Chapter 195 Hiruzen's Final Gambit

The fusion of Momoshiki's Chakra had elevated him to an unparalleled level of power. His speed and strength were now magnified hundreds of times beyond his original form, and yet, his arrogance betrayed him. The whipping tendrils of his golden hair lashed out like living weapons, but Tatsuya evaded them effortlessly, his movements precise and calculated.

Momoshiki, drunk on his newfound might, had failed to notice the transformation Tatsuya had undergone. Tatsuya's body now glowed with an intense green aura, veins bulging grotesquely under his skin, thick and twisted like writhing earthworms. In the moment Momoshiki had focused solely on his fusion, Tatsuya had activated the Sixth Gate of his body, unlocking a surge of strength to rival the Ōtsutsuki's.

Meanwhile, at the Sarutobi Mansion, the battlefield grew grim. Following the death of Sarutobi Chūnin, Hiruzen Sarutobi returned to the fray, his heart heavy but resolute. He now faced his greatest trial yet—his own sons, manipulated by Orochimaru and turned into undead puppets.

The clash between father and sons was heart-wrenching, a cruel twist of fate where all involved suffered immeasurably but were compelled to fight to the bitter end. Orochimaru, standing to the side with a sinister smirk, reveled in the chaos he had orchestrated. He observed the scene with twisted glee, relishing the torment he had inflicted on his former teacher.

Although the two reanimated by Orochimaru—one a Chūnin, the other a Jōnin—fought with no regard for their own bodies, Hiruzen could not bring himself to strike them down with lethal force. His paternal instincts overpowered his tactical reasoning, leaving him vulnerable. The agony of seeing his children, even in their undead state, tore at his resolve.

But this hesitation was a weakness Orochimaru was eager to exploit. Seizing the opportunity, he unleashed the Advent of a World of Trees, ensnaring Hiruzen in a forest of binding wood. It seemed the grim performance was nearing its tragic conclusion.

Yet, Hiruzen was not ready to yield. With a desperate cry, he summoned the Saru Demon King, the Enma, whose presence offered a brief respite from the relentless assault. Enma, however, shared Hiruzen's reluctance to harm the young Sarutobis, even in their cursed state.

Orochimaru, sensing the hesitation, pressed his advantage. His puppets attacked again, relentless and unfeeling, their undead forms moving with horrifying precision. Enma's loyalty to Hiruzen was unwavering, but even the great demon king faltered in the face of harming the very children he had once protected.

"Father, end this!" Shinnosuke's voice rang out, his anguished cry a plea for release from the torment. The clarity of his thoughts, even as a reanimated corpse, only deepened Hiruzen's inner turmoil.

Hiruzen's heart screamed in agony, his voice breaking as he roared Orochimaru's name. The conflict within him was unbearable—how could a father strike down his own children, even to save their souls from this grotesque mockery of life?

Orochimaru, basking in the dramatic crescendo of suffering, was utterly satisfied. He had intended to end the battle swiftly, but the extended agony—the emotional torment—was far more entertaining.

And so, the performance continued, a nightmarish tragedy that left all players in its shadow irreparably scarred.

Sarutobi Hiruzen knew he could not sustain this battle indefinitely. The Chakra animating his sons came from Orochimaru, and the snake Sannin's reserves, though formidable, were not infinite. Yet, Hiruzen's own stamina had been heavily taxed by this relentless clash.

Realizing the battle was reaching its critical moment, Hiruzen devised a desperate plan. He summoned the Ape Demon King, Enma, and coordinated with him to execute a bold strategy. Using the Shadow Clone Technique, Hiruzen sealed the reanimated bodies of his sons within his own. His goal was clear: to create an opportunity to use the Dead Demon Consuming Seal and extract Orochimaru's soul, ending this nightmare once and for all.

Throughout the battle, Orochimaru had kept his distance, content to let his pawns wear down his former master. But as Hiruzen's exhaustion became apparent, Orochimaru grew careless, letting his guard down.

What he did not expect, however, was for Hiruzen to act with such decisive resolve. The moment Hiruzen began the sealing process, Orochimaru felt the horrifying tug of his soul being drawn into the Shinigami's grasp. His confident smirk faltered, replaced by panic.

Summoning the Kusanagi sword, Orochimaru lunged at Hiruzen in a desperate attempt to interrupt the sealing. But to his shock, Hiruzen did not flinch, did not evade the blade.

"Why aren't you dodging?!" Orochimaru shouted, his voice trembling.

Hiruzen, now eerily calm, replied with quiet finality. "Because this is the end for both of us. Once the seal is complete, my soul will also be devoured. This is a jutsu of absolute sacrifice. Our souls will battle for eternity in the Shinigami's belly."

Gone was the hostility from Hiruzen's expression. His face was serene, devoid of fear or regret. He had accepted his fate; there was nothing left to lose. For him, the only thing that mattered was ending Orochimaru's reign of terror, no matter the cost.

But Orochimaru was not prepared to face death. He had spent his life mastering forbidden techniques to escape mortality, and now he stared helplessly as his soul was slowly pulled from his body. All he could do was resist, waiting desperately for Hiruzen's Chakra to run out before the seal could be completed.

On the other side of the battlefield, the clash against Momoshiki raged on. Minato and Sakumo fought valiantly alongside Tatsuya, but it was clear that their physical abilities were no match for the fused Momoshiki. His raw power and speed were overwhelming, making their every move feel inadequate.

Tatsuya, however, was different. While he lacked the full explosive power of someone like Might Guy, his strength was sufficient to hold his own against Momoshiki.

As the battle progressed, Tatsuya began to notice a glaring flaw in Momoshiki's technique. Despite the immense Chakra coursing through his body, Momoshiki wielded it inefficiently, unable to harness its full potential.

"It's like watching Naruto when he first accessed the Nine-Tails' Chakra," Tatsuya mused internally. "All that power, but no understanding of how to use it properly."

To Tatsuya, Momoshiki's fusion appeared more like a bluff—a grand display of strength with little substance behind it. And while the fight was far from over, Tatsuya could see the cracks forming in Momoshiki's seemingly unassailable facade.

Flanked by Minato and Sakumo's coordinated attacks, Momoshiki's fusion form was pushed into a corner. The once-mighty Ōtsutsuki, who had radiated confidence after his transformation, now found himself in a precarious position. His initial arrogance—the belief that he could easily dominate his opponents—had vanished.

The so-called "inferior creatures" he had scorned now struck genuine fear into his heart. Minato and Sakumo worked seamlessly, their techniques intertwining to trap Ōtsutsuki Momoshiki in a deadly pincer.

However, they underestimated him. Momoshiki broke free with a burst of energy, summoning grotesque, snake-like entities from the ground. These creatures, though not truly snakes, surged forward, biting and ramming at the trio with relentless aggression.

Amid the chaos, Momoshiki cast a fleeting glance toward Tatsuya, who floated above the battlefield like an untouchable force of nature. Unease flickered in his gaze. Leaving behind a Kama mark, he seized the opportunity to retreat.

For Momoshiki, this retreat was humiliating. He had come to dominate, yet now he fled in disgrace. But the examples of Ōtsutsuki Urashiki and Ōtsutsuki Kin loomed large in his mind—proof that even the mighty could fall.

"There's no shame in retreating," Momoshiki consoled himself. "As long as I survive, there's always another chance to burn the green mountains to ash."

This battle had given him plenty to consider. The abilities of his enemies had been roughly gauged, but Tatsuya remained an enigma—his strength unfathomable and his presence overwhelming. It was this singular force that compelled Momoshiki to retreat, though doing so stung his pride deeply.

From Tatsuya's perspective, however, the retreat was infuriating. He had hoped to finish Momoshiki then and there. Watching him slip away felt like a failure, a loose end that promised more trouble in the future.

"Running away... not very Ōtsutsuki-like," Tatsuya muttered to himself, his expression unreadable.

What Tatsuya failed to grasp was the psychological devastation he had inflicted on Momoshiki. The latter's hasty retreat was born not only of strategy but also of pure terror—a realization that he faced an adversary who was far beyond his comprehension.

As the battle ended, the blazing sun that had loomed over the ruined city slowly disappeared, taking with it the last vestiges of the chaos. The world outside remained oblivious to the titanic clash that had just unfolded.

But for Minato and Sakumo, who had fought alongside Tatsuya, the reality was clear. Tatsuya's power eclipsed everyone else present, a force so immense that it left them both in awe and unease.

Thankfully, he fought on Konoha's side. Had he been an enemy, there was no telling how many times the village would have been reduced to rubble by such overwhelming might.

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