--- Hokage Tower Roof Top---
The atmosphere inside the barrier had shifted from a battle of ninja to a collision of natural disasters.
Alaric stood in the center of the devastation, his coat fluttering wildly. He took a deep breath, feeling the thrill of combat coursing through his veins. For years, he had held back. He had crushed bandits with a flick of his finger, dismantled armies with his wallet, and treated S-Rank threats like minor inconveniences.
But this... fighting the legends of the past?
"Finally," Alaric whispered, a grin splitting his face. "I don't have to worry about breaking anyone since both of you are just reanimations."
He closed his eyes for a fraction of a second.
Phoenix Sage Mode.
WHOOSH.
There was no gradual buildup. A golden, ethereal aura exploded around Alaric. His hair spiked slightly, turning a shade lighter, and intricate, glowing crimson markings appeared around his eyes, extending down his neck like tribal tattoos. The heat radiating from him was intense enough to warp the air, causing the water from Tobirama's previous attacks to evaporate instantly into steam.
His power didn't just double. It skyrocketed. Fifteen times the base output.
"Come on, ancestors!" Alaric laughed, the sound booming with distorted power. "Let's dance!"
Hashirama Senju, despite being a puppet, grinned back. His warrior spirit recognized the challenge.
Wood Release: Wood Human Technique!
From the wreckage of the roof, a colossal wooden giant, easily thirty meters tall, erupted. It smashed through the barrier ceiling, towering over the village.
"Amazing!" Hashirama shouted. "Take this!"
The giant brought a fist down, large enough to crush the entire tower.
Alaric didn't dodge. He looked up at the descending mountain of wood.
"Wood Release," Alaric murmured, his voice calm amidst the chaos. "Veritable 1000-Armed Kan'on... Miniature Version."
The roof groaned. Golden wood, infused with Phoenix fire, surged up behind Alaric. It formed a multi-armed statue, smaller than Hashirama's full scale but denser, radiating heat.
BOOM!
The two wooden titans collided. The shockwave shattered every window in a three-block radius. The Anbu outside were blown off their feet.
Tobirama seized the distraction.
Flying Raijin: Second Step.
He teleported to a marked kunai falling behind Alaric. His hand was coated in a pressurized water blade, aiming to sever Alaric's spine.
"Too slow," Alaric said.
He didn't turn. Mind's Eye of the Kagura. He could sense Tobirama's chakra signature moving through space-time.
Swift Release.
Alaric moved faster than the instant. Before Tobirama could complete the swing, Alaric's elbow was already buried in the Second Hokage's chest.
CRACK.
Tobirama was launched backward, crashing through Hashirama's wooden golem.
"He anticipates the teleportation?" Tobirama noted, regenerating rapidly. "His sensory abilities exceed even yours, Brother!"
"I know!" Hashirama laughed, clasping his hands. "Isn't it wonderful? Konoha has such a defender!"
---
While the gods fought above, the mortals fought below.
"Adamantine Prison Wall!"
Enma, transformed into the indestructible staff, spun in Hiruzen's hands, creating a cage of diamond-hard poles to block the debris falling from Alaric and Hashirama's clash.
Hiruzen was panting heavily, sweat stinging his eyes. "Orochimaru! Look at what you've unleashed! You cannot control this!"
Orochimaru was dodging for his life. He wasn't even attacking anymore; he was desperately trying not to get crushed by the collateral damage.
"Kusanagi!" Orochimaru extended his sword, deflecting a stray splinter of wood the size of a telephone pole.
"Shut up, Sensei!" Orochimaru snarled, summoning Manda's tail just to use it as a meat shield against Hiruzen's Fire Dragon Flame Bullet. "This... this wasn't in the plan! That man... he's a monster!"
Hiruzen swung Enma, catching Orochimaru in the ribs. "He is the leaf that shields us from the wind! And you are just a snake hiding in the grass!"
The End of Playtime
Alaric hovered in the air, his Sage Mode aura burning bright. He looked at the two Hokages, who were preparing a combined attack... Hashirama creating a forest of pollen, Tobirama mixing it with high-pressure water to spread the toxin.
"I've had my fun," Alaric decided. "Time to wrap this up. I'm using about 40%... let's keep it there."
He raised both hands.
Wood Release: Great Forest Burial. Wind Release: Vacuum Great Sphere.
He didn't just create trees; he weaponized the atmosphere. He compressed the air around the two Hokages, locking them in a vacuum, then collapsed the wooden structures on top of them with crushing force.
The combined pressure pulverized their Edo Tensei bodies faster than they could regenerate.
Alaric dropped to the roof, dismissing his wooden avatar. He walked over to the debris.
Hashirama and Tobirama lay there, their bodies regenerating slowly, pinned by stakes of golden wood that suppressed their chakra.
The consciousness of the Hokages surfaced fully as Orochimaru's control wavered due to fear.
"You are strong, young man," Hashirama beamed, despite being impaled. "Stronger than I was in my prime, perhaps. To think the village is safe with someone like you... I can return to the Pure Land without regret."
Tobirama looked at Alaric with a critical, but approving eye. "You used my own techniques against me, and improved upon them. The village is in good hands. Protect it well."
Alaric smiled, the demonic markings of the Sage Mode fading, leaving him looking human again.
"I had fun," Alaric said softly, looking at the two legends. "Let's meet again... soon."
"Soon?" Hashirama blinked. "What do you-"
Alaric raised a hand. He didn't use paper tags. He traced his finger in the air. Glowing golden kanji burned into the atmosphere.
Seal.
The kanji slammed into the Hokages. The dust cleared. The bodies crumbled into ash, revealing the sacrificial Zetsu clones beneath. The souls of the First and Second ascended, freed from the jutsu.
---
Silence fell over the rooftop.
Orochimaru stood alone near the edge of the barrier. His aces were gone. His plan was in ruins. He looked at Hiruzen, who was battered but standing, and then at Alaric, who hadn't even broken a sweat.
"Sound Four!" Orochimaru screamed, his voice cracking. "Drop the barrier! Retreat!"
The purple flames flickered and died as the four subordinates on the corners exhausted their chakra.
"I'm leaving," Orochimaru hissed, turning to flee. "But this isn't over! I will-"
"Going somewhere?"
Alaric didn't move to chase. He simply looked at the fleeing Sannin.
His Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan spun.
Vulcan.
Deep inside Orochimaru's throat, the legendary Kusanagi Blade... a weapon of divine metal... vibrated.
"Glah!?" Orochimaru's eyes bulged.
He tried to jump away, but his own body betrayed him. The sword, sheathed inside his snake-like gullet, suddenly became an anchor. Alaric yanked his hand back.
SCHLICK.
The sword didn't cut Orochimaru; it dragged him. The metal pulled backward with magnetic force, hauling the Sannin through the air like a ragdoll on a hook.
"G-Gahh... Khhh..." Orochimaru clawed at his throat, choking, his legs kicking uselessly as he flew backward across the roof.
He slammed into the ground at Alaric's feet, the sword inside him pinning him down by the weight of Alaric's will.
"You really shouldn't keep sharp objects in your mouth," Alaric tutted. "It's a choking hazard."
Orochimaru tried to weave a sign, to shed his skin, to do anything.
Alaric raised his index finger. He drew a complex matrix in the air in less than a second.
Fuinjutsu: Adamantine Paralysis.
The glowing kanji slammed onto Orochimaru's forehead. The Sannin went rigid. His chakra flow halted instantly. He was frozen, a statue of terror, unable to move a muscle, staring up at the blonde monster who had turned his invasion into a joke.
The Anbu, finally able to enter the roof, rushed in, surrounding the scene. But they stopped, weapons lowered, staring at the tableau.
Hiruzen Sarutobi let Enma transform back into the Monkey King. The old Hokage slumped slightly, leaning on the railing, looking at the paralyzed Orochimaru and the casual Alaric.
Hiruzen took a deep, shaky breath, reaching for a pack of cigarettes since his pipe was broken.
"Kid..." Hiruzen exhaled smoke, shaking his head wearily. "I don't know anymore."
.
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