Itachi's sudden appearance made Sasuke doubt his own eyes.
But that single glimpse was all it took for Sasuke to lose control—he darted after Itachi without the slightest hesitation.
Zabuza and the others tried to stop him, but they were already locked in combat on all fronts. None of them had finished off their opponents yet.
Chasing Sasuke now was simply impossible.
Meanwhile, Orochimaru—locked in his own vicious exchange with Mumei—wore a smile far too twisted to belong to anything human. The shadows of his hood couldn't hide the madness stretching across his face.
Go. Go, Sasuke.
Soon… you will be mine again.
Dodging Mumei's strikes with fluid ease, Orochimaru cast a glance toward Nagato's battlefield.
It seemed things were reaching their conclusion there as well.
At this moment, Shigure and Nagato met head-on.
Their fists collided—only once.
And the result was instant.
Nagato's body flew backward like a ragdoll, dragged across the ground for more than ten meters before he finally managed to stabilize himself.
"I didn't expect that even with my current strength… I still can't match you."
Nagato's voice carried both frustration and resignation.
Shigure snorted.
"What? Did you really think gaining the power of the Eight-Tails was enough to take me on?"
Nagato shook his head. "It seems Eight-Tails' power alone truly isn't enough to defeat you."
"Since you understand that," Shigure replied calmly, "what now? Fight me seriously? Or try to escape?"
Nagato shook his head again.
"No. I choose neither."
Shigure's eyes narrowed.
Neither? Then what—
The earth exploded.
Massive wooden vines roared out of the ground like the limbs of some ancient behemoth, lashing toward Shigure with enough force to pulverize stone.
Water Release: Body Flicker Technique.
Shigure dissolved into water instantly, slipping through the gaps between the vines before reforming some distance away.
A deep frown etched onto his face.
Wood Release… here?
A shadow fell across the battlefield.
A figure stood behind Nagato.
Nagato smiled. "I choose to defeat you."
Shigure's gaze lifted to the newcomer.
"Senju Hashirama."
"First Hokage-sama."
Despite the situation, Shigure let out a breath—half admiration, half annoyance.
"Impressive. So you actually managed to reanimate the First Hokage."
His aura surged.
Hashirama's chakra was potent—nearly at its peak. Nagato's reinforcement made the control unbelievably tight, yet Hashirama still retained his consciousness.
The First Hokage studied Shigure carefully.
"You… I feel like I've seen you before. Are you that kid from the last time I was revived with Edo Tensei?"
Though Shigure's appearance had changed drastically, chakra never lied. Hashirama recognized the signature immediately.
Then his gaze shifted to Shigure's attire.
"…Did you betray Konoha? Did you join another village?"
Shigure, who had been focusing on Nagato, paused and looked at Hashirama with a flat, icy stare.
"Don't talk nonsense about things you don't understand."
Nagato let out a dry laugh, turning to Hashirama.
"How pathetic, Konoha. You cast out your own people—and then accuse them of betrayal?"
Hashirama blinked, momentarily stunned.
"Cast out…?"
Nagato scoffed.
"Are the people of this generation in Konoha all idiots?"
Who would willingly cast aside such a prodigy—someone who could have become one of Konoha's future pillars?
"Yes," Shigure replied calmly, "they really are idiots."
Hashirama fell silent.
It was clear Shigure held little affection for Konoha… and judging from Nagato's words, perhaps for good reason.
"What exactly happened?"
Hashirama pressed further, but Nagato clearly had no intention of letting the conversation continue.
"It's time to move, First Hokage-sama."
"You're a dead man. You don't need to know more."
Hashirama's body moved instantly—not out of his own will, but because Nagato's control forced him into action.
He leapt forward, charging straight at Shigure.
A massive surge of chakra exploded from Hashirama's body as he threw a punch capable of pulverizing boulders.
"Quick, dodge!"
Someone shouted instinctively.
"That punch carries monstrous strength—you can't possibly—"
THUMP—BUZZ—
Shigure raised a single hand.
And caught the First Hokage's fist cleanly.
"Can't block it?" Shigure said calmly. "That's ancient history. The shinobi world has changed, Shodai-sama."
CRACK—BANG!
Shigure twisted, his body rotating smoothly as he delivered a roundhouse kick that launched Hashirama backward like a cannonball.
Hashirama flipped mid-air, dispersing the momentum before landing lightly on his feet. He looked up, eyes widening.
He blocked my strength?
At that age?
"You… are you a shinobi of Kirigakure now?"
Before Shigure could respond, Nagato appeared on Shigure's flank with a cold snort.
"Hmph. First Hokage, I'll tell you. The shinobi before you is the Mizukage of Kirigakure—the Sixth Mizukage."
Hashirama's eyes widened further.
Konoha cast him out… and Kirigakure allowed someone from another village to become Mizukage?
That made no sense.
Nagato continued,
"Don't be so shocked. He possesses the Ice Release Kekkei Genkai and comes from the Minazuki Clan of Kirigakure to begin with. Konoha merely took him in temporarily. Returning him to Kirigakure is only natural."
Hashirama finally understood.
But a new question gnawed at him:
If Konoha took him in… why didn't they keep him?
Why give away such a rare genius? Someone who could have been a future Hokage?
Were the shinobi of this generation truly fools?
As he pondered, Hashirama's hands flashed through a series of signs. Wooden clones erupted around him.
Shigure drew his blade in a single fluid motion.
One slash per clone.
Each Wood Clone fell apart instantly.
Hashirama felt pressure mounting.
The stronger Shigure revealed himself to be…
the more painfully absurd Konoha's decision appeared.
"Wood Release: Advent of the World Tree!"
The entire battlefield trembled.
From beneath the ice and rubble, colossal vines burst upward, filling the abandoned factory like the roots of a primordial god-tree tearing through the earth.
Wood Release swallowed everything—crushing steel beams, shattering walls, ripping apart entire structures.
Zabuza and the others immediately halted mid-battle.
"That's Wood Release? Who's releasing Wood Release on this scale?" Zabuza exclaimed.
"The legendary Wood Release of the First Hokage… I thought no one could use it after him. What the hell…?"
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen exchanged stunned looks.
Meanwhile, perched atop a high vantage point, the Raikage froze as he spotted the source.
"That face…"
"Could that be—Senju Hashirama?"
The First Hokage.
Reanimated.
A chill ran down the Fourth Raikage's spine.
Hashirama was not just another shinobi—he was the man who ended the Warring States Era.
A living calamity.
And now… he stood resurrected on the battlefield.