Mizuki was stunned as well.
Wasn't Shisui's body supposed to have vanished?
Edo Tensei required genetic material. Had Hiruzen found Shisui's corpse and kept it hidden all this time?
'…Not necessarily.' Mizuki's thoughts raced. 'When I killed Danzō last time and dug out his eye, the right one was just an ordinary Sharingan, not Shisui's. So that's it. The Third took it ahead of time.'
Hiruzen really was shrewd. Trade one eye and get Shisui in return. It was a deal that paid off far too well.
Still, dragging someone who had been dead for years back for "overtime" was indecent.
Even a capitalist would weep in the bathroom after seeing this.
On the rooftop, the moment Orochimaru saw Shisui, he knew something was wrong.
He immediately slipped behind Tobirama, using Tobirama's broad frame as a shield so he would not be caught in Shisui's line of sight. At the same time, he forced Tobirama to form seals.
Kokuangyo no Jutsu ▻ Bringer-of-Darkness Technique
Darkness spilled from Tobirama, unfurling like a pitch-black curtain in every direction.
At the same time, the coffin before Hiruzen opened. Shisui stepped out, and four-bladed pinwheels spun into existence within his eyes.
Hashirama stiffened. In an instant, the blankness in his gaze dissolved, and clarity returned.
He flashed to Hiruzen's side.
"Monkey… I didn't expect you to be this old." The voice carried nostalgia, no longer the hostility of enemies.
Kotoamatsukami had already rewritten Hashirama's Edo Tensei directive.
Hiruzen exhaled slowly. "Decades have passed. I'm close to dying as well."
Hashirama looked around at the once-prosperous Konoha, now under invasion, and sighed.
"So even after all this… we still couldn't grasp the peace we wanted. You've endured a great deal all these years."
Hiruzen said, "First Hokage-sama, this isn't the time to reminisce. We need to handle the enemy first. Orochimaru over there was my student, and the one beside him is the Fourth Kazekage."
Staring into the creeping darkness, Hashirama clicked his tongue. "I told Tobirama long ago to destroy those forbidden techniques of his. He refused. And now look—Edo Tensei is being turned against Konoha." He paused, then added, "But that Uchiha kid's ocular jutsu is impressive. It actually let me break free of the control. Do it again and pull Tobirama over too!"
Hiruzen's smile turned bitter. Of course he wanted to, but he couldn't.
In the next moment, Shisui's body began to crumble, Edo dust peeling away like scraps of paper.
Shisui's soul surfaced. He looked at Hiruzen one last time, then became a beam of light that rose into the sky.
"Shisui… don't blame me. Everything I did was for the village."
When it was over, only the body of a small child remained. The hopeless eyes and twisted, pained expression told of a life filled with suffering.
Hashirama's brow tightened. He turned toward Hiruzen.
"Monkey… you went too far."
Hiruzen said nothing. He had no words, and no face, to answer.
Outside the Four Violet Flames Formation, Mizuki's eyes narrowed, killing intent surging.
That child had come from the orphanage. Hiruzen ignored the heinous criminals rotting in prison, yet chose an innocent orphan as the sacrifice for Edo Tensei.
Two words fit it: utterly deranged.
Unforgivable.
Orochimaru's expression darkened. Hashirama's will had been rewritten by Kotoamatsukami, breaking free of his control.
Now Orochimaru's side had only Tobirama and the useless Fourth Kazekage. Across from them stood Hashirama and Hiruzen together.
"Fortunately, the Third's Edo Tensei is imperfect. If Shisui had lasted a little longer, it would've been trouble."
Darkness had swallowed the entire Four Violet Flames Formation. The ANBU outside could no longer see what was happening within the barrier.
Everyone except Mizuki.
Bringer-of-Darkness is a genjutsu. It seals the target's sight, leaving the caster's allies unaffected. Genjutsu that manipulates the five senses is nothing like ordinary illusion techniques. Like ocular genjutsu, it is notoriously hard to dispel.
But this level of genjutsu meant nothing to Mizuki. With an Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan in his left eye and a Rinnegan in his right, he was effectively immune to most illusions.
Only the Infinite Tsukuyomi might be able to affect him.
Mokuton Hijutsu: Jukai Kōtan ▻ Wood Release Secret Technique: Nativity of a World of Trees
Hashirama struck first.
He slammed his palm down, and countless saplings speared through the roof tiles, exploding upward in a rampant surge. Even blinded, he had no trouble smothering the battlefield with Wood Release.
Across from him, Orochimaru and Tobirama darted away. The scrape of their footsteps cut through the darkness, and Hiruzen's spirits lifted.
Doton: Doryū Taiga ▻ Earth Release: Earth Flow River
Katon: Karyū Endan ▻ Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet
Hiruzen's ninjutsu did not miss. A torrent of flame rolled toward Orochimaru and Tobirama.
Tobirama lifted a hand and barked,
Suiton: Suijinheki ▻ Water Release: Water Formation Wall
Water erupted out of thin air, spiraling into a ring-shaped barrier around the two. The moment the fire dragon struck it, it hissed out.
Summoning that much water from nothing—Tobirama truly lived up to his contract with the sea.
Suiton: Suidanha ▻ Water Release: Water Severing Wave
A razor-thin jet of pressurized water cut forward like a laser, snapping trunks in its path. The forest Hashirama had raised became a clear-cut wasteland in an instant.
Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu ▻ Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique
A surge of water more than ten meters high, like a crashing tsunami, rolled toward Hiruzen.
At the roar, he reacted at once. Seals flashed through his hands, and he spat mud onto the ground.
Doton: Doryūheki ▻ Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall
A towering wall rose and stopped the flood.
Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu ▻ Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique
Tobirama's assault did not let up.
Neither did Hashirama.
Mokuton: Kajukai Kōrin ▻ Wood Release: Advent of a World of Flowering Trees
Trees erupted once more, and the area became a forest in the blink of an eye. Blossoms burst atop the massive trunks, releasing thick clouds of pollen. The pollen was poisonous; anyone who inhaled it would be knocked unconscious.
Above, the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, stood on a cloud of gold dust and finally moved as well.
Fūton: Ōkamaitachi no Jutsu ▻ Wind Release: Great Sickle Weasel Technique
His Wind Release far surpassed Temari's. A violent gale howled through the forest, sweeping the poisonous pollen toward Hiruzen's side.
It only worked because Hashirama was shackled by Edo Tensei and could not draw out his full power. Otherwise, how could the Fourth Kazekage's jutsu have made a difference at all?
Tobirama was similarly constrained.
For a time, the battle settled into a stalemate. Hiruzen had no intention of using the Reaper Death Seal. Hashirama was already fighting alongside him, and the gap in strength was not so vast that it warranted a fight to the death.
After all, who would not want to die peacefully of old age?
Outside the Four Violet Flames Formation, Mizuki watched the dazzling clash of ninjutsu, eyes gleaming. Then he compared it to himself. He had barely mastered any elemental techniques at all, and even his two Earth-style jutsu were the bottom-of-the-barrel kind.
"I want to fling Fire Release, Water Release, Wind Release, and Lightning Release around too!" Jealousy bubbled up. "This is going to drag on. I might as well take a stroll to the Hokage Tower."
Even if he did not get the Book of Seals, a few ninjutsu scrolls would still be a huge win.
"But first, the ninja tools shop. The storage ring on my hand is nowhere near enough."
From the rooftop, Mizuki spotted the shop at once. The entire village was in chaos, civilians flooding toward the shelters, so of course the place was closed.
Mizuki grabbed a stray dog by the entrance and activated Body Flicker Substitution.
On the rooftop, several ANBU saw the dog appear out of nowhere and froze.
"Just now… was there a person standing here?"
By then, Mizuki was already at the shop. The door was barred and everyone inside had fled to shelter. He kicked it open, swept the shelves for storage scrolls, and pocketed several high-capacity ones.
As for the other scrolls, there was no need to rush.
"Next, find Sakura and Lee, and deliver the goods!"
Sakura and Lee were both at the finals arena, holding the line.
Mizuki flashed back, shifted into Iruka's appearance, and headed straight for Sakura.
She was locked in close quarters with a Sunagakure genin. Mizuki slipped in and dropped the Sand ninja with a single palm strike.
"Sakura, take these three storage scrolls. You'll need them later."
Sakura blinked. "Iruka-sensei? Why are you here?"
The Academy had reopened. With the village under attack, shouldn't Iruka be gathering students and escorting them to the shelters?
Mizuki cut the questions short. "No time. Take them. They'll matter later. Hokage-sama expected an attack today and made preparations."
Sakura hesitated only a moment before accepting the scrolls.
[ Ding! ]
[ You have granted your disciple Sakura Haruno three 64 L Storage Scrolls, triggering a 3,125× Return! **]
[ Congratulations, you have obtained three 200m³ Storage Rings! **]
Mizuki's eyes gleamed. Three rings, each with two hundred cubic meters of space. More than enough.
Next stop: the Hokage Tower.
The ninjutsu scroll archive was on the second floor.
Still wearing Iruka's face, Mizuki walked into the tower. A long corridor led to the archive at the far end, where two ANBU stood guard.
"Halt! Leave now, or we'll kill you without mercy!" one of them barked.
Mizuki's lips curved faintly. His left eye shifted, revealing the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
Magen: Narakumi no Jutsu ▻ Demonic Illusion: Hell Technique
Boosted by the Sharingan, the genjutsu hit like a hammer. The two ANBU went pale, burned through their mental stamina, and crumpled.
Mizuki stepped over them and eased the door open. Ink and old paper washed over him.
Scrolls filled the room as far as he could see.
"I hit the jackpot!"
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T/N: Comment, give me Power Stones, like and favorite, it all supports me and makes me go foward with this. Appreciate my other stories as well, I guarantee the good work!
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