"Team 7, withdraw from here immediately."
Akihara Kagura glanced at Orochimaru and the two mindless puppets, instructing Hatake Kakashi and Team 7: "Take these kids and get as far away as possible."
"You? What will you do?"
Kakashi stopped.
"What do you think I can do?"
Akihara Kagura looked at Kakashi and said, "Orochimaru has set traps all around here. It would be disappointing if I didn't walk right into one, wouldn't it?"
"You really..."
Kakashi tried to persuade Akihara Kagura further.
No ninja in all of Konoha was as crucial as Akihara Kagura; his presence was the foundation of Konoha's strength.
"Enough."
Akihara Kagura cut off Kakashi's words, whispering, "There might be spies in the village, possibly even among the higher-ups; otherwise, Orochimaru wouldn't have found out that I left Konoha, and even known that I was coming to the Land of Waves on a mission..."
"Root..."
Kakashi immediately grew suspicious.
"Root has never escaped my surveillance."
Akihara Kagura shook his head and continued, "Only a few people knew I was coming to the Land of Waves for this mission. Perhaps this was a trap set by some people in collusion with Orochimaru, or maybe it was deliberately to send me on this mission. It could even involve people from the Mist Village..."
"The Mist Village?"
Kakashi frowned.
"Yes."
Akihara Kagura seized the opportunity to slander the Mist Village: "Orochimaru must be in cahoots with people from there; otherwise, he wouldn't have appeared in the Land of Waves, a mere base for smugglers between the Land of Water and the Land of Fire. Only those connected to the Mist Village would appear here without reason..."
Akihara Kagura felt his slander wasn't persuasive enough and offered more compelling evidence: "These major ninja villages like to collude with rogue ninjas from other villages to target enemy villages. Just a few days ago, I also colluded with Momochi Zabuza, a rogue ninja from the Mist, to carry out a task for me..."
"…"
Kakashi twitched the corner of his eye.
Over the years, Kakashi had seen plenty of people throwing mud at others, but it was rare to see someone throw mud at themselves to suggest others were dirty too...
But...
Akihara Kagura made a lot of sense.
He was reminding Konoha to be wary of the Mist Village, their ally.
"Right, protecting Tazuna and completing the construction of this bridge is your mission, isn't it?"
Akihara Kagura glanced at Tazuna and then at the members of Team 7: "Once I defeat them and also ensure Tazuna finishes this bridge, remember to give me the payment for this mission; after all, I have solved two threats for you..."
"…"
Kakashi couldn't help but smile wryly.
Was this the time to worry about the payment!
Kakashi knew Akihara Kagura was joking, trying to make his friend relax. He nodded to show he understood Akihara's point: "Alright, but as the supervising jonin, I can only take part of the payment. The rest is up to these kids..."
"My share goes to Kagura!"
Uzumaki Naruto, ever loyal, didn't fully understand the situation and even offered to stay behind to help: "I can stay..."
"…"
Akihara Kagura tapped Naruto's head: "Right now, you can't even beat Karin, so don't drag me down..."
"I don't want my share either."
Uchiha Sasuke had no objections either.
"Me neither."
Haruno Sakura quickly agreed with Sasuke.
"It's as if I'm bullying children..."
Akihara Kagura tousled Naruto's hair, chuckling: "Alright, let's go. Karin and the Root ninja will stay behind to help me."
"Okay."
Kakashi could only nod in agreement.
In Team 7, only he could help, but he was also injured, with not much chakra left in him, so he could only temporarily lead Team 7 to retreat.
After they left, Karin ordered the Root ninjas to fall back to the bridge, and she looked at Akihara Kagura: "Lord Kagura, may I..."
Karin believed Kagura's Mind's Eye could be of help, and if Akihara Kagura was injured, he could even drink her blood, but Akihara Kagura interrupted her with a single sentence.
"Just stay put."
Akihara Kagura waved his hand, asking her to wait by the bridge: "Set up the fishing rod for me. Once you've prepared my fishing spot, it will be nearly finished."
"Yes."
Karin could only bow her head and move back to the bridge.
On the entire bridge.
Only Akihara Kagura remained, along with Orochimaru, as well as the two Hokages, Hashirama and Tobirama, while fog slowly spread across the bridge surface.
"Lord Orochimaru."
Akihara Kagura looked at Orochimaru and quietly asked: "I'm actually quite curious about something. If there was a ninja student in the village, holding two sharp kunai and wanting to challenge you holding the Kusanagi Sword, what would your feelings be?"
"…"
Orochimaru thought for a moment, surprised by Akihara Kagura's question, and after a second, he smiled and answered: "Perhaps pity for his fearless ignorance?"
A ninja student at the Konoha Ninja School would hardly understand even the simplest jutsu, and their physical skills would not be particularly outstanding; how could they possibly be his opponent?
After finishing his words, Orochimaru, as if he thought of something, his gaze suddenly narrowed: "Kagura, are you suggesting that I am that child holding the beautiful kunai?"
"Yes..."
Akihara Kagura unapologetically nodded and softly said: "It seems you understand the feelings I had before the battle. No matter how sharp the kunai are, they are ultimately held in a child's hand, especially when challenging the world's hardest material, the Kusanagi Sword..."
"…"
Orochimaru's expression darkened, and he spoke in a low voice: "Kagura, you have only transplanted the cells of the First Hokage, but what I hold is the real First Hokage himself. Even if he cannot exert his full strength, you are not his match..."
Orochimaru continued: "Moreover, the reanimated beings are immortal entities. I have greatly enhanced their regenerative abilities; even if they suffer a fatal injury, they can recover..."
"Lord Orochimaru."
Akihara Kagura looked at Orochimaru and sighed: "Have you considered, perhaps, releasing their seals and letting them tell you the truth?"
"…"
Orochimaru chuckled and shook his head, dismissing Akihara Kagura's insinuations.
Because he knew how unreliable the First Hokage could be, and the Second Hokage was too intelligent. What if Akihara Kagura managed to undo his reanimation?
"Let's try this first..."
Orochimaru's body slowly moved back, raising his fingers: "Kagura, let's first see just how powerful the two Hokages really are!"
As he spoke.
Hashirama and Tobirama simultaneously charged towards Akihara Kagura!
"That will also make you see clearly..."
Akihara Kagura helplessly shook his head and softly said: "A child holding two sharp kunai, just how can they pose a threat to an adult holding the Kusanagi Sword?"
"Kagura, don't underestimate others."
Orochimaru suddenly raised his finger, sternly instructing the two reanimated puppets: "Catch him, or you may even kill him!"
Hashirama and Tobirama charged!
Akihara Kagura grabbed Hashirama's wrist, assessing the First Hokage's strength: "No, I misspoke at the beginning. What the child holds are not sharp kunai, but beautiful kunai..."
The next moment!
Akihara Kagura suddenly twisted Hashirama's wrist, delivered an elbow strike to his chest, shattering it, and then kicked him away. The reanimated First Hokage immediately fell into a rigid state of recovery!
"Your Taijutsu..."
Orochimaru's pupils involuntarily narrowed.
Akihara Kagura looked at Tobirama , who was still, then looked at Orochimaru: "Because learning other jutsu was too easy, there was no need to consciously learn them, and the only effort could be spent on Taijutsu that I was not particularly skilled at..."
"Water Release: Water Shockwave!"
Tobirama instantly raised his hand and unleashed his Water Release jutsu.
"Water Release: Water Shockwave!"
At the same time, Akihara Kagura formed a hand seal, and an even more turbulent wave overturned, submerging the body of Tobirama under the water, turning the entire bridge into a vast ocean!
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
Tobirama's actions did not stop; his figure instantly surfaced from the water, his fingers quickly forming three hand seals, and a massive water dragon surged out from around him!
In such an environment, the Water Dragon Bullet Technique became immensely powerful!
"Water Release: Thunder Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
The speed of Akihara Kagura's hand seals was not fast; he merely raised his fingers, and a water dragon flashing with lightning emerged from the water, smashing Tobirama's water dragon into fragments, and then surged forward, grabbing hold of Tobirama's body!
"Is this… a Combined Nature Transformation?"
Orochimaru frowned, feeling something was amiss: "No... the old man's Combined Nature Transformation requires releasing two different techniques to combine… How could it be released and combined in an instant!"
"I am a candidate for Hokage of Konoha, surpassing the Hokage is only natural, isn't it?"
Akihara Kagura raised his hands, and two orbs of light white flames instantly flew out, landing on Hashirama and Tobirama!
"Fire Release?"
Orochimaru stared intensely at the white glowing flames, then quickly shook his head: "No, there are other types of chakra within it..."
Because under the burning flames...
Hashirama and Tobirama, both Edo Tensei reincarnates, were burned into nothingness.
"The combination of Fire Release and Dust Release..."
Orochimaru immediately understood Akihara Kagura's Combined Nature Transformation, once again shocked by his troublesome nature. The two Edo Tensei Hokage truly could do nothing against Akihara Kagura, as the more severely their bodies were damaged, the longer the recovery time would be.
"No..."
Orochimaru suddenly realized something was wrong; the bodies of the Edo Tensei reincarnates could recover, but the seals he had placed on the two Hokages could not be restored...
Sure enough.
After Hashirama and Tobirama recovered, the two Hokages also immediately regained their senses and quickly perceived the situation on the battlefield.
"Hmm?"
Hashirama curiously looked around, first noticing his brother Tobirama, and immediately began to blame him: "Tobirama, it's all because you insisted on researching this technique that desecrates the dead..."
"Big brother, let's understand the situation first..."
Tobirama frowned, seeing Akihara Kagura in front of him and the Konoha forehead protector he wore, and asked in a deep voice, "Kid, are you a ninja of Konoha?"
"Who is the enemy?"
Hashirama surveyed the surroundings, counting the people on the bridge: "That Orochimaru is a friend of Tsuna, and this youngster is a ninja from Konoha, where is the enemy?"
"That Orochimaru is a rogue ninja from Konoha!"
Tobirama was deeply worried about his elder brother's judgment: "Big brother, you've been deceived by that guy!"
"Eh?"
Hashirama looked dazedly towards Orochimaru.
He was deceived?
This guy claimed to be Tsuna's friend?
"..."
Orochimaru didn't mind being exposed, his expression somewhat sinister, hurriedly manipulating the two Hokages to continue attacking Akihara Kagura: "Don't mind these details, you can't resist my control anyway!"
"Kid, you must be the Akihara Kagura they mentioned?"
Tobirama, forced to attack Akihara Kagura, had to bring up old matters seriously, teaching: "Teaching you now how to break the Edo Tensei is useless, because you cannot be a match for big brother..."
Boom!
Chakra within Akihara Kagura suddenly erupted, flipping the two attacking Hokages right over, and even the sea surface was momentarily blown into waves by this force!
Even if Hashirama and Tobirama were strong in their lifetimes, at this moment, their power could not contend with this chakra. The two Hokages could only raise their arms to block in front of themselves, flying backwards and awkwardly half-kneeling on the ground!
"This chakra…"
Hashirama looked at Akihara Kagura with some shock, then suddenly turned his head towards Orochimaru: "Hey, that kid who claims to be Tsuna's friend, this little guy right here might even be stronger than me when I was alive. Even if you resurrect me, it would be useless…"
Orochimaru clenched his fists tightly, staring intently at Akihara Kagura, and with a grit of his teeth, he spat out: "That guy is just an experiment I cultivated using cells from the First Hokage, how could a counterfeit be exactly like the original?"
Silence followed.
Hashirama's brother, Tobirama, also had a look of disbelief.
However, Tobirama sensed that Akihara Kagura, who wore the Konoha Village forehead protector, had a presence nearly as formidable as his brother's during the Battle at the Valley of the End.
Hearing Hashirama's words, Tobirama frowned slightly, seemingly dissatisfied with his brother's remarks: "Big brother, this kid is at best on par with you…"
After he spoke, even Tobirama fell silent, as in the history of the ninja world, who else could match his brother's strength? A single Hashirama had ended the Warring States period!
The next moment!
Akihara Kagura suddenly appeared right beside Hashirama!
"Flying Thunder God Technique!"
Tobirama was shocked, disbelievingly looking at the other: "You even know my technique? When did you place a Flying Thunder God mark on my brother?"
Akihara Kagura slapped Hashirama's body, and instantly a vine wrapped around Hashirama, drawing his chakra.
Somewhat unfortunately.
The chakra quantity of Hashirama revived through the Edo Tensei was a bit low, but the chakra endlessly restored itself, making it not so unfortunate after all…
"To be able to use my Flying Thunder God Technique and also my brother's Wood Release…"
Tobirama took a deep breath, forced to admit the young man's excellence: "That kid called Akihara Kagura, you are a ninja of the Konoha, who is the current Hokage?"
"It's the Third Hokage."
Akihara Kagura stepped towards Tobirama, casually raising his palm and also binding the Second Hokage with Wood Release, before introducing himself: "The Third Hokage is almost seventy years old now, and I am his Hokage assistant."
Tobirama slowly nodded, seemingly unconcerned by Akihara Kagura's deception: "It seems you are the village's next Hokage…"
"I might have to leave the Konoha Village."
Akihara Kagura looked at Tobirama, who didn't mind his deception, and sighed, continuing: "Someone colluded with Orochimaru, ordering me here to execute a mission, and I ended up falling into this trap, just like the previous Hokage assistant, Danzo, who also stepped into a trap, had to leave the village without returning, and was then declared a rogue ninja by the village. I might also have to leave the Konoha Village…"
Tobirama immediately fell silent for a long time before speaking: "Danzo... defected? Was someone forcing him to defect?"
"Yes."
Akihara Kagura didn't say much more.
After all, the one forcing Shimura Danzo to defect was himself.
Hashirama became curious and asked incredulously: "Why leave the Konoha? If there's someone in the village colluding with rogue ninjas forcing you guys to defect, why not just deal with them?"
"Big brother!"
Tobirama interrupted his own brother.
His brother's political sensitivity was too low; he hadn't realized the situation at such a time. Someone so powerful and serving as the Hokage's assistant, clearly a candidate for the next Hokage, was ordered to carry out a mission and being forced to leave the Konoha Village…
Other than someone with more power, who else could do it?
"Lord Orochimaru."
Akihara Kagura looked towards Orochimaru and asked: "When you defected and became a rogue ninja, you weren't killed by the Third Hokage but continued to receive resources for scientific research and even learned the forbidden jutsu from the Scroll of Seals. Who was supporting you from behind?"
Silence.
Orochimaru silently watched Akihara Kagura.
Although Orochimaru was unaware of Akihara Kagura's exact purpose, he knew that Akihara Kagura certainly intended to tarnish the Third Hokage's reputation in front of the two Hokages.
Silence again.
Orochimaru bit his lip, feeling a faint twinge of conscience.
Then, Orochimaru quickly realized he lacked a conscience or any morals, and with a sneer, he said: "Kagura, you must have already guessed who was supporting me, right? Because that person's status is too high, you don't want to believe it, right?"
~~~
New FanFic: Killing Makes You Stronger
Please check it out!
Patreon.com/Bleam
— 70 Advance Chapters!
Get 2 Sponsored Chapters "Every Month" for every person who joins the "Special Jonin•Bleam" Membership!