Chapter 26: Shutting the Door and Releasing Orochimaru

"No means no, and you're still angry."

It wasn't for nothing that Shukaku hated the Nine-Tails. When the Sage of Six Paths distributed the chakra, it hadn't been fair in the first place. The combined chakra of the eight tailed beasts was estimated to be not even a tenth of the full-blown Nine-Tails.

You should know that Naruto now has only half of the Nine-Tails in his body, and the other half was taken away by Minato Namikaze.

Sasuke opened his Sharingan, and with the enhancement of the three tomoe, he wanted to see if he could forcefully control the tailed beast through the three tomoe. Kaleidoscopes can control tailed beasts, but no one had ever heard of three tomoe being able to.

His ocular power had already expanded to a limit, and his power might be able to control the weakest tailed beast.

"Ah."

The evil ocular power invaded Shukaku's consciousness like a sharp sword, and the big guy didn't move then. The consciousness of one man and one beast held.

It was a fair fight for Sasuke. If Shukaku couldn't hold on, its body would be fully taken over by him, and if Sasuke failed, he could certainly try again. If he couldn't control the Nine-Tails, he could surely deal with the weaker one-tailed Shukaku.

"Damn human."

Taking a deep breath, Sasuke couldn't help but smile smugly. From now on, Shukaku would be nailed to the pillar of shame as the weakest tailed beast for generations to come. Because from ancient times to the present, it was the only tailed beast that had been controlled by the Three Tomoe Sharingan.

"A mere tailed beast, but that's all."

Sasuke laughed out loud and ordered the tailed beast to return to Gaara's body. This is his future comrade; he can't let anything happen to him.

He quickly found Kankuro and Temari and handed Gaara over to them. The Four Purple Flame Formation outside was wrapped in a layer of flame, and any ninja who tried to enter would end up in ashes and smoke.

Kakashi was standing guard outside with a group of Anbu, looking for a way to enter the Four Purple Flame Formation.

"Kakashi-sama, we can't wait any longer," the cat-faced Anbu leader said.

"I know you're anxious, but don't rush yet."

Kakashi finished flipping through the last page of Icha Icha Paradise and put the book back in his pocket.

"What are you doing here, Sasuke? So, you were the one who dealt with that tailed beast, right?"

Sasuke looked at Kakashi and smiled without saying anything.

"I'm going in to rescue the Third Hokage now, so it's better if Kakashi-sensei doesn't get in the way."

Kakashi opened his mouth to remind him, "This barrier is tricky. It's not as simple as you think. It's better to wait until the barrier squad arrives."

"Sasuke... Sasuke..."

"Nani!"

Then Kakashi saw an unbelievable scene: Sasuke actually entered the barrier without any hindrance. Seeing this, the cat-faced Anbu leader thought there was a malfunction in the barrier and waved his men in. The result was a few more puddles of ash on the ground.

As soon as Sasuke entered the barrier, he saw Orochimaru battling the Third Hokage. It was obvious that the two were evenly matched, which made him wonder about the Third Hokage's strength. If he were a few years younger, Orochimaru would probably be beaten badly.

The Third Hokage was the first to notice the situation and asked, "Sasuke, what are you doing in here?"

Orochimaru was also startled. Could it be that the Four Purple Flame Formation was broken? Looking up and seeing the intact barrier, he relaxed.

"Sasuke-kun, you really have some skills."

Seeing the two familiar faces, the Third Hokage's face darkened. He questioned, "Sasuke, have you betrayed Konoha? Did you lure Orochimaru here?"

"Betrayed Konoha? No, it was you who betrayed Konoha, the one who gave everything for it."

Seeing Sasuke open his mouth, Orochimaru had the good sense to stop his attack and give Sasuke a chance to speak, while he himself stood aside and silently observed.

Listening to their conversation, it seemed that the destruction of the Uchiha clan was not unrelated to the Third Hokage. Orochimaru wasn't surprised; this was indeed consistent with his teacher's style of work.

"My darkness is not born from my heart, but is built from my cage."

Sasuke stepped in front of Orochimaru and gazed at the Third Hokage. "You are the ones who personally pulled me into darkness, so someone must bear my wrath. Third Hokage, you don't think that some things can remain hidden for the rest of my life!"

A look of chastity passed over the Third Hokage's face, and he sighed, "You know all about it."

"I'm sorry for giving you a bad childhood, Sasuke. But for the sake of Konoha's peace, sacrifices were necessary. Your parents wouldn't want you to follow this path."

"It's not too late to stop."

Sasuke was calm. Before, he had been consumed by revenge, in a depressive, sinking state. But now, his heart was like water.

"There's no point in saying more. I will personally kill you to honor the dead of the Uchiha clan. You can choose to resist, but the more you resist, the more excited I get."

"Orochimaru, go!"

The Third Hokage in front of him exuded a full sense of might and authority. He was old, and his stamina was declining, but that didn't mean he couldn't fight anymore. As a veteran Kage-level ninja, the Third Hokage's strength was unfathomable, and he was proficient in all five elemental Ninjutsu.

Sasuke also knew a hidden secret: this old man had mastered the Reaper Death Seal. If he pushed too hard, he wouldn't be able to get away with it. Dangerous tasks still had to be left to Orochimaru. Let him weaken the Third Hokage first, and then Sasuke would go in for the kill.

Orochimaru, however, had already cursed inwardly. This brat really didn't treat him as an outsider, not even showing much respect. In a chilling voice, he said, "If you dare to order me again, I'll kill you."

Sasuke stepped back, leaving the battlefield to Orochimaru.

"Third Hokage, let's see how I can dominate you when your hands are disabled."

Sasuke wasn't a match for Orochimaru right now, and that didn't account for Edo Tensei. He wasn't discouraged, though. After all, he had just stepped into the threshold of Kage-level, and his Mangekyo Sharingan hadn't awakened yet.

Avoiding the enemy for the time being was the way to go. But when this battle was over, it would be different. Orochimaru, who had lost his Jutsu, could be easily dealt with.

"Third Hokage, play your best before you die."

A Hidden Shadow Snake Hands forced the Third Hokage back. Orochimaru bit his finger with an evil expression. "Sensei, have you ever heard of Edo Tensei?"

"Summoning: Impure World Reincarnation."

Not waiting for the Third Hokage to stop him, Orochimaru slapped his palm on the ground, countless symbols spreading. Three coffins broke out of the ground with large characters written on them, "First," "Second," and "Fourth."

Seeing this, the Third Hokage realized something was wrong and quickly formed a seal to push back the fourth coffin. Wiping the sweat off his face, he turned to Orochimaru in fury. "Daring to defile the souls of the departed, you hateful brat."

The two coffins opened, and the First and Second Hokage stepped out. The First Hokage looked over, his eyes immediately recognizing the Third Hokage. "You're Sarutobi, right?"

The Third Hokage nodded and said, "Yes, Lord Hashirama."

"Long time no see, little monkey."

The First Hokage laughed heartily, while the Second Hokage exasperatedly said, "What time is it, big brother? You're still joking around."

His eyes roamed over Orochimaru before landing on Sasuke.

"Amazing young man, to have mastered the technique of Edo Tensei. It looks like you've even perfected it a lot."

Orochimaru pretended to be modest. "Just a little bit, no match for the erudition of Lord Tobirama."

The Second Hokage's eyes narrowed as he stared at Sasuke. "Hey, that little kid over there, is he an Uchiha clan member? He looks so similar, almost exactly like Izuna."

"Madara's brother?"

Even the First Hokage looked at Sasuke in shock. "So much alike..."

"No, Madara's brother died in battle long ago, killed by Tobirama himself."

Sasuke laughed. He had nothing good to say about the second Hokage, this sinister villain. "So what if it's true, so what if it's not? What can you do to me?"

The Third Hokage quickly explained the situation to the first and second Hokage, and Tobirama regarded Sasuke with an even more ferocious look.

"I knew it, the evil of the Uchiha clan is ingrained in their bones. Big brother, I blame you for being too merciful in the first place. "

"Otherwise I would have..."

"Shut up!"

Hashirama's rare outburst of anger made Tobirama immediately settle down.

"Don't mention this matter anymore"