Chapter 104 : First Hokage, Second Hokage Appears
Orochimaru smiled coldly. "Sensei, you haven't changed a bit. Did you really think I came here today unprepared?"
He didn't waste time trading words with Hiruzen Sarutobi. Orochimaru's hands quickly formed seals.
"Summoning Jutsu: Reanimation!"
As he completed the hand signs, three coffins slowly rose from the ground.
Seeing the coffins, the Third Hokage's expression darkened. He immediately realized what was happening and moved to intercept.
"Orochimaru, to tamper with the souls of the dead... you're beyond redemption."
Orochimaru simply laughed.
As the coffins continued to rise, Hiruzen flung a shuriken, striking the third coffin directly.
He swiftly followed up with another set of hand seals, slamming his hands onto the ground to force the third coffin back into the earth.
When Orochimaru saw the interference, he only chuckled darkly. "What a shame... but two will do for now."
The words carved into the remaining two coffins were enough to make their contents obvious: "First Hokage" and "Second Hokage."
Hiruzen's face tensed. "So you finally got your hands on them…"
Orochimaru grinned wickedly. "Sarutobi-sensei, these two are legends. If you don't put them to good use, it would be such a waste! Hahaha…"
Bang!
With a muffled boom, the coffin lids were kicked open from the inside.
Two figures stepped out, and Hiruzen's expression hardened even further when he saw them.
He thought grimly, Fortunately, Orochimaru's research into the Reanimation Jutsu isn't complete. Their chakra levels haven't returned to what they were in life. If they had… Konoha would fall today.
Hiruzen knew that if even one of these two Hokage had been restored to their full power, he alone would not be able to stop them. But right now, their strength was diminished enough that he might still be able to restrain them—at least here and now.
More importantly, Hiruzen had recently learned from Orochimaru about Riku's true strength.
He wasn't angry about Riku hiding his abilities—after all, a shinobi's strength is meant to be concealed.
On the contrary, he felt a deep sense of reassurance. Konoha had Riku.
Even if he died here alongside Orochimaru, Konoha still had someone strong enough to survive—and with Tsunade and Jiraiya still out there, the village might just withstand whatever came next.
"If only I had discovered his true power earlier…" Hiruzen thought, sighing internally. "Had I known, I would have chosen him as the Fifth Hokage without hesitation."
Originally, Hiruzen had planned to pass the title of Sixth Hokage to Riku, with Kakashi as a transitional Fifth. Kakashi would lead for a time, giving Riku time to become familiar with village affairs before assuming full responsibility.
But if Riku truly possessed Kage-level strength—and perhaps even surpassed Hiruzen already—he would have trained Riku directly to take over as Fifth Hokage.
What Hiruzen didn't consider was how dangerous that recognition might have been for Riku.
Even so, with the Flying Thunder God Technique now under his belt, it would be difficult for anyone to harm him.
It might have caused some tension, even rebellion... or perhaps not.
But none of that mattered anymore.
Right now, Hiruzen's only goal was to kill Orochimaru.
Orochimaru had become a threat that could not be allowed to live—and only Hiruzen had the power to stop him.
The First and Second Hokage looked around, disoriented as they emerged from the coffins.
"…This is Konoha?" Senju Tobirama muttered.
Both men knew they had died, yet here they were, standing in the Hidden Leaf once again.
Spotting Hiruzen in front of them, Tobirama's brow furrowed. "Monkey… is that you?"
Seeing his two teachers again filled Hiruzen with sorrow. It had been Tobirama who gave him a chance to survive during a past battle.
He bowed his head slightly. "Yes, teachers. This is Konoha."
Tobirama turned sharply toward Orochimaru. "You're the one who summoned us, aren't you?"
"You've got a lot of nerve."
"But this body… tch. It can't unleash even a fraction of our original power. If it could, you'd already be dust."
Tobirama's voice rang with his usual stern authority.
But Hashirama, the First Hokage, simply looked around at the rebuilt village with a warm smile. "Konoha's grown strong… You've done well, Monkey."
Hashirama showed no anger at having been summoned.
He had always known that Tobirama's development of this jutsu would eventually lead to it being abused. But once a technique existed, it couldn't be undone.
Orochimaru chuckled darkly. "You two Hokage… today, you may very well destroy the village you once built with your own hands."
With the Reanimation Jutsu still incomplete and the sacrifices used less than ideal, the two resurrected Hokage had limited autonomy. Orochimaru still had full control over their actions.
Hashirama and Tobirama frowned. They both understood they wouldn't be able to resist their summoner.
They turned to Hiruzen solemnly. "Monkey… forgive us. We may do some terrible things."
Hiruzen nodded grimly. "I understand. As the Third Hokage, it's my duty to protect the village—even if it means fighting the two of you. I'll do what must be done."
The two nodded in return.
"We hope," Tobirama said, "you can reseal us quickly—before we bring too much harm to Konoha."
Hashirama looked toward the Hokage Rock and laughed. "There are four faces carved now. So Konoha has had four Hokage?"
"Monkey, you're the Third… who was the Fourth? And where is he now?"
Tobirama also looked puzzled. At Hiruzen's age, it didn't make sense that he was still Hokage. Hadn't he named a successor?
Orochimaru interrupted from behind, his voice laced with dark amusement. "The Fourth Hokage is dead."
He chuckled.
"It was over ten years ago to seal the Nine Tails during the attack on Konoha. The Fourth Hokage died in the process."
Hashirama frowned. "The Nine Tails…? I see. To seal such a beast, it would make sense. A noble sacrifice."
Tobirama nodded slowly. "To give your life for the village… the Fourth did well."
Hashirama could have sealed the Nine Tails with ease in his prime, but he understood how difficult that feat would be for any ordinary shinobi.
Tobirama, having created the Reanimation Jutsu himself, was even more aware of the difficulty. Without someone like Mito Uzumaki, even he might have failed to contain the beast.
Then the two of them exchanged glances and turned to Hiruzen again.
"Monkey, why hasn't the village named a Fifth Hokage yet? You're far too old to still be holding the position."
Tobirama frowned, clearly annoyed. "There's no successor? You've had decades to prepare!"
Hiruzen looked away, feeling more than a little ashamed.
Before he could answer, Orochimaru once again interjected.
"There simply wasn't anyone worthy," he said with a smirk. "Both of Sensei's disciples—Tsunade and Jiraiya—are missing."
"Tsunade suffers from a severe phobia of blood due to the war. And no one knows where Jiraiya is."
"As for the younger generation… aside from one underage genius, no one even comes close to having Kage-level power. So Sensei had no choice, hahaha…"
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