After leaving the Chunin Exam arena, Mizuki made a beeline for the frontline defense post.
If there was one thing he worried about more than anything else, it was the safety of his fiancée, Chie Tsubaki.
Tsubaki's combat abilities were respectable—she had solid chakra control and some unique techniques—but she wasn't a frontline fighter. She lacked strong life-preservation skills. If anything happened to her, Mizuki knew he'd regret it for the rest of his life.
As he weaved through the alleys and backstreets of central Konoha, the eerie quietness unsettled him. Though the center of the village remained relatively untouched by the invasion, most civilians had already evacuated. Only the sounds of distant clashes and the occasional tremor hinted at the chaos beyond.
Nearly all combat-capable shinobi had already been mobilized. The roads were deserted, save for a few scattered genin aiding with evacuation. Mizuki moved unhindered until he reached the small barrier research outpost where Tsubaki was stationed.
From a distance, he spotted several bodies crumpled near the doorway.
His heart sank.
He rushed forward—only to find they were Sand shinobi, not Konoha personnel.
"These wounds..." he muttered, kneeling to examine the closest one. The chakra scorched marks across the torso—clean, precise—were unmistakable. "That's Tsubaki's jutsu."
Her kekkei genkai-based Fusion Release—a rare blend of Lightning and Wind chakra—was devastating but required preparation and chakra precision. Only she could leave wounds like this.
Without wasting another moment, Mizuki slipped inside. More enemy corpses lined the corridor. Singed clothing, scorched walls—there had been a battle here.
"The barrier's still active," Mizuki observed, sensing residual chakra from the protective seal array. "That explains how they held out…"
Barrier and medical corps units rarely engaged in direct combat. Their ranks included sealing experts, support medics, and scholars—many with limited combat training. In such surprise attacks, they were often left vulnerable.
But there were exceptions.
Tsunade was one.
And clearly, so was Tsubaki.
Mizuki finally reached the backline defense point—just in time to witness a bolt of silver-white lightning flash through the air. Tsubaki wrenched her hand free from the chest of a Sand jōnin, who collapsed in a smoking heap.
"Xiao Chun!" Mizuki called out instinctively, letting out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.
Tsubaki turned, her face pale with fatigue, but she smiled. "Shuimu… You're here."
"Of course I'm here! Are you hurt?" he asked, scanning her for wounds.
She shook her head. "I'm fine. But some of the others were injured…"
"I'll help. Leave it to me." Mizuki knelt beside a nearby wounded medic-nin. Most were stable—burns, bruises, lacerations—but nothing immediately fatal.
Meanwhile, back at the Chunin Exam arena, the sky had darkened with smoke, and the battle between Orochimaru and the Third Hokage had escalated past standard ninjutsu exchanges. Their initial bout—Earth and Water Release combinations, shadow clones, and Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique—had given way to the true conflict.
This was no longer a match of skill.
It was a war of ideology and legacy.
From the arena rooftop, Sarutobi Hiruzen emerged from a cloud of smoke, breathing heavily, his battle armor scuffed.
"Orochimaru," he called sternly, "stop hiding behind tricks. Show yourself."
A soft chuckle echoed through the debris. "Heh… The warm-up is over, then?" Orochimaru stepped from the shadows, a mocking smile playing on his lips.
"You're still strong, old man," he admitted, licking blood from his hand. "But you're too late to stop me now."
Hiruzen narrowed his eyes. "I should have ended this the day you fled Konoha. I was your teacher. I failed you."
Orochimaru grinned madly. "Failed me? No, no. You just lacked vision. Let me show you what I've achieved since then."
He bit his thumb and slapped his hands together—then onto the ground.
"Summoning Jutsu: Impure World Reincarnation!"
The summoning formula spread like black ink. From the ground, three wooden coffins rose.
Hiruzen's eyes widened. "No… that technique—!"
He threw shuriken immediately, aiming to disrupt the summoning, but one of the coffins opened, shielding Orochimaru. The shuriken clattered harmlessly off the wood.
Two coffins completed the summon.
"Only two, huh?" Orochimaru mused. "That third one was stubborn. But this is enough."
From within the coffins, the reanimated bodies of the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, and the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, stepped forth—souls forcibly tethered back to the world of the living.
"You desecrate their legacy?!" Hiruzen roared, trembling with rage. "Even Tobirama never used that jutsu for this!"
"He created it!" Orochimaru countered gleefully. "I merely perfected it."
He peeled away the illusion covering his face, revealing youthful, flawless skin—his "immortal body," a result of forbidden experiments.
"How does it feel?" Orochimaru taunted. "To see your former students surpass you… and your own body betray you?"
Hiruzen gritted his teeth, summoning Enma, the Monkey King, to his side. "There's no point talking anymore."
"No. But perhaps my sensei would enjoy seeing his old comrades again."
As the two undead Hokage moved, chakra flared—Mokuton from the First, Water Style and Genjutsu from the Second—sending shockwaves that shook the barrier enclosing them.
Outside the barrier, Anbu and shinobi watched helplessly.
"Four Purple Flame Formation… we can't break through," one muttered.
Nearby, Mizuki's shadow clone observed silently from a distant rooftop.
"The first and second Hokage… resurrected." His fists clenched. "That's Orochimaru's trump card."
He glanced around the village. Most evacuation points held firm. Civilian losses were minimal. Young genin and Academy students had been pulled back. Critical infrastructure—like the Hokage Tower—remained untouched.
But the frontlines were stretched thin. The few elite still fighting barely had time to assist the Third.
"Where's Danzo?" Mizuki muttered. "Is he hiding in Root again?"
Danzo's philosophy echoed in his mind:
"I won't protect you—but if you die, it means you weren't strong enough. Don't expect a funeral."
"Typical. Convenient cowardice dressed as pragmatism."
Mizuki exhaled slowly, activating his seal array. "Time to prepare for Phase Two."
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