Pfft!
The dull thud of a kunai piercing flesh, accompanied by splattering blood, rang especially harshly in the dead silence.
It had all happened far too quickly, in the blink of an eye!
From the moment Senju Tobirama used the Flying Thunder God Technique to appear, to the kunai striking, the whole thing had taken less than half a breath.
By the time everyone present reacted, it was already over.
"Yo!!!"
"Big Brother!!"
Naruto and Sasuke went pale and immediately rushed toward Yo.
Orochimaru and Yakushi Kabuto stared wide-eyed, their faces full of astonishment.
They hadn't expected the Second Hokage to launch such a vicious, lethal sneak attack just when the battle seemed to have settled down.
After a brief moment of shock, Orochimaru licked his lips. "...As expected of the Second Hokage."
"When the enemy thinks he's won and is at his most relaxed, you strike without mercy!"
"Precise! Efficient! Cold-blooded! The perfect art of a ninja assassination!"
Yakushi Kabuto adjusted his glasses, disbelief written across his face.
"The Second Hokage, of all people, actually... ambushed a boy? Doesn't that go against his status and stature?"
"Naive!"
Orochimaru shot Kabuto a glance. "Status? Stature? Kabuto, have you forgotten what we are?"
"We're ninjas!"
"On the battlefield, whatever the means, killing the enemy completely at the lowest possible cost is always a ninja's first and only priority!"
"Etiquette, decorum, status—those things are worthless in the face of life and death."
"The Second Hokage was simply following the most fundamental rule of being a ninja."
Yakushi Kabuto fell silent for a moment, then slowly nodded. "...I understand, Lord Orochimaru."
On the other side.
"Tobirama!!!"
Hashirama Senju finally snapped out of his shock, overcome with fury.
He dashed in front of his younger brother, kicked him away, and reprimanded him harshly. "How