The instant death loomed, the system quickly extracted its poor host baby from Danzo’s body, preventing his soul from departing to the Netherworld.
Then it transformed into a tiny white ball of light, floating back and forth around Azuma’s soul to check if his death had damaged it in any way.
At this moment, Azuma sat quietly in midair, gazing down at the sorrowful crowd gathering below.
…Sorrow?
Azuma tilted his head, watching the massive King of Hell slowly fade away in the distance.
Why be sad?
Every single person who died had already been brought back by the Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique.
Without the Shinra Tensei that flattened Konoha in the original story, the casualties were far fewer to begin with.
The Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique hadn’t drained too much of Nagato’s lifeforce either, allowing him and Konan to continue their pursuit of peace together.
There was truly nothing to regret about all this.
Even if Danzo hadn’t died here, he would have been killed shortly after by Sasuke coming for revenge.
Trading what little remained of a sin-filled life for such a wonderful turn of events was an exceptionally worthwhile deal.
No one died.
It was wonderful.
The sky remained an unchanging, brilliant blue.
Azuma sat on the railing, feeling the wind sweep over his soul.
By the time Naruto rushed back from Mount Myoboku, everything had already settled.
He stared blankly at the chaotic village, sensing a powerful surge of Chakra atop the Hokage Residence.
Rushing over, he found the Konoha ninja trying to stop a person in a cloud-patterned cloak from leaving.
Focusing his gaze, he saw that the figure was cradling a curled-up body—it looked like an old man.
But that person was already dead, wasn’t he?
He didn’t even need to sense it with Chakra.
A single glance at the half-severed neck and the blood soaking most of his body was enough to know there was no chance of survival.
Even though Tsunade had always despised and guarded against Danzo, after listening to his deep reflections on the village, witnessing his calm embrace of death, and seeing the despairing sorrow in his eyes for a hopeless future right before he died, she could not keep her composure.
Her expression icy, she blocked Pain’s path, taking up a battle stance.
“Put down our Konoha elder,” Tsunade demanded.
She had never imagined that she would one day prepare to fight for Danzo, but she would never permit an invader of Konoha to grandly carry away a deceased elder of the village.
“He took his own life to protect Konoha—he belongs in Konoha’s cemetery.” “Ridiculous,” Pain replied, looking at Tsunade with cold indifference.
“He instructed me.
That gives me the right to take him.” At those words, Tsunade’s anger flared uncontrollably.
This bastard…
did he have some sick, twisted fetish for killing his teachers?
It was into this tense standoff that Naruto burst through.
“Granny Tsunade—” The moment he saw Tsunade, he couldn’t wait to complain.
“Kosuke just told me someone killed him to stop him from delivering the message to me!
That’s so mean, dattebayo!” Before he could say more, Frog Kosuke, who had just met him below the Hokage Residence, croaked loudly and pointed a webbed claw toward Pain.
“That’s him!” Naruto immediately shifted his target, glaring at Pain, who looked every bit like some delinquent.
“Oh!
So you’re the guy who killed Kosuke—” Frog Kosuke tugged at Naruto’s sleeve with a complicated expression.
“Not him…
It’s the guy he’s holding…” However, seeing that Danzo had died such a gruesome death while he himself had somehow been resurrected, Frog Kosuke wondered if he had misunderstood something.
Tsunade froze slightly, her expression darkening with even deeper grief.
Danzo…
Danzo killed the messenger frog meant for Naruto…
and then came here to die…
Was this bastard—was he determined to protect Naruto all along?
Yet he had always, always been an ambitious conspirator…
Intelligence reports indicated he was performing human experimentation, and even…
even utilizing Grandfather’s body and the others’…
Hearing this, Pain paused slightly as well, casting his eyes down at Danzo, who seemed to retain a faint smile even in death.
…Was he resolved to sacrifice everything to protect the Nine-Tails?
He raised his head again, looking at the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki across from him.
“Before he died, he persuaded me,” Pain said, staring at the young boy, though he no longer had any desire to strike.
“He had numerous considerations.
My plan was indeed…
impractical.” “I overlooked far too many issues.
Just as he reproached me…
I was too arrogant.” “My arrogance drove him to despair, and he traded his own life so that I would no longer act against Konoha.” Naruto stared at the old man held in Pain’s arms.
The gruesome wound on his neck was clearly inflicted without hesitation, aimed solely at a quick death.
Looking at such a tragic sight, Naruto’s voice turned cold: “Then why are you still standing here?” Pain’s reply was perfectly frank: “I am taking him with me.” “His soul did not enter the Netherworld and was not captured by the King of Hell, so he cannot be resurrected with my technique.” “I believe his soul may still linger within his body or wander somewhere nearby, and his physical shell can draw it back.
I will take him back with me and let him teach me how peace can truly be achieved.” Seated on the railing, the soul Azuma stumbled, nearly falling off.
*This guy is definitely a bit of a creep.* “Don’t mock me!” Tsunade could no longer stomach the lunatic’s gibberish.
She would never allow an elder who sacrificed himself for the village to be desecrated like this, even if that elder was Danzo, whom she despised most.
“He chose to end his instruction to you!
How dare you try to toy with his soul—do you really think he wants to come back to life, that he wants to keep teaching you?!” Tsunade and the Anbu present had clearly seen Danzo’s expression right before he turned his blade on himself, and Pain had seen it just as clearly.
It was the look of someone who was finally freed, who couldn’t be bothered to cast another glance upon this world.
“He will be willing.” Pain had been struck in his sorest spot, his voice turning stiff.
“With just a Genjutsu, he will forget his disappointment in me.” “You—?!” Listening to these bizarre lines—which sounded like the setup for an outrageously toxic forced-romance melodrama directed at Danzo—a vivid image suddenly flashed through Azuma’s mind.
Dominant CEO Pain, built like a French door refrigerator, pinching the chin of delicate flower Danzo, raspy frog-throated vocal fry and all: *”You’ve successfully caught my attention.”* Azuma: “…” *Brain, stop thinking!* *Posting this online would require a guro trigger warning!!!*