Terrible at the Controls

Orochimaru was no longer the experimenter constrained by the limitations of his vessels.

With the special White Zetsu cultivated from the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, he had successfully evaded the curse of Living Corpse Reincarnation: the traditional "vessel deteriorating after three years."

What was more, the White Zetsu cultivated by the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path had an extraordinary physique, infused with Hashirama Cells. Their bodily stability was nearly perfect, and their compatibility with Orochimaru's soul was so high that, for the first time, he felt he might be able to settle down.

The "expiration date" of a traditional vessel was, at its core, caused by the rejection between soul and body.

But White Zetsu—both in their physiology and their adaptability to chakra—seemed to have been born to be "occupied."

He could use this body indefinitely, without needing to replace it or worrying that it would decay.

Orochimaru had even developed a sense of "belonging."

He couldn't help but marvel once again:

"White Zetsu... just how were they created? They're simply... so useful..."

Not only that, but the "experimental tools" he had at his disposal now were far beyond anything he'd had in the past.

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

In Orochimaru's eyes, the side effect of the Dead Demon Consuming Seal was nothing more than a design flaw that could be bypassed.

—The so-called forbidden jutsu were simply techniques that hadn't been fully analyzed.

And Orochimaru now stood right on the threshold of "analyzing" everything.

Even so, he remained wary.

The information Black Zetsu had provided about the Death God Mask was almost "thoughtfully" thorough;

the strange White Zetsu in the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path had also worked out so smoothly that he'd gotten "exactly what he wanted."

The smoother things went, the more cautious he became.

It was as if someone had planned everything in advance and was simply waiting for him to follow the script, step by step.

The feeling of being led around by the nose disgusted him.

But he still didn't stop.

Because this time, he'd glimpsed a possibility that surpassed anything he'd seen before.

The revived Kage of past generations were only the beginning.

For one thing, these reanimated Hokage brought back through White Zetsu were far stronger than any individual he had created in his experiments back then.

Absurdly strong.

What did that mean?

It meant the quality of individual White Zetsu was far superior to that of the initial batch of "experimental failures" he'd had—more advanced, more... "special."

Something was off.

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

There was likely a third hand he couldn't see, moving the pieces from behind the scenes.

As he fell into thought, Uchiha Yoru's gaze drifted slowly toward the four Hokage.

He saw it clearly.

Orochimaru was restricting their wills.

He didn't dare let them act freely or relinquish control.

—That was hardly surprising.

Among the four Hokage, Senju Hashirama alone was enough to keep anyone awake at night.

Using Hashirama Cells to restrain Hashirama himself?

Heh. That was just plain stupid.

Orochimaru knew that, of course, so he chose "control" rather than "release."

Uchiha Yoru looked at the figures emerging from the four coffins and spoke calmly:

"So these are your experimental tools?"

His tone was even, yet carried an unmistakable air of disdain.

"You think these dead men can do it?"

Orochimaru only chuckled. He shifted his feet slightly and waved a hand with easy confidence.

"Why not give it a try? After all, they once stood at the pinnacle of the Ninja World."

Before he could finish—

"Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence!"

Reanimated Senju Hashirama struck first. The earth shook violently as countless enormous trees burst from the ground, as if they would swallow the entire battlefield in an instant.

But—

"Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence."

Uchiha Yoru murmured, raising a hand. A new sea of trees surged forth like a rising tide, forcibly crushing and splitting apart the existing Wood Release!

The old trees shattered, the new forest thrashed, and not a trace of stillness remained between heaven and earth. Only two forces collided, tearing the world apart!

The wind howled, and dust filled the air.

A flicker of astonishment crossed Orochimaru's eyes. His usual unruffled smile seemed to have been torn at the edges by a sudden gale.

Orochimaru's throat seemed to catch. He murmured:

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

"Impossible..."

He froze where he stood, his voice full of disbelief.

That was the legendary "power of the First"!

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

And it wasn't just Wood Release. This power seemed to surpass even Hashirama, whom he had revived using an enhanced version of Impure World Reincarnation!

He had poured his heart into countless experiments back then, yet almost no one had survived except Yamato.

And beside the First, Yamato's power probably didn't even qualify as Kage Level.

Orochimaru looked toward Uchiha Yoru again. His eyes held nothing but deep greed and barely restrained awe.

"This is getting more and more interesting, Lord Yoru..."

He ran his tongue over his lips, madness and burning desire flickering in his eyes.

At that moment, reanimated Hashirama unleashed the Wood Dragon Technique. A roaring dragon burst through the ground and lunged at Uchiha Yoru with overwhelming force!

"Oh?"

Uchiha Yoru smiled faintly and uttered a single word:

"Then—"

Boom!!

The two dragons collided. Wood chips flew, and the explosion shook the heavens and earth!

The next second, Uchiha Yoru vanished in a flash. When he reappeared, he was already directly above reanimated Hashirama. His hands flashed through Hand Seals as he cried out:

"Wood Release: Wood Golem Technique!"

"Wood Release: Wood Dragon Technique!"

With a thunderous crash, a colossal Wood Golem came plummeting down. It roared as it smashed Hashirama's Wood Dragon with one punch, then swung out with its other hand and slammed reanimated Hashirama into the ground!

He couldn't fight back at all!

This wasn't a battle. It was a crushing defeat!

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

"How is this possible..."

In the distance, Orochimaru's pupils contracted. For the first time, a trace of unease appeared in his eyes.

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

In the air, reanimated Minato threw Kunai into a net, sealing off the entire battlefield!

Reanimated Tobirama turned into a streak of lightning and closed in instantly!

Reanimated Third Hokage advanced steadily, using jutsu to seal off the lower route!

And reanimated Hashirama had already emerged from underground once more, unfolding Deep Forest Emergence in an instant!

—The Four Kage joined forces to surround and kill Uchiha Yoru!

Any Kage Level fighter would have paled at the sight.

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

"Too weak."

Whoosh!

Reanimated Tobirama teleported behind him and was just about to attack when a sharp elbow strike hit him head-on, sending him flying with a thud!

Next, just as the Third Hokage finished preparing his jutsu, Kakkō flashed behind him—

"Great Fireball Technique!"

Boom!!

Reanimated Third Hokage was interrupted and sent flying!

Reanimated Minato tried to take advantage of the moment and slammed down a Rasengan, but it struck nothing!

"I'm behind you."

Uchiha Yoru's voice sounded in his ear.

The next moment, a backhanded Rasengan drove reanimated Minato into the ground!

Boom!!!

Finally, reanimated Hashirama had just crawled out of the ground and lifted his head when he saw the Wood Golem coming at him again.

Uchiha Yoru clenched his fist.

Rumble!!

Reanimated Hashirama and the tree beside him were smashed straight back into the ground, enveloped by billowing dust!

The four Kage, their wills suppressed and fighting together, had been utterly defeated!

Uchiha Yoru had only gotten a little dust on himself.

He walked forward, brushing off his sleeves as he spoke calmly:

"Using the jutsu they excel at to defeat them... that's fair, isn't it?"

In the distance, Orochimaru's expression finally changed.

He slowly licked his lips, quietly drew back, and curled up in the shadows like a snake. He remained silent, no longer daring to act rashly.

He finally realized something—

Even with the Impure World Reincarnation technique in his hands, even if he could summon the strongest Hokage in history,

he had no idea how to properly control these "characters."

The Hokage's fighting habits, their reactions, even the timing of each jutsu—they were all beyond his ability to fully command.

In other words:

He was the "player," and he was terrible at the controls.