Learned from Orochimaru ll

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It was a pity.

Muzan could see that Akatsuchi would rather die than submit, constantly fighting against the will trying to take over his body, even attempting to seize control. Muzan realized then that he could not dominate him.

With a slight raise of his palm, every ninja around, including Akatsuchi, suddenly felt their bodies being torn apart. Massive hands grew from their arms, crushing their heads. In an instant, headless corpses surrounded Muzan.

"Bang, bang, bang..."

Blood pooled at Muzan's feet. The combination of Orochimaru's ninjutsu and Muzan's strategic manipulation of the battlefield allowed him to eliminate Akatsuchi. Without this advantage, the battle would have been far more challenging.

Once Konoha's feigned attack ended, Muzan would face the risk of being surrounded. Even though they hadn't succeeded in fully destroying Kannabi Bridge, they had already intercepted Iwa's assault, minimizing the threat to Konoha for the time being.

Though Akatsuchi was killed by Namikaze Minato in the original timeline, the reality was that Akatsuchi had played a critical role in attacking Konoha and breaking through its defenses. Without Minato, the battle would have unfolded differently, further proving Akatsuchi's strength.

Now, with Akatsuchi dead, the battlefield had quieted slightly, giving Muzan the chance to spread more chaos.

Muzan glanced at the distant moon, calculating the time. His allies were likely already en route or perhaps had even arrived.

"We need to move faster and reach Kannabi Bridge before midnight," Muzan murmured as he left the scene.

Meanwhile, Iwa's forces, unaware of the massacre behind them, began to sense something was wrong when the explosions from the detonating tags ceased. When they returned to investigate, they were horrified to find a scene of utter carnage, with countless corpses strewn across the battlefield.

"What happened here? Why are so many of our comrades dead?"

"Find Akatsuchi! What in the world happened?"

"It looks like they were mauled by some kind of wild beast."

Some among them, veterans of battles with Konoha, inspected the bodies. The injuries weren't caused by kunai or ninjutsu but rather resembled an attack by a feral creature.

Their first thought was a summoning jutsu, but the sheer number of dead ruled that out. Eventually, a senior ninja examined the corpses and found the cause—bite marks.

The truth was arming. The information was quickly relayed to their superiors, and requests for reinforcements were sent. As more bodies were found, they located Akatsuchi's second-in-command, who was now leading the Iwa forces.

"Do not let this information spread. We cannot afford to cause panic."

Muzan remained unaware of the confusion, and even if he had known, he wouldn't have cared. He continued toward Kannabi Bridge, passing several Konoha corpses along the way. Konoha had paid a heavy price for this mission, with many of their shinobi buried here.

"Ah!"

As Muzan darted through the forest, he suddenly noticed earthen spikes rising from the ground—a clear sign of Iwa ninjutsu. The Earth Release technique itself wasn't a concern, but what hung on the spikes stopped him in his tracks.

"How could this happen?"

All of his companions, save for Hyuga Hizashi, lay dead, their bodies impaled by earthen spears. Judging by the various injuries, it seemed they had faced another fierce battle after Muzan had left. This time, there was no goddess of luck to save them.

Muzan surmised that a strong Iwa shinobi—perhaps even the Tsuchikage himself—was responsible for this carnage.

"Boom!"

While inspecting the bodies, Muzan heard a commotion nearby and saw smoke rising in the distance. It seemed Konoha's forces were launching another attack.

Muzan cut down the earthen spears, laying the bodies flat. It wasn't yet time to deal with them properly; he needed to reach Kannabi Bridge as soon as possible.

In another part of the forest, Hyuga Hizashi lay exhausted under a large tree, covered in blood. A spear was lodged in his arm, and a more serious wound pierced his abdomen. Despite his dire condition, he managed a bitter smile.

"I didn't think I'd die here..."

He didn't want to die. He still had to fight for his clan's freedom and his child's future. He couldn't die here!

Just then, he spotted a shadow moving swiftly nearby. With his Byakugan, he recognized the figure and, with the last of his strength, called out:

"Muzan-sama!"

Muzan, moving quickly through the treetops, froze. Hearing the voice, he looked down and saw the injured Hizashi.

When Muzan reached him, Hizashi was already delirious from blood loss. The wound in his abdomen, caused by Earth Release, was fatal. That Hizashi had survived this long was a testament to his strong body and iron will. But even medical ninjutsu couldn't replace missing organs, and his body was growing cold.

"Muzan-sama, is there no hope for me?" Hizashi asked with a weak smile, noticing Muzan's expression.

"If possible, take my body back to Konoha."

Seeing Hizashi preparing for death, Muzan realized the gravity of the situation. Hizashi knew he was dying and had accepted his fate, choosing instead to focus on his final request.

"The one responsible was... Kitsuchi..."

Muzan wasn't surprised by the name. Kitsuchi, the son of the Tsuchikage, was a formidable shinobi. The number of Iwa ninja at Kannabi Bridge was beyond what four people could handle.

"Is there anything else you want to say?" Muzan asked as Hizashi lay on the ground, clearly ready for his end.

Hizashi shook his head, wanting to spend his final moments in peace.

"No more... I'm ready..."

"I can save you, even free you from the Caged Bird curse."

"But it will turn you into a monster, and the process will be excruciating."

Hizashi, who had accepted death, opened his eyes slightly upon hearing Muzan's words.

If Muzan didn't know better, he might have thought Hizashi didn't believe him and was rolling his eyes.

"If that's true, I'll take the risk, even if it means becoming a monster."

Hizashi wasn't afraid of death. If he were, he wouldn't have come to this battlefield or undertaken such a dangerous mission. But deep down, he had always fought against the fate imposed by his clan. The Caged Bird Seal had weighed on him for years. Now, presented with this chance, he was willing to seize it.

Even if it failed, a little more pain wouldn't matter at this point.

Muzan opened his mouth, bit down on Hizashi's neck, and injected his blood. The cold, excruciating pain that followed made Hizashi curl up, writhing in agony.

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