"What is this?"
The scene before her eyes surpassed Ayane's understanding.
She had witnessed many jutsu before, but Orochimaru's "Summoning Jutsu" here was fundamentally different from ordinary ones.
Because what Orochimaru summoned was not a living being, but a "dead person."
Upon seeing the two figures emerging from the coffins, their faces were undoubtedly familiar household names to Ayane, who was once a Konoha ninja.
But in Ayane's knowledge, these two had passed away long ago.
In present times, only their fleeting legends remained.
The two who stepped out of the coffins, their bodies and skin exposed to the sunlight, bore cracks that resembled broken ceramics. They slowly opened their eyes, with slight movements of their bodies, placing their hands on their necks as if it felt stiff there.
Soon after, their flexibility was no different from that of the living.
The opened eyes showed a strange, dark encroachment, a sign of ominousness.
The man on the left had long black hair, dressed in a black ninja suit with red stacked armor outside, bearing the symbol of an ancient clan on the shoulder armor on his left side. His wrists were protected by red iron bracers.
His gaze was calm, staring blankly at the surroundings, seemingly failing to comprehend what was happening.
Logically, shouldn't he already be dead?
This familiar scent, no doubt, belonged to the world of the living.
The man on the right had silver hair and crimson eyes, with three red markings on his cheeks. Like the man on the left, he wore a black ninja suit, blue stacked armor on the outside, and his shoulders were connected to a fluffy white mantle on his back.
Coldness and wisdom were visible on his face, with sharp eyes piercing one's heart like a cold and ruthless blade.
Unlike the man on the left, he merely glanced down at his palm, realizing what had happened to him.
"Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu... used on me, the creator, huh..."
Long ago, he had sacrificed himself in a battle against Hidden Cloud's twin lights, Kinkaku and Ginkaku.
Those two not only possessed Nine-tailed Chakra, allowing them to transform into miniature Tailed Beasts but were also descendants of the Six Paths Sage, capable of wielding exceptionally powerful Six Paths Divine Artifacts.
For his subordinates to retreat safely, to leave seeds of growth for Konoha, he had chosen to cover the rear without hesitation, killing Ginkaku, but then Kinkaku killed him; what transpired afterward was unknown.
To return to the world of the living now stirred a moment of confusion in his spirit.
He turned his head, seeing no one behind him, then turned back to face Ayane standing not far ahead, whose Byakugan was strikingly prominent in his eyes.
"Byakugan... Hyuga clan, huh... Sorry, young lady, it seems I've caused you trouble..."
He didn't know who Ayane was fighting, but having been summoned, the implications were clear.
The terrain had changed, and before their emergence, this site had undergone a fierce battle.
Numerous trees had collapsed, and the ground was scraped several layers deep; even in his era, there weren't many ninjas with such power.
Ayane remained silent, simply observing the two.
Founders of Konoha Village —
First Hokage Senju Hashirama.
Second Hokage Senju Tobirama.
Once the apex ninjas that shook the Ninja Realm.
Now, emerging as the living dead, Ayane felt a shadow cast over her heart... Orochimaru, truly a troublesome ninja.
Compared to Jiraiya and Tsunade, his focus on forbidden techniques made him the most troublesome among the Sannin.
Ignoring her Gentle Fist, his body was like a piece of indestructible jerky.
Now he uses this forbidden technique to summon the dead to fight... The jutsu touching life and death is not simple from any angle.
"No era can escape battle... Really, Tobirama, I've told you more than once not to delve into these strange forbidden techniques; even in death, it still troubles the village's successors."
The black-haired man beside him, God of Ninja Senju Hashirama, also understood his predicament, recognizing the jutsu summoned on him, begrudging his brother Tobirama.
"I didn't anticipate things turning out like this, and this was also for leaving the village a means to counter threats, as the trio of young Sarutobi at the time was still not enough to intimidate the rest of the Ninja Realm."
If they could effectively utilize this ninja technique and cooperate with the Tandem Paper Bombs he'd left, they could surely deal the enemies a severe strike.
Unlike his heartless brother always wanting to give away the Tailed Beasts freely, he had dedicated himself to the village's development.
"As dead people, we shouldn't trouble the living; our era has passed."
"Brother, shut up!"
Tobirama's face turned frighteningly cold, mercilessly scolding his brother Hashirama.
"Understood..."
Hashirama drooped his head dejectedly; he had angered Tobirama again.
Despite that, he still disagreed with Tobirama's approach; back then, he should have forbidden Tobirama from researching this forbidden technique, apparently carrying out human experiments behind his back.
As Hokage, his orders seemed to be ineffective.
"It's all because of your overly naïve ideas that I've struggled so much. I've said before that gifting other Ninja Villages with Tailed Beasts wouldn't win their gratitude. Shortly after your death, Hidden Cloud used the power of two Tailed Beasts to wage war against Konoha, where I perished."