With a Zanpakutō at the Start,I Built the Strongest Hidden Mist Villag

Under Sasori of the Red Sand's exquisite control, the Third Kazekage human puppet fought without fear of death or pain—its combat strength fully matched that of the real Kazekage when he was alive.

Wind Release was countered by Magnet Release's Iron Sand, and Sasori's puppet body was immune to poison.

Orochimaru's usual techniques were ineffective against an opponent like this.

After several exchanges, Orochimaru was pushed back again and again, showing clear signs of defeat.

"Magnet Release: Iron Sand Gathering Assault!"

A torrent of Iron Sand rapidly compressed into massive, jet-black weapons, howling through the air toward Orochimaru.

Faced with such a terrifying attack, Orochimaru bit his thumb, rapidly formed hand seals, and slammed his palm onto the ground.

"Summoning Jutsu: Rashōmon!"

With a burst of white smoke, the massive demonic gate known as Rashōmon erupted from the ground—its gaping maw summoned to devour and block incoming attacks.

Boom!!

The Iron Sand slammed heavily into the gate, sending shockwaves through the ground. In that moment, a flood of snakes burst forth from behind the Rashōmon, instantly overwhelming the Third Kazekage puppet.

Clack, clack!

The suicidal strikes of the snake horde caused visible malfunctions in the puppet's joints.

"Once a puppet is surrounded by a swarm like that, it becomes difficult to control, doesn't it?"

"You don't get to critique my puppetry, scum."

Sasori's expression didn't change as his fingers danced. Iron Sand chakra surged from the puppet's body.

In the next instant, the Iron Sand erupted violently, blowing away the snakes. Countless razor-sharp spikes spread across the entire battlefield.

"Iron Sand World Method!"

"So this is the power of the strongest Kazekage…"

Orochimaru's face was twisted in a strange smile—not an ounce of fear in his expression.

"Did you know, Sasori? I was the supreme commander of Konoha's war efforts against Sunagakure. After our victory, I personally accepted the Fourth Kazekage's formal surrender."

"Of course, I don't mention this to brag—but during the surrender proceedings, my snakes happened to discover something… quite interesting outside Sunagakure."

He formed the Boar hand seal.

A strange glow emerged from the ground before him. A wooden coffin slowly broke through the earth, rising into view.

"Thanks to Iwagakure and Kumogakure pushing us this far, the old man finally approved it. Otherwise, I wouldn't dare use this technique so recklessly."

"What…"

Sasori narrowed his eyes at Orochimaru's cryptic words. But when the figure stepped out of the coffin, his expression twisted into pure shock.

Even Kakuzu looked on in disbelief.

Though Pain's face remained expressionless, far away atop the massive mechanical structure, Nagato's Rinnegan narrowed ever so slightly.

"Something… unexpected."

"What's wrong, Nagato?" Konan asked softly.

"It's nothing dangerous… just surprising," he replied calmly.

To others, this jutsu—manipulating the souls of the dead—was deeply disturbing.

But to Nagato, wielder of the Rinnegan, it was nothing more than a curiosity.

"The power of a god is absolute. Yet Konoha, that self-proclaimed bastion of justice and peace, has secretly studied such a soul-defiling technique… Hmph. This world truly is too filthy for hope."

"Unbelievable…" murmured a man cloaked in a pure white haori, his face lit with curiosity and excitement from the shadows nearby. "So this is the forbidden jutsu created by the Second Hokage, the one the Fourth told me about… and I'm seeing it on my very first mission."

"It's a good thing I'm the one who came. If it were the Second Squad Captain, they probably wouldn't be able to carry out these tasks calmly."

He chuckled to himself.

"Actually… the Fourth might have one of these jutsu as well. Maybe I'll try it myself someday~"

"What… is this!?"

Staring at the figure before him—so familiar it hurt—Sasori's eyes darkened.

"You don't recognize him? It's the Third Kazekage—the one you killed," Orochimaru said with a smirk. "Only now I've brought him back with a forbidden technique. After all, to fight the strongest Kazekage puppet… I had to summon the real deal."

"You…"

"…Sasori, you dared turn me into a puppet?" The resurrected Third Kazekage stared coldly at the Iron Sand formation before him—and the red-haired figure responsible. "This time… things won't end like they did last time."

Orochimaru calmly inserted a cursed kunai into the back of the Kazekage's head. A faint aura of Edo Tensei chakra flickered across his body.

It was the sign of a soul forcibly bound to a physical vessel.

"Come, Sasori. Let's see which is superior: your human puppet… or my forbidden technique."

"Iron Sand Barrier!"

The resurrected Third Kazekage formed hand seals. An overwhelming Iron Sand formation, just as powerful as Sasori's puppet, roared to life.

Iron Sand versus Iron Sand.

Strongest versus strongest.

"And now… it's your turn."

Orochimaru turned toward the still-shocked Kakuzu and the impassive Pain. "If you won't stand aside, then I'll eliminate each of you here and now."

"Eliminate us? Bold words, Orochimaru," Kakuzu scoffed.

He raised his arm. From beneath his Akatsuki cloak, his arm burst apart, and countless black tendrils lashed out toward Orochimaru like a storm.

Orochimaru's pupils shrank. Like a boneless creature, he bent his torso back a full 180 degrees, barely dodging the deadly assault.

"How delightful… this is getting more and more fun."

The tendrils retracted. Orochimaru stood upright again, observing Kakuzu's grotesque, ragdoll-like body—patched together with seams and masks.

"Takigakure's forbidden technique… Earth Grudge Fear."

"You've done your research," Kakuzu sneered. "Let's see if you can smile like that when you're dead!"

"Let's find out."

Orochimaru bit his thumb again, formed hand seals, and slammed both palms to the ground.

A massive cloud of white smoke erupted, causing the ground to tremble.

A deep voice growled from within the smoke: "Oi, Orochimaru—I told you not to summon me so casually!"

Orochimaru's raspy voice replied, "This time is different. Don't worry—your sacrifice will come soon enough."

The smoke gradually dissipated. A gigantic purple snake, like a mountain, coiled before everyone.

"A summoned beast, huh."

Facing the massive Manda, Kakuzu showed no fear. With a low growl, two of his masks tore free from his body, looking monstrous and ominous.

"Fire Style: Searing Migraine!"

"Wind Release: Pressure Damage!"

"Combined Element Jutsu: Blazing Wind Storm!"

The two masks opened their mouths wide. Intense heat and high-pressure wind spheres were expelled from each, combining in mid-air to form a towering sea of fire that swept overwhelmingly towards Manda.

"Damn you, Orochimaru! What kind of opponent did you throw me into?!"

The heat made Manda roar in fury. He twisted his body with shocking agility, evading the combined jutsu and launching himself like a cannonball toward Kakuzu.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Explosions shook the dense forest.

Stones and trees flew, clouds of dust blanketing the sky. Each movement of Manda's massive body felt like an A-rank Earth Release technique, ravaging the forest with sheer force.

As thick smoke permeated the air,

A snake-like figure suddenly shot out from the dense smoke, directly bypassing Kakuzu, who was fiercely battling Manda, and lunging straight for Pain.

"The Rinnegan… is mine!"

The calm Rinnegan gazed at Orochimaru, who had suddenly lunged in front of him. His indifferent gaze was like that of someone watching a clown—without fear or anger.

Putting on airs! The Rinnegan is mine!

The excitement in Orochimaru's eyes was unconcealed. His hand shot directly towards those Rinnegan, as if to gouge them out.

But Orochimaru's hand, just a hair's breadth from those pale purple eyes, could not advance another inch.

It was as if an invisible barrier was blocking it.

"What…?"

"Shinra Tensei."

Pain raised his hand. A terrifying repulsive force exploded outward.

Orochimaru's body was slammed into the ground like a dead dog. A flash of surprise appeared in the eyes of the Sixth Division Captain hidden in the shadows. As the trees around him were torn away by that unstoppable repulsive force, his figure vanished without a trace.

Manda let out a grunt before poofing away in a burst of smoke.

The Edo Tensei Kazekage crumbled into dust and vanished into the afterlife.

Kakuzu approached Orochimaru's fallen body, only to find a shed snakeskin.

"Tch…"

"He shed his skin to escape mid-flight?" Sasori said, retrieving his puppet. "Slippery snake."

"But for Konoha's chief commander to appear at the Land of Grass and Land of Waterfalls border…"

"Clearly aiming to escalate the war, dragging small nations into the conflict of the great powers," Pain said coldly. "Let's move. We need to find our next recruit."

"Tch. Guess he ran fast enough," Kakuzu muttered, tossing aside the snakeskin. "That head was worth millions…"

—

Meanwhile, having narrowly escaped death, Orochimaru—still shaken by the power of the Rinnegan—slithered into Takigakure, searching for the Seven-Tails' sealing vessel.

"That power… So this is the legendary eye of the Sage of Six Paths."

"I'd love to get a closer look… And Akatsuki's leader has it? That mercenary group has become a gathering of elite rogue shinobi now?"

"How fascinating…"

Orochimaru licked his lips, unfazed by his failure.

But something about that man called Pain… felt familiar.

"Wait… could it be…?"

"Fate is truly unpredictable. Even in death, you've left me surprises… Jiraiya."

Because no suitable host or sealing technique was available, the Seven-Tails had not been placed inside a Jinchūriki. It remained sealed within a vessel housed inside Takigakure's sacred tree.

Orochimaru moved quickly. Taki's waterfall barrier was impressive to most, but not to him.

Soon, a white snake slithered into a secret chamber and swallowed the vessel whole.

"…What's this?"

It was a gourd-shaped crystal bottle containing a shimmering liquid—seemingly plain water, but glowing faintly with chakra.

If stored alongside the Seven-Tails, it clearly wasn't ordinary. Orochimaru recognized it instantly.

Takigakure's secret treasure—the Hero Water.

Said to grant the drinker chakra many times their normal level… at the cost of drastically shortened lifespan. A power-boosting tool akin to the Akimichi Clan's red chili pill.

"With this… even without the Seven-Tails, I can activate the Box of Ultimate Bliss!"

His eyes gleamed.

In wartime, life was the cheapest currency.

If members of the Akimichi Clan drank the Hero Water and took the clan's special pills, they could generate enormous chakra. Enough to oppose Iwagakure or Kumogakure—or to activate the Box of Ultimate Bliss.

Orochimaru swallowed the Hero Water as well.

But just as he prepared to leave, a figure appeared at the doorway, leaning against the frame.

"I was wondering why you retreated halfway through your fight. So this was your goal—Takigakure's Seven-Tails."

Cloaked in a pure white haori, with golden hair and a green undershirt, the man had no eyebrows but sported two comically expressive mustache tufts.

"That item may relieve some of Konoha's burden, but unfortunately… your mission conflicts with mine."

"So, would you kindly hand over the Seven-Tails, my friend?"

"…Another monster," Orochimaru muttered, his smile fading as he gazed at the man he once read about in textbooks.

"It's been decades since your era, hasn't it?"

"Second Mizukage—Gengetsu Hōzuki."