31. The Will of Fire

"DIE!" Shukaku screamed at the jinchūriki.

The giant tanuki had charged them, attempting to ram the three shinobi head-on with all of his weight. Naruto, Han, and Rōshi managed to jump out of the way, avoiding his attack. Shukaku then proceeded to swing his tail at them. Both Naruto and Han were able to avoid the attack, but Rōshi was unable to get away in time. The Yonbi jinchūriki was knocked backwards and hit the ground hard. He hissed in pain.

"Old man!" Naruto's eyes widened.

Shukaku raised his claw and pointed it at the downed-jinchūriki. Sand moved forward rapidly towards him in the shape of a hand. As the sand was about to reach him and grab him, Rōshi stood up. His own hand was then surrounded by molten rock. Rōshi punched the incoming sand directly, destroying it instantaneously. He then made a series of hand signs before releasing a barrage of molten lava rocks from his mouth directly at Shukaku. The balls collided with the tanuki's body, causing it to stop moving and wince slightly in pain.

"Naruto, with Rōshi here, let's try getting you atop Shukaku one more time the same way we have been trying." Han suggested as he charged Shukaku, seeing an opportunity to strike.

The Gobi jinchūriki delivered a steam-augmented kick to the tanuki's stomach, causing him to wince and lean back slightly. Naruto proceeded to jump back on the bijū's tail and began to climb up it again.

"Quit trying this!" Shukaku hissed. "It's not going to-"

"Lava Style: Melting Apparition Jutsu!"

The Ichibi's comments were interrupted as Rōshi released a fast-moving lava-like acid from his mouth. The acid made direct contact with Shukaku's body, causing it to shout in pain from the burning.

'Shukaku seems to be sensitive to high temperatures, for some reason. If Rōshi keeps attacking him like that, and I join him, then maybe we can make enough of a distraction for Naruto to attack Gaara.' Han rationalized his plan. He then lowered the mask on his face before making his own set of hand signs. "Boil Style: Skilled Mist Jutsu!"

Han breathed out a corrosive, steam-like mist from his mouth that moved through the air rapidly. The mist collided with Shukaku's body at the same location Rōshi attacked him at.

"Fucking hot!" Shukaku cursed, closing his eyes further.

Both Iwa jōnin continued to attack the Ichibi with their jutsus, applying as much heat as they could and keep him distracted. Naruto took advantage of Shukaku's stunned state to continue climbing the bijū's body. The Kyūbi jinchūriki was past his back and was about to start climbing the tanuki's neck.

"Quit it already!" The Ichibi growled.

Shukaku lifted his foot before slamming it on the ground. Sand spikes developed under the ground, directly beneath Rōshi and Han. The two jinchūriki weren't able to get away in time and were impaled immediately by the rising sand-spike. Both Rōshi and Han gasped in pain and both jinchūriki proceeded to cough up blood. They attempted to pull themselves off the spike, but found themselves unable to do so. The sand was seemingly holding them in place on their spikes.

Now that the Iwa shinobi were no longer distracting him, Shukaku turned his attention to Naruto. The blonde had now managed to get up past his neck and was now running on his head towards Gaara's body. The bijū narrowed his eyes. Sand on his head rushed forward and quickly grabbed Naruto's body. Shukaku then tossed the Konoha shinobi off his head towards Han and Rōshi.

"Sand Shuriken!"

The bijū made a throwing gesture with his claw, releasing multiple shuriken made of sand. The weapons collided with Naruto's body, pinning the Kyūbi jinchūriki on the ground in between Han and Rōshi. Blood started to pour out from his arm and legs: the locations where the shuriken hit. The blonde cursed quietly from the pain.

"Now, let's see if I can kill all three of you at once!" Shukaku grinned as the bijū opened his mouth and started to prepare his Bijūdama.

"Rōshi, use more of my power now, or you are going to die!" The Yonbi roared in Rōshi's head.

"Han… I know you normally don't like hearing my input, but now is not the time for arguing. Use another tail's worth of my chakra to defend yourself." The Gobi ordered his jinchūriki.

Both Iwa jōnin accepted the words from their bijū and channeled more of their chakra. Another tail of chakra developed on their chakra shrouds: bringing Han to two tails and Rōshi to three tails respectively. Upon receiving this extra chakra, both shinobi went through a series of hand signs.

"Ninja Art: Steam Barrier Jutsu!"

"Lava Style: Melting Apparition Jutsu!"

Han released a massive amount of steam from his furnace that surrounded the three jinchūriki and formed a defensive dome around them. Rōshi, in addition, breathed out the lava-like acid. Instead of attacking with it, however, Rōshi made a gesture with his hands and expanded it. The lava-like acid surrounded the group underneath the steam, forming another protective wall.

Once Shukaku finished charging his attack, he released his Bijūdama. The sphere of black and white chakra collided with the defenses released by Han and Rōshi. Both jinchūriki continued to release more steam and lava, trying to strengthen their defense and prevent the attack from colliding with them.

Roughly a minute passed by before the Bijūdama finally faded away. With the jutsu no longer attacking them, Han and Rōshi released their defensive jutsus. When the steam and lava disappeared, they, along with Naruto, were completely unharmed from Shukaku's attack.

"How… That's not possible!" Shukaku shouted in surprise.

Taking advantage of Shukaku's surprise, Han and Rōshi released more steam and lava that quickly surrounded the sand spikes that held them down and the shuriken that were holding Naruto down. Their techniques caused the sand to dissipate, freeing all three shinobi. Both Iwa jōnin, however, were starting to look exhausted.

"Holding back that attack of his… took more out of me than I thought… even with the Gobi's extra chakra…" Han commented in between heavy breathing.

"Same. I don't know if I could do that again…" Rōshi mentioned.

Naruto closed his eyes in deep thought as he tried to piece together something that they could do to Shukaku. Their strategy so far of having Naruto climb the bijū's body while Han and Rōshi distracted him had failed three times. Even though the Uzumaki was getting closer each time, it wasn't enough. They couldn't afford a fourth failure. There needed to be another way to reach Gaara and wake him up.

'Wait! Another way?' Naruto's eyes widened as a thought entered his head. 'Maybe that'd work!'

"We're approaching this the wrong way." The Kyūbi jinchūriki spoke up, getting the attention of the Iwa jōnin. "We're way too focused on trying to move up Shukaku and get to Gaara. That's not going to work. What we need to do is bring Gaara down to us!"

"Thousand Bee Stings Jutsu!"

The swarm of bees surrounding Ōnoki charged forward at the man, releasing their stingers at him once again. The Sandaime Tsuchikage continued to dodge each attack, being careful not to be hit even once. This was, however, much more difficult than before.

'The longer I keep this up, the more tired I'm going to become. I'll eventually get hit and die to the poison.' Ōnoki realized. 'I need to neutralize his bees. Maybe…'

Ōnoki quickly flew into the air as fast as he could. While making his ascent, the Sandaime Tsuchikage was making hand signs. The bees followed right behind, trying to reach up to him.

"Dust Style: Atomic Dismantling: Pillar!"

The Tsuchikage lowered his hands, pointing them at the approaching bees. A three-dimensional pillar, similar to his cubes, appeared and extended forward. The bees were then completely surrounded inside of it. They proceeded to fly forward against the 'pillar', but were unable to break free.

"Interesting. I presume you're going to blow up my bees then with that jutsu of yours." Ishikawa noted with a frown on his face. "That maybe would have worked against them while my bees and I were alive, but we're dead. They, like me, are Edo Tensei constructs. My bees will revive: just like how I would if you somehow kill me."

"I know it won't kill them. That was never the intent. However, that doesn't mean they'll be able to break out of my jutsu." Ōnoki explained with a smirk on his face.

Realization dawned on Ishikawa's face exactly what Ōnoki had done. The Shodaime Tsuchikage immediately grinned in response. "So you'll keep them inside and remove them as a factor from the battle overall. Excellent thinking Ōnoki! My most devastating techniques aren't usable without my bees." The grin faded from his lips as he felt his body making more hand signs. "However, you're not done with your battle yet. I have more tricks up my sleeves than just my bee-related ninjutsu."

"I know about your skill with Earth-Style ninjutsu. You even helped create some of the mountain-formations that surround our village." Ōnoki commented, his smirk growing. He then proceeded to make a series of hand signs: hand signs identical to the ones his predecessor was making. "I may take this opportunity to just see how my skills with the earth element compare to yours."

"Show me everything you got, young one. Even though I can tell I was not summoned with my full strength, you'll need to use everything you are capable of if you wish to match me." Ishikawa answered as he and his successor finished their hand signs.

"Earth Style: Stone Manifestation!"

Two sets of tiles rose into the air. They then started to change shape until they formed into large boulders. Each set of boulders surrounded the Tsuchikage that created them. After creating his boulders, Ishikawa then used a technique similar to Ōnoki's and made his body lighter, giving him the ability to fly. The Shodaime Tsuchikage flew into the air, with the boulders surrounding him. He then faced Ōnoki directly.

Both shinobi said no words. They raised their hands forward, causing one of the boulders surrounding them to move forward towards the other. The boulders collided against each other, breaking apart and creating multiple smaller rocks. Ōnoki and Ishikawa then rushed forward in the air, ready to truly begin their battle of Earth-Style ninjutsu.

"Alright, it's finished. Now, how many more strokes do I have left?" Jiraiya questioned.

"Just a few more." Tobirama answered immediately. "The next stroke is-"

"My body's finished reforming!" Hashirama shouted.

'Oh come on!' Jiraiya nearly shouted in exasperation.

The Toad Sage's battle had started to fall into a pattern. After following Tobirama's and Hashirama's advice on how to avoid or counter their jutsus, he would use an explosive tag or one of his fire-related jutsus to destroy their bodies. Then, while they were reforming, he would receive instruction from Tobirama on how to construct the necessary seal to end the Edo Tensei. Unfortunately, the bodies of the deceased Hokage would reform before Jiraiya could get too many strokes done. Therefore, he'd have to put the scroll away and focus on battling again.

While this was a tedious process for Jiraiya, it was also draining. Even though the deceased Hokage were not revived with their full strength, they were still strong enough to keep Jiraiya in constant pressure. The Toad Sage was exhausted and was getting worried that he would be unable to continue for too much longer.

Despite his exhaustion, the Sannin put away the scroll for a moment and prepared to fight just as the bodies of the Shodaime and Nidaime Hokage reformed.

"Careful again, Jiraiya. The next jutsu I'm using is one of my most devastating." Hashirama warned as he ran through another set of hand signs. "Wood Style: Wood Dragon Jutsu!"

After finishing his hand signs, Hashirama created a gigantic wooden dragon. The dragon rotated around the bodies of the deceased Hokage for a few moments before it rushed forward and attacked Jiraiya, opening its mouth to bite down on him. The Sannin jumped away just before being bitten.

"Destroy its head with any strong technique you know and you'll destroy the dragon!" Hashirama shouted his advice.

The Toad Sage nodded in understanding. He continued to jump from tree-to-tree across the battlefield, avoiding the wood dragon's attacks. After a few seconds of positioning, the Sannin brought his hands to his mouth. He released a giant, sticky oil bullet from his mouth that landed directly on the dragon's head. He then started to make a set of hand signs, but his actions were interrupted as the dragon turned around and captured him by swirling around his body.

"Get out of there. Now!" Tobirama ordered as he felt his hands clap together. "Water Style: Water Colliding Wave!"

'Shit! Hurry up, you old toad!' Jiraiya mentally yelled at himself. He pulled his hands out of the dragon's grip and continued his hand signs. "Fire Style: Toad Oil Flame Bullet!"

Jiraiya released a flaming bullet from his mouth that made direct contact with the wooden dragon's head. It ignited with the oil on its head, creating a massive conflagration. The resulting flames destroyed the dragon's head, causing the wooden body to crumble immediately.

Now that his body was freed, Jiraiya was able to react to the approaching, colossal wave released from Tobirama's jutsu. The Toad Sage jumped out of the way in-time and proceeded to move across the battlefield as Tobirama continued to control the wave, causing it to chase the man.

'They're exhausting me. It's taking everything I got to dodge or defend myself from their attacks. I have to do more than just destroy their bodies. I need them immobile.' Jiraiya realized. '… I never used it in combat before, but I suppose it's about time I try and finally use it…'

Jiraiya jumped forward towards Hashirama and Tobirama. The two immediately got into stances, ready to fight him head-on. The Toad Sage, however, jumped away again before they could land a punch on them. He landed right behind them and placed two sealing talismans with the kanji for 'fire' on their backs. Once the talismans were placed, he made a singular hand sign.

"Fūinjutsu: Spinning Flame Restriction!"

The sealing talismans lit up, releasing massive flames that surrounded the skin of the deceased Hokage. The flames held both of them in place while, at the same time, burning into their skin. Both Hashirama and Tobirama attempted to move, but found that they were unable to.

"The flames are doing more than just burning. They are preventing us from moving our bodies at all. They're holding us in place." Hashirama noted with excitement. The Shodaime Hokage, due to his wife Mito, had a fascination with interesting fūinjutsu. "What an incredible technique."

"Just designed it. This is its first tested battle." Jiraiya acknowledged. "Regardless, I don't have time to talk about it. The flames in the tags are limited and will get extinguished eventually. If we hurry, though, I can maybe finish creating the seal." He then proceeded to pull out the scroll from his pocket. "Nidaime-sama, please continue!"

"Of course." Tobirama nodded his head in understanding as he continued his instructions.

"Hyah!"

Both Hiruzen and Orochimaru were, once again, in a stalemate. The Sandaime Hokage's staff and his former student's sword were colliding against each other, with both men trying to overpower the other. There fight was starting to drain each other. Hiruzen had cuts all over his body, from his cheek to his leg. Orochimaru was also bleeding from wounds he received from Hiruzen's staff and jutsus all over their body. Both men were breathing heavily from their never-ending fighting.

"I'm impressed you've lasted this long, Sarutobi-sensei, but the battle will end shortly. You'll die soon. So will Ōnoki and Jiraiya. And so will your precious Konohagakure!" Orochimaru laughed maniacally.

"I would not underestimate us, Orochimaru." Hiruzen replied.

"I'm not. I would never make such a mistake. I see the world in a logical manner: something you fail to do, Sarutobi-sensei. You, along with the ideals of your precious village, have grown old. And everything old must die eventually." His student noted in response. "I'm just… accelerating the process of your death."

"… You're right. I'm old. And one day, I will die. Probably someday within the next few years." The Sandaime Hokage admitted. "But you're a fool to think my village will die by your hand. No matter what you may do, nothing will stop Konoha so long as the shinobi here possess the Will of Fire!"

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

Within the stands of the Chūnin Exam's stadium, Hatake Kakashi and Uchiha Sasuke released massive fireballs directly at approaching Oto and Suna shinobi. Many of the ninjas that were approaching them were unable to get away from the approaching fire and were hit head-on by the jutsus. Many died from burns almost immediately after. After their attacks, they both continued to look around the area for more opponents, using their Sharingan in preparation for any possible attacks.

"I am impressed at how much you have improved, Sasuke. Our training really has done well for you." Kakashi praised his student, letting a small smile grace his lips underneath his mask.

"Enough to fight off these invaders." Sasuke replied as he turned his attention towards a Suna shinobi that had managed to avoid his fireball. The Uchiha had managed to block the approaching shinobi's fist and counterattacked with a punch. His attack managed to knock the shinobi down the stands, causing him to hit his hard against the chairs a few levels down.

"Don't let up even for a second." Kakashi ordered. "Keep using the same force. We must protect the people here at all costs."

"Right." His student nodded as he focused his Sharingan eyes at another approaching Suna shinobi. "They'll pay for trying to invade Konoha!"

"Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death!"

Kurenai, after activating her jutsu, disappeared to the eyes of the Oto shinobi around her. Immediately afterwards, they felt themselves being grabbed by the roots of a tree that had appeared behind them. The shinobi all struggled and screamed, trying to pull themselves away, but were unable to fight back.

After capturing them in her genjutsu, rushed over to the Oto shinobi. She pulled out a kunai and slit the throats of each shinobi. In a few seconds, all of the shinobi that were trapped in her genjutsu were lying on the ground, dead.

"How are you doing, Ibiki?" She asked, turning her head to face her friend.

The woman noticed Ibiki was strangling a Suna shinobi with a chain. The tokubetsu jōnin studied the face of his opponent intently, making note of his desperation and agony. After a few seconds, Ibiki finally tightened his grip on his chains further, causing them to dig deeper into the Suna chūnin's neck and snapping it, killing him instantly.

"I'm fine. Just wishing I had a little more time to spend with these shinobi. There's too many around to focus on just one. That means I can't use my iron maiden or any of my… fun weapons on them." Ibiki replied with a groan of disappointment.

"… Sometimes I forget that you share Anko's sadism. Sometimes I wonder if every member in the T&I Department is as bad as you two." Kurenai commented with a sigh.

"It comes with the job requirements. If you don't love it before your job, you'll definitely love it over time." Ibiki chuckled in response. His eyes then hardened at the sight of more approaching Oto and Suna shinobi. "But regardless, these invaders deserve all of the pain and torture that they can possibly get. They will all suffer for trying to harm the village."

"I agree with that." Kurenai nodded her head in understanding as a grin developed on her face – a slightly sadistic one that would make Anko proud. She then started to make hand signs, preparing a genjutsu for the next set of shinobi that would attack her. "Then I'll try and emulate you and Anko and see if I can enjoy bringing these invaders pain."

Ibiki's only response was a chuckle as he gripped the chain in his hands tightly, ready for his next opponent.

"This way men! The granddaughter of the Tsuchikage should still be in the infirmary and should be too weak to fight. If we kidnap her, then we have some ransom over Iwa after the invasion is over." A Suna shinobi informed a squadron of shinobi with him.

The squad of Suna shinobi moved through the hallways of the stadium rooms, looking for the infirmary and for any Konoha shinobi that could get in their way. After a few minutes of searching, they finally found the door to the infirmary. The men looked at each other and smirked, ready to kidnap Kurotsuchi.

"Ninja Art: Poison Darts Jutsu!"

Just as the leader of the squad was about to open the door to the room, he, along with his men, felt a strong, stinging sensation in their neck. They all proceeded to turn around and look around the hallway for their attacker.

"Show yourself!" One of the Suna shinobi hissed.

Before he could wait for an answer, the man felt himself growing more-and-more tired. The world started to spin around for him. A few seconds passed by before he passed out on the ground. His fellow shinobi started to fall as well.

In a matter of seconds, the only shinobi that was conscious was the leader of the squadron. The Suna shinobi, however, felt his own consciousness slowly starting to fade. Just as he was about to pass out, he noticed Yowamusi Roto, along with the Konoha medical shinobi, appear in the hallway from seemingly out of nowhere.

"How… Where did you all come from?" The squad commander croaked out before succumbing to the poison in his system.

"We've been here the whole time." One of the medical shinobi commented, shaking his head in disgust. "I'm surprised that not even a single shinobi in this squad sensed any of us."

"I suppose it says something about our skill that we all fooled a whole squad." Another medical shinobi noted with a chuckle. He then turned his attention to Roto. "Good job on your own stealth, kid. Keep developing that and I have no doubt you'll become one of the best shinobi your village has to offer."

"Thank you sir." Roto bowed in gratitude after receiving the compliment. He then walked over to one of the bodies of the unconscious Suna shinobi and pulled out a kunai and pressed it against the shinobi's throat. "Anyway, we should kill them now before they wake up. Then get back into position if another squad comes running down this hallway."

The medical shinobi around him nodded and pulled out their own kunai. Together, the group slit the throats of all the unconscious shinobi. Once they had finished, they each activated a jutsu and appeared to seemingly become invisible. They all looked around the hallway, waiting for another set of shinobi to come by.

'Suna and Oto, send another squad. I'll make sure they fail!' Roto told himself, trying to make himself more confident. 'Not a single one of you will get to one of my teammates. I'll make sure of that!'

In the center of the Chūnin Exams stadium, Anko and Baki were continuing their taijutsu fight. Anko ducked, avoiding a punch by Baki, and proceeded to do a sweeping kick. The Suna jōnin jumped and moved backwards to avoid her attack. The Konoha tokubetsu jōnin proceeded to charge him again, trying to land a punch. Baki blocked her fist with his arm. His action caused him to wince from the burning pain of Anko's 'flare aura'.

'This is getting nowhere. I have her right next to me. I need to take advantage of this and win!' Baki told himself. He resisted the pain and proceeded to grab Anko's arm with his right hand, pulling her closer to him. He then raised his left hand upwards. "Blade of Wind Hurricane!"

The Suna jōnin released heavily concentrated amounts of wind from his hands. The winds combined together into a hurricane-like storm that surrounded both him and Anko. The winds blew through the area, cutting into anything they made contact with. Anko winced in pain as she felt the wind cut deep into her skin, causing her to bleed further. Despite her pain, however, she couldn't help a small grin developing on her face.

'You made a mistake getting me inside your wind. This jutsu may have been strong enough to extinguish my flames from the outside, but from the inside? And up so close to the winds?' She questioned to herself as she made hand signs. "Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!"

Anko breathed out a massive amount of fire from her mouth that hit the hurricane-like winds around her. The impact of the jutsu caused the winds to become enflamed, creating a massive tornado-like firestorm surrounding both shinobi.

'What?' Baki's eyes widened at the sight.

"Fire Style: Widespread Ruin!"

The firestorm surrounding both Baki and Anko closed in on them, completely encasing the two of them in the fire. Due to the aura of flames that had surrounded her, Anko did not feel any burns or pain from the fire around her. Baki, on the other hand, was still surrounded by the wind he used to augment his taijutsu. His body quickly caught on-fire and, despite his efforts, was unable to be put out.

"AHHHH!" He screamed in pain.

Baki continued to struggle for a few moments to fight off the burning and put-out the flames. His efforts failed, however, and after a few minutes, the Suna jōnin fell to the ground, dead. The flames remained and continued to burn at his body.

Realizing that her opponent was dead, Anko canceled her jutsu and ended the firestorm. She took a hard look at the body of Baki before she sighed in relief. The tokubetsu jōnin then turned her attention upward, towards the sky.

'Hayate… rest in peace, my friend.' She prayed.

"Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Around one-hundred clones of Naruto appeared in a poof smoke. All of them appeared in front of the three jinchūriki and each clone possessed the same demonic chakra-cloak that the original Naruto possessed. Shukaku looked at them in slight interest.

"All you did was just give me more targets to hit. Make as many clones as you want. You're just wasting your time." The bijū taunted as he made a throwing gesture with his claws. "Sand Shuriken!"

The Ichibi tossed another series of sand shuriken towards the three jinchūriki and the clones. A few of the clones were unable to get away in time and were dispelled upon impact, but the majority of them, along with Naruto, Han, and Rōshi, were able to avoid the attack. The group then ran towards the giant tanuki. Naruto, along with his clones, made a series of hand signs before jumping into the air.

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"

Naruto, along with each of his surviving clones, unleashed a powerful gust of wind from their mouth. Each individual blast of wind made contact with Shukaku's body, causing him to move back slightly.

"Repeat that again Naruto! Now it's your turn to join in, Han." Rōshi spoke with a grin.

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"

"Erupting Strong Foot!"

Naruto and his clones released another set of gusts of wind towards Shukaku. The Ichibi, in response, rooted his feet into the ground to prevent himself from being pushed back by the wind. His efforts failed, however, as Han jumped towards him and delivered a powerful, steam-augmented kick to his stomach. The sheer force of his kick knocked the bijū off-balance. He was then knocked back further by the wind released from Naruto and his clones. The bijū was struggling to remain standing.

"And now it's my turn. Naruto, start hurrying over towards him!" Rōshi called out to the Konoha genin. He then took a step forward, slamming his foot hard onto the ground. "Lava Style: Plume Eruption!"

The ground underneath Shukaku's body started to crack. A tall lava plume shot out, making direct contact with the off-balance tanuki. While the lava did burn the bijū and cause slight pain, the sudden impact forced the tanuki to fall to the ground, creating a massive crater upon impact.

Seeing the opening that he had been looking for, Naruto had his clones grab his body and toss him over towards the fallen-Shukaku. He reached the bijū fast, landing on his head. He then hurried over as fast as he could towards Gaara's sleeping body at the top of his head.

'I have to hurry before Shukaku wakes up. I have to hurry!' Naruto repeated this mantra to himself as he finally reached Gaara. He raised his fist as he made the final steps towards him. "Wake the fuck up!"

Naruto's fist made direct contact with Gaara's face. The force of his attack caused the red-haired genin's eyes to open up as he registered the pain. He was now wide awake and looking at Naruto in disbelief.

"I-Impossible…" Gaara mumbled.

Upon the awakening of Gaara, Shukaku's body started to fall apart. The tanuki was starting to reenter the conscience of his jinchūriki.

"NOOO! THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING! I WAS JUST RELEASED!" Shukaku screamed.

Despite his protests, the Ichibi was unable to do anything. The sand body started to disappear and his mind returned to his jinchūriki. In a few seconds, Shukaku vanished from the world around him, leaving the four jinchūriki alone on the battlefield.

"… It's finished!" Jiraiya sighed in relief as he studied the scroll in his hand one-last time, making sure all of the strokes looked perfect. There could not be a single mistake with anything if he wanted the jutsu to work.

"To break the seal, you need to make the hand signs for Edo Tensei and reverse, and then tap the seal on the scroll. The hand signs are 'Dragon', 'Dog', 'Snake', then 'Tiger'." Tobirama informed the Toad Sage. "One scroll should be enough for our souls and the soul of the Shodaime Tsuchikage."

Jiraiya nodded in understanding to the Nidaime Hokage's words. He then made the four necessary hand signs before tapping his finger on the seal he had created. The seal started to light up, changing from its blood-red color to white.

The bodies of Hashirama and Tobirama then started to slowly fade away, starting from their feet. Both Senju men sighed in relief, knowing that the Edo Tensei was finally broken.

"You truly are skilled with fūinjutsu, Jiraiya." Hashirama commented with a grin on his face. "My darling Mito-chan would most-likely love to meet you one day, when you eventually join us in the afterlife."

"Don't mind me, but I'll push that meeting for a later day. I still got a few things I need to for Konoha, after all." Jiraiya responded with a laugh.

"You've done well, Jiraiya. Truly, you are one of the greats of your day." Tobirama praised. For the first time since he was summoned into the world of the living, the Nidaime Hokage smiled. "Continue to help Konoha stay strong. And make sure that the man who summoned us here dies: either by your hand or Saru's hand."

"I'll do what I can. I promise you both." The Sannin bowed his head at the words of the Nidaime.

In a matter of seconds, the physical bodies of the former Hokage disappeared. The souls of Hashirama and Tobirama were sealed within the scroll. With both men gone, Jiraiya picked up the scroll and rushed over to the nearby battle between Ōnoki and Ishikawa.

"What's going on?" Ishikawa questioned, his eyes wide in surprise. "Is… the Edo Tensei over?

The Shodaime Tsuchikage had been in the process of making hand signs for an Earth-Style jutsu to use against Ōnoki. His body, however, stopped moving. His body was starting to disappear, starting from his feet. He then turned his head to the side and noticed that his bees that were still trapped by Ōnoki's jutsu, like him, were also starting to disappear.

Ōnoki took a second to turn his head and noticed Jiraiya standing to the side of their battle. The Sandaime Tsuchikage grinned in response.

"It seems that the Sandaime Hokage's student is skilled enough with fūinjutsu to cancel this technique after all." Ōnoki noted.

"What a relief. Such a jutsu should not even exist. The dead should remain dead." Ishikawa noted, shaking his head in disgust at the concept of the jutsu. "But, I must admit, I am glad that this happened. It was a joy to see you again, Ōnoki, and to see how strong you have come. I can already tell that Iwa will continue to thrive with you as their leader, and for whoever you choose to succeed you."

"I simply am trying to follow your example, Ishikawa-sama." The Sandaime Tsuchikage replied, his grin turning into a more sincere smile.

"Whatever you are doing, it is working. Keep Iwa strong, Ōnoki. I will enjoy meeting you again in the afterlife years later. We'll have much to discuss about our village, I believe." Ishikawa chuckled to himself.

A few more seconds passed away before Ishikawa's body completely disappeared. His soul joined the souls of Hashirama and Tobirama within Jiraiya's scroll.

With the deceased kage gone, Jiraiya and Ōnoki headed towards Orochimaru and Hiruzen, ready to assist the Sandaime Hokage in his fight.

"What?" Orochimaru's eyes widened as felt the connection with the deceased kage vanish. "Where… How…"

"It seems you realize exactly what's happened, haven't you?" Hiruzen spoke with a grin on his face. "Konoha will not fall to you, Orochimaru. Jiraiya and Ōnoki-san defeated the Edo Tensei summons. My shinobi are surely defeating yours. This invasion was a mistake on your part!"

Taking advantage of Orochimaru's shock, Hiruzen pushed back further with his staff. He knocked Orochimaru back, causing the sword to fall out of his hands. The Sandaime Hokage reacted quickly and swung his staff again at the sword, knocking it further away from their battle.

'How did all of this happen? Everything was calculated perfectly!' Orochimaru hissed in his head. Too many unforeseen variables – the presence of Iwagakure, Ōnoki's decision to fight with Konoha, the inability to remove the thoughts of the former Kage – had arisen and made his plans fall apart. '… I'm not dying here. The invasion is, henceforth, aborted. I have to get out of here… with the right distraction.'

"Release the barrier!" Orochimaru shouted to his subordinates. He then immediately bit his thumb before slamming it on the ground. "Summoning Jutsu!"

Just as the Sound Four removed the barrier around the balcony, a massive purple snake with black rings along its body appeared on the balcony. The snake surrounded Orochimaru's body and looked around at the people around him.

"Manda, consider this whole village a sacrifice to you and your kind. Take as many lives as you wish!" Orochimaru informed the snake.

"… You were generous with this selection, Orochimaru." The snake, Manda, hissed as he continued to look around. Due to his height, he could see well into the village and could, therefore, see many people. "This is a worthy sacrifice."

"Spend as much time here as you please." The Snake Sannin smirked as he started to jump away from the battlefield, along with the Sound Four.

Jiraiya quickly moved to follow Orochimaru and his subordinates, but he was stopped by Manda. The giant snake slammed his tail into Jiraiya's body, knocking him backwards on the balcony.

"You're Jiraiya, are you not? I can smell the damn odor all toads have. You reek of Gamabunta, in particular." Manda commented in disgust. "You'll be my first target here."

'Shit…' Jiraiya cursed in his head.

"… Jiraiya, Ōnoki-san, I ask that you two remain here. Please, defeat Manda and prevent him from killing any of the people in this village." Hiruzen requested.

"I take it you're going after your student." Ōnoki asked.

"I'm not just 'going after him'. I am going to kill him." The Sandaime Hokage replied sharply, gripping his staff tightly in his hands.

With those words, Hiruzen followed behind Orochimaru and his subordinates. Ōnoki and Jiraiya were left behind. The two men exchanged a look between each other before they both nodded.

"Are you going to summon any of your toads to deal with this guy? Or are you going to be like me and fight him the old-fashioned way – by yourself." Ōnoki asked the Sannin as prepared to fight the snake.

"… I'd normally not pass up the offer and would give him a fight by myself, just like you, but this is Manda we're talking about. I feel Gamabunta would kill me if I didn't give him the opportunity to get even and kill the snake." Jiraiya commented with a smirk as he bit his thumb.

"Manda!" Anko's eyes widened in surprise at the sight of the 'Boss Snake' atop the balcony.

The tokubetsu jōnin's eyes narrowed at the giant snake as she prepared to engage it. Before she could jump up and help with the fighting, she noticed five figures jump off the balcony and head towards the forest and the village exit. Her eyes focused on them and narrowed further. The curse mark on her neck reacted at the mere sight of the figures. She knew immediately who was in that group.

'Orochimaru…' She hissed internally.

The woman noticed another figure jump off the balcony and follow them. She recognized the man as Sarutobi Hiruzen. At the sight of her Hokage chasing Orochimaru, Anko quickly started to follow. She pulled out a soldier pill from her pocket and put it in her mouth in preparation for the upcoming battle.

'Five against one is not good odds, Hokage-sama. I'll help out in any way I can.' Anko told herself. She moved right behind the group, trying to catch up to them. 'Orochimaru…'

'Manda wasn't able to distract them all. Sarutobi's following us!' Orochimaru nearly growled in his head. 'I need him to be distracted more so I can get out of this village.'

"The Hokage is approaching us. I need you four to engage him and distract him." The Snake Sannin spoke to his subordinates.

"… Orochimaru-sama?" One of his subordinates, Kidōmaru, blinked in confusion. The very idea of fighting the Sandaime Hokage without Orochimaru was akin to a death sentence.

"This is not a suicidal order. I know that fool of a leader. He won't try and kill you because he thinks you all could give him information on me. He'll imprison you, yes, but won't kill. I need you all to distract him so I can flee. Once I am out of the village, I will order Kabuto to break you four out and get you out of the village. Just make sure that monkey and I do not fight. He will try and kill me and I die, then he will have no reason to spare your lives as well!"

"We understand, Orochimaru-sama." Another subordinate, Sakon, responded. "Everybody… let's do this!"

The Sound Four proceeded to stop moving and prepared to engage the Sandaime Hokage once he arrived. Orochimaru, on the other hand, continued to move towards the exit of the village as fast as he could.

'I wonder if I'm right about Sarutobi sparing them. It wouldn't be much of a loss to lose those four, but I would have to go and recruit more shinobi to take their place.' Orochimaru thought about the situation in his head. He then started to grit his teeth in anger. 'I'll need to improve my own skills before I come back. I need to make sure I know enough jutsu to… account for any variables coming up again.'

A few seconds passed by before Orochimaru stopped gritting his teeth. Instead, a grin developed on his face. 'But I suppose it doesn't matter, in the end. I accomplished my original goal and sowed the seeds for Sasuke to come to me. I'll have my next body soon enough and will be one step-closer to my goals.'

Orochimaru continued on his pursuit out of the village, uninterrupted. He could feel Sarutobi's presence no longer following him, meaning that the Sound Four were distracting him. He could, however, feel another presence starting to follow him. The person was moving towards him at a rapid rate. He could also feel a small trace of his own chakra within the person. Realization dawned on Orochimaru's face about who was approaching him.

'Hmm… So, she wants to engage me, I guess.' He realized.

The Snake Sannin debated in his mind whether he had the time to truly fight the target approaching him. However, the figure continued to get closer. The question was answered for him – he was going to have one more fight before he could get out of the village.

Orochimaru stopped moving and stood on the ground in the middle of the clearing. A second passed by before his pursuer arrived.

"Anko-chan… It's been a while, hasn't it?" Orochimaru questioned with a chuckle. "I wish we could have met under better terms, but I'm in a bit of a rush. We're just going to have to make this quick."

Mitarashi Anko did not give an immediate response to her former teacher. Instead, she made a few hand signs, using her Ninja Art: Flare Aura. Her body was completely surrounded, once again, by red flames. Once her jutsu was complete, she glared at Orochimaru, her eyes containing nothing but hate and anger that had been building up for years.

"If you're busy, I'll make this as quick as I can." Anko hissed. "Orochimaru, today is the day you die!"

Author's Note: Hey guys! Here is chapter thirty-one! :)

I'm really happy that most of you seemed to like the previous chapter. It was rather experimental, as my first experience practicing with so much constant action and fighting. I'm glad it seemed to have worked out, for the most part. It makes me confident that I can pull off a few more of the plans I have for the rest of the story :)

The invasion is coming to its end with the next chapter. I hope you enjoy the conclusion I have planed! Once again, just thank you all for the constant reviews and messages I get. Everything means so much to me and I'm taking all of the comments, both about what you all liked, what you wanted to see that I didn't put in, and the general critiques, into account as I move on with the story. To put it simply... you all are awesome. Thank you so much again! :)

I actually have class in... about an hour, so I'm probably going to cut this notice off right about here. I'll begin work on chapter thirty-two and will do what I can to give a good conclusion to the Invasion arc. I'll see you all when the chapter is finished. Until then :)