As two coffins, engraved with the characters "One" and "Two," burst forth from the ground, the Third Hokage's pupils contracted sharply, and he unhesitatingly threw several shuriken!
He never expected that Orochimaru would master this terrifying forbidden jutsu that desecrates the dead!
He absolutely could not allow unknown powerful individuals to be summoned; he had to stop it immediately!
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!"
Dozens of sharp shuriken assailed the coffins like a swarm of bees, yet these attacks only left shallow scratches on the wooden surfaces.
The next moment, the two coffin doors fell open with a heavy thud, revealing the stiff figures within: a man in red Do-maru armor with long black hair reaching his waist, and another stern-faced man in blue armor with solemn silver hair.
The moment he recognized their faces, the Third Hokage's breathing almost stopped, and even his fingertips trembled slightly.
The individuals before him were none other than Konoha's founders—the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, and his younger brother, the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, who developed countless forbidden jutsu!
As his consciousness gradually revived, Senju Tobirama lowered his head to examine his body, which was composed of dirt.
As the developer of the jutsu, he immediately understood his predicament.
"This state... is it Edo Tensei?"
"To think I would be toyed with by a jutsu I created."
Senju Hashirama, however, gazed at the aging Third Hokage with a gentle look.
Despite the changes wrought by time, he recognized him at a glance.
"Long time no see, Monkey."
His tone carried a hint of emotion. "To think even you've grown so old."
"Shodai(1st)-sama... Teacher..." Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice was filled with uncontrollable excitement and sorrow.
Hashirama did not directly respond to the Third Hokage; instead, he turned to his brother.
"Tobirama! See? I told you long ago not to develop such dangerous jutsu!"
"Big Brother, now is not the time for that!"
Tobirama calmly interrupted him, his gaze shifting to Orochimaru, who was manipulating everything from behind.
"It seems you are the one who summoned us. Truly an impressive young man, to have mastered this jutsu."
Orochimaru's long tongue licked the corner of his mouth, revealing a sinister smile, and his hands began to form hand signs once more!
"It's not over yet, Hiruzen-sensei! The'surprise' I've prepared for you isn't limited to just these two!"
Immediately after, a third coffin, accompanied by an ominous tremor, slowly rose from the ground!
Engraved clearly on its lid was the character "Four"!
Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart plummeted!
Connecting the "One" on the First Hokage's coffin and the "Two" on the Second Hokage's, a terrifying thought flashed through his mind—could Orochimaru have even Minato's body...?!
However, a sudden change occurred!
This third coffin, halfway through its ascent, seemed to be pulled by an invisible force, shaking violently before abruptly sinking back into the ground and vanishing!
The unexpected failure of the jutsu stunned everyone present.
"Did it fail?" Hashirama looked at the Third Hokage, his tone seemingly relieved.
"It seems you only have us two to deal with."
"No," Tobirama, however, frowned deeply, sensing the residual Chakra fluctuations.
"The jutsu itself didn't fail; rather, it 'activated' and then produced a repulsion.
Based on this reaction... it likely attempted to summon a soul that 'does not exist in the Pure Land.'"
"Does not exist in the Pure Land?!" Hearing this, the Third Hokage suddenly looked up, his emotions becoming extremely agitated, his voice even losing its composure.
"Second Hokage-sama! What do you mean by that?!"
Despite being somewhat perplexed by the Third Hokage's unusually intense reaction, Tobirama calmly offered an explanation.
"It's simple.
The essence of Edo Tensei is to forcibly summon souls resting in the 'Pure Land' to the living world and bind them within a sacrificial body.
But the jutsu clearly activated successfully just now, yet the summoning process was forcibly interrupted... The only explanation is that the soul the jutsu attempted to summon 'is not' in the Pure Land at all."
He stated the most probable deduction.
"In other words, there's a very high probability that the deceased person who was supposed to be summoned... is still 'alive' to this day."
Upon hearing the Second Hokage's calm analysis, the Third Hokage's face instantly changed drastically, all color draining from it in a single moment.
He staggered, his once upright posture stooping slightly, his eyes filled with disbelief and profound pain, as if he had aged decades in those few short seconds.
Meanwhile, Orochimaru, after receiving the authoritative explanation from the jutsu's own developer, was momentarily stunned, then his body began to tremble uncontrollably from this shocking secret.
"Heh heh... Hahaha... Hahahaha!" Orochimaru let out a twisted, delighted laugh, his snake-like eyes fixed on his instantly aged teacher.
"Hiruzen-sensei! It seems that the flawless successor you believed in has ultimately become thoroughly disappointed in you!
So that's it... No wonder that organization's ideology is peace..."
"However, let's end the reminiscing and speculation here."
As his voice fell, two kunai wrapped in strange talismans appeared in his hands, accurately piercing the back of the necks of the First and Second Hokage's Edo Tensei bodies!
The moment the talismans merged into their bodies, Senju Hashirama's originally gentle eyes suddenly became hollow.
He seemed to be struggling with his last remaining consciousness to issue a warning.
"Monkey... the power this body can hold... is limited... be careful..."
His words abruptly ceased, and his entire expression, as if controlled by invisible strings, completely lost its luster, becoming like that of an exquisite puppet.
Senju Tobirama, beside him, also had dull eyes, losing all intellect and transforming into a pure weapon of slaughter.
Watching the two revered former Hokage being manipulated and toyed with in such a humiliating manner, the Third Hokage's last vestiges of hesitation and warmth were completely severed.
He forcibly suppressed the immense shock and chaotic emotions brought by the possibility of the Fourth Hokage still being alive, and slowly raised his head.
At this moment, there was no longer any sentiment of teacher-student affection in his eyes, only resolve and killing intent.
His gaze passed over those two hollow bodies, locking onto Orochimaru, who wore a triumphant smile behind them.
"Shodai(1st)-sama... Teacher... I'm sorry."
He murmured softly. What followed was no longer a teacher's admonishment to a disciple—he slowly clasped his hands together, and a massive amount of Chakra began to gather around him, roaring like a waking lion.
Instead, it was an unqualified teacher's... purging of a traitor!
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