The Impure World Reincarnation was originally developed by the Second Hokage as a complement to his Mutual Multiplying Explosive Tags technique, not as a method for summoning the dead to fight. This is why the bodies of those resurrected with the Impure World Reincarnation appear to be made of paper fragments; in essence, they were meant to be containers for explosive tags.
However, since Orochimaru couldn't master the Mutual Multiplying Explosive Tags technique, he altered the Impure World Reincarnation to summon the souls of the dead for battle.
Explosive tags by themselves aren't especially powerful in a ninja's arsenal, but when used in massive quantities, like the 600 billion tags that Konan once deployed, their power is transformed. The Mutual Multiplying Explosive Tags technique was designed to maximize the effectiveness of explosive tags, and its power is so great that even the Ten-Tails could be harmed by it. Without the Truth-Seeking Orbs for protection, Obito would not have emerged unscathed from this technique.
The technique was so dangerous that the Second Hokage developed the Impure World Reincarnation as a means of using others as tools for the explosive tags, given that the blast radius was immense and could even endanger the caster. Essentially, those resurrected were mere tools for the Mutual Multiplying Explosive Tags technique.
Had Konan known this technique, her 600 billion tags might have even been able to destroy the Divine Tree itself. Unfortunately, she never had the chance to learn it.
"Both of you, it's best not to move." As the First and Second Hokage prepared to make hand seals to break free from the control of the Impure World Reincarnation, Orochimaru quickly reacted and stopped them.
As the creator of the Impure World Reincarnation, the Second Hokage knew how to break free, and Orochimaru was constantly on guard for this. In the original story, Orochimaru had erased their personalities to control them in battle, which, although limiting their strength, also prevented them from regaining control.
"You wretch," the Second Hokage glared coldly at Orochimaru, unable to move his body. Unlike his later resurrection with White Zetsu's body, which forced Orochimaru to be cautious even while controlling him, this time, due to the weaker sacrifices and Orochimaru's own choices, both the First and Second Hokage were severely weakened.
The best sacrifice for Impure World Reincarnation would undoubtedly be a White Zetsu. Having inherited the characteristics of the Divine Tree from the Infinite Tsukuyomi, White Zetsu had the ideal properties for this purpose.
The Second Hokage was furious, but the First Hokage remained calm.
"So, you're the Second Hokage?" Sasuke suddenly stepped forward, glaring coldly at Tobirama.
"You're an Uchiha," Tobirama observed, recognizing Sasuke's clan immediately upon seeing the two tomoe Sharingan in his eyes.
"That's right. I'm an Uchiha, and the last surviving member of my clan, thanks to your policies. The Uchiha clan was exterminated by the Leaf Village."
Sasuke's emotions flared as he faced the man who was arguably the architect of his clan's downfall.
"The Uchiha clan has been wiped out? Tobirama, what have you done?" The First Hokage's expression changed dramatically upon hearing this.
"It's simple," Sasuke responded before the Second Hokage could speak. "He isolated the Uchiha clan within the village, forced them to rebel, and then used that as a pretext to exterminate them."
"So it's come to this, has it?" The Second Hokage showed no joy upon learning of the Uchiha clan's destruction; instead, he seemed filled with regret.
"Tobirama, have you forgotten what I once told you?"
"Brother, everything I did was for the peace of the village. Any sacrifice for the Leaf is justified. You understand the nature of the Uchiha clan better than anyone. I never intended to annihilate them, only to curb their ambitions."
Before the First Hokage could say anything further, the Second Hokage interrupted.
The First Hokage let out a deep sigh, his expression filled with sorrow.
He knew the Uchiha clan all too well. This was why, when Tobirama was selected as the Second Hokage, he had not objected. The Uchiha were too emotionally driven, making them ill-suited to lead the village.
"Such fine words, sacrificing everything for the Leaf. Yet the Fourth Hokage, who sought to improve relations between the Leaf and the Uchiha, was schemed against and died in the village. Is that for the Leaf, or is it just for power?"
The sound of slow clapping echoed through the area, and everyone turned to see Daniel Davis smiling as he spoke.
"The Fourth Hokage? What is this about, Monkey?" Both the First and Second Hokage fixed their gazes on the Third Hokage, who stood dressed in his battle attire on the opposite side of the barrier.
"It was just a tragic accident. He's the enemy," the Third Hokage tried to explain.
"An accident? What about the death of Sakumo Hatake, the White Fang of the Leaf, who was driven to suicide? He was a man so feared by enemies during the war that they trembled at his name, yet he was driven to death by his own village. Was that also an accident?"
"And what about Hizashi Hyuga, who sacrificed himself to protect the village's Byakugan? The village that emerged victorious in the war was forced to sacrifice a hero to appease the enemies' greed. Another accident, was it?"
"Then there's the Fourth Hokage's son, Naruto Uzumaki, who, after his father died protecting the village, lived in poverty, barely able to eat expired food. Meanwhile, your grandson enjoyed luxury, with a Special Jonin as his personal tutor. More accidents? There sure are a lot of 'accidents' in the Leaf Village, aren't there, Third Hokage? Would you care to explain?"
A tense silence fell over the crowd. Kakashi's hand tightened instinctively over his forehead protector, while Hiashi Hyuga, standing nearby, clenched his hands behind his back. Neji Hyuga, too, wore an expression of disbelief as he looked from the people within the barrier to his own clan leader.
"Orochimaru, do you know why you lost the election for the Hokage position to Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage? While your human experimentation was one reason, the more significant factor was that your prestige far surpassed his. If you had become Hokage, you wouldn't have needed to rely on the village elders; you'd have had enough support from the likes of Tsunade, Jiraiya, and many of the village's powerful clans to control the village."
"But Minato was different. He didn't have deep roots in the village. Even after becoming Hokage, it was hard for him to shake certain people's power. He had to rely on them to govern the village."
"And once Minato started working to improve relations with the Uchiha clan, certain people feared he would gain their support and usurp their control over the village. That's how the Nine-Tails Incident came about."
"Enough of your lies! You won't stir up unrest in the Leaf Village!" The Third Hokage shouted.
"Lies? Then why, after several years as Hokage, could Minato still not control the Anbu or the Root? As far as I remember, the Anbu are supposed to be directly under the Hokage's command. Or was there some kind of 'Supreme Hokage' overseeing the village back then?"
"Who would have thought this would be so satisfying?" Daniel chuckled inwardly as he watched the Third Hokage's expression shift through a range of emotions.
The things he had said weren't his own inventions; they were theories he had read online in forums. He had simply adopted them here. Whether or not these theories were far-fetched was irrelevant—after all, the Leaf Village was now the enemy.
Daniel wasn't a critic of the Third Hokage or a defender. He was a fan of the Fourth Hokage, and the way Minato's son had been treated made him despise the Third.
Daniel didn't believe that his words would cause the Leaf Village to fall apart. The Will of Fire would keep them fighting for the village, no matter how unpleasant his accusations made them feel.
The ninja world wasn't short on smart people. Some of them had likely figured out these truths long ago but never brought them up. Take Kakashi, for instance: his Sharingan had evolved into the Mangekyo when Rin died, but he never used Kamui until after the Third Hokage's death. Before that, he even claimed that his Lightning Blade could only be used four times a day and that using the Sharingan without Kamui left him bedridden for a week.
After the Third died, Kakashi's limitations disappeared. Even after using Kamui, he no longer needed a week to recover. Perhaps he had learned from his father's and Hizashi's fates and decided to hide his true strength.
Daniel's goal with this speech was simply to get under the Third Hokage's skin and enjoy himself.
"And what about Dan Kato? Doesn't anyone find it suspicious that someone with the Spirit Transformation technique was ambushed and killed in a rear base? The enemy's intelligence sure was impeccable, wasn't it?"
Dan Kato, Tsunade's lover, was a genius on par with the Sannin, Sakumo, and Minato. His Spirit Transformation technique allowed him to kill enemies without being seen.
"Monkey, what are
you waiting for? We can't let them leave here alive!" the Second Hokage suddenly shouted.
"Don't worry, Lord Second. Even if it costs my life, I will protect the Leaf." The information Daniel had revealed was too dangerous, and the Third Hokage decided he had no choice but to act.
"You'll have to go through your student first if you want to kill me." Daniel knew the Third Hokage was serious, and at this point, he had become the man's target.
"It's finally time to begin, Sensei. A long-awaited battle." Orochimaru grinned as he conjured four wooden spears, which shot toward the Third Hokage.
"Wood Style?" The sight of the attack immediately shocked the Third Hokage, and even the Second Hokage's expression changed.
"That's right, Sensei. To die at the hands of Wood Style… I think you should be honored." Orochimaru smirked as he summoned his Kusanagi sword and charged.
"So, he's confident." Seeing that Orochimaru hadn't ordered the First and Second Hokage to attack alongside him, Daniel realized that Orochimaru wanted to test his newfound Wood Style abilities.
"Enma!" The Third Hokage summoned the Monkey King Enma, who instantly transformed into an iron staff, blocking the Kusanagi sword.
"These summoning beasts of yours are quite something, with their adamantine bodies," Orochimaru remarked. Very few summoning creatures in the ninja world could match the toughness of Enma's iron staff form.
"Enma, hold him off!" The Third Hokage created three shadow clones and started weaving hand seals rapidly.
"Why use shadow clones at a time like this?" Many of the ninjas watching from outside the barrier were puzzled.
Facing an opponent of Orochimaru's caliber, using shadow clones would only split the user's chakra and weaken them. It was a tactic rarely employed by high-level ninjas in such intense battles, except for someone like Naruto, who could afford it. Of course, reanimated individuals were an exception as well.
The Third Hokage's strongest technique was the Five Elemental Bullets, a composite ninjutsu that combined all five elemental affinities. As the Professor of Ninjutsu, his proficiency in such techniques was unparalleled. However, in his old age, his chakra reserves weren't what they used to be, making it difficult for him to perform such powerful jutsu.
"Shinigami Reaper Death Seal!" Daniel recognized the enormous figure forming behind the Third Hokage. The Hokage was planning to use the Reaper Death Seal to take him down.
"The Fourth Hokage's Shinigami Reaper Death Seal? Looks like you're really going all out, but too bad—I'm not willing to die with you."
The Reaper Death Seal was a sacrificial technique. With Enma holding off Orochimaru, it was clear what the Third Hokage intended.
"Farewell, Third Hokage. And goodbye to the First and Second Hokage as well. Until we meet again." As the Third Hokage charged at him, Daniel waved his hand, and both he and Sasuke vanished from the barrier.
With so much dark history revealed by Daniel, the Third Hokage had no choice but to die to prove his innocence. His death would bury the scandals, but if he lived, the situation would be much different.
"A space-time ninjutsu… It seems the Leaf Village has encountered a formidable enemy this time." The First Hokage sighed as he watched Daniel reappear outside the barrier.
"Attack!" As soon as Daniel appeared outside, the Leaf ninja, led by the Anbu, rushed toward him.
"You should leave now." Daniel gestured, and Sasuke transformed into a small stone, which he threw a kilometer away using spatial displacement.
"Let's have some fun, shall we?" Daniel grinned as he raised his hand. A flurry of green leaves materialized in front of him, then shot toward the oncoming Anbu like arrows.
"Ninja Art: Wild Lion's Mane Technique!" Before the leaves could reach their targets, a familiar figure appeared, shouting as white hair extended from his head like vines, forming a dense wall.
Most of the leaves were blocked by this wall of hair, but a few scattered leaves managed to strike some of the Anbu. The figure was none other than Jiraiya, one of the legendary Sannin.
"Wood Style…" Jiraiya's expression was grave as he retracted his hair and stared at Daniel.
"You old fool, what are you doing?" Orochimaru's furious shout echoed from within the barrier. The Reaper Death Seal couldn't be canceled once activated, and with Daniel gone, the Third Hokage's target was now Orochimaru.
"So, it's come to this, has it?" Daniel shook his head, watching as the Shinigami's hand grabbed Orochimaru, along with the First and Second Hokage.
"Orochimaru is much stronger this time, so he shouldn't lose both arms." The sealing of the First and Second Hokage went smoothly, as neither resisted.
Only Orochimaru and the Third Hokage seemed to be locked in a tug-of-war, though the rope in this contest was the arm of the Shinigami itself.
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