Faced with his teacher's fury and interrogation, Orochimaru did not panic at all. Instead, he let out a low, pleased chuckle.
He raised his hand and gently touched the fine cracks on his cheek with his pale fingers, his movement as soft as caressing a lover's skin.
"Heh heh heh... Originally, I was going to wait a while and give you an even bigger 'surprise', Sensei. I didn't expect this mask still isn't perfect enough, and when I fully unleash my Chakra, these little flaws appear... But, since you've discovered them, Sensei..."
Orochimaru's voice carried a twisted pride and boastfulness.
He grabbed the edge of his pale, effeminate adult face and then slowly tore it downward!
Rip—
The human skin mask was completely torn off.
What was revealed was a youthful, delicate face, even carrying a trace of unspoiled boyishness!
Even more horrifying, as the mask was torn off, Orochimaru's body began to slowly shrink, like a deflating balloon!
The once well-fitting, magnificent Daimyo's robes became loose and baggy. He casually tore them off, revealing the tight black combat outfit and white robe underneath.
Within just a few seconds, the sinister and cunning 'Sannin Orochimaru' had disappeared, replaced by a thin 'youth' who looked no more than fourteen or fifteen years old, his eyes still carrying that bone-chilling, evil strangeness!
"Th-This...?!" Outside the barrier, Yamato, who had been intently watching the interior, froze in place, completely stunned the moment he saw Orochimaru's new appearance!
'Was this...'
'Returning to youth?!'
Inside the barrier, Hiruzen's pupils contracted violently, as if in an earthquake. The color drained from his face instantly.
He stared intently at this 'youth' before him, whose facial contours vaguely resembled Adult Orochimaru, both familiar and unfamiliar. His first reaction was that his darkest speculation had come true.
"You... you actually used [Living Corpse Reincarnation] to seize an innocent youth's body?! Orochimaru! You are... deserving of ten thousand deaths!!" Hiruzen's voice became hoarse from anger and heartache over his disciple's degeneration. The Chakra around him also became more furious due to his emotional agitation.
However, facing his teacher's rage and accusations, the youthful-looking Orochimaru seemed to hear the world's most ridiculous joke. He threw his head back and laughed unrestrainedly, full of mockery and pleasure:
"Hahaha... hahaha!!"
"Sensei! My dear sensei! Even you, known as the [Professor], didn't see it?"
"It seems... my technology is even more successful than I imagined!"
Orochimaru laughed for a good while before slowly stopping and wiping the corner of his eye.
"Look carefully, Sensei." Then, he spread his hands and slowly turned around in front of Hiruzen, as if displaying a perfect work of art, his tone full of smug satisfaction and almost manic boasting.
"This body isn't some innocent youth. It's a 'vessel' cloned in a cultivation tank using my own cell samples as a blueprint, incorporating Hashirama's cells and White Zetsu's cells, after countless failures and adjustments… the closest to perfection!"
'Clone?'
'Hashirama cells?'
'White Zetsu cells?'
As Hokage, Hiruzen naturally knew the theory of 'cloning technology' and some forbidden experiments, as well as the value and danger of the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama's, cells.
'No wonder the youth's face looked so familiar… it was Orochimaru at fourteen...'
Hiruzen's thoughts involuntarily drifted back to over thirty years ago, when he had just taken Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade as his disciples.
Back then, Orochimaru's eyes still held the innocence of youth and curiosity about the world. Although the Orochimaru before him had the body of a fourteen-year-old, those eyes could never return to being fourteen.
But then Hiruzen snapped out of it, remembering the 'White Zetsu's cells' Orochimaru had mentioned...
'What were those?'
Orochimaru licked his lips, his crimson snake eyes glimmering with excited light, and continued: "Unfortunately, to give you this surprise, Sensei, this body was activated early, before it could develop to its most perfect eighteen-year-old state."
"But... it should be more than enough to deal with you in your old age."
Hiruzen felt a chill shoot from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.
'How far had this disciple of mine gone on the path of pursuing forbidden power and immortality?'
'How many staggering technologies had Orochimaru mastered?'
However, Orochimaru's 'surprises' were clearly not over yet.
"But, Sensei, a surprise like that alone doesn't seem enough to match the occasion of our reunion as master and student after so long, nor is it enough to express my gratitude for your years of guidance."
The smile on Orochimaru's face grew wider and became increasingly dangerous.
He slowly stepped back a few paces, putting some distance between himself and Hiruzen. Then, his hands began forming hand seals with extreme proficiency.
Tiger – Snake – Dog – Dragon!
Seeing the order of these seals, Hiruzen's pupils contracted sharply once more!
'The order of these seals...'
'Could it be!!'
"So, I have specially prepared two special 'old friends' for you."
Orochimaru completed the final seal, suddenly pressing his palms together. Chakra surged like water through an opened dam, pouring into the roof beneath his feet!
"Edo Tensei!"
Rumble—!!
With Orochimaru's sharp cry, the broken glazed tiles and wooden structure before him seemed to turn into a water surface, beginning to violently ripple and bulge!
Then, two old, ancient, wooden coffins, emanating the aura of the dead, slowly rose from the ground!
On the coffin lids were written conspicuously two shocking characters.
[First]...
[Second]...
"No... impossible..." Hiruzen's body trembled uncontrollably. He staggered back half a step, his face completely drained of color, his eyes filled with disbelief, shock, and grief.
He looked at those two coffins, at those two characters, and faces, kind yet authoritative, appeared in his mind.
"Orochimaru! You—!" Hiruzen's voice was hoarse, almost breaking. He pointed at Orochimaru, his finger trembling violently.
"How many... how many forbidden techniques that defile the dead have you secretly researched over these years?! What exactly are you trying to do?!"
Outside the Four Violet Flames Formation, Yamato was completely stunned, his mind blank.
'First and Second.'
'Could it be that inside those coffins were...'
'No, impossible!'
'That kind of thing...'
Orochimaru paid no attention to his teacher's interrogation. He simply watched with a satisfied smile, enjoying Hiruzen's brilliant expression, a mix of shock, grief, and anger.
He lightly snapped his fingers.
Click...
Click...
The lids of the two coffins slowly tilted forward, crashing to the ground with a dull thud.
In the billowing dust, two figures slowly stepped out of the coffins.
The one on the left wore red layered armor over dark inner clothing. His long black hair floated gently behind him. His face was handsome and resolute, his brows carrying a natural authority as weighty as the earth.
Just standing there, he gave off a feeling of unwavering steadfastness like a giant tree, yet containing a boundless vitality.
The one on the right wore blue layered armor over a black tight-fitting suit. His white, hedgehog-like long hair, striking red facial markings on his face, and eyes sharp as a blade, carried an inherent calm and authority.
They were the founders of Konoha, revered as the [God of Ninja], the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama.
And his younger brother, the developer of countless forbidden techniques, the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama!
Moreover, unlike the relatively crude Edo Tensei that Orochimaru had mastered during this period in the original work, the Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama summoned now had more perfect [Edo Tensei bodies], more solid Chakra, and clearer eyes. Clearly, Orochimaru's mastery in this forbidden technique had reached a staggering level.
Looking at those two faces, so familiar they couldn't be more familiar, Hiruzen felt all his strength instantly drained, his vision growing dark.
He staggered, gasping heavily, barely able to stand steady.
"First Hokage-sama... Second Hokage-sama... my teachers..."
He murmured, as if in a dream, calling out the names of those two who had long passed away yet lived forever in his heart and the hearts of all Konoha's Ninja.
Hashirama looked around, his gaze sweeping over the ornate glazed tile roof beneath his feet, the silently burning purple flame barrier surrounding him, and finally landing on the giant arena below, which, like a destroyed ant nest, was filled with explosions, fires, and faint sounds of battle, as well as the rising smoke from the distant Konoha Village.
"Huh? This is...?" He tilted his head, a look of natural airheadedness appearing on his face, somewhat at odds with his identity.
"Do you even need to ask, Brother?" Tobirama slowly crossed his arms over his chest, his brow slightly furrowed, his voice carrying the authority of one long in power.
"No matter how you look at it, this is Konoha. And..." His gaze lingered for a moment on the rampaging purple three-headed giant snake in the distance and several points of explosion fire, his tone sinking.
"Clearly, it's suffering a large-scale, organized invasion. The situation looks very bad."
After speaking, his gaze shifted to the old man opposite, whose Chakra was raging but whose age and shock were hard to conceal, Hiruzen.
Tobirama's gray eyes held extremely complex emotions… a slight ripple of reunion after long separation, but more of a scrutiny of the current situation and a hint of subtle disappointment.
"Long time no see, Saru."
"But it seems you've run into... quite a big problem."
Just then, Hashirama also followed his brother's gaze and saw Hiruzen opposite.
"Oh! It's Saru!" A bright smile immediately appeared on his face, a smile that seemed to dispel some of the grave atmosphere inside the barrier.
"Long time no see! You've aged a lot too!" He waved vigorously, his voice resonant.
The familiarity in his tone made it seem as if they weren't separated by decades of life and death, but just an ordinary reunion.
However, this enthusiastic greeting, under the circumstances, only caused Hiruzen's heart more pain.
After greeting, Hashirama turned back and carefully examined the figure behind him… Orochimaru, whose lips held a strange smile and whose body had shrunk to that of a youth.
Although his appearance had changed somewhat, that face and that cold, sticky Chakra feeling still allowed Hashirama to recognize him.
"So... it has finally come to this? Orochimaru?" He rubbed his chin, a look of both realization and helplessness appearing on his face.
Hashirama's tone wasn't harsh, but rather a sigh of 'I knew it'.
Clearly, this was not the first time he had been summoned by Orochimaru in this form, and he had long anticipated what might happen.
After the initial shock, Hiruzen, looking at his two teachers, whose expressions and tones were exactly as he remembered, was filled with boundless shame, anger, and the anguish of having his faith trampled upon.
"First Hokage-sama, Second Hokage-sama, I am deeply sorry..." He forcibly endured the tumultuous emotions churning inside him and spoke to Hashirama and Tobirama.
"To have you two, who should be at peace, witness such a disgraceful sight of Konoha in this manner. This is all due to me, your unworthy disciple… poor teaching, poor governance."
His gaze swept behind the two Hokages, where Orochimaru stood leisurely, as if appreciating an exciting drama. His eyes were a mix of heartache and anger.
"This traitorous disciple is the mastermind behind this invasion of Konoha. Your disciple is incompetent. Not only did I fail to guide him back to the right path back then, but now I've allowed him to cause such a disaster, disturbing your rest and endangering the village's survival..."
He took all the responsibility upon himself, his tone grievous.
Before the two teachers who had founded Konoha's golden age and entrusted the village to him, having the enemy penetrate deep into Konoha and the Hokage himself trapped was undoubtedly the greatest dereliction of duty and humiliation.
Especially considering that during the governance of the First and Second Hokages, had Konoha ever allowed enemies to trample the village like this?
Upon hearing this, Hashirama's smile faded. He raised his hand and slapped his own forehead vigorously, producing a light 'smack', then let out a long, helpless sigh: "Ah... I knew it..."
"My worries back then... did happen after all..."
His sigh carried little blame for Hiruzen, but was more like a helplessness towards some unavoidable trend and causality.
"Brother, this is not the time for that!" Tobirama interrupted Hashirama's slightly sentimental sigh.
His sharp gaze relocked onto Hiruzen.
"Saru!" Tobirama's tone became serious: "Although I don't know what exactly the village has experienced since our deaths, some of your actions... are truly inappropriate."
"Especially regarding that matter with the Uchiha Clan."
Hiruzen's aged eyes widened, his heart stirred with shock and turmoil!
'The First and Second Hokages had died thirty or forty years ago. How could they know about the [Uchiha Massacre Night] that happened only six years ago?!'
'Had Orochimaru told them?'
Hiruzen's gaze instantly shot towards the youthful Orochimaru, who was now fully revealed after the coffins had sunk down.
Orochimaru's pleased smile was even more pronounced, his golden snake eyes glimmering with the light of a successful prank, but he didn't speak, just slightly tilted his head, as if saying: 'Continue, Sensei, the brilliant part is still to come.'
Tobirama ignored Hiruzen's drastically changed expression and continued speaking in that calm to the point of cold voice: "Tolerating, even acquiescing to the persecution and purge of the Uchiha, Saru... you went too far with this."
Hiruzen's body trembled. He opened his mouth to try to defend himself, but Tobirama raised his hand to stop him.
"I know the Uchiha's temperament… proud, prone to extremes. The power of the Sharingan also easily breeds darkness."
"During the Warring States Period, my two younger brothers, Kawarama and Itama, both died at the hands of Uchiha Ninja. I have absolutely no liking for that clan." Recalling the deaths of his two brothers, Tobirama's tone carried clear hatred.
"But even so, when Brother established Konoha with Uchiha Madara, and when I took charge of the village after Brother's passing, I never once thought about completely eradicating the Uchiha Clan or driving them out of the village!"
He paused, his gaze directly meeting Hiruzen's eyes: "I established the Military Police Force, entrusting the village's internal security and partial judicial authority to the Uchiha. While this certainly had the consideration of putting them in plain sight for easier monitoring, wasn't it also giving them honor, responsibility, attempting to integrate them into the village and make them true members of Konoha?"
"With power and responsibility integrated, this would be the beginning of the Uchiha forming bonds with the village."
"But what about you, Saru?" Tobirama's tone carried a hint of disappointment and interrogation: "Under your watch, the Military Police Force became a tool to alienate and isolate the Uchiha? The rift between the Uchiha and the village deepened day by day, eventually evolving into irreconcilable conflict."
"Leading to that tragic bloodbath? Is this your solution as Hokage? 'Dealing with' one of the founding clans of Konoha in such a cruel manner?"
"I..." Hiruzen was rendered speechless by his teacher's series of sharp, direct interrogations.
He wanted to say how complex the situation was back then, to mention the threat of the radical faction within the Uchiha, to mention the pressure from the other advisors and elders, to mention that he was trying to avoid a larger-scale civil war...
But all these reasons, in the face of Tobirama's knowing gaze, seemed so pale and weak, even like sophistry to shift blame.
Being so directly accused by his most respected, most revered teacher, especially concerning one of the most painful and controversial decisions of his political career, Hiruzen felt a heavy sense of helplessness and deep shame wash over him.
"I-I'm sorry... First Hokage-sama, Second Hokage-sama..." He staggered, barely steadying himself, lowered his head, his voice dry.
"At the time... I... I had no better way... I... I thought that would avoid greater sacrifices, that it would preserve the village's stability..."
His defense was weak and powerless, unable to convince even himself.
"Tobirama, calm down." Hashirama, seeing Hiruzen's utterly defeated, somewhat broken state, was ultimately soft-hearted.
He patted Tobirama's shoulder, trying to ease the atmosphere, forcing that slightly goofy, bright smile onto his face, which seemed particularly out of place under the circumstances.
"Let's discuss past matters slowly after solving the immediate problem. Right now, the most important thing is to figure out how to help Saru hold out until reinforcements arrive, and drive these invaders out first..."
"Brother! You still don't see it?!" Tobirama suddenly raised his voice, sharply interrupting his elder brother's attempt to mediate.
He turned to look at Hashirama, his sharp eyes now burning with clearly visible anger and helplessness at his brother's excessive naivety.
Tobirama extended his hand, pointing down at the arena below the barrier, which was still in chaos, filled with the sounds of explosions and battle. Then he pointed towards the multiple sources of fire in the distant Konoha Village and the directions from which the sounds of intense battle came.
"Where are the village's reinforcements? Where are the clan's private soldiers? Where are the main forces of the Anbu?"
Tobirama's voice was like ice picks, each word smashing against Hiruzen's already near-collapsing mental defenses.
"Brother, take a good look!"
"The invasion has been going on for quite some time. Fighting has broken out in multiple places in the village. Even the Hokage is trapped in a barrier!"
"Aside from those Anbu fighting each on their own and the nearby Ninja, where are Konoha's organized, large-scale support forces?"
Tobirama's speech grew faster, his analysis more incisive. Each sentence heavily hammered Hiruzen's heart, shattering the last unrealistic expectations he held.
"This can only mean one thing!"
"Saru!" Tobirama turned around, once again facing the pale-faced, distracted Hiruzen.
"You have lost the support of the people!"