"Naruto! Your ninja pouch!"
Sasuke's reminder finally drew Naruto's attention...
Ever since Kabuto had silently severed his original pouch last time, Naruto had been carrying a newly packed one.
The lid of the pouch opened on its own, and a photograph from the Nine-Tails incident flew out.
To everyone's eyes, the photo appeared to be affixed to the forehead of the Fourth Hokage in the Edo Tensei. Then, with his sharp vision, Obito saw the image of Minato-sensei vanish from the photo! Only Kushina's image remained!!
As everyone stood stunned, unsure of what this small change meant...
The sky was unchanged, but suddenly, they all felt the surroundings darken for a brief moment?!
They all saw the Shinigami, holding a knife between his teeth, appear behind the soulless Edo Tensei Fourth Hokage!!
The white-haired Shinigami had a demonic mask!
His ethereal form sent a chill down their spines—clad in white robes, surrounded by flickering ghostly flames.
A knife hung from his mouth, beads rattling in his grip, making a soft clattering sound.
Holding the blade, the Shinigami with the demonic mask extended his purple tongue to lick the steel.
The eerie sight sent shivers through everyone.
Hiruzen Sarutobi stared at the giant Shinigami in astonishment. "Could this be the Shinigami from the Reaper Death Seal?! But wasn't it said that only those who made a contract with Death could see it?!"
Back during the Nine-Tails incident, he had stood outside the barrier Kushina created, watching as Minato used the Reaper Death Seal. Afterward, Minato seemed to be controlled by something.
It must have been this very Shinigami back then?!
Only Minato could see it at the time.
Now, Sasuke and Young Kakashi stared in disbelief at the photo. What was it exactly? Why could it summon the Reaper Death Seal?
"That thing…" Naruto's voice trembled slightly, "What does it want?"
No sooner had he asked than the grotesque Shinigami, without saying a word, sliced open its own abdomen with the blade!!
"!!!!"
"What the hell?!"
"That thing just sliced open its own stomach?!"
Before anyone could react, a black gash appeared across the Shinigami's abdomen...
From the wound, a soul imprisoned for twelve years was released!
Naruto Uzumaki watched as the blue ghostly flame floated toward the Fourth Hokage's head, entering the body of the Fourth Hokage, resurrected through the Edo Tensei technique.
And then, immediately!
The Edo Tensei Fourth Hokage's eyes snapped open!!
He drew the Flying Thunder God kunai from his body and hurled it toward the Third Hokage!!
"!!!"
A golden flash followed, and the Fourth Hokage appeared above Hiruzen Sarutobi!
"Watch out!"
An eye sprouted from the Adamantine Staff—it was Enma warning the Third Hokage.
Blocking with the staff, the Third Hokage narrowly avoided having his throat slit!
"Ninja Art: Needle Jizo!"
Jiraiya attacked and defended simultaneously, creating distance between the Fourth Hokage and the Old Man Third!
…
After several rounds, everyone stood frozen in shock!
Moments later, they snapped back to reality and understood—
The Fourth Hokage's soul had returned! The true Fourth Hokage's Edo Tensei was complete!
The cursed seal talisman that Orochimaru had placed in his body had taken effect.
Now, like the First and Second Hokage before him, he was merely a tool in Orochimaru's hands!!
A tool meant to destroy Konohagakure!!
Creak-creak—
Sasuke saw Naruto's knuckles contorting, transforming into a more beast-like form, his nails growing into fox-like claws. The creaking sound came from the grinding of his knuckles together as he clenched his fists with all his might!
"Naruto....."
Sakura noticed the corners of Naruto's mouth splitting toward his ears, his pupils turning into red, beast-like eyes.
The single, vertical pupil could no longer conceal the rage burning in his gaze!
This time, Naruto was truly enraged!!
He was now uncontrollably absorbing excessive Nine-Tails chakra, enveloping his body in an orange-red chakra cloak.
Tailed Beast Cloak Mode!
Naruto's fist slammed into the Four Violet Flames Formation, seemingly oblivious to the searing pain as his hand made contact with the barrier!
Adult Kakashi tried to calm Naruto down, but he couldn't stay composed himself—let alone Naruto Uzumaki, the son of the Fourth Hokage?!
"Orochimaru's move... " Minato Namikaze, who is maintaining the Four Purple Flames Formation, has already anticipated his next move, he thought. "It's truly vicious and despicable!! He must have other schemes in store."
Sasuke: "What's Orochimaru's next scheme?! Isn't he trying to force the Third Hokage out of office?"
Sakura, Young Kakashi, Obito, and the others also looked over.
Their experience was limited, and they didn't know Orochimaru well enough. Though they knew he was treacherous, they hadn't yet grasped the true meaning behind his actions—throwing the three Edo Tensei Hokages here while leaving himself behind.
"Orochimaru is betting on us—betting on whether we can save the Third Hokage! And whether Konoha will hand Sasuke over to him."
"His plan is likely to have the First or Second Hokage kill the Third Hokage, or render the Third unconscious—anything that would leave Konoha ungovernable." Minato's expression hardened, his voice thick with killing intent. "This is likely Orochimaru's revenge against the Third Hokage for expelling him from Konoha."
Because he was expelled by his mentor, Orochimaru now used Edo Tensei to summon the First and Second Hokage to kill or cripple the very mentor who had taught him?!!
What a masterstroke—using his own methods against him!
Expelled from Konoha for researching forbidden techniques that killed his comrades, Orochimaru now harbored resentment. From the Pure Land, he had summoned the First and Second Hokage to kill or cripple his mentor?!
"But that's not all," Minato Namikaze continued. "By killing or incapacitating the Hokage, he would plunge Konoha into chaos. Then he could demand Sasuke be handed over to him—or else the three Edo Tensei Hokage will raze Konoha to the ground."
"!!"
Using Sasuke as leverage?!!
Naruto's voice had become rough, fox-like, as if the strain from using the Nine-Tails chakra had damaged his vocal cords.
"I won't... I'd rather die than hand Sasuke over to him..."
"Danzō Shimura would," Sasuke suddenly interjected.
Following the Fourth Hokage's reasoning, he had likely figured out Orochimaru's plan: killing three birds with one stone.
First, use a Hokage to kill another Hokage!
It would also settle old grudges—making the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, and the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, kill their own disciple Hiruzen Sarutobi!
Second, force the Hokages who founded the village and sacrificed for it to destroy the very Konohagakure they built!
If one were to ask why, thinking like Orochimaru, he likely wanted to unleash chaos in Konoha—destroy it to rebuild, to reform and reestablish!
Third, elevate Danzō Shimura to power!
After achieving the first two goals, Orochimaru would demand Konoha hand over the Uchiha from his side.
At that point, Danzō Shimura would step forward to take charge, seizing the opportunity to gain control of Konoha and smoothly ascend to become the Fifth Hokage!
All of the above...
...is predicated on them failing to win the wager, failing to stop Orochimaru from killing his master, failing to stop Orochimaru from placing the cursed seal on him!!
Just as they had speculated beforehand, Orochimaru might not truly intend to destroy Konoha.
But he is an extremely dangerous individual.
"Are you trying to decide whether Konoha deserves to be destroyed based on our actions?! That bastard Orochimaru!" Jiraiya cursed, his realization fueling his anger.
Tsunade shattered the First Hokage's Wood Release attack aimed at them with a display of raw strength. "This is the first time I've found a wager this disgusting! Once we catch Orochimaru, I'll kill him!!" Veins bulged angrily on her smooth, pale forehead, threatening to burst with blood at any moment.
Inside the barrier, Obito Uchiha struggled to track the movements of the First and Second Hokage, both in their Edo Tensei form. But when he saw the Fourth Hokage in action, his mind went blank, and he was filled with rage, just like Naruto.
"What do I do?! Minato-sensei!"
Unable to find a solution, Obito called out to Minato from the Kannabi Bridge timeline.
"Same as before!" Minato Namikaze replied to Young Obito. "Find a way to seal all three Edo Tensei Hokages into your Kamui Dimension!"
This left Obito truly stumped. The Second Hokage's speed alone was overwhelming, and now he faced another version of his sensei from a different world—Naruto's real father!!
Obito was sweating profusely, his panic rising.
Considering Orochimaru's upcoming scheme, Minato Namikaze's only remaining trump card was Obito's Kamui space.
After all, in Edo Tensei—where they couldn't die, couldn't be injured, and never grew tired—defeating and sealing three Hokage was nearly impossible.
The only viable sealing technique was the Reaper Death Seal!
Just as he had learned from intelligence gathered from the future, the Third Hokage had used this technique to seal himself, the other two Hokage, and himself inside the belly of the Shinigami.
Minato's mind raced frantically.
"In the future world without the mission scrolls, the Fourth Hokage shouldn't have been summoned to this world."
"Since we traveled to this world because of the mission scrolls, and Orochimaru successfully resurrected the Fourth Hokage through Edo Tensei…"
"…there's no reason we should be following the same path as another world."
"There has to be a way to properly resolve this crisis!!"
Obito and the masked man's Kamui Dimension?
Or Naruto, who already knows his identity?
Or perhaps Jiraiya-sama, or Kimimaro? The Fourth Kazekage?
Where lies the key to resolving this crisis?!
No matter which option they considered, at best they could only suppress the crisis—not fully resolve it.
Even if the three Hokage were sealed within Obito's Kamui Dimension, it wouldn't count as the mission being complete. And once they were released, the crisis would resurface.
They couldn't possibly leave Obito to return to his world while still holding these three Hokage from another dimension in Kamui, could they?
Even Minato Namikaze had overlooked one crucial piece of information.
That is…
Mitsuki hadn't yet left this world!
It wasn't that Mitsuki could break the Edo Tensei or had any other means to control the current situation.
It was because of the mission reward for a C-rank mission: if an individual left their parallel world, both worlds would continue to flow normally!
To put it plainly, Mitsuki…had been out of contact for nearly a week!!
"Oh my, oh my~~"
Behind Minato Namikaze, a voice suddenly appeared, infuriating them to the point that they saw red!!
"To see Sarutobi-sensei again, and that idiot... should I call it a miracle or a karmic bond?"
"My child has been well cared for by you all~~"