Naruto: I Confronted the Five Kage Before the System Arrived

Chapter 278: The Return of the Former Hokage and the Reunion of the Sannin

Hiss...

A white snake slithered out from Orochimaru's sleeve, fell to the ground, and began to grow visibly larger. Opening its mouth, it regurgitated several white Zetsu, each covered in slimy mucus.

Four in total.

Orochimaru injected each with Hashirama cells and placed the DNA samples of the four Hokage. Once everything was set, he quickly formed hand seals:

"Summoning Jutsu: Reanimation!"

Whoosh...

The sound of fluttering paper echoed. In front of Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Shizune, gray paper scraps appeared out of thin air and rapidly wrapped around the bodies of the four white Zetsu.

Soon, after a wave of chakra and a flash of light, both the paper and the white Zetsu vanished, replaced by:

The First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, with black hair and red armor;

The Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, with silver hair, red eyes, and blue armor;

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, in black combat gear and a ninja hat, looking elderly;

And the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, who had recently appeared at the Gedo Statue.

"All four previous Hokage... have reappeared!" Shizune exclaimed, her mouth agape in disbelief. Despite anticipating this moment, seeing it firsthand was overwhelming.

Even Jiraiya and Tsunade were momentarily stunned.

"We've returned to the living world, huh?" Tobirama's calm voice broke the silence as all four Hokage opened their eyes simultaneously.

Tobirama looked around, noticing the unfamiliar surroundings, then spoke first. Meanwhile, Hashirama, who had been reincarnated twice and had never had a pleasant experience, saw Orochimaru and, with a tone tinged with frustration, said, "It's you again, young man!"

"Grandfather!" Tsunade's voice interrupted.

"Oh?" Hashirama turned to see her and immediately brightened, "Little Tsuna?"

"It's me!" Tsunade's eyes reddened with emotion, a rare sight for her. The joy of seeing her beloved grandfather again, coupled with the immense pressure she had been under, made her tear up.

"You've grown so much! Haha!" Hashirama laughed, reminiscing as he compared the grown woman before him to the little girl in his memories.

While Hashirama, Tsunade, and a reluctant Tobirama were catching up, Hiruzen Sarutobi noticed Orochimaru's presence. Orochimaru, noticing Hiruzen's gaze, licked his lips with a long tongue, giving his former teacher a chilling smile before stepping aside to observe the reunion.

Seeing Orochimaru not restricting their movements, Hiruzen turned his attention to Jiraiya, who was standing nearby. "Jiraiya, it's good to see you again," he said, his voice filled with warmth.

"Master Sarutobi," Jiraiya responded, his eyes moistening at the sight of his old teacher. He regretted not being able to see Hiruzen one last time during the Chunin Exams. Now, fate had given them a second chance.

Hiruzen patted Jiraiya's shoulder, smiling. "I thought you'd be the Fifth Hokage, but it seems Tsunade took the job. Convincing her must have been tough."

"It was... without..." Jiraiya began but paused, his thoughts flashing to Naruto, and his expression darkened.

"What's wrong?" Hiruzen asked, noticing the change.

Jiraiya shook his head and glanced at Minato, who had just regained his bearings after being pulled from the Gedo Statue incident. He sighed, preparing to explain.

"Jiraiya-sensei, Third Hokage," Minato greeted, his expression heavy with the weight of recent events.

"Minato!" Jiraiya exclaimed, giving him a firm pat on the shoulder, torn between joy and guilt.

"Jiraiya, what's going on? Why is Orochimaru here in the Leaf Village, and why are you all working together?" Hiruzen couldn't contain his curiosity any longer.

Jiraiya glanced at Orochimaru, then back at Hiruzen. "It's a long story. The ninja world faces an unprecedented crisis, and we need Orochimaru's help."

"Is it because of Hagoromo Gengetsu?" Minato asked.

Jiraiya nodded in agreement, then paused in surprise. "How do you know about Hagoromo Gengetsu?"

Before Hiruzen could explain, Minato shared unexpected news.

"I encountered Hagoromo Gengetsu before..."

Minato recounted everything that had happened: the Akatsuki members, the Uchiha ninja, the unconscious Cloud and Sand ninja, the colossal Gedo Statue, and the extraction of the Nine-Tails from his body. As he spoke, the reunited Hokage, along with Jiraiya and Tsunade, listened intently.

Hashirama, who had been eagerly questioning Tsunade about her life—whether she'd become Hokage, if the Leaf Village was bankrupt, how much debt it had, if she was married, and if she had children—finally stopped when he noticed the gravity of the situation.

Tsunade's earlier joy faded, replaced by a deep frown. "Hagoromo Gengetsu is moving fast!"

It hadn't been long since the failed attempt to capture Naruto, and now another crisis loomed. It was clear that Hagoromo Gengetsu wasn't giving the Leaf Village or the ninja world any time to catch their breath.

The four reincarnated Hokage didn't fully grasp the situation but could tell it was serious and related to Hagoromo Gengetsu.

Tobirama, crossing his arms, wasn't surprised. "It's expected. Once Hagoromo Gengetsu broke free from the Reanimation's control, it was only a matter of time before something like this happened."

He had warned Hiruzen during the Chunin Exams to deal with Hagoromo Gengetsu, but Hiruzen had been too focused on Orochimaru. Even after the four Kage united, they couldn't stop Hagoromo Gengetsu, so Tobirama had known this day would come.

"Now, can you explain what exactly happened? You didn't summon us just for a reunion, right?" Tobirama asked, looking at Tsunade.

Tsunade nodded, agreeing there was no time to waste, and recounted the details from the recent Five Kage Summit. Jiraiya added, "As Minato mentioned, the Akatsuki and the Uchiha clan are under Hagoromo Gengetsu's control. The unconscious Cloud and Sand ninja are likely Killer B and Gaara. The missing Two-Tails Jinchuriki might be on their way or already have their Tailed Beast extracted. The massive statue Minato saw is probably the incomplete Ten-Tails."

"Everything is happening just as the Great Toad Sage predicted," Jiraiya said, his expression grave. "We don't have much time."