Despair gripped Hiruzen as he beheld his predecessors, particularly the sight of Minato, the esteemed Fourth Hokage. His gaze shifted to Orochimaru, whose expression was one of malicious delight, and then to the Kazekage, who maintained a facade of stoicism amidst the turmoil that surrounded them.
Without warning, Minato was the first to move, faster than lightning, his iconic Flying Thunder God technique teleporting him behind Hiruzen in an instant. With barely a moment to spare, the Third Hokage whirled around, using Enma in his staff form to deflect a kunai targeting his neck. The impact of the deflection resonated through the air as a shockwave, yet Hiruzen remained unshaken.
As he pushed Minato back, Hiruzen's senses flared, and he leaped into the air, narrowly avoiding a barrage of Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu from Tobirama. Simultaneously, Hashirama clapped his hands together, his chakra surging as he summoned massive wooden constructs, their branches extending toward Hiruzen like the claws of a giant beast.
As Hiruzen struggled to fend off the overwhelming assault from Hashirama's Wood Style, a sudden, powerful force crashed into the arena. Tsunade, in a blur of speed and strength, landed beside Hiruzen with a thunderous impact. Her arrival shattered the wooden constructs, splintering them into nothing but debris.
"Tsunade!" Hiruzen exclaimed, his voice filled with both relief and urgency.
"Sensei, I couldn't let you face them alone," Tsunade replied, her fierce gaze locking onto the resurrected Hokage. "We'll take them down together."
Minato threw several marked kunai toward Tsunade, each one a potential teleportation point. Tobirama followed up with another Water Dragon Jutsu, the serpentine water formation snaking through the air toward them.
Hiruzen expertly deflected Minato's kunai with a flurry of his own, ensuring that the Fourth Hokage wouldn't have an easy target. Tsunade, with her superior agility, nimbly evaded the Water Dragon, leaping from spot to spot as the water serpent carved paths through the earth where she had stood moments before.
Meanwhile, Hiruzen faced Hashirama's relentless assault. Wielding Enma in its staff form, he extended and retracted it with precision, smashing the wooden constructs before they could reach him. But Hashirama's chakra was seemingly endless, and he quickly formed a series of hand signs. The ground beneath Hiruzen erupted with even more wooden tendrils, this time thicker and faster. Before Hiruzen could react, Tsunade appeared in front of him, her fists glowing with chakra. She brought them down with immense force, obliterating the tendrils and creating a shockwave that momentarily pushed Hashirama back.
"We can't keep this up forever, Sensei," Tsunade said, breathing heavily. "We need to take the fight to them."
Hiruzen nodded, determination hardening his resolve. He began preparing the Reaper Death Seal, knowing it might be the only way to end this. But his focus was drawn to the far side of the arena, where Jiraiya and Gamabunta were being smashed around by a barrage of attacks.
Jiraiya steadied himself, wiping a trickle of blood from his mouth as he rose to his feet. Gamabunta grunted as he also struggled to stand, the impact of the attack evident in the deep gashes on his body. Flames of Fiendfyre spread around Sasuke's broken Susanoo. He looked at Jiraiya with an air of superiority, as if the outcome of the battle was already decided.
Sasuke controlled the flames of Fiendfyre, each one taking the shape of a terrifying animal as they began converging on Jiraiya and Gamabunta from all sides.
"Gamabunta, we've got to move!" Jiraiya shouted, his voice laced with urgency.
Gamabunta leaped high into the air, avoiding the flames by mere inches. However, the flames followed, relentless in their pursuit. Jiraiya quickly formed hand signs, summoning a powerful gust of wind to push the flames back. "Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
The wind clashed with the flames but to no avail. As Gamabunta landed outside of the arena, Jiraiya knew they needed to change tactics. "Gamabunta, we need to do something."
"Right!" Gamabunta replied and prepared for another assault.
But before they could make a move, Sasuke, who was still in the arena, used the Asura Path to transform one of his hands, launching a series of small missiles toward them. Feeling that this might not be enough, he put away his sword, transforming both of his hands into cannons that launched a barrage of miniature missiles, raining down on Jiraiya and Gamabunta with unrelenting force.
Watching his arms open up with countless small holes to launch the missiles, Sasuke felt a moment of dissatisfaction. The look didn't suit him, and he made a mental note to develop a sleeker, more refined transformation—perhaps something akin to an Iron Man suit using the Asura Path, one that would better match his formidable presence.
On the platform, Orochimaru watched Sasuke with a bewildered expression. If Sasuke possessed such overwhelming power, why had he needed their help? Before he could fully process the situation, Orochimaru felt his control over the First, Second, and Fourth Hokage slipping away. In the midst of battle, Tobirama abruptly appeared in front of him, his expression now free from the curse. Without hesitation, the Second Hokage formed swift hand signs and unleashed a powerful Water Dragon Jutsu directly at Orochimaru.
The Kazekage, who had been just observing the chaos quickly reacted. With a wave of his hand, he summoned a barrier of Gold Dust, intercepting the Water Dragon and shielding both himself and Orochimaru from the attack. His eyes narrowed as he realized something was wrong. Orochimaru's expression shifted from confusion to concern as he noticed what Sasuke said it's impossible to control Hokage for a long time.
He couldn't help but wonder if Sasuke even had researched this.
Realizing the situation was becoming more volatile, the Kazekage stepped forward, his voice calm but firm, "Orochimaru, what are you doing do something about them."
Orochimaru's eyes flickered with a hint of desperation. his mind racing as he tried to concoct a new strategy to regain his hold over the resurrected Hokage and turn the battle back in their favor.