"Oh ho ho what a pitiful sight. What happened?" Nawaki said with a mocking tone as everyone retreated, a strange sense of satisfaction evident in his voice.
The reason for his appearance was twofold: first, the battle had reached a point where there was no longer a need to remain a spectator. Second, he was eager to see how Danzo would deal with Hiruzen in the end.
"Tsunade, Tsunade, TSUNADE!" Koharu cried out, clutching the wound at her heart, blood pouring out. She reached out desperately toward Tsunade. "Quick, save me, please..."
"Tsunade... no, Lady Tsunade! Lord Hokage! Hurry, I... it hurts more and more," Homura echoed, his voice filled with pain and desperation.
Nawaki couldn't help but laugh, his face full of mockery. "If I remember correctly, this should be the first time the two advisors have used honorifics for my sister. When life and death are on the line, all that haughty arrogance disappears, doesn't it?"
The two advisors wanted to retort, but they couldn't muster the strength in their dire situation. Even the thought of this verbal insult was too much to bear.
In this moment of life and death, they were powerless. Nawaki knew that with their fate in the hands of another, they had no choice but to beg for mercy.
"But even with my sister's medical skills, it's impossible to save both advisors at once. Both of them are veterans who have worked hard for Konoha. Who should be saved? This is quite the dilemma," Nawaki said, his eyes narrowing into slits as he sighed theatrically.
"Oh, shouldn't the two of you discuss it and decide who should be saved?" he added with a mocking smile.
Their expressions changed drastically at Nawaki's suggestion.
"Koharu, your injury is more severe than mine. Even if Tsunade treats you, the chances of survival are slim. Maybe it would be better if..." Homura suggested tentatively.
"Shut up, Homura! Aren't you shameless?" Koharu shouted angrily. "If it weren't for you goading Danzo, I wouldn't be in this situation... Uh!!!"
Her outburst caused a fresh spurt of blood to gush from her wound, making her grimace in pain.
Seeing the two old comrades turn on each other, Nawaki felt a surge of satisfaction. "Hey, Grandpa Tobirama, I wish you could see the monsters and traitors you chose to teach back then," he thought to himself with a smirk.
Meanwhile, Hiruzen retracted the Adamantine Staff and walked up to Danzo, who was slumped against the wall. His voice was cold and unforgiving as he asked, "Danzo before you die, I want to ask you one last thing."
Danzo, bloodied and barely conscious, managed to open his eyes and sneer.
"Hehe~ It's about Orochimaru and Asuma, isn't it? Ughh!" he croaked before coughing up lots of blood, spraying it onto Hiruzen's face.
Danzo knew that with his strength, he couldn't defeat Hiruzen. The only reason he had managed to leave so many scars on his old comrade was that Hiruzen was holding back, hoping to extract information about Orochimaru and Asuma from him.
"Tell me!!" Hiruzen demanded, twisting Danzo's collar, his voice sharp with desperation.
"Heh, hehehe..." Danzo's smile widened even as he struggled for his last breaths. "Do you think I know Orochimaru's whereabouts?"
Hiruzen's eyes widened in shock, his expression turning to one of rage and realization.
"Hahaha! Hiruzen, you're still too naive. Even after so many years, you don't understand how to manipulate people, so you had to rely on me!" Danzo mocked, his voice filled with twisted glee. "I just used your desperation to find Asuma, pretending I had information to keep you from killing me. And you were foolish enough to believe it, hahaha."
With those final words, Danzo's laughter echoed as he exhaled his last breath, leaving Hiruzen to grapple with his bitter deceit.
As Danzo's words sank in, Hiruzen's face turned red with anger.
"Ahhh!!!"
Unable to contain his fury, he delivered a powerful punch to Danzo's abdomen, a blow that ended Danzo's life.
"You... can't do without me, Hiruzen... wait, you'll have a fate more miserable end than mine... hehe..." Danzo gasped, using the last of his strength to lean close to Hiruzen's ear. "I'm going to pure world, waiting for you."
With that, Danzo's head lolled to the side as he passed away.
"DANZO!!!"
Hiruzen stared at the lifeless body in front of him. After a long, tense silence, he fell to his knees, roaring in pain. His wife was gone, the clue to his son was lost, and he had just killed his former best friend.
"Although I didn't personally send Danzo to the execution stage, I still enjoyed quite a show," Nawaki muttered to himself. Then, raising his voice, he called out, "Minato, please clean this up."
A golden flash suddenly fell from the sky as Minato appeared, his expression complicated as he surveyed the compound, now a scene of utter devastation. He nodded in acknowledgment.
"Wait! Nawaki, hurry up, call your sister... No, Tsunade-sama, save me!"
At the brink of death, Koharu completely abandoned the superiority he had developed over the past 30 years. He lowered his once-noble head and pleaded desperately to Nawaki, who was about to leave.
"Um?"
Nawaki feigned surprise, turning his head and asking in confusion, "Did I promise you anything just now? Why don't I remember? Besides, what value does a promise hold to the dead?"
Koharu and Homura, who had been tearing at each other just moments before, were startled. They realized, at that moment, that Senju Nawaki had been toying with them from the beginning.
"You... you..."
Koharu dared not yell at Nawaki, knowing it would only hasten his death.
"Before my parents died, they must have had the same expressions as you. Very good. Let me savor your sorrow," Nawaki grinned, stepping on their heads. "You will go to the pure world, to meet my parents, your sensei, and the Senju clan, to answer for your crimes!"
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