Beneath a charred blackened tree, there lay a human-shaped lump of scorched flesh.
At the brink of death, Kairen had turned the wine in his gourd into water, wrapping it around his body.
But the raging flames burned like the explosion of a sun, endlessly roasting that thin layer of water until it evaporated completely.
His skin blistered and tore apart, his body suffering severe burns—he was no longer recognizable as human.
Even if his mother in the Pure Land had been resurrected through Edo Tensei, she wouldn't have recognized him now.
He could have transformed into a pangolin and burrowed underground to escape, but controlling the Flame Dragon had drained every last bit of his chakra. He no longer had the strength to do anything else.
Kairen lay silently on the ground as the toxins in his body spread throughout his system. He had lost all sensation, his chest tight—this was the sign of life slipping away.
When a person is on the verge of death, their memories play before their eyes like seeds unfurling.
Kairen's breathing grew weaker. The shadow clones that had carried the antidote to Shizune and Yūhi Kurenai had already dispersed—the information flowed into Kairen's mind.
He saw the two girls swallow the antidote, their skin gradually regaining color.
A faint smile formed on Kairen's lips, but he quickly realized even his facial skin had burned away—he couldn't move his lips anymore.
He caught sight of a golden figure rushing toward him. Moments later, a massive blue-white slug enveloped him, a surge of vibrant life energy flowing into his dying body, trying to pull him back from death.
But it was too late. His internal organs had all been charred; the fact that he was still breathing at all was a miracle.
The slug separated Kairen's body from the ground and murmured,
"...Tsunade-sama, there's no saving him. The cells of all his internal organs have lost their vitality!"
"Uu... uu... you brat! You brat! You brat!"
Tsunade wept uncontrollably, her hands trembling as she caressed Kairen's burned, unrecognizable body.
There was nothing left of his human form—only those dark, deep eyes remained, bright as if they held the entire night sky.
Tears fell onto Kairen's face.
Kairen couldn't even blink now. His voice came out as a faint murmur,
"...Tsunade... you... you look awful when you cry..."
Hearing his voice, Tsunade immediately activated her Chakra Enhanced Strength Healing Technique, pouring healing chakra into Kairen's heart.
"You brat! Don't die! Don't die!"
"Uu... uu..."
The slug quietly watched Tsunade's helpless tears. This scene was all too familiar—Nawaki... Dan...
Tsunade's fate was truly tragic. Just when she'd finally found someone to entrust her will of fire to, she had to lose him again.
"Peh!"
Orochimaru crawled out of the dirt, covered in mud. He spat twice, his amber eyes narrowing in irritation.
He hadn't expected Kairen's forbidden jutsu to be this powerful—it had completely obliterated the entire Forest of Death.
His gaze swept across the battlefield. He immediately spotted Tsunade's summoning slug and Tsunade herself, desperately trying to save a man charred beyond recognition.
Orochimaru's eyes widened as he darted forward, stopping beside her.
One glance at Kairen's wounds told him—there was no saving this one.
"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it, you brat! Why didn't you follow me? If you had... I could've saved you!"
He cursed furiously under his breath. The perfect vessel he had set his eyes on was gone—what terrible luck.
"Tsunade!"
A massive toad leapt over from afar, Jiraiya landing from its back, with Minato and Kushina right behind him.
"This... this is Kairen!"
Kushina covered her mouth, unable to believe her eyes as she stared at the blackened corpse-like figure.
"Sigh..."
Jiraiya let out a long sigh.
Once again... the curse of the shinobi world struck, and Tsunade's curse was no exception.
The darkness in Kairen's eyes dimmed, the last trace of light fading away.
With the final strength left in his body, he raised his branch-like hand and gently touched Tsunade's cheek, smudging the face of the great beauty.
Kairen looked at a drifting cloud above—the wind slowly dispersing it.
"...I... am but a wandering cloud... with nowhere to rest. The wind has risen... I suppose... it's time for me to fade away too..."
His voice grew softer and softer until it was as thin as a mosquito's buzz.
Kairen's eyes slowly closed, bidding farewell to the shinobi world.
"Kairen——!"
Tsunade buried her face into his chest, sobbing quietly.
Orochimaru stared blankly, the greed in his eyes slowly fading. A rare sigh escaped him.
Beneath a massive stone statue, Uchiha Madara slowly closed his murky eyes.
"Hashirama's descendant... what a pity."
"Hmph. That village... it's always been the same. My Rinnegan sees the future—someday, my foolish Uchiha will follow the Senju's path, dying in the vortex of power."
At Mount Myōboku, the Great Toad Sage shut his eyes and murmured,
"Too many cloud my vision... yet all remains within the script. None can escape it. The tale of the shinobi world shall continue."
It was as if everything had been scattered by the wind—until, from the depths of the void, a faint ding! rang out.
"Ding!"
[System upgrade successful!]
System Daddy—you finally caught up!
"Wait... this is... smoke!"
Tsunade's eyes widened as the charred body in her arms slowly turned into wisps of white smoke, rising into the sky.
The Great Toad Sage's eyes, which had just closed, suddenly shot open again—his toad eyes bulged to their widest.
"Guah... guah... guah-pi!!"
Uchiha Madara's closed eyes snapped open too. In those ancient eyes, it was as if flames had been rekindled. He laughed heartily.
"Interesting! Interesting! Senju Kairen... I acknowledge you."
"You've earned the right to dance. Live on well—at least make this game of the shinobi world a little harder... so I won't grow bored!"
"You brat!"
Tsunade stared blankly at the rising smoke in the sky—it gathered together once more, like clouds reforming.
She wiped her tears away and a faint smile crept onto her lips.
"You damn brat... never letting people rest easy!"
"Caw——!"
A distant hawk's cry pierced the sky, echoing through the entire village of Konoha like an ancient war horn.
Everyone walking on the streets looked up—and their eyes widened in shock.
It was enormous.
A colossal hawk circled in the air, its wings spreading over two hundred meters wide. The sheer pressure of its presence made children cry out in fright.
"Caw——!"
"To rule the skies... and make the earth crawl beneath my talons!"
"I, Moku Kairen, have returned!"
Under Kairen's razor-sharp hawk eyes, the shinobi below all wore different expressions—each harboring their own thoughts, their own schemes.
Tsunade looked up at him with a radiant smile.
Jiraiya and Minato nodded at him.
Kushina waved cheerfully, grinning wide.
The glint of greed returned to Orochimaru's eyes once more.
Kid... we can play again.
Kairen's gaze shifted to another part of the village.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes were full of complicated emotion. Koharu and Homura hid their unease. Danzo's face darkened. Uchiha Fugaku looked on with admiration. Hyūga Hiashi...
Kairen flapped his wings, his sharp beak aiming toward Danzo's direction—then, like an arrow released from a taut bowstring, he shot forward!
"Danzo, you old bastard—die!"
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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