Noah watched Orochimaru calmly. Although the man hesitated for a moment, he eventually summoned three coffins.
Noah made no move to stop him. Instead, he studied the three figures stepping unsteadily out of the coffins with focused attention.
Their souls were dense enough that Noah could see what they truly were beneath their exteriors. Beyond that, he sensed a peculiar aura-cold, desolate, and entirely alien to this universe.
It was a unique, chilling sensation, completely distinct from the living.
When Noah tried to trace it to its source, his consciousness was blocked. It was as if a great, invisible river intercepted him-deep, dangerous, and not to be crossed lightly.
One detail, however, thrilled him: he could confirm these souls originated from the World of the Dead he had long sought.
"It seems there's no problem; this is exactly the technique I wanted," Noah murmured, a slight smile crossing his lips. "Once I understand its principles, gather all data, and modify it into magic with specific adjustments, I'll have completed my purpose here."
He turned his gaze back to Orochimaru, now filled with predatory aggression.
The look immediately conveyed danger, though Orochimaru hadn't figured him out yet. After summoning the three Reanimated shadows, Orochimaru performed the Summoning Jutsu again, bringing forth the massive Manda.
Noah was momentarily speechless. He wanted to tell Orochimaru there was no need for close-quarters combat-he couldn't even use full power-but decided against it.
Orochimaru had summoned three Reanimations: the First and Second Hokage, and the Fourth Kazekage.
This aligned with Noah's deductions. He had wondered if the Fourth Hokage would appear, but deemed it impossible-the Fourth Hokage wouldn't manifest until the Fourth Great War, and only because the Reaper's stomach was opened. The Fourth Kazekage, however, had been intercepted and killed en route to the Hidden Leaf; Orochimaru naturally wouldn't waste such a combat asset.
Looking up at the dozens-of-meters-tall Manda, Noah decided to use an ability he had learned long ago but never wielded.
"Noah, let me in!" the Third Hokage suddenly shouted from outside. "Those two aren't opponents you can handle alone! And... given their identities, I must join the battle!"
Facing enemies of Kage status-two former Kage of his own village-the Third felt compelled to intervene. Even if unsure of his impact, he had to display the proper resolve.
Noah ignored him completely, maintaining a calm, unreadable expression as he focused on Orochimaru.
"I will find out exactly who you are!" Orochimaru shouted, driving three kunai with tags into the heads of the Reanimated Kage.
At this stage, the Reanimation Jutsu was incomplete and required the suppression of the souls' personalities to make them mindless killing machines. Once the talismans were embedded, the three figures became more lifelike and launched an assault on Noah.
Orochimaru didn't know Noah's strength, but the boy emanated an undeniable dread.
"Boring."
Noah sighed softly as Magnet, Water, and Wood Style attacks surged toward him, Orochimaru charging atop Manda.
A strange chakra fluctuation erupted from Noah. He could have used Flying Raijin to teleport away and avoid the attack, but he saw no need. His Susanoo, though different from the Uchiha version, was simply another application of chakra.
Moreover, his Susanoo was enhanced by his Holy Light-a perfect fusion of Yin and Yang Release in this universe.
"Noah! Watch out!" the Third Hokage screamed.
The next instant, he froze. Agents and ninjas throughout the Leaf felt a terrifying chakra sweep across the village.
Noah's chakra erupted. A skeletal phantom appeared, quickly solidifying. A point of light rose from his center, forming a skeletal giant that crushed every plant produced by incoming Wood Style.
"What... what is that?" an Anbu whispered in disbelief.
The Third Hokage remained silent. He recognized the technique but couldn't fathom why Noah possessed a Uchiha power requiring the Mangekyo Sharingan, yet bore no Uchiha traits. Did Shisui give him his eyes? Looking closely, Noah's gaze had not changed.
"Susanoo?"
Orochimaru, a lifelong Uchiha researcher, immediately sensed the difference. Noah's Susanoo was strikingly distinct from Uchiha versions.
As Noah's chakra surged, the Susanoo took shape. The skeletal form vanished. In its place stood a golden giant clad in black armor, gripping two black longswords.
Noah remained calm as the Susanoo absorbed all incoming attacks.
"This is my first time using this; I hope it's not too embarrassing," he murmured, tilting his head. The giant moved according to his will.
The gold-and-black Susanoo drew a longsword from its waist, coating it in terrifying chakra flames. A single swing transcended space itself, striking Orochimaru and the others with unimaginable speed.
Orochimaru manipulated Hashirama to raise a funnel-shaped wooden shield. The sword struck almost instantly.
"Wood Style: Domed Wall!"
"Ugh!"
Inside the wall, Orochimaru groaned, a massive force pressing on him as if displacing his organs. Hashirama was shredded into a pile of paper scraps in an instant.
Noah's destructive power was terrifying-far beyond Orochimaru's expectations.
Of course, this was only natural. The Reanimated Hashirama wasn't a complete being. Noah doubted it possessed even a tenth of its original strength: no full Wood Style, no Sage Mode, no Asura Chakra Mode. A full Hashirama could have treated a Susanoo like a toy.
"But if it were complete, Orochimaru couldn't control him anyway," Noah thought.
The massive Susanoo flashed golden light and appeared beside Orochimaru. Without warning, it struck again, shredding Manda beneath him before it could even react.
The sword's shockwaves shattered the Four Violet Flames Formation like glass.
Everyone present froze. Anbu and the Third Hokage were blown back, faces filled with terror and disbelief.
"Shattered... it was shattered..."
"What kind of jutsu is that..."