[NTU] [ARC-26] Chapter : 344

“This guy...”

As Fugaku ceased his jutsu, the swirling water wall around Kabuto gradually collapsed, revealing the enemy once more.

Even Jiraiya, who had just begun to relax, couldn't help but tense up again. His eyes twitched as he took in the sight.

“Tch. So it won’t be that easy to catch him after all.”

Glaring at the masked figure, Jiraiya let out a quiet sigh.

“A familiar face… damn it.”

To his disbelief, Kabuto hadn’t stopped with the Second and Third Hokage. Now, Hanzo of the Salamander had joined the battlefield.

Things had gone from bad to worse.

“Hahaha! Jiraya-sama, you don’t look too happy to see an old friend,” Kabuto mocked, a sinister smile curling at his lips.

“If three isn’t enough for you, I’ve got more familiar faces on standby. Want me to summon them one by one?”

“You…” Jiraiya’s expression darkened, his brows knitting tightly. “You’re desecrating the souls of the dead—this won’t end well for you!”

From Kabuto’s smug tone, Jiraiya could tell just how deep this rabbit hole went.

If this was just the beginning—just a handful of resurrected legends—then the real threat wasn’t who was here now, but who else Kabuto might bring back.

Even Fugaku, silent and composed moments ago, now had a grim look in his eyes. He understood the implications all too well.

“Jiraya-sama, we can’t let him get away!” Fugaku growled. “It’s not just about Sasuke anymore. If this man is allowed to roam free, the entire coalition could suffer devastating losses.”

Kabuto chuckled, his eyes gleaming with menace.

“Then come and try,” he said coldly.

Without warning, he barked an order: “Attack!”

With mechanical precision, the Second Hokage, Third Hokage, and Hanzo surged forward like war puppets, launching themselves at Fugaku and Jiraiya without hesitation or care for self-preservation.

Meanwhile, Kabuto's own body began to dissolve into the earth—his escape already underway.

There were no unnecessary theatrics. No stalling or diversion. He was retreating.

—

Joint Command Center

“Hokage-sama!”
Yamanaka Inoichi, wearing a chakra receiver device on his head, suddenly jolted as if struck by a powerful current. His face paled.

“Jiraya-sama has sent an urgent message!”

His voice, usually calm and measured, trembled with urgency.

“Jiraiya?”
Toshiro turned toward him. “Didn’t we send him to handle the sudden resurrection of the Hokage? What’s going on?”

They had already detected abnormal chakra activity—both the Second and Third Hokage’s—but it had seemed manageable. Toshiro assumed Jiraiya could handle it.

But clearly, this wasn’t that simple.

Inoichi steadied himself and delivered the report in a single breath.

“It’s Kabuto—Orochimaru’s former subordinate. He’s using Edo Tensei and may be planning to summon a large number of powerful dead shinobi. It could lead to massive casualties among the coalition forces.”

For a moment, silence gripped the command center.

“Did you say... Edo Tensei?”

Toshiro was still processing the words, but from the side, Nara Shikaku’s usually laid-back demeanor vanished in an instant.

His eyes widened with alarm, his mind already racing.

Shikaku’s piercing gaze fell on Toshiro, and for a moment, the Hokage was at a loss for words.

“Hokage-sama,” Shikaku finally spoke, voice low but firm, “with your knowledge of this technique… do you think Jiraiya-sama’s report could really come true?”

Toshiro’s expression turned grim. He knew the jutsu all too well.

The Third Hokage had treated it as an epic-level threat—one of the reasons he had hesitated to retain the position for long.

If this technique could now be used on a large scale... it would be a catastrophe.

“Edo Tensei…” he muttered under his breath.

“What kind of jutsu is that?” The Raikage cut in, curiosity piqued by Shikaku’s uncharacteristic seriousness. Until now, he had been indifferent to the chatter, but this had clearly struck a nerve.

“It’s a forbidden technique,” Toshiro answered. “Developed by the Second Hokage. I’m sure the Kumo archives contain at least basic records on it.”

“It allows the caster to summon the dead… binding their souls to this world through living sacrifices. The summoned retain their abilities and can be used in battle.”

He gave only a brief explanation, but it was enough to shift the atmosphere in the room.

What surprised him most wasn’t the technique—it was that Kabuto had aligned himself with the Akatsuki. Again.

“I’m familiar with the theory behind Edo-Tensei,” Mabui spoke up calmly from the side. As the Raikage’s secretary, she had extensive knowledge of secret techniques and kekkei genkai across the ninja world.

“But according to our records, those resurrected could sometimes break free of the caster’s control. It was considered unstable… not particularly threatening.”

She frowned, eyes narrowing as she fixed her gaze on Toshiro.

“Why the urgency? What’s different now?”

She wasn’t the only one asking that question. All eyes in the command center turned toward the Hokage and Shikaku, silently demanding answers.

Toshiro exhaled, voice steady but grave.

“You’re right—originally, the technique had many limitations. But Orochimaru improved it. Dramatically.”

“Now, if the right sacrifices are used, he—or Kabuto—can summon shinobi like the Second Hokage or the Third Raikage, at 70 to 80 percent of their original strength. And more importantly… they can be fully controlled.”

A tense silence followed his words.

Then Toshiro continued, turning to the Raikage.
“We need to alert every village’s sealing corps. Have them prepare sealing tags—just in case.”

The Raikage’s jaw clenched, his muscles tight with restrained fury.

“Hmph. All of this… because of Konoha’s forbidden jutsu.”
His voice dripped with scorn. Though there was no immediate solution, he couldn’t help but vent his frustration.

“Do as the Hokage says,” he snapped at Mabui.

Before the conversation could continue, another voice rang out sharply across the room.

“We have a new situation!”

Everyone turned at once. Inoichi, still linked to the sensory network, was pale and sweating. He looked like he’d just received a lightning strike through the mind.

“The Eight-Tails and both Nine-Tails Jinchūriki have left Turtle Island!”

The announcement was a thunderclap.

Even Toshiro felt his heart skip a beat.

“As expected,” he muttered, glancing at the Raikage, whose temples were now visibly throbbing.

“These three never make things easy.”

The Raikage gritted his teeth, anger flaring again.

“Tch! Two Nine-Tails and now this damned Reincarnation Jutsu… Just how many forbidden techniques does your village have?”

He tried to calm himself, but his words still carried a biting edge.

“Splitting the Nine-Tails... Do you know how insane that is? If it weren’t for this alliance and Konoha trying to prove itself, we wouldn’t have believed it.”

The room remained quiet, but the tension hung thick in the air.

The shock across the great nations was real—but they had no choice but to move forward, together, with whatever pieces they had left.