"Food Cart Destroyer Jutsu!"
With that bellowing cry, a colossal toad crashed down from the heavens, landing with earth-shattering force directly on the reanimated First and Second Hokage. The impact simultaneously deflected the Second Hokage's Water Severing Wave, sending the high-pressure jet of water careening toward the distant Hokage Rock. In a stroke of cosmic irony, the blast struck the stone carving of Tobirama Senju himself. It was a perfect case of "I hit myself."
This early version of the Reanimation Jutsu was clearly crude. The revived shinobi did not possess much of their original power. When first reanimated by Orochimaru, even the First Hokage could only manage a minor Wood Style jutsu, a pale imitation of the god-like power that had allowed him to summon massive wooden constructs with a simple clap of his hands when he was alive.
"Jiraiya!" Orochimaru hissed, his voice laced with venom. If anyone in the ninja world knew this forbidden jutsu as well as its creator, it was him. Much like Naruto and Sasuke, Hiruzen and Danzo, or Hashirama and Madara, Orochimaru and Jiraiya were a pair of companions locked in a cycle of love and hate. This seemed to be a unique, if not strange, characteristic of Konoha.
Jiraiya ignored his former comrade, instead standing proudly atop the summoned toad's head and calling out to Hiruzen Sarutobi. "Old man! Can you still hold on?"
Thanks to Naruto's earlier surprise assault, Orochimaru had been prevented from summoning his snakes outside the village, a strategic move that would have kept Jiraiya occupied and away from the main battle. Seeing his student arrive, a wave of relief washed over Hiruzen's aged face.
Danzo, on the other hand, looked furious. Things had taken a disastrous turn. His plan had been to assassinate Hiruzen without witnesses and pin the entire blame on the renegade Orochimaru. With Jiraiya now on the scene, the chances of that plan succeeding were virtually zero. As one of the legendary Sannin, Jiraiya commanded immense respect within the village, even after his long absences. If he were to testify, no one would believe Danzo's version of events.
Unless...
Danzo touched the bandages covering his right eye. He cursed inwardly. He had not yet fully integrated the First Hokage's cells, which meant he couldn't use the powerful ocular jutsu that could turn the tide of this entire battle.
"Orochimaru! Do something!" Danzo yelled, knowing his time was running out. The Temple of Nirvana Jutsu wouldn't last forever. Once everyone in the village awoke, his doom would be sealed. He bitterly regretted his rash actions, but there was no turning back now.
With a look of grim determination, Danzo unleashed two more wind-infused shuriken and charged, his fighting style suddenly becoming far more aggressive. Hiruzen, who had been handily deflecting Danzo's attacks, found himself on the back foot against this new, reckless strategy of trading blows.
After his summon, the Monkey King Enma knocked away the shuriken, and Hiruzen created a clone. Together, they launched a powerful combination attack: the Five-Element Great Combo Barrage. Realizing the true extent of Danzo's ambition, Hiruzen no longer held back. Fortunately, the large plaza in front of the Hokage building was empty, as the villagers were still under the sleeping genjutsu, or the attack would have caused widespread casualties.
To Hiruzen's astonishment, Danzo charged straight through the barrage of elemental techniques, emerging from the inferno completely unharmed.
How? Hiruzen wondered, recalling how Danzo had seemingly ignored his attacks before. He couldn't understand what was happening, and Danzo wasn't about to explain.
"Wind Style: Vacuum Blade!" Danzo shouted, thrusting a kunai infused with wind chakra at Hiruzen.
"Enma!" Hiruzen commanded. His loyal summon extended its Adamantine Staff, blocking the deadly blade just in time. Realizing that Danzo possessed some ability to nullify damage, Hiruzen used the staff to maintain a safe distance, thwarting Danzo's plan to use his "invincible" state, Izanagi, to land a decisive killing blow.
While the two elders were locked in their bitter struggle, Orochimaru showed no interest in helping his supposed ally. To him, Danzo was merely a disposable pawn. It would be naive to expect someone like Orochimaru to honor any "cooperative" agreement. For people like them, simply refraining from stabbing each other in the back was a sign of great virtue. Besides, he had his own priorities.
Looking at Jiraiya, Orochimaru temporarily abandoned his assault on the Third Hokage. "Summoning Jutsu!" A colossal purple-and-black snake, Manda, materialized beneath him, dwarfing the toad Jiraiya had summoned earlier.
"Orochimaru! You had better have a hundred living sacrifices ready for me, or I will devour you!" Manda hissed, its arrogant tone making its disdain for Orochimaru painfully clear.
Orochimaru, however, was unfazed by the creature's insolence. "Of course. Once we've dealt with them, you can feast on everyone here to your heart's content!" he promised, making an empty vow he had no intention of keeping. He truly did not care if Manda went on a rampage.
Satisfied, Manda's tail shot out like a whip, coiling around Jiraiya's toad. Jiraiya promptly dispelled the summon and slammed his palm to the ground, casting another jutsu. This time, a giant toad appeared wielding an enormous tachi, which it immediately brought down on Manda.
Manda reacted with surprising speed, avoiding being skewered. It clamped its jaws around the blade, preventing the toad, Gamabunta, from pulling it back, and tried to ensnare him with its tail. Gamabunta deftly abandoned the sword and leaped back, its movements belying its massive size.
"I'll turn you into dried toad jerky, you bastard!" Manda shrieked.
"Good! I've been wanting a new snakeskin wallet!" Gamabunta retorted.
The two massive beasts stared each other down, ready for another devastating clash. Manda flung the sword aside, and after Gamabunta dodged, it lunged forward with its cavernous mouth wide open. Gamabunta quickly retrieved the sword from the ground and used it to block Manda's fangs.
The plaza, despite its size, could not withstand the collateral damage from the battle between the two titanic summons. As Jiraiya watched a nearby house crumble from a stray swipe of Manda's tail, he knew he had to end this fight, and fast.
[Chapter Complete]
***
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