Within the vast village, the distinctive cold chakra of the Uchiha clan had thinned to the point where only a single trace remained.
The Second Hokage frowned deeply, his tone filled with disbelief.
"How is this possible? Those red-eyed lunatics ended up worse off than our Senju clan? Reduced to a single survivor?"
Orochimaru flicked out his long crimson tongue, letting out a sinister chuckle.
"There is no Uchiha clan anymore. It was wiped out completely years ago."
"The one who did it was their own prodigy, of course—with Danzō stirring things in the shadows, and my dear teacher, the Third Hokage, giving his silent consent."
A malicious gleam flashed through Orochimaru's snake-like eyes. Today, he intended to tear apart Hiruzen's façade right in front of the two former Hokage.
Though he himself had played a role in those dark dealings, that didn't stop him from now standing on moral high ground to watch the show unfold.
At the mention of annihilation, the First Hokage, Hashirama, grew solemn, his presence suddenly heavy.
"Why… would things come to this?"
The Second Hokage was equally puzzled. Though he had always been wary of and suppressive toward the Uchiha, he had never once intended to exterminate them completely.
Even hearing that it was internal slaughter, Tobirama didn't believe it for a second. He knew exactly what kind of people the proud Uchiha were.
Orochimaru folded his arms, a playful expression on his face.
"The one who carried it out was named Uchiha Itachi. But in truth, they brought it upon themselves—trying to stage a coup and seize power. Naturally, no one would tolerate that."
"If you trace it back, it all started with the Nine-Tails incident. Endless suspicion from the village bred deep resentment within the Uchiha."
"That extreme and volatile nature of theirs… surely the Second Hokage understands it best."
"The sole survivor now is Uchiha Sasuke. His talent is… quite remarkable."
At Sasuke's name, the Third Hokage could no longer suppress his anger. Even before his predecessors, he shouted sternly:
"So that's your goal after all—you're after Sasuke! I'm telling you now, you won't succeed!"
"Why do you think I personally arranged for Kakashi to guide him?"
Deep down, Hiruzen carried guilt. Compared to how he had left Naruto to fend for himself, he had invested far more into Sasuke.
Part of it was to honor the deal with Itachi. Another part was because of Sasuke's extraordinary potential.
If the negative legacy of the Uchiha could be erased, Sasuke would undoubtedly become a pillar supporting Konoha in the future.
That was why, in many ways, Sasuke had been given even better treatment than Naruto—the son of a hero.
Normally, after a clan rebellion, many secret techniques would be confiscated. Yet the Third Hokage had allowed Sasuke to retain numerous foundational jutsu scrolls.
Otherwise, how could a mere genin have mastered advanced jutsus like the Dragon Flame Jutsu at such a young age?
Orochimaru looked at his furious teacher with mocking eyes.
"Sensei, you've truly grown senile. You don't understand what that boy truly desires."
"He wants power—absolute power for revenge!"
"To witness his entire clan slaughtered by his own brother… that kind of hatred, carved into the bones—how could someone of the Uchiha's temperament ever let it go?"
Hiruzen had assigned Kakashi hoping that his experiences would guide Sasuke away from hatred.
After all, Kakashi had also endured the loss of everyone he cared about—yet he had eventually stepped into the light.
Unfortunately, Hiruzen had severely underestimated the intensity of Sasuke's burning desire for revenge.
Faced with Orochimaru's words, the Third Hokage fell silent, his grip on the Adamantine Staff trembling slightly.
"There's still Akira! He will never just stand by and let Sasuke defect from Konoha!"
Orochimaru chuckled softly.
"Perhaps. But if Sasuke truly chooses to leave… will Akira really risk everything to stop him?"
"He's not like that hot-blooded Naruto. From what I've observed, his bond with Sasuke isn't that deep."
Orochimaru had long since analyzed the members of Team Kakashi.
Akira appeared to get along with everyone, but beneath that politeness lay a clear distance—he had no intention of forming deep ties.
A chill ran through Hiruzen's heart. He knew Akira's personality well. If it came down to it… that boy might truly choose not to interfere.
Now, the only hope was that Sasuke himself would come to his senses.
---
Inside the Four Flames Formation, Orochimaru showed no hurry to attack. Instead, he casually conversed with the two reanimated Hokage.
This psychological warfare was part of his strategy—slowly eroding the Third Hokage's mental defenses.
As for the First and Second Hokage, he regarded them merely as obedient high-level weapons.
Hearing the exchange, Hashirama's gaze grew distant, as if recalling his own falling-out with Madara.
He sighed softly.
"No matter the era, tragedies of brothers turning against each other never cease… But from the sound of it, Orochimaru fears this young man called Akira?"
The Third Hokage immediately explained:
"That's right. Akira is the genius I mentioned earlier. At just twelve years old, he already has the potential to surpass me. He's Sasuke's teammate."
Hashirama was taken aback, then burst into hearty laughter.
"That sounds just like Madara and me back in the day. Their relationship must be quite close, then?"
Hiruzen's lips twitched awkwardly.
"Well… they get along decently, as teammates."
"But their strength gap is enormous. With Akira's overly calm nature, if Sasuke truly leaves… he likely won't forcefully intervene."
"I can only hope Kakashi can stop him."
Unlike his brother, Tobirama had little interest in Sasuke. Instead, his curiosity was piqued by Akira.
"Just who exactly is this boy?"
Even the Third Hokage didn't fully understand Akira's background. He only knew that the boy had mastered the Flying Raijin Jutsu and possessed strength far beyond a jōnin.
But from Orochimaru's earlier words, Akira's power had clearly reached the Kage level.
Given that he had mastered space-time ninjutsu, such strength wasn't entirely unreasonable.
"He learned your Flying Raijin Jutsu and uses it with exceptional mastery," Hiruzen said.
"Orochimaru himself admitted he nearly died at his hands."
Orochimaru sneered and added:
"Sensei, you really don't know your own subordinates well. That encounter in the Forest of Death—he clearly didn't report it to you."
"As humiliating as it is to admit, he combined the Flying Raijin with a terrifying Lightning Style and obliterated my body outright."
"If not for my curse mark-based revival methods, I would already be a corpse."
"The destructive power of that jutsu was at least forbidden-level… possibly even beyond S-rank."
Hearing this, even Tobirama's normally expressionless face showed shock.
This was undeniably Kage-level power—perhaps even higher.
And the most terrifying part? The boy was only twelve.
Even Tobirama had to admit that at twelve, he was nowhere near this level.
This was beyond genius—it was monstrous.
Even Hashirama widened his eyes.
"Twelve years old with this kind of strength? His talent surpasses even mine back then!"
"And with Flying Raijin… his battlefield survivability and deterrence are already at peak Kage level."
"Excellent, excellent. Konoha has a worthy successor. We old bones can rest easy."
A trace of relief flashed in Hiruzen's eyes.
"I originally planned to raise him as the Sixth Hokage."
"For now, Kakashi would take the role of Fifth Hokage as a transition. He's the most well-rounded among the jōnin."
"Unfortunately, Kakashi has hit a bottleneck, stuck at elite jōnin level."
"I wanted to give him a few more years… but now, I must clean up my own mess first."
"If I don't eliminate you, Orochimaru, Konoha will never know peace!"
Orochimaru stopped talking. With a cold smile, he drew out two kunai attached to talismans.
With a sharp thrust—thud!—he stabbed them into the backs of the First and Second Hokage's heads.
As the talismans activated, the light in their eyes vanished instantly, reducing them to mere killing machines.
Licking his lips, Orochimaru radiated killing intent.
"Reunion's over. Now begins the slaughter."
"Once I kill you, old fool… I'll personally destroy this wretched Konoha!"
Orochimaru was brimming with confidence in his plan.
The Third Hokage stared solemnly at the three enemies before him.
Yet at this moment, he felt little regret.
Now that he knew Akira possessed such terrifying strength—even if he fell in battle… Konoha would not fall with him.
He firmly believed that Akira would grow into a towering tree, sheltering the village as it continued to flourish.
Akira was not like Sakumo Hatake—his heart was strong and unyielding, utterly immune to rumors and slander.
With Kage-level strength, and with pillars like Kakashi, Guy, and Yamato supporting him,
as long as Jiraiya or Tsunade could be brought back to take command and Akira was given a few years to grow, Konoha would surely rise to new heights.
The deterrence of a top-tier powerhouse was irreplaceable for any shinobi village.
With Akira's terrifying talent, his future achievements might even rival the First Hokage.
Even by the most conservative estimate, he would not fall below the Third Hokage in his prime or the Second Hokage.
In these chaotic times, that was more than enough.
The Third Hokage even began to suspect that Akira might very well become the next Hashirama Senju.
A twelve-year-old at Kage level—this was nothing short of myth.
---
On the other side of the battlefield, Orochimaru controlled the First and Second Hokage as they clashed fiercely with the Third.
This chaotic battle of Kage-level fighters left the arriving ANBU forces utterly stunned.
Even though the reanimation weakened them, the destructive power displayed by the First and Second Hokage was still terrifying.
The Third Hokage rarely fought openly, but now, witnessing these world-shattering jutsu collisions, everyone present was deeply shaken.
After clearing out the Suna ninjas within the arena, Kakashi, Guy, and the others quickly leapt onto the rooftops.
However, faced with the impenetrable Four Flames Formation, they could only watch anxiously from outside as the aging Third Hokage fought alone.
---
Meanwhile, Akira's shadow clone had been trailing Sasuke the entire time, yet remained a mere observer, never intervening.
Even when Sasuke clashed fiercely with Gaara, he simply watched coldly from the sidelines.
Soon, Naruto arrived, joining forces with Sasuke against the rampaging Gaara.
Only when Gaara fell into complete sleep and Shukaku's massive body burst forth from the earth did Akira's shadow clone nod thoughtfully.
Even then, he made no move.
Instead, he formed a hand seal and dismissed the clone.
As the clone dissipated into smoke, its memories flowed back instantly.
Far away, deep within Ryūchi Cave, Akira's true body suddenly sensed the upheaval unfolding in Konoha.
At that very moment, the meditating Akira opened his eyes.
His face bore none of Orochimaru's grotesque snake scales, nor the inhuman mutations of Kabuto.
Instead, several profound purple markings appeared at the corners of his eyes—eerily reminiscent of Hashirama Senju's Sage Mode.
Though their origins differed, both represented the pinnacle of perfect sage transformation.
As Akira rose to his feet, an ocean-like surge of senjutsu chakra erupted from his body.
The surrounding natural energy, once chaotic and restless, now seemed to have found its master, rushing wildly into him.
Akira took a deep breath, feeling the power coursing through him, a faint smile forming on his lips.
"Finally… it's complete."
The terrifying fluctuation of energy caused the entire Ryūchi Cave to tremble.
The three Snake Princesses guarding nearby—and even Shinra waiting outside—were shaken to their core by the pressure.
"This is Akira's chakra… he actually did it!"
Deep within the cave, the White Snake Sage slowly opened her aged eyes, a satisfied smile appearing on her lips.
"This human child has given me quite the surprise."
"For a thousand years, Ryūchi Cave has finally produced a monster who has mastered perfect Sage Mode."
"To think that when humans wield senjutsu, their power could be this pure and domineering… it seems Hashirama's legend was no exaggeration."
"This child's future achievements may truly rival that so-called God of Shinobi."
Across the millennia of shinobi history, those who had mastered perfect Sage Mode could be counted on one hand—aside from the Sage of Six Paths, only Asura and Hashirama had achieved it.
And both relied on extraordinary bloodlines.
Akira was now the fourth, breaking the rule that only direct descendants of the Six Paths could achieve perfection.
This was all thanks to his unique physique—one that surpassed even the Ōtsutsuki in potential.
To Akira himself, mastering perfect Sage Mode felt almost natural.
But to the White Snake Sage, it was astonishing—after all, Ryūchi Cave's senjutsu was inherently dark and sinister, yet Akira had transformed it into something overwhelmingly righteous and pure.
Now, Akira could enter Sage Mode instantly—no need to gather energy like Jiraiya, nor rely on shadow clones like Naruto.
A simple clap of his hands, and it activated.
And if he wished, he could maintain this state for an entire day and night without exhaustion.
The one most thrilled by this was none other than Shinra.
Now Akira's summoned beast, Shinra knew he had chosen well.
Feeling that overwhelming aura, Shinra coiled excitedly around a massive stone pillar, celebrating in his own way.
Nearby, Manda watched in confusion.
This guy used to be irritable as hell—how did he suddenly become so… different after becoming someone's summon?
"Hey, Shinra, calm down a bit!" Manda scoffed.
"Don't forget how much you hated humans. So what if that kid learned Sage Mode? It's not like no one's done it before."
Though he spoke dismissively, even Manda knew how rare such a perfect Sage Mode truly was.
Shinra ignored him completely, immersed in his excitement.
Unlike Manda, who was notoriously difficult to tame, Shinra, once acknowledging a contractor, would stand by them with absolute loyalty.
The deeper his hatred from past betrayal, the stronger his current trust in Akira.
Inside the cavern, the three Snake Princesses stared fixedly at the markings on Akira's face.
That noble, mysterious form—free from any serpentine corruption—left even these ancient beings in awe.
Akira clenched his fist, feeling the surging power within him.
"This feeling… is incredible. My senjutsu chakra now could probably rival a fully unleashed Nine-Tails."
Though they had never seen the Nine-Tails directly, the Snake Princesses knew—this boy's chakra reserves were bottomless, far beyond even theirs.
Looking at the three alluring women, Akira cupped his hands politely.
"Thank you for your guidance over the past month."
Tagitsuhime covered her mouth with a soft laugh.
"Oh my, not at all. Witnessing the birth of a perfect sage is our honor."
Ichikishimahime boldly tugged at his sleeve, her gaze hazy.
"What a pity… we won't get to eat you now. Your body and chakra must be unimaginably delicious."
Akira's eye twitched.
No matter how beautiful they looked, these women were still monsters who devoured humans without leaving bones behind.
The piles of skeletons in the cavern were proof of their "achievements."
While grateful, Akira had no intention of getting too close to beings with such… dietary habits.
---
Stepping out of the cavern, Akira saw Shinra still coiling around the pillar in celebration. He raised a brow.
"What are you going crazy for?"
At that moment, both Manda and Aoda's pupils shrank sharply.
That natural, overwhelming aura—there was no way this was a mere human.
Hearing Akira's voice, Shinra immediately slithered down and lowered his proud head obediently before him.
"You succeeded?"
Akira nodded.
"Yeah. Get ready—we're heading back to Konoha. Something's happened at home. And there's work for you."
A bloodthirsty gleam flashed in Shinra's massive eye.
"Understood. Whoever it is—you name it, I'll kill them."
Seeing this, Manda and Aoda were completely dumbfounded.
Shinra—famously violent and uncontrollable—was now acting like a loyal pet?
What exactly had this human done to him?
Akira didn't waste any more words. His hands flew through a series of seals.
Reverse Summoning Jutsu!
In the next instant, man and serpent vanished—
—and reappeared high above Konoha Village.