The blue sky was shrouded by the black smoke of war.
Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at the Three Kage, then instantly leapt down from the rooftop, ordering the Anbu to hold this place at all costs.
Seeing that the Third Hokage refused to yield, the Three Kage continued their assault.
The shinobi of the Three Great Villages maintained a steady, rhythmic offensive. They did not rush recklessly, instead surrounding the Konoha shinobi within the Root base.
Ōnoki and the others naturally understood that if Konoha was driven to desperation, Hiruzen would surely unleash the Nine-Tails, dragging all three villages into the disaster.
If they advanced too hastily, retreat would be difficult, so they chose to press forward steadily.
Through ruined streets and alleys, Hiruzen returned to the Root base.
The entrance hall was dim. With the electrical systems damaged, even opening all the skylights could not dispel the oppressive, eerie atmosphere in the octagonal chamber.
Passing by the wounded returning from the front lines, Hiruzen's expression was heavy as he approached several Anbu.
These Anbu were guarding a child—blond-haired, blue-eyed, wearing an innocent look.
"Third Grand—Hokage-sama."
Naruto stared blankly at the battered old man, swallowing the word "grandpa" before it left his lips.
Hiruzen knelt, a look of helplessness on his face, and reached out to gently touch Naruto's cheek. "Good… good child."
Naruto's eyes trembled slightly.
The old man's palm was cold, rough, and carried no warmth at all.
He had been following the civilian evacuation group toward the shelter when these Anbu brought him here.
Hiruzen patted Naruto's shoulder with deep meaning, then rose to leave.
If the last defensive line fell…
Releasing the Nine-Tails would be inevitable.
"Minato, Kushina… I'm sorry." After his sorrow passed, Hiruzen's expression slowly turned resolute.
"Hokage-sama!" An urgent voice echoed from the dark corridor.
Hiruzen turned and saw a shinobi rushing toward him, excitement in his voice. "Koharu-sama told me to inform you… she succeeded!!"
A shiver ran down Hiruzen's scalp, his old face trembling violently.
"The F-First Hokage, the Second Hokage, and Danzo-sama… have awakened!"
The Konoha ninja was so thrilled that his words stumbled over themselves.
"Hahahaha! The heavens have not forsaken Konoha!" Hiruzen hunched forward, laughing loudly before hurrying toward the underground area.
There would be no need to release the Nine-Tails.
Naruto would not have to die.
"…" Naruto blinked his clear blue eyes—he had never seen the Third Hokage so elated, almost losing his composure.
In the underground base, in the dim, airless room where corpses were stored—
"We did it… we really did it!"
Koharu Utatane knelt on the ground.
The other Konoha shinobi in the room had eyes shining with hope, bowing respectfully as if seeing a miracle in the midst of despair.
In the area covered with the seals of the Edo Tensei, three men stood upright.
The first was the cracked and weathered form of the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, clad in dark red armor. As his senses returned, he slowly opened his eyes.
In the center was the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, wearing a forehead protector with a full-face guard and blue armor with a white fur collar. His expression was dark, radiating an aura of keep your distance.
As Hashirama opened his eyes, Tobirama too gradually regained his awareness.
As for Danzo, the cracks faded from his aged face, his body returning to its original form due to the Edo Tensei process.
Hashirama looked down at his cracked hands, puzzled, and scratched his head. "Am I dreaming?"
"It's not a dream, big brother. This is the Impure World Reincarnation—my own creation,"
Tobirama's expression was cold, his sharp eyes glinting like a hawk's.
With just a brief sense of his own state, he had already deduced the situation.
"Tobirama!" Hashirama, overjoyed to see his younger brother, frowned after the initial excitement. "I've told you before, the techniques you developed cause too much harm!"
Black lines appeared on Tobirama's face as he quickly shifted the topic.
"Now's not the time for that, big brother. First, let's figure out what's going on."
His gaze swept over everyone present, finally resting on Danzo standing beside him.
Tobirama's brows furrowed again, then he looked toward Koharu, who was leading the kneeling crowd, and asked, "Who are you people, and why have you disturbed our rest?"
To him, the room was full of strangers—either elderly men and women or Konoha's new generation.
Hearing this, Koharu's eyes lit up. She crawled forward a few steps on her knees and said excitedly, "Lord Tobirama, it's me, Koharu—Mitokado Koharu!"
"Koharu…" Tobirama raised an eyebrow, carefully scrutinizing the wrinkled, unattractive woman before him.
After a moment's thought, he said in a deep voice, "I suppose I have been dead for who knows how many years… So, who's this other decrepit one resurrected with me?"
"Uh…" Danzo's mind snapped into focus at the sound of that familiar voice.
When he looked up and saw Koharu, Hashirama smiling at him, and his own cold-faced teacher—
Danzo's heart was overwhelmed. He stepped forward in grief and excitement.
"Lord Tobirama… It's me, Danzo—Shimura Danzo!"
"Danzo… so you died as well."
Tobirama's face shifted slightly as he eyed the old man, who somehow looked even more sinister than himself, and stepped back half a pace.
Danzo froze, embarrassed. "It's all because of the Uchiha!"
Tobirama's expression changed again.
The room fell silent.
At that moment, a voice called from outside, "First Hokage-sama! Lord Tobirama!"
Hashirama looked up toward the doorway and chuckled, "And who's this now? This feeling of seeing the little brats from back in the day all grown up after so many years of being gone—it's not bad."
Tobirama's face remained dark.
He didn't think being resurrected alongside his brother was anything good.
"It's me, Monkey—Hiruzen Sarutobi!"
Hiruzen, with tears in his eyes, stepped into the room. He glanced at Danzo, his heart filled with emotion.
"They're back… all of them are back!"
"Hiruzen." Tobirama's cold gaze fell on his disciples, showing no joy at their reunion. His voice was low and steady: "Tell me—what trouble has Konoha gotten into?"
Hiruzen, Danzo, and Koharu froze, exchanging glances.
"Hiruzen, you're the Hokage. You explain," Danzo said disdainfully.
In his view, Hiruzen had stolen the spotlight back when Tobirama sacrificed himself for them.
Now that Konoha was in this state, Hiruzen should bear the brunt of the blame.
"…," Hiruzen sighed repeatedly. Knowing he couldn't avoid it, he quickly recounted the events—from the Nine-Tails' attack, to the Uchiha clan's downfall, to Konoha's current collapse.
They had suspected the Uchiha's disloyalty ever since the Nine-Tails incident.
As he spoke, the ground above the Root base trembled continuously.
When he finished, Danzo and Koharu both lowered their heads.
Not one of the three dared breathe loudly.
"As expected… the Uchiha are evil by nature!"
Tobirama's voice was cold as ice.
"What? That Nine-Tails thing can actually kill a Hokage?" Hashirama asked in surprise.
The three—Hiruzen, Danzo, and Koharu—were speechless.
"Big brother, that's not the point," Tobirama said sternly. "So, Konoha has completely fallen?"
"Y-yes…" Hiruzen replied in a weak voice.
The words had barely left his mouth when—
"A bunch of useless trash!"
Tobirama stepped forward and delivered a heavy kick to Hiruzen Sarutobi's stomach.
The Konoha shinobi present were dumbfounded as they watched the elderly Third Hokage get sent flying, rolling twice along the ground.
"Uh…" Hiruzen felt a faint ache in his abdomen and his mood sank.
That kick… he deserved it.
Before Danzo could gloat, Tobirama turned and drove his knee into Danzo's stomach.
"Teac…her…" Danzo's face was full of shock. Even without the sensation of pain, he doubled over like a shrimp, unable to stand steady.
"Useless. I entrusted Konoha to you, and this is how you repay me?"
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