As the signal to retreat was relayed to every Konoha ninja, the main battlefield between Kumogakure and Konoha had shifted towards the streets of Konoha. Only in this forest outside the village did a few Konoha ninjas remain, surrounded by dozens of Kumogakure ninjas.
Despite the significant imbalance in numbers, the battle’s intensity was nearly equal. The Blue Beast of Konoha had unleashed his terrifying strength, holding his own against the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki and hundreds of Kumogakure ninjas.
Blue afterimages flickered in the air. Guy, having opened the Seventh Gate of the Eight Gates, delivered punches and kicks with extre power, causing the ground to crack and mountains to tremble. It was not just an empty boast.
While Kumogakure also excelled in taijutsu, and the Fourth Raikage Ay’s Lightning Release Armor was incredibly fast and impervious to weapons, he was not present here. There was no taijutsu specialist capable of truly countering Guy, and even the formidable Killer Bee had been forced into his tailed beast form.
If he didn’t transform, Guy would have kicked him to death.
All reservations had been cast aside. Killer Bee, his body turning bright red in rage, still couldn’t catch the high-speed Guy.
“Leaf Strong Whirlwind!”
With a bang, a Kumogakure ninja trying to approach Kakashi was sent flying by Guy’s kick.
“Damn…”
Kakashi couldn’t help but click his tongue. Guy was slipping up at a crucial mont; he could handle this enemy himself.
Sure enough, the Kumogakure ninjas seed to have found the answer, their eyes lighting up.
They couldn’t catch Guy, but they could catch Kakashi!
Guy’s earlier attack on Killer Bee forced the Kumogakure ninjas to focus on saving him. But now, with their focus on Kakashi, Guy had to turn back to assist. Clearly, protecting Kakashi was more important to him than capturing the Eight-Tails.
This would be Kumogakure’s leverage against him.
Their strategy shifted imdiately, and dozens of Kumogakure ninjas charged at Kakashi.
Kakashi fought while retreating, with Guy supporting him. Even surrounded, they remained composed.
But obviously, they couldn’t maintain this indefinitely, especially with the Eight-Tails rejoining the battle soon.
“How long can you maintain the Seventh Gate?” Kakashi asked quietly, back-to-back with Guy.
“Don’t worry, you’ll be fine. I still have the Eighth Gate,” Guy replied nonchalantly.
Kakashi was silent for a mont. He had trained in the Eight Gates and knew that the Eighth Gate was called the Gate of Death.
Yes, he wouldn’t be in trouble.
But Guy would surely die.
“There’s no need…” Kakashi shook his head. “No need to use it here. You need to go back; Konoha is under more pressure. I’ll draw the enemies here.”
“Kakashi,” Guy suddenly interrupted him.
“Yeah?”
“What’s the score between us now?”
“30 to 31,” Kakashi said, after taking down a Kumogakure ninja. He wasn’t sure why Guy brought this up now.
“Ah, yes, you’re one point behind,” Guy said, his hair standing on end, glowing with blue chakra like a Saiyan. “How about a new contest?”
“What do you suggest?”
“Let’s see if these Kumogakure ninjas capture you first or if I take down the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki.”
Kakashi pursed his lips. “Are you competing with or with these Kumogakure ninjas?”
Realizing the issue, Guy scratched his head. “Oh, then, let’s see if you can hold out against these Kumogakure ninjas until I take down the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki.”
“You don’t have much chakra left. Don’t collapse halfway.”
“You can’t use the Gate of Death. It wouldn’t be a fair win,” Kakashi set the ground rule.
“Deal.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll win this ti.” The soldier pills began to take effect, but considering the upcoming intense fight, Kakashi took a few more.
They exchanged a glance and laughed, then separated.
Guy charged at Killer Bee with a Dayti Tiger.
Kakashi stayed back, facing the incoming barrage of jutsu and ninja tools.
He slapped his hands on the ground: “Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!”
A stone wall with a dog’s head rose up, blocking all attacks.
Taking advantage of the mont, he glanced at Guy. Guy was swinging Killer Bee by the tail, smashing him around, but Killer Bee’s body was growing brownish-red flesh.
The Eight-Tails was nearing full transformation… Could Guy really take him down?
Kakashi didn’t know, but without the use of his Sharingan, he had to focus on surviving the Kumogakure assault and not dragging his friend down.
…
“What’s that?” Danzo frowned at the sudden massive disturbance in the forest.
Orochimaru closed his eyes. After a mont, he opened them, his snake-like pupils gleaming. He said with a peculiar expression:
“It’s Kakashi and that… Might Guy.”
“They’re putting up quite a fight,” Orochimaru praised. “They’re holding off a lot of enemies.”
“The retreat order was issued long ago. Those still fighting there think they’re brave, but they’re just defying orders and showing off,” Danzo scoffed disdainfully. “A ninja’s duty is to follow orders. When I beco Hokage, the first thing I’ll do is punish these disobedient fools.”
“The Hokage is indeed impartial and just. Others will surely see how broad-minded you are,” Orochimaru nodded in agreent, his tone slightly mocking.
Danzo didn’t get angry at Orochimaru’s sarcastic tone. Instead, he shook his head calmly. “You’ve been away from Konoha for a while. You don’t understand that becoming Hokage doesn’t require the approval of the Jonin. Establishing authority, however, does require a target. With your Edo Tensei, I’m not worried about lacking subordinates.”
Chapter 106: The Fallen Heroes of Konoha
Orochimaru had already understood Danzo’s aning before he finished speaking. He gently shook his head, saying, “I’m not trying to make excuses, but the current version of Edo Tensei is still crude and might not et Lord Danzo’s expectations.”
Orochimaru walked over to a nearby open coffin, inside of which stood the cracked body of the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju. Tobirama stood with his head down, arms at his sides, resembling a lifeless statue.
Orochimaru spoke calmly:
“This Edo Tensei, originally developed by Lord Tobirama Senju, was initially used to create humanoid bombs filled with explosive tags. It did not retain any of the deceased’s original powers. Due to its disrespect towards the dead and the requirent of a living vessel for the summoning, Tobirama deed it inhumane and classified it as a forbidden jutsu.”
“With my improvents, Edo Tensei now allows the summoned to retain much of their forr strength. However, the downside is that any attempt to control them might cause a conflict between my will and the will of the souls from the Pure Land, leading to the technique’s collapse. That’s why I insisted on using the remains of Konoha ninjas.”
“Although they do not wish to be disturbed, they would still maintain their presence to protect Konoha. However, their existence is not long-lasting.”
The current state of Edo Tensei was far from Orochimaru’s ideal. He could not actively control the reanimated, as any conflict with their will would lead to the jutsu’s failure. This was unacceptable to Orochimaru, as the reanimated souls could turn against him upon awakening.
Had Orochimaru not been invited to collaborate with Danzo, he would have first focused on ensuring his control over Edo Tensei while maximizing its power, rather than summoning spirits he could barely control.
Despite having researched the forbidden jutsu for a long ti, even during his ti with the Akatsuki, Orochimaru found the ti insufficient. To ensure Edo Tensei was powerful enough to help Konoha through its crisis and aid Danzo in becoming Hokage, he had to compromise, giving up so control for power. He leveraged Konoha’s current situation to morally bind these spirits, urging them to contribute their strength willingly.
This was their entire plan.
Danzo followed Orochimaru to the front of Tobirama’s broken visage. He stared at the damaged face, lost in thought. With a sigh, he pulled out a piece of intercepted intelligence from his robe and handed it to Orochimaru:
“Jiraiya’s reinforcents will arrive in half an hour.”
Orochimaru was surprised, then his expression turned peculiar. “It seems Konoha might survive this crisis even without .”
“If it’s rely surviving the crisis, repelling Kumogakure’s attack, Konoha will be finished!” Danzo slamd his cane on the ground, asserting, “Without an overwhelming victory, Konoha will fall apart in the fierce competition for the next Hokage.”
“Sarutobi set a bad precedent by relinquishing the Hokage position, thinking he could gain the full support of Konoha’s clans, but all he got was their insincere compliance. These clans value their legacy more than their lives. How could they want their ancient families to perish with Konoha, which hasn’t even existed for a century?”
His voice was deep and powerful: “Konoha needs more than just to survive; it needs a decisive victory, a glorious victory forged in the blood of other ninja villages!”
“Only then will people continue to trust Konoha. The clans will choose to stay, and Konoha will continue to thrive!”
“Sarutobi can’t achieve this. He can only barely fend off Kumogakure’s attack.”
“But we can attempt to annihilate Kumogakure entirely.”
Orochimaru admired Danzo’s ambition, which was the basis of their collaboration.
Once Danzo beca Hokage and continued the war, it would an an endless supply of experintal materials, reanimation vessels, and many other resources that would be delivered to Orochimaru. This was the power of manipulating a ninja village and starting a war.
Moreover, a counterattack war had a natural legitimacy for Konoha, which had been besieged by the four great ninja villages.
Orochimaru also looked forward to seeing Sarutobi’s expression when he realized that Danzo was backed by him.
Noticing Danzo’s frequent glances at Tobirama’s coffin, Orochimaru chuckled. “Before we start, do you want to talk to him?”
“Prove to him that choosing Sarutobi as Hokage back then was a mistake.”
Danzo glanced at him, then slowly shook his head. “No, when Tobirama chose Sarutobi back then, it was the right choice.”
“Sarutobi was the first to step up, and he was indeed deserving… at that ti,” Danzo’s face showed a mix of nostalgia, regret, and lant before he coldly snorted, “But that was then. After Minato’s death, he should have stepped down instead of clinging to power, leading to Konoha’s current crisis!”
Orochimaru remained silent, only glancing at the ti.
“How long do we have?” Danzo asked.
“Twenty minutes.”
“That’s enough. If we wait any longer, Jiraiya’s advance team will arrive. Now is Konoha’s darkest hour, and it’s the mont they most need a hero to appear—let’s begin.”
Orochimaru nodded and turned to Yakushi Kabuto in the corner.
Kabuto nodded in return and pulled the lever behind him.
Chakra lights began to flicker, and the nurous upright coffins in the pit started to shake.
Standing on the platform, Orochimaru faced them and began to form hand seals.
Rat.
Tiger.
Dog.
Snake.
It seed like sothing eerie was happening. The shaking grew louder and louder until finally, all the coffin lids exploded open with a bang!
Kabuto watched in awe and excitent.
Inside the coffins, hundreds of Konoha’s fallen elite ninjas opened their eyes one by one.
“Is it ti?” The Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, stepped out of his coffin first. He shook his head, his body creaking. His orange-red eyes turned to Orochimaru, and he calmly asked,
“Yes, as discussed earlier, it’s ti to strike against Kumogakure,” Orochimaru replied softly. “Exact your revenge.”
Tobirama smiled faintly. “To improve my jutsu to this extent, you’re quite impressive.”
He then looked at Danzo nearby. “And to have recruited such talent, you did well too…”
His tone shifted, a hint of coldness: “Far better than the Monkey.”
Danzo didn’t respond, but he gripped his cane tighter.
Kabuto chuckled quietly.
It seems you do care, Lord Danzo…
“Where is my brother?” Tobirama scanned the area, not finding Hashirama. “Isn’t he here?”
Orochimaru nodded. “Do you have any clues?”
Tobirama looked at Orochimaru strangely. “His soul isn’t in the Pure Land. I thought you had summoned him already.”
Orochimaru frowned, shaking his head. “No, I’ve never successfully summoned him.”
What’s going on?
Could Hashirama have truly been resurrected?
Or has soone else perfected Edo Tensei and summoned him?
“Well, it’s a pity, but we don’t have ti to waste here,” Tobirama shook his head. The current Edo Tensei still had ti limitations, relying on the will of the reanimated spirits.
He turned to face the other Konoha spirits in the pit, so confused, so curious, so silent. Amid the calls of “Lord Hokage,” “Lord Tobirama,” “Second Hokage,” and “Who are you?” he waved his hand.
“Let’s go, fallen heroes of Konoha. The incompetent need our help.”
“We will crush those Kumogakure scum!!”
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