"A score?"
The Raikage and Mizukage looked confused.
What deep hatred did the Kazekage and Tsuchikage have that they were willing to risk sparking a war just to openly declare battle against Konoha?
Their questions were soon answered.
The Kazekage raised his hand and tore off his face — revealing a delicate, almost feminine visage. It was none other than the S-rank missing-nin wanted by Konoha: Orochimaru!
"So it's really you, Orochimaru."
The Third Hokage's face filled with sorrow. He looked at that face as if memories pained him, then sighed, "I never imagined it would come to this — teacher and disciple fighting each other."
"Could you stop using that face to say such disgusting things to me?"
Orochimaru's cold, pale face seemed to freeze over. His snake-like pupils narrowed, emitting a terrifying killing intent.
"Honestly, it makes me feel sick."
"Ah? Don't like it?"
Wrinkles creased the Third Hokage's face as he forced a teasing smile.
"I thought seeing this face might remind you of your childhood days."
Suddenly, killing intent exploded!
Without warning, Orochimaru struck first. His blade sliced across the Third Hokage's neck.
But no blood sprayed out.
Taking advantage of the moment, Orochimaru followed up with a heavy punch that sent the Third Hokage flying.
"Don't lecture me using that face."
Orochimaru flicked his hand dismissively and said coldly, "You are nothing but a fake, unworthy!"
Fake?!
The Raikage and Mizukage were shocked, exchanging stunned glances as they looked toward the Third Hokage.
Amidst the swirling dust, the Third Hokage slowly stepped forward.
Like peeling off a layer of clothing, right before the Raikage and Mizukage's eyes, he stripped off the outer layer of skin.
Beneath the disguise of the 'Third Hokage' was a naked figure.
Its skin was pale, almost like it had been painted white, showing no signs of gender.
Its hair was wild and tangled, like overgrown weeds.
But the most striking feature were its eyes.
They shimmered faintly with golden flecks, and the pupils were vertical slits like a beast's, radiating a chilling, bone-deep coldness.
The Raikage and Mizukage exchanged looks again, both filled with horror and disbelief.
They couldn't be dreaming, right?
The real Third Hokage of Konoha had silently been replaced by a fake!
If this got out, it would surely trigger an earthquake across the entire ninja world!
"Is it just the two of you who came?"
White Zetsu's cold gaze swept over Orochimaru and the Tsuchikage, as if showing a hint of disappointment.
"The two of us are enough to deal with you."
Orochimaru lifted his head and spat a sword out from his throat.
He drew the blade with a cold voice.
The sword was engraved with complex and mysterious runes, as if it contained some dark magic.
It constantly gnawed at the Raikage and Mizukage's sanity.
No, they mustn't look!
With great willpower, they broke free from the strange, oppressive feeling but dared not look at the sword again.
"To deal with you, we don't need more people."
Ōnoki clenched his fist, his strong muscles hard as rock, radiating an imposing aura.
At that moment, though he was small in stature, the Tsuchikage gave the Raikage and Mizukage a feeling as if he were a high and mighty emperor, making them involuntarily want to submit.
"Hmm, a Mentor of Disorder and a Mysticism Magister," White Zetsu tilted his head, watching the two confidently, wearing a thoughtful expression.
"Two Sequence Five. Though tricky, they're still far from killing me. Let me guess—the others are intercepting Uchiha Obito, right?"
Though his plan was seen through, Orochimaru's expression didn't change. He said coldly, "That's right. They've gone to stop Uchiha Obito."
"Hahaha, interesting, very interesting."
White Zetsu squinted, a huge grin stretching to his ears.
"So now, it's a question of whether I can hold out until Uchiha Obito arrives, or if you can kill me before they're crushed, right?"
The Raikage and Mizukage hadn't yet figured out what they were talking about when suddenly their vision went black, and they fainted.
"Battle Hypnosis!"
White Zetsu's overwhelming spiritual power surged like a tsunami.
"Distortion!"
Ōnoki immediately activated his ability.
He was a Sequence Five Mentor of Disorder of the Black Emperor path, able to distort the target's language, actions, and intentions—he could even twist the concepts of himself and the target.
White Zetsu's spirit trembled, his thoughts instantly warped, and the hypnosis he had just formed shattered immediately.
Seizing the moment the opponent's will was twisted, Orochimaru did not hesitate—he struck with his sword.
This sword was originally the sacred "Kusanagi," but he had specially modified it, engraving the power of the Sun path onto the blade.
Once it pierced White Zetsu, the contained light fire would immediately burn his spiritual body!
However, White Zetsu was no easy opponent. His spirit shook briefly but quickly suppressed the attack, then unleashed a "Madness" strike.
Buzz!!!
A surge of malicious mental attack almost made Orochimaru lose control of his consciousness.
But that brief distraction allowed White Zetsu to seize the chance. Another piercing strike filled with spiritual power hit Orochimaru's spirit like a whip.
"Ah!"
Orochimaru writhed in pain, veins bulging on his forehead.
"Hahaha, too weak!" White Zetsu's eyes rippled with delight. He raised his hand and grabbed a flaw in Orochimaru's mind, trying to completely take control of his spiritual body.
Just then, a strong sense of danger forced White Zetsu to stop and retreat quickly.
Onoki pressed his palms together, opening a transparent cube-shaped barrier between them.
Then, with a sudden push forward, the transparent cube shot across the space, engulfing half of White Zetsu's body inside it.
"Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique!"
The transparent barrier exploded violently, breaking down everything inside it to their most basic atomic form.
This attack tore off half of White Zetsu's body.
What surprised everyone was that despite losing half his body, White Zetsu didn't bleed at all—instead, he began to rapidly regenerate.
"That's... the bloodline of the First Hokage?!"
As an expert in forbidden techniques, Orochimaru instantly recognized the bloodline he had studied for so long.
"Heh, yes, it's the First Hokage's bloodline."
White Zetsu moved his arm slightly and grinned, "Surprised? I'm actually not human at all. I was created using the cells of the First Hokage."
Even Orochimaru and Onoki were shocked by this news.
It turned out their longtime enemy was made using the First Hokage's cells!
"Orochimaru, you've shown a weakness!"
White Zetsu's plan succeeded. He knew that revealing this truth would shake them deeply.
Now was the moment he wanted. If Orochimaru showed a crack in his mind, White Zetsu could take advantage of it, infiltrate their mental defenses, and then uncover all the remaining members of the Twilight Hermit group!
*******
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