Orochimaru flew down and struck at Sarutobi while his unwilling servants fought off the enhanced Ox. They should have been able to defeat it, and largely were, but they continued to tactically blunder over and over again.

"Health Purview: Epidemic!" Orochimaru shrieked in frustration at how long this fight had gone on for, infecting the few wounds his old mentor had sustained throughout the course of the battle.

The Great God-on-Earth felt the force of Orochimaru's mastery over the human body affect what of his body was still human, ripping into his wounds and making them far, far worse. That did not stop him from concentrating. In order to work the world surrounding him to his will, he needed to focus, and losing it now even to deal with his wayward student would mean his companion's continued, brutal sacrifice would amount to nothing. He couldn't stand the thought.

And so he focused, and focused, until finally his mind was bound to the world surrounding him. Everything lost its essential nature in his eyes, becoming another force for change, becoming a malleable form, becoming a vessel of transformation, or 'Taiyi.'

Ignoring the philosophical musings for a bit, he envisioned a cage that could hold a Minor God, envisioned what materials would withstand incredible strength and physics-breaking magic, and simply demanded that the rooftop become such a material. Changing the world to one's will had benefits.

Orochimaru felt a cage form around him, a cage of some substance he couldn't identify (and with, as unhumble as it was to say, his wide array of learning being unable to identify it meant something obscure indeed), but that stopped his movement. When he struck against it, empowered by the strength of the great serpent within and the speed of his enhanced wings, it did nothing.

He couldn't lose here, not after all he had sacrificed, all that he had worked to accomplish…he looked down on his old master. Said man had been beaten and battered over and over again. Being Sarutobi "Shennong" Hiruzen meant that the beatings barely winded him…at first.

The superhuman durability built up by Sarutobi's Stamina Knacks had been broken down by Orochimaru and his various pawns' onslaught, which in turn meant that he could use techniques that might harm a mortal…"Death Purview: Extinguish Life!" Orochimaru shouted.

Seeing that his student was currently under Sarutobi's power, he reached into himself and activated a Boon that he had never used before. He doubted anyone in the Tian Tiang Zhi Fu Yuan Clan had in living memory, even as they considered it among the most important of their unique powers once they finally let him study them.

"Taiyi Purview: Shen Transformation!" He shouted. He called upon the divine beauracratic rights bestowed upon him by Godhood, over the Chinese God's natural understanding of how all of existence was merely one great transformation, and demanded that Orochimaru be stripped of his own Godhood. It wasn't easy, as all the scrolls said.

Orochimaru was only under his power, a needed requirement for the Boon to work, in the most technical sense of the term. The universe itself was judging his own ability to rightfully make that call, whether he could take away the power of another God, but he pushed, channeling his Ichor and forcing his will, his history as this man's teacher, his righteous assessment of Orochimaru's actions and why they deserved punishment, his sincere belief that all Three Worlds would be better off with the Scion's reduced status, and demanded that his judgment be issued.

He felt Orochimaru's power, not fighting back but draining him, striking at his very life force. It was a dangerous Boon to mortals, but one that shouldn't have given the Great God-on-Earth much trouble were he given the proper time to deal with it, but he couldn't take a smidge of concentration away from his own Boon.

Orochimaru did not know what was happening to him. He felt…weaker. Not because of something draining his strength, but because of something reverting him, changing his very nature. The unique Purview of the Chinese Gods was unfortunately an area he hadn't studied as much as all the others, rather foolish in hindsight considering his intended opponent, so he couldn't immediately identify Sarutobi's attack, but he did recognize that it was something his former mentor was spending a lot of concentration on, and thus decided it wouldn't matter if he could ensure the man in question died first.

Sarutobi rendered his judgment, demanding that the universe change Orochimaru's core nature in response, while Orochimaru pushed the raw force of Death into Sarutobi, ending the man's life through sheer willpower.

It was a contest no less strenuous than any fight throughout the Village in the moment, including the disastrous one between the Great Ox and the mummified forms of the former Great Gods-on-Earth. Water ripped at the ox's flesh, a horn gored into Tobirama's torso, a burst of sunlight dried out the water but scorched the ox's wounds.

It was very clear that a lack of intelligence, created through Orochimaru's spell and not a natural part of these two men's characters, was the only reason he could stand at all. That was, until he couldn't.

Sarutobi felt the Great Ox fall, and felt saddened. It was unfortunately an emotion he couldn't afford right now. Between the effect of Orochimaru's Boon and the oncoming threat of the former Great Gods-on-Earth, it was time to face the fact that he was leaving the Middle-World today.

Somehow, he was glad that it was through dedicating his all rather than ascending that caused him to leave; while he wouldn't get a fancy eternal palace in the Overworld, at least he knew that he had truly been willing to give it all for the safety and prosperity of the Village in the end. That was something he could take to the depths of the Underworld with pride.

Closing his eyes, he grinned to hear Orochimaru's gasp as his Boon succeeded, the boy being reduced to the Ichor levels of a Lesser Demigod, and the equally pleasant sound of Hashirama and Tobirama questioning their master when he was no longer strong enough to control their forms, before the final burst of Orochimaru's own Boon drained the last bit of life force tethering him to the Middle-World and his body fell, lifeless.

--

The man Danzo had keeping an eye on his old rival reported that Sarutobi was dead. His corpse remained in the Middle World; there would be no ascension, and he would find himself trapped in the Underworld or reincarnating at some future date into some mindless babe with no memories of his past life. That last part was irrelevant, even a little sad.

Danzo did have some respect for the man, as muted as it had become in the last several decades. Still, the fact that he was no longer in the Middle-World meant that he could finally move without the old fool's interference, just as soon as he got rid of this little invasion.

"Prepare to move," he ordered his most loyal followers.

--

"Jotunblut Purview: Giant Enhancement," Inoichi shouted as he rammed his blood-covered finger into his longtime friend Choza. Mummies were not only durable, they could bring themselves back to life so long as their souls were properly bound the Middle-World. Even so, it would probably take a while to resolve the pancakes the super-sized Scion had just left. Thanks to Shikaku using his own Unique Purview to toss his mind in and replace their own, only a few particularly strong-willed individuals even tried to run.

With their death, the supernaturally generated weather effects vanished, and the surrounding was suddenly covered by a bright and sunny day. A bright and sunny day that showed Hekau's forces losing badly. Against their better judgement, they let out a cheer, and then a larger one when a loud resounding horn gave the order to retreat to all of their foes.

This was immediately interrupted by news of the Great God-on-Earth's fate.

--

Were they to be honest with themselves, neither Naruto nor Fuu had the slightest interest in contributing to another battle. Still, the first couldn't just stand by when his comrades were in danger and the second was fond of the first, so they prepared to join in…only to find the enemy forces retreating. Naruto expressed his disappointment out loud to hide his relief from any onlookers, using the opportunity to bring Sakura and Sasuke's semi-conscious bodies to one of the myriad medics desperately running around and looking for survivors to treat.

--

Rasa had become Hem-Netjer-Tepi because, at the time, he genuinely thought he'd be the best for the job. He understood the ways of Hekau, he technically understood the philosophy of Ma'at, he could easily pass any Thanatology exam given. Plus, he had not only shown himself to be quite capable on the battlefield, but able to distinguish between who deserved mercy and who had to be eliminated. People once joked that he was Judge of Ma'at walking the Middle-World.

Now, looking back, he wondered whether or not he actually understood the philosophy of Ma'at this entire time. There had been no solid judgment when his anger over the Village Hidden in Hekau's financial struggles led him to seek support from the minor Villages and put him into contact with Orochimaru. Neither his willpower nor his knowledge of Hekau saved him from whatever supernatural power Orochimaru put him under. Worst of all, none of his subordinates questioned him when he started making decisions under Orochimaru's orders.

While Rasa supposed it was a good thing that the Mummies of the world trusted him, it also brought into question whether they supported him because of his wisdom or his title; if it was the former, as he was sure they all would claim, then why didn't they stop him? Could he have stopped himself?

That, more than fear, was what made him hesitate as his disembodied soul stood before the Judges of Ma'at. He wasn't scared of facing judgment. He had done nothing but earn their wrath. He was frightened of being wrongly judged, either too harshly or even too softly. Would they see his actions as foolish and vile, or as something forced upon him by another's mind-control? What would they accuse him of?

Suppressing his worries, he stepped forward. All 42 of them could be seen, if one squinted, but only the middle Judges faced him. That the highest Judges had no interest whatsoever didn't surprise him in the slightest, but he was a little shocked that the lowest also seemed uninterested. Were his crimes not horrible enough for them? Had he not ordered the deaths of so many, gotten so many of his own killed, to be worth only the scorn of the lowest?

"State your crimes, if you feel you have any," one Judge spoke.

Knowing full well that lying or downplaying would only make things worse, Rasa answered as honestly as he could bring himself to. "I sought out dangerous allies and forbidden powers, and in doing so fell under the control of a man who used the Village Hidden in Hekau's loyalty to me in order to commit unspeakable acts. I directly supported the various crimes of the Village Hidden in Sacrifice, lied to my closest allies and confidants, and started an unjust war, getting many of both the enemy and my own people killed."

"You were under another's control," one noted. "Does this absolve you of any guilt?"

He was familiar enough with the Judges of Ma'at to know that it wasn't a question in the sense of something they didn't know; they merely wanted to see if he was going to weasel out or, equally wrongly, try to turn himself into a false martyr by taking on a punishment he didn't deserve.

"Not all of it. There were actions that cannot be laid at my feet, but the fact that I started the series of actions that led to my control, that I did not do more to fight Orochimaru subtly, these are things that I cannot disperse blame for. Also, I am Hem-Netjer-Tepi, held to a much higher standard than any other among the Undying, and yet I was too weak to resist. That is a crime to be punished for, if nothing else."

They stared at him, unflinching, unreadable. Another spoke, "and what of your Apprentices? What do you have to say about your treatment of them?"

This completely threw the Hem-Netjer-Tepi off guard. He was probably a bit harsh with Kankuro and Temari, but that was because he held them to high standards. They were the elites of their rank, probably way above many Mummies of technically higher rank, and on a much less important note being his direct apprentice had granted them unmatched prestige. There were certainly things that the high Judges could fault him for, but the crimes judged by those in the middle didn't seem to apply to those two….he had three apprentices. The very fact that he had forgotten to include the other probably proved their point.

"Was I supposed to be kind to Apophis?" He blurted out without thinking. "The Serpent of Chaos and Death? "

"No. Are you saying that your youngest apprentice was Apophis himself? That is fascinating."

Did they not know about Gaara….no, they were trying to get something through his thick skull.

"The monster inside of him, I saw it rather than him, and tried to make him stronger so that he could control…I punished him for what he was. I made him my apprentice so I could control him, turn his power to the Village's benefit, but I never saw him the way I did the others. I once compelled the only Mummy who ever cared for Gaara to attack him, to see what he would do, I told myself it was to make him stronger but really it was because I was disgusted to see a Mummy get close to the monster. Could he have turned out better if I had raised him differently? Is everyone who died to one of his rampages blood on my own hands? I do not know, and that bothers me."

They seemed satisfied.

"And what consequences should you face?" Another asked.

This was it, the most difficult part of properly facing the Judges. Knowing what punishment and rewards were truly suitable; they considered failing to understand that the greatest crime against Ma'at.

"I deserve to be stripped of my power, at the very least. Even if I continue as a Mummy, I've still proven myself as unworthy to lead and represent the Village."

"The Village Hidden in Hekau is about to experience a massive political disaster. Whomever leads it will find one of their greatest challenges yet. Are you sure that it is a punishment, and not a reward, to be stripped of such a position?" A Judge challenged.

"It doesn't matter," the Hem-Netjer-Tepi responded. "Keeping me in charge would be a punishment to the Village, not me, and they don't deserve to suffer for my mistakes."

"Very well, your Balance is reduced. Severely. The strongest spells are lost to you, and your physical capabilities are reduced to those of a human. The Priests in the Village will have a dream demanding your removal from office. There is one other consequence you must face directly, however."

Before they explained, he found his soul tossed back into his body. Then, without him moving it, his body stood up and ran in the direction some inexplicable force led him. Abandoning the arena, ignoring the screaming people surrounding shouting about the Hem-Netjer-Tepi getting away, he weaved through everything and everyone trying to stop him, miraculously avoiding what should have been an impossible to evade prison with little effort, and found himself in the woods, running and running until he ran into his three apprentices trying to flee.

Gaara had no idea what to say next after he apologized to his fellow apprentices. There were a lot of wrongs to address, and he still wasn't certain whether or not they should be. Was he really going to abandon the philosophy the had kept him sane all these years because of the words of one annoying Scion? But did it keep him sane? And wasn't the fact he was asking this question an admission that he had embraced those ideals out of psychological comfort rather than a sincere quest for the truth?

Regardless, he still wanted to say something to these two, only to be interrupted by the one person more important to his intellectual development than them.

"Hem-Netjer-Tepi," he noted, without a hint of respect in his voice. There was no disdain either, just an observation of his typical title.

"Not for long, with how this has turned out and the Judges have spoken."

Temari and Kankuro, both bowing in reverence, looked up in shock. "But you are earthly symbol of the Light of Ra, the vision of Horus…"

"I failed the Village," he silenced them. "This attack was a disaster from conception. However, that's not what I'm here to talk about. I want to talk about how I failed you."

Temari objected to this. "Under your tutelage we have become some of the greatest…"

"I'm not talking about how I failed you learning to use Hekau. That is one thing I can face Anubis's scales about with pride. But teaching you to incorporate the lessons we gain from the Gods, from understanding our souls, from understanding Balance and Ma'at, that is where I failed disastrously. Not in technical terms, but in how you could apply it. I know this from the fact that none of your objected to my plan."

Kankuro gritted his teeth. Temari looked offended by the fact.

"Was it a test, then?" Gaara asked, apathetic.

"No, I sincerely meant for you to go along with it, and I have always taught you the value of giving authority its proper respect. That was my failure to understand the philosophies I devoted my life to, and there is no fair condemnation to my students for not doing better after they had me as a teacher. However, you have both shown yourselves capable whether I showed you the way or not. You will grow better in time. The one I truly failed, the one I put on the wrong path a long time ago, was you, Gaara."

Gaara stared at him, still apathetic. "You made me a tool of the Village, and protected me from the consequences of my crimes. Maybe my former victims have a wrong to claim on you, but you did nothing that wasn't expected of you."

Rasa sighed. "I did many things that weren't expected of me, and quite a few that were but shouldn't have been. You became what you were because I allowed you to be. No, because I encouraged you to be. Do you remember your former friend, the one who tried to kill you?"

"Yes, it taught me a lot about the value of friendship. You gave him the option to try and kill me to make me stronger, and he eagerly hopped on it…"

"No, I forced it on him. I saw the problems our Village was facing, with the growth of Akhmat Cult and the King of the Land of Resurrections re-examining our funding, and I decided that I couldn't wait to allow Apophis's strength to grow into you. I thought that giving you a hatred of humanity, Supernatural or otherwise, would allow you to tap into the power earlier, and so I made some rather immoral decisions."

Had this exact same Mummy said the exact same words to Gaara even an hour earlier, he would have fallen into a screeching rage and unleashed a storm of flint. Temari and Kankuro both braced themselves for that very possibility. Rasa, to his credit, merely stood and waited.

Now, he was spent, and more wary of Apophis's control after what Naruto had pointed out to him. Now, he just wanted to move forward.

"I reached the point where I thought everyone was fake," Gaara eventually responded. "A lot of people were confused by this. They thought I meant that other people didn't exist. Of course other people existed, they just weren't people. Their lives didn't matter in the same way mine did. During that time, I still followed your orders. I often asked myself why. Not having an answer didn't stop me from following them in the slightest, but now I think I understand myself a little. You also stopped seeing people as people. They were part of the Village to be used for the abstract benefit of all, not as themselves. I think I found a level of understanding in your way of thinking, a sort of camaraderie."

Gaara started tracing the Heiroglyph on his forehead. "I won't pretend to know what matters haunt the mind of a Hem-Netjer-Tepi. I don't truly know what to do in a situation where one's livelihood depends on another's death. But I do know that I no longer want to stop seeing people as people. If I ever become Hem-Netjer-Tepi, I want to be one who sees every person under him as real."

That was apparently all he had to say to his Village's soon-to-be former leader. Knowing that all four of them were high-priority targets for capture by the Village Hidden in Legends at this point, they nodded to one another and moved on.

--

It was never publicly discovered how the leaders from the other Villages were freed from their stasis. For that matter, it was never fully uncovered how Sacrifice and Hekau had put them into such a stasis in the first place.

All those involved could remember from being freed was a vague chant. The Ancestor claimed it was reminiscent of an old 'Hindu' mantra, though few outside of Legends and Enlightenment knew what that meant.

What was made public knowledge was the aftermath; Orochimaru had apparently been counting on a political fiasco to materialize and protect the Village Hidden in Sacrifice from retaliation. He had been sorely disappointed.

In spite of apparent expectations, the Prince, Ancestor, Marshall, and Flockmaster were not about to simply 'let matters go' because he had gone out of his way to ensure they came to no harm. The Village Hidden in Fire surprisingly making a call in Legends' aid, apparently to minimize any potential fallout from Neji's discussions about their past actions, meant that the Dragons exploiting Legends' weakness wasn't a problem, and the rumors of a coup in Torments meant that the Demons were too preoccupied to be bothered with the situation. Dreams was on the biggest warpath calling for revenge against the man, Conspiracies had shut itself away from all contact whatsoever, and the other Minor Villages simply weren't interested.

Finally, Hekau itself removed the Hem-Netjer-Tepi from office due to a 'dream from the Judges of Ma'at' (and certainly not to save face, the cynics scoffed), and the new temporary council was desperate to get a peace-treaty signed.

Sacrifice was alone, surrounded by enemies. The only thing that saved Orochimaru and his little experiment in the end was his remarkable ability to vanish. When the frontline forces of Legends came to the supposed location of his little project, they found an empty town.

Seeing the way the wind blew, Quetzalcoatl's son actually up and moved his entire support base to somewhere else in the world, and for the moment no one was certain as to where.

--

Ultimately deciding that vengeance could wait, the Village Hidden in Legends turned inward. Celebrations for the many heroes (of both meanings of the word) and their legendary deeds were paramount, infusing them into organic stories that would fuel their Ichor growth, but so was mourning the fallen. Many had died in those fateful days, not the least of which being the Great God-on-Earth himself.

Even in the midst of funeral after funeral, none in the Village failed to show up to his. Like all leaders, he was a flawed man, but many still respected him. He was a literal God as their cosmology saw it, and now he was one who would never find his place in the Overworld because he chose to remain for too long in the Middle-World, and action he did for them. The funeral sermons would not stop repeating that notion.

"Why would he do that, when he could have ascended? Isn't that the ultimate goal for all of us?" Naruto asked Iruka as they watched his corpse be lowered into an elaborate coffin, one designed for a Chinese Emperor, whatever that was, for him to rest in when his corpse was burned later.

Iruka patted his student's head. "He was a God, but he started, like all of us, as a Hero. In the end, that side of him won out."

That was all either of them said as they watched the rest of the proceedings.

--

Taiyi Purview: Grand Unity Transformation-after lengthy concentration snd coming to an 'understanding' of the world, one may alter the shape and substance of almost any inanimate object in the immediate area

Taiyi Purview: Shen Transformation-requests the universe to alter a Supernatural being's power level, must demonstrate to an unknown party that this 'should' be done

Jotunblut Purview: Giant Enhancement-increases the size of the target, as well as their strength, and gives them access to basic Strength and Stamina Knacks if they don't already have them, while reducing their independent intelligence