Black Zetsu's underground movement speed was top-tier, but the distance from the Uchiha clan grounds to the northern district was quite considerable.
Only he could manage this, normally, Earth Release techniques were extremely slow and suited only for small-scale stealth operations and ambushes.
Finally, he sensed intense chakra fluctuations.
"This should be it."
He stopped advancing and floated upward, merging into the root system of a tree and then burrowing into the trunk. On the surface, an eye opened on the tree, taking in the situation below.
At a glance, he spotted the figure.
"As expected, Orochimaru managed to bring this guy back..."
On the battlefield, severed limbs and shredded corpses littered the ground. Most disturbing were the desiccated husks, bodies completely drained, leaving only dried skin clinging to bone like empty shells. Around these hollowed remains, dark crimson pools had formed, filled with the extracted viscera, lungs, intestines, and hearts suspended in jellied blood that seemed to pulse with a life of its own.
Standing at the center of this hellish scene was Muzo. Among the surviving Kumo ninjas, only one remained.
"So, you're the successor of that fool?" he looked at Fumiki. "No wonder you managed to evade my attack."
Fumiki was in a terrible state. His left arm was gone.
Orochimaru stood nearby, his jutsu had already been completed. However, he discreetly prepared a kunai inscribed with a sealing tag, just in case.
In Konoha, Muzo was known as the "Demon of the Forest," though this title had only truly taken hold during the era of the Ninja Village system.
Before that, in the Warring States period, he was more commonly called the "Hollow."
That name reflected both his personality and his fighting style. And just moments ago, he had demonstrated it for Orochimaru.
"Are you looking at this?" Muzo casually waved the severed empty shell of an arm in his hand toward Fumiki. "Nothing surprising about it, is there? I'm a Senju, after all, having some strength is perfectly normal. Besides, isn't it only natural that a chunin like you would die at my hands?"
Fumiki's body stiffened at those words.
Hiruzen's mouth twitched.
Orochimaru was momentarily stunned.
Fumiki was, without a doubt, a jonin.
"You… called me a chunin?" Fumiki had already cauterized his wound using Lightning Release. "I… am a jonin of Kumo! Don't underestimate me!"
"Oh? A little tough guy, huh?" Muzo tossed the an arm aside and clapped his hands. "Don't think you can lie to me just because I'm from an earlier era. If you're a jonin, then wouldn't that make me Kage-level?"
"You are Kage-level!"
"Hm? Oh, I see." Muzo blinked, then suddenly understood. "I suppose that makes sense, your era no longer has masters like Hashirama or Madara. No wonder you think of yourself as a jonin."
He wagged his finger.
"Sorry, but people like me and Hiruzen's dad are what you'd call jonin. As for the First Raikage, he just barely qualifies as Kage-level. But you? You're a chunin at best. In times of peace, we should be honest about our rankings, you can't just downgrade standards to get a bigger paycheck. Then again, I guess I can't blame you. You even copied our ranking system, but of course, you didn't get it quite right. In Konoha, we're much stricter. Hashirama and Madara were both ridiculously powerful, but even they were stuck at the Kage-level rank due to title limitations."
Hiruzen opened his mouth as if to speak but remained silent. Orochimaru, on the other hand, turned to glance at his former teacher, as though he had something to say.
"Forget it. If you say you're a jonin, then sure. Not like it matters, you're about to die anyway."
At that moment, a surge of lightning burst forth right in front of him.
It was Fumiki, on the brink of death, he had broken through his own limits.
Three-Finger Nukite!
A signature technique representing the Third Raikage's unparalleled offensive power, this thrust was now aimed at Muzo's chest.
But just as it was about to pierce him, it stopped.
"You almost scared me."
Muzo withdrew his hand from behind Fumiki. "You Kumo guys are always so flashy with your lightning. The moment I saw it moving on your body, I knew you were about to attack."
Fumiki struggled to turn his head. He glanced at the Muzo in front of him, then back at another Muzo standing behind him.
The one in front slowly faded, then disappeared.
"A… clone…?"
"More or less, but it's useless for anything except deceiving an opponent's vision. I tend to leave behind bits of my chakra here and there, so I figured, why waste them?" Muzo explained. "Since you didn't try to run, I'll let you in on that little secret."
"Heh… Hollow…"
Fumiki smiled.
A gaping hole had been punched through his chest, his heart crushed beyond repair. The next moment, he collapsed, dead, leaving only a husk of a body and staining the ground red.
"Kumo kids sure are interesting," Muzo mused, looking down at the fallen Fumiki. Then, shaking his head, he added, "But they're even more interesting when they're dead."
Finally, he turned his attention to Orochimaru. Then, he looked at Hiruzen.
"Muzo-sensei, have you been controlled?" Hiruzen asked.
After his initial surge of excitement, he had already regained his composure and made his decision.
"This guy is using my technique, control isn't an issue. Everything I do comes from my own free will," Muzo replied. "This jutsu is pretty inhumane, you know. I didn't even teach it to Danzō. Speaking of which, where's he? Still acting the same as always?"
"Danzō is no longer with us."
"Hm? Then… are we in the Fourth Great Ninja War already?"
"Why do you say that?" Hiruzen asked, narrowing his eyes.
He immediately sensed something was off from Muzo's words. It was as if, in his mind, Danzō's death would inevitably trigger the Fourth Great Ninja War. He was absolutely convinced of this.
Muzo did not answer but suddenly said, "Run."
"?"
"This jutsu manipulates emotions. It grants its targets free will, but it also makes them want to kill the very people they once sought to protect. If it weren't for the Kumo ninjas here just now easing my aggression, I would have already attacked you."
Hiruzen's expression changed drastically.
"And right now, I feel like killing any Konoha ninjas I see. So, while I can still hold back, go get some reinforcements. Bring the sealing team here."
"That won't do." Orochimaru suddenly spoke up.
Muzo turned to look at him.
"This heartfelt reunion between teacher and student, don't you think it's a little unfair to leave so soon?"
"It's fine. I've already acknowledged you as a Konoha ninja. Once I've built up enough momentum, I'll deal with you."
"In that case, I'll have no choice but to use a sealing talisman to control you." Orochimaru shook the talisman in his hand. "You wouldn't want that, would you?"
"Oh? You've come well-prepared." Muzo nodded before looking back at Hiruzen. "Guess there's no other way, Hiruzen. Don't be too slow to react. Even though time has been particularly cruel to you, I still hope you can live to a ripe old age."
"..."
You're about to kill me, and this is how you choose to say it!? Couldn't you make it sound a little more touching!?
Orochimaru smiled slightly and stepped back. One of his hands remained forming seals.
The records of the past were ultimately not detailed enough, Muzo was far beyond the jonin level the texts had described!
Controlling someone of this caliber carried considerable risks, and the materials provided by Hizō had ensured that the Edo Tensei's precision was exceptionally high.
Muzo took a step toward Hiruzen, who suddenly heard a faint slicing sound in the air. Without hesitation, he swung his staff to the left!
Boom!
His Adamantine Staff was firmly caught by a hand!
"Enma!" Hiruzen barely had time to shout before a piercing strike suddenly shot from the side, stabbing into Enma's arm just as he extended it from his staff form.
Blood splattered.
Enma, despite his near-invincible body, had a deep gash torn into his arm.
Taking advantage of the moment, Hiruzen pulled back, gaining some distance while forming hand seals.
With a gurgling sound, the ground beneath them turned into a swamp, dragging down even the surrounding buildings.
However, Muzo walked across the mire as if it were solid ground. He was clearly using some kind of secret technique.
Suddenly, the Adamantine Staff in his hands exploded with a bang, reverting to Enma's true form. With a furious roar, Enma launched a powerful punch at Muzo.
For the first time, Muzo made a move to evade. But before Enma could feel any sense of satisfaction, a foot smashed into his face, sending him flying like a cannonball.
The figure of Muzo that had just dodged dissolved like an illusion.
His real body now stood atop a building, forming a hand seal that even Enma recognized.
A high-pressure water jet swept through the street, slicing through buildings, the ground, and even the swamp itself, which drained into the newly formed crevices.
Muzo then lifted his foot and kicked the rooftop in front of him. With a tremendous crash, an entire section of the roof was sent flying, straight toward Hiruzen and Enma.
A massive shadow loomed over them.
"Enma! Jump!" Hiruzen shouted.
Trusting his longtime comrade, Enma immediately leaped alongside Hiruzen.
Everything beneath the shadow was swallowed up, far faster than the creeping advance of the swamp.
Boom!
The rooftop chunk finally crashed to the ground. The shadow disappeared, but a massive trench had been gouged into the already devastated street.
"Is this some kind of Nara clan secret technique?" Enma asked.
"No, it's a different clan's secret art from the Warring States period. He must have learned it."
"Such a hassle." Enma couldn't help but complain. "If I recall correctly, he knows a lot of secret techniques, doesn't he?"
Though he wasn't human, he still understood one thing, fundamental ninjutsu was the foundation of a ninja's strength, but strange and elusive secret techniques could be invaluable in certain situations.
Hiruzen was called the "Professor" precisely because he had mastered nearly every jutsu in Konoha.
"Wait… where did he go?" Enma suddenly noticed that Muzo had disappeared from the rooftop.
The area affected by the Water Severing Wave was now a chaotic mess of collapsed buildings. As the sun shifted, new shadows stretched across the street.
Hiruzen also noticed this.
That technique… He swiftly formed hand seals. However, just before he completed the final seal, his entire body froze.
Enma, too, was paralyzed.
"Hiruzen, you've gotten way too slow."
Muzo rose from the shadows, another shadow rippling beneath him. It stretched and solidified into a blade, aimed directly at Hiruzen.
"Let's hope this is just a shadow clone of yours. You always liked using those."
The shadow blade lunged forward, piercing straight through Hiruzen's body.