To survive. How can he survive? An icy grip of anxiety gripped Sarutobi Hiruzen's heart. He felt that in another moment his soul would dissolve, drawn to the Pure Lands. It was impossible to wait. There were very few forces trapped in his ghostly shell.
Suddenly, Hiruzen's gaze darted to Shimura Danzo and Uchiha Itachi. A monstrous thought was born in his fading consciousness. The old man's face twisted into a mad grimace.
Danzo, who had been frantically begging for mercy, and now he was bursting into hoarse curses, suddenly felt an icy grip on his soul. He turned around and met Hiruzen's eyes. There was neither the wisdom of the Third Hokage nor the despair of a dying man in them, just a predatory, primal hunger.
— Sarutobi, what are you up to?! Danzo roared, instinctively trying to recoil.
"I'm sorry... Danzo... sorry... Hiruzen muttered, and a quiet, insane laugh broke through his words. "I have to.".. Survive!
Without saying another word, he opened his mouth unnaturally wide, and his ghostly jaw closed on Danzo's leg.
— no! No, Sarutobi, that thing! You... Do you want to devour me?! You're crazy!
Realization struck Danzo like lightning. This madman, his eternal rival, on the verge of oblivion decided to consume his soul in order to prolong his own existence.
Danzo struggled, desperately trying to escape. He, who had devoted his life to scheming for his own power under the guise of serving the village, was not going to become a victim in the name of anyone, especially for the sake of this crazy old man.
But it was too late. Hiruzen's ghostly flesh stretched out, swelling like a snake that had swallowed an exorbitantly large prey. He swallowed Danzo whole, alive, pulling his trembling nature deep into himself.
To survive… I'm sorry, Danzo, I'm sorry..." Hiruzen's mind whispered soundlessly as his swollen stomach writhed in agony. The absorbed Shimura Danzo was still alive and struggling inside. But through the agony, Hiruzen felt a perverse satisfaction: his weakening essence merged with Danzo's soul, and he became a part of him.
Then his gaze, full of hunger, turned to the next victim. He crawled up to Uchiha Itachi and swallowed him up in the same way, frozen in silent despair.
Inside Hiruzen Shimura, Danzo vomited and cursed, choking on his own horror. He never expected his old friend to be able to do such a thing for the sake of survival. What a monstrous obsession! Wasn't this the proverbial Will of Fire at its ugliest? His strength was draining away, and Hiruzen was greedily absorbing it. It was the end.
And then, when Danzo had already resigned himself to oblivion, Itachi's head squeezed through Hiruzen's throat. The last light of madness flashed in Danzo's eyes. In a final fit of animal terror, he himself opened his mouth, bit into Itachi's head and swallowed him up.
Survive, I have to survive!
It's a pity that Sasuke's soul has already disappeared without a trace, otherwise…
But the hope was false. Itachi dissolved inside him, and Danzo's own soul became almost transparent.
—Sarutobi, you're an animal! "Stop it!" he screamed furiously, fading away. "Why me?" Why didn't you let me devour you?!
His ghostly body burst like a soap bubble, marking his final death.
- no... little, still little... What should I do?!
Sarutobi Hiruzen was still on edge. He realized that even absorbing the two would not allow him to reach the gate of the Pure Lands. He couldn't die. Not now!
He needed to survive! Just a little more, just a little more!
In desperation, he looked at his own hand. Abruptly opening his mouth, he bit into her and began to devour himself. He didn't know if it would help, but he had no choice. It was his last chance.
And it worked. Devouring his own ghostly flesh, he unknowingly compressed his essence, condensing the remnants of energy and slowing down the fatal dissolution.
As a result, when Sarutobi Hiruzen, like an Ouroboros, ate himself almost entirely, leaving only a translucent, barely discernible head, he finally waited.…
On the edge of an Area Of Dead Silence.
— It's been so long... Why is there still no news?
Jiraiya and the others had long since abandoned their original position. Ever since Hiruzen and the others entered, the Area of Dead Silence was inexorably expanding, forcing them to retreat further and further.
Jiraiya anxiously looked at the dead zone, which showed no signs of shrinking. In theory, if Uchiha Yue had been persuaded, he would have already torn out his eyes, interrupting the technique, and this area would have disappeared.
The others were silent, their faces grim. A bad feeling was brewing in everyone's heart.
And suddenly the expansion stopped! The rapid growth stopped, returning to the previous, slow pace.
"Did it work?"
Everyone froze at the border, waiting with hope and fear. Slowing down could mean two things.
First, Hiruzen and the others died before reaching Yue, and their souls finally dispersed. But this option seemed unlikely — the senjutsu chakra, protected by a spatial barrier, should have given them enough time.
The second: they succeeded. Uchiha Yue stopped absorbing their power and began a suicide ritual.
There was, of course, a third option: they met with Yue, but the negotiations failed, and the souls simply ran out. But I didn't want to believe in such a simple and terrible outcome.
They were waiting.