The tournament is divided into two groups per day: one in the morning and one in the afternoon. After the match schedule was announced, the first match of the morning featured Sakura Haruno and Tenten.
Although it hadn't been long, Sakura and Rin's training under Tsunade had already made a noticeable difference in her Medical Ninjutsu and brute strength. This also included her body's reaction speed in dangerous situations, allowing her to calmly dodge Tenten's relentless barrage of ninja tools while simultaneously thinking of strategies to counter them.
In simple terms, Tenten's attacks, while rapid, were easily disrupted if her opponent could keep up with her pace.
However, ninja tools don't have names—whoever wields them owns them. During the battle, Sakura caught two of Tenten's countless weapons, two Tang swords, and deflected all the hidden weapons and projectiles that flew toward her.
Neji: "Tenten is clearly struggling against Sakura."
"Yeah." Lee, with his thick eyebrows and large eyes, stared at the arena. "But it really is an amazing fight."
Tenten had learned from the previous encounter and now attached steel cables to her weapons, allowing her to retrieve them at will. But she hadn't anticipated that Sakura, having learned the chakra scalpel from Rin, easily severed each cable as though she were playing a piano.
Defensively, Sakura shattered the arena floor with a single punch, using the stone slabs as shields. Within an hour, Tenten, unable to find a way out, conceded defeat.
Genma Shiranui announced Sakura as the victor. The morning's matches went smoothly, but things took a turn in the afternoon…
During the battle between Naruto Uzumaki and Kiba Inuzuka, Kiba's heart sank. Having witnessed Naruto's 16-year-old self fight Gaara in the Forest of Death, Kiba knew the situation all too well. His most confident opponent had suddenly surpassed his expectations, almost breaking the combat power ceiling. Who wouldn't feel crushed by that?
But conceding the match was out of the question. Just as Kiba was about to give it his all with Akamaru, the unexpected happened.
Someone used genjutsu to stun the entire audience in the arena. Konoha ninja immediately sprang into action, protecting the spectators and dispelling the genjutsu. Tsunade and Jiraiya knew immediately: Orochimaru had arrived.
"Edo Tensei!"
"!!!"
What?! Hiruzen Sarutobi had not expected this! Orochimaru had actually mastered the Second Hokage's forbidden jutsu—Edo Tensei?!
"Who is he planning to summon?!!" Tsunade seethed. She still hadn't settled the score with Orochimaru for summoning Nawaki and Dan through Edo Tensei the last time!
"That technique again," the Fourth Kazekage grimaced. "Last time, he used this very jutsu to summon the Third Kazekage to fight us."
Jiraiya hadn't heard of this either.
"Summoning the Third to fight the Fourth?!" He couldn't help but be impressed by how despicable and clever the bastard was.
But Jiraiya's surprise quickly faded when he, along with the others, saw three coffins rising from the ground in the distance. Each one was inscribed with:
"First," "Second," "Fourth."
Minato Namikaze dispelled the genjutsu on the daimyō and instructed the other ninja to escort them to safety. He, along with Obito Uchiha, Kakashi Hatake, and Rin Nohara, rushed toward Orochimaru and the three coffins!
Adult Kakashi, Sasuke, and Sakura had already arrived a step ahead of them.
Minato Namikaze: "He has successfully completed his Edo Tensei. Everyone, be cautious! Obito, prepare to place the three coffins into Kamui's Dimension."
"Yes!"
The young Obito Uchiha opened his Mangekyō Sharingan, poised for action.
Orochimaru gave a cold, sinister laugh and vanished like mud before everyone's eyes.
At that very moment, before Obito could transfer the three coffins into Kamui's Dimension, their lids slammed shut!
Just as they had feared the worst outcome!
"The First Hokage—Hashirama Senju!"
"And the Second Hokage—Tobirama Senju!!"
"And....."
Naruto's eyes widened in utter shock. The figure within the coffin was—
"The Fourth Hokage—Minato Namikaze!!"
Naruto froze in place, staring at the figure within the third coffin. The man clad in the Fourth Hokage's sacred robes was his father. Unlike the "Dad" he'd been calling lately, this was the father of this world—his true, biological father!
Like Sasuke, Gaara, Obito, Shikamaru, and others, after the Second Chūnin Exams, most here had learned that the Fourth Hokage was Naruto's biological father.
They were utterly stunned!
They looked at Naruto, then at the blond man in the coffin!
For a moment, none could speak.
"What?!"
The Third Hokage was utterly shocked. He never imagined Orochimaru would summon the First and Second Hokage—even Minato—through Edo Tensei to use them as pawns!
Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju opened their eyes one after another.
Tsunade: "Grandfather!"
Hashirama Senju's gaze was cold, showing not a trace of joy at seeing his granddaughter grow up.
Jiraiya placed a hand on Tsunade's shoulder. "They're both under Orochimaru's control, just like Nawaki before. Be careful."
Hiruzen Sarutobi: "Even their consciousness is controlled."
"Probably because the two Hokage's wills are too strong. Orochimaru fears that once he unlocks their wills, he won't be able to control them anymore," Jiraiya speculated.
The two Hokage reincarnations possessed no will of their own, only obeying Orochimaru's commands. The moment they opened their eyes and saw the Third Hokage, they immediately launched their attack!
"Have the Barrier Team deploy the barrier! Prevent collateral damage!" Hiruzen Sarutobi ordered. "If the combat power of THE two is truly unleashed through the Edo Tensei, Konoha might truly be crushed by them!!"
To let the First and Second Hokage—the very founders of Konohagakure—destroy the village they built?!
Such a method to crush Konohagakure was utterly appalling!!!
Moreover, these two Hokage, along with the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, were all heroes who sacrificed themselves to protect this village! To let them destroy their own village, only to have them regain their will later—how profoundly tragic that would be!
"We must stop Orochimaru at all costs!!"
Inside the barrier, the fighters were locked in a fierce struggle. Minato Namikaze held up the Four Violet Flames Formation, while the others were instructed to stay outside and devise a solution.
Genma Shiranui leapt onto the arena: "The exam is suspended. You all..."
He intended to order Kiba Inuzuka and Naruto Uzumaki to evacuate, but knew Naruto would never simply flee. So he amended his words: "Stay safe."
Subsequently, Genma Shiranui, Hayate Gekkō, and others also arrived outside the barrier, standing by at any moment.
Naruto leapt beside Minato Namikaze. "Dad!"
His cry seemed directed both at Minato Namikaze and at the Fourth Hokage-sama within the barrier.
Sakura: "Why hasn't the Fourth Hokage-sama launched an attack?"
"He hasn't even opened his eyes," Sasuke Uchiha said.
Minato pondered for a moment. "It seems the Edo Tensei Jutsu can only summon souls from the Pure Land using summoning techniques. However, the Fourth Hokage of this world, having used the Uzumaki clan's forbidden technique—Reaper Death Seal—during his lifetime, sacrificed his soul along with the Nine-Tails' chakra to the Shinigami."
Without a soul, the Edo Tensei technique cannot function!
So even though Minato Namikaze was summoned, he was merely a decaying, empty shell.
Naruto couldn't quite describe his current feelings.
He didn't want the Fourth Hokage to be exploited and forced to fight his Konoha comrades, yet he also wanted to speak with him—to tell him he was doing well now, so he and his mother wouldn't have to worry.
Within the barrier...
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, performed the summoning of the Monkey King: Enma. Together with Jiraiya and Tsunade, they fought against the First and Second Hokage.
These two Hokage were already powerful beyond the comprehension of ordinary ninja. Now, in their Edo Tensei bodies—uninjured and immune to chakra depletion—they remained extremely formidable, despite their overall strength being weakened several levels due to the limitations of the technique.
Tsunade, having already been forced to fight Nawaki and Dan, now found herself compelled to battle her own beloved grandfather. The rage pent up inside her was about to explode!!
"Minato, this can't go on." Jiraiya found a moment to speak with his disciple maintaining the Four Violet Flames Formation outside the barrier.
Obito Uchiha: "Minato-sensei, let us join the battle! I can use my Mangekyō Sharingan to seal them all within Kamui's Dimension."
"Hmm." After a moment's hesitation, Minato replied, "You should be able to enter using your Intangibility form. Stay here and devise a plan to seal the two Hokage-sama within your Kamui Dimension."
"Understood!"
The young Obito stepped alone into the Four Violet Flames Formation, his gaze fixed on Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju. But the two moved with blinding speed, locked in a fierce battle with Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Hiruzen Sarutobi.
His dōjutsu was too slow. At this rate, he would never be able to track their movements.
What to do?!!
The situation was already slightly unfavorable for their side, and now this new complication arose!
The other genin were ordered to assist the jōnin in dispelling the genjutsu affecting the spectators in the stands, then evacuate them to a safer location.
Sasuke, watching over Naruto, suddenly noticed an invisible figure opening Naruto's ninja pouch!
The photos obtained from the previous mission flew out of the pouch?!!