If other people heard Orochimaru's thoughts at that moment, they would probably think he had gone completely mad.
In his opinion, if he wanted to deal with Hirakawa Seishui, resurrecting only one legendary ninja would not be enough.
It would take two Hokage-level ancestors revived through Edo Tensei just to suppress him.
If such words were spread in the ninja world, they would cause an enormous uproar.
After all—
The two people Orochimaru was referring to were none other than Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju.
The First and Second Hokage of Konoha.
Hashirama Senju was a legend.
He had ended the chaotic Warring States era and helped establish the ninja village system.
His strength was so overwhelming that he once stood at the very peak of the ninja world alongside Uchiha Madara.
Even decades after his death, his reputation still echoed throughout the shinobi world.
Tobirama Senju, the Second Hokage, might not have possessed the same terrifying raw power as his elder brother.
However, he was still widely recognized as one of the greatest ninjas in history.
He had created countless powerful ninjutsu and established the systems that made Konoha strong.
Both men were giants of their era.
Meanwhile, Hirakawa Seishui was certainly powerful.
He was known across the ninja world as the "Hero of Konoha."
But if someone claimed that his strength had reached the same level as those two legendary Hokage…
Almost no one would believe it.
Yet Orochimaru believed it.
Or rather—
He believed that Seishui was dangerous enough to require that level of preparation.
However, the problem lay in the Edo Tensei technique itself.
Orochimaru frowned as he considered the risks.
"If I resurrect them through Edo Tensei…"
"If they are too weak, they will be useless."
"But if they are too strong…"
His golden snake-like eyes narrowed.
"…then I might lose control of them."
The current situation was very different from the plan he once used in the original timeline—the Konoha Crush.
At that time, Orochimaru had publicly declared that he intended to destroy Konoha.
But in truth, his real objective had been much more personal.
He wanted to give his teacher, Hiruzen Sarutobi, a glorious end.
He wanted the Third Hokage to die heroically while protecting the village, defeated by the resurrected First and Second Hokage.
That was why Orochimaru had weakened the Edo Tensei versions of Hashirama and Tobirama.
Their strength had been far below their true level—perhaps less than one-tenth of their original power.
But now the situation was different.
This time, Orochimaru had no sentimental intentions.
His goal was simple.
Kill Hirakawa Seishui.
Therefore, he could not afford to hold back.
The resurrected Hokage would need to possess far more of their true strength.
Yet at the same time, he could not allow them to become uncontrollable.
Orochimaru sighed softly.
"This is troublesome."
After thinking for a moment, a cold smile slowly appeared on his face.
"It seems I must improve the Edo Tensei technique."
"And to ensure everything goes smoothly…"
"I should probably find a collaborator as well."
As soon as he finished speaking, Orochimaru's figure disappeared silently.
He had another task to complete first.
He needed to deal with Elder Takeda of Sunagakure.
The old man knew too much.
If Takeda revealed anything, Orochimaru's plans might be exposed.
And Orochimaru never left loose ends.
The Next Morning
After the battle with the Edo Tensei ninja the previous night, Seishui and Pakura carefully cleaned up the battlefield.
They removed all traces of the confrontation.
By the next morning, everything looked as though nothing had happened.
Meanwhile, the second stage of the Chunin Exams continued as scheduled.
However, Seishui and Pakura were not present.
During the night, the two of them had already rushed toward Sunagakure.
Their destination was the office of the Third Kazekage, known as the strongest Kazekage in history.
It was still early morning when they arrived.
But the Kazekage was already working.
When Seishui and Pakura entered the office, the Third Kazekage looked up from his documents.
"Lord Seishui. Pakura."
His voice was calm and respectful.
"Is there something you wish to discuss with me?"
Technically speaking, the Kazekage's status was higher than Seishui's.
However, in the ninja world, strength determined respect.
Seishui's power—and Konoha's influence—made it perfectly appropriate for the Kazekage to treat him politely.
Pakura stepped forward.
She then carefully explained everything that had happened during the previous night.
The Edo Tensei attack.
Elder Takeda's involvement.
And Orochimaru's possible role.
As the story unfolded, the Third Kazekage's expression gradually darkened.
He had always worked hard to maintain good relations between Sunagakure and Konoha.
An assassination attempt on a Konoha hero would be disastrous.
And it had happened within his own village's sphere of influence.
This meant only one thing.
The actions were Elder Takeda's personal decision.
The Kazekage immediately called for the ANBU.
"Arrest Elder Takeda immediately."
However, moments later the ANBU returned with troubling news.
"Lord Kazekage…"
"Elder Takeda has disappeared."
The Kazekage slammed his fist against the table.
"That coward fled!"
In his mind, the explanation was obvious.
Takeda must have realized his plot had failed and escaped overnight.
Only Seishui understood the truth.
It was almost certainly Orochimaru's doing.
If Orochimaru had decided to eliminate Takeda to erase evidence, the old man would never survive.
Of course, Seishui kept this thought to himself.
There was no way to explain how he knew.
The Kazekage soon regained his composure.
He then asked Seishui for a favor.
"Please do not report this matter to Konoha."
The request was understandable.
If word spread that one of Sunagakure's elders had attempted assassination and then fled…
It would be a massive scandal.
Sunagakure's reputation would suffer greatly.
Seishui nodded.
Even without the request, he had no intention of reporting the incident.
There was little benefit in doing so.
First—
He could not prove Orochimaru's involvement.
The cautious snake would have left no evidence.
Second—
Even if Hiruzen Sarutobi suspected Orochimaru, what would happen?
At best, it would repeat the original timeline.
Hiruzen would hesitate.
And Orochimaru would escape.
Once Orochimaru became a rogue ninja, he would disappear into the vast world.
Finding him again would become far more difficult.
And although Seishui himself was not afraid of Orochimaru…
The people around him might not be so lucky.
So it was better to leave Orochimaru inside Konoha for now.
At least this way, Orochimaru would not know that Seishui already understood the truth.
Eventually, Orochimaru would make another move.
And when that happened—
Seishui would deal with him personally.
A Walk Through Sunagakure
After leaving the Kazekage's office, Seishui waited outside.
Soon Pakura emerged.
"Pakura," Seishui said with a smile.
"Since I've come all the way to Sunagakure, shouldn't you show me around?"
Pakura nodded.
Their duties in the Chunin Exams had already been arranged.
Even if an emergency occurred, they could return quickly.
The distance wasn't far.
So the two began walking through the village.
Compared with Konoha, Sunagakure looked poorer.
The buildings were simpler.
The streets were quieter.
But to Seishui, everything still felt fresh and interesting.
As they walked, many villagers stared curiously.
A ninja wearing a Konoha forehead protector naturally attracted attention in Sunagakure.
But Seishui ignored the looks.
Suddenly, he noticed a red-haired boy standing nearby.
The boy's face was calm and expressionless.
After a moment, Seishui remembered.
Sasori of the Red Sand.
At this time, Sasori was still young and unknown.
But Seishui recognized the future genius.
When Sasori noticed Seishui's gaze, he looked back.
The moment he saw the Konoha headband, his expression shifted slightly.
It was a small change.
But Seishui noticed it.
Pakura spoke quietly beside him.
"That boy is Sasori."
"He is Elder Chiyo's grandson."
"He is extremely talented in puppet techniques."
"In fact, he is already stronger than Yūsuke Kitada."
Seishui nodded.
However, he had no intention of interacting with the child.
The two simply walked past each other.
An Unexpected Encounter
Soon afterward, Seishui saw another familiar face.
"Hey, Rasa."
He waved casually.
"Long time no see."
Rasa turned around.
Beside him stood a blonde female ninja with a gentle smile.
Seishui grinned.
"Your girlfriend?"
He looked impressed.
"You've got good taste."
"You should treat her well in the future."
Seishui was slightly older than both Rasa and Pakura, so calling him "kid" wasn't inappropriate.
Before Rasa could respond, the woman spoke politely.
"My name is Karura."
"Welcome to Sunagakure, Lord Hirakawa."
Seishui nodded.
Karura was indeed Rasa's girlfriend.
The two had been enjoying a rare day without missions.
After greeting Seishui, Karura glanced at Pakura.
The two women already knew each other.
Looking at Karura, Seishui suddenly remembered something.
Mama Susanoo…
Karura would one day become the mother of Gaara.
A woman whose love defined motherhood itself.
Truly worthy of respect.
After chatting briefly, Seishui waved goodbye.
"Alright."
"We won't interrupt your date."
Rasa looked relieved.
Pakura's Embarrassment
After walking away, Seishui suddenly spoke.
"Pakura…"
He smiled mischievously.
"Does this mean we're on a date too?"
Pakura froze.
Then her beautiful face instantly turned red.
"What nonsense are you talking about?!"
She snapped angrily.
Embarrassed, Pakura quickly walked ahead.
Leaving Seishui behind.
He stared at her graceful back and laughed softly.
He had not expected such a simple joke to make Pakura blush like that.
Even someone as powerful as her—
Still had a shy and delicate side.
And Seishui couldn't help thinking one thing.
That back would probably be perfect for acupuncture therapy.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)