Seeing the memory fragment uploaded by the Group Owner, Naruto immediately clicked on it.
Whoosh...
The scene showed a desolate Konoha, on the roof of the Hokage building, three figures stood tall.
Shodaime Hokage, Nidaime Hokage, Sandaime Hokage!
These three Shinobi who inherited the Will of Fire were now standing on opposite sides, confronting each other.
"Sandaime... was actually this powerful?"
Naruto narrowed his eyes, watching Sandaime's god-of-war-like performance in the memory fragment, and took a sharp breath.
In his impression, Sandaime might be a cold politician, a strategic mastermind, or... a grandfather feigning kindness.
But no matter what, he couldn't possibly be a super Shinobi on par with the Shodaime and Nidaime.
Although he had heard many rumors about Sandaime, Naruto still found it hard to believe that a man on the verge of death could erupt with such power.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
Whoosh!
On the roof, the Nidaime Hokage, his pupils black, clearly in a puppet-like state, quickly formed hand seals and shot out a massive Water Release shockwave comparable to a giant serpent.
From Naruto's perspective, if this shockwave hit, even an Elite Jonin would be instantly crushed to dust.
Yet Sandaime Hokage appeared completely at ease.
Not only did he easily dodge the Water Dragon Bullet, but he also continued to skillfully engage the two legendary Shinobi.
"Wait! This power level is nothing like the legends describe!"
Naruto watched the Water Dragon Bullet in the memory fragment, his brow deeply furrowed.
Although he was playful as a child and hadn't mastered much of the knowledge recorded in books, he still knew a bit about such famous figures as the Shodaime and Nidaime.
The Nidaime Hokage, Senju Tobirama, was known as the King of Forbidden Techniques, having developed many techniques forbidden to ordinary Shinobi, which was testament to his immense strength.
If he didn't possess Chakra as vast as the ocean and control over technique as exquisite and precise as a master craftsman, how could he bear the title of Forbidden Techniques Shinobi?
A single Water Dragon Bullet from his hands should absolutely not be this weak.
At the very least, it should be like a true dragon soaring, capable of piercing through most of the Hokage Tower with one strike.
'So this is what the Group Owner meant by 'not the complete' Shodaime and Nidaime?'
Naruto's gaze was sharp as he silently analyzed.
After his darkening, he no longer acted impulsively or recklessly, and he contemplated everything thrice before acting.
Observing the duel between Sandaime and the two legendary Shinobi, Naruto noticed several inconsistencies.
First, the Shodaime and Nidaime, reincarnated through Impure World Reincarnation, moved very mechanically and stiffly. Often, they had opportunities to counterattack Sandaime but failed due to the rigidity of their commands.
Second, the 'power' of the two Hokage's techniques had decreased significantly. The Nidaime was weakened to about 30% of his original power, while the Shodaime didn't even exhibit one-tenth of his.
After all, in Konoha's legends, Shodaime Hokage possessed the power to destroy a village in an instant.
Finally, the memory fragment ended with Sandaime sacrificing himself to seal Orochimaru's arms.
After watching it, Naruto couldn't help but sigh softly.
After the Yondaime, Konoha's talent had withered. Apart from a few pillars like Kakashi and Guy, almost no one could shoulder great responsibilities.
That ambitious schemer Danzo, even during the catastrophic invasion by Orochimaru, still bided his time, watching Sandaime die before his eyes.
Facing such internal and external troubles, Sandaime still managed to maintain Konoha with great difficulty.
Although their positions were different, Naruto had to admit Sandaime had 'worked tirelessly'.
Back in the group chat.
[The Dead-Last Jinchuriki: @Dark Group Owner, Group Owner Mister, judging from the memory fragment, the reincarnated Shodaime and Nidaime have significantly reduced strength, lack autonomous will, and their movements are very stiff. Is that right?]
[Dark Group Owner: Correct. However, even the downgraded Shodaime and Nidaime still possess strength at the ordinary Kage-level. With your current strength, you two still shouldn't think about confronting them head-on.]
[Second Pillar Thinks He Can Do It: Hah, I thought Orochimaru had obtained such a terrifying weapon. So that's what it is. In that case, I need to inform the Akatsuki. The addition of two Kage-level combatants will also have a significant impact on the battle situation.]
In Amegakure, Sasuke had just finished watching the memory fragment and murmured to himself.
Within the Akatsuki, although it was claimed everyone had Kage-level combat power, excluding certain special combatants, the number of people who could directly confront the two Hokage wasn't high.
Originally, in this three-way melee, Akatsuki, as an external force, was in the most dangerous position.
Adding two Hokage-level combatants could likely lead to extremely serious consequences.
To balance the power, Sasuke had to find a way to relay this intelligence to Nagato.
"..."
'Fortunately, we have Danzo, the universal scapegoat. Otherwise, preparing an explanation wouldn't be easy.'
Sasuke sighed in relief and quickly walked towards Nagato's location.
…
At this moment, inside the Land of Rice Fields.
Guy, his body wrapped in a green whirlwind like the enduring maple leaves of Konoha, sped towards the direction of Orochimaru's hideout indicated by Tsume.
With his Taijutsu prowess, briefly opening the second gate had little impact on his combat power.
"Orochimaru! In the name of Might Guy, I will absolutely not let you harm Konoha!!"
Guy's eyes were bloodshot as he stomped, breaking a large tree.
Konoha's Blue Beast was never an easy-going, nice guy.
Anyone trying to capture Kyubi and harm Konoha would have to step over his corpse first.
"This is the place!"
Approximately three minutes later, Guy's hawk-like eyes pierced through layers of trees and jungle, landing on a stone gate thousands of meters away.
Tsume's olfactory abilities were hundreds, even thousands of times stronger than an ordinary dog's. The location where she detected Orochimaru's scent couldn't be wrong.
Body Flicker Technique.
Swish!
Guy's feet moved, his terrifying Taijutsu instantly unleashing immense explosive force. The ground caved in with spider-web-like cracks, demonstrating the power of Guy's move.
The Body Flicker Technique could cover dozens, even over a hundred meters in an instant.
At this moment…
Guy couldn't wait a second longer. He wanted to charge into the hideout and kill that traitor.
Body Flicker! Body Flicker! Body Flicker!
One Body Flicker after another created a dazzling green whirlwind within the jungle.
Until…
The reflection in Guy's red eyes showed that... no, those figures.
"The Nidaime… Hokage?!"