Chapter 544: Fighting the Edo Tensei
If he were truly facing six living Kage-level shinobi, Ishiro would have grabbed Akino Atsumi and fled by now.
Most of these shinobi had their own unique, powerful jutsu. Killing even one of them in a one-on-one fight was difficult, let alone fighting six at once. This was especially true with a monster like Hashirama Senju among them.
However, the six Kage facing Ishiro were Edo Tensei.
Unless the reanimated were like the Akatsuki members summoned in the original story, who willingly submitted to control and fought, they were simply incapable of using their full strength.
When the original Edo Tensei powerhouses fought the Allied Shinobi Forces, some of them actively revealed their own weaknesses, while others gave warnings before launching their ultimate attacks.
Every single one of them was holding back.
So, while the Edo Tensei had the trait of immortality, their weaknesses were also glaringly obvious.
Besides, that "immortality" might be a hassle for a normal person, but for Ishiro, it was simple.
Ishiro possessed one of the top-tier fuinjutsu levels in the world. Most importantly, his fuinjutsu was ranged and could be combined with his attacks.
Furthermore, Ishiro could sense from these six that their chakra was not as strong as it had been in life.
Jiraiya, Hanzō, Chiyo, and Pakura—Ishiro had seen all four of them when they were alive. These Edo Tensei versions were clearly weaker. Orochimaru probably hadn't perfected the jutsu yet.
Of the six, Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju were not new to this, having been summoned before. They just glanced around, and seeing that Orochimaru wasn't fighting a Konoha ninja, they remained silent.
Hanzō, however, was new. He turned and looked at Orochimaru behind him, but he didn't recognize him in Akira Hyūga's body.
Orochimaru thoughtfully gave Hanzō a hint—he licked his lips.
Hanzō frowned. "Are you one of the Sannin, Orochimaru?"
Orochimaru chuckled. "I was given the name 'Sannin' by you, senpai. How could you forget me?"
Hanzō said no more. He had only given them that title when they were young to be nasty. He never expected to be controlled by one of them after his death.
Nearby, Chiyo and Pakura looked at each other, both pained.
Pakura said, "Granny, I have failed you."
Chiyo sighed. "Pakura, how did you die?"
Pakura replied, "I also died at the hands of Iwa."
The two looked at each other again, both worried about Sunagakure's current state.
Ishiro, floating in the air, helpfully interjected, "Chiyo-san, your grandson, Sasori of the Red Sand, killed the Fourth Kazekage. Suna has no Kage now. It has been delisted from the ranks of the Great Shinobi Villages."
Chiyo was stunned. "Scorpion? He killed another Kazekage?"
Ishiro ignored her. In the original story, Sasori was even worse, having been responsible for the deaths of three Kazekage. If Chiyo hadn't revived Gaara, that version of Suna wouldn't have been much better off.
At this moment, Jiraiya, who had been silent, spoke to Orochimaru. "Orochimaru, how is Konoha?"
Orochimaru didn't answer. Ishiro cut in with a laugh, "Jiraiya-senpai! Long time no see! Don't worry, Konoha is doing much better than Suna. It's thriving! After you died, Konoha went through the era of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze; the Fifth, Tsunade Senju; the Sixth, Danzō Shimura; and now we're in the era of the Seventh Hokage, Kakashi Hatake."
Hashirama Senju paused. "Tsunade? She became Hokage?"
Tobirama Senju frowned and muttered, "Danzō?"
Jiraiya's expression was grim. He looked at Ishiro. "You don't look much older than when I died. Not much time must have passed. Why have there been so many Hokage? And what happened to the old man, Minato, and Tsunade?"
He directed this last question to Orochimaru.
But Ishiro didn't give Orochimaru time to speak. "Alright, nostalgia hour is over!"
With that, Ishiro's smile vanished. His hands flew through seals, and one Light Release jutsu after another smashed down on the group, while a massive amount of porcelain mud generated from thin air.
Below, Tobirama Senju glanced at Ishiro's jutsu, his expression grave. He muttered, "A Kekkai Tōta?"
He paused, then added, "A... fully fused Kekkai Tōta. How is that possible?"
He glanced at his older brother, Hashirama. Wood Release was on the level of a Kekkai Tōta, and his brother was one who had fully fused it with himself.
Faced with Ishiro's Light Release, the six only dodged instinctively. Not one of them launched a counter-attack.
Orochimaru, controlling them, sighed. "It seems the greatest weakness of Edo Tensei is the inability to directly control the deceased's will."
Thinking this, Orochimaru's hands formed a seal. The next moment, the six figures, who had been relatively lifelike, became dull and listless.
Orochimaru had suppressed their consciousness and taken direct control.
Ishiro wasn't surprised. Even though he had been enemies with most of these six in life, they were still Kage. They wouldn't submit to Orochimaru's control so easily.
Seeing this, a smile touched Ishiro's lips. His hands formed a cross. The next second, a thick blue beam shot toward the six.
Orochimaru was shocked. He recognized the jutsu: Light Release: Atomic Dismantling Jutsu.
He wanted to stop it, but he had just taken control of the six bodies and hadn't fully adapted. His reaction was too slow.
Moreover, Ishiro's casting speed for the jutsu was far too fast, completely different from what he remembered.
Orochimaru suddenly recalled Tobirama's words—a fully fused Kekkai Tōta—and he vaguely understood.
Orochimaru's mind raced. Though he had lost the initiative, he was quick to recover, immediately controlling the six to dodge with the Body Flicker Technique.
At the same time, he himself retreated a good distance. The Edo Tensei could revive indefinitely, but he could not. He retreated even further. With the Byakugan, he could grasp the battlefield situation at any time.
The next moment, a massive explosion roared. A blinding blue light covered the entire area.
Orochimaru frowned. The blue light was filled with dispersed Light Release chakra. Even with his Byakugan, his vision was impaired. As for the six Edo Tensei, who had no dōjutsu, their vision was completely obscured.
Orochimaru focused, observing. The next instant, he knew this was bad.
Although he couldn't see clearly, his experience told him that Ishiro was targeting Chiyo. The light chakra interference was strongest in her direction.
Sure enough, when the blast subsided, Orochimaru saw that Ishiro had used the explosion as cover to send a mass of porcelain mud to Chiyo's location.
Orochimaru reacted instantly, controlling Chiyo to dodge while sending the other five to rescue her.
Chiyo was a puppet master, but she had no puppets on her. She was the weakest of the group.
For this reason, Orochimaru's first instinct was to make her dodge.
But the next moment, Orochimaru's expression changed. He suddenly felt Chiyo wasn't responding properly to his control.
He reacted quickly. "A gravity jutsu!"
That's right. Ishiro, in the air, had used Banshō Ten'in (Universal Pull) on Chiyo as she tried to dodge the mud.
Although Chiyo's own resistance kept her from being pulled all the way into the air, her dodge was interrupted. The attack had bought time for the porcelain.
The next instant, long, thin porcelain spears pierced Chiyo's body.
At this time, Hashirama Senju already had his hands clasped, using Wood Release. But his sea of trees hadn't yet reached Chiyo.
As for Tobirama Senju, Jiraiya, and Pakura, their ninjutsu hadn't even formed; they were still in the middle of their hand seals.
The last one, Hanzō, was a close-combat type. He was still en route.
In the air, Ishiro's one hand was still aimed at Chiyo, holding the pull. His other hand aimed at the rapidly spreading sea of trees and barked, "Shinra Tensei!"
Instantly, the advance of the trees was halted. In that brief moment, the rock spears impaling Chiyo dissolved into mud and completely enveloped her.
Through his Byakugan, Orochimaru could see dense fuinjutsu runes within the mud. The runes swirled rapidly and then locked into place.
In the next instant, Orochimaru felt the connection he had to Chiyo through the Edo Tensei sever completely.
He pondered for a moment, then reacted, whispering, "A soul-sealing fuinjutsu. Impressive!"
Ishiro quickly controlled the porcelain to lift the sealed Chiyo into the air, dodging the jutsus from Tobirama's group.
In a single exchange, Orochimaru had lost one Kage. Although Chiyo was the weakest of the group, being outplayed so easily still made Orochimaru lose face.
This was Ishiro's first time fighting Edo Tensei. In one round, he had already identified a weakness.
Orochimaru, as the controller, could make the reanimations use their jutsus, but his proficiency with them was far from enough. For example, if the real Chiyo had been there, she would have been able to use her puppets to block Ishiro's first wave of attacks.
Perhaps she still would have been sealed in the end, but it wouldn't have been this easy.
Orochimaru, after all, was not a puppet master.
The battle didn't stop.
The trees continued to grow wildly, with vines lashing out toward Ishiro.
At the same time, Tobirama Senju continuously threw kunai at Ishiro. Ishiro didn't need to look to know they were marked with Hiraishin (Flying Thunder God) seals.
Hanzō was rapidly approaching Tobirama.
Pakura and Jiraiya relentlessly cast ninjutsu, dispersing Ishiro's gathering porcelain mud.
Ishiro couldn't gather the mud to defend against Hashirama's vines, nor could he stop Tobirama's kunai. He was forced to dodge continuously.
Luckily, his hand-seal speed was fast enough. He constantly launched Light Release jutsus to interfere with their attacks, significantly slowing their assault.
After a moment of this exchange, Tobirama Senju—and Hanzō, who had been waiting by his side—suddenly vanished from Ishiro's senses.
Ishiro didn't panic. He immediately focused his attention on the Hiraishin kunai in the air.
Sure enough, with almost no time lag, he caught sight of the two appearing in mid-air.
The moment they appeared, Hanzō kicked off Tobirama's body, launching himself at Ishiro like an arrow.
As for Tobirama, who had been kicked, he flickered and vanished, reappearing at his original position on the ground.
This time, Tobirama didn't throw any more kunai. He just waited, as if anticipating an opportunity.
Facing the rapidly approaching Hanzō, Ishiro remained calm. His close-combat skills were poor, but that didn't mean he was finished if Hanzō got close.
Ishiro rapidly generated a large amount of porcelain mud to block Hanzō, while simultaneously forming a platform beneath his feet.
He had been flying with his Light-Heavy Boulder Jutsu, which was far more agile than the porcelain. Creating a platform now seemed abrupt.
Seeing this, Orochimaru, observing from the ground, frowned. He didn't understand Ishiro's intention.
The next moment, Hanzō tore through the hastily-made mud barrier.
Just as Hanzō was about to land his blow, Ishiro's body shifted on the porcelain platform at an impossible angle. Hanzō's full-power lunge hit nothing but air.
Orochimaru's brow twitched. This scene was familiar. His mind turned...
The first time they met, in Kirigakure, Orochimaru had ambushed Ishiro with a giant snake, and Ishiro had dodged in this exact same way.
Only this time, Ishiro's dodge was faster, the angle stranger, and he seemed to do it with ease.
Orochimaru sighed internally. "Impressive. All these strange techniques... how does he even develop them?"
His thoughts drifted to Tobirama Senju, who had also developed many bizarre forbidden jutsu.
"Perhaps they are the same kind of person," Orochimaru thought.
He was wrong. Many of Ishiro's techniques weren't his own; he just learned the results of his research-type disciples' work.
This unique evasion method was a special movement technique developed by Takumi. Ishiro, by combining it with his Light-Heavy Boulder Jutsu and Banshō Ten'in, could perform dodges that seemed impossible.
His attack having missed, Hanzō was now in mid-air with no way to turn. As for the porcelain platform Ishiro had used, Hanzō wouldn't dare use it as a foothold.
In an instant, he had gone from being the primary threat to a sitting duck.
Ishiro's right hand was hidden in his sleeve. His left hand formed a one-handed seal, preparing a Light Release jutsu to finish Hanzō.
But just then, Tobirama Senju suddenly reappeared at Hanzō's side.
Hanzō was ready. He kicked off Tobirama again, using the recoil to launch himself at Ishiro once more.
This time, they were much closer. Ishiro didn't even have time to form a platform.
But a smile touched Ishiro's lips. Orochimaru... I knew you'd do that.
When it came to understanding the Hiraishin, Ishiro, who had read countless fanfictions, was definitely ahead of Orochimaru.
Tobirama, having just been kicked away by Hanzō, suddenly felt something wrap around his leg.
He didn't look down; Orochimaru (through his Byakugan) already saw what had happened.
The porcelain platform that had been floating in the air had already dissolved back into mud. Ishiro had anticipated Tobirama's path, and the porcelain mud was waiting.
A large amount of mud had already wrapped around Tobirama's leg and was creeping upward.
Tobirama flickered, teleporting back to the ground. Then, with a flash of a blade, he severed his own leg—the one covered in porcelain.
It was an Edo Tensei body. A missing leg would regenerate quickly.
While Tobirama was dealing with the mud, Ishiro was dealing with Hanzō.
"Sage Art: Wind Release: Breakthrough!" Ishiro suddenly exhaled a blast of wind, smashing it head-on into Hanzō.
Orochimaru frowned. Ishiro's clothes had a barrier that blocked his Byakugan; he hadn't seen him gathering chakra in his mouth.
A C-rank Sage Art jutsu wasn't enough to stop Hanzō's charge, but it slowed him, buying Ishiro time for his next move.
Ishiro's one-handed Light Release was complete. It struck Hanzō, who was still fighting the wind.
The next moment, Orochimaru's expression changed. Ishiro's attack had just hit Hanzō's waist—the exact spot where Tobirama had placed his Hiraishin marker.
Just before the attack landed, Orochimaru had sensed Ishiro's intent. He wanted to stop him, but it was impossible.
The wood vines, Jiraiya's attacks, and Pakura's attacks were all being held back by a large barrier of porcelain mud.
Ishiro was multi-tasking. While dealing with Hanzō, he was also using porcelain to intercept the attacks from below. He was especially wary of the wood, which Hanzō could have used as a foothold.
Hanzō was alone in the air, slowed by the Wind Release, and unable to dodge. Tobirama was regenerating his leg and couldn't use Hiraishin.
Orochimaru could only watch as Ishiro's Light Release destroyed the Hiraishin marker on Hanzō's body.
The next moment, as Hanzō's Edo Tensei body was regenerating from the Light Release, Ishiro rushed forward.
The Light Release had been cast with his left hand. His right hand had been hidden in his sleeve.
Now, Ishiro thrust his right hand out, slapping it onto Hanzō's chest.
Instantly, a mass of fuinjutsu runes appeared, spreading over Hanzō's entire body.
But just as he finished, Ishiro's own expression changed. He sealed Hanzō and immediately leaped back, swallowing several antidote pills.
In the instant before the seal fully took hold, Orochimaru had somehow broken Hanzō's poison mask.
Hanzō's body was a sack of poison. With the mask broken, the toxins instantly spewed from his body.
Even though Ishiro reacted quickly, he was too close and had inhaled some.
Fortunately, Iwagakure's medical department was advanced, and their antidote pills were highly effective.
After taking them, Ishiro felt no discomfort.
Orochimaru cursed his luck. Almost. If Ishiro had inhaled just a little more, the battle would have been over.
At that moment, the attacks from Hashirama, Jiraiya, and Pakura finally broke through Ishiro's porcelain defense and shot toward him.
Ishiro smiled faintly. He dodged, and as he did, he used more porcelain to catch the now-sealed Hanzō, stopping his fall.
Breathing a small sigh of relief, Ishiro flew higher, giving himself some space.
The battle hadn't been long, but it was mentally taxing. Hanzō's repeated close-range attacks had been dangerous; one mistake and Ishiro would have been done for.
Just then, Orochimaru's voice drifted up from below. "Lord Tsuchikage is impressive. I just wonder if the ninja inside your barrier is as quick."
Hearing this, Ishiro's face changed. He immediately darted toward the barrier he had set up.
But Jiraiya, Pakura, and Hashirama immediately launched jutsus to intercept him.
At the same time, the regenerated Tobirama Senju vanished from Ishiro's senses once again.
The moment Tobirama vanished, Ishiro's "panicked" expression disappeared. He stopped his rush toward the barrier.
Orochimaru frowned. What? Is it a trap?
The barrier Ishiro had placed around the space-time passage blocked his Byakugan, so he couldn't see inside. He only knew Akino was there because Tobirama, using his Hiraishin senses, had detected one of his marked weapons inside.
Orochimaru quickly focused his attention on Tobirama's senses.
Through Tobirama's eyes, Orochimaru saw that he was now inside a large barrier.
In the center of the barrier sat a longsword, marked with Tobirama's Hiraishin seal.
Tobirama looked around. The barrier was surrounded by four Ishiros. One of them stood next to a female ninja.
That was Orochimaru's target. But she was currently holding a hand seal.
She nodded at the four Ishiros, who all formed seals in unison and shouted, "Seal!"
As they spoke, fuinjutsu runes erupted from the barrier, instantly swarming Tobirama and wrapping him up like a mummy.
Ishiro's trap was thorough. The runes were too fast. Tobirama had no time to escape before he was sealed.
Orochimaru had tried to make him teleport, but it was useless. The Hiraishin had failed.
He was shocked to find that, in that instant, the connection between Tobirama and all of his Hiraishin markers had been severed.
"A barrier... that blocks space-time ninjutsu?" Orochimaru (through Tobirama's eyes) said, staring at Akino Atsumi's hands.
(End of Chapter)
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