One day earlier, in the Hidden Leaf Village.
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In the Hokage's office, the representatives of the Three Great Sage Regions had finally gathered.
Over the past month, the three of them had fully inherited the powers passed down to them. This was especially true for Jiraiya, who had come to truly appreciate the immense strength of the Great Toad Sage during this time.
As he refined this power over the course of the month, his strength grew at an incredible pace every moment.
By now, even Jiraiya himself wasn't sure how strong he had become—and this was only after absorbing half of the Great Toad Sage's power.
However, the brutal method of this inheritance naturally resulted in significant power loss.
It was nothing like Kaguya dividing her power between her two sons, nor like the Sage of Six Paths sharing his power with Indra and Asura, where their bloodline served as a bond to minimize loss and speed up the transfer.
"Now that we're ready, let's head to the Village Hidden in the Rain and set destiny back on its proper course!" Jiraiya declared confidently.
Tsunade nodded. Although the power she inherited wasn't as overwhelming as Jiraiya's, the sages of the Three Great Sage Regions were all Six Paths-level beings. Even a fraction of their power was unimaginably strong.
This gave Tsunade confidence as well. "Let's go!"
However, a bespectacled figure—Kabuto Yakushi, the quiet observer—voiced his objection. "Jiraiya-sama, Tsunade-sama, I believe heading there directly might be too reckless."
"What do you mean?" Jiraiya asked, looking at Kabuto. He wasn't the type to ignore advice.
"I understand that the two of you are the legendary Sannin, and with the sages' power, your strength has grown to terrifying levels," Kabuto began with some flattery.
Then, his tone shifted. "However, if the enemy is significant enough to warrant the sages' concern—and if the Great Toad Sage was even willing to sacrifice his life—charging in without any preparation seems unwise."
Hearing Kabuto's reasoning, both Jiraiya and Tsunade grew solemn and nodded.
Indeed, while they were strong, the enemy's strength remained an unknown. Rushing in blindly would indeed be risky.
"But... there's no preparation we can make," Jiraiya admitted.
At their level, ordinary traps, tools, or even an army of ninja would be futile. None of it could make even the slightest difference in their battle.
At the very least, they would need Kage-level fighters. But the current state of the ninja world left no Kage-level allies. A month ago, the Hidden Cloud Village had been destroyed by the Akatsuki, the Hidden Mist Village had already allied with the Village Hidden in the Rain, the Hidden Sand Village had long since fallen, and the Hidden Stone Village's stance remained ambiguous.
This was no longer the era of constant wars among the nations. The trend of the Akatsuki unifying the ninja world was clear. The Hidden Leaf Village was the only one still resisting.
A sly smile crept across Kabuto's face. "There may be no help in the world of the living, but the world of the dead is another story."
"You..." Jiraiya and Tsunade turned to Kabuto in shock.
Pushing up his glasses with his right index finger, Kabuto calmly said, "It seems the two of you have already guessed."
"That's right—Edo Tensei."
"But that jutsu is only known by Orochimaru, and he's already joined forces with the Akatsuki," Tsunade pointed out.
Kabuto's smile widened. "Though neither of you has paid much attention to someone like me, allow me to formally introduce myself."
"I was once one of Orochimaru-sama's subordinates. And Edo Tensei... I can use it too!"
Jiraiya scrutinized the round-faced, bespectacled young man before him. He vaguely remembered Kabuto as a polite and helpful genin who spent most of his time in the medical department and hospital. He never would have guessed Kabuto was a spy for Orochimaru.
Tsunade, however, was focused on another issue. "Who are these 'helpers' you're referring to?"
Faced with her questioning tone and the immense pressure she exuded, Kabuto remained composed. "Tsunade-sama, you already know the answer. Why ask?"
"Of course, if the two of you feel you don't need them, then forget I said anything."
"But I urge you to think carefully. If this mission fails, according to the sages' prophecy, the ninja world will be destroyed."
Jiraiya glanced at Tsunade, who looked visibly irritated. She smashed the desk in front of her into pieces with a single punch.
"Why are you looking at me?! As much as I hate the idea of desecrating the souls of my grandfather and the others, we have no choice if it's to save the ninja world," she said through gritted teeth.
Kabuto smiled and turned to lead the way. "Follow me, then."
"If you want to summon the previous Hokage with their full strength, the sacrifices used cannot be ordinary."
"I've managed to create five suitable sacrifices using resources left behind by Orochimaru-sama. It wasn't easy."
The three of them made their way to a secret base within the Land of Fire.
"You mentioned Orochimaru's resources. Has something happened to him?" Jiraiya asked curiously. Despite everything, he still cared about his old friend.
Leading the way, Kabuto shook his head. "I don't know. When I emerged from Ryuchi Cave after receiving the White Snake Sage's inheritance, Orochimaru-sama had already disappeared."
"I didn't dare investigate his whereabouts too deeply. After all, he might have joined forces with the Akatsuki. If they caught me early on, it would've been a big problem."
As they ventured deeper, the surroundings grew darker. The torches that should have been providing light had long since extinguished. Fortunately, all three of them were powerful enough that the darkness posed no issue.
"We're here."
Kabuto stopped in front of the door to an underground chamber. The three of them entered slowly. Kabuto lit the candles on the walls before walking unhurriedly to the center of the room.
Before him lay five experimental subjects, each radiating a powerful aura. Through Kabuto's accelerated cultivation, they had already reached quasi-Kage-level strength. Only sacrifices of this caliber could summon the previous Hokage at their peak.
Kabuto began forming hand seals. "Edo Tensei!"
As the five sacrifices screamed in agony, paper-like fragments enveloped them, gradually transforming them into the appearances of other individuals.
"It's a pity I only had time to prepare five sacrifices and could only gather this many cells," Kabuto said with some regret.
"Otherwise, I could have summoned all the great ninjas of the past, ensuring absolute victory."
"Young man, forbidden jutsu should not be abused!"
A stern voice suddenly echoed through the chamber. Its owner was a tall figure clad in blue armor, looking at Kabuto with a grave expression.
Kabuto adjusted his glasses and replied with a smirk, "Coming from you, that's hardly convincing."
"Lord Tobirama Senju, Second Hokage."
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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