Orochimaru's lips twisted into a grimace, and he quickly backpedaled several steps!
Honestly, while Orochimaru was no slouch in a fight, he knew he didn't stand a chance against the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, in his prime!
He was all too aware of just how terrifying his teacher had been in his younger days…
Sweat beaded on Orochimaru's forehead as he felt the overwhelming aura bursting from Sarutobi.
"Teacher… this is how you repay kindness with betrayal?!"
Sarutobi let out a cold snort, his hands never pausing as he formed seals.
"Hmph!!! Summoning Jutsu! Ape King!!!"
Hirofumi Ito, watching from the sidelines, suddenly had an idea and shouted out, "Third Hokage! You're in your prime now, so calling it 'Ape King' sounds a bit lame, don't you think? How about Ape God instead?!"
Sarutobi's eyes lit up at the suggestion.
Ape God did sound way cooler than Ape King!
With that thought, Sarutobi slammed his hand onto the ground.
"Ape God! Activate!!!"
Boom!!!
A massive gorilla appeared in the summoning circle with a loud thud.
"Sarutobi! What's the deal calling me out here?!
And what did you just call me?!
I'm Ape King, aren't I?!
What's this Ape God, Activate nonsense?!"
The gorilla turned to look at Sarutobi and nearly jumped out of its skin!
"Holy—!!! Sarutobi! How'd you get young again?!"
"Ape God, I'll explain later! Right now, I need to teach my no-good student a lesson! Transform into the Adamantine Staff!!!"
"Oh, got it!!! But, gotta say, Ape God does have a nice ring to it! Heh, from now on, I'm Ape God!"
…
And so, the crowd gathered to watch the Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen pummel Orochimaru.
Orochimaru was no match for him. Even the elderly Sarutobi had been a tough opponent, but Sarutobi in his prime? Forget it!
At first, neither used ninjutsu. Sarutobi wielded the Adamantine Staff, while Orochimaru brandished his Kusanagi Sword. But Orochimaru wasn't exactly a sword master, so he was completely outclassed, getting beaten back by Sarutobi's relentless attacks!
All he could do was dodge like crazy and throw out ninjutsu to hold his ground.
That's when Sarutobi started unleashing his own techniques…
"Earth Style: Mud Dragon Bullet Jutsu!!!"
Sarutobi opened with one of his signature moves. The ground rumbled as a massive dragon made of mud and stone erupted from the earth, charging at Orochimaru with bared fangs.
Orochimaru's hands flew through seals in response.
"Water Style: Great Waterfall Jutsu!"
Instantly, a towering wall of water formed in front of him, blocking the mud dragon's assault!
The clash of water and earth kicked up a storm of mist and mud…
"Teacher, your Mud Dragon is as ferocious as ever, but if you think a jutsu like that's enough to take me down, you're dreaming!!!"
"Heh! Is that so?! Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!!!"
This time, Orochimaru couldn't dodge in time and was hit by the blazing dragon—but poof! The Orochimaru that got struck dissolved into a cloud of smoke!
It was just a clone…
"Traitorous student!!! You're quick to run!!!"
"Jie jie jie jie jie… Teacher, I have to be quick! Your ninjutsu packs quite a punch!"
Sarutobi's blood boiled at Orochimaru's smug, mocking grin.
"You traitor!!! Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
In an instant, four Sarutobi clones appeared beside the original!
"Five Elements: Great Barrage Jutsu!!!"
All five Sarutobis unleashed different elemental ninjutsu at once!
Orochimaru's eyes twitched wildly at the sight.
"Damn it!!! Teacher, you're really trying to kill me?! Summoning Jutsu: Triple Rashomon!!!"
Boom!!!
The Five Elements Barrage slammed into the three Rashomon gates, shattering them completely. But the gates absorbed most of the attack's power, allowing Orochimaru to slip away with ease!
"Heh!!! Traitor! How's your teacher's ninjutsu now?!"
Orochimaru let out a creepy chuckle.
"Jie jie jie… Teacher, you keep calling me a traitor, like you're not one yourself?!
What goes around comes around!
Teacher, I'm done playing with you—after all, plenty of people here want a piece of you!
Jie jie jie jie jie…"
With that, Orochimaru vanished with a Body Flicker, swiftly exiting the fight.
He knew he wasn't exactly a combat specialist, so it was time to let his teacher take the spotlight!
Sarutobi's gut twisted with a bad feeling.
Swallowing hard, he glanced behind him—and there stood his own teacher, the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju!
"Traitor!!!"
"Heh heh… Teacher…"
"Shut up, traitor! Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu!!!"
Seeing his teacher attack without hesitation, Sarutobi hurriedly formed seals to counter.
"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!!!"
A fire dragon and a water dragon collided midair with a deafening boom!!!
The two canceled each other out, erupting into a thick cloud of steam…
"Traitor!!! I'm disciplining you, and you dare dodge?! Flying Thunder God Jutsu!!!"
Whoosh!!!
Tobirama appeared behind Sarutobi in a flash…
"Water Style: Who Built the Dam Jutsu!!!"
"Teacher!!! Are you trying to kill me?!"
Sarutobi's panicked shout rang out. From a distance, Orochimaru couldn't shake the feeling that those words sounded oddly familiar…
Meanwhile, Hirofumi Ito had set up a massive spread of all sorts of delicious food, calling everyone in the summoning space to join. They munched on snacks while watching Tobirama beat the snot out of Sarutobi.
Sitting next to Madara Uchiha, Hirofumi was muttering something under his breath…
Madara glanced at him curiously.
"Hey, kid, what're you mumbling about?!"
"Huh? Oh, nothing… just some freestyle rap."
Hashirama Senju leaned in, intrigued.
"What's freestyle rap? Is it as good as my rendition of 'Seek the Buddha'? Come on, let's hear it!"
"Alright… Blade! Fury slashes the traitor! Man! Roaming the ninja world…"
After a few lines, Hashirama lost interest.
"What's that nonsense? It's nowhere near as good as my 'Seek the Buddha'!
'Can we meet again~'"
Thud!!!
Just then, Sarutobi came flying through the air, courtesy of a brutal hit from Tobirama!
He crashed a few meters away.
Hashirama, still humming his song, quickly caught Sarutobi with a deft hand.
"Little Monkey! You okay?!"