The Shinobi World.
Deep within a remote canyon,
Black characters from a jutsu formula were etched into the ground, forming an intricate pattern. Behind it, a line of White Zetsu marched forward one by one, stepping into the array to serve as sacrifices for the Edo Tensei.
Nagato stood at the forefront of the ritual, hands clasped in a hand seal, sweat streaming from his brow. Behind him, the coffins of the Reanimation were already mostly open.
"Something's gone wrong in Sunagakure."
A faint light flickered within the Rinnegan in Nagato's eyes as he turned toward Black Zetsu and spoke in a low, serious voice. "Konoha has launched an assault on the village. The Jinchuriki of the Three-Tails and the Seven-Tails are both there."
Black Zetsu paused for a brief moment, then revealed a twisted smile. "Isn't that perfect? That means we can seize both the Three-Tails and Seven-Tails as well. The forces we dispatched there should be more than enough."
Just five days ago,
After extensive preparation, the long-anticipated plan had finally been set into motion.
Black Zetsu had gathered the corpses of nearly a hundred powerful shinobi, including former Kage from all major villages and notable figures like Chiyo, who had been killed by Kaede.
Even Uchiha Obito, whose body had been completely obliterated by Kaede, had been accounted for. Long before his death, Black Zetsu had preserved a small sample of Obito's flesh and cells. Now, even he had been reincarnated.
So far,
More than eighty shinobi had been revived through Edo Tensei. Except for the First Hokage and the White Fang of Konoha, who were sent to attack the Leaf Village, the other reanimated shinobi had been deployed in groups of nearly twenty to the other villages.
Most were led by former Kage of their respective villages, bolstered by infamous shinobi who had once shaken the entire ninja world. Each one was a legendary figure.
"If Kaede doesn't intervene… we might just have a real chance."
Nagato, observing the situation in Sunagakure through the Reanimation, spoke in a low voice. "But capturing three tailed beasts at once will still be extremely difficult. If we'd delayed our move a bit, Konoha and Suna might've weakened each other. Now it's turned into a three-way battle."
"No need to worry."
Black Zetsu smiled eerily. "Among Konoha's forces are the Second and Fourth Hokage. They've already marked many enemies with the Flying Thunder God technique, you could use them to rapidly shift the battlefield in our favor."
Nagato was momentarily taken aback, then nodded slowly. "That's… true."
As he spoke, he maintained his hand seals and tried to manipulate the technique. More sweat beaded on his forehead, and he gasped heavily.
The burden he bore didn't stem from the sheer number of reincarnated shinobi, but from several particularly troublesome individuals.
Uchiha Obito.
Senju Hashirama.
One wielded nearly eternal ocular power, the other possessed the body of a Sage. Both were notoriously difficult to control. If not for the Rinnegan, Nagato likely wouldn't have been able to suppress their personalities at all. Even now, he had to maintain constant, intense focus.
"The First Hokage's resistance to this jutsu is too strong…"
After once again forcibly suppressing a surge of resistance from Hashirama, Nagato panted for breath, sweat dripping from his chin.
Black Zetsu eyed Nagato, a faint gleam of something unreadable flickering in his gaze. "If it becomes too much, we can resort to the last option, revive Madara-sama. He can help you control them."
"Uchiha Madara, huh…"
Nagato drew in a deep breath and replied in a firm voice, "I can still manage. Just a little longer."
Like with Obito,
He didn't want to revive Madara unless it was absolutely necessary. He knew that, in his current condition, he might not be able to suppress Madara at all. Though they were technically allies, Nagato wanted to fulfill the plan using his own strength.
"…Very well."
Black Zetsu retreated once again into the shadows.
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Land of Fire.
Two figures dashed swiftly through the forest, heading in the direction of Konoha. They were still two towns away from reaching the village.
One of them wore a Konoha forehead protector and radiated a powerful chakra signature, it was none other than the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama!
"I never thought I'd find myself in such a sorry state… Reanimated with such precision, and yet I still can't break free of the binding. That caster's eyes… the Rinnegan, huh?"
Hashirama spoke with a grim expression.
Irritated, he grumbled, "Tobirama, you bastard. I told you this jutsu should never have been created. It definitely shouldn't have been documented!"
Beside him, Hatake Sakumo gave a wry smile. "There's no use blaming the Second Hokage now, Lord First… The situation is what it is."
He then turned his gaze forward, a look of concern flashing in his eyes.
"I fear we'll bring great trouble to Konoha… Lord First, your power is simply too great."
Sakumo had never personally witnessed Hashirama's strength before. But after being reanimated alongside him and sent toward the Leaf, he'd seen Hashirama attempt to resist the technique multiple times along the way.
The sheer chakra that erupted during those moments was enough to make his heart skip a beat.
"It's definitely a problem…"
Hashirama's expression was dark.
He didn't know if shinobi of this era were on par with the likes of himself or Madara. If not, even an entire village might be unable to stop him.
Even in his current reanimated state, unable to use Sage Mode or summon his most powerful technique, the True Several Thousand Hands, his other Wood Release abilities alone were still more than enough to overwhelm most enemies.
"Your name is Sakumo, right?"
Hashirama turned toward him and said solemnly, "Your chakra isn't weak either. I'll teach you the hand seals for the Edo Tensei release. See if you can sever the summoning contract."
The inherent risk of the Reanimation Jutsu was that any revived ninja who knew the release seals could break free of the summoner's control.
Hashirama, under intense surveillance, couldn't perform the seals himself. The moment he even thought of resisting, Nagato's focus suppressed the impulse. Even keeping his thoughts intact was difficult, controlling his body was out of the question.
"Understood."
Sakumo nodded.
After Hashirama conveyed the seal sequence, Sakumo took a deep breath and began the hand seals to try breaking the contract. But the moment he completed the first seal, his hands froze, and his fingers forcibly relaxed.
"…It's no use, Lord First."
Sakumo responded with a grim expression. "He's watching us constantly."
Seeing Sakumo fail to break the binding, Hashirama realized that his brother Tobirama likely couldn't break free either. And if the enemy had reanimated so many other powerful shinobi…
Hashirama's face darkened.
This is bad.
The shinobi world… was on the verge of utter chaos.
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Completed version available on Patreon.com/Veltoria