Chapter 16: Chapter 16
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To Gensou's surprise, Orochimaru decisively rejected the proposal for cooperation.
"For a great ninja like you, I wouldn't dare to be careless at all."
Snakes are cold-blooded animals. Compared to trusting others, Orochimaru preferred to trust himself.
Not wanting anything to go wrong in his interaction with his beloved teacher, he pulled out another talisman and, without saying much, inserted it into Hagoromo's brain.
Seeing this, Gensou could only shake his head inwardly.
"Modern ninjas don't even give a bit of trust. Truly, they're regressing. Oh well!"
With limited strength and unable to resist, Gensou calmly accepted everything.
There would be more opportunities later, and he wasn't in a hurry.
Just like Hashirama and Tobirama, Gensou's eyes soon darkened as the reanimated body came fully under Orochimaru's control.
Although his consciousness was blocked, Gensou could still passively sense everything outside, though he couldn't control his body.
"Complete!"
Orochimaru, satisfied with his creation, formed a hand seal and, with a sinister smile, said to his teacher:
"Enjoy it to your heart's content, Sarutobi-sensei."
As his words fell, Hashirama, Tobirama, and Gensou first took a few slow steps.
Soon, as if they had adapted, the three moved in an instant, breaking the tiles beneath their feet, and shot towards Hiruzen like three swift shadows.
"Hokage-sama! Be careful!"
Seeing their Third Hokage seemingly still emotional and distracted, the ANBU ninjas outside the barrier quickly shouted a warning.
"I know."
Hiruzen swiftly returned to his senses, took a deep breath, and his eyes quickly scanned the three approaching from different directions.
A kunai flew swiftly.
Hiruzen dodged it by tilting his head, and Hashirama arrived first, clenching his fist and swinging hard.
Hiruzen lowered his body, twisted his hands on the ground, and kicked out with his right foot, forcing Hashirama back.
Before he could catch his breath, Tobirama appeared behind him.
After a few quick exchanges, Hiruzen grabbed Tobirama's arm and threw him away.
But at that moment, in Hiruzen's widened pupils, Gensou appeared ghost-like beside him.
Unable to react, he felt a massive force crush his chest.
Hiruzen opened his mouth in pain, his aged body curling up as he was sent flying like a cannonball.
Gensou, along with the adjusted Hashirama and Tobirama, did not give him a chance to breathe and chased after him.
"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Bomb!"
While flying back, Hiruzen endured the pain and quickly formed hand seals.
In the next second, a raging fire dragon spewed from his mouth, with flames surging towards the three pursuing him.
Just as the intense flames were about to engulf them, Gensou stepped forward and calmly extended his right hand:
"Dark Release: Inhaling Maw!"
The fierce fire dragon seemed to encounter a terrifying black hole and eagerly rushed into Hagoromo's right palm.
In a blink, the sky-high flames vanished.
Only a wisp of light smoke rose from Hagoromo's palm, proving what had just occurred.
"What... what is that?"
The ANBU ninjas watching were dumbfounded.
They never expected that such a powerful Fire Style from their Third Hokage could be neutralized so easily.
"Dark Release!"
Hiruzen took a deep look at the expressionless Gensou.
Unlike the modern people who had a partial understanding of history, as the Third Hokage, he knew well the strength of someone who could face off against the Five Kage and was considered a formidable rival even by the First Hokage.
Hiruzen didn't expect Orochimaru to summon Gensou.
If you added the First and Second Hokage along with Orochimaru himself...
The coming battle would be...
Hiruzen felt a deep gloom settle in his heart.
He had no time to think further.
"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Bomb."
Gensou returned the absorbed technique.
"Such remarkable talent."
Seeing this, Orochimaru licked his lips with excitement.
In terms of chakra, as a genius, he had always admired two people.
One was the Second Hokage, who gave him many inspirations for forbidden techniques and whom he respected greatly.
The other was Gensou, whose talent in developing numerous Kekkei Genkai had shocked even him.
Unfortunately, after so many years, he had only found a few of Hagoromo's tissue samples.
If he could get more of his flesh and blood for research...
It was said that after Hagoromo's death, Hashirama handed his remains back to the Hagoromo clan.
But decades later, the Hagoromo clan had mysteriously disappeared from the ninja world, making them impossible to find.
Thinking of this, Orochimaru regretfully shook his head and refocused on the present.
Seeing the overwhelming flames surging towards him, Hiruzen took a deep breath:
"Earth Style: Earth Wall!"
A massive earth wall rose in front of him, blocking the Dragon Flame Bomb.
"Water Style: Water Severing Wave!"
Tobirama retaliated decisively.
A high-pressure water jet shot from his mouth, like an extremely sharp scalpel, quickly cutting the earth wall into pieces.
The fragmented earth wall soon collapsed.
Hiruzen flashed aside, trying to avoid the aftermath.
Clap!
A loud clap echoed in his ears.
And then...
"Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence!"
Hiruzen's expression changed as he saw, with a clap from Hashirama, a mass of trees burst from the ground.
In an instant, a dense forest covered the entire barrier.
Trapped within, Hiruzen tried to escape, but numerous roots and vines rapidly entangled him from all directions.
With Gensou and Tobirama pressuring him from the sides, Hiruzen was caught off guard and had his ankle seized by a vine, then tightly bound by the growing trees.
Seeing this, Hashirama relaxed his hands.
Outside the barrier, the ANBU ninjas, while worried for their Third Hokage, couldn't help but marvel:
"Amazing! This is the legendary Wood Style that ended the Warring States period and founded Konoha!"
Step by step, Hashirama, Tobirama, and Gensou approached the bound Hiruzen with expressionless faces.
Orochimaru followed, smiling faintly:
"Finally caught you, sensei."
Hearing this, a flicker of emotion appeared deep within Gensou's otherwise impassive eyes.
"Celebrating too early can be disastrous."
Though unable to control his body, the real Gensou, observing everything like a bystander, smiled inwardly.
This is good.
The real opportunity he had been waiting for was coming soon.
(End of Chapter)