If there was any real difference, it was this.
Back when Kakashi had fought Zabuza in the earlier video, the two of them had gone through a long series of hand seals just to unleash water release on that scale. They had followed the rules, formed every seal properly, and only then sent the opponent flying.
The Second Hokage, on the other hand, had done it almost casually.
A few swift seals, and a water release of that magnitude was unleashed instantly.
And there was another gap that could not be ignored.
Kakashi had fought in the Land of Waves, an environment saturated with moisture. The Second Hokage was standing in a place with no water source at all, yet he still unleashed water release on that level.
The difference was obvious at a glance.
At that moment, Hatake Kakashi suddenly remembered Kaede Kitahara's earlier joke.
Who still forms hand seals so obediently?
Only then did Kakashi truly understand what Kaede had been poking fun at.
Compared to the Second Hokage, he and Zabuza really were "obedient types."
Of course, jokes aside, everyone still had to form hand seals properly. Every seal was the result of countless shinobi refining ninjutsu over thousands of years, the optimal path for releasing techniques.
One seal too many or too few often meant failure or loss of control.
For someone like the Second Hokage, who could unleash water release of this level with a shout and a flick of his hands, it was already the stuff of legend to Kakashi.
All he could say was this.
As expected of the Second Hokage.
On screen, the Third Hokage was already engaged with the First Hokage, who moved as if carried by water. In close combat, Sarutobi Hiruzen was completely at a disadvantage.
Worse, the Second Hokage dragged him straight into the water, trying to drown him alive.
"Why is the old man's taijutsu this bad? That doesn't make sense."
Jiraiya stared at the scene, muttering under his breath.
His heart ached, but at the same time he could not understand it.
In his mind, Sarutobi Hiruzen had always been a well-rounded shinobi. Taijutsu, ninjutsu, genjutsu, he excelled in all of them.
Yet now, facing the First Hokage, he barely had the strength to fight back.
This was not the teacher Jiraiya remembered.
His movements were slow, awkward, full of hesitation.
In the end, there was only one explanation.
He was old.
Jiraiya felt pain watching, but he quickly understood the root of the problem.
His teacher had aged.
Facing two former Hokage revived through Impure World Reincarnation, the burden was simply too great.
Even going all out, he could barely escape, constantly overwhelmed.
After only a brief exchange, he was already gasping for breath, his age laid bare.
And at that very moment, the First Hokage began to use the Wood Release that had once pacified an entire era.
Under the terrifying assault of Wood Release, the Third Hokage dodged left and right, but within such a confined space, he was quickly captured.
"So this is the Wood Release that ended the Warring States Era?"
Everyone's expressions turned grave.
They had all read about the First Hokage's Wood Release in textbooks. They knew it was a kekkei genkai, but none of them had ever seen it with their own eyes.
After all, this bloodline seemed unique to the First Hokage. Even the Second Hokage had not inherited it.
This was the first time they had truly witnessed Wood Release in action.
And even though Senju Hashirama now possessed less than a tenth of his peak strength, it was still enough to leave everyone stunned.
"Wait… that's not right."
Hatake Kakashi frowned.
He had seen Wood Release before.
There was a ninja named Yamato.
Kakashi remembered that the Third Hokage had personally brought him out of Root. Later, Yamato had joined Anbu and was considered one of Kakashi's juniors.
Kakashi had seen Yamato fight. His Wood Release was decent, but nothing special compared to other elemental techniques.
What the First Hokage was using now was on an entirely different level.
This was overwhelming.
"Deep Forest Emergence."
The entire rooftop was instantly covered, sealed tight. Even the Third Hokage was trapped.
"It's all Wood Release. Can the difference really be this huge?"
To Kakashi, the gap felt even more absurd than the difference between a one-tomoe Sharingan and the Mangekyo Sharingan.
On screen, the Third Hokage was completely bound by Wood Release, unable to move.
"So I've finally caught you, Teacher," Orochimaru said with a mocking smile.
At that moment, Sarutobi Hiruzen forced himself to slam his hand seals against the tree trunk. Using the blood he had bitten from his thumb earlier, he completed the summoning.
"Ninja Art: Summoning Technique. Appear… Monkey King Enma."
With a loud shout, white smoke billowed out.
The Sarutobi Clan's strongest summoned beast appeared.
Enma wore a tiger-skin skirt and a Konoha forehead protector. His presence was ferocious.
"A troublesome one has appeared," Orochimaru said, his expression growing serious. "Old Monkey Enma."
This was a truly dangerous opponent.
As Sarutobi Hiruzen's long-time partner, Enma's strength had likely already brushed the edge of Kage Level.
Enma glanced around and immediately understood the situation.
"Orochimaru… so it really came to this," he said coldly. Then he shot a look at Sarutobi Hiruzen. "Sarutobi, this is your fault. You should have killed him back then."
Enma knew very well that there had been a time when the Third Hokage could have ended Orochimaru.
But he had hesitated.
And now things had come to this.
"I'll act soon," Sarutobi Hiruzen said quickly.
"It's already too late," Enma replied, shaking his head.
"Please, Enma. Adamantine Staff."
The Third Hokage struggled to break free from Wood Release, but it was impossible. All he could do was place his hopes on Enma.
Orochimaru panicked.
"Kill him. Don't let that thing transform."
At his command, the First and Second Hokage rushed forward to stop it.
It was useless.
They were knocked back in just a few exchanges.
Seizing the opening, Enma completed his transformation, becoming the Adamantine Staff and freeing the Third Hokage.
"What an incredible clash of ninjutsu. So this is Hokage-level combat?"
The Anbu watching were stunned.
"Whatever. Now it's finally getting interesting," Orochimaru said, unfazed. He opened his mouth and spat out the Kusanagi Sword.
"Kusanagi Sword. Enma, let's go."
Sarutobi Hiruzen shouted.
"Even with an indestructible body, getting hit by the Kusanagi Sword still hurts," Enma warned.
The Third Hokage ignored the complaint and charged straight in.
The two sides clashed weapons.
In terms of weapon combat, Sarutobi Hiruzen clearly held the advantage. Orochimaru had never focused on weapon training.
But Orochimaru had two helpers.
At a critical moment, they coordinated and slammed the Third Hokage to the ground.
"How foolish," Orochimaru said smugly. "You charged in without even using the Shadow Clone Technique."
"No… that's not it."
An Anbu nearby was shaken.
"It's not that he didn't use it. He couldn't. The Third Hokage is different now. Shadow Clone Technique divides the user's chakra evenly. Using it now would just waste what little chakra he has left."
"So he really has grown old…"
Outside the video, everyone felt the weight of the Third Hokage's decline.
He was knocked down with frightening ease under Orochimaru's assault.
"But if that's the case," Itachi said quietly, "then why doesn't Shimura Danzo have the same problem?"
He frowned.
In the previous video of Uchiha Sasuke fighting Danzo, Danzo's strength had not seemed affected by age at all.
Then Itachi understood.
From the countless trees sprouting from Danzo's body, it was obvious.
Some kind of ninjutsu modification.
Jiraiya's expression was just as heavy.
He was not only watching Orochimaru brutalize his own teacher, he was also thinking about Danzo.
"Wood Release modification…"
Jiraiya remembered fragments of information he had learned before.
Compared to Itachi, Jiraiya was closer to the upper ranks. He knew more. He had heard rumors about the reasons behind Orochimaru's exile.
He remembered one incident clearly.
Tsunade had stormed into the Third Hokage's office in a rage. Their argument had been fierce. From a distance, Jiraiya had caught words like "Wood Release," "experiments," and "kekkei genkai."
After that argument, Tsunade left the village.
Later, Jiraiya learned the truth.
Konoha's higher-ups had been quietly tolerating Wood Release research for years, with Orochimaru at its center.
Tsunade's complete disappointment in her teacher likely stemmed from that.
Jiraiya had thought those experiments stopped after Orochimaru defected.
Now it was clear they had not.
At the very least, Shimura Danzo had never abandoned Wood Release experiments.
He had even applied the results to himself.
And the effect was obvious.
Comparing Danzo to the aging Third Hokage made it painfully clear.
At this age, the Third Hokage had to be cautious just to create a single shadow clone. Even a short exchange of taijutsu left him gasping for breath.
Danzo, the same age, was completely different.
When he fought the future Mangekyo Sharingan Sasuke, there had been no sign of stamina or chakra issues.
He looked like someone still at his peak.
That was the result of bodily modification.
If being human has a limit…
…then I won't be human anymore.
[A/N: Enjoying the story? You can read more chapters early and support me here:patreon.com/Aeroscissors]