It wasn't easy. Not easy at all.
All of Hanabi's elaborate antics up to this point had been for the sake of one single name.
Now that she had "Danzo" on the table, a whole lot of things could be pinned on him. Certain investigations could proceed without anyone batting an eye.
And besides, if you wanted to stir things up, having Danzo absent from the picture meant losing half the fun.
Hanabi had no intention of letting the Third Hokage die here. Which meant the story needed a new flashpoint.
Konoha's Scapegoat King, Danzo, was exactly that kind of character.
Orochimaru had apparently learned from last time. This round, he didn't lose his composure.
The Third Hokage tossed aside his hat and changed into a full combat outfit.
Meanwhile, Kabuto's gaze locked onto Hanabi.
Roof tiles cracked and splintered under the sheer pressure of the Third Hokage's and Orochimaru's Chakra.
Yet Hanabi and Kabuto, standing right beside them, seemed completely unaffected.
"Incredible—their Chakra is unbelievably powerful!"
"It's like the air itself is pressing down on us!"
"And what's the deal with those two beside them? They're not affected at all…"
The ANBU served as the peanut gallery once again.
They weren't just stunned by the Third Hokage's and Orochimaru's raw power—they'd also noticed that the people standing beside each of them didn't seem the least bit fazed.
"Hanabi-sama, perhaps you should switch to your combat stance as well." Kabuto pushed up his glasses.
"Oh? Are you sure about that? You might actually die, you know. And Orochimaru-sama over there might just wet himself in terror."
Hanabi laughed softly.
Orochimaru: "..."
Would it kill you to keep your mouth shut?!
"Hanabi, stay as far away from me as you can. Orochimaru isn't someone you can handle." The Third Hokage was also giving instructions.
"It's fine."
Hanabi spun around and switched back into Crimson Attire mode.
At the same time, two Ice Swords materialized in her hands.
"There's no one in this world who can kill me. Oh—and that includes you too, Third Hokage-sama."
"Hmph! Since you're already this confident, then cover my flank!"
The Third Hokage hurled his shuriken.
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!"
Orochimaru began forming seals in response.
"Summoning Jutsu: Edo Tensei!"
"I'm terribly sorry—that one's confiscated."
Hanabi, who should have been at the Third Hokage's side, vanished.
"Nani?!"
Even Orochimaru hadn't expected Hanabi to suddenly appear behind him.
Hanabi's mastery of the Flying Raijin was far from polished. It took long preparation, and the execution wasn't smooth.
But—
Every single roof tile up here had been inscribed with Flying Raijin marks over the past half-month.
No joke—yours truly had put her life on the line just for the sake of this flex!
"Chakra Scalpel!"
Kabuto appeared at Hanabi's side in an instant.
His scalpel sliced across Hanabi's neck.
But Hanabi's twin blades had already carved into Orochimaru.
"This is bad—the Hyuga heiress was too reckless!"
The ANBU burst into alarm again.
"..."
The disdainful look Hikari shot them, however, left them bewildered and vaguely embarrassed.
[ANBU: behaving]
[Hikari: Small potatoes. What's the fuss?]
[I've always been curious—is Hanabi's trick Genjutsu, a clone, or some other kind of ninjutsu?]
[I'll let you in on a secret: Hanabi actually dies for real every time, but she can summon her self from one second ago, so she survives every time!]
[Kurumi Tokisaki: Thanks for the invite. Please pay the licensing fee]
"My oh my, you actually avoided Zhuixia and sliced right through my neck."
Hanabi retreated at high speed, brushed her hand across her throat, and the wound vanished.
She was wearing Zhuixia, but Kabuto's strike had precisely bypassed Zhuixia's protection around her neck, cleanly cutting through.
"Some kind of regeneration ability, I take it?" Kabuto said. "What a coincidence—I have something similar."
Over on the other side, after being slashed by Hanabi and then peppered by the Shuriken Shadow Clones, Orochimaru looked like a pincushion.
Except this Orochimaru quickly sloughed away into a layer of shed skin, and an uninjured Orochimaru stood atop the rooftop.
"That just now—that was Space–Time Ninjutsu, wasn't it? Using Space–Time Ninjutsu in tandem with Genjutsu to conceal your arrival point. Quite a clever idea." Orochimaru knew this woman was here to cause trouble.
He even knew Hanabi was deliberately trying to provoke him.
But he had to admit—Hanabi had done an excellent job.
Everything he'd planned to do had been completely shut down.
"Kabuto, that woman—you hold her off," Orochimaru said.
"Orochimaru-sama." Hanabi spoke up. "Please don't use Edo Tensei. Otherwise, I'll have no choice but to use a summoning of my own."
Since she didn't intend for the Third Hokage to exit the stage, there was no need for the First and Second to make their entrance either.
Of course, if Orochimaru insisted, Hanabi would have to play her trump card.
"Now I'm curious to see you try." Orochimaru had no intention of following Hanabi's script.
He began forming seals again.
But the Third Hokage leapt to Orochimaru's side in a flash.
"Earth Style: Earth Flow River!"
Orochimaru had been standing on the highest point. The ground beneath his feet suddenly turned into a raging mudslide, sweeping him away and sending him crashing downward.
"Earth Style: Earth Dragon Bullet!"
"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Bullet!"
"Combination Ninjutsu: Earth Dragon Flame Flow!"
The Third Hokage chained Earth Style and Fire Style into a combination attack—fireballs wrapping around earthen projectiles, hurtling toward the tumbling Orochimaru.
"Summoning: Rashōmon!"
A massive gate erupted from the ground, splitting the mudslide and blocking the attack.
Hanabi moved to press the advantage, but Kabuto was already on her.
"If you want me to understand you, then fight me for real!"
Kabuto said.
"Kabuto-san."
But Hanabi's figure dissolved like mist—struck, yet scattering into nothing.
This wasn't merely a standard illusion. At the point where the phantom appeared, Hanabi also distributed a trace of Chakra.
The inspiration came from the Shadow Clone Technique. Without dōjutsu like the Byakugan or Sharingan, it was nearly impossible to see through this kind of phantom at first glance.
"Fighting won't accomplish anything," Hanabi said.
"Then you should've killed me earlier," Kabuto replied, his Chakra Scalpels not slowing in the slightest as he continued slicing through the phantom's vitals.
"Come on—if you want my acknowledgment, then fight me properly."
"Ara, I'm afraid that won't be possible right now."
Because on the other side, Orochimaru had once again completed the seals for Edo Tensei.
Hanabi flickered back to the Third Hokage's side with a Body Flicker.
Edo Tensei was coming—and she could continue showing her hand.
This was something she'd painstakingly designed to keep pace with the Akatsuki-level meta.
Director Hanabi had been waiting for exactly this moment.