"Raikiri!"
With the combined precision of his Sharingan and the blistering speed of his Lightning Release Chakra Mode, Kakashi slipped between the rain of iron-sand spears, evading each one by the narrowest of margins.
As for Senju Haruto? Kakashi felt no need to worry.
In terms of raw ability, Haruto was stronger than himself. Such attacks were nowhere near enough to threaten him. Kakashi simply needed to focus on his own battlefield.
Channeling chakra into his right hand, Kakashi unleashed his original technique—Raikiri. With speed and accuracy that allowed no time for reaction, he drove the blade of lightning clean through the Third Kazekage's left chest.
The strike was flawless.
The timing, impeccable.
The Kazekage hadn't even registered the move before his body was pierced.
"…Kakashi."
Only then did Orochimaru's golden eyes narrow slightly, his attention sharpening. It wasn't until he witnessed Kakashi land such a perfect counterattack that he began to take the Copy Ninja seriously.
With his wounds healed and chakra restored, Kakashi's speed had become greater than ever.
And without the burden of conserving chakra, he no longer needed to rely on kunai in combat.
Orochimaru couldn't deny it—even he was impressed.
"With power like this… you already have the qualifications to become the next Hokage," he mused inwardly, a sardonic edge to his thoughts.
If not for the Edo Tensei state, Kakashi's strike would have surely killed the Third Kazekage outright.
But what stunned Orochimaru even more was the scene unfolding on the other side of the battlefield.
Facing the Kazekage's barrage of iron sand, Senju Haruto merely pulled Karin behind him. He neither dodged nor raised a hand to defend himself.
To an outside observer, it looked as though he hadn't even reacted.
And then—
From beneath Haruto's feet, thick vines suddenly erupted, sprouting upward at an astonishing speed. Within seconds, what had begun as stems no thicker than a finger had grown into a towering wall of interwoven branches.
The living barricade swallowed the incoming iron-sand lances whole, shielding Haruto and Karin from every attack.
Orochimaru's eyes went wide. His voice tore out before he could stop it:
"Th-that's… Wood Release?!"
Years ago, in the aftermath of the Nine Tails' rampage, Hiruzen Sarutobi had sent Orochimaru to conduct a series of experiments. The objective: transplant Hashirama Senju's cells into test subjects, in the hope of reviving Wood Release for the sake of the Leaf.
But not a single experiment had succeeded. No body could withstand the strain of Hashirama's cells.
Even the so-called "Professor," Sarutobi, had ultimately abandoned the project.
Yet here and now, Orochimaru was witnessing the impossible—true Mokuton.
His throat worked in a hard swallow, but alongside his shock, his heart surged with exhilaration.
A mere surname like "Senju" meant little on its own.
But the power of Wood Release? That was something else entirely.
Even Uchiha Madara, the so-called strongest Uchiha, had never truly defeated Hashirama.
If Orochimaru could claim Haruto's body for his own, what need would he have to covet Itachi anymore?
With this vessel…
He would surpass even Itachi!
"I must have this boy!" Orochimaru clenched his fists, unable to contain the feverish greed flooding his veins. This discovery was far too valuable.
Meanwhile, Kakashi's Raikiri had already ripped open a gaping hole in the Kazekage's chest, the force hurling the body backward.
Panting slightly from chakra consumption, Kakashi steadied himself. One enemy down.
Or so he thought.
Fshhh…
Countless paper talismans drifted across the battlefield, clinging to the Kazekage's ruined chest. Within seconds, the torn cavity sealed completely, restoring him as though nothing had happened.
The Kazekage floated effortlessly back to Orochimaru's side, his cold eyes locking once more on Kakashi.
"…Impossible." Kakashi's lone eye widened, his mind reeling.
"There's nothing impossible about it."
Orochimaru chuckled, offering explanation almost mockingly.
"No matter what damage he takes, the Third Kazekage will regenerate in moments. His chakra is limitless, inexhaustible. After all… you cannot kill the dead, Kakashi."
The Snake Sannin's voice lowered to a hiss.
"And to think—this is the handiwork of none other than Lord Tobirama Senju. Truly fitting of the Second Hokage, to craft such a forbidden art."
With that, Orochimaru raised his hand, seizing tighter control of the Kazekage.
This time, his target was not Kakashi.
It was Haruto.
There was no way he would squander this opportunity. Haruto's body was far too precious.
Under Orochimaru's command, iron-sand particles coalesced behind the Kazekage, taking the shape of vast black wings. With a single flap, his body lifted into the air, rising above the battlefield.
Orochimaru no longer cared for the pretense of testing his opponents. He would crush them, break them, and bring them back to his laboratory.
A body that wielded Wood Release.
An ally already carrying the Sharingan.
The thought alone made his pulse race with unrestrained excitement.
Kakashi frowned as he looked skyward, confusion flashing across his face. Why had the Kazekage suddenly taken to the skies?
But Haruto understood immediately.
The reason the Third Kazekage was hailed as the strongest Kazekage in history… was because of his ultimate technique.
"Kakashi. Fall back."
Haruto's voice was sharp, commanding. He left no room for argument.
Though he didn't yet understand what was coming, Kakashi obeyed instantly, retreating to Haruto's side.
And then—
From above, the Third Kazekage's hands blurred through seals.
Magnet Release: Iron Sand World Method!
The air itself darkened as torrents of black iron sand gathered around him, condensing into an endless storm that pierced downward like the spears of a vengeful god.
The sheer scope of the attack was staggering.
Even Orochimaru himself conjured a defensive measure, unwilling to be caught in the all-consuming deluge.
Kakashi's eye widened in shock. The rain of iron sand blotted out the sky, a lethal storm covering everything below.
So vast. So dense. Even with Lightning Release Chakra Mode, dodging this would be impossible.
And once even a sliver of that iron sand touched him, the magnetic field would bind him under the Kazekage's absolute control.
"…So this is the power of the strongest Kazekage in history."
Kakashi swallowed hard, the gulf between them painfully clear.
But the Kazekage's overwhelming scale was only possible because of Edo Tensei. The dead, given infinite chakra, could unleash techniques that far surpassed what they could manage in life.
When Sasori later used a puppet of the Third Kazekage against Sakura, the Iron Sand World Method had only filled the space of a cave.
But now, under Orochimaru's control, the same jutsu stretched across half of Kusagakure itself.
Haruto couldn't help but suspect—was Orochimaru planning to simply erase the entire village?
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