Jiraiya returned just in time.
Seeing Konoha under invasion, he couldn't help but feel a surge of relief. After finding no trace of Orochimaru in the Land of Rivers, he had immediately chosen to return.
The Fourth Kazekage of the Sand Village, Rasa, had misled Konoha's leadership by claiming Orochimaru was active there. This had tricked Konoha into sending many of its powerful ninja away, leaving the village's defenses thin.
Who would have thought that the Sand Village would ally with Orochimaru to attack Konoha?
Clearly, Rasa had no idea what kind of person Orochimaru was. That man had never valued the lives of his allies; to the cold-blooded Sannin, allies were just disposable tools.
Orochimaru pressed his fingertips together and manipulated the reanimated Hiruzen Sarutobi and Tobirama Senju to block Jiraiya's path. He let out a chuckle. "Jiraiya, you're too late..."
"It's not too late as long as I kill you here!"
Jiraiya flew down and landed next to Naruto Uzumaki. He reached out to pull his student behind him, but his expression suddenly changed. "Orochimaru, you actually turned the old man's body into a puppet?"
"Not just him, Jiraiya!" Orochimaru gave him a playful look and shook his head with a light laugh. "If I hadn't been unable to find the Fourth Hokage's soul, all the past Hokage would have been revived in my hands, becoming my force to flatten Konoha..."
Even without the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, Orochimaru already controlled three Hokage—enough to terrify the ninjas of Konoha.
Orochimaru turned to look at Naruto, his face gradually darkening. "The only thing I didn't expect was that the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki could already use the Nine-Tails' power, making it difficult for even three Hokage to win..."
Orochimaru had estimated Naruto's strength long ago. He was not as careless as Danzo Shimura, who had ambushed Naruto without taking the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki seriously. It was precisely to counter Naruto's unexpected strength that Orochimaru had sacrificed the Sound Five and even planned to secure Hiruzen Sarutobi's reanimated body.
Unfortunately, even with all his planning, he had still underestimated Naruto's power.
But that didn't matter. His main goal had been achieved. The Third Hokage had died in the Konoha Crush. By now, Kabuto and Dosu should have already captured Sasuke, right?
Naruto gestured with his hand to tighten the vines holding Hashirama Senju, preventing him from escaping. He just looked at Orochimaru with a sneer. "Ha... isn't that just because you're too weak?"
"..."
Those words were infuriating. Even Jiraiya, standing next to him, had to force himself not to smile in such a serious situation.
"Hmph, Naruto Uzumaki, you've only won for a moment." Orochimaru placed a hand on Tobirama Senju's shoulder and faced Naruto with an unreadable smile. "Next time we meet, I believe you will be surprised..."
It was time to leave. His current body couldn't fight freely. When he returned to the Sound Village, he would find a way to use Sasuke's body as his new vessel. That would surely give Naruto a big surprise.
As Orochimaru gave the command, the Fourth Kazekage and Kushina Uzumaki, who were still fighting below, leaped onto the roof and stood by his side.
Kakashi Hatake and Might Guy naturally pursued them closely.
Green steam swirled around Guy's body, his expression uneasy. "Kakashi, what are these enemies? Why can't we kill them..."
"It must be some kind of forbidden jutsu Orochimaru used," Kakashi explained. "Every time we hit their vitals, their bodies just stop for a moment and then automatically recover..."
Kakashi had already figured out the reanimated bodies' weakness: they would temporarily stop moving after a fatal injury. Unfortunately, he couldn't break through Kushina Uzumaki's defense. He could only keep her occupied, unable to let her run rampant.
During the few openings he'd found, Kakashi had worked with the sealing team to try and seal Kushina's body. But under the assault of her Adamantine Sealing Chains, it was the sealing team members who had their chakra sealed instead.
Even as a mindless puppet, Kushina could still use most of her sealing abilities. Using sealing jutsu on an Uzumaki was like trying to use the Sharingan on an Uchiha.
"Wood Style: Tree Binding!"
Just as Kushina was about to land next to Orochimaru, several vines shot out from the roof, trying to pull her and Rasa back down. They were Naruto's Wood Style ninjutsu.
Orochimaru's eyes lit up. He gave Naruto an interested look before controlling Tobirama Senju to fly forward. The Second Hokage drew his sword and swiftly cut through the vines. Besides her own power, Kushina's identity was also incredibly valuable.
Naruto gritted his teeth. A giant chakra hand emerged from his body, reaching for Kushina. That was his mother! He couldn't be bothered with Rasa anymore.
Standing next to Orochimaru, Hiruzen Sarutobi formed hand seals. Fire chakra gathered in his mouth, and he suddenly spat it out. "Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"
A ball of fierce flames erupted, pushing back the giant chakra hand.
Jiraiya's expression turned grim. He had never thought he would see the day the Third Hokage became their opponent. But he had no time to dwell on it. He brought his hands together. "Ninja Art: Wild Lion's Mane!"
His long white hair instantly extended, rushing towards Kushina and Rasa. Just as it was about to capture them, the Kazekage quickly manipulated his gold dust to form a shield, blocking Jiraiya's hair.
"Konoha Strong Whirlwind!"
Might Guy, having opened the Sixth Gate, suddenly appeared beside the Kazekage, sending him flying with a powerful kick.
However, Guy himself was sent flying by a lash from Kushina's Adamantine Sealing Chains.
The exchange between the Konoha ninjas and the reanimated was relentless. As soon as one attack was blocked, another would follow. Naruto hastily formed another giant chakra hand, catching the falling Might Guy and placing him safely on the roof.
At the same time, Kakashi landed on the rooftop, rejoining them.
Opposite them, Orochimaru and his reanimated forces had gathered. Besides Hashirama, who was still restrained by Naruto, Hiruzen, Tobirama, Rasa, and Kushina were all under Orochimaru's control.
"Well then, until we meet again!" Orochimaru smiled proudly. Guarded by his puppets, he soared into the air and made a break for the village outskirts.
"Stop them!"
Naruto was watching Orochimaru's every move. Seeing him about to escape with the reanimated bodies, he raised his hand. "Wood Style: Cutting Technique!"
A dense shower of tiny wood splinters rained down on Orochimaru and his army. The Fourth Kazekage turned back and manipulated his gold dust into a shield wall, blocking all of them.
Naruto's face grew frantic with frustration. Staring in the direction of Orochimaru's escape, his eyes fixed on the red-haired woman, he shouted in a deep voice, "Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence!"
Countless trees grew rapidly from the rooftops, turning the area into a sea of trees that continued to spread outwards. Vines shot out from the forest, chasing after Orochimaru's group. Finally, they latched onto Kushina Uzumaki's calf.
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Bonus:
Hashirama Senju: There's something wrong with your Wood Release…
Naruto Uzumaki: What's wrong with it?
Hashirama Senju: It feels kind of… defective.
Naruto Uzumaki: Our chakra levels are almost the same now—how could it be defective?
Nine-Tails: It is defective… The Wood Release I told you about came from a guy named Yamato…