In Konoha, in the Forest of Death, Tobirama and Hashirama ran toward Renji at full speed. As they rushed forward to attack him, Renji, while holding his zanpakuto, Zabimaru, also charged toward them.
Both sides got closer and closer to each other until they were finally within proper range to use their techniques.
Tobirama immediately used Water Release: Water Colliding Wave.
In an instant, a massive wave of water, like a small tsunami, surged forward at terrifying speed directly toward Renji. The ground trembled slightly under its force as water crashed through the forest, uprooting dirt and tearing through the earth.
But Renji immediately used Shunpo and disappeared from the wave's path.
As soon as he appeared on the other side, the wave suddenly turned and rushed toward him again.
This was one of the characteristics of the Water Colliding Wave ninjutsu. The wave created by this technique could be controlled entirely by the user's will.
However, no matter how many times the Water Colliding Wave targeted Renji and tried to engulf him completely, Renji would simply use Shunpo to avoid it with ease.
His figure flickered again and again through the battlefield, vanishing one moment and appearing the next. Each time the enormous wave came crashing down toward him, Renji effortlessly stepped away from danger as if he were dancing around the attack rather than avoiding it.
And as the range of this Water Release ninjutsu started to get larger and larger, Renji did not waste even a second.
He immediately used Shunpo and appeared directly in the air, standing slightly above the massive wave of water.
The wind blew through his hair and robes as he calmly looked down at the surging water beneath him.
Using Shunpo, he could literally stand in the air itself, so there was not much of an issue for Renji.
This Water Release technique was completely useless against him.
But of course, how could the fight continue so easily when opponents like Hashirama and Tobirama were standing before him?
Hashirama immediately used Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence.
All around the battlefield, even from beneath the massive water wave, wood started to grow rapidly. Thick roots and giant branches burst out violently from the ground and the water below, shooting into the air like living vines as they tried to trap Renji from every direction.
But Renji swung his zanpakuto like a whip.
With each swing, the long blade of Zabimaru tore through the incoming wood branches. Sharp sounds echoed through the battlefield as wood splintered apart in every direction. Broken branches fell into the water below one after another, but none of them were able to reach Renji.
Even Hashirama's Wood Release was unable to trap him.
When even this did not work against Renji, Orochimaru also joined the battle.
Without wasting any time, he once again used the Summoning Technique, and this time, he summoned two giant snakes around Renji.
The snakes appeared with loud explosions of smoke before immediately surrounding him from all sides. Their enormous bodies coiled through the battlefield, their yellow eyes fixed directly on Renji.
At Orochimaru's command, both the snakes immediately attacked him from both sides.
At the same time, Orochimaru jumped onto the head of one of the giant snakes and rushed toward Renji himself.
As soon as he stood on the head of the snake, he channeled chakra into his Kusanagi sword.
The special characteristic of Orochimaru's Kusanagi sword immediately came into play.
The blade suddenly started growing at an incredible speed, extending through the air like a silver spear as it shot directly toward Renji.
The thrust was aimed right at him.
Renji immediately moved his zanpakuto to block it.
The moment the two blades collided, bright sparks flew through the air.
A sharp metallic sound rang out across the battlefield, and Renji was forced to take a few steps back through the air from the impact.
Even then, Renji still remained standing quite comfortably.
He walked on the air itself as if it were solid ground.
Orochimaru had hoped that with this attack, maybe Renji would be forced to land on the ground, but that did not happen.
Even after being pushed back a few steps through the air, Renji still stood firmly as if the sky itself were solid beneath his feet.
Just as Renji had been forced back, one of the giant snakes immediately attacked him with its massive maw wide open, trying to swallow him whole.
The snake lunged forward with terrifying speed, its enormous jaws stretching open as its fangs glistened under the sunlight.
Renji looked at it with visible annoyance.
In the next instant, he disappeared.
His figure moved past the giant snake with extreme speed, so fast that even the air seemed to split around him.
For a brief moment, nothing happened.
Then blood suddenly spurted out from the upper body area of the snake, from just below its neck down toward its stomach area.
A deep slash had appeared across its body.
The giant snake let out a painful cry as blood poured out in large amounts before its massive body started falling downward.
Then the second snake attacked Renji, the very same snake on whose head Orochimaru was standing.
Its enormous body rushed toward him like a living mountain.
But Renji immediately used Bakudo #81: Splitting Void.
As soon as he used it, a transparent shield-like layer appeared in front of him.
It was like a wall of empty space itself, a void shield standing silently in the air.
The giant snake crashed directly into it.
However, nothing happened.
The snake was stopped completely, as if it had collided with an invisible wall.
Even Orochimaru was unable to see what exactly the snake had collided with.
After the collision, the snake was forced back, or to be more precise, it had no choice but to retreat.
And the moment it moved back, Renji was already beside the belly of the snake.
His zanpakuto, Zabimaru, had completely segmented and moved like a whip through the air with tremendous force.
The tip of the blade directly embedded itself into the stomach of the snake, and Renji immediately slashed across that area.
A deep wound appeared across the snake's stomach.
As soon as the wound appeared, the giant snake let out a loud roar of pain.
Then, almost immediately, the entire body of the snake was covered in white smoke before it disappeared completely.
Clearly, it had been de-summoned.
When a summon gets heavily injured, it returns back to the place from where it had originally been summoned, and the same thing happened with the first snake that Renji had injured earlier.
Its massive body was also soon covered in white smoke before it too disappeared.
But even after both the snakes disappeared, Renji did not feel any happiness from defeating them.
Nor did he feel any pride over it.
To him, these snakes were never that big of a challenge.
On the contrary, he was angry.
Because he had been tricked.
Renji's eyes narrowed slightly as he looked around.
Orochimaru was nowhere to be seen.
He could not feel Orochimaru's presence at all.
Clearly, Orochimaru had already escaped, and Renji immediately understood how he had done it.
At the exact moment Renji injured the second snake, Orochimaru had directly entered the snake's mouth and hidden himself inside its body.
Then, as the snake got de-summoned, Orochimaru inside it had also been taken back to the place from where the snakes had originally come.
Most probably, Ryuchi Cave.
A faint irritation appeared on Renji's face. He escaped.
And as soon as Orochimaru left, both Hokage, the First Hokage and the Second Hokage, suddenly stood frozen in the exact place where they had been standing.
Their movements stopped completely.
They simply stood there with blank expressions on their faces, as if they no longer had any will of their own.
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