Chapter 53: The Fall of Sarutobi

The Jōnin and clan heads might still hesitate, but Mito Uzumaki had no such restraint.

The moment she heard Danzo's words, her sharp gaze turned toward Hiruzen Sarutobi.

At that moment, Hiruzen seemed like he wanted to say something—but no words came.

Danzo had already laid everything bare. Cold, iron facts were now out in the open. Anything Hiruzen said now would just be an excuse.

Seeing the disappointment in Mito Uzumaki's eyes, he couldn't help but recall what she had said to him in the past.

"Saru, don't let me down."

"Saru, you're the Hokage!"

His body trembled.

He finally understood. From beginning to end, Mito Uzumaki had been giving him chances.

It was he himself who had been blinded by power, walking step by step toward the point of no return.

Having realized all of this, Hiruzen let out a bitter laugh.

He had always believed he would give everything for the village—never imagining he would one day fall as a criminal.

He removed his Hokage hat and set it aside.

Then, under everyone's gaze, he slowly walked over to stand beside Danzo—taking the place of the condemned.

Looking at his old friend, now in utter disgrace, all of Hiruzen's resentment and indignation faded like smoke.

As Hokage, he had undoubtedly failed.

Had he continued to lead Konoha, it would have only grown weaker.

In every respect, Hiruzen's mistakes had outweighed his contributions.

But there was no denying he loved the village. So now that everything had come to an end…

To resist, to harm those in the village? He couldn't do it.

Hiruzen glanced around, meeting the angry and disappointed eyes of the Jōnin. His gaze dropped.

'So… this is really the end?'

That thought brought Uchiha Hikaru to mind. Their first meeting, the impressions left behind.

He thought of how this child had influenced him—directly or indirectly—leading to this very moment.

A surge of bitter frustration welled up in his heart.

And in that instant… he finally understood why Lord Tobirama had always called the Uchiha a cursed clan.

'For the sake of the village, this brat… must not be allowed to live!'

Overcome with emotion, Hiruzen made his decision: Even if it cost his life, he would take Uchiha Hikaru with him.

He quietly formed several hand seals, preparing to unleash a jutsu.

But he underestimated Mito Uzumaki.

When she saw Hiruzen walk to the defendant's seat, she had relaxed, thinking he had surrendered.

But the moment she sensed the spike of malicious intent in his chakra, she instantly realized something was wrong.

Just as Hiruzen completed the hand seals, her Adamantine Sealing Chains shot out, binding him.

But she was a second too late.

"Reaper Death Seal!"

Mito's expression changed drastically. As a member of the Uzumaki Clan, she immediately recognized this deadly sealing technique.

The Reaper wasn't a summoning—it was a sealing jutsu capable of grabbing souls, not just chakra.

She instinctively tried to withdraw the Adamantine Sealing Chains—but then noticed that Hiruzen had suddenly gone still.

The invisible Shinigami behind him also slowly dissipated.

Meanwhile, the Uchiha were all staring at Uchiha Hikaru in shock.

While Mito was interrogating Danzo, Hikaru had assumed he was in the clear.

He was standing off to the side, happily watching the drama unfold—until the next second, he became part of it.

He sensed killing intent directed at him just before Hiruzen made his move.

Discreetly, he activated his Mangekyō Sharingan and released a small burst of destructive flame, tearing open the space around Hiruzen.

As Hiruzen unleashed the Reaper Death Seal, hoping to drag Hikaru with him, that tear in space ripped his body apart—killing him instantly.

Had this been under normal circumstances, Hiruzen would've noticed in time.

Hikaru's Mangekyō needed a few moments to burn through space. Enough to injure—never instantly kill.

But Hiruzen, overwhelmed by emotion, had lost the calm needed to fight or think clearly.

He dropped his guard—giving Hikaru the perfect opening.

To Hikaru, Hiruzen's life or death meant little.

But if someone tried to kill him—especially a former Hokage—he wouldn't hold back.

It all happened in an instant, though to explain it took much longer.

To the Jōnin, it only looked like Hiruzen had suddenly activated a forbidden technique—Reaper Death Seal—before Mito's golden chains restrained him.

And then… Hiruzen just stopped moving.

The Shinigami summoned by the jutsu was invisible to all except the caster and the one being sealed.

Hikaru's counterattack had been precise and hidden, utilizing narrow spatial fissures to kill.

Only the Uchiha clan present had sensed a surge of ocular power far beyond that of a Three-Tomoe Sharingan.

A Mangekyō Sharingan—without a doubt.

Which was why all eyes turned toward Uchiha Hikaru.

As Hiruzen's body slumped, the chakra within him began to fade.

Thanks to her Kagura's Mind Eye, Mito sensed the moment Hiruzen died.

A tremor ran through her heart—though she wasn't sure what emotion it was.

She and Hiruzen had been close. She wouldn't have supported him as Hokage otherwise.

She had known this outcome was likely… but now that it had come, it still stung.

Even so, she knew this wasn't the time for grief.

Hiruzen was dead. What mattered now was cleaning up the aftermath.

She buried the feelings inside her chest.

Then, from the corner of her eye, she glanced at Uchiha Hikaru—who was pretending to be completely uninvolved.

Even without the Sharingan, she could guess: Hikaru had awakened the Mangekyō.

But she would keep that secret for him. If word got out…

The shadows would swarm.

The other Great Nations would never tolerate the rise of another Madara Uchiha.

If the world learned that a six-year-old had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, even if Hikaru could defend himself—

So long as there was a chance, they'd try to kill him in his cradle.

Luckily, no one had grasped what had just happened.

With so many people present, secrecy would've been impossible.

That Hiruzen had been bound by Mito's chains wasn't suspicious.

But his complete silence—that made people uneasy.

Whispers spread.

More and more murmurs filled the air.

Mito understood she couldn't delay any longer.

Controlling her chains, she gently laid Hiruzen's body flat on the ground.

She took a deep breath and declared:

"Hiruzen Sarutobi is dead."