A Dire Situation

The "corpse" of Orochimaru on the ground melted into a puddle of pus.

It was clearly another clone.

Ever since Lin Qing had defeated him last time, Orochimaru had made up his mind never to appear directly within Lin Qing's range—not his range of fire, but his field of vision. He'd hidden himself away in the shadows well in advance.

Thud! Thud!

The heavy wooden coffin lids slammed onto the ground.

Two bodies, their skin covered in cracks, stepped out of the coffins.

The coffin marked with "One" held a long-haired man with a square face and stern features. He wore red lamellar armor and a metal Konoha Forehead Protector.

On the other side,

a tall, thin man stepped out of the coffin marked with "Two." Bandages covered him from head to toe, hiding his features. A black satin Forehead Protector rested on his head.

Lin Qing stared at the two old mummies emerging from the coffins and furrowed his brow slightly.

Their eyes were dull and lifeless. They'd clearly lost the ability to think, reduced to nothing more than puppets on strings.

And yet Lin Qing could feel an intense threat from them.

From their hiding places in the corners, two groups of scouts cried out in alarm:

"First?!"

"Second?!"

The figures who had emerged from the coffins were none other than the First of Konoha, Hashirama Senju, and the Second Tsuchikage of Iwagakure, Mu.

There was no need to elaborate on the First, Hashirama Senju's reputation.

The legendary God of Shinobi. The various nations owed their hidden villages to this great man, who had been undefeated in life.

The Second Tsuchikage, Mu, wasn't as famous as Hashirama Senju, but in the history of Iwagakure, he was undoubtedly the greatest Tsuchikage of all.

The Kekkei Tōta he'd developed, Dust Release, was considered one of the most powerful offensive techniques in the Ninja World.

"Holy crap! Holy crap! Holy crap!"

Deidara grabbed Itachi's clothes and shouted excitedly, "Itachi, did you see that?! The dead came back to life!"

Itachi glanced at the robe Deidara was about to yank off him, slapped his hand away, and said gravely:

"Konoha has a forbidden jutsu called Impure World Reincarnation. Through an extremely evil ritual, a living person is sacrificed to call the soul of the dead back to this world and control it.

"The reanimated dead created by Impure World Reincarnation are practically immortal. No matter how severe the damage, they can recover without fail as long as the caster doesn't release the jutsu."

Konan had heard of Impure World Reincarnation, but in all the decades she'd lived, she'd never seen anyone use it. She'd always thought it was just a rumor that had spread throughout the Ninja World.

"I never thought... this jutsu really existed."

She thought of Nagato's ability to control corpses.

But there was a fundamental difference between the two.

Besides, Nagato could make corpses move again only through the power of the Rinnegan. There was only one Rinnegan, but anyone who learned this jutsu could use it.

"This man is terrifying. No wonder Nagato insists on capturing him alive."

Konan asked, "If that's the case, wouldn't anyone who mastered this jutsu be invincible? They could summon an army of the immortal dead and sweep through all the hidden villages."

Itachi shook his head slightly.

No matter how powerful a ninjutsu was, there was always a way to counter it.

For example, Itachi's Amaterasu could destroy reanimated shinobi.

And with several people working together, Sealing Jutsu could also seal the corpses that kept coming back to life.

Deidara jerked his chin toward Lin Qing. "So, by your reckoning, he's done for?"

Itachi fell silent for a moment, put himself in Lin Qing's shoes, and considered the situation. Then he slowly nodded.

"His chances are bleak."

Lin Qing's advantage lay in his overwhelming close-range pressure and his explosive power over a short period. But none of that would be of any use against Hashirama Senju and Mu, resurrected through Impure World Reincarnation.

In fact, taking into account Lin Qing's past battles and learning that he could seize Water Release techniques summoned by his enemies, Orochimaru had deliberately chosen not to summon the Second, Tobirama Senju.

Hashirama Senju's immense strength and Wood Release techniques were enough to handle Lin Qing's frontal assaults.

Mu's Kekkei Tōta, Dust Release, dismantled and separated matter at the atomic level. Even Lin Qing's defenses couldn't possibly withstand it.

Orochimaru had also learned that Lin Qing could summon a "strange bird" that fired miniature Shuriken and tracked enemies.

But this wasn't a forest or a desert. This was Otogakure, full of people.

Some of them were shinobi.

Most were ordinary people just trying to make a living.

Orochimaru knew Lin Qing well enough to understand that he wouldn't slaughter everyone in the village just to find him.

Itachi said quietly:

"Lin Qing, how are you going to break this trap?"

"Even if you get past Orochimaru's scheme, what will you do about the three of us?"

As far as Itachi was concerned, today's outcome had already been decided.

Everyone was waiting.

Waiting for Lin Qing to be defeated by the invincible legends of their memories, just as they expected.

But—

Boom!

Star Platinum collided with Hashirama Senju.

Their fists slammed together as they struggled for dominance.

One was the embodiment of "power and speed" among Stands; the other, the strongest wielder of Chakra Enhanced Strength in the Ninja World. For a moment, neither gave an inch.

"ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA!"

Star Platinum roared as it unleashed a flurry of punches.

Hashirama Senju stood his ground, feet planted firmly and fists hammering forward like rapid-fire cannons. Every collision of fist against fist rang out like thunder, as if thousands of troops were charging into battle.

A wave of scorching wind swept from the battlefield where they clashed, forcing the scouts to hold their breath.

"T-That's way too strong!"

Both the resurrected First and the godlike Evil Spirit were more powerful than anyone could have imagined.

Hashirama Senju's strength was beyond question.

But...

What in the world was that Evil Spirit?!

Suddenly, Hashirama Senju took a step back.

The scouts stared in shock.

They hadn't expected Hashirama Senju to be the one to retreat!

Then came a second step, a third... Hashirama Senju's body was gradually disintegrating, breaking into countless fragments.

"ORA!!!"

Star Platinum threw one final punch, sending Hashirama Senju flying.

The legendary God of Shinobi had been suppressed!

And his body had been shattered by sheer force, leaving him completely unable to fight back!

In Itachi's eyes, three Tomoe turned slowly.

"Something's wrong with the First... No, is this a flaw in Impure World Reincarnation?"

His reactions, his speed, even the way he used his strength—all seemed stiff.

Itachi had never seen the First, but he guessed the reanimated Hashirama had only about seventy percent of his original strength.

Itachi looked up.

Mu, who had vanished from sight, appeared again. Using the time Hashirama Senju had bought him, he'd already finished his jutsu.

Mu held his hands before his chest, gathering Wind, Earth, and Fire chakra in his palms. A tiny but dazzling disc of light appeared.

"Dust Release: Atomic Dismantling Jutsu!"

A translucent cylindrical barrier shot toward Lin Qing like a cannonball.

Even Natural Energy was annihilated wherever the barrier passed. Lin Qing knew that neither his body nor the Blade of Ruin could block this attack!

He had no intention of taking it head-on and was about to leave its range when the ground split open and trees sprang up, coiling around his legs.

Hashirama Senju, whose body Star Platinum had smashed apart, had already reconstituted himself in the short time since. With his hands joined, he'd unleashed Wood Release.

Lin Qing put strength into his legs again, shattering the trees wrapped around them.

But that momentary delay...

The Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique was already bearing down!