"Surrender. If you are willing to implicate Elder Takeda, you may still atone for your sins and earn a chance to live."
Koizumi did not accept Pakura's words.
Instead, he suddenly roared, "How long are you going to wait?! Aren't you going to make a move?!"
Those words caused Pakura's expression to darken even further. There were accomplices hiding in the shadows!
However, when she guarded against a sneak attack from the unseen enemy, nothing happened.
No one appeared.
Time passed, yet everything remained unchanged.
Pakura turned her gaze toward Aoshi.
Although she didn't speak, her meaning was obvious—she was asking whether he sensed anyone lurking nearby.
She knew that Aoshi possessed sensory abilities. After all, he had revealed that fact earlier tonight of his own accord.
Aoshi shook his head, indicating that he had detected nothing.
He had already pushed his perception to its limits; as long as someone nearby harbored ill intent toward him, they would not escape his awareness.
Receiving his confirmation, Pakura looked back at Koizumi with a strange expression.
Earlier, to save his own life, he had sacrificed Kitada Yusuke without hesitation.
Now, he himself had been discarded—reduced to yet another expendable pawn.
"You worked so hard for Elder Takeda, yet you were still abandoned in the end. What's the point of continuing to persist?"
Pakura tried to persuade him.
It wasn't out of pity. A living Koizumi Yosuke was the most valuable evidence against Elder Takeda.
She would never allow such a person to remain alive and let an elder continue enjoying peace and power within the village.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Suddenly, several kunai shot toward Pakura at extreme speed.
Though the attack was abrupt, she reacted instantly, using the Body Flicker Technique to evade.
"Who is it?!" Her sharp shout was answered by the appearance of a strange Sand ninja.
His body was riddled with peculiar cracks, and his pupils were pitch-black.
"Who exactly are you?" Pakura searched her memory carefully.
She was certain—she had never seen this person before. Yet the newly arrived Sand ninja offered no reply.
Instead, he swiftly formed hand seals and performed the Summoning Jutsu.
In the next moment, numerous coffins burst forth from the yellow sand.
As they opened, one ninja after another emerged.
A rough count put the number at over twenty.
Their clothing and headbands differed, representing various ninja villages.
The only things they shared were the unnatural cracks covering their bodies and their completely black pupils.
At this point—even if Pakura were a fool, she would have realized the truth.
These were not living people. They were summoned by a forbidden technique.
"What kind of ninjutsu is this?"
As a rising jōnin of Sunagakure, Pakura had never encountered the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu created by the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju.
Logically speaking, Aoshi should not have known it either.
That was precisely why Orochimaru had no fear of exposure and dared to use Edo Tensei to test him.
He didn't need to appear in person—controlling it from the shadows was enough.
What Orochimaru never anticipated was that Aoshi was a transmigrator.
Not only did he instantly recognize the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu, but he also knew that, aside from Orochimaru, no one else in Konoha currently possessed this technique.
That's right.
The moment Aoshi saw that cracked Sand ninja, he identified Edo Tensei.
And he immediately concluded that the mastermind could only be Orochimaru.
Even though, according to his memories, Orochimaru should not yet have mastered this jutsu at this point in time, there was simply no other possible candidate.
After the Edo Tensei ninjas appeared, they immediately charged toward Aoshi and Pakura.
Koizumi Yosuke—who had thought he would be rescued—was also among their targets.
From the very beginning, Orochimaru had never intended to let Koizumi Yosuke live.
Anyone who knew about his cooperation with Elder Takeda was a liability. Even Elder Takeda himself would be dealt with later.
Orochimaru would never allow even the slightest trace that might expose his identity to remain.
What he didn't know was that Aoshi had already seen through everything.
Had he known, he might have been so furious he'd spit blood.
He had gone to such lengths to conceal himself—only for Aoshi to identify him at a single glance.
It made Orochimaru's careful scheming look utterly ridiculous.
"Bastard!" Koizumi cursed in disbelief.
The very people he had hoped would save him were now trying to kill him.
Naturally, he found it impossible to accept.
At the same time, he launched a counterattack, rapidly unleashing Wind Release ninjutsu and instantly tearing apart the Edo Tensei ninja charging toward him.
However, Edo Tensei possessed immortality.
Even if their bodies were shredded or pulverized, they would quickly regenerate.
Against such unkillable foes, Koizumi Yosuke's resistance was laughable.
Before long, he was killed, his face filled with resentment and unwillingness.
"Are all these guys immortal?" Pakura spoke grimly.
Even her Scorch Release couldn't completely destroy them—they regenerated almost immediately.
"For now, they are indeed immortal."
Aware that Orochimaru could observe the battlefield through the Edo Tensei, Aoshi deliberately avoided revealing his knowledge of the jutsu.
"Then what should we do?"
Unkillable enemies—this was a situation they had never faced before.
"Every ninjutsu has a weakness. They can't be killed, but sealing jutsu should work."
As soon as he finished speaking, Aoshi formed hand seals and activated a sealing technique.
The Edo Tensei ninja whose leg he had just shattered was sealed instantly, frozen in place.
Seeing this, Pakura's eyes lit up as she looked at Aoshi with admiration.
He had found the enemy's weakness so quickly. As expected of you.
At the same time, Orochimaru—watching from the shadows—shared the same thought.
"Aoshi-kun, you've given me yet another surprise."
"The more outstanding you are, the more reluctant I become to kill you."
Having already formed the initial concept of the Living Corpse Reincarnation Jutsu, Orochimaru had begun coveting the bodies of those with Bloodline Limits.
And a genius like Aoshi fascinated him even more.
"It can't end like this. I still haven't obtained the information I want. Aoshi-kun, show me more of your power."
Under Orochimaru's control, the Edo Tensei ninjas immediately altered their tactics.
They dodged more cautiously, refusing to give Aoshi opportunities to seal them.
Then they spread out and began attacking from long range.
Although none of them were top-tier elites, they came from all five great ninja villages.
Elemental ninjutsu of every type filled the battlefield.
Some even possessed unique techniques. With infinite chakra sustaining them, their attacks were several times stronger than when they had been alive.
So that's it. Orochimaru's goal is to gather intelligence on me.
Aoshi understood immediately. Otherwise, Orochimaru would never believe that Edo Tensei of this level could defeat him.
The man wasn't foolish.
Once Aoshi grasped Orochimaru's objective, he also realized—Danzo must have been involved.
After all, before this, he and Orochimaru had only interacted once.
That alone wasn't enough to provoke such hostility.
Even locked away in Konoha's prison, Danzo was still stirring up trouble.
"Damn it… is their chakra inexhaustible too?" Before the Edo Tensei appeared, Pakura had already fought Kitada Yusuke and Koizumi Yosuke for a long time.
She had even used newly developed techniques. Her chakra reserves were now nearly depleted.
"You've expended too much. Leave the rest to me."
Since Orochimaru wanted to test his intelligence, Aoshi would oblige.
Even if Orochimaru learned everything—so what?
The current Orochimaru wasn't someone Aoshi took seriously.
Besides, how much of his strength could these Edo Tensei really draw out?
Water Release: Six Water Dragon Bullets!
With a single-handed seal, Aoshi summoned six enormous water dragons—in the middle of the desert.
Pakura stood beside him, utterly stunned. "Is this… really the chakra capacity of a ninja?"
This was a desert. For a Water Release user, it was the worst possible environment.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The six water dragons roared forward, crushing the Edo Tensei who failed to dodge in time.
Immediately afterward, sealing jutsu followed.
One after another, they were sealed.
At the same time, silver-white lightning flashed.
A Cloud ninja among the Edo Tensei launched an attack.
From its intensity, Aoshi confirmed it was at least a B-rank Lightning Release.
Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!
With a single hand seal, Aoshi expelled a small fireball.
It expanded instantly, growing with the wind into a terrifying sea of flames.
The lightning was crushed outright. The sea of fire surged forward, engulfing the Edo Tensei Cloud ninja.
When the flames dispersed, a sealing jutsu awaited him.
Next—
Aoshi seamlessly switched between Earth Release, Wind Release, and Lightning Release.
He even demonstrated Hatake-style swordsmanship.
Watching this, Orochimaru's pupils shrank sharply. He immediately recognized the signature blade technique of Sakumo Hatake—the White Fang of Konoha.
"Immense chakra."
"Mastery of all five elemental transformations."
"Water and Fire Release is advanced enough for single-handed seals."
"And Hatake-style swordsmanship, with no small degree of proficiency."
"Truly… Aoshi-kun is extraordinary."
Although he lost every Edo Tensei ninja, Orochimaru was deeply satisfied.
Tonight had tested the Impure World Reincarnation and revealed invaluable information about Aoshi.
It confirmed one thing above all else: Choosing not to confront him directly had been the correct decision.
"It seems that to deal with Aoshi-kun, I must continue refining Edo Tensei…"
"And summon those two."
"The God of Shinobi—Hashirama Senju."
"And the Master of Forbidden Jutsu—the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju."
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