Naruto: Cultivating to Immortality

Chapter 276 The Konoha Crush Plan Begins (Part 6)

Just then, Orochimaru suddenly made his move, giving Hiruzen Sarutobi no time to react. He clasped his hands together and chanted a spell: "Impure World Reincarnation!" As his voice fell, the two coffins opened instantly, revealing the true faces of the two people inside.

Everyone present, except Orochimaru and Hyuga Kanan, wore expressions of horror. Their eyes widened, unable to believe what they were seeing. Hiruzen Sarutobi, in particular, wore a look of despair, his body trembling slightly. Although he had suspected something before, seeing this scene with his own eyes now truly plunged him into despair.

The two people who emerged from the coffin were none other than Hashirama Senju, the First Hokage of Konoha, and Tobirama Senju, the Second Hokage! Their faces were still clearly visible, as if they were still alive. However, their eyes were empty and lifeless, and they exuded an eerie aura.

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at his two teachers, a surge of sorrow and anger welling up within him. He couldn't believe Orochimaru would use such an evil ninjutsu against him. Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju stood there silently, seemingly awaiting an order.

Orochimaru's lips curled into a bright smile, his tone playful as he said, "Haha, Sarutobi-sensei, what do you think of the opponents I've carefully prepared for you? Don't you feel a special kind of happiness? I went to great lengths to find these two formidable opponents for you. I hope you enjoy this battle and have a good time." In truth, this was the most fitting and dignified way for his teacher, Sarutobi Hiruzen, to exit the stage after careful consideration. After all, if Sarutobi Hiruzen could defeat the previous and even earlier Hokage, then even if he ultimately died here, he would be regarded as a brave and fearless hero. In this way, his reputation as the strongest Hokage would be preserved, and he would receive the noble honor of sacrificing himself to protect Konoha. This was the last thing his disciple could do for him.

Hyuga Kanan, standing nearby, couldn't help but twitch his lips. Looking at the two former Hokage resurrected through Edo Tensei, he felt it was utterly ridiculous. Aside from their identical appearances, they possessed absolutely no difference in strength. These two former Hokage, deliberately created by Orochimaru, were probably less than a tenth of their former power. The First Hokage, in particular, could likely only unleash the strength of a Jonin at best, and even considering the unique nature of Wood Release, he could only reach the level of an elite Jonin, probably not even one percent. The Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, was also only at the Jonin level. He couldn't believe that Orochimaru's Edo Tensei, after so much research, could only summon these two former Hokage of this level. Orochimaru had truly gone to great lengths to save face for Sarutobi Hiruzen.

The two Hokage, resurrected through the Impure World Reincarnation technique, regained their senses after a brief moment of disorientation. They assessed their surroundings and, after looking around, realized they were in Konoha Village. They recognized Hiruzen Sarutobi before them. Although he was quite old, even frail, they could still roughly identify him. They even greeted him and chatted casually, showing no hostility whatsoever.

Orochimaru, fearing that continuing the conversation would lead to a discussion about things that prevented him from using his full strength and alert the surrounding audience, hurriedly took out two talismans covered in incantations and injected them into the two men's bodies, rendering them unconscious and leaving only their fighting instincts intact.

After sensing the situation, Hyuga Kanan was utterly dumbfounded. Orochimaru's two talismans had not only restricted the consciousness of the two former Hokage but also limited their ability to unleash their full power. This further weakened the ninjutsu and strength the two former Hokage could employ, rendering many techniques unusable. He couldn't help but admire Orochimaru's meticulous planning; even ninjutsu that posed a threat to Hiruzen Sarutobi was restricted by the talismans, limiting them to the level of a normal Jonin. Forbidden techniques were unusable; they could only use basic ninjutsu and taijutsu. It's worth noting that the Second Hokage's strongest techniques were the forbidden techniques he developed, such as the Flying Thunder God Technique and other advanced forbidden techniques. The First Hokage's limitations were even more severe; he could only use some simple Wood Release ninjutsu, weaker than even the Wood Release techniques of a ninja who had transplanted cells.

The Konoha ninja outside were clearly unaware of these issues. They were simply intimidated by the sight of the two former Hokage, completely failing to notice that the aura emanating from them was only at the Jonin level. Moreover, the two former Hokage had been dead for a very long time, and many Konoha ninja had forgotten their strength. Furthermore, thanks to Hiruzen Sarutobi's extensive propaganda, they had no accurate understanding of the former Hokage's abilities.

Orochimaru noticed Hyuga Kanan's twitching lips and knew that the other had probably figured out what was going on. However, he didn't want to say anything more; he trusted that Kanan wouldn't expose his plan. After all, all Kanan cared about was the result, not the process.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, however, was unaware of Orochimaru's plan and was terrified. Having lived through the eras of the previous two Hokage, he knew Orochimaru's strength far surpassed that of the current Hokage. With Orochimaru added to the mix, he had no chance of fighting back. But even in this dire situation, he wouldn't surrender. He would fight back fiercely to secure his survival.

The battle began with Hiruzen Sarutobi in a state of trepidation. The two resurrected former Hokage launched the first attack, unleashing incredibly fierce close-range assaults in an instant. Hiruzen initially mustered his courage, unleashing his full power to counter their attacks. However, he quickly realized that the two were not particularly strong, completely within his capabilities, and he even held the upper hand. He assumed Orochimaru was using the Resurrection technique for the first time and couldn't unleash the full power of the two former Hokage, which reassured him, allowing him to focus on responding to the subsequent attacks.

Suddenly, the battle between the two sides became exceptionally fierce, with their taijutsu exchanges going back and forth, resulting in a stalemate. Orochimaru did not join the fight, giving Hiruzen Sarutobi the opportunity to demonstrate his strength. Hyuga Kanan, however, felt somewhat bored. This level of fighting showed absolutely no signs of being between experts; even a few elite Jonin could have created a more exciting spectacle.

Even in this level of exchange, Hiruzen Sarutobi seemed overwhelmed and struggling. The simple taijutsu combat already put him under pressure, let alone with Orochimaru standing nearby. After repelling the two, Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately unleashed a ninjutsu attack.

"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Bullet Technique!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's chest bulged violently, and then a fierce fire dragon erupted from his mouth. The fire dragon was incredibly fast and hot, reaching the two former Hokage in the blink of an eye, seemingly about to be devoured. However, the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, was most skilled in Water Release ninjutsu, aside from forbidden techniques. Even with most of his power restricted, he could easily handle this level of fire release attack.

"Water Escape-Water Formation Wall!"

A ninjutsu that normally requires four hand seals to activate can be completed with just one in Tobirama Senju's hands. Countless moisture particles in the air are rapidly gathered, forming a massive water wall that blocks the fire dragon's attack.

The fierce fire dragon was instantly suppressed by the water release technique, leaving the spectators outside utterly astonished. These ordinary ninjas believed that water release ninjutsu required a water source to be effective. The fact that the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, could perform this water release technique in the absence of water left them utterly shocked.

But Tobirama Senju's Water Release technique was far from over. He formed hand seals again, and the water flowed together once more, forming a huge waterfall that crashed down on Hiruzen Sarutobi, completely occupying half of the barrier's interior.

Facing the surging water-style attack like an enraged dragon, Hiruzen Sarutobi dared not be careless in the slightest. His eyes sharpened, and he quickly formed hand seals, spitting out some grayish-brown mud from his mouth. Then, he slammed his hands onto the ground, shouting, "Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!"

As he uttered those words, the grayish-brown soil seemed to come alive, rapidly rising from the ground. In the blink of an eye, a massive stone wall stood before them, like an impregnable castle. This stone wall was tens of meters high and incredibly thick, giving the impression of being unshakeable.

At this moment, the surging torrents of water had already reached the stone wall. Like ferocious beasts, they relentlessly crashed against the wall, creating deafening roars. The violent collision of the water and the stone wall stirred up huge waves and mists, making the entire scene resemble the apocalypse. The entire interior of the barrier was covered by the water, quickly forming a small lake.

Hiruzen Sarutobi swiftly climbed to the top of the stone wall like lightning, his gaze fixed on the opposite side, fully alert for the next possible attack. At the same time, Tobirama Senju gave Hiruzen little chance to breathe. His hands moved rapidly, forming hand seals, and he uttered a soft cry: "Water Release: Water Severing Wave Technique!" As his words fell, the previously calm surface of the small lake suddenly began to churn violently, as if it were being boiled. Immediately afterward, a slender water blade shot into the sky, transforming into a ferocious water blade, hurtling towards Hiruzen Sarutobi at breakneck speed.

Facing the oncoming water blades, Hiruzen Sarutobi leaped and dodged with the agility of a monkey. Wherever the water blades passed, the stone walls shattered, turning into countless tiny pebbles that fell into the water, creating waves.

Hiruzen Sarutobi also fell from the stone wall onto the water's surface.