Orochimaru's Reputation Soars

Outside Sunagakure!

As night fell, the entire Shinobi World sank into darkness.

Jiraiya's expression was somewhat grim. With Konoha's current strength, taking Sunagakure should have been an easy matter. But with Orochimaru's intervention, occupying Sunagakure was no longer going to be so simple.

According to Kakashi, Orochimaru now possessed both the Shikotsumyaku and the Byakugan bloodlines, greatly increasing his strength. Though he was reluctant to admit it, Jiraiya knew that Orochimaru had now surpassed him.

Coupled with his mastery of the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu, even if Jiraiya and Kakashi joined forces, they might not be able to defeat him.

Since Orochimaru could summon the Second Hokage, it was not impossible for the First Hokage to return to the world as well.

Jiraiya knew all too well how powerful those two predecessors had been. The First Hokage in particular, known as the God of Shinobi, could sweep through the Five Great Nations alone.

However, Jiraiya was not overly discouraged. Because of Naraku, he knew something about the forbidden technique known as Impure World Reincarnation. He knew that the resurrected dead had certain limitations.

For one, if the sacrificial body was too weak, the summoned person would find it difficult to wield all of their original combat strength.

For an expert on the First Hokage's level, there was no body anywhere in the Shinobi World that could allow him to exert his full power.

"Hm?"

Just then, Kakashi seemed to sense something. He frowned, then closed his eyes and concentrated. He discovered that someone was using the Flying Thunder God to summon him.

Anyone who mastered the Flying Thunder God could sense the Flying Thunder God formulas they had inscribed. Besides being able to teleport to their own formulas, they could also sense when someone else sent chakra into one of