"Quick—sense the area!!"
Kinkaku had completely lost his usual composure. The moment he saw the reanimated Toroi, he realized that the Second Hokage might still be alive!
"Hey! Toroi, stop it! …Damn it, has he completely lost consciousness? That damn Second Hokage—how could he use such a disgusting technique…"
The Kinkaku Force knew Toroi's techniques well, so all they could do was constantly dodge. None of them dared to touch anything generated by Toroi, let alone spare the time to locate the Second Hokage.
Toroi, the Magnet Release ninja, seemed to possess endless chakra. He showed no emotion toward his former teammates, hurling wave after wave of square-shaped shuriken that forced the Kinkaku Force into a retreat. The three sensory-type ninja, in particular, were under heavy pressure. All they could do was dodge—if any of Toroi's weapons hit them, it would mean certain death.
"What do we do, Kinkaku?! We've got to take Toroi down somehow!" Ginkaku, dripping with sweat, pleaded anxiously—his lack of initiative plain to see.
"Daimoku! Toroi's yours! Everyone else—locate the Second Hokage, now!"
Originally, Kinkaku had intended to save the Explosion Release ninja Daimoku as a trump card for a decisive moment. But now, he had no choice. This vile Edo Tensei technique used by the Second Hokage was driving him mad. If they didn't stop Toroi soon, unnecessary casualties would pile up.
At Kinkaku's shout, a ninja with a bird-beak mask and ear-length hair appeared from behind him. While everyone else was still evading the hail of shuriken, this ninja—Daimoku—rushed straight toward Toroi. As he moved, shuriken flew toward him in clusters, but he punched through them without hesitation—one, two, then over ten chains of them, all shattered by his explosive power until he finally reached Toroi himself.
"So this is an Explosion Release user? If he hits you, it's over. Kosuke, you need to take my special kunai and get out of here—this is too dangerous…"
The young ninja Kosuke blinked, looked at the Second Hokage, then whispered, "Lord Second, why don't we take this chance to escape together? That combined Lightning Release technique earlier seemed impossible to counter. Luckily, you used Flying Thunder God to warp out during the Shadow Clone chaos—otherwise, the outcome would've been disastrous. Let's return to Konoha together…"
It turned out that the risky plan the Second Hokage had referred to earlier revolved around the young Kosuke. During the battle with the Kinkaku Force, Tobirama had already sensed Kosuke's chakra—but wasn't sure at the time. Later, as he saw the enemy team's numerous unusual abilities, he decided to use Shadow Clones as a decoy and secretly warp out with Flying Thunder God to better assess their full capabilities.
The risk of this plan hinged on a single special kunai—the kind Tobirama used for his Flying Thunder God technique. He had once given this kunai to Kosuke while teaching him ninjutsu. If this boy had truly come here against orders and brought that kunai, the plan would be a success—and, most importantly, Tobirama would have a major intelligence advantage over the Kinkaku Force.
"Four Earth Release users… eight Lightning Release users… three sensory types… one Explosion Release user… and Kinkaku and Ginkaku… every one of them is a pain. And each of their styles seems to directly counter my Water Release."
"Kosuke, there's been a coup in the Land of Lightning. The Second Raikage has already been killed. If we escape now, the Kinkaku Force will take over the country. If such a powerful ninja force seizes power, Konoha will inevitably be invaded by a flood of Hidden Cloud shinobi. Worse, other nations may take the chance to strike. Konoha is still filled with young, inexperienced ninja… If a war breaks out… We can't let these men leave here alive!"
Fing!
With that, the Second Hokage vanished in a flash, returning to the battlefield using Flying Thunder God.
Kosuke knew that if he joined the fight directly, he would only be a burden to Lord Second. But he also couldn't bring himself to flee. Even if he couldn't fight, he could still act as a living mobile marker for the Flying Thunder God.
Determined, Kosuke quietly began shifting his position around the battlefield, ready to support the Second Hokage from the flanks.
Back on the battlefield, Tobirama had already marked Toroi with a Flying Thunder God seal during the Edo Tensei ritual. Seeing the Explosion Release user nearby, he realized this was the perfect moment. From his hidden spot, Tobirama launched a surprise attack—aiming to take down Daimoku.
Just as Daimoku reached Toroi, he unleashed a brutal punch. Toroi flew backward—and suddenly exploded mid-air.
BOOM!!
With a thunderous blast, Toroi was blown apart by Daimoku's explosive strike. Ash and paper-like debris scattered through the sky. The deadly shuriken vanished, and peace seemed to return.
Daimoku turned to glance at Kinkaku, signaling that the task was complete. He prepared to leap back and regroup—but to his shock, the supposedly destroyed Toroi began to reform from the dust, once again looking just like he had in life.
Worse still, as Toroi was reanimated, a blinding silver flash suddenly appeared in front of Daimoku.
Daimoku's eyes went wide with horror. He had seen how Toroi died before—struck down by that very same silver flash. And now it was right in front of him.
He was right to be afraid.
That silver flash was none other than the Second Hokage—Tobirama Senju—hidden until now.
"Flying Thunder God Slash!!"
"Ugh…"
The same technique, now faster than ever. Tobirama once again used his signature assassination move to take out another powerful kekkei genkai user.
As always, after the kill, Tobirama collected DNA from the fallen enemy—preparing for the next Edo Tensei.
He was playing a long game. With two powerful bloodline users revived through Edo Tensei, his odds against overwhelming numbers were improving dramatically.
"Damn that Second Hokage… He's still alive…"
(End of Chapter)
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