The Third Hokage was very strong. Even though his physical strength had declined significantly with age, he was still worthy of the title of "Professor of Ninjutsu." In just a few exchanges, he repeatedly forced Orochimaru back dozens of meters.
The Fire Daimyo was filled with doubt, wondering whether he had been deceived by Orochimaru and the Sarutobi jonin.
The Third Hokage's attitude showed absolutely no intention of launching a coup to reclaim the Hokage position, but Jiraiya's reforms over the years had seriously threatened the daimyo's core interests. No matter what, Jiraiya could not be allowed to remain Hokage.
After being repelled by the Third Hokage, Orochimaru formed seals with both hands and summoned coffins marked with the words "First" and "Second."
Under the solemn gaze of the Third Hokage, the figures of the First and Second Hokage slowly walked out and stood beside Orochimaru, staring at the Third Hokage before them.
"This is the Impure World Reincarnation Technique! Orochimaru, you actually dare to blaspheme the dead!"
The Third Hokage was both shocked and furious as he pointed at Orochimaru and shouted. Against an enemy like Orochimaru alone, he was confident in victory, but adding the First and Second Hokage was a completely different matter.
Even if the First and Second could only use half of the strength they possessed in life, he would gradually fall into a disadvantage until he was defeated.
Orochimaru looked directly at the Third Hokage and said darkly, "Old man, if you hadn't been so stubborn and allowed us to continue the human experiments, Konoha wouldn't have suffered such heavy losses during the Third Great Ninja War."
The Third Hokage summoned Enma, transforming him into the Adamantine Staff, and said coldly, "If you hadn't attacked your comrades in the village, I would never have driven you out of Konoha. The village is still far from the point where it needs the help of dead ancestors."
Orochimaru didn't answer. He never liked talking about grand ideals. He only spoke a little when he was interested. Compared to words, he preferred proving everything through action.
The next moment, Orochimaru mobilized the First and Second Hokage's Edo Tensei bodies and launched an attack on the Third Hokage.
...
The battle between the Third Hokage, the First and Second Hokage, and Orochimaru was incredibly exciting.
Unfortunately, Naruto couldn't see very clearly under the cover of the Four Violet Flames Formation. After the First Hokage used Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence, it blocked almost all visibility, leaving Naruto only able to sense the battle through Kagura Mind's Eye.
With nothing else to do, Naruto simply started admiring the fight between Konoha ANBU and Shukaku. From time to time, he stuffed popcorn into his mouth and stretched lazily.
From a strength perspective, this group of Konoha ANBU was obviously no match for Shukaku, and the signs of defeat were already painfully obvious.
Unless Kakashi and Might Guy were sent over to stop the powerful elite enemies, there was basically no hope of victory. Unfortunately, Kakashi and Might Guy were currently intercepting attacks near Konoha's outer perimeter and couldn't appear here for the time being.
At this moment, the Konoha ninja responsible for evacuating the unconscious audience noticed Naruto and the others in the stands.
Naruto and his group were shinobi from Uzushio Village. The Konoha ninja were unsure whether they were allies or enemies, so the captain cautiously approached and asked, "Guests from Uzushio Village, the arena is extremely dangerous right now. Wouldn't it be better to evacuate with the audience first?"
Naruto waved his hand casually and said, "Go do your jobs. I'm not leaving yet. It's not every day that Sunagakure and Orochimaru attack Konoha together. I need to enjoy the show a little longer."
Enjoy the show a little longer...
Captain Konoha felt like he'd just been insulted. Just as he was about to say something, he noticed Karin and Haku beside Naruto. These two genin who had participated in the Chunin Exams were rumored to already possess jonin-level combat strength.
Still, the people from Uzushio Village remaining here posed a hidden danger.
No one could guarantee they weren't allies of Sunagakure and Orochimaru.
Left with no other choice, the Konoha squad could only remain near Naruto, closely watching his every movement while not daring to act rashly.
Besides the Konoha squad, the Konoha Twelve fighting the Sand Ninja also noticed Naruto and his group.
In the middle of the chaotic arena, Naruto's relaxed attitude looked ridiculously out of place, drawing countless stares.
Naruto didn't care in the slightest about being watched by so many people, but Namikaze Minato was suffering internally. He desperately wanted to take action against the invading forces threatening Konoha's safety, but Naruto had forcibly restrained him, leaving him completely unable to move.
Seeing this scene, Kushina felt conflicted. She supported Naruto's decision, but she was also worried about Minato.
Naruto suddenly turned around and said with a grin, "My shadow clone just got some interesting information. Want to hear it?"
"What information?" Kushina and Minato exchanged glances, unable to figure out Naruto's intentions.
Naruto smiled mysteriously before saying, "The forces participating in the Konoha Crush this time aren't just Sunagakure and Orochimaru. The Fire Daimyo and a certain clan within the village are also involved."
After speaking, Naruto didn't wait for Kushina and Minato to guess before directly revealing the answer:
"The clan colluding with Orochimaru isn't the Hyuga Clan, nor the Ino-Shika-Cho families, but the Sarutobi Clan—the clan of the Third Hokage himself."
"The Sarutobi Clan? That's impossible..."
The news that the Sarutobi Clan had colluded with Orochimaru was even more explosive than Orochimaru allying with the Fire Daimyo. This was the clan behind the Third Hokage. No matter what, they shouldn't have betrayed Konoha.
"There's nothing impossible about it. I'm guessing the Sarutobi Clan never even thought their actions counted as betraying Konoha. They have the Third Hokage and the support of the daimyo. In their eyes, they're simply reclaiming the Hokage position."
"And Sunagakure and Orochimaru are just tools they're using. As long as the Third Hokage regains the Hokage seat, this becomes nothing more than internal political struggle—basically the exact same thing as the Uchiha Incident."
Listening to Naruto's calm explanation, Namikaze Minato frowned and asked, "Naruto, this doesn't sound like just 'a little information.' You know far too much."
The implication was obvious—Minato suspected Naruto himself was involved in the operation.
Naruto nodded slightly and said indifferently, "Jiraiya launched the coup because I pushed him toward it, and the reforms helping Konoha transform were also learned from the Land of Uzumaki. From that perspective, I really am the chief culprit behind the chaos in this arena."
"How is that your fault? It's just some old fossils refusing to let go of their benefits while clinging desperately to the past."
Kushina couldn't help but curse, while Namikaze Minato stared blankly into the distance and let out a soft sigh.
Once the Sarutobi Clan became involved, he couldn't find a reason to intervene anymore. Just as Naruto said, this was ultimately an internal conflict—a civil war between the old forces and the new.
If he were still alive, he could have intervened as the Fourth Hokage.
But now, he was nothing more than a dead man.
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