The moonlight was slightly cold.
The battle situation within Konoha was still extremely intense.
The Shinobi of Sunagakure, Otogakure, and Konoha were already completely locked in chaotic combat.
Some Shinobi had even summoned their various summoned beasts to fight, causing the scene to be filled with a diverse array of creatures.
Looking at this tragic scene,
It actually felt somewhat like a small-scale battlefield.
Wind howled, fire danced, thunder roared, water surged, earth crumbled... various attacks and explosions sounded one after another.
Accompanying these sounds,
Were of course endless screams and cries of pain...
By now,
The minor players had mostly been completely cleared out.
Those still fighting desperately were only the... powerful Shinobi.
Under the smoke-filled moonlight,
Countless swift figures shuttle through the darkness, fighting flamboyantly.
Some manipulated shinobi tools or puppets to fight, combine their various signature techniques, shining brightly in battle...
Others formed hand seals at tremendous speed, releasing a technique that required dozens of hand seals...
However, despite the different fighting styles,
Everyone was fully invested in this battle.
But at this moment,
No one knew,
That a figure was walking high up in the night sky!
Standing on the intangible air, he gazed down with god-like golden eyes.
It was Kyo.
However,
At this moment, on his face,
There was a slight trace of helplessness.
After finishing his own mission and the matters concerning Orochimaru,
He now naturally had to start dealing with the aftermath he had caused.
After all,
Before participating in this mission,
Pain and Konan had repeatedly emphasized to him,
Hoping that he would not expose information about the Akatsuki and Amegakure, and even more so, not let Amegakure attract the attention of the great Shinobi Villages.
Therefore, although Kyo wanted to slip away amidst the chaos right now, he didn't do so directly.
Because if he really left directly tonight,
Then, once this chaos was over, Konoha would surely focus on investigating Amegakure regarding this point.
That might affect the normal progress of the Akatsuki's plan.
Although Kyo usually likes to slack off in the Akatsuki, he had spent a few years there after all.
It wouldn't be very good to just leave such a mess for them.
Furthermore,
The idle Kyo didn't want to be bothered by Konoha's constant investigations.
Therefore, it was better to take the time now to eliminate all hidden dangers in one go, to avoid extra trouble later.
Thinking this,
He collected his thoughts, then shifted his gaze,
Looking towards the ruins of the Hokage Rock in the distance, where the Gillian Menos Grande still stood.
After a moment, he couldn't help but chuckle lightly.
Muttering to himself:
"Well, although it didn't play a substantial role,"
"It did successfully complete a side mission for destroying the Hokage Rock for me."
"Time to end this."
Saying this, Kyo raised his hand and lightly snapped his fingers.
Snap.
The sound of the snap fell in the darkness,
Instantly, the body of the distant Gillian Menos Grande began to turn transparent, and finally, vanished completely.
Originally, his purpose in summoning it,
Was naturally to create a huge commotion, gathering Hiruzen and the others to facilitate the smooth execution of the Konoha Crush Plan.
But now that the plan was complete, there was naturally no need for it to continue existing.
...
And at this moment, within the battlefield,
Seeing this scene, many Shinobi's expressions paused slightly.
'Huh...?'
'Wait...'
'Wh-What's going on?'
'That terrifying monster... disappeared...?!'
'Just moments ago, it was radiating such an overwhelming sense of oppression...'
'And now... it's just gone???'
At this moment,
Even Kakashi and Guy and the others couldn't help but exchange glances, their gazes filled with confusion.
To be honest,
In the battle just now, they had hardly used their full strength.
After all, due to the overwhelming sense of oppression emanating from that monster,
Konoha's Shinobi were almost constantly wary of that terrifying summon, afraid it might attack at any moment.
Therefore,
Even when facing attacks from Sunagakure and Otogakure's Shinobi, they tried to conserve their strength.
But now... what was going on?
That big thing,
Just... disappeared like that?
Had its summoning time run out?
Or had the person who summoned it voluntarily dismissed it...?
If it was the latter,
Then what exactly was this person's purpose...?
Just as everyone was thoughtfully,
Suddenly,
A new change occurred.
Over not far away,
The Four Violet Flames Formation, previously shrouded in darkness and completely invisible,
At this moment, for some reason, the light around the four flame walls seemed to begin to distort!
Finally,
The scene inside became clearly visible again!
"-?!"
Seeing this scene,
Almost all the Shinobi on the battlefield were momentarily stunned!
They were naturally shocked.
Because not long ago, they had noticed that, for some reason, the situation inside the Four Violet Flames Formation had become completely unseeable...
But at the time, they hadn't thought much of it.
And now,
The distorted light that had obscured the view had disappeared!
Realizing this,
Instantly,
Almost everyone subconsciously looked inside the Four Violet Flames Formation.
After all, sealed within were the most important figures from both sides!
Everyone was curious about the outcome.
However,
The next moment,
When they saw the situation inside,
Instantly,
They all froze!
'W-Wait...!'
'Th-This... what's going on...?'
'Where the hell is everyone???!'
'Inside the Four Violet Flames Formation, there was... no one left?!?'
Everyone widened their eyes,
Some even raised their hands and vigorously rubbed their eyes.
They even suspected their eyes were playing tricks on them...
At this moment, within the barrier,
Apart from the four Otogakure's Shinobi maintaining the formation, there was no sign of any moving figures!
"...!!"
Realizing this,
Almost all the Shinobi, in an instant, with grim expressions, quickly rushed towards the Four Violet Flames Formation!
Undoubtedly, they all wanted to get closer and carefully see the situation!
Especially Konoha and Sunagakure,
The faces of all the Shinobi on both sides were now filled with extreme solemness and worry!
After all, for Konoha and Sunagakure,
Hiruzen and the Fourth Kazekage were the strongest pillars of their respective villages, beings who absolutely could not fall!
If they had truly died in there,
Then for both great shinobi villages, it would be an unquestionably huge loss...!
It would also essentially mean the failure of this war!
And at this moment,
The various Otogakure's Shinobi nearby, including Kabuto, were naturally also nervous.
However,
Unlike Konoha and Sunagakure,
They were fully aware of Orochimaru's existence!
Precisely because of this,
They were even more worried about this situation.
After all,
If Orochimaru had died here and his identity was exposed, then... the entire Otogakure would probably face immediate destruction!
They couldn't help but be anxious!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Swift figures, like gusts of wind, rapidly arrived outside the Four Violet Flames Formation.
Under the dim moonlight,
Everyone narrowed their eyes and focused intently, looking inside.
First,
What came into view was potholes and cracks everywhere, and dust filled the air, ruins scattered about.
At first glance,
It was clear some kind of major battle had occurred.
And it seemed quite intense.
However,
The next moment, when they finally see the full situation inside clearly, almost everyone was completely frozen.
At the very center of the Four Violet Flames Formation,
A corpse lay!
That aged face, and the familiar attire, in an instant... revealed his identity!
"-?!"
'N-No way...'
'Th-That is... the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen...?!?'
'This...?!'
After seeing it clearly, in an instant,
Whether from Konoha, Sunagakure, or Otogakure, everyone was dumbfounded!
They hadn't expected,
The outcome of this battle would be reached so quickly!
And at this moment,
Konoha's Shinobi, one by one, had their pupils contract sharply, their hearts instantly filled with indescribable shock and grief!
This outcome...
Was completely unbelievable to them!
Some gritted their teeth, their expressions extremely grim!
Others had their gazes freeze, their minds almost blank...
Still others were filled with grief and indignation, their eyes wide with fury, their fists clenched tightly, veins bulging...
And some Shinobi, upon seeing Hiruzen's aged face,
Had hot tears well up directly in their eyes.
In short,
No one expected...
Sarutobi Hiruzen, called the Strongest Hokage,
Would actually... die in a place like this today...!