A horrific, searing hiss echoed through the air, and a tormented expression flashed across the Second Hokage's face.
Orochimaru was completely shocked by this sudden, self-sacrificial action. He had given no such command.
But he quickly realized the terrifying truth.
The talisman used to bind and control the will of the dead was rapidly disintegrating under the power of the radiant Holy Light.
"Tsuna... de."
A low, familiar voice emerged from beneath the cross.
Tsunade froze instantly.
The First Hokage had already ceased struggling. His eyes were no longer the lifeless, dull vessels of the Edo Tensei; they held a look of profound pity and helpless affection, the true consciousness restored.
"As your grandfather, I sincerely apologize for the trouble we are causing you."
"Grandfather..."
Tsunade stared blankly at Hashirama. Decades of accumulated pain and suffering—the deaths of her loved ones, the decline of the great Senju clan until only she remained—seemed to break through her emotional dam. Tears began to stream uncontrollably down her cheeks.
"He has truly regained consciousness," Orochimaru whispered, retreating several more steps, his face now a mask of cold terror.
The very reason he controlled their minds was his fear of the two legendary Hokage's unparalleled strength and unpredictable methods.
"Tsunade, do not let that wretched man escape!"
The voice of the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, was sharp and urgent. He still clung desperately to Tsunade's cross, his reanimated body burning and disintegrating from the Holy Light, yet his gaze was locked on Orochimaru with suffocating killing intent.
Orochimaru was visibly staggered by this terrifying aura.
"The Impure World Reincarnation is an extremely perilous Ninjutsu that I regrettably created," Tobirama declared, his eyes never leaving Orochimaru. He spoke directly to Tsunade. "After realizing its dangers, I ceased development and sealed it as a forbidden technique. If allowed to be perfected, its destructive potential would be unmatched."
Tobirama mentally cursed Hiruzen Sarutobi for his carelessness in allowing the Jutsu to fall into enemy hands and be weaponized against his own successor.
"Don't speak so harshly, Second Hokage," Orochimaru chuckled nervously, trying to perform the seals needed to regain control. "I hold you in the highest esteem. I simply desire to inherit and advance all of your Ninjutsu!"
"Hmph, do not waste your Chakra," Tobirama snorted, instantly recognizing Orochimaru's desperate attempts.
"I have never heard of Tsunade's power, and it is devastating to the Impure World Reincarnation. Our consciousness returning is the clearest proof. Do you truly believe you can still control me? Tsunade, forget about us. The collapse of the Edo Tensei body is irreversible. Go and eliminate him!"
As he finished speaking, the lower half of his body began to rapidly disintegrate, the area where he gripped the cross turning pitch black.
The Holy Light had directly destroyed the intricate formula used to bind the soul and repair the reanimated body. The complete collapse of the technique was imminent.
Tsunade wiped her eyes once, then snapped them open.
"Orochimaru!"
Her voice boomed with terrifying, focused fury. The sentimentality was gone; only the righteous rage of a warrior remained.
Are you prepared to die?
Orochimaru forced an ugly smile, but his desperate counter-seal was met by a magnificent cross, blazing with Holy Light, appearing right before his face.
The impact was partially deflected, but Orochimaru's screams were agonizing. A massive section of his forearm was instantly incinerated and severed by the touch of the divine energy.
Completely stripped of his will to fight and paralyzed by fear, Orochimaru was no match for the enraged Tsunade.
"How exactly did you cultivate this power, Tsunade!?"
Unable to bear the searing pain of his severed limb, Orochimaru formed a single-handed seal and shouted, his face contorted in frustrated anger. Victory should have been his. Instead, he had been inexplicably defeated.
Even Tobirama Senju, the creator of dozens of Ninjutsu, admitted he had never encountered this white-light energy before.
Orochimaru had paid a monumental price for power, neglecting all else, only to be crushed by a "corrupt gambler."
"That man used a cloning technique; his true body is currently hidden underground," Tobirama Senju, still sitting beside Hashirama, interjected with vital tactical intelligence.
"Indeed," Hashirama Senju nodded weakly. "And he is fleeing toward the east."
The disintegration of their bodies was slow in the absence of continued Holy Light exposure, but the end was certain.
Orochimaru's expression darkened further; his own summoned helpers were now actively betraying him.
"I will never let you leave!" Tsunade swung the cross, slamming it into the ground toward the east with catastrophic force.
A deafening tremor and roar ripped through the earth. Massive tracts of land were overturned.
Orochimaru shrieked as he was violently flung out of his underground hiding place.
"That is quite the degree of force," Tobirama Senju remarked, clearly impressed.
"Hahaha, it is not easy to earn praise from you, little brother," Hashirama Senju chuckled proudly. "She is my grandchild, after all."
"But that weapon, and that white-light energy..." Tobirama Senju murmured, wariness returning to his eyes. "I have never witnessed such formidable energy. It feels... strangely familiar, yet utterly unique, as if..."
"It is like the Sun," Hashirama Senju finished, looking up at the bright sky.
It was warm, life-giving, and chased away all shadows.
His initial anxiety for Konoha had vanished. The younger generation, embodied by Tsunade, had surpassed them.
The moment of their passing was approaching.
"Why have they not finished him yet?" Tobirama Senju asked, a hint of impatience in his voice.
Orochimaru, though tragically beaten, was relentlessly fleeing. He was a pathetic sight, constantly staggering further away, until he vanished from sight, leaving only the sound of distant earth tremors.
"Tobirama," Hashirama Senju reached out a half-disintegrated hand and patted his brother's shoulder reassuringly. "Our time is done. There is no need for worry. We have done well to cause chaos for our grandson and Konoha's young ones, just like the old days."
"Brother..."
Tobirama Senju turned his head, a helpless resignation in his eyes. His brother was, to the very end, eternally carefree.