Hiruzen persuaded me to die

"You forced me into this! You're the reason I ended up like this!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen's scream echoed through the ruined hall, blood staining the ground beneath him. His aged face twisted in rage and desperation as he glared at Hyuga Naraku slowly approaching.

"If you had just died back then—none of this would've happened! I should still be the Hokage of Konoha!"

"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"

"Earth Style: Earth Dragon Bullet!"

"Combined Style—Earth Dragon Flame Stream!"

Hiruzen weaved hand signs with all the speed his aged fingers could muster. A wave of flame entwined with earth surged toward Naraku like a death cry.

But—

Boom!

A pulse of force exploded from Naraku's raised hand. His Tenseigan shimmered, emitting invisible repulsion that dispersed the combined jutsu like leaves scattered by wind.

The flaming earth-dragon missiles reversed course under the repulsive blast and struck back—one of them slamming directly into Hiruzen's chest.

"Pfft!"He spat blood, crimson blooming across his robes.

"You don't understand," Naraku said coldly, approaching. "Why do you think others should bear the consequences of your decisions? Is it just because you were Hokage for thirty years?"

Hiruzen could only glare back, trembling with humiliation and hatred.

Shimura Danzō. Mitokado Homura. Utatane Koharu.

All of them were the same.

They demanded loyalty and sacrifice from everyone else, yet refused to bear even a sliver of accountability.

If you refused? You were a traitor.

If you fought back? You were an enemy of the village.

"You never intended to protect the village," Hiruzen hissed. "You stole my Hokage seat!"

Naraku's voice was calm. "And yet I led Konoha to victory against the Cloud. Without losing a single soldier."

At that moment, a new voice echoed into the silence.

"You defeated Cloud Shinobi?"

Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, approached with a frown, flickering with the eerie stillness of Impure World Reincarnation.

"What happened with them?"

Naraku offered a dry chuckle. "In short… Cloud wanted me handed over as the 'murderer' of their envoy. Hiruzen here agreed to their terms. Even sent assassins to kill me in secret."

"Ridiculous!" Tobirama snapped, his eyes narrowing. "You do not make peace by sacrificing your own shinobi! When my brother died, I still led us to victory against Cloud!"

First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, nodded beside him. "I hate war... but protecting our people comes first. Never should you hand over one of your own like that."

"You've become unrecognizable, Hiruzen," Tobirama said, staring down at his former student. "You were always indecisive, but now—betraying your own for peace?"

Naraku's eyes darkened, pheasant sword in hand. "You've committed more than enough sins, Hiruzen. Are you ready to pay for them?"

"No! I—I can't die!" Hiruzen stumbled backward, eyes wide. "Uchiha Madara! Where are you?! Help me again—just like before!"

His voice cracked. His eyes scanned wildly. But there was no masked man this time.

"Madara?" Hashirama frowned.

"That's impossible," Tobirama muttered. "I brought back his corpse myself. I sealed it deep in the mountains for research. He was dead."

"But..." Hashirama's brows furrowed. "Back when I was under control, I saw something. The Three-Tails' right eye—it was a Sharingan."

"A single Sharingan?" Tobirama's expression darkened. "Could it be… Izanagi?"

His mind raced. The ultimate forbidden Uchiha jutsu—rewriting reality itself. Even in death, Madara might've slipped through fate.

"It's possible. If anyone could extend Izanagi beyond the usual limit... it would be him."

"Either way," Tobirama muttered, "if this masked man isn't Madara, then he's closely tied to him."

"And this 'Madara' and Hiruzen together caused all this," Naraku added. "The Nine-Tails attack, the death of Minato and Kushina, giving away Naruto to a stranger like an offering—Hiruzen was behind it all."

Hiruzen's hands suddenly moved, weaving signs again.

But Tobirama's eyes flashed.

"You would dare try to use my Impure World Reincarnation against me?!"

"You've fallen farther than I ever feared, monkey."

"I—I was manipulated!" Hiruzen screamed. "It's not my fault! It's all Naraku's fault! It's you—you bastard—"

Shlick.

The pheasant sword slid clean through his throat.

The screaming stopped.

Naraku held the blade steady, then pulled it free, flicking the blood off it with a sharp motion.

This sword had killed Sarutobi Shinnosuke, Danzō, Asuma, and now… finally… Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Fitting.

The old man's body collapsed, lifeless. His eyes, still filled with bitterness, stared into nothing.

Tobirama remained silent for a long moment before speaking.

"Fifth Hokage... it's over now. And the mistake I made in choosing him... has finally been corrected."