Genye, the Furious Child

"Hiss, hiss, hiss. I had intended to save this move for Minato, but you've forced my hand, Genye."

The moment the massive coffin appeared, the tension on Orochimaru's face vanished, replaced by a smug, triumphant grin.

"Come to think of it, I owe my successful mastery of the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu to you, Genye!"

Orochimaru continued, "Using this technique on you now is only a fitting repayment!"

"Owe it to me? What are you talking about?" Genye demanded, confused.

"Hiss, hiss." Orochimaru just smiled, saying nothing.

If Genye's squad hadn't discovered that immortal monster, and if he hadn't had such high-quality material for his experiments, he certainly wouldn't have mastered the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu so quickly.

"Damn it, how annoying. From now on, just cremate every Hokage who dies!"

Genye cursed under his breath, flashed behind Orochimaru, and delivered a fierce chop toward his neck.

Swish!

But just then, a silver flash streaked by like a bolt of lightning, striking at Genye's wrist with blinding speed.

So fast!

A chill raced across his skin, and Genye instantly abandoned his attack, leaping back to a safe distance with the agility of a startled rabbit.

"That is...!"

A Root ninja watching from the sidelines looked on in shock.

Standing before Orochimaru was a middle-aged man with a cold expression and a face that was... well, incredibly handsome.

Silver hair, red eyes, iron forehead protector, blue plate armor, white fur collar...

"There's no mistake, that's definitely the Second Hokage—Tobirama Senju!" another Root ninja whispered.

"Orochimaru, you bastard! You actually equipped the Second Hokage with a Flying Thunder God Kunai!" Genye roared.

"Hiss, hiss, better safe than sorry, Genye," Orochimaru said with a cheeky grin. "I couldn't very well let Lord Second face you or Minato empty-handed."

"Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm: Collapse!"

Genye flickered to adjust his position, raising his hand to fire a blast of chakra behind Orochimaru.

"Water Style: Water Formation Wall."

Tobirama clapped his hands together, and a barrier of flowing water rose behind Orochimaru, easily blocking the incoming chakra blast.

Swish!

Genye flickered to Orochimaru's side again, but before he could make a move, the expressionless Tobirama appeared right before him.

"Gentle Fist: Blast!"

Genye let out a low shout, hoping to use his strongest strike to temporarily push Tobirama back.

"Senju Style: Chakra Fist."

The chakra within Tobirama surged into his right fist, the blue energy as dense as the ocean, and collided violently with Genye's fist.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

In the blink of an eye, the two traded a dozen blows like a raging storm, and in the end, it was Genye who was forced back.

"Damn it!"

Genye's expression darkened. To be honest, the current situation was truly beyond his control.

His close-quarters attacks were being intercepted by Tobirama, and his long-range attacks were difficult to break through Tobirama's defenses without going all out.

But he was afraid that if he used too much force, he might accidentally kill Orochimaru (who wasn't quite the slippery snake he'd become yet)!

So frustrating!

"Pervy Sage, where the hell are you? Why haven't you shown up yet?!"

How are you supposed to fight the Second again?

Just as Genye was contemplating a strategy, a voice sounded intermittently, drawing the attention of everyone present.

"I have been... Impure... Reincarnated...?"

It was Tobirama Senju's voice!

Genye hurried to look, only to see that the cloudiness in Tobirama's eyes had cleared, and his expression was becoming increasingly sharp and alert.

Tobirama was currently examining his own hands, the thousands of words in his heart distilled into a single sentiment.

"Damn it, which idiot used my own jutsu to mess with me?! You *&%#@!"

The cycle of karma is real; no one escapes the heavens.

Watching this scene, several Root ninjas felt a sense of foreboding, realizing they would likely meet a miserable end themselves one day.

"As expected of the Second Hokage, to be able to break free from the restraints I set and regain his consciousness!"

Orochimaru placed a hand on Tobirama, looking on in astonishment.

"Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm: Collapse!"

Xuanye struck out with another palm, but Tobirama Senju still subconsciously raised his hand to swing his kunai, directly dispersing the orb of chakra flying toward Orochimaru.

"Lord Tobirama, do you have any way to resist this guy's control?" With his attack having failed, Xuanye asked at a rapid-fire pace.

"Of course not, Xuanye-kun." Orochimaru clutched his stomach, laughing until he doubled over. "That was just me playing with you, hiss-hiss-hiss!"

As Orochimaru's voice faded, the light in Tobirama Senju's eyes instantly dimmed, and the next moment, both of their figures vanished from the spot.

BOOM!

Xuanye slammed his fist into the place where Orochimaru had disappeared; the earth and stone collapsed, leaving a deep crater seven or eight meters wide in the ground.

"Orochimaru, you are the first person who has dared to play this young master for a fool!"

Xuanye appeared expressionless, but he was grinding his back teeth so hard they were nearly shattering.

He should have realized it sooner. He should have realized it the moment Orochimaru placed his hand on Tobirama Senju earlier.

Since this guy had prepared everything in advance, he would naturally have planted a Flying Thunder God Kunai in a safe location beforehand to use for emergency escapes.

"Gulp."

Glancing at the crater in the ground and then at the furious Xuanye, several Root ninjas quietly began to shuffle backward.

"Hmm?"

Xuanye turned a gloomy gaze toward them. "Did I say you could leave?"

Cold sweat broke out on the ninjas. The leader of the group was forced to step forward, feigning composure as he spoke.

"Lord Xuanye, there is nothing left for us to do here, so perhaps we should head back? There are still quite a few missions waiting for us at the department..."

Crack.

Under their terrified gazes, Xuanye cracked his knuckles and walked toward them with a sneer.

"Who said that? I was just looking for a place to vent my anger. Why don't you all stay and help me blow off some steam?"

The complexions of the Root ninjas changed in an instant.

"No, yamete, Xuanye-sama!"

"Please stop! Dame! Dame!"

"Lord Danzo, you must seek justice for your subordinates!"

Back at Root, one ninja, his eyes swollen shut, knelt directly before a pillar.

"That bastard Hyuga Genya!"

Looking at his subordinates, who were swollen like pig heads, Danzo slammed his hand on the table and stood up, his rage soaring to the heavens.

"To dare challenge me openly—does he think that because he has formidable strength, I have no way to deal with him?!"

After a bout of impotent rage, Danzo looked at the four pigs... er, four subordinates.

"Fine, go and tend to your injuries. Rest assured, I will definitely make Hyuga Genya pay the price for this!"

Konoha Hospital.

"Pervy Sage, what am I supposed to say about you?"

Xuanye looked at Jiraiya lying on the hospital bed, his eyes rolling so far back they nearly hit the ceiling.

"As one of the Sannin, you actually almost got yourself blown up by an Explosive Tag?! If word of this gets out, won't everyone laugh you to death?"

"Heh heh." Jiraiya gave a sheepish laugh, his voice lacking conviction. "The one who set the trap was also one of the Sannin, so it's understandable that I fell for it, right?"

Nearby, Sarutobi Hiruzen held the hand of a young nurse and asked with a grave expression, "Tell me, young lady, is Jiraiya crippled?"

Ever since the incident with Xuanye, Hiruzen had developed an inexplicable obsession with the word "crippled." No matter who was hospitalized, he had to ask if they were finished.

The nurse, long since accustomed to this, pulled her hand from Hiruzen's grasp and replied with a blank face.

"Lord Jiraiya's injuries are quite severe; I'm afraid it will take several months for him to fully recover."

"Oh, so he's not crippled..." Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded, his tone sounding somewhat disappointed.

Jiraiya: "???"

You old geezer, I'm lying right here next to you! By the sound of it, are you wishing I was crippled?!

Since Jiraiya needed to recuperate in the hospital and couldn't go anywhere for a while, Xuanye naturally returned to his carefree life in Konoha.

He had been away for quite some time, and now that he was finally back in the village, he had to spend some quality time with Obito, Guy...

Ahem, he had to spend some quality time with Kurenai, Mei, and the others!

Several months later, at the end of the 50th year of Konoha, another major event occurred.

The Land of Lightning dispatched a delegation to pay a friendly return visit to Konoha—at least, that was the official pretense.

[Goodnight, Makka Pakka~~]