"That's the First Tsuchikage! The Second Tsuchikage!"
"Isn't that the rogue Deidara? So he's dead too…"
"The First Raikage, Second Raikage, Third Raikage, also Kakuzu and Hidan, the magnet ninja Toroi…"
"That's the First Seven Swordsmen of the Mist! And former leaders of the Kaguya and Yuki clans! The First, Second, Third Mizukage, and Hozuki clan members…"
"The First Kazekage, Second Kazekage, Third Kazekage have appeared too!"
"The past war hero, Pakura…"
"Amazing! With so many legendary figures, Konoha and the Empire are nothing!"
"Our world will be protected by us and our predecessors together!"
The ninja of the Four Great Ninja Villages, seeing these resurrected faces, showed joy, shouting loudly one by one.
The resurrected ninja, seeing so many people, showed slight confusion.
"What's this?"
"Everyone, let me briefly explain the current situation."
Ōnoki stepped forward, recounting the Empire's existence, Konoha's alliance with it, their oppression, and forced surrender.
After listening, the senior ninja erupted in fury, shouting with rage-filled faces.
"Those insignificant Konoha juniors and some unclear bastards claiming to be from another world dare threaten us! Courting death!"
"Damned scoundrels! Back then, even facing the Ninja God and Ninja Asura, we didn't yield. How could we surrender to these juniors!"
"Beat them! Beat them senseless, make them regret this!"
"Let's show those brats how terrifying their seniors are!"
"The battles we faced weren't child's play like now!"
Only a few of the oldest ninja remained silent.
Among them, the First Tsuchikage said, "The enemy is Konoha and the Empire… those claiming to be from another world don't scare me much… but Konoha's people… will they also use Edo Tensei to summon their predecessors?"
Hearing this, many ninja showed serious expressions.
After all, if Konoha, as their enemy, did the same, they'd face Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara, who once dominated the ninja world.
Recalling their prime strength, the group felt helpless.
"We have a Konoha ninja on our side, persuading Konoha's predecessors to join us against the corrupt, decadent Empire and Konoha. For now, let's act first. Soon, Konoha's predecessors will join our ranks." a ninja replied.
The group sighed in relief.
Thank goodness, no need to fight Konoha's Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara!
Without facing those two, the Empire was nothing to fear.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
At the same time, in a cave.
The First Hokage, Second Hokage, Third Hokage, Fourth Hokage, Shimura Danzo, Hatake Sakumo, and a group of long-dead Konoha ninja opened their eyes one by one.
Seeing Jiraiya before them and someone with purple Rinnegan eyes, they showed shocked expressions.
"Why are we summoned again?" Hashirama said, puzzled.
"This time, it's not the same group as before…" Tobirama frowned. "And there are more."
"Huh? Why am I here? Shouldn't I be in the Death God's stomach? Jiraiya-sensei?" Minato's gentle voice sounded.
"Jiraiya…"
"Konoha's predecessor Hokage and heroes! We, Nagato and I, summoned you! We need your strength to protect this world! Please help us!"
Jiraiya looked at the Konoha seniors before him, speaking seriously, then knelt.
"Huh? Jiraiya-sensei! What are you doing?! Get up! Just tell us what's wrong, why do this!?"
Minato, shocked at his teacher kneeling, hurried to help him up.
But Jiraiya waved him off, staying knelt, eyes gleaming as he looked at everyone.
Hashirama and Tobirama frowned.
"From your appearance, you're Konoha too. Protecting the world but not involving all of Konoha, instead summoning us dead… something big must have happened. Can you explain in detail?" Hashirama said.
"A world similar to ours has invaded ours… The Great Toad Sage used his remaining life to complete a prophecy… if that organization isn't stopped, the world will be utterly destroyed. The sky will darken, the earth will crack, a giant tree will drain the world's energy… so I beg you all to join me in stopping this." Jiraiya said.
"A similar world? You mean the Shinobi Empire with Senju Ryuji?" Tobirama raised an eyebrow.
"Second Hokage, you know?" Jiraiya was slightly surprised.
"Was Edo Tensei'd by them once, saw some bad things, and dealt with Sarutobi Hiruzen, Shimura Danzo, Mitokado Homura, Utatane Koharu, cleaning house, expelling them from Konoha." Tobirama said, arms crossed, clearly displeased.
"What! Sensei was ousted from Konoha too! How?!"
Jiraiya, shocked, turned to Hiruzen.
Others then looked at Hiruzen, who'd been silent in the crowd.
He appeared dazed, empty, his mouth moving as if chanting something.
In the sudden silence, faint words were heard:
"Wrong… I was wrong… I shouldn't have been Hokage… nor coveted the position, let alone allowed Minato and the Sarutobi clan to corrupt, or Danzo to kill innocents, massacring the Uchiha clan… I was wrong… truly wrong… I shouldn't have…"
"Shut up, Hiruzen! You and I aren't wrong! Isn't this how the world works? Sacrifice a few for the majority's peace! Konoha's wrong! This world's wrong!"
"Hmph! Konoha, not understanding our struggles, will face retribution sooner or later! We're like this only because our strength wasn't enough!"
Danzo, unable to bear his old friend's state, shouted angrily.
Startled, Hiruzen resumed muttering.
"Fool! Snap out of it! We're Edo Tensei'd again! This is our chance for revenge! Don't you want to kill those Uchiha brats to avenge your clan?"
Danzo shouted again, and Hiruzen slowly regained awareness.
"I'm… really Edo Tensei'd again… Uchiha Sasuke, Uchiha Itachi… Though I deeply regret what happened before… you killed the Sarutobi clan… I can't forgive you. I'll kill you to avenge my clan!"
By the end, his expression grew resolute.
Others, hearing this, felt a complex mix of emotions.
Jiraiya and Minato, increasingly anxious and confused, asked about the situation.
Tobirama explained everything. After listening, Jiraiya and Minato fell silent, their gazes at Hiruzen no longer respectful, even stepping back slightly.
"Never thought Naruto suffered like this… if Kushina knew…"
"Damn old man! You're asking for death!"
A lion-like roar sounded.
From an inconspicuous spot, a woman with flowing red hair roared and charged at Hiruzen, punching his face hard.
"Old man! How dare you treat my Naruto like that! And the Uchiha clan! Minato and I trusted you, entrusted Naruto to you! You deserve death! Your whole family's destruction wasn't wrong at all!"
"Sasuke did well! Too bad I wasn't there, or I'd have minced every Sarutobi clan member myself!"
"I know you all despise and hate me now, it's my fault, but… my clan was innocent… Konohamaru was only twelve… he knew nothing…" Hiruzen's shattered body slowly reformed, saying sadly.
"Sarutobi Hiruzen, born evil, if you knew innocence, you wouldn't have touched the Uchiha's old and young. Having acted, be ready for retribution. Your enemy only repeated your deeds—why can't you bear it?"
"Letting you be Hokage was the greatest mistake. Weak-willed, hesitant, irresponsible." Tobirama scolded.
"Should've been me as Hokage!" Danzo muttered, feeling slight relief.
"You're trash too!" Tobirama glared at Danzo, silencing him.
"Second Hokage's right! Sarutobi Hiruzen, weak-willed, hesitant, irresponsible! Letting you be Hokage was Konoha's shame!"
Kushina roared, throwing another punch.
Minato, seeing this, hurriedly hugged her, whispering: "Enough, Kushina… Sa… Sarutobi Hiruzen's already paid his price…"
"Sensei… no… Second Hokage, Kushina, you're right… but I still want clan revenge. It's my right…" Hiruzen turned away, saying firmly.
"Killing for revenge is normal. If you want it, go for it—if you have the ability." Tobirama said, then looked at Jiraiya. "Back to the topic. You summoned us with Edo Tensei to face those Empire people, right?"