Sasuke burst into the cave, but the person blocking her way immediately stunned her into stillness.
She even suspected she had been caught in an illusion, but the normal flow of chakra within her body quickly confirmed one thing: she was not under any genjutsu!
Yet, the man standing before her, dressed in layered blue Sengoku-period armor with a white fur collar, silver hair, and red eyes, was none other than the Second Hokage of Konoha—Tobirama Senju!
But the problem was, why had the Second Hokage, who had vanished for so many years, suddenly appeared in the Aurora Order's cave?
It was known that the First and Second Hokage had once been resurrected by Edo Tensei, then disappeared from Konoha to investigate the Aurora Order, something Jiraiya had mentioned during her training.
At first, the First Hokage, the Second Hokage, and Minato Namikaze had dealt heavy damage to the Aurora Order.
This had once forced the Aurora Order to go into hiding.
However, soon after, the First Hokage, the Second Hokage, and Minato Namikaze all mysteriously vanished.
During the Third Hokage's time, the Anbu were relentlessly sent to search for the two Hokage and Minato, but no trace was ever found.
Unexpectedly, the missing Second Hokage now appeared inside the Aurora Order!
And to meet under such circumstances, nothing could be worse!
Could it be that they had joined the Aurora Order?
A terrifying thought suddenly flashed through Sasuke's mind.
Otherwise, how could one explain the First and Second Hokage disappearing for such a long time and then reappearing with ties to the Aurora Order?
No, that couldn't be right!
Sasuke's pupils shrank, the three tomoe in her Sharingan slowly turning as they reflected the Second Hokage.
The Sharingan could see through chakra flow patterns, and because of this, Sasuke clearly saw a seal embedded inside the Second Hokage's body.
Although she could not discern the seal's purpose, its unique chakra flow was undoubtedly a key factor.
"Lord Second?"
Sasuke cautiously tried to speak, carefully testing the waters.
But the Second Hokage seemed completely unaware, his figure instantly disappearing from where he stood.
At the moment his silhouette vanished from sight, Sasuke's muscles tensed all over.
Her danger sense told her clearly that a fierce wind was rushing toward her from behind, aiming straight for her heart.
"Body Flicker Jutsu!"
After two years of training, Sasuke's body flicker technique had reached a level comparable to the 'Shisui of the Body Flicker.'
In the brief moment she vanished, the Second Hokage appeared holding a kunai from his previous position.
That was close!
Sweat trickled down Sasuke's forehead as she kept her eyes locked on the Second Hokage.
If she hadn't reacted so fast, her heart would have been pierced by that kunai in that very second.
"Is this the Second Hokage's space ninjutsu—Flying Thunder God?"
It was the first time Sasuke truly experienced the terrifying power of Flying Thunder God firsthand.
She had to stay fully focused at all times.
If she relaxed even for a second, even just to blink, her head might be separated from her body.
No wonder Minato Namikaze was able to earn the nickname 'Yellow Flash' during the Third Great Ninja War with Flying Thunder God.
Only now did Sasuke fully understand why.
But even though she kept her eyes on him, she still couldn't keep up with the speed of the Second Hokage.
In a breath, his figure vanished once again.
But this time, he did not appear behind her as Sasuke expected.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
White flashes flickered back and forth inside the cave, too fast for the naked eye to follow.
Between each flash, kunai cut through the air as if blinking had woven a dense net, trapping Sasuke inside.
Clang!
Sasuke drew her sword, the three magatama spinning rapidly, locking onto every kunai's position.
In an instant, a cold waterfall of blade light shattered all the incoming kunai.
But just as Sasuke's attention was drawn to the kunai, the Second Hokage suddenly teleported behind her again.
The kunai's blade seemed to slice through space itself, glowing with a deadly cold light.
"Flying Thunder God Slash!"
A ruthless slash was about to touch Sasuke's neck.
"Word Soul: Time Zero!"
At that moment, the flow of time inside the entire cave seemed to slow down by dozens of times.
Sasuke twisted her wrist, the blade rising from bottom to top, wrapped in the fierce light of Lightning Release, directly cutting the Second Hokage in half at the waist.
In the next instant, time flow returned to normal.
The Second Hokage showed no reaction at all and was suddenly cut in half.
Seizing the opportunity, Sasuke pushed off with her foot and leapt high into the air.
She quickly formed hand seals and took a deep breath. "Fire Release: Great Fireball!"
But her target was not the Second Hokage, who had just been cut in half.
Instead, it was the two chakra signatures hidden quietly in the shadows near the cave entrance.
The Second Hokage was a reanimated corpse, and she had no sealing techniques.
So her only choice was to find the mastermind behind it all.
Boom!
A fireball several meters in diameter surged forward, releasing waves of scorching heat toward the two figures in the shadows.
The terrifying heat distorted the surrounding air, then exploded violently, stirring up a massive cloud of dust and hot wind!
"It's not over yet!"
Sasuke clearly did not believe one Fire Release technique could finish the fight.
She quickly formed new hand seals: "Wind Release: Gale Slash!"
A howling fierce wind suddenly gathered where the flames had ignited.
As if controlled by an invisible hand, the fire swirled and rolled together, transforming into a blazing fire tornado!
Boom!
The fire tornado combined the sharpness of Wind Release with the destructive power of Fire Release.
Together, the two magnified the ninjutsu's strength to nearly S-rank level.
The blazing flames swept everything around like sharp blades, ruthlessly cutting and destroying solid matter.
Even the rock layers began to show signs of melting!
But just as the flames raged at their fiercest, a deep voice echoed from within.
"Wood Release: Birth of the World Tree!!!"
The cave floor trembled violently.
Thick tree roots burst from the ground and grew rapidly with astonishing speed.
The raging flames were instantly extinguished by the overwhelming growth of these furious trees.
Those trees that broke through the rock layers seemed almost conscious.
Their thick trunks stretched out, trying to grab Sasuke.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
The lightning-infused sword struck, cutting down every tree in its path.
But the more trees that fell, the more kept growing, as if endless. This forced Sasuke to retreat step by step.
In the blink of an eye, the entire cave transformed into a dense forest, filled with towering ancient trees.
Their branches smashed through the rock ceiling above, and the rapid growth was astonishing!
Finally, the furious growth of trees stopped, but the original cave had completely turned into a forest.
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