But.
He suddenly reacted again, feeling an inexplicable sense of familiarity with this kind of scene.
So basically, was Big Brother using him like the Nine Tails to calm things down?
Back then, after defeating the Nine Tails, he would solemnly tell the poor, confused fox, "You're too strong."
Just polite words for show.
[Kakashi]: First Hokage, Second Hokage, I made it!
Meanwhile, Kakashi was the first to speak up.
As his voice echoed out, everyone saw Hatake Kakashi's figure appear in the video.
"Kakashi, huh—"
Kitahara Kaede looked over.
"..." Kakashi.
So not just Sasuke, now even Kitahara Kaede doesn't see him as a teacher anymore?
Kakashi's heart almost collapsed.
But he hadn't forgotten what he came to do.
"Orochimaru added First Hokage's Wood Release cells during the Edo Tensei summoning," Kakashi reported.
"So in order to break Orochimaru's control, we have to deal with the Wood Release cells first."
"It's just that the cells were added during the summoning, so they've already fused with the current Edo Second Hokage." Kakashi said hurriedly.
"Oh," Kitahara Kaede nodded. "Got it."
"Eh, you already knew?" Kakashi was stunned for a second.
He'd been so focused on rushing over… his spiritual awareness in the group chat had been vague.
"Yeah, I fought the Edo Second just before you got here," Kitahara Kaede replied. "I could sense the Wood Release chakra on him."
"And Orochimaru just exposed himself earlier too."
"..." Orochimaru.
Well, yeah, he did out himself.
Originally, he'd only planned to send Edo Second to deal with Hiruzen and the others, then later test out the Edo version of the Second Hokage as a tool. After that, he'd go after Kitahara Kaede.
But… Kitahara Kaede delivered himself right to the door, so Orochimaru got too excited.
And blurted out the secret about the Wood Release cells.
However—
Orochimaru's left hand had its index and middle fingers pressed together again, trying to continue controlling Senju Tobirama.
Yes.
Control.
Which meant overriding the tool's will. Since Edo bodies regenerate from any damage and their chakra constantly replenishes, the tool can recover from anything—even if its neck is grabbed or limbs are torn off.
So Orochimaru was launching a counterattack!
Truthfully, he was stunned when Tobirama was caught by Kitahara Kaede in just one move, but now he could still feel the control was active.
"Watch out!" Kakashi quickly warned.
But Kitahara Kaede had already placed his hand on Edo Tobirama's chest. His chakra quickly enveloped Senju Tobirama.
"What are you doing?"
"Trying to sever my control?"
"A clever thought, but unfortunately, Edo Tensei isn't that simple."
"You can't just wrap your chakra around him and expect to cut off my control," Orochimaru said. "So…"
But Orochimaru didn't finish his sentence.
Because while Kitahara Kaede's chakra enveloped Tobirama, it wasn't to shield him and sever control.
Instead, a visible green chakra emerged from Tobirama's chest and flowed into Kitahara Kaede's body.
And Orochimaru knew exactly what that green chakra was—Wood Release cells.
After all, he'd cultivated them himself. He recognized them.
But the Wood Release cells had now been extracted from Tobirama's body and absorbed by Kitahara Kaede.
"..." Orochimaru.
"What were you saying just now?" Kitahara Kaede asked.
"%..." Orochimaru.
"Heh… I'm a guy who loves research, I've done all kinds of experiments. I've seen every kind of situation."
"But."
His left hand, which had been forming a seal to control Tobirama, now dropped.
He gave up.
"I was going to say I've seen it all before…"
"But I've never seen something like this."
"Or maybe I really know nothing about this vast world."
Orochimaru muttered, half-broken, half self-deprecating.
"Looks like the Wood Release cells are gone."
And now, the glow in Edo Tobirama's eyes had returned.
"Edo Tensei—Control… Released!"
This time, he formed the same hand seal as before.
But unlike earlier, white smoke rose from his body—Konoha's Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, though still reanimated, had truly returned!
He was no longer under Orochimaru's control.
"..." Orochimaru.
"Heh…"
"Haha…"
"..." Orochimaru.
And Orochimaru was still suffering from the spiritual backlash in the chat from earlier, when Tobirama had crushed him there.
Though he wasn't acting dumb or slow—truthfully, he had never seen anything like this.
No, he truly knew nothing about the world.
The Second Hokage, the fresh new "tool" he'd just acquired and hadn't even gotten a chance to use properly, was now… gone.
That's why:
Senju Tobirama casually shook his left arm, then grabbed the blade from an ANBU he'd touched earlier.
"Flying Thunder God~!"
"Flying Thunder Slash!"
One moment, he was just loosening up his joints. The next, he was already in front of Orochimaru.
Turns out, when Tobirama had been summoned by Edo Tensei, before Orochimaru even gained full control, he had already marked the area with the Flying Thunder God seal.
So he used Orochimaru's distraction to teleport in.
Both hands on the sword, he slashed horizontally at Orochimaru.
[Descendant Chat Group (^_-)]
[Tobirama Achievement - Izuna]: Hmm… Still really hate it when Senju Tobirama uses that jutsu.
[Tobirama Achievement - Izuna]: And I kind of feel bad for Orochimaru right now.
[Big Dumb - Hashirama]: Tobirama's speed is still that fast.
[Big Dumb - Hashirama]: Totally different from when he was being controlled.
[Minato Namikaze]: Yeah, the Second Hokage uses Flying Thunder God very smoothly.
[Minato Namikaze]: Speaking of Flying Thunder God—back during the Nine Tails' attack, I actually placed a marker on that masked man who called himself Uchiha Madara.
[Big Dumb - Hashirama]: That's an important bit of information.
[Big Dumb - Hashirama]: @Kakashi, write that down.
[Kakashi]: Understood.
[Filial Black Zetsu]: …
[Filial Black Zetsu]: …
Black Zetsu felt like he'd just heard something critical. Who would've thought that idiot Obito actually had such a huge weakness.
Think about it.
Obito had always been hiding his identity, stalling and delaying the Moon's Eye Plan.
And he fancied himself the grand mastermind behind the scenes.
Yet he had a Flying Thunder God mark on him this whole time—and didn't even know?
If Minato were revived and used the technique, he could just instantly appear in front of Obito.
That would…
Break the entire plotline!
Madara fooled Obito, Obito tricked Nagato, Nagato summoned the Ten Tails…
All gone!
That would really wreck Black Zetsu's big plan.
Outside the group chat.
Tobirama used Flying Thunder Slash and cut Orochimaru in half.
But Orochimaru didn't seem bothered.
Because from his severed half, a white serpent emerged.
It had eight heads.
And it spewed flames at Tobirama.
"The Eight-Headed Serpent…"
"But it's useless."
"Water Style: Water Formation Wall!"
"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet!"
A wall of seawater formed, enclosing the Eight-Headed Serpent. But just as the wall was completed, a ten-meter-tall water dragon leapt out of it.
The water dragon lunged at the serpent.
"My water dragon won't lose to a living dragon. Let alone you—you're just a snake."
Senju Tobirama declared.
[Descendant Chat Group (^_-)]
[Fifth Mizukage - Mei Terumi]: So this is the Second Hokage's Water Style, huh…
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Chapter 180+ on my patreon.com/dzeref887