Orochimaru couldn't understand what was happening in front of him.
But one thing was clear—
The First and Second Hokage had broken free of his control.
This had to be undone immediately.
Otherwise, they wouldn't help him at all—in fact, they would join Souma and surround him.
Enduring the chaos in his mind, Orochimaru forcefully gathered his mental energy, extracted chakra, and completed a hand seal in an instant—
Edo Tensei: Release!
However—
Senju Hashirama glanced at the ground beneath his feet and calmly formed a seal.
"This jutsu is extremely dangerous. That's why I once ordered Tobirama to seal it away," Hashirama said with a sigh.
"I never expected someone would dig it back up."
His hands came together, and Sage Mode markings appeared on his face.
As for Senju Tobirama—
If anyone in the world understood Edo Tensei best, it was its creator.
He might not fully grasp all of Orochimaru's modifications, but he knew very well what fail-safes he had prepared.
In his spirit-transformed state, Tobirama controlled part of his soul to form seals—
The same seals designed specifically to counter Edo Tensei.
Run!
That was the only thought left in Orochimaru's mind.
He knew Edo Tensei had flaws, which was why he had prepared binding talismans and layered restraints—but he had never imagined Yagyū Souma would appear.
Souma clearly hadn't studied Edo Tensei, yet he dismantled it with terrifying efficiency.
And worse—
Souma's mental attacks far exceeded his expectations.
The First and Second Hokage breaking free was completely outside his plans.
If he didn't flee now, he'd soon be beaten senseless by the Third Hokage and company.
At the very least, he still had one chance to escape.
Summoning Jutsu!
"Orochimaru! My injuries aren't even healed, and you dare summon me again? You'd better offer enough sacrifices this time, or—"
"I'll agree to any price!"
Orochimaru cut in without hesitation.
At this point, who cared about sacrifices? His life was on the line.
With that distraction in place, he immediately used Earth Replacement and Earth Release, escaping underground without a second thought.
Manda raised his head—
And then froze.
He saw a familiar yet unfamiliar figure.
He had never met this man, but a stone statue of him stood in the Valley of the End, opposite Uchiha Madara.
Senju Hashirama.
Manda's breath hitched.
Then he noticed another collapsed body nearby—twisted, clearly Orochimaru's handiwork.
But the soul was gone, chasing someone else.
Still, the identity was unmistakable.
The Hokage Monument behind Konoha bore his face.
The Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama.
"So our successors produced someone like this?" Hashirama said curiously, studying Manda.
"Is this a Ryūchi Cave summoning beast?"
"Yes," Souma replied from the side.
"First Hokage-sama, this is Orochimaru's summon. You may not know Orochimaru, but that's unimportant—this creature is extremely dangerous. I recommend sealing it."
Summoning beasts could dismiss themselves freely.
Which made Wood Release all the more important.
Hashirama nodded.
Manda's heart pounded. Fear surged through him.
Run!
If he stayed, he would die.
He immediately tried to dispel the summoning and return to Ryūchi Cave—
But the next instant, Sage chakra surged from Hashirama.
He formed a seal.
In the blink of an eye, massive trees descended from above.
Manda's chakra was completely restrained.
Torii gates slammed down, pinning him immobile.
"Orochimaru! You bastard, you've screwed me again!"
Manda roared in despair.
First the Five-Style Combo, now Senju Hashirama?
What did he do to deserve fighting the God of Shinobi—after death, no less?
The most infuriating part?
Both of these monsters had been summoned by Orochimaru himself.
He'd played too far and blown everything up.
Manda wanted nothing more than to kill Orochimaru on the spot.
But this was Sage Art: Deity Gates.
If it could restrain tailed beasts, then a mere summoning beast stood no chance.
"Even in this weakened state, restraining you is more than enough," Hashirama said sternly.
"Creatures from Ryūchi Cave… always demanding sacrifices, always devouring people. Dangerous, every last one."
Manda lay flattened against the ground, utterly humiliated.
Still, he begged desperately.
"Hashirama-sama, please! I swear—I won't do it again!"
"If apologies and promises worked," Souma said coldly,
"then rules and laws wouldn't exist."
"You damn brat—I— I really won't!"
Manda nearly blurted out "I'll eat you," but swallowed the words under Hashirama's calm gaze.
Hashirama nodded in agreement.
"It really is dangerous. You seem skilled in sealing and Sage techniques—shall I leave it to you?"
"Yes."
Souma inclined his head.
He was already busy raising insects.
Manda arriving on his doorstep made a perfect food source.
A pity, really—
If he knew Izanami, he could've had Manda endlessly generating Sage chakra.
And with Danzō's arm, he could probably "persuade" ten people to repent.
Maybe he could even derive a bargain-bin version of Izanami through repeated experiments.
For now—
"Please maintain the Deity Gates a bit longer."
"Mm. I can hold them for about an hour," Hashirama said.
"I'll go deal with the others. What a mess they've made of Konoha."
He left toward the Third Hokage's battlefield.
Jiraiya, Fukasaku, and Shima stood frozen.
"…What just happened?" Jiraiya muttered.
At first, Orochimaru's Edo Tensei had seemed utterly unstoppable.
Even Jiraiya had prepared himself to die.
And then—
A teenage boy arrived and flipped the entire battlefield.
And he did it effortlessly.
"This was way too easy…" Jiraiya muttered.
"What was I even ready to die for?"
"Edo Tensei is powerful," Souma said casually,
"but summoning the First and Second Hokage was a fatal mistake. No one understands Edo Tensei better than its creators."
If Orochimaru had summoned fallen jōnin instead, Souma could only have freed them—after which Orochimaru would simply release the jutsu.
But summoning those two?
That was pure arrogance.
Jiraiya paused.
"…Have you researched Edo Tensei too?"
"No," Souma replied.
"I've only read fragments. But no jutsu is perfect—especially forbidden ones."
He expanded his senses.
The Third Hokage was fine.
With the God of Shinobi assisting, even all four Kazekage together wouldn't be a threat—let alone just one.
Even in Edo form.
As for Manda—
An hour was plenty.
Orochimaru?
Souma checked again.
Tobirama's spirit-transformed body was already in pursuit.
At soul-flight speed, Orochimaru had no chance.
"Jiraiya-sama, I'll go deal with the tailed beast. What about you?"
Jiraiya glanced at Gamabunta, still battling Shukaku, and fell silent.
…You're handling the tailed beast?
Kids these days really don't know the meaning of humility.
But—
Didn't the First Hokage say this kid also used Sage Mode?
Jiraiya hesitated. Fukasaku nudged him.
Both toads pointed in Orochimaru's escape direction.
"Ah—right! I still need to chase Orochimaru!"
Jiraiya finally remembered.
That was why he'd returned to the village in the first place.
This so-called "Konoha Crush" had crossed his bottom line.
He couldn't tolerate it.
"Tobirama-sama is already pursuing him with Spirit Transformation," Souma said.
"As you wish, I'll calm the One-Tail first."
"Spirit Transformation…?"
Jiraiya froze.
If even the Second Hokage couldn't catch Orochimaru with that technique, then following would be pointless.
And Konoha still had many battles raging.
"…Handle the others first."
"Understood."
Souma vanished toward Gamabunta and Shukaku.
Jiraiya watched his back, frowning slightly.
"Boss, Granny—he uses Sage Mode too, right? Can you tell what lineage it's from?"
"Hard to say," Fukasaku shook his head.
"Sage Mode isn't exclusive to Mount Myōboku. In ancient times, many sects used natural energy. Chakra users were the minority."
"The Sage of Six Paths era…?"
"Yes. Later, natural energy became scarcer—and its learning curve far steeper."
"So his Sage Mode might come from a lineage outside the Three Great Sage Lands?"
Jiraiya knocked down a Sand ninja mid-conversation.
Shima thought for a moment.
"If it's within the Land of Fire, the most likely source would be Fire Temple. But their Sage transmission has long been lost."
"Then someone recreated it from Fire Temple techniques…"
Fukasaku sighed.
Jiraiya finished off another enemy.
Everything clicked.
If the legacy came from Fire Temple—
And Souma wasn't from Fire Temple—
Then there was only one explanation.
Souma was the creator of that Sage Mode himself.
No wonder he'd mastered it completely.
Without him, Fire Temple wouldn't have had a chance.
Jiraiya grew increasingly curious about the boy.
He turned toward the One-Tail battlefield.
Souma had already concealed his presence, hiding beneath the terrain.
He summoned the Insect King and several kikaichū, carefully arranging sealing talismans.
Shukaku didn't notice him.
But from above, Jiraiya quickly spotted Souma's position.
That angle—
Planning a sneak attack?
How cautious.
Jiraiya twitched.
This kid was absurdly strong, yet he still let Gamabunta hold the front while setting traps in the shadows.
"He's just like Orochimaru," Fukasaku muttered.
Jiraiya nodded.
Orochimaru always laid traps before striking.
Both were terrifying researchers.
Jiraiya felt a twinge of unease.
Then he realized—
Souma wasn't just like Orochimaru.
He was worse.
Souma wasn't preparing an ambush—
He was stealing Shukaku's chakra.
"ROAR! It's you again! Bugs! Come out and fight me!"
Shukaku howled in fury.
He'd been tricked by this sealing technique once before in the desert.
Now again?!
Gamabunta roared as well.
"Who set this trap?! At least let me move!"
He was sealed too.
"Easy there, senpai," Souma replied calmly.
"Cooperate a bit. I've got some personal business. With your help, this will be over quickly."
"…Hurry it up."
Gamabunta resisted the urge to punch him.
Souma finally flashed into view, placing a hand on Shukaku.
Chakra Absorption Technique!
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