Orochimaru narrowed his eyes, his snake-like pupils gleaming as thoughts raced through his mind.
He knew very well—
These "Kage Level accounts" didn't completely obey his commands.
Right now, they were fighting on instinct alone.
No matter how powerful they were, they were still just advanced puppets.
Uchiha Yoru was simply too strange—
He could even counter Senju Hashirama's Wood Release with ease.
But Orochimaru was a madman, and a scientist.
If he couldn't control them...
Then he'd let them operate on their own.
Orochimaru's lips slowly curled into a dangerous smile.
"In that case... let's unlock their consciousness."
His hands flashed through Hand Seals.
The next second—
The four Hokage's pupils suddenly trembled.
Their dormant consciousnesses fully awakened.
"This... is?"
The first to open his eyes was Senju Hashirama.
He stared blankly at his hand as it gradually regained its form, felt the soft earth beneath his feet, and frowned slightly.
"Tobirama... didn't I tell you ages ago? Stop researching all those strange jutsu—look at what you've done now—"
"...Shut up, big brother!"
Senju Tobirama's eyelid twitched. He'd barely opened his eyes before hearing that familiar nagging, and his patience was already wearing thin.
"Could you stop blaming me every time you're resurrected?"
Hashirama: "..."
He was about to say something else when his gaze shifted to a familiar, elderly figure.
"Huh? Are you... Monkey?"
Tobirama froze, then scrutinized the man from head to toe, his tone complicated.
"How did you get so old?"
The Third Hokage sighed softly, his voice calm.
"...I wasn't young when I died."
"Hmph." Tobirama snorted and didn't press further. He lowered his gaze to his hands, as if checking something.
Hashirama looked toward the last person.
"And you are?"
The man rubbed his head and gave an embarrassed smile.
"I'm... the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato."
The air fell still.
Hashirama stared for a moment, then broke into his signature, goofy grin.
"Oh, oh! The Yellow Flash! That sounds like a powerful title!"
After a brief exchange of greetings, the mood quickly turned grave.
Hashirama straightened and looked around, his expression growing serious.
"Were we... brought back with Impure World Reincarnation?"
"And that Uchiha kid... how can he use Wood Release?"
Tobirama's expression hardened, his brow furrowing.
"An Uchiha... has that kind of ability?"
The Third Hokage spoke slowly, his voice low.
"His name is Uchiha Yoru. He's one of the most dangerous people in the Ninja World today."
"I... died at his hands."
He paused and lowered his head, his expression complicated.
"The Uchiha Clan was wiped out by him."
The moment the words fell, the air froze.
Tobirama's eyes turned icy.
"What did you say?"
"He wiped out the Uchiha... all by himself?"
The Third Hokage nodded, his voice heavy.
"On the night of the clan's extermination, his talent, chakra, and fighting ability were already beyond all reason."
"He... has practically risen above the entire Ninja World."
Minato's expression shifted. He seemed thoughtful, but said nothing.
Hashirama's face finally changed. He spoke in a low voice.
"How did things come to this?"
"How did Konoha handle the Uchiha?"
The Third Hokage fell silent for a moment, then answered in a subdued voice.
"We tried to make things right... but failed."
"He's too powerful, too stubborn."
"We couldn't control him."
"Konoha... may already be under his control."
Tobirama stared at him coldly, a trace of doubt flickering in his eyes.
Minato frowned slightly, too.
"So someone brought us back to fight him?" Hashirama asked quietly.
The three fell silent.
Minato spoke softly.
"His chakra... it's unnaturally powerful."
"And his speed, his instincts... he even surpassed me."
Tobirama said nothing, but his gaze quietly settled on the Third Hokage. His voice lowered.
"...Monkey, I'll ask you about the Uchiha later."
Hashirama rubbed his chin, his gaze grave as he pondered.
"If this is really about stopping him... then we have to take this seriously."
A moment later, he cleared his throat, the corners of his mouth twitching.
"I may be strong, sure, but this time... it'll be a tough fight."
"...Big brother!"
Tobirama's face darkened.
In the distance, Orochimaru watched it all in silence, a satisfied smile on his lips.
This time, he wouldn't control them. It was time to let the real Hokage take the field themselves.
Still, a lingering unease refused to leave him.
Even they might not be able to win.
Because that man...
Had already gone beyond all reason.
The Four Kage stood at the center of the battlefield. Their calm presence seemed like the eerie stillness before a storm, yet their power was building.
Hashirama looked around, his gaze settling on the black-haired figure standing still in the distance.
His voice was low, heavy as a mountain.
"Uchiha descendant... your methods are far too ruthless."
Uchiha Yoru looked up and glanced at him indifferently.
"Ruthless?"
His voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable force.
"I simply... see reality more clearly than you do."
Tobirama stepped forward, his voice sharp as a blade.
"You wield Wood Release, yet you're not a Senju... who are you?"
Uchiha Yoru didn't answer. He merely swept Tobirama with a cold glance.
Tobirama's voice turned colder.
"Someone like you is an extreme threat to Konoha."
Uchiha Yoru's eyes shifted slightly, and the corner of his mouth lifted.
"A threat? You think you have the right to use that word?"
"Thanks to your students, the people of Konoha are living far better now than they did when those students were alive!"
Tobirama's face darkened.
"You arrogant brat!"
At that moment, the Third Hokage spoke slowly.
"Everything we did was for Konoha, and for the Will of Fire in our hearts. You—"
"...The Will of Fire?"
Uchiha Yoru sneered, cutting him off.
He took a slow step forward, his voice cold as frost.
"Your so-called 'Will of Fire' is nothing but a fig leaf."
"It doesn't protect justice. It only shields corruption."
"You indulged Danzo and turned a blind eye to his schemes."
"When Cloud Village stole the Byakugan, you let people's lives be sacrificed just to settle the matter."
"And as for the Uchiha..."
His gaze darkened, his voice carrying murderous intent.
"You made that fool slaughter his own clan with his own hands."
"The will you proclaim at every turn... is now an empty shell."
The Third Hokage's expression froze. He fell silent.
An unusual gravity settled over Hashirama's face. His tone was gentle, but sincere, as he tried to ease the tension.
"Uchiha Yoru... I've never denied that there were misunderstandings and conflicts between the village and the Uchiha. I... truly hoped to build a genuine peace alongside Madara."
"But you killed him," Uchiha Yoru interrupted calmly, his voice as cold and emotionless as the wind.
Hashirama's body stiffened slightly, and a flicker of pain crossed his face.
Uchiha Yoru's gaze was like a blade. He spoke slowly, each word striking like a hammer.
"He was once your closest friend, and a pioneer who sought to unite the Ninja World."
"But when he proposed an ideal different from yours, you didn't understand him or try to accept him. You chose to suppress him instead."
"The sword you swung severed more than one man's will. It cut down the hope the entire Uchiha once held."
"Your so-called 'peace' was built on rejecting dissent. The 'Will of Fire' you speak of is nothing but a monologue after defeating your friend."
"You beat him, but you never truly understood him."
"In the end, you passed that will to your younger brother, then to the next generation... and eventually to the entire Ninja World."
"But the foundation of that will is the dream of a friend you buried with your own hands!!!"
Before you continue