's no way we lose!"
Outside the Four Violet Flames Formation, several Anbu cheerleaders were jubilant.
With Makoto here, the situation would be completely different.
Hiruzen also showed a genuine smile: "Makoto, lend me your strength!"
However,
Makoto didn't even glance at the man he had once called the [Sun of the Ninja World].
Instead, he turned to look at the Anbu's members outside the Four Violet Flames Formation.
"Wh-what is it?"
They shuddered under his gaze.
Instantly.
Makoto activated his Eternal Mangekyo.
Amaterasu!
Black flames ignited on their bodies.
One by one, they fell to the ground, wailing in agony, rolling to try to extinguish the flames… only to make the inextinguishable flames burn even brighter.
"Black flames?!"
Hiruzen and Orochimaru's expressions changed drastically.
Hiruzen remembered his teacher mentioning that during the Warring States Period, Tobirama's old rival, Uchiha Izuna, could control a special black flame—
Amaterasu.
One of the Mangekyo Sharingan's abilities.
Hiruzen looked at Makoto in horror.
He saw the Mangekyo Sharingan in his eyes.
'Why?'
'Why did my disciple have the Mangekyo Sharingan?'
'Had he stolen it from Itachi?'
'But that couldn't be right. These Mangekyo clearly looked different from Itachi's.'
'Had he had them for a long time?'
'But his eyes had always looked normal before.'
'And why was he attacking his fellow villagers?'
At this moment, countless questions raced through Hiruzen's mind.
Orochimaru looked equally incredulous.
The reason he wanted Sasuke as his new vessel was precisely for the power of the Uchiha Clan.
But he never expected that his own junior disciple had already obtained the Mangekyo Sharingan. And why did it look so similar to Itachi's eyes?
"Orochimaru-senpai."
Just then, Makoto suddenly spoke.
Pulling both men back to reality.
"Do it."
At these words, both men's expressions changed again.
Hiruzen, who had been overjoyed, now looked horrified: "Makoto, what do you mean?!"
Orochimaru, who had been fearful, now looked pleasantly surprised: "Oh? What my junior disciple means is..."
Makoto ignored this senior of his.
His gaze, devoid of any emotion, settled on Hiruzen.
"Sarutobi-sensei."
"This is the best way for you to die."