The white smoke above the scroll in front of Hiruzen Sarutobi gradually dissipated, revealing a swirling figure emerging from within.
Both Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju displayed expressions of surprise. They hadn't expected the one summoned through the reverse summoning technique to be a person—someone they had met before.
"Yo, it's an old acquaintance!"
"Brother Orochimaru, long time no see! Lord Hashirama, Lord Tobirama, I didn't expect to see you two here."
The shadow clone of Uzumaki Raiden stepped out of the smoke and greeted everyone with a smile. He hadn't expected to run into Orochimaru, Hashirama, and Tobirama here.
"It's you, kid. I didn't expect to see you again so soon. You've weakened considerably."
Tobirama squinted at Uzumaki Raiden and spoke in a low voice. He could sense a stark difference in the amount of chakra Raiden possessed compared to their previous encounter. Now, his chakra reserves were significantly depleted—of course, this was relative to what they had been before.
"Tobirama, your perception is a bit off."
"This is just his shadow clone."
Hashirama crossed his arms and smiled. He had already experienced the strangeness of the enemy's attacks and had found them quite bizarre. Now that a capable fighter like Uzumaki Raiden was here to support them, the battle situation would shift.
"A shadow clone?"
"Even a shadow clone can possess this level of chakra?"
Tobirama was momentarily surprised but quickly recovered. Pointing to a girl with multicolored hair nearby, he said, "That woman is the enemy. No need for unnecessary words."
"She's strange—she seems to be able to absorb chakra. Be careful."
Tobirama shared the information they had gathered. He and Hashirama stood in front of Hiruzen Sarutobi and Uzumaki Raiden, ready to protect them. Meanwhile, Orochimaru was momentarily sidelined.
"Sarutobi-sensei, Lord Hashirama, Lord Tobirama, and Senior Orochimaru, please assist me. Let me test the opponent's abilities."
Raiden focused on the colorful-haired girl nearby, his pupils shrinking unconsciously. Even at his level of strength, he felt an intense sense of oppression from her. She looked like a young girl, yet it felt like he was facing a ferocious beast.
That was right—it felt like facing a beast.
"Are you here to kill me too?"
The girl spoke softly, her vacant gaze fixed on Raiden. The moment her words fell, Raiden suddenly felt an overwhelming force surge toward him. Caught off guard, he was struck directly by the terrifying attack.
"Ugh?!"
Clutching his chest, Raiden dropped to a crouch, wracked with pain. Just moments ago, he had been brimming with confidence, yet now he curled up on the ground in agony.
"Raiden? What's wrong?" Hiruzen Sarutobi was alarmed to see him in such pain. The enemy had attacked again—just as she had when striking down Orochimaru's subordinates. It had been silent and unseen.
But this time, it had directly struck Raiden.
"What kind of attack is this? Even this kid got caught?"
Orochimaru glanced at Raiden, his expression darkening. If Guren had fallen earlier due to her lack of strength, this situation was different. Raiden's power far surpassed Guren's. Even if he was just a shadow clone, he was far stronger. Yet, he had still been hit inexplicably.
Realizing the severity of the situation, Orochimaru no longer hesitated. With a flick of his wrist, countless white serpents slithered from his sleeve, swiftly crawling along the ground toward the girl. They moved with incredible speed, reaching her in an instant.
"Hisssss!"
The serpents lunged at the girl's face.
"Why? Why are you attacking me?!"
Seeing the attack approach, the girl's expression darkened. Her nails suddenly extended, slashing through the attacking serpents. Blood splattered, staining her pale skin. But as soon as the crimson blood touched her, it turned purple, sizzling on contact.
The snake blood was highly toxic.
However, the girl's body quickly regenerated. The festering skin healed almost instantly, rendering the venom useless. Orochimaru's attack had not only failed to harm her but had also enraged her further.
"If you want to kill me, then I will kill you!"
With a furious roar, she charged at Orochimaru with incredible speed. To the others, she seemed like a blur.
"Hmph!" Orochimaru bent his knees slightly, preparing for the attack. Just as the girl was about to reach him, a flash of purple light flickered beside him.
To his surprise, Raiden—who had been curled up in pain just moments ago—had appeared in front of him.
"Boom!!!!"
With a thunderous crash, the girl's powerful punch was caught in Raiden's single palm. The impact generated a powerful shockwave that spread outward.
"Impressive strength, but that's all!"
Raiden had seemingly recovered. With his left hand catching the attack, his right hand crackled with terrifying lightning chakra. Without hesitation, he thrust it toward the girl's chest, aiming for a decisive blow.
Puchi!
His lightning-infused hand pierced through the girl's chest, gripping her heart.
With a single strike, he had seemingly succeeded.
"You..." The girl stared at Raiden in shock, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.
However, Raiden didn't celebrate. Instead, he frowned, trying to pull his arm back—only to find it stuck. A terrifying resistance held him in place.
Even more unsettling, the girl's aura hadn't weakened at all.
"Die!"
She let out a furious roar. Her long hair suddenly billowed, and the tips of her strands transformed into small arms that reached for Raiden.
With his body restrained, there was no way to dodge. He could only reinforce himself with lightning armor. He braced for impact—but then, a wall of water suddenly erupted beside him, cutting through the girl's hair and even severing the arm that held him in place.
"Water Release: Water Severing Wave!"
Tobirama's voice reached Raiden's ears. Taking advantage of the opening, Raiden swiftly retreated to Hiruzen Sarutobi's side, instinctively grabbing the scroll on the ground.
"Boom!"
His shadow clone vanished instantly. At the same time, the scroll was once again enveloped in smoke, and another shadow clone appeared on the battlefield.
"Tobirama-sensei, Raiden's shadow clones are limited. His real body is in the village, so be careful when attacking!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi warned, before charging toward the girl to assist Tobirama.
Together, they engaged her in close combat. The girl's taijutsu was weak, and she was quickly overwhelmed. She suffered multiple blows, but her terrifying regenerative ability allowed her to heal almost instantly.
Meanwhile, Hashirama, Orochimaru, and the newly summoned Raiden held back, analyzing the fight.
"This woman's physical abilities are weak, but her regeneration is nearly instantaneous."
"Sarutobi-sensei is old. If this drags on, he'll exhaust himself."
"We'll need sealing techniques—otherwise, this will never end."
Orochimaru prepared a sealing technique, but before he could act, Raiden moved.
Staring at the night sky, Raiden gathered immense chakra in his palm.
"Mt. Myoboku is in daylight."
"But here... why is it night?"
"Kagura's Mind Eye is being disrupted—there must be a barrier!"
Raiden muttered before launching a massive lightning blade toward the sky.
"Boom!"
The dark sky trembled. The girl suddenly let out a groan, her movements faltering. Seizing the opportunity, Hiruzen landed a solid blow, sending her flying.
Realizing they had found her weakness, excitement flashed in Hiruzen's eyes. But Raiden's expression remained grim.
His strongest attack had barely affected the barrier.
"Lord Hashirama, you'll need to step in."
Uzumaki Raiden looked solemnly at Hashirama Senju. Hashirama immediately understood his intent and wasted no words. He clasped his hands together, closed his eyes, and began gathering chakra.
Not long after, Hashirama's eyes suddenly snapped open, and he shouted, "Sage Art: Wood Release – True Several Thousand Hands!"
The once-calm ground trembled violently as Raiden's shadow clone quickly grabbed the scroll and leaped away, making room for Hashirama to unleash his technique.
From a distance, Raiden silently observed the immense power emanating from the thousand-handed Buddha that Hashirama had summoned. Shaking his head slightly, he bit his finger, smeared blood onto the scroll, and began sealing.
Hashirama's attack alone might not be enough to break through the barrier covering the sky, so Raiden planned to reverse summon his real body to join the fight.
As Raiden chanted the summoning technique, the colossal Buddha swung its fist toward the sky. A series of deafening roars echoed as the barrier shook under the impact.
Each strike from Hashirama placed immense strain on the barrier. The girl, who had been locked in combat with Hiruzen Sarutobi and Tobirama Senju, suddenly froze, unable to resist the overwhelming force.
"The technique unfolds!"
Mid-air, the girl let out a furious scream as countless wind blades erupted from her surroundings, slicing through everything in their path.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, caught off guard by the unexpected attack, was unable to dodge in time and was struck by the wind blades.
Tobirama, on the other hand, despite having his body sliced open by the attack, quickly regenerated. Thanks to the reanimation technique, he was impervious to physical injuries.
"What's happening?"
Hiruzen quickly distanced himself from the girl, his expression tense. Not far from him, the girl, who had just been sent flying, was now floating mid-air. The air around her distorted visibly, and she radiated an aura of immense power—she had the ability to freely manipulate the wind.
Her gaze locked onto Hiruzen, and in an instant, a compressed mass of air formed at his chest before violently striking him.
Hiruzen's expression twisted in pain as he clutched his chest, his body curling up from the sudden agony.
Just as the girl prepared to press her attack, a flash of cold light streaked toward her.
Sensing danger, she attempted to dodge, but an eerie sensation coursed through her body—she felt as if she had been split in half.
Yet, the attack wasn't enough to be fatal. Instead, her eyes widened in shock as she found herself staring at the red-haired youth who had suddenly appeared before her.
He was different from before.
The young man now stood wielding a long blade, draped in a golden energy cloak. Though the girl didn't recognize the energy enveloping him, she could clearly sense the terrifying power surging through his body.
And that power—it fascinated her.
(End of this chapter)