Chapter 56 – The Dead Don't Get to Leave
Yeah.
If the village hadn't treated Naruto like a walking plague for twelve years,
he never would've burned half of it down tonight.
"At least the monkey left behind some decent talent."
Tobirama exhaled in faint relief.
Jiraiya wasn't overwhelmingly strong in his perception, but he was solidly above jonin level.
Once their Edo Tensei was released, someone could still hold the village together.
"He carries Myoboku's scent," Hashirama added after a single glance. "Sage arts."
In the next breath, white light began radiating from their bodies.
Orochimaru had canceled the jutsu.
Mission accomplished. Third Hokage dead. No more need for the undead founders.
The Konoha Crush was, by his standards, a resounding success.
Only regret: he didn't get to personally deliver the killing blow.
"Looks like our time's up."
Hashirama gave a wistful smile.
"Getting to see the village one last time after death… no complaints here."
Their souls began drifting free of the cracked Edo shells.
Tobirama looked at Jiraiya.
"Successor of Konoha, the village is in your hands now."
"Don't worry, Lord Second. I won't let Konoha fall."
Jiraiya's promise was solemn.
At that exact moment, Aike finished his dissection session and looked up.
His gaze locked onto the ascending souls of Hashirama and Tobirama.
No subtlety. Pure scientific curiosity.
Both brothers felt their non-existent hearts drop.
Tobirama especially recognized that look—he had worn it himself when examining test subjects.
Given what this man had just done to the literal Shinigami…
Yeah. They were next.
And they were right.
After carving up the Reaper, Aike had found traces of something beyond Six Paths—something tied to the pure land of the afterlife.
Hashirama and Tobirama had literally come back from there.
Perfect samples.
He flicked a wrist.
"Bakudō #75: Gochūtekkan."
Five massive iron pillars materialized in mid-air, slamming together to form a sealed cage around the two souls.
Aike floated up, face to face with the trapped founders.
Every shinobi on the roof watched in stunned silence.
"He… trapped the souls of the First and Second?!"
Jiraiya's expression turned grim.
The jonin beside him rapidly filled him in on everything that had just happened.
"The Reaper Death Seal was broken?!"
Jiraiya's eyes nearly popped out.
He knew that technique intimately—it was an absolute last-resort, soul-for-soul trade.
Even tailed beasts couldn't resist it.
And this random guy had casually torn the Shinigami apart like a toy.
"When did the shinobi world get a monster like this…?"
Jiraiya had traveled the world for decades. He had never once heard rumors of someone this strong.
"No matter what, the souls of the First and Second cannot be harmed!"
Resolve burned in his eyes.
He took one step forward.
Nami, Carina, and Izumi instantly blocked his path.
"Don't move."
"We're not letting you interrupt Aike."
Nami's dual-colored Conqueror's and Armament Haki locked onto him like targeting lasers.
Carina's body flickered with swirling winds—countless invisible blades hovering, ready to shred anything that twitched.
Izumi simply stared.
Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan spinning lazily, pressure alone enough to make S
age Mode feel inadequate.
Kaya, the "weakest" of the four, kept her eyes on Asuma and the remaining angry jonin.
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