The mist set up by Hozuki Mangetsu had completely blurred the lines between friend and foe inside the barrier.
Even Orochimaru, who had been confidently underestimating Hozuki Mangetsu, started to feel like things were getting tricky.
They weren't people who had grown up fighting in heavy mist. Even though Orochimaru had snakes helping him track movement through the fog—
He still couldn't match Hozuki Mangetsu in terms of speed or fluidity.
He needed to change the environment fast, to break Mangetsu's familiarity with the area.
The mist was already thick. Even draining the water wouldn't really affect Hozuki Mangetsu anymore—the only way was to wear down his chakra.
Whether it was the water clones he used at the start, or the sword he kept using throughout the fight—both clearly drained a lot of his strength and chakra.
"Huff…"
This guy didn't become a fake Kazekage and sneak in here by luck.
In the middle of the mist, Hozuki Mangetsu gripped his explosive blade in both hands, breathing a little harder.
Even in a setting that favored him, he hadn't gained much of an edge over Orochimaru.
Just then, he heard the sound of tiles cracking beneath his feet, and the whole ground began to shake violently.
"What the—?!"
Mangetsu quickly swung his blade down and cut through a large snake that had appeared nearby.
"Hiss!"
Almost instantly, a swarm of snakes with sharp fangs lunged straight at him.
Mangetsu flipped his grip and unfurled the scroll attached to his explosive blade—another loud blast echoed through the mist.
Orochimaru quickly pulled his hand back, frowning slightly.
Hozuki Mangetsu kept switching swords during the fight, barely staying with one weapon for long, making it impossible to figure out how he really fought.
And with the thick fog all around, Orochimaru couldn't even tell where Sarutobi Hiruzen was.
He knew the First and Second Hokage were keeping him busy…
But even so, he still wanted to be the one to kill his old master himself.
*BOOM!!!*
After a loud explosion, the entire battlefield inside the barrier started to shift.
Hatake Satoru could clearly feel something rising under his feet—it wasn't cracks, but more like the ground itself was flowing like water.
That could only mean one thing—plants were growing.
He activated his Six Eyes and scanned the space inside the barrier, watching everyone's movements and locations clearly.
It should be just about time now.
Hatake Satoru quickly locked onto Sarutobi Hiruzen's location.
Then, noticing the Fourth Hokage in front of him getting more and more anxious, he let out a small wicked smile at the corner of his lips.
"It's not your turn yet~"
"When I get bored, you can go."
He stretched out his hand, and a wave of blue energy pulled Namikaze Minato straight toward him, slamming him hard into a nearby tree trunk.
*Crash!*
The Fourth Hokage was thrown out violently, smashing through several branches along the way.
Everyone besides Hatake Satoru suddenly lost their sense of direction. The thick fog completely blocked their view.
Meanwhile, Wood Release grew rapidly under their feet, lifting them to a higher place.
Layer upon layer of trees filled the entire barrier space, sealing everything off tightly.
Some wooden branches even struck against the barrier itself, poking out through the thick fog that was too dense to see through.
Everyone outside the battlefield noticed the strange changes on the roof and looked on in shock.
So this was the power of the First Hokage… the strength of a true Wood Release ninja?!
Sarutobi Hiruzen, now face-to-face with the First and Second Hokage, gritted his teeth with some effort.
His staff had split into many parts, overlapping and forming a cage that protected him from all sides.
The vines growing from the trees were all blocked solidly by the staff cage.
But his chakra was nearly gone. If he let himself be worn down bit by bit by this Edo Tensei battle, it would be such a wasteful way to go.
"I need to find a way to cancel the First and Second's Edo Tensei."
"There's no point in dragging this out forever."
One of the bars forming the cage opened up an eye.
"You already have a plan, don't you, Hiruzen?"
Enma, the Monkey King, stared at him with a single eye.
From earlier, Hiruzen's actions had seemed hesitant—he wasn't going all out against the First and Second.
Even though Hiruzen was clearly worn out, it wasn't like he couldn't fight at all.
It felt like he was waiting—either for the right moment, or for someone to show up.
"They're here."
Hiruzen's gaze darkened slightly. The cage-like staff quickly reformed and gripped tightly in his hands.
After the sudden changes a moment ago, the surrounding fog had started to fade slightly.
It wasn't pitch-black like before where you couldn't even see your own hand.
Hiruzen locked eyes on the three figures in front of him.
Meanwhile, Orochimaru had used the confusion and the sudden forest growth to finally shake off Hozuki Mangetsu, who had been blocking him this whole time.
The three of them were now standing in front of Sarutobi Hiruzen.
"…Honestly, I think it would've looked better if the Fourth Hokage were here too."
"But just the three of us should be enough."
Orochimaru's creepy smile looked even scarier in the mist.
"I've been waiting for you."
Even though he looked tired, Sarutobi Hiruzen still spoke with strength in his voice.
Orochimaru had already arrived, but the Fourth Hokage still hadn't shown up.
Hiruzen could only hope that if the caster was killed, the Reanimation Jutsu would stop. Most likely, Hatake Satoru was holding the Fourth back.
He hadn't expected Satoru to be able to stall the Fourth for this long.
If he's that strong, why has he been hiding it from everyone?
It was definitely suspicious, but there was no time to worry about that now.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
After splitting into three clones, Hiruzen focused back on Orochimaru.
To Orochimaru, all of Hiruzen's efforts just looked like a dying man's struggle. When he saw the three clones, he couldn't help but let out a cold laugh.
As far as Orochimaru knew, there was no jutsu that could break the Reanimation Jutsu.
"You really are getting old—so eager to throw away your life."
"No matter what you try now, it's already too late."
"This fight is mine."
At this point, what was the use of making clones?
All it did was waste more chakra and bring death closer.
The staff formed from Enma was placed beside Hiruzen, and the eyes on the staff suddenly widened.
"Wait… don't tell me you're going to use that jutsu?"
All three clones began forming hand signs at the same time.
Snake, Boar, Ram, Hare, Dog, Rat, Rooster, Horse, Snake.
*Clap!*
The three Hiruzen clones slammed their hands together.
Reaper Death Seal.
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