Five, four, three, two...
"Jonin Yuhi Kurenai! Someone broke into the prison! They should still be inside now!"
"I understand. Be careful, the enemy moves quickly and is definitely not weak..."
After receiving information from her shadow clone that Uchiha Kage was dealing with the Three-Headed Snake, Yuhi Kurenai quickly returned to Konoha from the Chunin exam site.
As a result, she didn't manage to catch up with Uchiha Kage but was instead dragged by requesting Konoha ninja to the prison.
However, coincidentally, just as she cautiously walked into the prison ready for battle, she happened to see the Uchiha Kage she had been searching for.
"Kage! What are you doing here? Be careful, someone broke into the prison...", Completely ignoring the blonde woman pinned to the wall with her hands tied behind her back, Yuhi Kurenai ran over as soon as she saw Uchiha Kage.
"I know. The intruder is her. Also, her purpose was to rescue the imprisoned Cloud ninja," Uchiha Kage pushed the tied-up Samui in front of Yuhi Kurenai, then pointed at the three Cloud Genin in the cell who were still glaring at him angrily.
"So you already handled it... Huh? Isn't this woman...", Looking at the familiar blonde kunoichi, Yuhi Kurenai was stunned for two seconds before finally recalling the woman's identity.
"So you're still alive, Samui?"
This was the kunoichi who had stabbed her in the stomach. Of course Yuhi Kurenai wouldn't forget so quickly.
"You...", Samui had no idea what Uchiha Kage was planning, but being caught by her "enemy" Yuhi Kurenai under such circumstances made her instinctively fearful and uneasy.
"I'll leave her to sensei to guard. She's fast, so please don't be careless, sensei."
"Me? Fine, I don't have any missions coming up anyway."
Even if there were missions, she'd feign illness and not accept them.
The village now, the Hokage now, it's all a mess.
She wasn't going to let that senile Hokage use her as a pawn.
But...
Yuhi Kurenai looked at the kunoichi that Uchiha Kage pushed toward her and couldn't help but smile.
She didn't expect that this woman would one day fall into her hands.
Looks like the coming days won't be boring.
"Kage, you still don't know what happened today, right? Let me tell you...", After locking Samui in a single-person cell, Yuhi Kurenai began chattering nonstop to Uchiha Kage.
She couldn't help it, too many ridiculous things had happened today; she just had to let it out.
———
"Ugh!"
While fighting Orochimaru and Rasa, Hiruzen was suddenly punched hard by Senju Hashirama who jumped into the battle.
Just one punch turned his face sideways, and even his body was knocked flying due to the immense force.
"As expected of the First Hokage. Even in this incomplete Edo Tensei body, he can still display monstrous strength comparable to Tsunade," Orochimaru, holding the Kusanagi Sword, looked at the flying Sarutobi with interest and commented.
"But, he can't even use Shadow Clone anymore. Sensei really is getting old and useless."
"Cough..."
Spitting out dirt, Hiruzen was just about to get up when Hashirama once again attacked and disrupted his movements.
"Sarutobi!"
The face of Enma appeared on the fallen adamantine staff beside him.
Noticing this, Hiruzen quickly rolled on the ground to dodge Hashirama's pursuit and grabbed his weapon.
With Enma's adamantine staff transformation, he barely managed to block Hashirama's divine power strikes.
"Red, I have to take Kakashi to the hospital. I'll leave aiding the Third Hokage to you," Carrying a nearly unconscious Kakashi on his shoulder, Might Guy rushed anxiously toward Konoha Hospital.
"Me?"
'You want me to fight Hashirama?'
Yuhi Kurenai, though a Jonin herself, felt it was far too much to take on the First Hokage.
Could her little genjutsu even affect someone like him?
"Senior Kurenai, let me assist the Hokage."
Although previously beaten black and blue, Uchiha Itachi still had some fight left in him, unlike Kakashi.
As for Yuhi Kurenai, he was well aware that her genjutsu was fine against normal ninja, but intervening in a battle of this scale would be suicide.
Out of kindness, Uchiha Itachi stopped her.
"Hmph!"
Was this guy mocking her weakness?
She completely distrusted this Uchiha clan exterminator.
"But... something's happening in the village. I need to head back and provide support," Receiving intel from the shadow clone she had sent earlier, Yuhi Kurenai frowned slightly, then vanished instantly from the scene.
Uchiha Kage seemed to be fighting a giant summoned beast that had invaded the village. She had to go help.
As for the Hokage…
All she could do was trust him.
"Did Kotoamatsukami actually fail?"
After knocking Senju Hashirama away with his staff, Hiruzen finally found the opportunity to move near Uchiha Itachi.
"He mastered the Uchiha's forbidden technique. I was powerless."
Even Shisui's eye had been taken by the enemy, as well as his Totsuka Blade.
Luckily, Shisui's pupil power had already been depleted, so it wouldn't recover anytime soon.
But Uchiha Itachi still couldn't think of any way to defeat that man.
Even if he used Izanami to counter Izanagi, he had to touch the opponent first. But the enemy's intangibility made that nearly impossible.
"Maybe you held back on purpose, Itachi."
Orochimaru looked at the two bruised and battered opponents with amusement, but also felt increasing wariness toward the masked man from earlier.
To even evade Kotoamatsukami, and...
From Kakashi's bizarre final dojutsu and his conviction that the man was Uchiha Obito, the masked man might really be that dead last.
Even Orochimaru was beginning to doubt.
"How could I...", Uchiha Itachi was about to refute when he noticed a fleeting complex expression on Hiruzen's face.
Crap, this would only make the Third Hokage more suspicious.
Especially since he had lost Shisui's eye...
After all, both he and "Uchiha Obito" were from the Akatsuki.
Letting him go now made it impossible to explain.
"Orochimaru, your arrogance hasn't changed, letting your guard down before the fight ends."
Taking advantage of Orochimaru's distracted chatter, the experienced Hiruzen threw the adamantine staff in his hand.
"Good chance! Sarutobi!"
The flying staff turned into a sturdy iron cage that completely trapped Orochimaru.
"You... you old fossil, you ambushed me!"
Trapped inside, Orochimaru slashed at the bars with the Kusanagi Sword, but unsurprisingly, only sparks flew, the cage was unscathed.
Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation!
Hiruzen, seizing the opportunity, immediately unleashed his most powerful fire ninjutsu at Orochimaru.
Grabbing the bars, Orochimaru quickly transformed into a white snake and tried to slither through, but new bars blocked his way again.
BOOM—
"Ah!!"
Orochimaru could only watch as the boundless flames devoured his body.
Then, within the fire, he slowly melted into a puddle of sludge.
"Used a substitution jutsu at the last second?"
Hiruzen panted as he watched Orochimaru slowly crawl out of the sludge again. Orochimaru opened his mouth wide, his outer layer withered instantly, and from his mouth crawled a brand-new, slime-covered Orochimaru.
"Sensei, let's end the encore performance here."
Orochimaru once again drew his Kusanagi Sword from his mouth.
Although Uchiha Itachi was nearby to assist Sarutobi, judging from Itachi's weakened state, Orochimaru wasn't worried.
As long as he avoided direct eye contact with the Sharingan, Orochimaru believed he still had a good chance.
On all fours, Orochimaru began preparing one of his most powerful jutsu.
Ninjutsu: Eight-Headed Serpent Technique!
"Wait, Orochimaru!"
Sensing an unusual chakra fluctuation from Orochimaru, Hiruzen quickly tried to stop him.
"Do you really want mutual destruction with your teacher? Are you willing to give up your ninjutsu? Your dream of immortality?"
"Oh? Sensei, are you scared?"
Orochimaru was hesitant too.
Even if he used the Eight-Headed Serpent to finish off Hiruzen and Itachi, he'd be too weak afterward and vulnerable to surrounding ANBU.
After using that jutsu, he would enter a weakened state for a period.
"I've fought for years and no longer fear death. But it's a shame that Konoha would lose so much power in a single day. When that happens, not only would Konoha fall into chaos, your dream of immortality would also be impossible."
Seeing Orochimaru stop, Hiruzen sighed in relief.
It seemed the bait of eternal life finally tempted him a bit.
"Sensei, what exactly are you getting at?"
The words coming from Hiruzen made Orochimaru feel a bit unfamiliar.
This teacher, usually so righteous, would never say such things.
But today...
What was going on in his mind to even bring up immortality to him?
Orochimaru was indeed curious.
Partly because of Sarutobi's promise of perfect immortality, partly because of his odd behavior.
"Let's go somewhere quiet and talk alone, Orochimaru."
"Alright."
Bringing along the two dead men whose wills had been erased, Rasa and Hashirama, Orochimaru sheathed his Kusanagi Sword and followed his teacher.
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