V2.C4. Invasion III – Hokage Battle Royale

Chapter 4: The Invasion III – Hokage Battle Royale

The inferno from Hiruzen's three-element combination gradually faded.

Smoke drifted across the rooftop, thick and grey, obscuring both combatants in a veil of ash and heat. Pieces of shattered roof tile and hardened mud lay scattered across the battlefield like the remains of a collapsed structure. The air was still hot from the flames, shimmering with residual heat that made the distant barrier waver in and out of focus.

Standing within the smoke, Orochimaru let out a quiet chuckle.

His expression was calm, almost entertained. Rather than appearing injured, he looked as though Hiruzen had merely confirmed what he already believed. That his former teacher was still worthy of respect, but no longer capable of defeating him through conventional ninjutsu.

Hiruzen narrowed his eyes. He did not lower his guard for even a second. He knew Orochimaru well enough to expect something far worse.

Orochimaru slowly raised his left hand. His smile widened.

"Now, Sensei..." His voice was soft, almost gentle. "...let me show you something interesting."

Without another word, he bit deeply into the thumb of his right hand. Blood immediately welled from the wound. He allowed several drops to coat his thumb before rapidly weaving a sequence of hand seals. The speed was impressive, but not frantic. Every movement was deliberate.

When the final seal was complete, Orochimaru slammed his blood-covered palm onto the rooftop.

"Reanimation Jutsu!"

The impact sent black sealing formulas spreading outward across the roof like cracks racing through stone. The symbols rapidly formed three large rectangular outlines directly in front of Orochimaru.

For a brief moment, nothing happened.

Then the rooftop trembled.

With a deafening rumble, the first wooden coffin erupted upward from beneath the rooftop. It rose vertically through the stone as though the roof itself offered no resistance. The front of the coffin bore a single large kanji:

"First."

Hiruzen's eyes immediately widened. His breathing caught. He instantly understood what Orochimaru intended.

Before he could react, a second coffin burst from the rooftop beside the first. This one bore the character:

"Second."

Hiruzen's expression became even more serious. The First Hokage. The Second Hokage. His predecessors. His teachers. The two greatest shinobi in the history of the Hidden Leaf. Even before seeing who was inside, Hiruzen already knew.

Orochimaru was attempting to summon the dead.

Then a third sealing pattern glowed. Another rumble echoed across the rooftop. A third coffin began forcing its way upward from beneath the stone. The kanji on its face read:

"Fourth."

For the first time since the battle began, real urgency appeared on Hiruzen's face. He immediately realized what Orochimaru was trying to do. If the Fourth Hokage was summoned alongside the First and Second, even Hiruzen knew victory might become impossible.

Without hesitation, he threw shuriken at the coffins, then threw both hands into a rapid series of hand seals. There was no time for another elemental attack. No time for strategy. Only interruption.

He channeled chakra directly toward the emerging third coffin. The coffin shuddered violently. Instead of continuing upward, it began to shake in place. Cracks spread through the wood. The summoning destabilized.

Orochimaru noticed immediately. His confident smile faded for only an instant. The third coffin struggled to rise. For several seconds, the two shinobi were effectively locked in a contest of chakra.

Then the third coffin abruptly stopped moving. Its summoning failed. The coffin sank back beneath the rooftop, disappearing completely.

Orochimaru clicked his tongue in annoyance. "So... you managed to stop one."

The Fourth Hokage was never summoned.

The first two coffins continued rising uninterrupted. They came to a stop standing side by side before Orochimaru. For several moments, nothing moved.

Then both coffin doors creaked open. A dense cloud of dust spilled outward. Inside each coffin stood a human body. Their skin was pale. Their eyes were closed. Their bodies appeared lifeless. Paper talismans were embedded in the backs of their heads, controlling the sacrifices used in the Reanimation Jutsu.

As the dust settled, Hiruzen stared silently.

Standing before him were the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, and the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju. The battle had just entered an entirely new phase.

The two coffins stood motionless. For a moment, the rooftop was eerily quiet. The doors slowly swung open with a deep wooden groan. Dust poured onto the rooftop. Standing inside were two men.

Their skin was unnaturally pale, almost grey. Their eyes remained closed. Their bodies were stiff, showing no signs of life. Each had a paper talisman embedded into the back of his head, the control seal that allowed Orochimaru to command them.

Hiruzen lowered his head slightly. His expression was filled with sorrow rather than fear.

"...Lord First... Lord Second..."

For a brief moment, he remembered the men who taught him everything he knew about being a shinobi.

But those memories vanished as Orochimaru began completing the technique.

Orochimaru casually walked forward. He reached behind each Hokage. With a practiced motion, he inserted a special control kunai carrying a sealing formula into the back of each reanimated body.

Immediately, both Hokage's eyes snapped open. Their pupils became focused. Chakra surged through their bodies. The cracks characteristic of the Reanimation Jutsu spread across their skin. The lifeless corpses suddenly became living weapons.

Hashirama slowly flexed his fingers. Tobirama turned his head from side to side, as if adjusting to his body. Neither appeared to have full free will.

Their personalities briefly surfaced.

Hashirama looked around the barrier. His voice carried confusion, the voice of a man who had been dead for decades and was now waking in a place he did not recognize.

"What is this place?"

Tobirama immediately noticed Hiruzen. His voice was sharp, the same sharpness he had carried in life.

"Hiruzen."

Then both noticed Orochimaru. Almost instantly, they understood. Their expressions hardened. They realized they had been summoned against their own village.

Orochimaru smiled. "I'm sorry, First... Second..." His voice was mockingly polite. "...but you'll be fighting for me."

The control seals fully took effect. Whatever resistance remained disappeared. Their faces became emotionless. They awaited commands.

Hiruzen exhaled slowly. His heart grew heavy. He was not simply fighting powerful enemies. He was being forced to fight the very men he had admired most.

He said quietly, "I never imagined I'd have to battle my own teachers..."

Even so, he assumed a fighting stance. His duty as Hokage outweighed his personal feelings.

Hashirama's voice came first. It was deep, resonant, carrying the weight of a man who had founded a village and shaped the world.

"Hiruzen. You are old."

The words were not cruel. They were simply a statement of fact. Hashirama looked at his former student with the same eyes he had used to look at children playing in the streets of the village he had built.

Tobirama crossed his arms. His voice was colder, more analytical. "You have not found a successor. That is... disappointing."

Hiruzen met their gazes. "I have not found anyone worthy of the title."

Tobirama's eyes narrowed. "Then you should have looked harder. The village is more important than your sentimentality, Hiruzen. You have always struggled with that."

Hashirama shook his head slowly. "The village is a tree, Hiruzen. It must grow. It must change. If you do not water it, it will wither. If you do not tend to it, it will die. And if you refuse to let someone else take the shovel..."

Hashirama paused. His eyes were sad. "The village will outlive you. It is your duty to prepare for that."

Hiruzen bowed his head slightly. "I understand, Lord First. But I could not—"

"You could," Hashirama said firmly. "You simply chose not to."

Orochimaru clapped his hands together slowly. The sound was mocking, deliberate.

"How touching," he said. "A reunion of the old guard. But we are not here for sentiment, Sensei. We are here to end the Leaf Village once and for all."

Hashirama turned his head toward Orochimaru. His voice was flat. "You. You are the one who brought us back."

"I am."

Hashirama's eyes narrowed. "You do not have the right to disturb the dead. You do not have the right to use us against our own village."

Orochimaru smiled. "I have every right. I have the power. That is the only right that matters."

Tobirama's voice was cold. "You will regret this."

"I doubt that very much."

Hashirama took a step forward. His body moved with the fluidity of a man who had not been dead for decades. "I will not fight Hiruzen. Whatever you have done to control me, I will resist it."

Orochimaru's smile did not waver. "You can try, First. But you are dead. You have no will of your own. You are a puppet."

Hashirama's jaw tightened. "A puppet has strings. I have... a memory."

He looked at Hiruzen. His eyes were sad but clear.

"Forgive me, Hiruzen. I cannot control what I do next."

The control seals pulsed. The moment passed. Hashirama's expression went blank.

Orochimaru gave the order.

"Kill him."

Immediately, both Hokage disappeared. Not slowly. Not with hesitation. One instant they were standing before Orochimaru. The next, they were gone.

Their speed was astonishing. Even Hiruzen had to react purely on instinct.

Tobirama attacked first. He appeared directly in front of Hiruzen with incredible speed. Without wasting a single movement, he swung a kunai at Hiruzen's throat.

Hiruzen barely blocked it with his own kunai. Steel crashed against steel. Sparks flew. The force of the impact pushed Hiruzen backward across the rooftop.

Before he could regain his footing, Hashirama arrived from Hiruzen's blind side. The First Hokage threw a heavy punch aimed directly at Hiruzen's ribs. Hiruzen twisted his body at the last possible moment. The punch missed by inches. Instead, it shattered part of the rooftop, sending broken tiles flying in every direction.

For the first time in the battle, Hiruzen was completely on the defensive.

Tobirama attacked with relentless precision. Every slash was aimed at a vital point. Every movement was efficient. Hashirama, by contrast, relied on overwhelming physical strength. Each punch and kick carried enough force to crack stone.

The two complemented each other perfectly.

Hiruzen blocked one strike, only to be forced to evade another. He could not afford to focus on one opponent. Doing so would expose him to the other.

Meanwhile, Orochimaru simply watched from a safe distance. His arms folded inside his sleeves. A satisfied smile spread across his face. His former teacher was finally being overwhelmed.

Realizing he could not survive prolonged close combat against two Hokage at once, Hiruzen suddenly leaped backward. As he retreated, he rapidly formed hand seals. He needed space. He needed a way to divide his opponents.

Most importantly, he needed a plan before the First and Second Hokage closed the distance again.

High above the battlefield, hidden in the shadows of a nearby rooftop, a yellow-haired boy watched.

Naruto had seen everything. The coffins rising from the roof. The First and Second Hokage stepping out of the dust. The battle that had begun between the Third and his predecessors.

An Anbu appeared beside him. His voice was sharp, professional.

"What are you doing here? You should be evacuating with the rest of the genin."

Naruto did not look at him. His eyes were fixed on the battle below.

"I will be alright," he said. "I couldn’t afford to miss this."

The Anbu was silent for a moment. Then he nodded. He understood.

---

Next Time: The Invasion IV

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