The Operation Was Sloppy

The Orochimaru of today was no longer the experimenter of the past, constrained by the limitations of his vessels.

With the special White Zetsu cultivated from the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, he had successfully bypassed the curse of the Living Corpse Reincarnation, which traditionally caused a "vessel to collapse within three years."

Furthermore, the constitution of the White Zetsu cultivated by the Demonic Statue was extraordinary, containing Senju Hashirama cells that rendered their physical stability near-perfect; the compatibility with Orochimaru's soul was so high that it even gave him the illusion, for the first time, that he could "settle down."

The "expiration date" of traditional vessels stemmed, in essence, from the rejection reaction between the soul and the body.

Yet, the White Zetsu—whether in physiological structure or chakra adaptability—seemed as if they had been born specifically to be "occupied."

He could inhabit this body long-term without the need for replacement, and it would not decay.

Orochimaru even developed a sense of "belonging."

This made him sigh once more:

"White Zetsu... how exactly were they created? They are truly... far too useful."

Not only that, but the "experimental tools" currently in his hands were far beyond anything from the past.

Black Zetsu had personally provided the Death God Mask, allowing him to forcibly initiate the sealing ritual and pull those souls devoured by the Dead Demon Consuming Seal out from within the Death God—including Namikaze Minato.

In Orochimaru's eyes, the side effects of the Dead Demon Consuming Seal were merely a loophole in the settings that could be exploited.

—So-called forbidden techniques were nothing more than technology that had not yet been fully analyzed.

And the Orochimaru of today stood precisely on the threshold of "analyzing" everything.

Yet, even so, he remained on guard.

The Death God Mask provided by Black Zetsu came with information so detailed it was almost "considerate"; the bizarre White Zetsu from the Demonic Statue had also gone so smoothly that it allowed him to "get exactly what he wished for."

The smoother things went, the more vigilant he became.

Everything felt as if it had been calculated long ago, just waiting for him to step onto the stage and follow the script.

This feeling of being led by the nose filled him with extreme disgust.

But he still did not stop his pace.

Because this time, he had already caught a glimpse of a possibility that transcended anything before.

The resurrection of the past Kage was merely the beginning.

If nothing else, the combat power of these past Hokage resurrected through the White Zetsu far exceeded any individual he had created during his experiments back then.

They were absurdly strong.

What did this signify?

It meant that the quality of the individual White Zetsu was far more advanced and far more... "specific" than the batch of "experimental waste" he had initially seen.

This was not right.

The one behind the scenes... was likely not just Black Zetsu.

There was likely a third hand he could not see, pushing the pieces on the board from the shadows.

And just as he fell into deep thought, the gaze of Uchiha Yoru slowly fell upon the four Hokage.

He saw it very clearly.

Orochimaru was restricting their will.

He dared not let go, dared not grant them autonomy.

—This was hardly surprising.

Among the four Hokage, Senju Hashirama alone was enough to keep anyone from sleeping soundly.

You use Hashirama cells to restrict the original Hashirama?

Heh, isn't that just pure stupidity?

Orochimaru naturally understood this logic, which was why he chose "control" rather than "release."

Uchiha Yoru looked at the figures stepping out of the four coffins and spoke indifferently:

"These are your experimental tools?"

His tone was calm, yet carried an inherent disdain.

"Just by relying on these dead men?"

Orochimaru chuckled without a word, shifted his feet slightly, and waved his hand leisurely.

"Give it a try—after all, they were once the pinnacle of the Ninja World."

Before the words had even faded—

"Wood Release: Deep Forest Bloom!"

The Impure World Reincarnation of Senju Hashirama struck first; the earth trembled violently as dense, massive trees erupted from the soil, as if to swallow the entire battlefield in an instant.

However—

"Wood Release: Deep Forest Bloom."

Uchiha Yoru whispered, and with a raise of his hand, a new sea of trees surged forth, appearing like a tide and forcefully crushing and dividing the original Wood Release!

Old wood cracked, new forests danced wildly. Not a trace of tranquility remained in the world, only two forces intertwining and colliding, tearing the heavens and earth apart!

The wind wailed, and dust flew.

A flicker of astonishment flashed in Orochimaru's eyes. The smile of effortless control he wore seemed to have its edges torn by a sudden gust of wind.

Orochimaru's throat felt as if something was stuck, and he muttered in a low voice:

"This power... Wood Release? No, that's... Deep Forest Bloom?!"

"Impossible..."

He froze in place, his voice filled with disbelief.

That was the legendary "Power of the First Hokage"!

Senju Hashirama's Kekkei Genkai, the true divine Wood Release!

Not just Wood Release—this power was actually faintly suppressing Hashirama, whom he had revived with an enhanced "Impure World Reincarnation"!

Back then, he had poured all his efforts into it, conducting countless experiments, but in the end, apart from Yamato, almost none survived.

And Yamato's power, before the First Hokage, could barely be considered a shadow.

Orochimaru looked towards Uchiha Yoru again, his eyes filled only with deep greed and uncontrollable trembling.

"This is getting more and more interesting... Yoru-kun."

He licked his lips, his eyes flashing with madness and fervent desire.

At this moment, the Impure World Hashirama suddenly unleashed the Wood Dragon Technique. A roaring giant dragon burst from the ground, charging towards Uchiha Yoru with the aura of crushing everything!

"Oh?"

Uchiha Yoru smiled faintly, uttering a single word:

"That—"

BOOM!!

The two dragons collided head-on, wood chips flying everywhere, the explosion shaking the heavens and earth!

The next second, Uchiha Yoru's figure flickered, vanishing and reappearing instantly above the Impure World Hashirama. His hands rapidly formed hand seals, and he coldly shouted:

"Wood Release: Wood Human Technique!"

"Wood Release: Wood Dragon Technique!"

With a roar, a giant wood golem descended from the sky, smashing Hashirama's wood dragon with a single punch, then backhanded him, smashing the Impure World Hashirama into the ground!

No power to fight back!

This wasn't a confrontation, it was a crushing!

—Among Wood Release users, Uchiha Yoru was stronger than Senju Hashirama!

"How is this possible..."

Orochimaru's pupils contracted in the distance, a hint of unease appearing in his eyes for the first time.

At this moment, the other three Hokage also moved under his control!

In the air, the Impure World Minato's kunai formed a net, sealing off the entire area!

The Impure World Tobirama turned into lightning, closing in instantly!

The Impure World Hiruzen advanced steadily, sealing the lower path with his jutsu!

And the Impure World Hashirama had already reappeared from the ground, the world of flowers and trees instantly unfolding!

—The Four Kage joined forces to kill Uchiha Yoru!

This scene, for any Kage-level expert, would have caused their expression to change drastically.

But Uchiha Yoru merely gave a cold smile, his eyes indifferent.

"Too weak."

SWISH!

The Impure World Tobirama teleported behind him and was about to attack when he was met with an elbow strike, sent flying back with a BANG!

Immediately after, the Impure World Hiruzen had just finished preparing his jutsu when a burst of fire flashed behind him—

"Great Fireball Technique!"

BOOM!!

The Impure World Hiruzen was directly interrupted, his body sent flying sideways!

The Impure World Minato attempted a surprise attack, his Rasengan smashing down, but he hit empty air!

"Behind you."

Uchiha Yoru's voice sounded by his ear.

The next second, the Impure World Minato was slammed into the ground by a backhand Rasengan!

Boom!!!

Finally, Hashirama, who had just crawled out of the ground, looked up and saw the Wood Golem coming again.

Uchiha Yoru clenched his fist lightly.

Rumble!!

Hashirama, along with the trees beside him, was smashed back into the ground, dust billowing!

The Four Kage, their consciousness suppressed, fought together and were completely defeated!

Uchiha Yoru was only dusted a little.

He walked, patting his sleeves, his tone calm:

"Using their own ninjutsu to defeat them... is very fair, isn't it?"

In the distance, Orochimaru's expression finally changed.

He slowly licked his lips, quietly retracted his body, his eyes cold, coiling himself like a snake in the shadows, silent, not daring to act rashly again.

He finally realized something--

Even though he held the Impure World Reincarnation jutsu, capable of awakening the strongest Hokage in history, He couldn't truly control these "pieces" at all.

The combat habits, reaction logic, and even the release rhythm of every ninjutsu of the Hokage were beyond his complete control.

In other words:

He, the "player," was terrible at controlling them.