Chapter Twenty-Six: The Death of the Third Generation

“Kakashi, you—”

“What in the world is going on? Kakashi, do you know something?!”

All the Jonin turned toward Kakashi with unfriendly eyes. At this moment, Kakashi was not the future head of the ANBU—he was just an ordinary Jonin! Naturally, every order he gave was met with skepticism.

“Listen to him, disperse at once! There are already enemy ninjas attacking the village outside! Don’t worry about the Third—he’s Kage level, he can handle Orochimaru himself!”

Hiashi Hyuga had activated his Byakugan fully, shouting at the others in anger.

With their lives at stake, the other Jonin had no choice but to follow Kakashi’s lead, however dissatisfied they were. After all, it was better to have a leader than none at all! The village leadership was in disarray: the Hokage was trapped, Homura and Koharu were absent, and Danzo was nowhere to be found.

Kakashi, at least, had served as ANBU captain. If not him, who else? Asuma? He was busy helping Kurenai free the audience from the genjutsu!

As for rescuing the Third—well, even Asuma hadn’t made a move.

Inside the Four Violet Flames Formation, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, slowly removed his hat, his gaze complex as he looked at his former student.

“Orochimaru, so you’ve made your move after all.”

“Sensei, wasn’t this all within your expectations?”

Orochimaru extended his long tongue, licking half his face in a manner both disgusting and filthy.

“Orochimaru, why have you attacked the village? Is this revenge for my decision not to pass the title on to you?”

The Third Hokage still wore a kindly expression, trying to persuade Orochimaru with words.

Orochimaru’s smile grew colder. “Sensei, you’re overthinking things. I found a greater purpose in life a long time ago. Just look at my current body—how fascinating, isn’t it?”

Orochimaru stretched out his arms and spun in a circle before the Third.

“I’ve already unraveled the secret of immortality. The Hokage’s seat holds no interest for me.”

“Then why attack the village?”

“Of course, for revenge!” Orochimaru’s smile became ever more sinister. “All my experiments were commissioned by Danzo. Why is it that Danzo walks free, and all the blame falls on me? Sensei, aren’t you being a bit too biased?”

Unlike in the original story, here Orochimaru, having found his shortcut to immortality and his future dreams, made no attempt to hide his grievances.

Back then, all he wanted was eternal life. The corpses used for human experimentation all came from enemy villages, never from Leaf villagers.

As for the Sharingan and the First Hokage’s corpse, those were stolen by Danzo. He even went so far as to assassinate promising heirs from the great Leaf clans, giving their bodies to Orochimaru for experimentation.

Yet in the end, it was Orochimaru who was driven from the village and branded a traitor… Was that really fair?

“Orochimaru, I—”

“Sensei, enough talk. Let’s fight!”

Seeing the hint of guilt in the Third’s eyes, Orochimaru completely lost interest in conversation. He bit his finger, pressed his right hand to the ground—

“Ninjutsu: Summoning!”

Two coffins rose from beneath the earth… their lids slid away, revealing the faces of the First and Second Hokage!

“You dare defile the Hokage’s remains! Orochimaru, you’ve gone mad! I will cleanse you from the village myself!”

The sight of the First and Second enraged Hiruzen Sarutobi. To desecrate the souls of the dead—did that mean, when he himself died, he too would be resurrected by Orochimaru as a pawn?

“Ninjutsu: Impure World Reincarnation!”

The First and Second Hokage suddenly opened their eyes, their faces marked with cracks… yet their overwhelming presence erupted instantly, filling the entire Four Violet Flames Formation!

“Monkey?”

The Second Hokage, opening his eyes and recognizing the Third, instinctively called him by his nickname.

“Where am I? Monkey, is this the Leaf? What is going on?”

“Second… I’m sorry. You were both resurrected by my student’s forbidden jutsu.”

The Third regarded the First and Second with deep regret. To have raised such a student, one who would desecrate his own masters—he could hardly face anyone.

The First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, was characteristically boisterous, showing no disappointment at being summoned back from the dead.

“Ha! So this is the Leaf of the future? It’s thriving!”

“Brother! Can’t you see reality? We’ve been summoned back by a forbidden jutsu!”

Tobirama Senju glared at his brother in exasperation. Hashirama waved it off, utterly unrepentant. “I told you not to invent such evil ninjutsu, Tobirama. If we’re summoned now, isn’t it your fault?”

“Brother!”

“Heh, well, it’s not so bad to visit the living world again. The Leaf really has grown!”

“Oh? Grown, has it?” Orochimaru interjected with a cold, mocking laugh. “Nawaki died a miserable death, Tsunade left the village, the Senju clan is nearly extinct—apart from Tsunade, not a single one bears the name. The Uchiha clan was massacred, leaving only a single survivor. The Uzumaki clan was completely wiped out—none remain. These are your successors, the handiwork of the Third Hokage!”

“Now, there isn’t a single Kage-level ninja left in the entire village. When threatened by the Cloud, they had to offer up the Hyuga clan head’s younger brother. Is this what you call progress, First and Second?”

Orochimaru’s words, laced with scorn, laid bare the Leaf’s predicament before the two resurrected Hokage.

The Senju brothers’ expressions changed dramatically. What? The Senju nearly extinct? The Uchiha clan annihilated?

“Tobirama! Was it you? You always wanted to destroy the Uchiha—did you order the Third to do it?!”

Hashirama roared at his brother in anger. Not a single Kage-level ninja left—was this truly the Leaf he once ruled, whose might intimidated the Five Great Villages?

“Impossible!” Tobirama shook his head vehemently. “I only ever wanted to deal with the old hardliners, the elders who tried to split the village! The children of the Uchiha—I never intended them harm! I’m not a murderer!”

Wait, why is the Senju nearly extinct? And brother’s wife’s Uzumaki clan is gone too?

“Monkey, what happened?!”

Tobirama glared at the Third, who opened his mouth but could not speak. The state of the village was too tragic, and much of it was the result of actions he had directed Danzo to undertake… Now that Orochimaru had laid it all bare, he was at a loss for words.

“Sensei, I—”

“Don’t call me Sensei! I have no student who would wipe out his master’s clan!”

Tobirama shouted, then turned to Orochimaru. “Did you summon us here to kill this traitor, Hiruzen Sarutobi?”

Orochimaru looked at the Third with a pitying expression. In truth, he could have completely controlled the two Hokage… but why waste the extra chakra if he didn’t have to?

“Yes, Second Hokage! Not just me—many of the Leaf clans can no longer endure the Third’s rule. Look—outside the barrier, is there a single Jonin here to help?”

The First and Second both glanced out of the barrier… and indeed, not a single ninja stood guard. In fact, not a single ninja in the entire arena was paying attention. All were busy escorting the civilians out—no one so much as glanced at the barrier.

A Hokage, left utterly alone.

The First and Second drew their kunai, facing the Third, murder in their eyes.

“Monkey, you deserve to die!”