At this moment, on the rooftop enveloped by the massive Four Violet Flames Formation, the air was so heavy it could almost be wrung out.
Danzo's right arm, torn by Wind Release Ninjutsu, was crumbling into greyish Edo Tensei fragments. However, the scattered dust re-converged towards the severed limb, and a complete arm slowly regenerated.
"Hahahahaha! Hiruzen, you've truly aged. Thirty years ago, your Chakra was far greater than it is now."
"Tsk." Hiruzen clicked his tongue.
To protect the village, this time, he would once again kill Danzo with his own hands.
Summoning Jutsu.
Bang!
As the smoke and dust cleared, a strong ape appeared on the platform.
He looked at Hiruzen, then at Danzo, feeling that the atmosphere was a bit off.
Enma asked, "You two… still picking fights at your age? Aren't you afraid of throwing out your backs?"
Hiruzen, however, was not in the mood for jokes. "Danzo is a rogue ninja of the village. I need you to join forces with me and kill him again."
Enma was clearly stunned.
Danzo became a rogue ninja?
And he had to be killed again?
He instantly understood the gravity of the situation.
"Hmph! Annoying beast!"
Danzo leaped forward, his blade, gleaming with cold light, slashing down fiercely.
"Enma!" Hiruzen growled.
Without needing more words, Enma instantly transformed into a golden light, condensing in Hiruzen's hand into the staff that shook the Ninja World.
Clang!
The adamantine staff firmly blocked Danzo's slash.
Hiruzen gripped the staff tightly, and using the counter-force of the block, he twisted his waist sharply.
"Hah!"
The staff, with a terrifying whistle that tore through the air, swung from bottom to top, tracing a deadly golden arc, smashing into Danzo's waist without any fancy moves.
In haste, Danzo could only raise his freshly regenerated arm to block.
Thump!
A duller explosion than before sounded.
The Edo Tensei arm, under the immense power contained within the staff, burst apart like fragile pottery. Greyish fragments mixed with dust scattered in all directions.
However, despair followed. The scattered Edo Tensei fragments did not dissipate, but once again, defying logic, converged towards Danzo's body.
As the dust settled, Danzo stood before Hiruzen, perfectly intact once more, a twisted sneer on his face.
"Tsk." Hiruzen clicked his tongue, his breathing growing heavier.
"Sensei, oh sensei, your forbidden Jutsu has left me with a huge problem."
On the high platform, a long and brutal struggle resumed.
Danzo, relying on the infinite Chakra provided by Edo Tensei, transformed into a human fort.
Wind Release: Vacuum Great Sphere!
Various Ninjutsu rained down on Hiruzen like a storm. Although their power was weakened by Edo Tensei, not matching his peak during life, the reckless barrage still caused Hiruzen immense trouble.
In the fierce battle, Hiruzen thought of a way to defeat him. Only a Fuinjutsu could completely restrain this immortal Edo Tensei body.
His hands flew, and the complex Fuinjutsu was about to be completed.
Just at this critical moment—
Hiruzen suddenly had an ominous premonition, his gaze like lightning shooting into the depths of the shadows.
"Who!"
Accompanied by a cold, hoarse chuckle, a figure wearing a large kimono, with golden snake eyes, stepped out.
That face…
Hiruzen's heart sank to the bottom.
"Sensei, it's regrettable that even you didn't recognize me immediately."
Hiruzen looked at Orochimaru's face, his heart filled with sorrow. "I should have known. Since Danzo came, then you would come too."
Orochimaru licked his lips. "It was a bit difficult to approach you. Not only were there Anbu, but also that troublesome white-haired one."
"But I threw him quite a few baits, so he probably won't be able to come for a while."
Hiruzen took a deep breath, feeling that things were getting troublesome.
Orochimaru, this wicked disciple, had brought endless disaster to the Ninja World over the years.
Even if Satoshi was as astute as he was, he would likely find it difficult to see through Orochimaru's carefully orchestrated chain of deceptions in a short amount of time.
It seems he would have to rely on himself today.
But this time, looking at the student who had fallen into the dark abyss before him, there was no longer any hesitation in Hiruzen's clouded old eyes.
"Orochimaru, this time, I will personally put an end to you, to atone for my mistake of letting you leave all those years ago."
Orochimaru sneered, "Thirty years ago, sensei, you absolutely could have done it, but now, there's no helping it, you're simply too old."
Before he finished speaking, Orochimaru suddenly opened his mouth wide and a small white shadow shot out like lightning.
The small white snake was incredibly fast, instantly coiling around Hiruzen's neck, its poisonous fangs biting down fiercely. The bitten Hiruzen instantly turned into a pile of soft mud.
Earth Release: Earth Flow River.
The real Hiruzen appeared from the side, slamming his hands on the ground.
A surging torrent of muddy water appeared out of nowhere, sweeping towards Orochimaru with immense force. It sent him stumbling backward, looking disheveled.
Hiruzen took the opportunity to tear off his cumbersome Hokage robe, revealing his battle attire underneath.
"I have waited many years for you, for this day."
He had prepared for the worst, to die alongside his student.
Orochimaru stabilized himself and quickly formed hand signs.
Summoning Jutsu.
Accompanied by a dull roar and billowing smoke, two massive coffins, inscribed with the characters for 'First' and 'Second,' burst from the ground. The third coffin seemed to sense something. It had just risen a bit but then mysteriously sank back down.
"Tsk, it still doesn't work, huh."
Orochimaru clicked his tongue with a hint of regret, then gave a cold smile.
"However, with these two great ones, it's enough."
The heavy coffin lids crashed down.
When he saw the figures emerging from within, Hiruzen couldn't help but gasp. His hands trembled slightly for the first time.
Hashirama looked around, his gaze finally settling on the aged Hiruzen.
"Monkey… have you really gotten this old?"
Hiruzen's voice trembled uncontrollably. "Tobirama-sensei, Hashirama-sama…"
Tobirama quickly understood his current predicament from Orochimaru's few words.
Controlled by his student's student, with the goal of killing his student, the current Hokage.
Orochimaru lightly said, "Go, two Hokages, and Danzo, kill our great Hokage-sama."
Hiruzen's heart sank to rock bottom. The battle with Danzo had already consumed a good amount of Chakra.
And these two Hokage before him...
Even if weakened, their terrifying strength was enough to turn all of Konoha into ruins.
He couldn't hesitate any longer. It was time to use that jutsu.
Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu.
Hiruzen didn't have much Chakra left, so he could only create two clones. The rest would have to be left to Satoshi.
He looked at Danzo, who was charging first, his eyes filled with immense complexity. That was a friend, an enemy, a comrade, intertwined throughout his life.
Reaper Death Seal.
"My teacher, my friend, my student, all the grievances, let them be completely resolved today, in the embrace of the Shinigami."
A hideous Shinigami phantom suddenly appeared behind Hiruzen.
His two Shadow Clones quickly rushed out, one of them grabbing Danzo, who was at the very front.
The hideous Shinigami phantom behind him, with a short blade clenched in its mouth, suddenly extended its claws and devoured Danzo's soul into its body.
"That Jutsu that once sealed Nine-Tails…"
Orochimaru controlled the two Hokage, quickly dodging Hiruzen's clones.
"Hah… hah… There are still two left, I need to think of another way."
Suddenly, a familiar voice rang out from outside the barrier.
Water Release: Water Dragon Biting Explosion.
A colossal, ferocious water dragon, carrying the violent power to tear everything apart, slammed fiercely into the Four Violet Flames Formation. The sturdy barrier shattered like fragile glass.
The violent water dragon surged into the barrier, scattering Hashirama, Tobirama, Orochimaru, and even Hiruzen, who were caught off guard.
A figure landed on the high platform.
"Hokage-sama, I'm late."
Hiruzen gasped for air, his consciousness already a bit blurry.
"Satoshi, this time, I'm counting on you…"