"Such an outstanding junior ninja from Konoha... What a pity, to pass away so young."
The First Hokage's gaze swept across the Paths, surprisingly lingering on Habara's body. Of course, he didn't recognize Habara, so was this some inexplicable intuition? Or merely keen observation?
The situation had flipped from seven-against-one to three-against-seven in an instant, causing Konan's brow to furrow tightly. Normally, facing the Rinnegan, the number of enemies—be it seven or one—made little difference. Yet, at this moment, Konan felt an immense threat emanating from these resurrected foes... A person like her, whose heart was typically like dead ash, like a cold, lifeless rock drifting through the silent cosmos, had inadvertently stumbled straight towards a blazing sun.
When the scorching light enveloped her, when her life was truly threatened, even someone resigned to death could feel the primal urge for survival reawaken.
"Nagato, these two are..." Konan asked, addressing the Tendo Path. Since their identities were exposed, there was no longer a need for pretense.
"They should be the long-dead First Hokage of Konoha, Hashirama Senju, and the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju. This must be Orochimaru's doing... If I remember correctly, Konoha has a forbidden technique called Edo Tensei, which brings those from the past back to the present world to fight."
Hidden away, Nagato couldn't help but frown. Honestly, he hadn't anticipated this variable. Orochimaru's betrayal was a foreseeable possibility, but in his calculations, what real consequence could it have? By now, Orochimaru's strength was negligible compared to his own.
However, he had ultimately underestimated Orochimaru. Even if Orochimaru's personal strength couldn't match the Rinnegan, one must never forget that people possess intellect. When someone like Orochimaru fully applies their ingenuity, the damage they can cause multiplies by hundreds, even thousands.
"Be careful. Even as resurrected corpses, these two are not easy opponents," Nagato warned through the Tendo Path.
Although Nagato felt he was already giving the First Hokage considerable respect with this warning... he still wasn't giving him enough. Hashirama was a figure from a bygone era; Nagato lacked an accurate assessment of his true power.
In Nagato's mind, the First Hokage's strength was roughly equivalent to a Tailed Beast, perhaps slightly surpassing a single one, but certainly incapable of handling multiple Bijuu. Under normal circumstances, based on common sense, this was a reasonable assumption... Consider this: if the First Hokage possessed the power to unify all the Tailed Beasts, why would he propose distributing them among different villages to achieve balance? Such balance was inherently unstable. Compared to domination under a single supreme power, wasn't it obvious which path better served the governance of the entire shinobi world? If the First Hokage had the capability, unless he was completely insane...
Unfortunately, the First Hokage was indeed somewhat unconventional. He wasn't a figure whose motivations could be predicted solely through rational analysis.
Nagato's misjudgment, while understandable, was potentially fatal. Limited by his perspective, he already believed he was being generous in his assessment. Think about it: he had someone claiming to be Madara Uchiha by his side constantly. This "Madara" was certainly someone to be wary of, yet his actual strength... well, it was only so-so.
The First Hokage defeated Madara Uchiha, but their strengths were considered comparable. And now, under the limitations of Edo Tensei, how much power could the First Hokage truly wield?
Orochimaru could roughly gauge the First's strength by the amount of chakra summoned through the Edo Tensei, but how could others possibly have a basis for judgment?
The First Hokage was a legendary figure, and legends, more often than not, involve exaggeration.
In Nagato's original plan, Akatsuki was supposed to be in a period of dormancy. Yet now, enemies had struck at their very heart. To protect his secrets, he was forced into a major confrontation. And fighting openly in Amegakure would inevitably expose certain things... So, regardless of victory or defeat, the moment this incident occurred, Nagato's long-term plans, decades in the making, were already severely compromised.
This unforeseen disruption agitated Nagato. Thinking of the instigator, Orochimaru, Nagato felt the urge to crush him immediately.
Orochimaru saw several pairs of Rinnegan eyes turn towards him but felt no panic, only letting out a low chuckle. What happened next would surely be spectacular, but unfortunately, he wouldn't have time to witness it personally.
"The Rinnegan's main body is moving further away. My perception is starting to get interfered with," the Second Hokage quickly warned.
Nagato was relocating his real body, not out of fear of this combination of enemies, but simply to avoid his vulnerable self being caught in the crossfire of the upcoming battle... If Nagato's real body were hit by something like the Tendo Path's Shinra Tensei, the scene would be too gruesome to behold.
The battle hadn't even begun, yet Orochimaru subtly shifted his weight onto his right leg.
No one spoke further. In that instant, time seemed to freeze.
The next moment, as if someone had suddenly yelled "Start!", the Second Hokage's figure shot directly towards the Six Paths of Pain. Simultaneously, Orochimaru turned tail and fled.
Orochimaru's intentions were obvious. Without needing verbal communication, Konan understood. She beat her paper wings forcefully, urgently beginning to track Orochimaru's escape... She couldn't allow Nagato's real body to face Orochimaru directly.
The Second Hokage, being the fastest, took the lead. He didn't care if there was a Konoha ninja's corpse among the enemy puppets; even if there were living Konoha hostages, he wouldn't hesitate for a second. He would immediately enact a "Russian-style rescue"... Hostages are leverage for villains; eliminating the hostages benefits everyone involved.
The Hell Path among the Six Paths of Pain stepped forward – or rather, Habara's body directly intercepted Tobirama. It immediately unleashed a veritable storm of blades, countless metallic edges slicing through the air at incredible speed in a saturation attack covering the Second Hokage's advance path... Honestly, given the convenience and excessive destructive power of the ninjutsu Habara habitually used, this corpse could hardly be called just a corpse. At the very least, it deserved the title "Immortal Husk."
Why? It was simply far too effective.
The Second Hokage instantly activated his Flying Raijin Technique. His figure vanished and reappeared further back along his charge path, having already left a marker there. True to his combat style, he wouldn't charge recklessly without first gathering intelligence on the enemy.
However, in the instant he teleported, vanishing and reappearing, he seemed to hear an extremely faint clang.
The sound was soft yet dense, as if countless tiny objects had pierced the air simultaneously at high velocity.
The Mercury Dandelion bloomed. The Second Hokage's body, like a moth, was caught upon a vast "spiderweb." In that blink of an eye, Tobirama had sustained hundreds of puncture wounds.
"Such incredible casting speed... Could it be... handseal-less?"
Against a normal ninja, such a dense attack pattern would undoubtedly be fatal. But Tobirama was an Edo Tensei creation. The damage from Habara's Mercury Lamp threads was negligible... Piercing the Edo Tensei body's brain or organs with these thin threads had no effect; wounds this small regenerated almost instantly.
When fighting Edo Tensei, severing limbs is far more effective than piercing the brain with a needle.
The Second Hokage's combat sense was impeccable. Still caught in the web, he didn't rush to escape but immediately called out a warning to the First Hokage, "Brother, the vision of these puppets is linked!"
Otherwise, his Flying Raijin destination couldn't have been pinpointed so accurately.
"Nonsense! That's obvious! Their eyes are all the same, and there's a main body behind them. Of course their vision is shared!" the First Hokage retorted, thinking his younger brother was being rather dense. Their eyes are just cameras; does that even need pointing out?
The Second Hokage nearly choked. His deduction was based on precise information gathered during combat, while his brother was guessing based on superficial appearances. How could they be the same? Tobirama wanted to argue, but couldn't find the words, because to his good brother, he was indeed stating the obvious.
The Second Hokage used Flying Raijin again, swiftly escaping the range of the Habara-corpse's Mercury Lamp attack – an excellent decision.
When Tobirama had reappeared moments before, the Mercury Lamp had just fully deployed, resulting only in puncture wounds, which were almost harmless to an Edo Tensei body. However, cutting damage was another matter entirely. As Tobirama escaped the "web," the Mercury Dandelion began to spin rapidly in place. A moment later, and it would have shredded its prey into mince-meat.
While that wouldn't permanently destroy an Edo Tensei, a shredded Second Hokage would need considerable time to reform his body.
Suffice it to say, the Second Hokage's judgment was superb, and his speed incredible. He might have been summoned as a bonus, but he couldn't truly be treated as one.
As the Second Hokage retreated, the First Hokage surged forward. The moment Hashirama Senju began to move, Nagato, hidden away again, felt his heart skip a beat.
This wasn't a ninja; it felt like a runaway dump truck.
The Asura Path tried to block him but was kicked aside contemptuously. The other Paths moved to surround him, but they might as well have been trying to surround smoke. Before Nagato could fully comprehend what was happening, the First Hokage had nearly reached the Tendo Path.
Shoulder-length straight black hair, ordinary clothes over full heavy armor, a slightly long face with eyes carrying a hint of naivete, but his aura was undeniable.
As the First Hokage's face magnified in Tendo's vision, Nagato's mind went blank. He had only one option...
"Shinra Tensei!"
BOOM!
The First Hokage's body was blasted away like a cannonball. The towering spire was instantaneously blown sky-high. Simultaneously, a massive bowl-shaped crater formed at the center of Amegakure, centered on Tendo's position, carved out incrementally by an immense force.
The First Hokage was sent flying but wasn't stunned. His mind remained clear. His body had taken the full impact head-on; sustaining no damage was impossible, however... he was injured, but only slightly.
While still airborne, the First Hokage flashed through hand seals. In the blink of an eye, the technique was complete:
"Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence!"
Thick, primal, monstrous trees burst from the ground, growing with unimaginable speed, like they were on steroids, expanding in size and scale. Shinra Tensei had carved out a huge, bare crater; almost immediately, deep green forests filled it completely.
The obliterated tower, attempting to fall back to earth, was instead intercepted and dismembered into piles of rubble by colossal branches reaching skyward.
Several enormous leaves cushioned the First Hokage's descent, his feet landing firmly on a horizontal vine. The vine then surged forward like a rushing river, carrying him back towards the Tendo Path.
This was the first time Nagato had witnessed someone capable of matching his own techniques in scale and destructive power. This... this is unbelievable!
"Shinra Tensei!"
The immense force once again pushed back the terrifying, wildly dancing greenery. Deep Forest Emergence alone wasn't enough to breach the Rinnegan's defensive perimeter.
Tendo flicked his right sleeve, and a black rod extended from his palm. He then reached out his left hand towards the charging First Hokage:
"Bansho Tenin!"
Honestly, using this technique at this moment was a terrible move. Nagato certainly had a purpose – knowing Edo Tensei couldn't be defeated, only sealed, he intended to use the black rods to immobilize the First Hokage. However...
Pulling him close for a hug? Did he really want to compare taijutsu skills with the First Hokage? Hashirama Senju's close combat prowess surpassed even that certain someone who enjoyed inviting others to dance.
Under the immense pulling force, the First Hokage's body was drawn uncontrollably forward. Yet, even as Tendo thrust forward with the black rod in his right hand, the First—looking like a battered sandbag—could still fight back!
The First Hokage landed solidly on his feet. His left hand, fast as lightning, clamped down on the wrist of Tendo's right arm holding the black rod. Then, his right hand curled into a claw, palm thrusting forward!
Ninja battles often emphasize fluid continuity between offense and defense, making movements seem light. But with the First Hokage, every single move was like a cannon blast.
This palm strike slammed directly into Tendo's chest, nearly shattering his spine. Yahiko's body, dead for who knows how many years, arched back violently under the immense force but was held fast by the grip on its left arm, yanked back forcefully.
The First Hokage clenched his right hand into a fist, the next blow aimed at crushing Tendo's head.
"Pfft!"
However, just as the First Hokage swung his fist forward, a chillingly thin sword, like a cicada's wing, pierced clean through his wrist with impossible precision.
The First Hokage instinctively glanced sideways and saw an expressionless, dead face.
First Hokage: "..."
"Why is it you again?"
The blade continued its thrust, then sliced downwards. The First Hokage lost a hand. Of course, being an Edo Tensei, he was momentarily stunned by the unexpected attack.
Losing a hand was nothing. The Edo Tensei's own mechanics, combined with the abundant Hashirama cells comprising this body, meant the hand would grow back within a minute. But in that moment, the First Hokage recalled Orochimaru's earlier words.
Think back to how the "Konoha missing-nin" described the "Konoha dead ninja" here:
"The most troublesome one."
A dead Konoha ninja causing trouble for a dead Konoha Hokage... Was this deceased ninja truly loyal to Konoha? Could they be a spy from another village? If they lacked loyalty and reverence in death, did they possess it in life?
In any case, Senju of the Forest had carelessly lost a hand. Fortunately, it was only a hand he lost, not his head.