Naruto: I, Uchiha, Just Want to Die

Chapter 164: Mission Accomplished, Sealing the Evil Law!

Boom!

A sturdy yet elderly body collapsed amidst the sea of flames.

The high offense and low defense characteristic of ninjas was vividly displayed at this moment. With half his neck severed by Minato, even a Kage-level powerhouse had finally reached the end of his life.

Yet...

Ebizō stared at the faint red barrier before him, full of cracks as if it would shatter at the slightest touch. Beyond the barrier stood the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, utterly indifferent, unmoving.

He could not comprehend, even until death—

Why?

Why did Rasa not take action?

As the Kazekage, why did he sit idly by while his village and comrades were in crisis?

Was he under genjutsu? Or was everything he saw merely a mirage floating over the desert?

Was it all just a delusion of his mind?

"Ha... ha..."

Ebizō gasped heavily, tilting his head to glare at Rasa, his eyes nearly bursting with rage.

Clutching the back of his neck, where blood gushed relentlessly, he struggled to his feet once more, dragging his body forward. His vision blurred, and he seemed to see his beautiful, youthful sister, Chiyo, standing at the village gates, arms wide open, calling to him:

"Otōto, come to me!"

"Cough!"

Ebizō coughed up a mouthful of blood, his steps growing more unsteady.

"I see it now, Sister. I finally understand."

"Someone like me... doesn't need a final resting place!"

"All I need is to keep moving forward!"

Staggering onward, Ebizō's gaze seemed to land upon his fellow villagers, waiting for his triumphant return.

"Yes, I finally understand—the vision of Sunagakure, my vision, everything, all of it..."

"As long as we don't stop, the road will keep extending!"

At the final moment, Ebizō crawled to the edge of the barrier, fixing his gaze on Rasa outside.

In his eyes, there was no resentment, only hope as he said,

"Rasa, do you understand?"

"So please..."

"Don't let the war stop. Don't stop moving forward."

His raised finger, stained with blood, slid down the barrier, falling silent.

And thus,

One of Sunagakure's top leaders, the highest commander of the Sand forces on the Rain battlefield, a Kage-level powerhouse proficient in Wind Release and puppet techniques—

The legend of Ebizō came to an end in this ninja world.

---

Boom!

Two severed halves of a body fell into the sea of flames.

Uchiha Ci gasped for breath, using the third and final instance of his Orochimaru-style Substitution Technique to spit out a renewed version of himself.

Standing again, his scarlet snake-like eyes locked onto Rasa, who stood coldly beyond the barrier, slowly stepping forward only after confirming Ebizō's death.

As Rasa advanced, a platform of Magnet Release sand rose beneath his feet, lifting him high into the sky.

Immediately after, waves of golden sand surged upward like a tsunami.

Layer upon layer, the sand gold explosion grew higher and higher—until it blotted out the sun!

Then it crashed toward the barrier in a cataclysmic wave.

Watching the apocalyptic sight, Uchiha Ci narrowed his eyes and asked the young man beside him,

"Minato, can you still fight?"

Beside him, Namikaze Minato twitched slightly, observing Uchiha Ci's actions.

Though he knew Uchiha Ci was Orochimaru's disciple, he hadn't expected the young Uchiha to master Orochimaru's techniques so skillfully in such a short time.

"Ah, the opponent is the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa!"

Minato nodded, taking a deep breath without a trace of fear in his eyes.

Uchiha Ci frowned deeply, asking in a low voice,

"Why is he here? Wasn't Orochimaru supposed to assassinate him?"

Minato hesitated briefly before replying,

"The plan changed. We intercepted Pakura and Chiyo. Rasa wasn't where the intel said he'd be. That location has now become a full-scale battlefield where Orochimaru and Jiraiya-sensei are fighting."

Hearing this, Uchiha Ci's expression shifted. His gaze fell on Rasa, who was slowly flying closer. He licked his dry lips unconsciously.

Having already killed Ebizō, Sunagakure's supreme commander, this plot had already spiraled into chaos.

At this point, Uchiha Ci decided to throw caution to the wind.

"Which means... our assassination target has come right to us!"

"Perhaps, right here, we can—kill him!"

Minato glanced at Uchiha Ci upon hearing this, his expression strange as he shook his head.

"No, you've already done enough."

With that, he took out a scroll and tossed it to Uchiha Ci.

"This is from Orochimaru."

Opening the scroll, Uchiha Ci found a summoning contract bearing a large "Snake" symbol.

"From Orochimaru?"

He frowned slightly, forming a seal.

Boom!

A puff of smoke revealed a small white snake on the scroll.

"A messenger snake?"

Uchiha Ci recognized it instantly, having seen one during his summoning training.

These snakes, developed through advancements in summoning and reverse summoning techniques, were elite tools for delivering information. Capable of self-destruction upon interception, they could also transport goods when necessary.

Looking at the snake, Uchiha Ci muttered,

"Does Orochimaru have intel for me? Or something for me to deliver?"

Minato stepped forward, dropping Ebizō's corpse in front of Uchiha Ci. His face carried a trace of pity but remained resolute.

"The body of a ninja is a treasure trove of information. Ebizō was Sunagakure's top commander.

"If we can extract what he knew, we've already won half the battle."

Before Minato could finish,

Boom! Crack!

The barrier groaned as Rasa's immense wave of golden sand crushed against it, forming web-like cracks that crept and splintered across its surface.

In the sky above, standing on his sand platform, Rasa raised his hand, glaring coldly at the two within the barrier.

"Leave Ebizō's body, and I'll let you go," Rasa declared.

"Otherwise—die!"

For Rasa, Ebizō's dead body was far more valuable than when he was alive. It was a perfect tool for swaying public opinion and solidifying his own position.

But neither Minato nor Uchiha Ci paid him any heed.

Minato, with his mastery of Flying Thunder God and sealing techniques, was confident Rasa couldn't touch him in a fair fight.

As for Uchiha Ci? He simply wasn't afraid, ready to face Rasa head-on.

Hearing Rasa's demands, Uchiha Ci frowned impatiently and shouted back,

"Shut up!"

"I'll come out and kill you in a minute!"

"You—!"

Rasa fumed, his anger igniting as he glared at Uchiha Ci, the sand around him swirling with even greater fury.

Inside the barrier, Uchiha Ci watched as the messenger snake suddenly bit his neck, sealing his Heaven Curse Mark with Sealing Jutsu: Evil Suppression Seal.

Drained of chakra and poisoned, Uchiha Ci collapsed into the sand, unconscious.

The snake then swallowed him and Ebizō's body whole, disappearing in a puff of smoke—summoned back to Orochimaru.

Now alone, Minato looked up at the crumbling barrier and the cascading golden sand. A calm smile graced his face.

"Sorry, Uchiha Ci. You've done enough."

"Now, leave the rest to me!"

Raising his kunai, Minato turned into a flash of yellow light, charging straight toward the descending golden tide!