Tsunade was thoroughly enraged.
But Shen Mo, watching silently from the sidelines, was delighted.
As expected, Orochimaru had no chance against the current Tsunade without special tactics. At this stage, Orochimaru's trump card was undoubtedly Edo Tensei.
And the revived were none other than the First and Second Hokage, two supremely powerful figures.
Indeed.
Standing before Tsunade were her grandfather and great-uncle.
The First Hokage and the Second Hokage!
Their faces were ashen, etched with crack-like marks, their open eyes bearing black sclera, devoid of the vibrancy of the living.
This was the hallmark of those revived by Edo Tensei.
Shen Mo had plenty of experiments in mind for this jutsu.
But for now…
He adjusted to a more comfortable position.
He'd watch first.
Facing Tsunade's erupting fury, Orochimaru's smile widened, tinged with pleasure.
"Don't be so angry, Princess Tsunade," he said, his raspy voice carrying a hint of glee. "They're your family. Don't you want to see them again?"
As he spoke, he inserted two kunai bound with sealing tags into the backs of the revived Hokages' heads.
To control their consciousness.
He clearly had presen't intend to let the Hokages awaken their self-awareness.
Tsunade stared at the painfully familiar faces, her anger mixed with moistened eyes.
Grandfather…
Now!
Orochimaru waved his hand sharply, and the two expressionless, lifeless corpses charged at Tsunade!
They even threw kunai ahead of their assault.
Shen Mo, observing the battle's outbreak, thought for a moment, secured his room's door, and vanished in an instant.
When he reappeared, he was above the battlefield.
He wanted to investigate some information.
At that moment…
Though Tsunade was furious, facing her Edo Tensei-revived grandfather and great-uncle, she seemed unable to shake off her longing, merely defending against their attacks.
"What's wrong, Princess Tsunade?" Orochimaru taunted, swaying as he laughed loudly, his delight plain on his face. "Can't bear to strike? No matter how strong you've become, you're still the same as before!"
Tsunade said nothing.
She was strategizing.
Those revived by Edo Tensei wouldn't vanish unless the caster ended the jutsu, even if the caster was killed.
They'd persist in their current state.
Tsunade knew this and didn't want her deceased kin to endure such a torturous existence.
"Damn it!"
Tsunade gritted her teeth, finally swinging her cross with full force, sending the First Hokage flying, his chest caving in, nearly torn apart.
Such was her immense strength.
Of course—
This early version of Edo Tensei couldn't unleash the First and Second Hokages' full power.
Their strength, speed, and combat skills were far below their living selves.
Yet, wisps of dust gathered from the air.
Gradually repairing the damage.
"This is…" Tsunade's face darkened. "Immortality!"
The most terrifying aspect of Edo Tensei was its immortality and infinite chakra!
A near-bug-like ability, and the reason Shen Mo wanted to observe it firsthand.
At that moment…
Using a custom investigation service, Shen Mo had an epiphany.
"Whether it's infinite chakra or the body's regeneration, it's all drawn from the world through the jutsu's formula," he noted, reviewing the results with a disappointed shake of his head. "As expected, it's not tied to the soul itself, so it can't be used for trading."
It was like someone claiming the earth beneath their feet for a trade.
Impossible.
Even if they could use everything on it, the system's trading rules deemed the earth itself as not theirs.
As expected…
Exploiting a bug for infinite trading points was unlikely.
Shen Mo felt a pang of regret.
He naturally wanted clients to have more tradable assets—more profit for him.
"Orochimaru!"
Tsunade swung her cross, her speed surging even faster, charging at Orochimaru with earth-shaking momentum.
"End the jutsu! Or I'll kill you!"
At this point, her best plan was to capture Orochimaru and force him to dispel the jutsu.
Orochimaru kept his gleeful smile, not even dodging.
"Princess Tsunade, you're strong now, but have you forgotten your grandfather's abilities?"
As his words fell, the Second Hokage appeared before Orochimaru, hands flashing through seals.
Water Style: Water Formation Wall!
A cascading water wall sprayed from his mouth, swirling rapidly around them.
A 360-degree defense with no blind spots.
He even began layering a second, then a third.
"Impressive," Orochimaru's awed voice came from within the cascade. "I've never heard of such a Water Formation Wall. Worthy of the Second Hokage—fewer seals, yet greater power."
"Damn it!" Tsunade gritted her teeth.
With the infinite chakra of an Edo Tensei body, the Second Hokage could maintain maximum defense indefinitely.
She had to go all out!
Tsunade drew a slender silver needle, piercing her chest, then two more into her head.
These were from the Nine-Turn Acupuncture technique, obtained from a Level 2 can.
Meant to unlock a patient's potential…
Now used on herself, a surge of immense power and exhilaration flooded her body.
Like rising tides.
Each wave stronger than the last!
Tsunade raised her cross, channeling Holy Light and activating Judgment again.
The cross blazed with divine radiance.
"Break!"
She roared, her arm muscles tensing, and with her full strength, she smashed into the swirling water wall.
The collision sparked a massive white mist.
The first layer—shattered!
Then the second, the third!
Amid the water's roar and the air's wail, Tsunade's strike broke through the enhanced jutsu head-on.
"Impossible!" Orochimaru shouted, disbelief in his voice.
This was the Second Hokage's improved, infinite-chakra-fueled defense jutsu.
But no matter his thoughts…
Tsunade's cross, radiant with Holy Light and unstoppable wind pressure, sent the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, flying, then charged toward Orochimaru!