Author's note: Wohoo! Thanks to the phenomenal reception of the latest chapter, we passed the 1000 reviews mark! Thanks to everybody who helped this story be part of the fourth digit reviews club! Shout out to rbear1231, who submitted the review #1000.
Speaking of reviews, I got a lot of reviewers asking how minato could be resurrected since he's supposed to be inside the Shinigami stomatch and yadda yadda...well, read the ending of Chapter 31. Orochimaru got his hands on the Shinigami mask, which can be used to release the souls from their imprisonment. I thought that it was clear enough not to merit an explaination. Anyway, now I'm not going to address this issue any further.
Now enjoy the new chapter, and see you at the bottom notes:
Chapter 34:
Battle of the Hokage
or
When Legends Collide
…
The three Konoha ninja facing Orochimaru stared in shock as the occupants of the coffins stepped out of them. There was no mistake; those were Minato and Kushina, looking no different from the time the Kyubi escaped, if they ignored the black eyes and the cracked skin that gave them such a creepy and otherworldly appearance.
"Besides Minato, I also have the Senju brothers, working to destroying Konoha at other parts of the village," Orochimaru grinned again as his Sharingan rested on his former sensei and former teammate. "Now I only need you two to have the whole set."
"...where am I?" a disoriented Minato asked, until he saw Jiraiya. "Sensei? Is that you?"
"You look so old!" Kushina added.
Jiraiya wouldn't have left such remark unanswered, but this was no time for jokes, so he decided to give them a brief summary of the situation. "Yes, it's me. Orochimaru used a forbidden jutsu to bring you back to life. And the reason for why I look so old...is that thirteen years have passed since your death."
The Fourth and his wife weighed on Jiraiya's words, trying to find a sense for what was going on.
"But...how is that I don't remember anything after the Kyubi impaled us?" Kushina asked.
"I have no answer for that," Jiraiya solemnly replied.
"How could you resurrect Minato? He used the Reaper Death Seal to seal the Nine Tails away! His soul shouldn't be available for you to defile!" Hiruzen pointed out.
"Ah, I see you're familiar with this jutsu, sensei. Which shouldn't be surprising, given that it was your own very sensei who developed it," Orochimaru delighted in the irony of the situation. "You could say that thanks to the knowledge of the Forbidden Scroll, I was able to find a way to retrieve Minato's soul."
On one side, both Hiruzen and Jiraiya were thankful that Minato was no longer sealed inside the Reaper's stomach. On the other hand, being a slave to Orochimaru wasn't much better. Then again, there could be a way to undo the jutsu and give Minato's soul the peace he deserved so much.
Kushina's arm started to twitch. "I can't control my body. It's like...like if somebody else is manipulating it from the inside!"
"Very sharp, my dear Uzumaki. While you might retain your free will, it's useless since I'm the one in control of your actions. You're nothing but my puppets," Orochimaru stated, and then he looked back at his opposition. "You know, I have an idea. Sensei, why don't you fight against me, while Jiraiya fights against Minato? That way, two masters will die at the hands of their respective students!"
"You certainly have to be too confident for your own good if you think you can take me on," Hiruzen replied.
"With these eyes, nothing is impossible," Orochimaru taunted, before deciding that the time for words was over. "Anyway, I'm growing impatient for your death, sensei, so let's start already! Minato, Kushina, kill Jiraiya and Anko-chan, and then aid the rest of my forces in the destruction of Konoha!"
The orders already issued, Orochimaru jumped away, followed by Hiruzen.
"Where do you think you're going? The only master who will die at his student's hands will be you!" Anko wanted to follow her former sensei and her former Hokage, but a red headed kunoichi got in the way and attacked Anko with a pair of kunai. "Hey!"
"Sorry, but my body moves on her own, ya know!" Kushina stated in an apologetic tone. "I'm afraid you won't be able to kill that bastard until you get rid of us first."
"So be it then," Anko replied as she thrust her arm forward. "Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"
Several snakes shot from Anko's sleeve and lunged at Kushina. The redhead jumped backwards while she made several hand seals.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
Kushina blew a powerful gust of wind that pushed both the snakes and Anko backwards, much to the latter's surprise.
"Alright, since neither Orochimaru nor any of his snakes are close, maybe I can call for some help," Anko thought as she bit her finger and made several hand seals. "Summoning Jutsu!"
Anko slammed her palm into the ground, summoning a relatively large green hooded snake.
"Another Snake summoner...yet you fight for Konoha. Are you related to Orochimaru?" Kushina asked.
"Unfortunately, yes," Anko sourly replied. "I used to be his apprentice before the bastard turned me into his guinea pig. I won't rest until he pays for what he did."
With a hand command, the giant cobra nodded and lunged at Kushina. The Uzumaki kunoichi jumped in time to avoid the cobra's maws, and proceeded to do more hand seals.
"Wind Release: Air Bullet!"
Kushina shot from her mouth several projectiles of compressed air against the giant snake. The air bullets made noisy explosions upon hitting the target. While it was hit by the first few, the giant snake was agile enough to dodge the rest, and hit Kushina with its tail, slamming her against a small house. The force of the impact was such that it brought the house down, burying Kushina under a pile of debris and rubble.
"Got you!" Anko started to make hand seals. "Fire Release: Dragon Fire Jutsu!"
Pouring as much chakra as she could, the Snake Mistress breathed a stream of fire shaped like a dragon at the pile of debris. However, much to her shock, Kushina burst out from the pile of burning rubble with some bruises and burns that took no time to regenerate.
"Watch out for my next attack! It can bind your chakra, ya know!" Kushina warned, while still mid air.
The moment she landed, several chains shot from her back, and as if they had a mind of their own, flew towards Anko and her summoned snake. Anko managed to dodge them with no problem, but the snake wasn't so lucky, and the chains wrapped around it. The giant cobra tried to struggle in vain, before vanishing in a cloud of smoke.
"The hell? How did you cancel my summon?" A shocked Anko asked.
"I already told you! The chains bind chakra, and in case of summoned animals, it severs the link created by the Summoning Jutsu, forcing them to go back to where they come from, ya know!" Kushina told her. Her hands started to make hand seals. "Watch out, I'm going to attack again!"
"You're a wind type, right? Good then," Anko smirked as she made hand seals of her own.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
"Fire Release: Dragon Fire Jutsu!"
Another fire stream and gust of wind were formed, and clashed against each other. Kushina's wind jutsu increased the power of Anko's fire jutsu, but her wind blew with such force that it stopped the fire from advancing any further, resulting in a stalemate. Stalemate that was about to come to an end when Kushina emerged from the flames, and before Anko had any time to react, she landed a punch at the Snake Mistress' face.
"OW! My nose!" Anko protested, as she grabbed her bleeding nose with one hand.
"Sorry! I'm trying not to hit as hard as I can, but it's kind of difficult, ya know!" Kushina apologized.
As she stood up and readjusted her nose, Anko was tempted to take a look at the other combat happening not far from them, but he knew the moment she took her eyes from Kushina, she would be dead.
"I hope Hokage-sama is having an easier time with your husband," Anko commented.
...
Needless to say, given that Jiraiya was facing one of the most powerful and feared ninjas who ever lived, he wasn't having an easier time.
"SENSEI, WATCH OUT!" Minato shouted, drawing Jiraiya's attention.
The Sannin paled upon seeing six three-pronged kunai on his late student's hands. "SHIT!"
Minato threw the kunai in multiple directions, all of them near Jiraiya, and instantly disappeared. Fortunately, Jiraiya had the perfect counter.
"Needle Jizo!"
Once again, Jiraiya's hair turned into sharp needles, and wrapped around his whole body, just in time to block a punch coming from behind from Minato.
"Nice reflexes, sensei," Minato praised. "Sensei, I notice that Orochimaru's control loosened a bit. I'll try to hold back as much as I can."
Jiraiya nodded. "It seems that Orochimaru want to focus all his attention on Sarutobi-sensei. Good, this might prove a fatal mistake on his part."
"Watch out, here I come again!" Minato warned as he pulled out another three pronged kunai, and vanished again.
Jiraiya pulled out another kunai as well, and managed to successfully parry an incoming slash from Minato after he appeared besides the Sannin. Minato disappeared and reappeared near Jiraiya multiple times in order to attack again. Jiraiya managed to successfully predict and block most of his attacks, but soon he was unable to keep the pace, and Minato was able to land several swipes, before sending him flying with a powerful kick to the chest.
"Urgh..." Jiraiya groaned as he got back on his feet. "And this is you holding back?"
Minato smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, sensei. I'm trying. I really am."
"It's okay. It's not your fault," Jiraiya replied. However, his eyes widened again when he saw Minato quickly retrieving his kunai, and tossing them at Jiraiya again. This time, he made a different approach.
"Earth Release: Earth Style Wall!"
The white haired Sannin slammed his hand into the ground, erecting a rock wall that successfully stopped the kunai in their tracks, but wouldn't stop Minato in any meaningful way.
"Now's my chance!" Jiraiya thought as he made a clone. "Camouflage Jutsu!"
The real Jiraiya became invisible just before Minato shattered the wall with a Rasengan.
"You could have jumped above it, you know," the Jiraiya clone pointed out.
"My thoughts exactly," Minato agreed. Then, he pulled out a tri-pronged kunai and tossed it at Jiraiya. "Watch out for my next attack!"
The Jiraiya clone dodged the kunai. However, Minato teleported to the kunai the moment it passed the white haired man, and slammed a Rasengan on his back.
"I'm sorry, sensei..." Minato sorrowfully said as he was forced to end his sensei's life...
...only for "Jiraiya" to burst in oil, dunking Minato completely.
"What?"
Jiraiya decloaked behind the confused Minato. There were five small blue flames at the tip of each of his fingertips.
"Sealing Art: Five Elemental Seals!"
The Toad Sage successfully slammed his hand on Minato's back, placing the seal. Minato took no time to notice the seal messing with his chakra completely. He tried to teleport, only to find out he was unable to.
"Well done, sensei," Minato praised. "But I'm afraid that'll only buy you a few seconds before I undo it."
"That's all what I need," Jiraiya replied while making hand seals. "Fire Release: Great Flame Bullet!"
Minato was engulfed by a massive fire projectile, which set on fire the oil drenching his clothes. When the attack receded, only a burning body remained. Jiraiya sighed heavily, and looked at his defiled student with sad eyes.
"Sorry, Minato. I swear that I'll make-"
However, Jiraiya's words were interrupted by something he wasn't expecting. The flames burning Minato's body started to shrink until they disappeared. Ash and dirt began to swirl around his body, restoring it to normal. After a few seconds, Minato looked no worse for the wear, and stood up.
"Damn! This jutsu is way worse than I had expected. Plus with our power, we're causing too much collateral damage. I better do something about it...'"Jiraiya thought, before seeing Anko dealing with Kushina. "Anko, get over here!"
Anko said nothing. She tossed a kunai with an explosive note at Kushina before dashing towards the Hokage. Kushina came out of the explosion with only a few wounds that took no time to heal, and landed besides Minato.
"Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld!"
The ground below Minato and Kushina's feet turned into a muddy swamp, trapping both of them, as they slowly began to sink.
"Anko, follow me!" Jiraiya shouted as he fled the scene.
"Do you think that will be enough to stop them?" Anko asked.
"Not even close. But it will buy us some time to have a head start," Jiraiya explained as he jumped from one roof to another, heading out of the village.
Minato pulled put one of his tri-pronged kunai and tossed it at Kushina, who grabbed it. Minato teleported to the kunai the moment his wife grabbed it, who then tossed it outside the muddy area, and Minato teleported both of them out of the swamp. As soon as their feet touched solid ground, both of them gave chase to the Hokage and the Snake mistress.
"What is Jiraiya-sama planning?" Kushina asked.
"I don't know. I think that for the time being, he wants to bring the fight out of the village so he can cut loose," Minato guessed.
"But these bodies are immortal. No matter how powerful his jutsu are, he doesn't have the means to permanently kill us, ya know!" Kushina pointed out.
"I'm sure he'll think something. Jiraiya-sensei is a smart and resourceful ninja," Minato replied. Some might call his optimism unrealistic.
"What about you? Can't you think in anything to undo this jutsu?" Kushina asked.
"I'm thinking, but this is way out of my expertise. While I'm no stranger to jutsu that dabbles with life and death, this is something completely new," Minato stated.
"Then let's hope Jiraiya-sama can come up with something. Orochimaru was his pal, after all," Kushina said.
…
Konoha Academy
Iruka was thankful that the fights hadn't reached the Academy yet. Hopefully they would have enough time to evacuate the children to the nearest bunker with no incidents. And events would have developed in such way if the perpetrator of the invasion didn't have the Academy as one of his targets.
"Come on, don't panic, and keep going in orderly fashion. In no time, you all will be safe," Iruka reassured the distressed children, while the other two teachers present, Ebisu and Daikoku, also tried to quell the ensuing panic.
Too bad panic was about to become much higher.
"Earth Release: Earth Style Wall!"
As those words were uttered, a massive stone wall was erected, cutting the path the group of children was following. A fat man with red hair styled in a mohawk landed on the wall. His face showed a smug smirk.
"Sorry, I'm afraid this path is closed right now," the ninja stated.
Four other ninja, wearing similar clothes to the first one, landed behind the group. One of them, who had light blue hair, blue lips, and what appeared to be a hunchback, took a step forward.
"Okay, let's make this short and sweet. We want those two kids with the white hair," the Oto ninja stated, pointing at Hagane and Kaida, who squirmed upon being identified. "Surrender them to us, and nobody gets hurt."
"Do you think we're going to hand you the children of the Hokage like that?" Ebisu replied. There was no point in keeping their heritage hidden, given that there could be no other reason for them being targeted.
"Indeed. These children are under our care, and if you want either of them, you'll have to go through us first," Iruka stated. Despite his bold words, his brain was struggling to come up with as way to repel the attackers. They had blocked all possible escape routes, and having to fight with so many children around would make the task immensely more difficult.
All of the Oto ninja minus the tall one who lacked a shirt smiled wickedly.
"I was hoping you would say that. It makes our job much more fun," the blue haired teen stated as he charged forwards.
"Alright, let the game begin!" a tan teen with six arms stated as he pulled what appeared to be a bow made of some hardened golden sticky substance from his mouth.
"You pieces of shit have no idea what you're going up against!" the lone girl, a redhead, stated.
"Come on Tayuya, there are kids here," the fat teen protested.
"Shut your fucking mouth, fatass!" Tayuya angrily replied.
"This isn't good!" Iruka panicked as his hands went through hand seals."Worldly Protective Barrier!"
Multiple circles of seals expanded from Iruka's feet, forming an invisible barrier his enemies crashed against.
"Iruka-sensei, we can help you!" Hagane shouted as he walked towards him.
"Don't move! Stay where you are! This is too dangerous for you!" Iruka chided him.
"But-"
"No buts! I can't fight and protect you at the same time!" Iruka stated.
While the teacher and the Hokage's son continued arguing, the fat teen started to make hand seals of his own.
"Earth Release: Rising Pillar!"
Like the name implied, a pillar of stone emerged from under Iruka's feet, making him lose balance and fall on his back, making him unable to keep his barrier. It was followed by a whistle, and suddenly a golden arrow impaled Iruka, pinning him to the ground.
"Woohoo! One hit kill!" the teen with the six arms cheered.
"IRUKA!" both Ebisu and Daikoku yelled at the same time.
His fear evaporated, Ebisu angrily looked at the attackers, and made a hand seal. "You will pay for that! Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Two clones appeared at Ebisu's sides.
"You think that impresses us, you fucker?" Tayuya asked.
The two clones charged at the foul-mouthed redhead, pulling a kunai each. On her part, Tayuya pulled a flute, and surprisingly, used it to successfully parry the blows. With a couple of well placed punches, the clones were no more.
However, Tayuya had left herself wide open while fighting the clones, something the shades-wearing teacher was about to capitalize. He made several hand seals.
"Fire Release: Dragon Fire Bullet!"
Ebisu breathed a massive stream of fire that caught Tayuya completely off guard. The redhead cursed a profanity as the flames engulfed her.
"Alright, one less enemy to care about..." Ebisu thought as he directed his sight towards the remaining enemies before he was brutally kicked in the face, hurling him backwards.
"Don't count me out so soon, you piece of shit!" Tayuya yelled.
"How...?" a disoriented Ebisu mumbled, and he realized that there was a white thread stuck on Tayuya's back, grabbed at the other end by the six armed teen.
"He pulled her out? How can they be so fast?" Ebisu thought in shock.
"Sweet dreams, you fucker!" was the last thing Ebisu heard before Tayuya kicked his head again.
"Did you guys finish already?" the tall, shirtless teen asked.
"Oh, that's rich, coming from somebody who didn't lift a finger to help us!" the guy with the blue hair stated as he tossed the corpse of Daikoku to the ground.
"You didn't look like you needed my help. However, I must remind you that I'm the leader of this operation, and you should address me as such. Your tone won't be tolerated anymore, Sakon," the white haired man stated.
"Whatever you say, Kimimaro-sama," Sakon said the suffix in a mocking tone.
"So, shall we grab the brats, or what?" Tayuya asked as she headed towards the children.
Suddenly, there was a white blur, an impact sound, and Tayuya was knocked backwards with an impressive force. Everybody had their mouths agape when they realized what just happened.
"The hell?" the six armed teen asked in shock.
"MY EYE! THAT FUCKING MIDGET GAVE ME A BLACK EYE!" Tayuya yelled as she held her hurt eye with one hand.
"If you touch me or my sister, you're going to regret it!" Hagane defiantly claimed. His body started to glow with a white aura.
"You can't be serious kid; you can't hope to defeat us. Be a good brat and come with us peacefully," Sakon told him as he walked towards him.
Hagane lunged at Sakon, ready to punch him like he did to Tayuya. However, Sakon saw it coming and caught the boy's fist in his hand before twisting it, and wrapped his other arm around the boy's neck, immobilizing him.
'Shit! This guy is much stronger than he looks! And what's with the weird-ass aura?' the blue haired teen thought.
"Let me go, you freak!" Hagane protested as he squirmed.
"Don't worry brother, I'll save you!" Kaida replied as she made several hand seals at a rather slow speed, but she wasn't interrupted. "Wood Release: Wood Binding Jutsu!"
Multiple wooden branches emerged from below the oto ninja, wrapping around them.
"The hell? And that girl can use Wood Release?" Kidomaru asked. "No wonder Orochimaru-sama is so interested in these brats..."
While the others tried to futilely break from the tree branches, Kimimaro remained calm, and grew multiple bone spikes around his body, shattering the wood branches into splinters. Then, fast as lightning, he moved behind Kaida and knocked her out cold with a precise strike to the neck. He repeated the process with Hagane.
"Pathetic. To think you needed my help to deal with these children..." Kimimaro stated. "Come on, we need to get moving."
"Should we finish them off?" Jirobo asked while he pointed to Ebisu and Iruka.
Kimimaro shook his head. "That won't be necessary. Let's continue with the plan."
And thus, the Sound Five left the scene.
…
Not far from there, Orochimaru and his former sensei landed on a clear expanse, surrounded by debris and some corpses of both Konoha and Oto ninja.
"You know, sensei, I'm kind of glad that you managed to survive the Uchiha Insurrection," Orochimaru grinned sadistically. He pointed the Kusanagi blade at him. "That way, I'll get to kill you myself. The icing of the cake of Konoha's destruction!"
"Then I see hunger in your future," Hiruzen replied, as his grip on the Adamantine Staff tightened.
"Said the prey to the predator. But enough talking, your death is long overdue," Orochimaru thrust both arms forward. "Multiple Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"
Multiple snakes emerged from Orochimaru's sleeves and lunged at Hiruzen like they did with Jiraiya not long ago. Hirzuen merely smirked, and with a deceptively high accuracy and speed, the former Hokage smacked all of the snakes with multiple quick strikes the moment they were any close to him. After he was done, he tossed the staff at Orochimaru.
Orochimaru's Sharingan spun, and the Snake Sannin easily dodged the thrown weapon. However, the moment it passed him, the staff turned back into Enma, the Monkey King, who tried to crush Orochimaru with a double fist slam, which the pale skinned man dodged as well, albeit with a bit more effort.
"You'll need more than a primitive creature to tip the scale in your favor, sensei," Orochimaru taunted.
Angry, Enma bared his fangs. "I'll show you how 'primitive' I can be, you traitor!"
The white ape dashed at Orochimaru, and launched a flurry of punches and kicks the Sannin had little trouble dodging or blocking them, albeit he was forced to admit that the creature had a fair share of physical strength. Tired of dodging, Orochimaru went on the offensive and tried to impale Enma, who gracefully dodged every blow.
"You apes are starting to get on my nerves," Orochimaru darkly stated as he delivered another stabbing swing.
"Look how much I care," the monkey replied ad he used one of his feet to grab the Sannin's wrist and pulled him closer, wrapping his arms around his neck, leaving him immobilized. "Hiruzen, now!"
Calling Sarutobi was unnecessary as the former Hokage was already rushing towards the temporary helpless Orochimaru, ready to sink a kunai into his flesh. However, much to his surprise, four white snakes emerged from his back, tearing his clothes, as they tried to bite Hiruzen, forcing the old man to pull back.
Their initial target out of reach, the snakes attacked Enma, who was forced to release the Snake Sannin, and jumped behind Hiruzen. The Sannin then discarded his ruined clothes, leaving him shirtless. Hiruzen could see that the snakes were seamlessly attached to Orochimaru's back, as if they were additional limbs. He turned around and grinned at his former master.
"Admiring my body modifications, sensei?" Orochimaru asked him. "They're truly a work of art. You can thank the Forbidden Scroll for that. Then again, my current coworkers have very diverse opinions on what constitutes true art."
"'Admire' isn't the word I use, my former apprentice," Hiruzen replied in disgust. "I don't know what would bring somebody to mutilate his own body for the sake of power like you just did."
"Mutilate? Oh, now you're being rude, sensei," Orochimaru shook his head in fake disappointment. "Are you angry to see that there are more ways to become a ninja other than what you preached?"
"Despite the raw talent you possess, you were always prone to take shortcuts," Hiruzen chastised him.
"Aren't shortcuts meant to be taken? If there are two or more possible paths to the intended destination, why is wrong to choose the shorter one?" Orochimaru asked. "Our lives are finite, and wasting time that you could use doing something else is simply stupid. Even somebody like me, who has transcended death, can still see the futility of taking the longest road just for the sake of a moral high ground."
"Not that you cared about morals in any way, Orochimaru. Otherwise, so many innocent people wouldn't have lost their lives in your mad experiments," Hiruzen retorted.
"As any ninja can attest, there's no such thing as innocent people, just people who never had the chance to sin yet. Regardless of what you might want to say, you're no better than me, sensei. After all, how many people have you killed in your long ninja career?" Orochimaru replied.
"I did kill, yes. War is never easy, nor glorious. But the difference between you and me is that I killed enemy ninja who could fight and knew what they were going against when they started their careers, not children or civilians who were unable to defend themselves!" Hiruzen spat back.
"Lacking power doesn't make people more worthy of having their lives spared. Pretty muchthe opposite. Anyway, enough chit chat, we already delayed your death enough," Orochimaru then started making hand seals. "Five Elemental Release: Massive Elemental Barrage!"
Orochimaru blew a large gust of wind from his mouth, while each of his snakes fired a stream of fire, lightning, water and rocks from their mouths. The five attacks combined into a single blast that encompassed the five elements. Hiruzen's eyes opened wide in shock, but was able to react in time.
"Earth Release: Multiple Earth Dome Jutsu!"
Several layers of domes formed around Hiruzen and Enma just before the multi-elemental blast could hit its intended target. The force of five elements was enough to plow through all the barriers Hiruzen had erected, but in the end, it missed the target. However, Orochimaru didn't look deterred in the slightest.
"You can't escape from my eyes, sensei," Orochimaru mentioned as two of his snakes detached from the main body and dug underground.
Seconds later, Hiruzen, holding Enma back in staff form, was forced to return back into the surface. The snakes also returned, and merged again with Orochimaru.
"How the hell did he spot us...?" Sarutobi mused.
"Hiruzen, the snake to the left! It has different eyes than the others!" Enma pointed out.
Sarutobi realized that his summon was right. While all the snakes had yellow eyes with slitted pupils, like Orochimaru when his Sharingan wasn't active, one of the snakes had pure white eyes. And most distressing, there were multiple tiny veins around them, which would have been almost impossible to see unless you were looking for them.
"Not only the Sharingan...but also the Byakugan?" Sarutobi asked in shock.
"The human skull only has space for two eyes. But then again, I've always been known for my inventiveness," Orochimaru mocked, as he shrugged. "Don't weep sensei. The previous owner of these Byakugan doesn't need them anymore. Now sensei, the wise thing to do would be to accept defeat, and at least you'd keep your dignity intact. You can't defeat me. You have no idea what I have become."
"On the contrary. I'm very aware of what you've become. I did a long time ago," Sarutobi then adopted a fighting stance.
"So you think you can pose a threat against somebody who wields two of the three greatest doujutsu? And you call me prideful," Orochimaru chuckled as he shook his head.
"I fought against both the Sharingan and Byakugan in the past, and I do know how to deal with them," Sarutobi started to make hand seals. "Yin Release: Bringer of Darkness!"
The whole battleground was covered by shadows, leaving both combatants in the dark. However, since Sarutobi was a sensor, he had some advantage.
"Very ingenious, sensei, but I'm afraid this will be insufficient," Orochimaru taunted, expecting an answer that never came. "Of course he's not answering. He doesn't want to reveal his position. Too bad for him I have my ways to find sneaky rats who want to play hide and seek," Orochimaru thought as his four snakes detached from his back and began to scout the darkened area, using their bodies to sense the ground's vibrations.
After a few seconds, they located their prey.
"You're mine, sensei!" Orochimaru shouted as he dashed at where he thought Sarutobi was, and sunk the Kusanagi blade on his gut, followed by a pained grunt.
The darkness receded, and as the light returned, Orochimaru saw in delight his sword embedded into his sensei's innards, and Hiruzen looking with his eyes open in disbelief. However, Orochimaru realized that there was something wrong: there was no blood leaking from the wound. In fact, upon further inspection, he noticed that the inside of his body wasn't filled with flesh and blood, but paper.
In horror, the Sannin realized that they were explosive tags. He wanted to pull the sword out, but Sarutobi –or better said, a clone made of explosive tags– quickly grabbed Orochimaru before smirking and detonating.
To say that what followed was a massive explosion that sent a tremor several kilometers around would have been an equally massive understatement.
A lesser man would have died instantly. Even Orochimaru's heavily modified body was barely able to come out alive. And Hiruzen would have been able to terminate his treacherous ex-apprentice there and then if it wasn't for his conveniently insidious body replacement technique, which once again generated a completely new and healthy body, even if it came at a heavy chakra cost.
Sarutobi emerged from underground, amused that he had caught Orochimaru off guard with such a trick, even if it failed to kill him.
"So that's the power of the wielder of two of the three greatest doujutsu?" the former Hokage asked in a mocking tone. "If that's the case, then I'm disappointed."
Orochimaru got up and bared his teeth in a menacing snarl. "You will pay for that," he hissed, his voice dripping even more hate than usual.
Sarutobi adopted a fighting stance. "Here is your chance, Orochimaru. Come and get me if you can."
…
Meanwhile, in a part of Konoha that used to be a residential area, but that was now covered in a deep forest, two of Konoha's best Jonin were about to face one of Orochimaru's aces in the hole, the resurrected First Hokage, perched on a tree branch.
"So it's true. Orochimaru did somehow brought the Hokage back to life," Kakashi said in amazement, upon seeing the First himself from below.
"To fight one of the strongest ninja who ever lived...if the situation wasn't so dire, I would be giddy!" Gai exclaimed.
"You are giddy," Kakashi pointed out.
"So, two new ninja want to face me?" Hashirama asked as he jumped from one branch to another in order to meet his new opponents. "Not to sound arrogant, but I'd recommend you to flee. I don't want to be responsible for any more dead Konoha ninja."
"And I don't think we could be called ourselves Konoha ninja if we abandoned the village in its hour of need," Kakashi retorted.
"Very well! I'm glad to see that you don't lack courage! Now..." Hashirama then looked at Gai, and his eyes were wide open in shock. "YOU!"
Gai was taken aback. "Me...?"
"Yes, you!" Hashirama repeated. "Your haircut! I LIKE IT!"
Gai's face went from confusion to sheer, unadulterated joy. His mouth curved into the widest smile ever seen. It wasn't a cocky or confident smile which was part of his trademark "nice guy" pose, but a smile of pure happiness.
"This has to be a joke..." Kakashi muttered.
"YOU THINK SO!?" Gai loudly replied.
"Of course! It reminds me of my youth!" Hashirama replied as he gave Gai a thumbs up.
"The First Hokage thinks...that my hair is youthful..." Gai repeated in a whisper, as his emotions were too much to handle, and fainted.
A deafening silence followed as both Kakashi and Hashirama tried to process what happened.
"Would you believe me if I told you that I did NOT intend for that to happen?" Hashirama sheepishly said.
"This HAS to be a joke..." Kakashi repeated again, watching incredulously at Gai's unconscious form.
"Watch out!" Hashirama called as he began making hand seals. "Wood Release: Wood Dragon Jutsu!"
A serpentine dragon made of wood emerged from the ground and lunged at Kakashi. The copy ninja jumped back as he made hand seals of his own. "Fire Release: Great Fireball jutsu!"
Kakashi breathed a large fireball through his mask, which burned the wood dragon enough to stop it on its tracks. However, the dragon was merely a distraction to get close to the white haired ninja. Fortunately, Kakashi's Sharingan caught Hashirama trying to sneak from behind, and parried a sword blow with a kunai just in time.
"Nice reflexes," Hashirama mentioned, as he delivered more swipes. "Albeit I suppose that you should thank your Sharingan for them, am I right?"
"While true, I like to think that there's more to me than my Sharingan, Hokage-sama," Kakashi replied as he managed to kick Hashirama in the chest, pushing him backwards.
"You're clearly not an Uchiha. How did you get that Sharingan?" Hashirama asked as he charged once again.
"It was the parting gift of a good friend of mine. One of the best friends I ever had," Kakashi replied, trying to stop Obito's memory from making him lose his cool.
"I see. I used to have an Uchiha friend as well. Things didn't work out so well," Hashirama sorrowfully replied.
"We know about Madara. It's taught at history class at the Academy," Kakashi replied before throwing a smoke bomb, engulfing the area in smoke.
"Wow, I feel so honored to see that I'm mentioned in a history book!" Hashirama genuinely gushed. "And what do those books say about-"
"Lightning Blade!"
The First Hokage saw Kakashi's lightning coated arm bursting through his chest. However, when Kakashi pulled out his arm, he realized that his hand wasn't covered in blood, but wood splinters.
"What the...a Wood Clone?" Kakashi asked.
"Be careful!" the real Hashirama warned from behind. "Wood Release: Great Forest Jutsu!"
More thick wooden roots emerged from below and lunged at Kakashi. The copy nin was barely able to dodge all of them, pick Gai's unconscious body, and find a place to hide.
"Dammit Gai, snap out of it!" Kakashi angrily whispered as he slapped his green clad friend awake.
"Huh...what happened?" Gai mumbled.
"Good, you're awake. We're fighting against a revived Hashirama Senju. He complimented your hair, and you fainted. Care to help me deal with him?" Kakashi said in rapid motion.
Gai immediately was snapped awake, and quickly stood up. "Y-Yes! Sorry about that. It's that...well, a compliment from the First isn't something you expect to get any day."
"I'll be happy if you don't do that again," Kakashi replied. "Here he comes!"
And just as Kakashi said, Hashirama was upon them. "Oh, I see your friend with the nice hair is awake. Hope he's strong, you're going to need all the possible help."
"You bet he is," Kakashi replied then turned to Gai.
"Given the quality of our opponent, I guess that I should skip the warm up," Gai declared, as he crossed his arms in front of his face, before moving both arms back. "Gate of Opening, open! Gate of Healing, open! Gate of Life, open! Gate of Pain, open! Gate of Limit, open! Gate of View, open!"
As the Gates were released, Gai's body started to emit powerful bursts of chakra, and an intense green aura glowed around his body. His skin turned maroon and his eyes were pure white.
"Watch out Gai, you already used the Gates when fighting Manda, you don't want to push your body beyond its limits," Kakashi warned.
"My body is still far from its limit, my rival, don't worry about that! Let's focus on the enemy at hand instead!" Gai stated as he faced Hashirama.
"Very well then!" an excited Hashirama replied as he began making hand seals. "Wood Release: Nativity of a World of Trees!"
More wooden roots emerged both from the ground and from the existing trees, aiming at both Konoha ninja. Gai, however, had the perfect answer to that. He dashed at the incoming trees and reared both fists back.
"Morning Peacock!"
Gai began to throw punches at the tree branches at such speed that even Kakashi's Sharingan was having a hard time seeing them. The flurry of punches released multiple fireballs in every direction, setting the forest ablaze. Kakashi knew how to capitalize on that.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
Kakashi blew a powerful gust of wind which increased the existing flames, consuming the improvised forest even faster. Hashirama watched the display intently.
"Not bad. Not bad. I wonder if you-" Hashirama's thoughts were interrupted when Gai suddenly appeared in front of him and kicked him upwards.
And somehow, Gai was already waiting for Hashirama up in the sky.
"Morning Peacock!"
This time, the storm of blazing punches landed squarely on Hashirama. The last punch sent Hashirama crashing back to the ground, making a crater upon impact. However, that wasn't the end of the beating.
The sound of a thousand birds chirping filled the air as Kakashi dashed towards the downed Hashirama, his hand crackling with electricity.
'Please let this be the real one and not a clone,' Kakashi thought, still a bit bitter for wasting one of his four Lightning Blades on a mere clone.
Upon seeing Hashirama, he canceled his jutsu in time. The wounds caused by Gai's attacks showed some of the First Hokage's innards, and they weren't made of flesh and blood, but dirt and ashes, much to Kakashi's puzzlement.
"What kind of clone are you?" the copy ninja asked, tilting his head.
"As hard as it is to believe, I'm not a clone," Hashirama replied as he stood up. Ash and dirt began to swirl around his wounds, quickly healing them until he was good as new. "This jutsu will restore my body to full health, no matter the power of the attacks you use to harm me."
"And you're telling us now?" Kakashi asked in disbelief.
"Sorry, I kinda forgot!" Hashirama sheepishly apologized.
"Definitely not how I imagined the God of Ninja," Kakashi thought as he sweat dropped.
"Kakashi, what are we going to do? Should I open more Gates?" Gai asked, panting a bit. The backlash of the Gates was starting to become evident.
"No. You heard him; the power of our jutsu is irrelevant. Let's try to fight him smart and save our chakra until we find a way to permanently kill him," Kakashi suggested.
"The best course of action would be to find Orochimaru and force him to undo the jutsu," Hashirama suggested. "But I'm afraid that I won't let you go like that."
"In that case, then maybe I can be of assistance," a female voice said as somebody else landed besides Kakashi and Gai.
"Tsunade-sama!" Gai said in surprise.
"Tsunade?" the First repeated in shock. "Tsuna, is that you?"
Tsunade looked at the resurrected form of her beloved grandfather with sad eyes. "Yes. It's me, grandfather. Pity that we won't be able to enjoy this re-encounter as much as we could."
"You grew a lot, Tsuna," Hashirama's eyes then rested on her breasts. "In some ways, much more than I would have preferred."
Tsunade frowned, but decided to ignore that comment. "Unless Orochimaru explicitly ordered you to kill these two in particular, I'm the biggest threat now, so you'll have to fight me," Tsunade stated as she took a step forward, then looked at Kakashi and Gai. "You two, go help somewhere else. Find Orochimaru if you can."
"Yes, Tsunade-sama!" both men said at the same time before leaping away.
"You were barely a Genin when I died," Hashirama mentioned, his voice full of excitement. "I want to know how strong you've gotten over the years, Tsuna."
Tsunade smirked. "I'm sure you won't be disappointed."
…
"First the Nine Tails attack, then my clan's uprising, and now this!" Shisui shouted in frustration as he dispatched an Oto ninja. "Do all villages go through this crap on a regular basis, or is it just us?"
"Look at that, Shisui the Teleporter. Orochimaru-sama will be very happy if I bring him your remaining eye," an Oto ninja stated. Judging by his uniform, he appeared to be an officer.
"Look at that, a random, nameless Oto ninja that's destined to die by my blade just like the fourteen others who tried to pull the same stunt on me," Shisui sarcastically replied. "Can we make this quick? I promised my girlfriend we'd go looking for cribs this afternoon."
"You want it quick? Then so be it," the Oto ninja stated. He then started to grow in size, as well as becoming more muscular. As his clothes ripped apart, Shisui could see that his skin was becoming a brownish gray. An additional pair of arms grew under the first ones. "Now you're going to feel the power of Orochimaru's cursed seal!"
"YOU feel the power of my tanto!" Shisui retorted, suddenly appeared from behind as he slashed the mutated ninja's back, but it didn't produce any wound. In fact, it felt like trying to slash very hard leather. "The hell...?"
The four armed ninja capitalized on Shisui's surprise by giving him a backhanded smack with such force that send the oldest Uchiha flying several meters, until he crashed against a wall.
"Ugghh..." Shisui groaned as he painfully got up, but had no time to wallow in pain as the mutated ninja leaped at him, his upper arms raised ready to deliver a double axe handle. "SHIT!"
Making a hand seal, Shisui Body Flickered away a couple seconds before the four armed Oto ninja smashed the spot, making a loud noise and raising a cloud of dust. When the dust dispelled, the Oto ninja was there, giving Shisui a sharp-toothed evil grin.
"What's up, Uchiha? Can't keep up with me?" the mutated ninja taunted.
Shisui crossed his arms confidently. "Actually, I already won."
The four armed man snarled. "You certainly are confident, one-eyed scum. Let's see what do you say after- hey, what the hell?" Much to the cursed seal ninja's shock, a pit of tar formed at his feet, and he quickly started to sink. He tried to get out, but the more he moved, the faster he sank. "No, NO! Don't let me die! Please, I beg you, save me!" the Oto ninja pleaded as he sank completely before everything turned into darkness.
Little did he know that Shisui had placed him in a genjutsu, and everything that happened did so in his mind. However, the shock was enough to knock him unconscious, and his cursed seal receded.
"Your skin might be impenetrable, but your mind… not so much," Shisui declared, even if his enemy could never hear him.
At that moment, a small crow came down from the sky, and the oldest Uchiha extended an arm so the bird could land on it.
"Shisui-san, my clones are watching over all of Konoha, and I've identified several spots where you could help the most," the crow informed.
Shisui nodded. "Thank you, Kurokaze-sama. Tell me which one is the closest."
"Actually, I believe that there's something else you should do first, Itachi-san is fighting against an enemy that might be too much for him," the crow boss clone told him.
Shisui was taken aback. "WHAT? What kind of enemy is too much for Itachi? Orochimaru himself?"
"This may be hard to believe, but it seems to be Tobirama Senju," Kurokaze replied.
Shisui's confusion grew by the minute. "The Second Hokage? That can't be right."
"But it is," the bird insisted. "And he's not the only one. His brother, Hashirama, is fighting against Konoha as well. Both Hokage are displaying the unique skills they're well known for, albeit at a smaller scale, so I believe they have been brought back to life somehow."
"Damn...this complicates things even further...anyway, take me to Itachi, I can't let him die," Shisui told him.
Kurokaze nodded, and took off again, with Shisui following him from below.
…
Jiraiya and Anko, already out of Konoha, were leaping from one tree branch to another while fleeing from their immortal pursuers. Jiraiya's hands were clapped together, and according to him he was preparing a jutsu that would at the very least, balance the fight a bit more in their favor.
"Hokage-sama, the last of our decoy Shadow Clones have been destroyed," Anko informed the Sannin. "Minato-sama won't take much longer to catch up with us."
"I know, but try not to panic, we have to keep going," Jiraiya replied.
"How much longer until that jutsu of yours is complete?" Anko asked again.
"Not much longer. Stop asking questions and focus. Let's keep going for a little longer, and I'll be able to do it," Jiraiya replied.
They continued moving forwards, with Anko looking backwards from time to time, each time growing more and more antsy. He was now regretting not listening to Jiraiya when he told her to leave. Not only was she away from the fight with Orochimaru, but now she was trapped in a fight against one of Konoha's most powerful ninja who on top of that was immortal as well.
Anko's eyes grew in horror as she caught sight of a yellow blur moving through the trees, following a red blur not too late afterwards.
"Hokage-sama, is that jutsu ready? They're already here!" Anko called in panic.
"Just a little longer!" Jiraiya replied, as beads of sweat appeared on his temples.
"Adamantine Sealing Chains!"
"SHIT!" Jiraiya cursed.
A multitude of chains emerged from the forest. Jiraiya and Anko managed to dodge all of them, albeit it took Jiraiya more effort since he couldn't use his arms to properly keep the balance. In a blur, Minato appeared in front of him, his hand holding a chakra sphere.
"Sorry, sensei," Minato sorrowfully said before slamming the chakra sphere into Jiraiya "Rasengan!"
However, Jiraiya managed to kick Minato's hand in the last second before the sphere of destruction could touch him. Anko tossed several kunai at him, forcing the Fourth to use his famed Flying Thunder God Jutsu to avoid it. But that action bought Jiraiya the last seconds he needed to complete what he was preparing.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Jiraiya slammed both hands into the ground, creating a huge cloud of smoke. Minato teleported back to the battlefield, appearing besides his wife, and looking at the vanishing cloud of smoke. Minato already knew what his sensei was planning.
"So, you called them, sensei?" Minato asked.
"Yes. Summoning the toad sages take way more time than summoning other toads, hence I had to stall the fight for some time. But now we're ready!" Jiraiya enthusiastically declared.
"Wait a minute, that voice...no, it can't be Minato-chan," a high pitched female voice stated.
When the smoke dispelled, Jiraiya had changed. His nose was bigger and had warts on it, had now a goatee on his chin, and red markings at each side of his face. There were also two small, cloak-wearing toads perched on each of his shoulders.
"So my old eyes aren't deceiving me," the toad on Jiraiya's right shoulder, a green toad with bushy white eyebrows and a white goatee stated in disbelief.
"But...how can this be possible?" the one to the left, a purple and yellow toad with a bulbous head, screeched incredulous.
"Fukasaku-sama, Shima-sama, is good to see you again, even if it's under such circumstances," Minato said in an apologetic tone.
"And I think that's his wife, Kushina-chan too!" Fukasaku pointed out. "But I thought that both of them died the night the Nine Tails attacked!"
"Impure Word Resurrection," was Jiraiya's answer, and both toads understood.
"I hoped that abominable jutsu had died with its creator," Shima screeched.
"We all thought so, but Orochimaru found a way to learn it," Jiraiya replied. "You seem familiar with the jutsu, so you'll probably know that Minato and Kushina are immortal and have unlimited chakra. We need to find some way to incapacitate them."
"You can count on us, Jiraiya-chan," Fukasaku replied.
Jiraiya then looked at Anko. "Anko, same strategy as before. I'll take the brunt of their attacks. You stay back, cover me, and capitalize every opening you see."
Anko nodded. "Understood, Hokage-sama."
All present slipped into battle stances. The real duel of the Hokage was about to begin.
…
Konoha Academy
When Naruto and Hinata arrived to the Academy, their hearts skipped a beat. The image was disheartening: many academy students gathered around the wounded –or even dead– teachers, some of them crying, others trying to comfort each other, while a few discussing what to do.
"Neechan!" Hanabi called upon seeing her sister arrive, and rushed to hug her.
"Hanabi-chan, are you okay?" Hinata asked her sister. Hanabi nodded, but was clearly shaken.
"Please, help Iruka-sensei!" Hanabi asked.
Both Chunin looked at the downed instructor, and saw that there was an arrow impaling him that also pinned him to the ground. Hinata activated her Byakugan, and inspected the wound.
"Alright, the arrow didn't hit any vital spot," Hinata said aloud. "Naruto-kun, I need you to remove the arrow very slowly. I'll stop the hemorrhage and close the wound."
"Alright," Naruto agreed, and broke in half the arrow so it would be easier to pull Iruka off. "Iruka-sensei, I'm afraid that this is going to hurt a lot."
"I-It's okay...Naruto..." Iruka replied, before coughing blood.
"Don't talk! You'll waste your energy," Hinata chided him. "Are you ready, Naruto-kun? Okay...start pulling now!"
Naruto followed Hinata's instructions, and in a few minutes, they managed to remove the arrow from Iruka's body, as well as healing his wounds. Naruto also healed the unconscious Ebisu. Sadly, there was nothing they could do for Daikoku.
"Thank you, you two," Iruka stated, as he tried to stand up. "Boy, I'm so glad Tsunade-sama started that medic-nin program, or else I'd be a goner."
"Careful! You're still too weak," Hinata advised, as she helped him stand up.
"Iruka-sensei, where are Kaida and Hagane?" Naruto asked, surprisingly calm.
Iruka looked down, and sighed. "They took them away, Naruto. The ninja who kidnapped them knew about their heritage, and possibly their Bloodline Limits as well. It seems that they were two of Orochimaru's targets."
"I see," Naruto gravely replied. "Do you know what direction they took?" Naruto asked.
"Yes, they headed north," Iruka replied, but he regretted doing so upon realizing why Naruto asked that. "Wait a minute, you're not thinking in going after them, are you!?"
"What the hell am I supposed to do then!?" Naruto snapped at his former teacher. "Let that traitorous bastard turn my siblings into his guinea pigs? I'd die before letting that happen!"
"Naruto, those ninja are very strong. I don't think you'll have a chance against them," Iruka said.
"Maybe not, but I don't have to do it alone," Naruto then made his most used hand seal. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Twenty clones appeared besides Naruto. "You three, escort the children to the bunkers, and take Iruka-sensei and Ebisu-sensei to the hospital. Everybody else...gather the rest."
The clones nodded, and left to carry their tasks. Iruka, however, wasn't done.
"Naruto, I can't let you do this! What happened was tragic, but what you want to do is suicide! I forbid you to go after them!" Iruka shouted, before coughing.
"You forbid me?" Naruto mockingly asked. "In case you didn't notice, you're no longer my superior. We're both Chunin now. Now you should let my clones carry you to the hospital before your wounds reopen."
Iruka sighed in defeat. "Very well then. There's nothing I can do to convince you to drop this madness. However...be careful out there, Naruto."
"I will," Naruto then looked at Hinata. "Hinata-hime, come on! We have to rescue my siblings!"
"Yes!" Hinata replied.
And both Naruto and Hinata headed north, in pursuit of the Senju twins' kidnappers.
Author's Note: And thus the invasion continues.
The fight between Hiruzen and Orochimaru was my way to make up to all the people who (justifiably) complained that I made the Third into too much of a wimp during the Uchiha Coup D'etat arc. Hopehe's now as badass as he should be.
Now, this is going to disappoint a lot of people, but better say it now before their hopes grow too much: No, Naruto isn't going to meet Minato and Kushina. The reason for this is that Naruto will be the focus of another plot (you can see what is going to be about) and because I wanted to focus more on Jiraiya's interactions with Minato and Kushina. Naruto did get to meet his parents in canon (in case of Minato, more than once), while Jiraiya never get to meet them again.
However, this doesn't mean that Naruto will never get to meet his parents. I just prefer to leave such event for the future. Remember that he still has their chakra sealed within him alongside the Kyubi ;)
Once again, thanks to gio08 for betareading this chapter.
Guess that's all. I hope you're enjoying how the current arc is developing, and while you wait for the next chapter, don't forget to review! Reviews makes me really, really, really happy!