Inside the Chunin Exam arena, Minato used the Reaper Death Seal for the first time, catching Orochimaru completely off guard. Orochimaru was already anxious, but his panic intensified when he noticed Gamabunta and Katsuyu appearing outside the village walls.
Those two are back as well? Orochimaru was shocked. Who else could have summoned them?
"Damn it!" Orochimaru clenched his teeth, struggling to break free from Minato's grasp, but his body wouldn't move.
"Protect Lord Orochimaru!" The four Sound-nin, abandoning their fight with Shiro and the others, all rushed toward Minato Namikaze.
"Don't run!" Sasuke shouted, about to give chase, but Shiro quickly stopped him.
"Shiro, what are you doing…?" Sasuke's face was red with frustration.
"I know you're anxious, but don't worry," Shiro said calmly. "Let Konoha and Orochimaru fight amongst themselves. Don't forget our ultimate goal."
"And we're not just going to watch them fight," he added, a cold smile curling his lips. "We're going to add fuel to the fire." With that, he clasped his hands together and shouted, "Wood Style: Thorn Killing Jutsu!"
Several sharp, speeding vines suddenly shot out from beneath the feet of Minato and his two shadow clones. Minato had no time to react. The vines tightened instantly, and his two shadow clones burst into puffs of smoke.
"Oh no!" Hashirama and Tobirama Senju, who had been moments from being sealed, were now free. Minato's real body wasn't faring much better. The restrictive power of the Wood Style made it impossible for him to maintain his hold on Orochimaru. Seeing his chance, Orochimaru immediately opened his mouth, and a new, slime-covered Orochimaru slipped out, quickly slithering to safety.
"Hah… hah…" Orochimaru gasped for breath, looking at Minato with a mixture of fear and relief. "That was close. I could already see the God of Death, tsk tsk tsk…" As he spoke, he fixed his gaze on Shiro. He knew he had the Uchiha boy to thank for his salvation.
What on earth is this little guy thinking? Orochimaru couldn't understand why Shiro had saved him, but it no longer mattered. The most important thing now was to deal with the two Hokage before him. The destruction of Konoha was what he desired most, and it had to be done quickly, before Tsunade and Jiraiya could intervene.
With that in mind, Orochimaru waved his hand. Hashirama and Tobirama Senju reactivated, appearing on either side of Hiruzen in an instant.
"Summoning Jutsu!" Hiruzen was well-prepared. Monkey King Enma appeared in a cloud of smoke, sending Hashirama and Tobirama flying back with just two swift kicks.
"What is this?" Enma asked, looking at the chaotic scene around him. "What's going on? Is this another Great Ninja War?"
Hiruzen said with a wry smile, "It's come to this, and you're still in the mood to joke? Quickly, transform into the Adamantine Staff. Today, I'm cleaning house!"
From among the crowd, Enma spotted Orochimaru on the rooftop. "I see…" He understood now. All of this was most likely Orochimaru's doing.
"Hmph." Enma gave Hiruzen a cold look and snorted. "If you hadn't held back all those years ago, the village wouldn't be in such a dire state now."
Listening to Enma's ridicule, Hiruzen remained calm. "Don't worry. I won't be holding back today."
"Not only Orochimaru, but all of the Uchiha… I will take care of them all!"