Sarutobi Hiruzen stared at the three coffins summoned by Orochimaru, his face somewhat solemn. He had originally thought that Orochimaru was the only opponent, but he hadn't expected this—Orochimaru had even resurrected several people!
"This is going to be a bit difficult," Sarutobi murmured.
He noticed the numbers "one," "two," and "four" written on the three coffins in front of him. If nothing unexpected happened, these should correspond to three deceased Kage—most likely former Hokage.
"Now, how will you deal with this, Sarutobi-sensei?" Orochimaru sneered. "No, I should say… Third Hokage!"
"Orochimaru, you deserve to die!" Sarutobi Hiruzen shouted in fury. "How dare you play with the remains of our ancestors! This won't end well for you!"
"Haha!" Orochimaru chuckled. "That's not your concern."
As he spoke, he slowly lifted the lids of all three coffins.
Sarutobi's eyes widened as he stared.
The coffins labeled "One" and "Two" indeed contained the bodies of the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, and the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama.
"Could the third be Minato?!" Hiruzen's heart tensed.
"No… it shouldn't be!" he reassured himself.
The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, had used the Reaper Death Seal to perish alongside the Nine Tails. His soul should still be sealed within the Shinigami's stomach. Orochimaru shouldn't be able to summon him.
"Then this number four..." Sarutobi speculated.
As the final coffin opened, his eyes narrowed—"As expected. If it's him, I'm relieved."
The third coffin, marked "Four," held the Fourth Kazekage of Sunagakure—Rasa!
All three coffins were now open, and the revived figures began regaining consciousness.
"Oh, long time no see, monkey!" said Hashirama in his usual cheerful voice.
"Oh? It's you!" Tobirama added, looking at Sarutobi. "I didn't expect you'd have grown so old, Sarutobi."
"I never imagined I would see the two of you again like this," Sarutobi said bitterly. "But I will not hold back. Prepare yourselves, Shodai, Nidaime!"
Meanwhile, Rasa, now fully conscious, glanced at his surroundings. Upon seeing Orochimaru, his eyes instantly turned sharp with fury.
"Orochimaru, you dare betray me?! Go to hell!" Rasa shouted.
Seeing Konoha in chaos and recalling his death, he quickly pieced together what had happened—Orochimaru had killed him, impersonated him, and infiltrated Konoha to assassinate Sarutobi.
"Haha!" Orochimaru sneered at the furious Rasa rushing toward him.
"The dead should behave themselves."
With a wave of his hands, Rasa froze on the spot like a puppet—lifeless and controlled.
"You'll die a horrible death, Orochimaru!" Rasa cursed him, even though his body was no longer under his own control.
"Impure World Reincarnation?!" Tobirama muttered as he looked at his own hands and state of being. He quickly realized what Orochimaru had done.
"Is this the young man who summoned us with the forbidden technique?" he asked, turning to face the one responsible.
"Yes, teacher," Sarutobi replied with a dark expression. "He was once my student, but I drove him from Konoha due to his obsession with forbidden techniques. Now he's using your jutsu to summon you both. That's my fault."
"Hey, Tobirama, you bastard!" Hashirama barked. "Didn't I tell you to destroy that scroll?! Why is someone still using this jutsu?!"
"Ah, big brother, that's not fair!" Tobirama replied, scratching his head. "I did destroy the scroll of Impure World Reincarnation as you instructed."
"Haha!" Orochimaru cut in with a cold laugh. "Second Hokage, don't blame yourself. I perfected this technique from notes you left behind."
"You perfected it? From my notes?!" Tobirama's brows raised in surprise. "That's... impressive."
As the creator of Impure World Reincarnation, Tobirama knew how difficult it was. The fact that this young man had not only rediscovered the jutsu from remnants but even perfected it was extraordinary.
"I see," Hashirama sighed. "So this is how it is. Then, Monkey, it seems we'll have to fight you."
"I understand, my lords," Hiruzen responded with a heavy heart.
"Alright," Orochimaru said as he stepped forward, holding talismans. "Let's stop the sentimental talk. It's time to begin!"
"We always end up fighting, no matter the era…" Hashirama muttered somberly.
To avoid endless conflict, he had created the concept of a shinobi village. And yet, here he was—resurrected to fight against his will, in the very village he had founded. The irony was painful.
"You are known as the God of Shinobi," Orochimaru sneered. "A battle like this should be nothing to you."
He pressed a talisman into the back of each of the three revived Kage.
The moment the tags were embedded, white mist surged from their bodies. Their once-withered skin regained its vitality, and in no time, they looked as they had in their prime.
"Now then… Sarutobi-sensei, enjoy this battle," Orochimaru said, grinning.
As he was about to force the three forward, Sarutobi raised his hand.
"Wait!"
Orochimaru blinked in confusion. "Yes, Sarutobi-sensei? Would you like to say a few last words before we begin?"
"As your former teacher," Sarutobi said with grave calm, "I'll grant you this opportunity."
He took out a small purple gourd, uncorked it, and took a sip.
"Tsk~~~" The sound of enjoyment slipped past his lips.
Orochimaru frowned. Something felt off.
Wasn't Sarutobi known for smoking all the time? When did he become a drinker?
In the past few days, he hadn't seen the man with his pipe at all—but he was constantly seen with that strange gourd.
"Orochimaru," Sarutobi said in a slow, composed tone, "You may be brilliant, but your observation skills are sorely lacking."
"It seems I'll need to send you back to the Ninja Academy for retraining!"
End of the Chapter.
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