Starting as a pirate, he rose to become the strongest Shinigami in Soul Society.

Chapter 352 Bane's Harvest: Konoha Declares All-Out War on Sunagakure!

Not long after, Hiruzen Sarutobi, despite his exhaustion, stood guard beside Bane for about ten minutes.

Suddenly, a chaotic wind swirled around him, and Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately tensed up and became vigilant. Although he was still alive, he had not forgotten that he had actually used the Reaper Death Seal technique.

It's not impossible that Death might make a surprise attack.

Soon, the black hole that had connected to the Pure Land reappeared, appearing somewhat distorted.

Then, Hiruzen Sarutobi saw Bane's soul being forcibly expelled from the black hole, and clearly, the Spirit Lord was unwilling and struggled to leave that pure land.

However, it seems that the Spirit Lord was unable to resist the elimination of the Pure Land. After struggling for a while, his soul was ejected from the black hole.

Before Hiruzen Sarutobi could speak, Bane's spirit unleashed tremendous power, grabbing the closing gap of the black hole with both hands, forcefully pushing it open, squeezing half his body inside, and roaring into it: "Alphonse... no, Death, you just wait, I'll find you again one day, just you wait!!!"

This brief burst of spiritual power did not last long. A moment later, the black hole suddenly closed, and Bane's soul was ejected again.

It hovered in the air for a brief moment before returning to its physical body.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, standing to the side, was dumbfounded by what he saw and didn't know what to say for a moment.

The next second, Bane moved, raised his arm and opened his palm. A moment later, a sharp-nailed, menacing-looking finger appeared in his palm.

As someone who had just used the Reaper Death Seal and come into close contact with the Shinigami, Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately recognized that the finger belonged to the Shinigami!

Good heavens, the Spirit Lord chased Death to the Pure Land, then broke off one of Death's fingers and came back?

What grudge could there be?

Is the malevolent aura that strong?

At first, Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't really feel the presence of this spirit lord from Ryuchi Cave. He wasn't particularly moved by the fact that he had returned from the Pure Land after a thousand years. The only thing that really caught his attention was Jiraiya's statement that the other party's overwhelming aura alone was enough to make him unable to resist.

Only today, after witnessing the Spirit Lord's cruelty firsthand, did he finally begin to have some opinion about this powerful figure.

He's ruthless, absolutely ruthless. And judging from his apparent obsession with the Pure Land and death, his thoughts and goals are completely different from those of us ordinary people struggling in the mundane world.

"One finger is enough as a lure." Bane looked down at the Grim Reaper's index finger in his hand, muttered to himself, and then squeezed hard, drawing the finger back into his body.

After settling this matter, he looked around and found that only Hiruzen Sarutobi was there.

"Hmm? The feud between you and your master has been resolved? Orochimaru has been killed?" Bane asked casually.

Hiruzen Sarutobi said in a very humble tone, "No, he ran away."

"I see. That guy's always been good at running away, hahaha." Bane seemed to be in a good mood as he laughed.

He was indeed in a good mood. Compared to things like Shukaku and the Book of Seals, this Grim Reaper's Finger was the most valuable gain for him personally. His trip to Konoha was worthwhile; it had already made the trip worthwhile.

Seeing that Bane seemed to be in a good mood, Hiruzen Sarutobi seized the opportunity and quickly asked, "Spirit Lord, I just used the forbidden technique, the Reaper Death Seal. Logically, this should have required sacrificing my soul to the Grim Reaper as a price, but thanks to your intervention, I'm currently alive."

"You want to know if Death will come looking for you again and take back your soul offering, right?" Bane asked with a grin.

"That's right. If the Grim Reaper comes again, I need to prepare in advance and make arrangements for my own funeral." Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded.

He was not afraid of death, otherwise he would not have used the Corpse Demon Sealing Technique. But if he could live, who would want to die? However, if things were hopeless, he would make preparations as soon as possible and make arrangements for his affairs so that the power in the village could be transferred smoothly.

"Don't worry, Death won't come after you again," Bane said with certainty.

Although Death has no self-awareness and acts entirely on instinct, it doesn't mean he's really an idiot. He finally gets a chance to come to the mortal world to taste the offerings, but he's caught by Bane halfway through and has a finger broken off, so it's fair to say he lost more than he gained.

Hiruzen Sarutobi is definitely already on the Shinigami's blacklist. Who knows, the Shinigami might be using him as bait for Bane. What's the point of even trying?

If it gets blocked again, it might not be a finger that gets broken off.

At this point, Bane suddenly had an idea and said to Hiruzen Sarutobi with great interest, "Try again, use the Reaper Death Seal once more, and see if you can trick that guy into coming over."

"Huh?" Hiruzen Sarutobi paused for a moment, looking somewhat bewildered.

I lied to Death?

"What are you afraid of? I'm here, I'll protect your life," Bane said confidently.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was indebted to this person, having only survived because of the Spirit Lord. Furthermore, judging from the previous situation, the Spirit Lord had indeed suppressed the Shinigami completely, so there shouldn't be any unexpected events.

Although this technique comes at the cost of one's own life, it is somewhat risky.

But isn't this also a great opportunity to build a friendship with the Spirit Lord?

I've risked my life, so the Spirit Lord should at least repay me, right?

Thinking of this, Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately nodded and said, "Alright, then I'll leave it to Spirit Lord."

As soon as he finished speaking, he quickly formed hand seals again, then clasped his hands together, his chakra surging as he shouted, "Reaper Death Seal!!!"

With a boom, chakra energy erupted, and wisps of soul energy spilled out. Bane's eyes gleamed with excitement, as if he were waiting for something.

Unfortunately, a moment later, the Grim Reaper on the other side seemed to have discovered something, and very unluckyly dispersed the soul aura that Hiruzen Sarutobi was emitting, and then fell silent.

Hiruzen Sarutobi tried for two or three minutes but failed to summon the Grim Reaper. He then looked at Bane with a somewhat embarrassed expression.

Bane scratched his head and said, "Looks like your Corpse Demon Seal is ruined. Death won't respond to you anymore if you use this technique again. What a pity."

After a slight pause, Bane said to Hiruzen Sarutobi, "But think about it from another angle. Even if you actively summon that guy, he won't come, let alone ask you to take back any offerings. So don't worry, your soul is fine. At least you won't die because of this."

"Hearing you say that, I don't know whether to be happy or troubled for a moment." Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head helplessly and smiled bitterly.

I'm so happy that I got to use the Reaper Death Seal for free; it was really awesome.

What's troubling is that I'll be missing a forbidden technique that allows me to perish together with someone else, which makes me feel a bit conflicted.

"It's good to be alive, of course. By the way, besides you, do you know anyone else who knows the Corpse Demon Sealing Technique? How difficult is it to learn this technique? If you know anyone, please introduce them to me," Bane said.

Hiruzen Sarutobi is past his prime; the Shinigami have already blacklisted him. But perhaps the others are the same?

"Orochimaru can do that too," Hiruzen Sarutobi said immediately, showing a hint of cunning.

"Orochimaru?" Bane pondered for a moment, then nodded, his tone fierce. "You're right. I'll try to lure the Grim Reaper out again. He ran so fast; this time, I'll twist his leg off."

Hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt a pang of emotion, but he didn't respond. He wasn't qualified, after all, it was a battle between gods, what right did a mortal like him have to interfere?

Not a single mistake, not a single poem, not a single post, not a single piece of content, not a single look!

After muttering a few complaints to himself, Bane regained his cheerful demeanor and looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi, saying, "You've really helped me a lot this time. Although it was unintentional, I still have to give you something in return. Give me your hand."

Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately extended his palm and said, "Then thank you very much, Spirit Lord."

"You're not being polite at all," Bane chuckled, teasing him for his decisiveness.

"If it were just a personal matter, I might be a little more polite, but as the Hokage of Konoha, I won't hesitate to fight for what's in my best interest," Hiruzen Sarutobi laughed, readily admitting it.

"Really? You seem like a good leader." Bane raised an eyebrow and complimented him.

Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt a slight pang of emotion and shook his head, saying, "Not really."

Bane didn't discuss this topic with him. Instead, he reached out and touched Hiruzen Sarutobi's palm with his fingertip, saying, "This is my source of nature, the essence of natural energy. Compared to the raging natural energy that is everywhere in the outside world, it is much calmer. Although it also contains some danger, it is still helpful for cultivating Sage Mode. If you can get used to this relatively stable source of nature, perhaps you can also become what your ninjas call a 'Sage'."

After a slight pause, Bane added, "At the same time, you can use it to summon me once."

After Bane finished speaking, Hiruzen Sarutobi was also somewhat excited and immediately thanked him again, saying, "Thank you, Spirit Lord."

"Although I don't know if you will continue with the Chunin Exams, I've lost interest. I need to go back and study this Death God's finger properly, so I won't stay in Konoha any longer," Bane said with a nonchalant wave of his hand.

Before Hiruzen Sarutobi could speak again, he lightly tapped his foot, and his figure disappeared from the Hokage Rock.

Seeing this scene, Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed with emotion, then quickly took a blank scroll from his waist and carefully sealed the wisp of natural energy that Bane had left him.

After finishing this task, Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately headed to the village, where the chaos was beginning to subside.

That evening, Konoha returned to calm. Although the damage was severe and many villagers and tourists from other places had perished, overall, Konoha did not suffer any irreparable loss or serious damage.

Inside the Hokage Building, the Jonin teams and the leaders and ministers of various departments were gathered in Hiruzen Sarutobi's office.

"So, the Jinchuriki of the One-Tailed Beast from Sunagakure is confirmed dead? Their tailed beast was taken by the Spirit Lord?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked Kakashi.

"The Jinchuriki may not be dead. They were taken away by the ninjas of Sunagakure. But considering that the Tailed Beast was forcibly removed, it's unlikely that they survived. As for Shukaku, the One-Tailed Beast, it was indeed taken away by the Spirit Lord. I saw it with my own eyes. Not only that, the Spirit Lord also seems to be very interested in the Nine-Tails inside Naruto. He left a message saying that he would come to take the Nine-Tails when he needed it," Kakashi said.

"That's a real problem. When will it be needed? Is there any way to stop it?" Hiruzen Sarutobi rubbed his temples.

It's so annoying. The Spirit Lord's actions are too unpredictable. He might be your good friend one second and turn against you the next.

After temporarily setting aside the matter of the Nine-Tails, Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression hardened as he said, "Since Sunagakure has declared war on us without warning, then we need not hold back. They have also lost their Jinchuriki, which is an even better opportunity. Issue my Hokage's order: from this moment forward, Konoha declares full-scale war on Sunagakure!!!"

In the original story, Sunagakure immediately backed down after the Konoha Crush plan failed.

Because Rasa died and was tricked by Orochimaru, Sunagakure placed all the blame on Orochimaru, saying that Orochimaru impersonated the Kazekage and caused all this trouble. Sunagakure originally had no intention of being enemies with Konoha.

Orochimaru was a rogue ninja from Konoha. He killed the Fourth Kazekage of Sunagakure and brought Sunagakure ninjas to cause trouble for Konoha. In fact, Konoha was somewhat in the wrong.

It was a bit awkward, especially since Sunagakure was quick to back down and quickly surrendered, signing a series of alliance agreements, which allowed Konoha to conveniently end the matter.

But things are different now. Rasa came to cause trouble in person, and he wasn't killed by Orochimaru. In fact, Sunagakure even lost its tailed beast. How could Hiruzen Sarutobi let such a good opportunity pass by?

Although he wasn't a belligerent Hokage, he wouldn't back down even when someone punched him in the face!

(End of this chapter)