"What's happening outside?"
Itachi's face was filled with deep concern as he listened to the chaotic noises and sensed the evil aura permeating the air.
His natural perception was far sharper than that of an ordinary child, and with Shisui unreachable for several days and his father not returning home, all signs pointed to something major happening in the village.
Suddenly, a massive explosion erupted from the center of the village, accompanied by a blaze of light that lit up the night sky, confirming Itachi's fears.
Sure enough, the next moment, the voices of the Konoha Military Police Force echoed outside.
Ignoring his mother's protests, Itachi rushed out.
There, he saw his father, Fugaku Uchiha, the captain of the police force, directing his clansmen.
"Third Unit, stay behind and organize all clan members to evacuate to the shelters! Everyone else, follow me to the village center to provide support!"
Unlike in the original timeline, the Uchiha clan was not under heavy suspicion at this time.
There was no order from the higher-ups confining them to their compound.
Under Fugaku's command, a large number of Uchiha clansmen quickly headed to the battlefield.
The five-year-old Itachi, seeing this, immediately wanted to join them.
However, his father sternly refused.
"Itachi, this is not the time to act recklessly! Your most important task right now is to protect your mother and your brother. Do you understand?" Fugaku's tone was serious.
Faced with his father's demand, Itachi glanced outside, then at his baby brother in his mother's arms, and ultimately chose to comply. "I understand. I'll make sure Mother and my brother get to the shelter safely."
"Good. I'm counting on you," Fugaku said before hurrying off with the rest of the clan.
Similar scenes were unfolding in other ninja clans across the village.
A large number of clan ninjas were mobilizing and rushing to the battlefield to provide support.
However, the situation on the battlefield left them stunned.
The once-open battlefield had been transformed into a dense rainforest.
The ground was completely submerged under water, with thick vines growing everywhere.
Just the sight of it was enough to make anyone feel a sense of helplessness.
Fortunately, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shisui were holding the line.
Without them, Konoha's forces would have likely collapsed already.
Watching as the ninjas were being slaughtered by the former Hokage, Hiruzen's face twisted in pain.
"This can't go on. We must break through this forest!" Hiruzen shouted.
Without hesitation, he summoned four shadow clones.
The five of them—the original and the clones—each unleashed a different elemental attack: fire, water, lightning, wind, and earth.
The five chakra natures merged under Hiruzen's precise control, forming an unimaginably powerful force.
"Five Elements: Grand Collision Jutsu!!"
The combined elemental attack erupted in a blinding white light, carving a massive trench through the forest.
"Now's your chance, Shisui!" Hiruzen panted heavily.
Clearly, this technique had taken a significant toll on the elderly Hokage.
Without hesitation, Shisui's Susanoo formed another massive orange magatama in its hand.
Taking advantage of the gap in the forest before the reincarnated Hashirama could repair it, Shisui hurled the magatama at the two former Hokage with lightning speed.
"Boom!!" Another blinding flash lit up the night sky.
The explosion reduced the two Hokage to countless fragments.
Seeing this, Orochimaru, standing atop the Seven-Tails' head, narrowed his eyes. "As expected, completely erasing their wills has weakened their strength considerably," Orochimaru mused.
This was one of the drawbacks of the Impure World Reincarnation.
The more control the caster exerted, the more the reincarnated individuals' strength was limited.
But this was unavoidable. After all, they were destroying Konoha.
If Orochimaru hadn't completely erased the wills of the two Hokage, the first thing they would have done upon being reincarnated would have been to kill him.
"Heh..." Orochimaru chuckled at the thought.
"If you think this is enough to defeat me, you're being naive."
While the reincarnated bodies were fragile, they had one significant advantage—immortality.
No matter how many times they were destroyed, their bodies would slowly reform like pieces of paper.
More importantly, the reincarnated individuals had nearly infinite chakra!
These two terrifying traits gave them a significant advantage in prolonged battles.
Of course, as Hiruzen had mentioned, the Impure World Reincarnation had one absolute weakness: the caster.
No matter how powerful the technique, it could be undone by killing the caster.
And that was exactly what they were trying to do.
After dealing with the Second Hokage, Hiruzen led the ninjas in a coordinated assault on Orochimaru while the reincarnated bodies were still reforming.
However, Orochimaru had anticipated this.
With a flick of the Seven-Tails' tails, a powerful gust of wind erupted, carrying with it the Seven-Tails' unique phosphorescent powder.
As the powder spread, the ninjas' vision was quickly impaired.
Seizing the opportunity, the Seven-Tails took to the skies once more.
Meanwhile, the two Hokage began to reform their bodies under the cover of the powder.
---
"How's the situation, Senior Danzo?" Minato asked anxiously in the secret base.
"Not optimistic," Danzo replied calmly.
"Orochimaru has summoned the Seven-Tails using a forbidden technique, as well as the First and Second Hokage. Fortunately, a large number of ninjas have already gone to provide support."
From Danzo's description, it was clear that the mysterious organization had come prepared.
Realizing this, Minato's expression grew even more serious.
Seeing this, Danzo tapped his cane and said, "Don't worry. I'm still here. The village can handle itself for now. The most important thing is to protect Kushina. Everything happening out there is just a ploy to lure us away and expose a weakness."
Danzo's logical analysis finally helped Minato regain his composure.
"I understand," Minato said.
Just as he finished speaking, a loud cry echoed from the delivery room.
"It's a boy," Biwako Sarutobi said, holding the chubby baby in her arms, finally able to relax.
Exhausted, Kushina lay on the bed, the seal on her abdomen dark as ink.
Wisps of the Nine-Tails' evil chakra were seeping out.
At that moment, something unexpected happened.
A mysterious figure wearing a tiger-striped mask and a black cloak emerged from the ceiling.
He reached out, his hand aiming directly for Kushina on the bed!
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