Hiruzen Sarutobi was despairing!
This had been his last gambit, yet it still ended in failure.
There was no other way!
Uchiha Jin was simply too troublesome; not only could he not be overpowered in strength, even in political scheming he had lost miserably.
"Orochimaru, begin."
After a soft sigh, Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke helplessly.
Indeed!
More words were pointless; in the end, only force would decide.
As for that…
Orochimaru's eyes were deep and dark. Gazing at Uchiha Jin not far away, he couldn't help licking his lips.
This was his first time meeting Uchiha Jin, but hearing the words the man had spoken made him sigh at how unlucky his teacher was—to run into such an all-round difficult Uchiha.
His loss had been no injustice!
Yet the look he gave Uchiha Jin remained filled with greed; after all, craving immortality and the acquisition of all knowledge, he truly envied the Uchiha's top-tier Bloodline Limit.
Especially the strongest of them, Jin—he really wanted to tie him to an experiment table!
However…
He knew this idea… wasn't very reliable!
So, shifting his gaze, he simply brought his palms together.
Immediately…
Rows of coffins rose from the ground. With a series of bangs, the lids crashed down one after another, and one Edo powerhouse after another stepped out.
Every pair of eyes was clouded with bewilderment.
"I—I died, didn't I?"
"Where is this? Looks like Konoha?"
"Edo Tensei? Tobirama, this is your fault!"
"Shut it, big brother!"
"…"
Countless Edo strongmen began to speak up.
Still…
They quickly sensed something amiss and started sizing up the current situation.
As for that…
Orochimaru wasted no words on them; instead he stared curiously at Uchiha Jin.
"Lord Jin, greetings!"
"I never imagined that since our parting on the Battle of Kikyo Mountain, you've become a Kage!"
"I'm truly curious about you, Lord Jin."
"This Edo Tensei is my strongest technique—please savor it."
"Oh, right!"
"Allow me a brief introduction: this is my perfected version, refined over more than two years from the incomplete one left by Lord Second Tobirama."
"Ever since I learned of your might, I dropped every other project and spent those two years solely on perfecting this jutsu."
"Now, with a Jonin-level sacrifice, Edo Tensei can unleash roughly eighty percent of the resurrected shinobi's prime strength. Even without erasing their minds, I can issue simple orders and compel obedience."
"It's not fine-tuned, but more than enough for me!"
"Of course…"
"Given that Edo Tensei is Lord Tobirama's invention, the Second Hokage might know the release seals, so I modified that node—Lord Jin needn't worry about Tobirama wresting control."
"So, next…"
"Let me enjoy your performance. Begin!"
A wicked smile still curled Orochimaru's lips.
With that…
He quietly stepped back and gestured 'after you' toward Uchiha Jin.
As if… Uchiha Jin were a circus monkey, while Orochimaru himself was the spectator in the stands.
Meanwhile…
Uchiha Jin narrowed his eyes.
He was indeed shocked by Orochimaru's words. He had assumed that at this point Orochimaru's improvements to the jutsu would be minor; he never expected his own sudden rise would drive Orochimaru to abandon all other research and spend two whole years perfecting Edo Tensei.
From the sound of it, the Edo Tensei he faced today was very likely the fully perfected version Yakushi Kabuto would complete during the Fourth War!
Frankly, it caught him completely off guard.
He had been looking at things with outdated eyes!
Who would have thought the flap of his butterfly wings would make Orochimaru finish the jutsu ahead of schedule?
Perhaps in the original work it was Kabuto who perfected it, but he readily admitted Orochimaru's genius—what Kabuto could do, Orochimaru certainly could as well.
Things were about to get troublesome!
He had thought he would be fighting a group of mindless Edo puppets, yet now he had to face Edo strongmen who retained their intellect while still obeying Orochimaru… "Monkey, answer me!"
"What's going on here?"
"Is that fellow over there an enemy of the Village? Why do I sense they're all our clansmen?"
"And isn't that little Tsunade? Why's she on the enemy side?"
Senju Tobirama's eyes were icy.
Though he knew no details, he instantly sensed something wrong.
As for that…
Senju Hashirama finally caught on: "Little Tsunade, why are you over there with the enemy?"
"Grandpa, you…"—Tsunade had a headache.
Seeing her family delighted her, but this situation gave her no joy.
Moreover…
her grandpa's 'idiocy' made her feel utterly embarrassed.
"Little Tsunade, come back here!"
"And that young Uchiha beside you—why are you two on the enemy side?"
"Hurry over!"
Senju Hashirama beamed.
He kept beckoning Tsunade and Uchiha Jin to come over; recognizing Hiruzen Sarutobi as Tobirama's pupil, he instinctively assumed Uchiha Jin's group were the foes.
Of course…
He didn't think deeply!
He simply believed Tsunade and Uchiha Jin were standing on the wrong side!
"Big brother, shut up!"
Unable to bear it, Senju Tobirama cursed Hashirama, then shouted to Tsunade, "Why are you standing with that vile Uchiha?"
"Second Grandpa, sorry!" Tsunade could only say, "It's complicated; too much to explain."
"All you need to know is that not just I, but every villager and every Ninja Clan in Konoha has chosen to side with the Uchiha."
"You only need to know that your old student Hiruzen Sarutobi has acted so outrageously that everyone would rather join the Uchiha than deal with that bastard."
"In short…"
"From now on, we're complete enemies!"
"But don't worry, Second Grandpa."
"I'll definitely seal you and send you back to the Pure Land to rest in peace!"