My combat stance was sloppy, I noted. So when the Second Hokage closed up towards me, I immediately jumped backwards, using chakra to enhance my jump. I took special care to note that I did not hit the barrier that the Sound Four had created. Wouldn't want to burst into flames, now, would I? With that in mind, I quickly added chakra to my bones, strengthening them to the point where they were almost diamonds. Wouldn't want broken bones now, do we?
The Second closed in and charged a Water jutsu. I noted that despite he had an ingenious way of shortening the necessary hand seals required for a Water jutsu – the Water jutsu had an unusually high amount of necessary hand seals for some reason – he still had some influence over his actions. My heart went to the deceased Second. I saw him slowing down the speed of his hand seals considerably too. Good to see that.
I noted that he was going for Water Release, Water Wall for some reason. I immediately flew through several hand seals, sticking to using chakra to enhance the speed of which I performed the hand seals. "Water Release, Great Water Wave!" I roared, emitting a great water wave towards from my outstretched hands. The wave flew towards the Second at speeds unmatched by natural means.
The Second saw the gigantic incoming wave and promptly jumped over it and continued his long sequence of "Water Release, Water Wall!" the Second yelled, sending out a large wall of water around me, trapping me inside it.
I wasn't panicking, however. In fact, while not as planned, I flew through another set of hand seals, Dragon, Boar, Dragon, Ram, Rabbit, Tiger, "Fire Release, Great Hellish Inferno!" I cried out, spitting out a column of white-hot fire out of my mouth. I turned around in a full circle, warming up the entire wall of water, turning it into steam, even burning some of the trees that the First had created with his battle with Turtle. My white fire even burned off some of the barrier.
I had to get up close to the Second in order to extract the soul, and then seal it away after the battle. Can't have such a useful spirit go to the stomach of the Shinigami, now, can I? No, I would not even think about resurrecting him either. He rightfully deserved the rest. I too had to remove the First Hokage's soul and seal it, too. With that gone, I think the current Hokage, the Third, can extract more than just Orochimaru's arms. Maybe some of his legs as well?
The Second went through another set of hand seals quickly, activating "Water Release, Water Shockwave!" and sent it towards me. The water was in from of a gigantic wave, basically a tsunami, really, easily dwarfing the previous wall of water he had made.
Shit is about to hit the fan.
"Earth Release," I slam my hands down the ground, creating a massive wall of solid mud, "Mud Wall!"
The water crashed against the mud wall, cracking the wall a great deal. Some of the water even seeped through the small hairline cracks that decorated the wall. But the solid wall made out of mud held.
However I did not anticipate a kick to the back of my head. I blame inexperience for that. I had been constantly hardening my bones with chakra, and it had proved beneficiary. Good thinking there, Shinji! I knew I could count on myself! I'm a veritable genius!
The kick sent me head first against my own wall of solid mud. So hard was the kick that I in fact was sent through it. Though thankfully it had been weakened beforehand by the Second's water wave.
Ow. Let me tell you right now, it is very painful being sent through a wall! Even if said wall is made of mud! It paralysed me with intense pain for a few crucial seconds.
In these crucial seconds, the Second darted towards me with speeds second only to other Kage-level shinobi. He once again kicked me, but this time upwards, and it hurt like hell! I almost hit the barrier, but I managed to straighten myself up before I could hit it. I went through another set of hand seals, Dragon, Boar, Tiger, Monkey and then Tiger again, "Lightning Release, False Darkness!" I sent out a beam of blue-tinted lightning out of my mouth towards Tobirama. It hit him, effectively disintegrating him. I landed back on the roof as he began to reconstruct himself.
It was scary, seeing something reconstruct itself after being hit by something that should more than likely completely destroy it. Permanently.
And that was how it went. He began to use a long sequence of hand seals, I identified it, countered it with the same set of hand seals, both of us using water jutsu, with the occasional Lightning release from me. It was clear, though that the Second Hokage was gradually gaining ground. Due to the longer sequence of hand seals, his jutsu had more of a punch, and only was the ground evened out when I used a Lightning release jutsu.
"Time to end this!" I said angrily, continually being pushed back was frustrating, after all. It was effectively a stalemate between the two of us, though in a war of attrition, I'd definitely win. Thing was, it wasn't a war of attrition. Impure World Resurrection zombies don't have a limit like living beings on the amounts of chakra they have. Sort of like me, really.
I stretched my hand towards the Second and roared, "Bansho Ten'in!"
You can guess the result. I put my hand on his silver haired head and quickly extracted his soul.
I immediately took out a scroll-set – consisting of ink, brush and a scroll – from my white kimono with my free hand and laid out Tobirama's pure soul down, preparing to seal him away for eternity. I painted down the seals necessary for sealing off the re-resurrection of the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju.
I added chakra to the sealing art-
And Tobirama Senju was sealed off for all eternity.
The Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, the Silver Water Head of Konoha, returned to the land of the dead.
Time to check up on Turtle's fight with the reincarnated First Hokage.
Turtle did a remarkable job of holding off a Kage-level shinobi off. Then again, you are never an ANBU captain for nothing. But the reason Turtle made an astounding job was because of his affinity for fire, burning away the trees surrounding him every now and then. Though I noticed that the residue fires on the trees only slightly singed them. Huh, what a curious phenomena. It might be because the trees were from the First. The First, Hashirama Senju, from whom the Will of Fire stemmed from, was after all the one from which the Mokuton, the Wood Release, stemmed from.
Turtle jumped close to my position. "How are you holding up?" I ask him.
"I'll be fine! Focus on your opponent!" Turtle replied.
I sighed, "I'm finished with mine, I'm here to help you with yours." I looked down on Turtle's uniform. Sure enough, he had lost his white coat, leaving him with the standard ANBU outfit. His turtle mask was severely scratched, almost to the point where you could see his face. And I noted that he was panting heavily and was bleeding from somewhere from his face. Blood was dripping from his jaw, after all.
"I don't need your help, fool!" Turtle glared at me. I raised an eyebrow. Wow, I would not have expected that reply... you'd almost think he would be Sasuke, what with his probable inferiority complex. I turn to face Hashirama's zombie-like body. "Well, if you know how to permanently defeat an Impure World Resurrection zombie, be my guest!" I answered back sarcastically, gesturing towards the waiting figure of the First Hokage.
My guess was that the ANBU captain glared back at me, but eventually he conceded. "Fine." he mumbled.
Yes! I fist-bumped the air, earning a curious glare from Turtle. Or I think it was a curious glare. I couldn't tell because of the mask.
I immediately turn back to Hashirama's revived body and stick out a hand. I don't want to fuss around with him, I had already done that bit with Tobirama. I whisper, so faint that not even Turtle could hear it, "Bansho Ten'in."
Hashirama's fake body was pulled towards me head-first. His head was slammed on my hand, making a loud clapping noise, and the pain I felt wasn't the worst, I'll just say that now.
I pulled and once again the results were obvious. Hashirama's life-chakra was visible, heck, even his armour was shown. Probably because his chakra had run through his armour on his point of death.
Turtle was staring at my work. Not bothering to look smug, I once again took out my sealing equipment, scroll, ink and brush, and began working on sealing Hashirama Senju's, the originator of the Will of Fire, soul away for eternity. To let him finally have some rest.
I once again added chakra to the intricate symbols of the seal, and, curiously enough, in a puff of smoke, Hashirama Senju's soul was once again laid to rest. This time for forever.
Time to check how Old Man Hokage was holding up in his match against Orochimaru, and most likely his summons as well.
He was dead.
The Hokage was dead.
The Old Man Hokage was dead!
How the fuck did that happen!
I was supposed to save him using my version of the Fourth's Hiraishin jutsu, but instead, he fucking up and died using the Dead Demon Consuming Seal, and by proxy chakra exhaustion, summoning the Death God, the freaking Shinigami, and as I noticed, only sealed off Orochimaru's arms! What the hell, Old man! That was not the thought out plan!
I stared in shock at the Old Man's body. His face was set in a smile, Orochimaru's sword of Kusanagi running through his chest, despite Enma, the Monkey King, holding onto it.
I didn't even notice the barrier going down, Orochimaru's screams of pain, the Sound Four coming to his rescue. I just stared at the old man-
Of course... he was an old man. He deserved it, so I had no real reason to become angry at him, now did I? No, I did not. Just because he didn't follow the plan I had made doesn't give me the right to become angry at anyone, especially not the old man. Not at all...
Doesn't mean I can't be sad by his departure, either.
I stepped over to his body, picking it up what one could call 'bridal style'. I walked slowly to the edge of the roof before jumping down to the arena, I idly noted that Turtle followed me. I used chakra to strengthen both my bones and lighten my fall. I lightly landed on the ground. All of a sudden there were both cries of victory and defeat. With the ones of victory quickly being silenced.
What a curious scenario.
The Old Man Hokage was dead, and yet-
Yet how come I felt nothing? I felt nothing. Nothingness, no, rather emptiness flooded my being. I felt nothing as I laid him carefully on the ground.
All of a sudden, like a dam being burst, the water tearing the dam apart, anger filled me.
The Third's death was caused by a combination of both my inexperience and incompetence, but the most definite factor in the Third Hokage's death was without a shadow of a doubt Orochimaru. That wretched traitor! I'll kill him! I'll fucking kill him!
"Time to kick some Oto ass!" I yelled out, with Turtle firmly agreeing, using shunshin to go up to the stages to assist his fellow Konoha ninja.
Meanwhile I just stood there, staring at the battles overhead with a glare adorning my face. Truly, the time to kick Oto ass was here. I didn't give a shit about my past life, I didn't care about the friends I had before I arrived in paradise, no. In fact, I couldn't care less about it right now. My care-o-meter was at an all-time low in that area. All I was thinking about at the time was "I'll kill every single one of them!", and then I'd give everyone a reason to be afraid, to be very afraid, of ever attacking Konoha!
I sealed the Hokage's body in another scroll I had, not the same one I had sealed the previous Hokage in. I ran out of the arena, or tried to. Two Oto ninja were blocking my path.
They had a very heated departure from this world.
That day, I had killed twenty-three Oto and Suna ninja. I kept count of how many I had killed.
That day, the Invasion of Konoha began, and ended. With a total destruction cost of over 180 billion ryo. And over 300 deaths in total, from both sides. The entire invasion force was destroyed, but with the casualties on our side, we might as well have lost. Thank goodness we didn't, because then the casualties would have been even higher.
Well, it could have been worse.
The invasion could have been a success. Jiraya could have not been present in Konoha. I could have died. Gaara could have been in the village. Naruto could have died. Now that would have been bad.
Yeah... could have been much worse.
I just wish the old man wouldn't have died. But alas, wishes don't make the man!
I stood on a rooftop in a black kimono. I had never been able to stand being close to a funeral for some reason or other. Probably because funerals practically oozed grief and despair. Sadness and sorrow.
What a befitting song, too. I loved it. I loved the play of violin, the guitar, the flute, all of it. So dramatic, so powerful. So... sad. Yet, it played in such a way where it gives us another hope, or that there is still hope out there, for the people of Konoha.
And with me here, the Will of Fire will be burning brighter than the sun itself!
That's right, world! I have taken to the Will of Fire!
"So, how are you holding up, Jiraya?" I asked Jiraya. He was standing on top of a building overlooking downtown Konoha.
"I'm holding up good." he said, withdrawing a telescope out of one of his pockets. He retracted the butt of the telescopic device and began to look into it. I followed the direction of his sight, and what I saw made me chuckle.
He sure has good tastes in women. Wait. Anko was there too.
Fuck. I immediately put a hand on the telescope, "Anko-chan is there. Don't you dare look at her!" I said angrily at him. No one looks at a naked Anko! Except me!
Jiraya looks at me weirdly but chuckles nonetheless. "Sure sure, she's your woman, I got it." he smiles.
I blushed heavily, "Goddammit, Jiraya!" he just grinned and chuckled.
Just then, a door opens in the background. Both I and Jiraya turn to face Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane.
I knew what would happen here, as well as Jiraya, seeing as I had been playing the 'clairvoyant' and told him about the situation. Homura and Koharu would ask Jiraya about becoming Hokage, he would reject, we would search for Tsunade, Naruto would learn the Rasengan, blah blah blah...
"Jiraya," Homura said, "We have an offer for you."
"And the answer is no. I refuse." Jiraya coldly tells them off, leaning on the railing casually.
"But with Konoha not having a leader! You're the only one who has both the experience and ability to be Hokage!" Koharu desperately said. Understandably, too. They were Konoha folk at the bottom of their hearts, the good of Konoha was at their forefront of their minds.
Jiraya continued, ignoring the two advisers of the late Third Hokage, "However, I know someone who could take up the offer in my stead." he said smugly. He loved pissing off the Third's teammates. And I firmly agreed with him. It was fun pissing off anyone, really.
I crossed my arms and leaned forward a bit, "And the one he is referring to is his former teammate, Tsunade Senju of the Sannin." I smirked.
"Ts-Tsunade? But she hates Konoha with a passion! How in the world would you be able to convince Tsunade-sama to become a Hokage of all things?" Homura asked.
"Let us worry about that, you old farts." I smirked smugly. I might start like angering the two ninja-turned-civilians.
Koharu bristled, but reined in her rage. I chuckled at her response. Homura just brushed it off like the wind that was currently blowing around us.
"Are you sure you want to bring him with you, Takuma-san?"
"Of course I am. If we don't bring him with us he won't learn the Rasengan. That, I tell you, is extremely crucial!"
I heard loud slurping noises coming from the Ichiraku's. Good, that means the person I'm getting is there. I walked up to the Ramen Stand and pushed aside the small curtains, "Is there a Naruto Uzumaki present?" I said, trying, and failing miserably, to sound epic.
The moment I ended my sentence I heard a loud banging noise and saw Naruto had slammed down his bowl of ramen. He looked at me with pure happiness and dried his mouth with his orange sleeve. "Takuma-sensei!" he grinned.
I grinned back at him, "Hey there, squirt!"
"I'm not a squirt!" he yells indignantly, humiliated a little.
"You are as long as you are that small." I said to him. Then I clapped my hands together and said, "That's not what I'm here for, though! How about we go for a training trip, Naruto? What do you say about that?"
Naruto fist-bumped the air, "Hell yeah!"
I bopped him on his head, "Ow!" "Language, Naruto!"