Intermission 『7』Fight.

AN: This is a short intermission. A normal-sized chapter will come soon.

------------------------------------------

Rasa couldn't believe what he was seeing... How did Orochimaru bring back the first Hokages? The mere thought of it made his head spin.

"Don't lose focus! Jiraiya, you take on lord first! Rasa, you'll take care of lord second! Distract them while I go for Orochimaru himself!"

Steeling himself, Jiraiya's face turned serious as he stared at the lifeless corpse of the First Hokage.

"Lord first, forgive me... It seems that I must fight seriously."

Against the God of Shinobi, there was no room for games. Jiraiya bit his thumb, drawing extra lines on his face with blood.

He then placed his hand on the ground and shouted out loud.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

A massive puff of smoke covered the area... Hashirama just watched in silence, waiting.

Suddenly, raspy voices could be heard from wishing the smoke.

"Damn it, boy! Why do you only call on us when you're in trouble!? No wonder Bunta's always so mad atcha!"

"Aww, don't say that, ma... You know Jiraiya-Chan must have a good reason-"

"Shaddup, pa! You're always spoiling him!"

"...."

"I'm sorry to call you guys so suddenly when it's been so long... My most honored bosses."

Jiraiya's voice was calm. So much so that it felt weird to anyone hearing it.

"By the way, boy. Didn't you hate this form 'cuz you thought girls wouldn't like it?"

"I don't have a choice right now. I'm up against someone you might be familiar with..."

"This chakra... What have you gotten yourself into now... Jiraiya-chan."

"I know... Please lend me your power..."

"Ya really need to learn how to use sage mode on your own, Jiraiya-chan."

Smiling, Jiraiya started walking out of the smoke.

"I wish I could, but I'm a mere tadpole compared to you two..."

Once his body was fully visible, one could see that his nose had gotten bigger, and his eyes pupils became rectangular. Red markings covered his face, giving off an intimidating feeling.

'Jiraiya... You've come far...'

Seeing his pupil give off so much power, Sarutobi felt pleased for a second. He then looked back at Orochimaru, who spoke in a venomous tongue.

"Old man... You dare face me? I'll murder you!"

"We'll see about that! Enma!"

"Hai!"

———————————————————————————————————-

『Konohagakure... Inside the Hokage tower.』

Mere hours before the third phase, Shikaku Nara, Chōza Akimichi and Inoichi Yamanaka were all looking over a map of the village.

Lifting his head up, Shikaku spoke first.

"Lord third won't be back for the Chūnin Exams... The fate of the entire village rests in our hands. Inoichi, how is the situation outside the walls?

"We have located all of Otogakure's ninja and have placed a Jonin-level fighter near every troop. They're ready at a moment's notice."

"Good. Chōza, has your team located the infiltrator?"

"Not yet... But we will soon."

"That's fine. We still have a few hours to carry out this plan. If everything goes well, the village will be safe. Put your hearts into it."

"Yes!"

Hearing confirmation, Shikaku sighed.

'This is a complete and utter checkmate. If Suna hadn't given us the information, we would've been in trouble... What a drag.'

----------------------------

(AN: Friendly reminder!

If any of you want to support me and get early access chapters, check out my p.a.t.r.e.o.n. at toxinfraser. Just type p.a.t.r.e.o.n.com/toxinfraser

There are currently three advanced chapters available!)