The sudden appearance of the Aurora Order had undoubtedly disrupted the entire plan.
Mr. A and Uchiha Itachi—these two were the faces of the Aurora Order, or rather, their strongest elite enforcers.
And now, the fact that both of them had shown up in Konoha, insisting on protecting White Zetsu, was far too unusual.
This move once again pushed both sides—already at odds—closer to the brink.
Murderous intent filled the barrier atop the rooftop.
The tiles, as if ravaged by a violent hurricane, shattered inch by inch under the crushing clash of auras.
The air grew so thick and heavy it became hard to breathe.
With a single command from Orochimaru—"Call them"—Ōnoki, standing behind him, didn't hesitate. He tore open his scrolls immediately.
Boom!
White smoke burst forth, and a small snake slithered out.
Orochimaru bit his finger and pressed it against the little snake. "Reverse Summoning Jutsu!"
Dark summoning seals spread rapidly, forming a complete technique. With an even larger cloud of smoke rising, two new figures emerged.
"Heh, four people. Is that all you've got?"
Gazing at the two figures in the smoke, Mr. A didn't seem the least bit concerned. On the contrary, he gave a wicked smile.
"Who knows," Orochimaru replied, naturally unwilling to reveal something so crucial.
The two people who emerged from the smoke were different from Orochimaru and the two Tsuchikage.
Both wore masks enchanted with powerful spells.
Their bodies were hidden beneath wide grey cloaks, and their chakra was completely suppressed.
From appearances alone, it was impossible to tell their gender.
"No, they definitely have more people!"
At that moment, White Zetsu suddenly spoke up. "Uchiha Obito was intercepted by one of their people—so there's at least one more!"
"You'd better not forget what this guy has done before."
Orochimaru's cold, snake-like eyes fell on White Zetsu, killing intent overflowing in his pupils.
"The moment Uchiha Obito shows up… this dog will turn on you and bite you without hesitation."
He wasn't bluffing. With White Zetsu's nature, this was as good as carved in stone.
In the past decade or so, the one who hunted the Aurora Order the hardest wasn't the Twilight Hermits, nor was it the Konoha trio seeking revenge.
It was this "damn mutt" standing right here.
No one knew what trick he pulled, but somehow he'd joined forces with Sequence Four, Uchiha Obito, and chased them all over the place.
And the true culprit behind all of it… was clearly this guy in front of them.
"You… have you really thought this through?"
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes, still testing the other's resolve. "Even if we can't kill it, worst case we just lie low for a while. But your Aurora Order… might not have it so easy, right?"
"No, no, no! I swear—I absolutely won't target the Aurora Order!"
At this point, White Zetsu was completely cornered. He had no choice but to cut Orochimaru off, terrified that the two members of the Aurora Order might believe him and decide it was safer to kill him off.
"I swear in the name of the True God, I will never retaliate against you afterward."
White Zetsu's eyes burned with venom and hatred, locked tightly onto Orochimaru as if he wanted to devour him whole.
"As long as you're willing to protect me—once I complete my advancement, I swear I'll join forces with you and wipe out the Twilight Hermits, no matter the cost!"
The Twilight Hermits… they were his real enemy!
As for the Aurora Order… they didn't really have any deep grudge. It had just been a personal vendetta back then.
"Hehe, since that's the case—"
Mr. A glanced at the White Zetsu in his hand and said in a cold, sinister tone, "Why don't you swear in the name of the 'True Creator'?"
Hearing that, White Zetsu's face turned the color of pig liver — absolutely awful.
"You don't want to?"
Beside him, Uchiha Itachi flashed a mouthful of white teeth.
However, the flicker of bloodlust and cruelty in his eyes made White Zetsu shiver inwardly without meaning to.
If it didn't agree… it would die horribly!
"Alright, alright, I agree!"
White Zetsu was terrified that even a moment's hesitation would get it killed by these two lunatics.
Everyone knew that members of the Aurora Order believed in the 'True Creator', and it made their minds… a little unstable.
"I swear in the name of the 'True Creator' — as long as the Aurora Order is willing to save me, I will absolutely not seek any form of revenge afterward, and I'm willing to join forces to eliminate the Twilight Hermit Order!" White Zetsu spat out the words in a rush, without a trace of hesitation.
The moment the oath left its mouth, White Zetsu suddenly felt as if some unknown presence was now watching it.
Cold, corrupt, and twisted energy wrapped around it, like falling into an endless abyss.
Fortunately, that 'gaze' only lasted a short while.
As soon as it was gone, White Zetsu broke out in a cold sweat, his eyes filled with fear.
"Good. The Lord has heard your prayer."
Mr. A patted its head and grinned. "If you break the oath... hehehe, you wouldn't want to experience our Lord's wrath, would you?"
"N-No, I don't!"
White Zetsu swallowed hard and nodded, still shaken.
Just now... that was clearly the gaze of the 'True Creator'. That's terrifying.
At first, it thought the 'True Creator' worshipped by the Aurora Order was just a made-up belief. But now... it seems real!
Deceiving a real god? Yeah, that's not something White Zetsu ever wants to experience.
"You guys... done talking?"
A sharp shout suddenly cut through the air.
Seeing White Zetsu and the Aurora Order—who were supposed to be enemies—suddenly reach an agreement made Orochimaru's heart sink.
Mr. A finally turned his head, glancing at the members of the Twilight Hermit Order who had begun to surround them. "Ha, couldn't wait any longer?"
"No need to waste words with them!"
Ōnoki of the Two Scales stepped forward, face dark, killing intent brewing in his eyes. "Since everyone's here, let's settle all our grudges today!"
The two masked figures stepped forward in unison, their aura pressing toward the other side.
"Cover us!" Orochimaru ordered the three Reanimated Kage without hesitation.
This kind of battle—using Edo Tensei to shield them—was indeed a perfect fit.
Sarutobi Hiruzen was the first to move, summoning a windmill shuriken the size of a grown man's torso, and flung it forward with force, forming hand signs at the same time. "Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Compared to the palm-sized shuriken, the windmill version was obviously much more intimidating.
Wuuu wuuu wuuu!
A windmill shuriken a meter wide split into dozens mid-air.
The howling gale was slashed apart, like sharp blades slicing through the air, engulfing both the Aurora Order and the White Zetsu inside.
"These three... leave them to me."
Before Mr. A could speak, Uchiha Itachi shot forward in a flash. As he opened his mouth, five masks seemed to appear at once, surfacing from the shadow behind him.
"Composite Ninjutsu: Flame Wind Chaos Wave!"
Blazing flames and roaring winds worked in perfect harmony, creating a massive sea of fire in an instant!
The scorching inferno roared like a deep-sea dragon, swallowing up the incoming windmill shuriken and pulling the Second Tsuchikage and the Fourth Hokage into the battlefield.
"Water Style: Water Formation Wall!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen truly lived up to his title as the Professor of the Ninja World. With no water source in sight, he conjured surging waves from nothing.
Shhh!!!
But the dual-element jutsu of wind and fire wasn't something a single-element jutsu could block.
Seeing the waves about to be completely evaporated by the fire, the Second Tsuchikage slammed his hand on the ground. A towering wall erupted upward with a thunderous boom.
"Earth Style: Earth Formation Wall!"
Thanks to the wall-like defense, they finally stopped the overwhelming blaze.
The air heated up under the intense flames, and the water vapor formed a thick mist, almost completely obscuring vision within the barrier.
"Amaterasu!"
At that moment, a sudden black flame sliced through the smoke, igniting Sarutobi Hiruzen without warning.
The fierce and scorching black flame instantly reduced Sarutobi Hiruzen's body to ashes.
*******
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