In the dense, dark forest, the battle had reached a fever pitch.
Every clash of chakra seemed to shake the earth, and Senju Tobirama stood resolute before the furious might of Ginkaku and Kinkaku.
Their bodies, wrapped in the fearsome red chakra of the Nine-Tails, radiated raw, violent energy, their eyes clouded by the beast's feral rage.
With every breath, they seemed poised to tear Tobirama apart.
"Of course…" Tobirama muttered, a glint of blood at the corner of his mouth, his face drawn and pale.
"These two are insane, and they won't go down without a fight."
He steadied himself, one hand gripping his Thunder Sword thrust into the ground.
The battle had taken its toll, his strength nearly depleted, and yet his Flying Thunder God Technique allowed him to hold his own longer than any shinobi could have managed under the circumstances.
But as he drew breath, focusing all his remaining chakra, Tobirama performed a swift Flying Thunder God Slash, and Ginkaku's body crumpled before him in a single, fatal blow.
"But that move just provoked the last spark of sanity," he thought, watching Kinkaku's eyes ignite with a crazed fury, his rage now fully unleashed.
In that instant, Tobirama knew—this battle would only end in death.
Kinkaku charged, a vengeful beast enveloped in the Nine-Tails' blazing chakra, his massive clawed hand tearing through the air.
Tobirama reacted, attempting another Flying Thunder God Slash.
But this time, Kinkaku was ready, his chakra-wrapped hand lashing through the air to pierce Tobirama's chest just as the Thunder Sword met Kinkaku's core.
"Gah—!" Tobirama's vision flickered as Kinkaku fell back, bloodied and thrown against a distant boulder with enough force to leave him crumpled, unable to move.
Tobirama staggered, the pain in his chest burning like fire. He leaned back against a tree, his breathing ragged.
A lesser man would have already been dead from such an injury, but Tobirama's resilience, born from his Senju lineage, kept him on his feet.
The vitality flowing through him from the Sage of Six Paths blood allowed him to cling to life, even now.
But Kinkaku rose again, eyes wild with bloodlust, his voice guttural with rage.
"Die… Senju Tobirama… DIE!"
Kinkaku lunged once more, chakra exploding from his body as he aimed to crush the life from Tobirama.
Tobirama closed his eyes, feeling the inevitability of death drawing near.
If this is the end… at least I face it as a shinobi should, he thought, surrendering to the darkness as Kinkaku's clawed hand hurtled toward him.
Suddenly, the sound of a tremendous impact shattered the silence.
Tobirama's eyes flickered open, and he saw Kinkaku's massive form hurtling backward, crashing through the trees like a projectile.
The smell of blood was thick in the air, and Tobirama squinted, struggling to make sense of what he saw.
A familiar presence stood before him, framed by the shifting shadows of the forest—Sarutobi Hiruzen, his young student, the one Tobirama had entrusted with Konoha's future.
Shocked and barely able to speak, Tobirama's voice trembled, "Hiruzen… you… you came back…"
Hiruzen knelt beside him, grief welling in his eyes as he took in the sight of his fallen teacher. Tobirama's wounds were fatal; even Hiruzen could see it.
"Hiruzen… you…" Tobirama's lips curled into a faint smile, pride glimmering through his pain.
"I knew… I saw the right person."
Without answering, Hiruzen rose and approached Kinkaku, piercing his chest in one swift, precise motion.
The last of the Gold and Silver Brothers fell, his life draining away into silence, leaving only the sound of the forest's uneasy rustle.
The monstrous figures of Ginkaku and Kinkaku, legendary menaces of the shinobi world, had been defeated.
Hiruzen knelt by his teacher, his voice heavy with sorrow,
"I'm sorry, Tobirama-sensei… I'm too late."
Tears streamed down Hiruzen's cheeks as he lowered his head, regret etched deep in his face. Tobirama laughed, the sound surprisingly warm despite his fading strength.
"Hiruzen… You once said…" Tobirama's face softened, a flicker of life returning to his eyes.
''Life and death… are just a matter of fate,' wasn't it?"
Hiruzen looked up, stunned.
Those words, words he had uttered offhandedly when he first joined Tobirama's side, had come full circle.
"Konoha… is in your hands now," Tobirama whispered.
"One last thing… Watch over the Senju… and teach Tsunade. Train her… into a fine shinobi…"
Tobirama's voice faltered, his breath shallow.
"Only then… can I face my brother… with pride."
Hiruzen reached out, gently closing Tobirama's eyes as his teacher's last breath slipped away.
"I will watch over the Senju clan," he whispered, swallowing back tears,
"And Tsunade will become an incredible ninja under my guidance."
He rose, offering his master a deep, solemn bow.
For a brief moment, he wished Tobirama could live on, for the sake of Konoha's future.
But the damage was irreparable—Tobirama had held on through sheer will alone, waiting to pass on his final wishes.
The forest, now silent, bore witness to the passing of a legend.
Farewell, sensei, he thought. Today, I become Konoha's Third Hokage—and I carry your spirit with me.