[NTU] [ARC-26] Chapter : 352

"Konoha really is overflowing with talent,"
The Tsuchikage muttered, echoing the Raikage’s earlier sentiment.

Lying on the ground, Ōnoki glanced at the shinobi gathered around him—mostly Konoha-nin—and couldn’t help but feel a complicated mix of admiration and envy.

"Still… it's not such a bad thing, at least for now."

His gaze shifted to the battlefield ahead—and his expression tightened.

There, standing in grim formation, were legends of the past:
Second Hokage, Second Tsuchikage, Second Mizukage, Third Raikage, Third Hokage, Fourth Kazekage, the infamous Kinkaku and Ginkaku, and even Akatsuki members...

"This is going to be a hell of a battle."

If it weren’t for the alliance, he might have seriously considered retreating.

"Hah! Tobirama Senju!"
A voice rang out from the reanimated ranks.

"Of all people, you—the creator of Edo-tensei—have been brought back by your own technique. Now that’s irony!"

The speaker, the slender Second Tsuchikage Mu, stood wrapped in burial-white bandages, his tone laced with amusement.

"Never thought I’d end up fighting alongside you, of all people."

Because Kabuto was reviving so many at once, he couldn't control each soul precisely. The higher-level resurrected shinobi retained a degree of free will—and their personalities came roaring back.

"...Tch."
Tobirama stood still, his icy gaze unfazed. The taunt struck home, but he didn't dignify it with a response.

Resurrected from eternal rest again—by his own jutsu, no less.
His brother had been right.
This was a forbidden technique that should never have seen the light of day.

"Enough with the nostalgia trip!"
Hōzuki Gengetsu, the flamboyant Second Mizukage with his slicked-back blond hair and curled mustache, grumbled.
"We weren’t summoned here to chit-chat—we’re here to fight!"

Tobirama shot him a sidelong glance.

"Hōzuki… so it’s you."
His voice was low, almost disappointed.

He still remembered how this clownish man had been lured into a trap and killed alongside Mu over a petty squabble about loot. To him, it was just further proof of how foolish the world could be.

"What’s with that look, huh?"
"Still acting like a stuck-up corpse, Tobirama? You’ve always been unbearable."

Gengetsu’s temper flared instantly as soon as he caught Tobirama’s condescending gaze.

"What the hell are you laughing at, Mu?"
The Mizukage snapped, hearing a quiet snort behind him.

He turned sharply—only to meet the eyes of his old rival.

"Oh? You wanna go again, old man?"
Mu’s stare was razor-sharp, his tone challenging.

Tension spiked immediately as the two dead Kage squared off, as if ready to resume their ancient feud right there and then.

Beside them, Tobirama’s lip curled into a cold smirk.

Some things never change. Not even death can fix stupid.

But as the two started bickering again, both turned their hostility toward Tobirama, who they sensed was silently judging them.

"You got something to say, Senju?"
"Don’t act like you're above us!"

Tobirama exhaled sharply.
He closed his eyes and focused inward, evaluating his chakra network and the jutsu binding him.

"I created this technique. Did Kabuto really think he could control me forever?"

He glanced at Hiruzen, the Third Hokage—Saru—and they nodded in unison.

Both former Hokage had read the Scroll of Seals. One was its author, the other its guardian. Together, they began forming hand seals at breakneck speed.

“Rele—”

But just as the final words hovered on their lips, they froze.

A sudden, invisible force locked them in place. Their hands trembled. The seals failed.

"Damn it!"
Tobirama hissed.
"That snake actually accounted for this..."

Kabuto had anticipated their attempt to break free and installed a deeper layer of control.

"So we fight, then."

His voice was low, resigned. He turned back toward the others. Behind him, not only were Mu and Gengetsu arguing again, but Rasa and Sasori had joined the fray as well—bickering about sand techniques and puppet warfare.

Tobirama sighed.

"Enough reminiscing."
His voice cut through the noise like a kunai through silence.
"It's time to get to work."

A faint voice drifted along an unseen thread, echoing deep within the minds of the resurrected. Though their wills resisted, their bodies—bound by the Edo-tensei—began to move on their own.

"Tch. Senju Tobirama, you really were a bastard to invent something like this."

Even as Hōzuki Gengetsu cursed the Second Hokage, his limbs betrayed him, moving against his will. Tobirama, also reanimated, gave no response—his own body already surging forward under the technique’s compulsion.

"It’s starting!"

Ōnoki, having barely recovered his breath, floated into the air, his eyes locked on a familiar figure.
"I’ll handle Master Mu! The rest of you, go deal with the others!"

Around him, shinobi scattered—each squaring off with their respective opponents.

"Ōnoki, look at you. So old and brittle now."
"If it weren’t for that little Sand ninja earlier, you’d already be dead. Time to think about retirement."

Mu’s voice was light, but his tone cut deep. Without missing a beat, he released a blast of white-hot energy. The attack slammed into Ōnoki’s Dust Release, lighting up the battlefield in a blinding flash.

"If I hadn't lived this long," Ōnoki muttered, "I wouldn't have had the chance to see my master again…"

The moment the blast faded, Mu was gone.

"Damn it!"
Ōnoki cursed, splitting into multiple clones and floating upward, his senses on high alert.
"This is going to be a problem."

—

Elsewhere on the battlefield, Tsunade charged forward, heading straight for Senju Tobirama.

"Second Grandpa!"

Without hesitation, she slammed her fist into him, sending the Hokage flying. Her eyes shimmered with a mix of sorrow and resolve.

"The village is fine now," she said firmly.
"And Uchiha Toshiro… he’s done well."

"Not just the village—he initiated peace accords between all five great nations."
"If it weren’t for this war, we’d be living in an era of true peace."

Tobirama didn’t speak immediately. For a moment, the battlefield fell away in his mind.

Then, awkwardly, almost reluctantly, he muttered,
"That’s… good."

But his silence spoke volumes—and so did the sudden intensity of his attacks.
Tsunade was forced onto the defensive, pushed back step by step.

Nearby, Jiraiya stood with a crooked smile, surrounded by a circle of legendary figures.

The Third Hokage. The Third Raikage. Even the reanimated Kazekage.

"Hah… never thought I’d be fighting you, sensei."

It was a grim joke, an attempt to stay sane amidst the madness.

"Be careful, Jiraiya!"
Hiruzen barked, wielding the Adamantine staff. Though his face showed clear reluctance, his body had no choice but to engage.

"Right..."
Jiraiya exhaled and vanished from his spot just as the staff came crashing down.

"The Third Raikage, huh…"
He glanced sideways.
"This is going to be a serious pain."

The man’s speed was overwhelming.

Across the battlefield, reunions—twisted and tragic—played out again and again. Former comrades clashed, teacher against student, friend against friend.

Different timelines, different paths, yet Kabuto had somehow managed to stitch together a battlefield out of broken dreams and painful memories.

It was like watching the past fight the present—and the world trembled beneath the weight of it.

Even across space and time, Kabuto lived up to his reputation...
The ultimate manipulator.