Orochimaru had carefully rehearsed his opening lines, wondering whether, upon meeting the God of Shinobi, he should politely offer a "Hello, I've heard so much about you, a pleasure," or perhaps take a more pragmatic approach and cut straight to the transaction.
As it turned out, he had overthought things. Objectively speaking, the words for "god" and "neurotic" differ by only a single character in some languages. To put it more diplomatically, the First Hokage was spontaneous, transcended worldly concerns, and radiated an aura of effortless command.
"The Monkey is dead too? Who are you? You don't look like a Konoha ninja."
Although he had noticed Orochimaru from the start, the Second Hokage had pretended to be fully engrossed in conversation with his older brother. Only after Orochimaru spoke did Tobirama pose the question... This third person present was undoubtedly the caster of the Edo Tensei.
"I should say, I was once a Konoha ninja, and a student of the Third Hokage. Lord Third passed away just some time ago," Orochimaru replied, addressing the Second Hokage, though his primary focus remained fixed on the First.
"Sarutobi... ah... Has the warfare still not ended?" the First Hokage asked.
"The Third Shinobi World War concluded several years ago. As for Sensei Sarutobi's death... I was actually responsible for that. We had some ideological conflicts, which led to my defection from Konoha," Orochimaru stated, remarkably "forthright."
"Missing-nin..."
Hearing this, the Second Hokage's gaze instantly sharpened. Given his usual methods, knowing this man was a Konoha defector, Tobirama should have flashed behind Orochimaru for a backstab the very next second. However, he didn't move – not because his brain had turned to mush after years underground, but because he found himself utterly unable to act.
His body was controlled; his will had no command over his resurrected form.
"Big brother, it's just as I suspected. Ninja who use forbidden techniques like Edo Tensei are rarely good people," Tobirama finally said with resignation, having struggled futilely against the control.
He was willing to insult even himself just to criticize the caster. Truly fitting for the ruthless Second Hokage.
In truth, Orochimaru's words were mainly intended to provoke the First Hokage, to test the limits of his Edo Tensei control against Hashirama's potential fury, ideally determining the exact extent of his restraint. However, the First Hokage remained completely unmoved by his statements... Hashirama often appeared foolish, but at critical moments, he possessed great wisdom disguised as simplicity.
"Sarutobi died at the hands of his own student... That's unfortunate, but... if it can be considered a case of 'the successor surpassing the predecessor,' perhaps it's not entirely unacceptable. Tobirama, try to look on the bright side. We're already dead anyway," the First Hokage said, shaking his head. He then continued, "Right, who is the current Hokage?"
"Your granddaughter, Tsunade. Konoha's situation is currently very stable, even improving steadily. You needn't worry on that front," Orochimaru replied. He certainly had no reason to explain the consolidation of the Land of Fire's military and government to the two former Hokage; it would take too long and was irrelevant to his purpose.
"Tsunade?"
"Tsunade!"
"Tsunade, ah..."
The First Hokage's consistently composed expression finally cracked with astonishment. He exclaimed her name three times, each with a different intonation. Simultaneously, the Second Hokage perfectly mirrored his brother's shifting tones with corresponding facial expressions, their coordination seamless, their emotions vividly conveyed.
The First Hokage forced himself not to dwell on what Konoha might become under Tsunade's leadership – whether drastically changed for the better or worse. He plopped down onto a nearby flat rock and asked, "So, what's your name? And why summon us deceased individuals?"
"I am Orochimaru." Though stating his name was unimportant, Orochimaru complied respectfully with the First Hokage's request. "As for why I've resurrected you both using Edo Tensei, it's because the shinobi world now faces a crisis of imminent destruction. Faced with such peril, I could think of no living ninja capable of resolving the problem, so I could only turn to esteemed sages of the past like yourselves."
"A crisis threatening the shinobi world's destruction? Isn't that somewhat exaggerated?" the First Hokage questioned, frowning. In his mind, the constant warring states era was already terrible enough. Could the current situation truly be more severe than what he faced? It seemed almost impossible.
But the First Hokage was, after all, the First Hokage. He didn't jump to conclusions based on common sense but decided to hear out this missing-nin's explanation.
"You both have surely heard of the Rinnegan. The Rinnegan has now reappeared in the world. Its wielder has established an organization aimed at destroying the Five Great Shinobi Villages, with the ultimate goal of annihilating the entire shinobi world."
Regardless of Nagato's specific thoughts or detailed plans, Orochimaru provided this concise explanation.
"The Rinnegan? Those legendary eyes? How is that possible?" Even the Second Hokage, momentarily setting aside Orochimaru's status as a missing-nin, was visibly shocked. He had been determined not to believe any of Orochimaru's nonsense, yet this opening revelation nearly shattered his composure.
Orochimaru nodded. "I have no need to lie. You will both be able to witness the truth for yourselves soon enough. More importantly, I am currently a member of that very organization, so I can assure you these are facts."
"You..." A defector from Konoha, joining a world-ending organization, and now seemingly turning against them? Was this some kind of convoluted double-agent script?
"The leader of the organization who possesses the Rinnegan is of Uzumaki descent. His parents were accidentally killed by Konoha ninja during the wars. Therefore, I have reason to suspect he harbors particular animosity towards Konoha," Orochimaru added, embellishing further to sway the First Hokage.
"Initially, I assumed he was born with such eyes, but I later discarded that notion. The Rinnegan's emergence is surely not coincidental; it was created according to a plan. The leader may merely be a figurehead, with a deeper conspiracy behind him that I haven't yet uncovered," Orochimaru speculated. After being startled by Habara's claim that "Pain is a puppet," Orochimaru had carefully re-evaluated his thoughts and indeed managed to deduce something close to the truth.
"You have some understanding of the Rinnegan? Specifically?" the First Hokage pressed.
"I suspect Madara Uchiha is involved in this matter."
"...Continue." The First Hokage's demeanor finally shifted significantly. The name "Madara Uchiha" carried immense weight.
"Someone once told me," Orochimaru continued, relaying Habara's words, "that only by combining the body of the Sage and the eyes of the Sage can one obtain the Power of All Creation. To elaborate, combining the Uchiha clan's ultimate Sharingan with Senju Sage Techniques is the path to obtaining the legendary eyes of creation, the Rinnegan... While the Uzumaki clan is special, I don't believe an Uzumaki offspring could naturally possess such power. It seems unreasonable, doesn't it?"
Habara had rambled quite a bit, but Orochimaru had managed to extract the essential points.
"Madara Uchiha..." The First Hokage sank into recollection. After a moment, he murmured, "Thinking back now, some of his actions during our final battle did seem rather strange."
"Certain actions" specifically referred to Madara insisting on taking a bite out of Hashirama Senju. It was hard to imagine such a move occurring in a battle between the world's two strongest shinobi; it inherently felt out of place.
The First Hokage knew little about the Rinnegan itself, but his intuition told him Orochimaru's statement about the "Power of All Creation" was correct.
"Madara seized Brother's power and obtained the Rinnegan... but what was the point? He must surely be dead by now, and the Rinnegan is on someone else..." The Second Hokage remained somewhat confused.
The First Hokage glanced at his younger brother. "Tobirama, what is the Power of All Creation?"
"That..." Tobirama Senju was no fool. Understanding struck him like lightning. "The technique of resurrection..."
No matter how vast or all-encompassing the "All Creation" aspect was, the Rinnegan's power could likely achieve resurrection. That way, Madara's efforts wouldn't have been in vain.
The First Hokage turned his gaze back to Orochimaru. "You said this leader intends to destroy the world. What is his specific method?"
World destruction was just an idea, not yet a reality. But since the organization existed with this goal, it must have a corresponding plan of action. The First Hokage wanted to hear if this plan was feasible, to gauge how dangerous the Rinnegan wielder's thinking truly was, and whether they were beyond salvation.
"Capture all the Tailed Beasts, revive the Ten-Tails, destroy the shinobi world."
Orochimaru's testimony was concise, potent, and hit its mark. The Tailed Beasts – those Hashirama had distributed precisely to balance power in the shinobi world. Regardless of whether Hashirama's methods were flawed, gathering the Tailed Beasts again was undeniably an act aimed at shattering the balance he had created.
Could the Rinnegan destroy the world? Hard to say; Hashirama had never witnessed its power. But the Rinnegan plus the Ten-Tails? That was a certainty.
Because Nagato's plan was highly feasible, it struck at the very core of the First Hokage's legacy.
"Regardless of Madara's plan, if those eyes are destroyed, the rest becomes meaningless. The dead should remain dead," the First Hokage concluded swiftly. He addressed Orochimaru, "When do you intend to confront the Rinnegan?"
Orochimaru smiled faintly. "The next time I summon you both."
"Very well. We shall await your summons."
One must reassess a person after even three days' separation; Orochimaru was no longer the snake he once was. After releasing the Edo Tensei, he closed his eyes, a sense of accomplishment washing over him... Is... is this the power of 'Talk no Jutsu'?
Then he opened his eyes, a profound, unreadable smile playing on his lips.
Destroy the Rinnegan? Heh.
Before resurrecting the First Hokage, Orochimaru didn't have the Rinnegan. After resurrecting the First Hokage, Orochimaru still wouldn't have the Rinnegan if he simply destroyed it. Wouldn't that mean he performed Edo Tensei for nothing?