"Hokage! Is what you're saying true?"
Onoki, unable to remain focused on the absence of the Four-Tails and Five-Tails Jinchuriki, leaned forward in his chair, eyes locked on the screen displaying Tsunade.
"This is the final message of the Great Toad Sage," Tsunade replied gravely. "I wish it weren't true, but the intelligence we've gathered points to the worst possible scenario."
"The Great Toad Sage's last words..."
Onoki's expression darkened as he slowly sat back.
Younger shinobi might not have a clear sense of the Great Toad Sage's power, but someone like Onoki, who had lived for decades, understood the immense strength of Mount Myoboku, one of the Three Great Sage Regions.
The Great Toad Sage, rumored to have lived for over a millennium, had witnessed the development of the shinobi world from its inception. With his ability to foresee the future, he was often compared to a living version of the Sage of Six Paths himself.
If such an existence had left behind a dire warning, Onoki couldn't dismiss it.
Yet, the thought of Hagoromo Gensou defeating the Great Toad Sage?
Even knowing Gensou's legendary strength from the Warring States Era, Onoki still found it unbelievable.
A's sharp voice broke through Onoki's thoughts. "The One-Tail, Two-Tails, and Eight-Tails were all captured on the same day. Members of Akatsuki were present, as was Sasuke, one of Gensou's subordinates. Gensou himself failed to capture the Nine-Tails directly. There's no need for further analysis—Hagoromo Gensou is behind all of this!"
Elder Chiyo, temporarily representing the Sand Village after the capture of the Fifth Kazekage, Gaara, lowered her eyes in despair.
Gaara...
If Akatsuki alone were the enemy, there might still have been a chance to rescue Gaara.
But with Gensou controlling Akatsuki, the situation was hopeless.
Chiyo understood there was no possibility that Gaara had survived.
This realization was also why Tsunade had not sent additional reinforcements for Team 3 and Team 7.
Meanwhile, Terumi Mei, still processing the shocking revelations, asked, "What exactly is the Ten-Tails? And who is this so-called progenitor of chakra? The Sage of Six Paths?"
Everyone present, except Tsunade, who had received the Great Toad Sage's message, was unfamiliar with the Ten-Tails or the origin of chakra.
Tsunade explained, "According to the Great Toad Sage, the Ten-Tails is the true form of the nine tailed beasts combined—a being capable of destroying the planet. As for the progenitor of chakra, the Great Toad Sage only said this: 'The day it descends upon the shinobi world will be the day of its destruction.'"
Mei's expression turned grim, and the others mirrored her unease.
Hagoromo Gensou, Akatsuki, the Uchiha, the Ten-Tails, the progenitor of chakra...
The sheer number of terrifying enemies made their heads spin.
Could they even win?
Tsunade, observing their reactions, decisively proposed the use of Edo Tensei.
As expected, her proposal was met with immediate resistance.
"Disturbing the rest of our ancestors and forcing the dead to fight for us is a disgrace to all shinobi!" A slammed his fist on his desk, his tone firm and unyielding.
"Such an evil jutsu should never have existed in the first place," Mei added with a frown.
"What if Orochimaru betrays us after we enlist his help?" Onoki raised a valid concern, showing his distrust of Orochimaru.
While Onoki had lived long enough to accept the resurrection of past shinobi as a strategic necessity, trusting someone as cunning and treacherous as Orochimaru was another matter entirely.
Chiyo, on the other hand, found Tsunade's proposal appealing.
With the Fifth Kazekage captured under the eyes of their village, the Sand's reputation and strength had plummeted. They couldn't afford more instability.
Using the reanimated dead to take on some of the burden was an attractive option for the Sand.
As for public backlash?
Chiyo didn't care. She wasn't the Kazekage, merely an old woman close to death. What did pride matter at her age?
Thus, Chiyo sided with Tsunade.
Despite the others' refusals, Tsunade didn't relent.
She believed that when the unprecedented and near-hopeless crisis fully unfolded, they would have no choice but to accept Edo Tensei.
Shinobi weren't bound by the same strict rules and morality as samurai.
A heated debate between the Kage and Chiyo ensued, while the daimyo of the five great nations remained indifferent observers.
For the daimyo, whether it was the living or the dead fighting didn't matter, as long as the enemy was defeated. Their sole role was to provide funding and support.
While the Five Kage Summit debated Edo Tensei, Konoha had already begun Orochimaru's revival.
In a heavily fortified chamber lined with sealing scripts, the daimyo's son, Kohito, stood in the center. Surrounding him were several squads of silent ANBU.
Though Orochimaru had instructed Kohito to come to Konoha's headquarters for the ritual, and his cooperation hinted at his intentions, Konoha remained cautious.
After all, it was Orochimaru—a figure infamous for his cunning and deceit.
Soon, Jiraiya arrived, dragging a condemned criminal to serve as Orochimaru's vessel.
With everything prepared, Jiraiya rapidly formed hand seals according to the method Orochimaru had relayed through Kohito.
As Jiraiya pressed his right hand against the cursed seal on Kohito's neck, the black mark began to glow red, emitting intense heat.
The previously compact tomoe of the seal scattered, and Jiraiya pulled his hand back.
Under the astonished and wary gazes of the ANBU, a white-scaled snake slowly emerged from the seal, inch by inch.
Once the snake fully separated from Kohito, it raised its head, its cold golden eyes briefly meeting Jiraiya's. It then surveyed the room, its gaze passing over the ANBU before settling on Kohito.
A glint of understanding flashed in the snake's eyes. Without hesitation, it slithered toward the condemned criminal and forced itself into the man's mouth.
Moments later, the criminal stood up, his body, appearance, and even clothing undergoing drastic changes.
Within seconds, the transformation was complete.
The man now wore a shimenawa around his waist, blue magatama earrings, and had jet-black hair and unnaturally pale skin.
The golden eyes of Orochimaru looked directly at Jiraiya, his long tongue flicking across his lips as he spoke in his signature raspy voice:
"Long time no see, Jiraiya."
(End of Chapter)
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