"Old man, what are you doing just sitting here?"
Kurotsuchi and Akatsuchi, led by Kitsuchi, found Ōnoki sitting silently in a corner.
Ōnoki glanced at his son and granddaughter but didn't say anything.
"Father, Sunagakure has attacked Konoha. What should we do?"
Kitsuchi spoke in his usual gravelly tone.
"Stay put. Do nothing."
Ōnoki finally spoke slowly, his expression full of melancholy.
The moment Tsunade left his side, he truly wanted to strike down Hiruzen Sarutobi.
But heavens knew what he had seen that changed his mind.
—Twenty Minutes Earlier—
Ōnoki had quickly dodged out of the iron ball's impact zone. Then, he saw a pink figure carrying Konoha's Copy Ninja, Hatake Kakashi, charging toward the breached Four Violet Flames Formation.
With his experienced eyes, Ōnoki immediately recognized the person who had thrown the iron ball—Haru no Sakura, one of Sarutobi's disciples.
Just as he had guessed before, Konoha had birthed another genius.
But this genius was only twelve years old and far from her full potential.
If he were to eliminate her now, before she matured...
In that moment, many thoughts surged through Ōnoki's mind.
He thought of his mentor—the Second Tsuchikage, Mu.
That dashing, heroic man, who died from severe wounds after fighting the Second Mizukage, Gengetsu Hōzuki. On his deathbed, Mu had entrusted the village to a young Ōnoki.
At that moment, Ōnoki considered: if he could kill the Hokage here and sever Konoha's future, then victory would be his.
The chance for victory was right before his eyes. Ōnoki had to consider whether this might be the only opportunity in his life.
To forge the glory of the Will of Stone—this was his sacred duty!
As Ōnoki's mind hardened with resolve and he began preparing a Dust Release to wipe out the Hokage and Haruno Sakura—who stood vulnerable with no defenders nearby—he saw someone he absolutely did not want to see.
The God of Shinobi—Senju Hashirama!
That towering figure appeared like a nightmare, once again before his eyes.
Only those who had experienced Hashirama's era could understand just how terrifying that man was.
Suddenly, Ōnoki felt that quietly waiting for events to unfold might not be such a bad idea after all…
He knew of the Impure World Reincarnation technique. Once, Tobirama Senju had used it to summon enemies' dead relatives, planting Exploding Tags on their bodies. When the enemy faltered at the sight of their loved ones, Tobirama would detonate them without mercy.
But he never imagined that Konoha would develop the technique to this level—where summoned souls could actively engage in battle.
If Orochimaru could summon Senju Hashirama, who was to say Konoha couldn't?
Ōnoki put himself in their shoes: if it came down to it, he too would throw aside any taboos. Desecrating the dead meant little when your village's survival was at stake.
And Konoha likely had more direct access to Hashirama's remains than Orochimaru ever could…
Ōnoki couldn't take that gamble. He didn't have the luxury.
—
"What? Sakura, you're going to take on two Hokage by yourself?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at his disciple in astonishment.
"Yep! So, old man, you better hurry up and deal with Orochimaru," Sakura replied casually, slipping on her black gloves with practiced ease.
From her previous fight with Orochimaru, Sakura knew she needed the Monkey King Enma to stand a chance.
But the old man was here now, and there was only one Enma.
Rather than struggling against that slippery snake, she figured she might as well take on the two reanimated Hokage.
Besides...
"Go on, hurry up! I'm counting on you to teach me how to be Hokage one day~~~"
She gave the old man a playful shove.
Sarutobi was momentarily stunned, then his expression softened as he looked at his disciple.
His firm resolve began to waver.
He had originally planned to take Orochimaru and Rasa down here, no matter the cost.
But…
Compared to revenge, the future seemed more important.
"Very well. Then this worthless old man shall show Sakura the pride of the Shinobi Hero one last time!"
A smile broke across Hiruzen's face as he turned toward Orochimaru. His gaze sharpened—cold and ruthless.
That long-lost warrior, the "Shinobi Hero," had returned to the battlefield once again!
"Orochimaru… my once-proud disciple."
"Today… ends everything!"
With those words, Hiruzen formed hand seals and roared with surprising strength:
"Summoning Jutsu!"
In a puff of smoke, the towering figure of Monkey King Enma appeared once again.
"Sarutobi, back then—"
"Enma! Adamantine Staff!"
Enma had barely started his dramatic entrance when Hiruzen cut him off.
Grumbling slightly, Enma transformed into a long, indestructible staff, which Hiruzen gripped tightly and charged toward Orochimaru!
"Cheh."
Orochimaru, seeing this, opened his mouth and spat out a snake's head. From the serpent's jaws, a sword gleamed with lethal coldness.
As the old man and Orochimaru clashed, Sakura nudged Kakashi beside her, signaling him to go.
Kakashi looked conflicted. He glanced at the two reanimated Hokage, then at the emotionless Rasa nearby, before finally steeling himself and charging toward the Fourth Kazekage.
"Heh…"
Rasa looked at Kakashi with icy contempt.
What was this? Konoha sent this guy to fight him?
Wasn't it supposed to be Hokage versus Kage? Shouldn't Tsunade be the one to face him?
Had Konoha given up on Kakashi already?
Smirking, Rasa casually raised his hand. Without even forming hand seals, he unleashed:
"Gold Dust Funeral!"
Countless golden grains burst from the ground, surging toward Kakashi.
This was a trap he had laid earlier while dodging the iron ball—golden sand hidden beneath the surface.
Kakashi's eyes narrowed. While dodging at high speed, he swiftly formed hand seals:
"Water Style: Water Surge!"
As Kakashi successfully held off Rasa, Sakura got into position and turned to face the two Hokage.
As for Tsunade?
Sakura didn't consider her at all.
If it weren't for Jiraiya, Sakura wouldn't even have to handle two Hokage by herself.
Tobirama, resisting the commands of his own body, quickly formed seals:
"Water Style: Severing Wave!"
A high-pressure water jet shot from Tobirama's mouth, tearing toward Sakura!
Sakura didn't dodge. She leaped forward and blocked the water jet with her gloved palm, rushing straight at Tobirama!
Her black gloves were no ordinary gear. She had spent four years gathering chakra metal and rare alloys to have them forged by a contact through Sarutobi.
No wonder she was always broke!
"So reckless!"
"To charge into Tobirama's Water Style like th—uh…"
Hashirama had been watching with concern, but the moment he saw his younger brother get punched into the air, he couldn't help but applaud.
But his body, too, began forming seals uncontrollably.
He clapped his hands together:
"Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence!"
---