章 91: Chapter 91: The True Konoha F4! You’re Too Arrogant, Third Hokage—I Am Konoha’s Hope
It wasn't that Yagyu looked down on Orochimaru; it was simply that Orochimaru's weaknesses were too apparent.
With his soul fragmented into two pieces, Orochimaru's mental state was his greatest flaw. Just like how Uchiha Itachi didn't even need to use his Mangekyō Sharingan—defeating Orochimaru with a simple combination of Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes and Binding Technique—Yagyu could similarly defeat Orochimaru with a mere glance of his Sharingan.
Even without exposing his Sharingan, Yagyu's Wood Release chakra absorption was the perfect counter to Orochimaru. Like his teacher, Orochimaru excelled at using the five basic nature transformations and forbidden techniques, but he had no abilities to counter or bypass Wood Release.
If Orochimaru revealed his Eight-Headed Serpent form, things would only get worse. The Wood Release could entangle him just like it would a tailed beast, draining all of his chakra. Without chakra, Orochimaru's supposed "immortality" would merely make him a durable punching bag.
As Yagyu had said, the difference in power between them was vast. If Orochimaru had any thoughts of betrayal, he'd be walking the path to his own demise.
Seeing Yagyu's disdainful smile and even a hint of contempt in his gaze, Orochimaru fell silent. He had briefly considered attacking Yagyu after regaining his hands, thinking that even if he was severely injured or killed, if he could plant the Cursed Seal of Heaven on Yagyu, it would be his victory.
Then, Orochimaru could bide his time, waiting for the moment when Yagyu faced a strong enemy and became weakened, giving him the chance to possess Yagyu's body—a body that held the true Wood Release kekkei genkai.
Sharingan or Wood Release—which one should he choose? Anyone with common sense would know the answer. After all, the entire shinobi world knew the story of Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara, especially Orochimaru, who had conducted experiments on Wood Release and now possessed Hashirama's cells. He understood better than anyone how powerful Hashirama was.
The fact that a mere cell from Hashirama could cause a Jonin-level ninja to self-destruct was beyond Orochimaru's comprehension, and even now, he was still researching it.
So, when he heard Yagyu's words, the brief swell of pride he felt after regaining his hands was quickly doused like cold water. Even at his peak, with all of his chakra intact, Orochimaru knew he wasn't a match for Yagyu.
This young man, the same age as Sasuke Uchiha, was as formidable as Itachi Uchiha. They… might just become the Hashirama and Madara of this era.
With that thought, Orochimaru slowly removed the bandages from his face, revealing his scarred appearance. But in the next second, he simply wiped his face, and a flash of blue chakra erased the scars. It wasn't medical ninjutsu—it was the Face Stealing Technique.
Orochimaru had been forced to rely on Kabuto's surgical skills to transplant a new face onto his body after losing his hands. But now, with his hands restored, changing his appearance was a matter of seconds.
With his original face restored, Orochimaru flashed his usual sinister smile and said to Yagyu, "Follow me, Yagyu-kun."
With that, Orochimaru headed toward the door, with Yagyu and Kabuto following behind.
They exited the dim room and found themselves in a candlelit underground corridor. Turning left and right through various passageways, Orochimaru led them to an underground prison.
This prison had once held many criminals—ninjas from the Land of Rice Fields who had dared to oppose Orochimaru. But now, the number of prisoners had dwindled, most of them killed by Orochimaru's current host, Gen'yūmaru.
"Kabuto, fetch four sacrifices," Orochimaru ordered.
"Yes, Lord Orochimaru," Kabuto replied before walking away.
Orochimaru didn't descend into the prison but instead led Yagyu down another corridor. After passing through several more hallways, they arrived in a lavishly decorated, spacious room.
A short while later, Kabuto returned with several shadow clones, each carrying an unconscious prisoner.
Suddenly, Orochimaru made a retching sound, and his mouth grotesquely opened wide, vomiting out a scroll covered in slime.
Though Yagyu had dismembered Kakuzu and Hidan without blinking, he couldn't help but wrinkle his nose in discomfort. This was a different kind of disgust.
Orochimaru opened the scroll, which turned out to be a storage scroll. With a puff of white smoke, several items appeared on the scroll—these were the mediums required for the Impure World Reincarnation.
Kabuto stepped forward to help place the mediums on the unconscious prisoners before stepping back a safe distance.
Orochimaru, who hadn't used his hands for a long time, formed several hand seals, then crouched down and pressed his palms to the ground, chanting, "Impure World Reincarnation!"
His chakra spread out in the form of black runes, snaking their way toward the four prisoners.
"Aaaargh…"
As soon as the runes touched the prisoners, they awoke with agonizing screams, their faces contorted in pain as their bodies stood up uncontrollably.
At the same time, white dust appeared from thin air, drawn to the prisoners and wrapping them up like mummies.
In the next second, the white mummies began to take on the form of humans, and as color returned to their bodies, they turned into four men, each with different hair colors, eye colors, and ages, but all with the same distinct white sclera and cracks covering their bodies.
Even a child from Konoha would recognize them.
They were none other than the previous Hokage—the true Konoha F4.
"Huh? Weren't we sealed by the monkey? Why are we here?" Senju Hashirama asked, scratching his head in confusion. "I thought I had returned to the afterlife. Was that all an illusion?"
"It's no illusion, brother," Senju Tobirama replied, crossing his arms as he eyed Orochimaru. "That little brat, Orochimaru, must have freed us from the Death God's seal and used Impure World Reincarnation to bring us back. It seems the monkey lost."
"I'm terribly sorry, Lord First, Lord Tobirama," Sarutobi Hiruzen said with a face full of shame. "I never imagined that there was a way to break the Reaper Death Seal."
"I'm surprised as well," Minato Namikaze added, his expression equally astonished as he looked at Orochimaru. "Orochimaru, how did you manage it?"
"It's been a while, Minato," Orochimaru said, greeting Minato with a smile. He then looked at Yagyu, who had his arms crossed and was standing beside him. "I didn't figure it out on my own. I owe it all to Yagyu-kun's assistance."
Orochimaru's words instantly drew the attention of the Konoha F4 to Yagyu.
The moment they laid eyes on him, both Senju Hashirama and Minato Namikaze were taken aback. Even the sharp-eyed, scrutinizing Senju Tobirama raised an eyebrow in surprise.
Hashirama stepped forward, placing himself between Yagyu and Tobirama. He looked to the left and then to the right several times before returning to his place. Nudging Tobirama with his elbow, he grinned mischievously. "Tobirama, did you secretly have an illegitimate child? This boy not only looks like you, but his chakra feels like yours as well. Could he be your descendant?"
"Brother, don't say such mindless things," Tobirama snapped, his forehead covered in black lines. "We share the same parents, yet we have different hair and eye colors, proving this is a matter of genetic mutation. If he's truly a Senju descendant, it's more likely he's yours."
"Oh, that makes sense," Hashirama said, clapping his hands together in realization.
At this moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke up, his tone stern as he addressed Yagyu, "Yagyu, why are you with Orochimaru? Do you realize how dangerous this man is? By working with him, you could bring disaster to Konoha!"
"You're too arrogant, Third Hokage," Yagyu replied coldly, glancing at Hiruzen. "The ones who brought disaster to Konoha have always been you and the Elders. I, on the other hand, am Konoha's hope."
With that, Yagyu raised his hand, causing a small tree to sprout from his palm, powered by his Wood Release chakra.
"That's… Wood Release?!" Sarutobi and Minato's eyes widened in shock.
Senju Tobirama finally smiled and said, "Such powerful yang chakra, brother. He really is your descendant."
"Seems that way, though something feels a little off," Hashirama said, looking excited but also confused. "I have black hair and black eyes, and Mito has red hair and black eyes. So why does my descendant have silver hair and red eyes, like you, Tobirama?"
Tobirama's face darkened, and he grumbled, "That's called recessive traits, brother. Our parents didn't have silver hair and red eyes either. Where do you think I got mine?"
"Oh, right," Hashirama said, once again clapping his hands in understanding.
Watching this exchange, Kabuto couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.
This is the legendary God of Shinobi? Why is he so different from what I expected?!
"You really are a descendant of the Senju clan," Hiruzen said, his emotions settling. He then asked, "Given the way you look, it hasn't been long since the Chunin Exams. Clearly, you didn't just awaken Wood Release. So why have you been hiding it?"
"The answer is simple—I was afraid," Yagyu replied mockingly. "I'm grateful that I didn't awaken it until I was seven years old. By then, I had read about the Second Shinobi World War, learned about the White Fang, the legendary Sannin, and how they either died, defected, or left the village."
"I also witnessed how you bowed to the demands of enemy nations and handed over the body of the Hyuga Clan Head's younger brother. I saw how the Uchiha Clan was wiped out in a single night, without anyone noticing."
"When enemy villages slandered Konoha, you bowed your head. But when it came to Konoha's own noble clans, you struck with force."
"Just recently, I found out about Naruto's connection to the Fourth Hokage. I can't help but wonder who spread the rumor that Naruto was a demon fox, and why you issued a decree forbidding anyone from discussing it."
"It was all thanks to your warnings that I've been cautious, staying on guard… until the day you died."
As Yagyu's final words fell, the room fell silent.
The smiles vanished from Hashirama and Tobirama's faces, while Orochimaru's grin widened in amusement.
"Third Hokage… you…" Minato looked at Hiruzen, his eyes filled with disappointment.
Though Yagyu hadn't said much, Minato understood the price Naruto had paid as a Jinchuriki. He could now imagine what Naruto's life must have been like all these years, realizing that Hiruzen hadn't cared for Naruto as promised.
A wave of guilt and self-reproach washed over Minato.
"You've let us down, Monkey," Tobirama said, his expression mirroring Minato's.
Hashirama's face grew serious as he asked, "Monkey, did you really turn on your own people and Madara's clan?"
"I… I…"
Faced with the stares and questions of the three Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen—who had just been moralizing Yagyu—found himself at a loss for words.
More accurately, he didn't even know where to begin explaining. The accusations were too many.
But Yagyu didn't give him a chance to defend himself, instead turning to Orochimaru and saying, "Orochimaru, I don't want to see him anymore. Release the jutsu on him."
"As curious as I am about how Sensei might explain himself, since you requested it, Yagyu-kun, I'll do as you ask," Orochimaru said with a smile before forming hand seals to release the Impure World Reincarnation on Sarutobi Hiruzen, allowing him to return to the afterlife filled with guilt and regret.
Yagyu then turned to the remaining three Hokage and said seriously, "I need your help, First Hokage."
"We barely possess a tenth of our original power now. We can't offer much in the way of combat assistance," Tobirama said bluntly. "You've come for our jutsu, haven't you?"
"Partially," Yagyu nodded. "Lady Tsunade is now the Fifth Hokage, and I've already studied the Wood Release scrolls and the Sealing Scroll."
"Huh?" Hashirama blinked in confusion, his face quickly filled with concern. "Tsunade became Hokage? Is the village alright?"
"Don't worry," Yagyu reassured him with a smile full of affection. "I'll keep Lady Tsunade in check."
Seeing Yagyu's sincere smile, Tobirama became even more convinced that Yagyu was indeed Hashirama's descendant. He asked, "If you've already studied the Wood Release scroll and the Sealing Scroll, what more do you need from us?"
"I need your experience," Yagyu replied seriously. "There's a group of highly dangerous individuals lurking in the shinobi world. Their targets are the tailed beasts and Jinchuriki, and their leader possesses the legendary Rinnegan."
"The Rinnegan?!" Tobirama and Minato's faces grew grave. Minato asked in disbelief, "The legendary Rinnegan, said to be the greatest of the Three Great Dojutsu, the eyes of the Sage of Six Paths… it actually exists?"
Orochimaru, equally surprised, added, "So you know about Pain, Yagyu-kun?"
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