"Y-You actually dared to desecrate the souls of the previous Hokage! Orochimaru!!"
Under normal circumstances of Impure World Reincarnation, the dead summoned by the technique retained some awareness from their lives before control talismans were implanted into them.
Orochimaru sneered and took a step back. He was about to follow the "script" Yue had given him and pretend to use talismans to forcibly control the two Hokage, buying time.
However, just as Orochimaru reached for a kunai—
Tobirama Senju slowly opened his eyes before the wooden coffin marked with the character for "two."
Yet there was none of the emptiness and deathly stillness unique to Impure World Reincarnation in those eyes.
They were clear azure eyes, filled with absolute rationality!
This was not an unconscious remnant soul forcibly summoned back from the Pure Land at all!
This was Yue Uchiha, who had perfectly exploited Orochimaru's jutsu node through the Flying Thunder God technique, directly replacing the Impure World Reincarnation vessel with Tobirama Senju from [Year One of Konoha's Founding].
"Monkey, it has been a long time."
Tobirama Senju ignored Orochimaru beside him, and he did not look at the trembling Anbu either.
He slowly raised his head, his ruby-sharp eyes fixed on Hiruzen Sarutobi.
It was only a calm greeting.
Yet Hiruzen Sarutobi's entire body stiffened, and his heart seemed to miss a beat.
That was absolutely not the gaze of a puppet under someone's control. It was the genuine look of expectation from the man who had entrusted Konoha's heavy burden to him all those years ago.
At that sight, a sliver of wishful hope arose in Hiruzen's heart. He hoped his teacher might understand how precariously he had walked all these years.
"T-Teacher?" Hiruzen's voice trembled beyond recognition.
Shimura Danzō, hidden in the shadows, abruptly widened his eyes