Kakashi's face darkened further as he watched Daniel Davis and Sasuke appear inside the Four Purple Flame Formation. Kakashi had personally witnessed Daniel Davis's strength before. Even Guy's Seventh Gate technique, the Daytime Tiger, was no match. While Davis was powerful, the Leaf Village could find a way to deal with him if they were willing to make sacrifices.
However, adding space-time ninjutsu into the mix was an entirely different story. The reason why the Fourth Hokage became so famous during the Third Shinobi World War and why the other four great ninja villages never attempted to surround and kill him was precisely because of the Flying Thunder God technique, which allowed him to come and go freely. There was simply no way to corner him.
This was different from the ambush on the Third Raikage by the Rock Village. At that time, the Raikage had no way to escape, but the Flying Thunder God technique allowed the user to move without restriction. To date, there was no known method to seal space-time ninjutsu. Even barriers couldn't confine it.
If not for his desire to save the village, the Fourth Hokage, with his mastery of the Flying Thunder God technique, would have been nearly impossible to kill. The same was true for the Second Hokage. Uchiha Obito, who was once considered a nobody, only managed to fight the Fourth Hokage to a draw during the Nine-Tails Incident because of his Kamui.
Now, with Daniel Davis also mastering space-time ninjutsu, it was as if there was another "Yellow Flash." What made it worse was that Davis's space-time ninjutsu seemed even harder to deal with than the Flying Thunder God technique.
Even though this was the first time Kakashi had seen such a space-time technique, he quickly analyzed the pros and cons of Daniel Davis's spatial displacement compared to the Flying Thunder God.
The Flying Thunder God required pre-made markings, something that could be anticipated and avoided once known. For example, the Fourth Raikage and Killer Bee had previously faced Minato Namikaze, and the Raikage believed he could counter the Flying Thunder God technique with his speed.
But Daniel Davis's spatial displacement had no such weakness. A small tile could be enough to swap two people. This meant that in combat, you had to not only focus on your opponent but also on every object around you at all times.
If this technique allowed people to be swapped with others or with objects, it would be even more terrifying.
As Kakashi considered this, his left hand instinctively touched the forehead protector covering his left eye. This was Kakashi's serious mode, similar to how Shikamaru would enter his thinking mode.
"What a terrifying ability. I wonder how wide the range is," Kakashi muttered with a deep sigh, having already deduced so much from the brief display of spatial displacement.
Unlike the world of pirates, where most people didn't use their brains much, intelligence was vital in the world of ninjas.
Kakashi wasn't the only one who had noticed the danger of Daniel Davis's spatial displacement. Orochimaru and the Third Hokage were also aware. After all, they were inside the Four Purple Flame Formation.
"Why did you bring him here?" Orochimaru asked, glancing deeply at Daniel Davis before shifting his gaze to Sasuke.
"He wants to see the Third Hokage one last time. There are things he wants to say."
Daniel Davis had initially intended to watch Orochimaru and the Third Hokage's master-disciple battle from outside the barrier, but since Sasuke wanted to speak with the Third Hokage, he brought him in.
"Third Hokage, I bet you didn't expect to see me here," Sasuke said suddenly, stepping forward and staring intently at the Third Hokage.
"Sasuke, do you even understand what you're doing?" The Third Hokage, who had been observing Daniel Davis for a long time, finally shifted his gaze to Sasuke and spoke in a deep voice.
"Of course, I do! Destroying the Leaf! The hatred of the Uchiha clan must be paid in blood!" Sasuke shouted.
"This kid's really becoming more arrogant," Daniel Davis thought to himself, inwardly sighing at Sasuke's outburst.
"You're being deceived. Things aren't the way you think they are," the Third Hokage replied.
"Deceived? If anyone has been deceived, it's by the Leaf! The Leaf was founded by the Uchiha and Senju clans together. So why is it that only the Senju lineage has held the Hokage position, while the Uchiha clan has been oppressed and even exterminated? Everyone in the village knows the name of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, but who knows Uchiha Madara, who co-founded the village? He's even been branded a traitor.
Back then, when the village was founded, the Uchiha and Senju made a pact that the Second Hokage would be from the Uchiha clan. But what happened? Tobirama Senju became the Second Hokage, while the Uchiha were relegated to the hated position of the village's police force."
"Sasuke, do you even know what you're saying?" The Third Hokage's gaze grew colder.
"Of course, I do! You, the Third Hokage, may appear kind and benevolent on the surface, but you're just an old man clinging to power, no different from Danzo. The Fourth Hokage has been dead for years now. The village should have chosen a Fifth Hokage long ago. Why is it that instead, you, an old man who should have retired, are still in charge?"
"Sasuke, what are you talking about? The Third Hokage isn't like that," Naruto and Sakura, who had spotted Sasuke from outside the Four Purple Flame Formation, rushed over. If not for Kakashi holding them back, they would have touched the flames of the barrier in their haste.
"You're still saying that, Naruto? Have you forgotten the kind of life you led as a child? The son of the Fourth Hokage, reduced to eating expired food and drinking sour milk—barely getting by, even having to catch fish to roast for food. Naruto, you are the son of the Fourth Hokage, yet the Third Hokage let you live like that. Is this how the village treats the son of a man who sacrificed his life for its protection? This is the Will of Fire? What a joke."
"Shadow Shuriken Clone Jutsu!" Before Sasuke could finish, the Third Hokage attacked. Three shuriken flew through the air, and after a hand seal, they multiplied into a swarm of shuriken.
"He's embarrassed and trying to silence Sasuke before he can speak further." Seeing the Third Hokage act, Daniel Davis let out a cold laugh. When Orochimaru didn't intervene, Davis quickly stepped in beside Sasuke, forming hand seals.
"Water Style: Water Wall!" A water barrier about three meters wide and as tall as the barrier appeared before them, blocking all the incoming shuriken. Those that fell to the ground or hit the barrier quickly vanished.
"Feeling embarrassed and angry, trying to silence him before he can speak the truth? Unfortunately, no matter how hard you try, you can't cover up your past deeds today."
"Nah, Naruto, do you know why your parents died during the Nine-Tails Incident? Minato Namikaze, the Yellow Flash, who was feared across the entire ninja world, didn't die in the Third Great Shinobi War, but in the very heart of the Leaf Village. Do you know why?
It's because, during the Nine-Tails Incident, when he was fighting the Nine-Tails, there were people who deliberately withheld reinforcements. That's why both your parents died in the chaos. Do you know why you were made a Jinchuriki? It's because they wanted to protect you. As a newborn, you had no way of defending yourself. Anyone could have killed you back then. But as a Jinchuriki, you were valuable.
There are people who could let the son of the Fourth Hokage die, but they wouldn't let a perfect Jinchuriki container be destroyed. Who was responsible? I don't think I need to say it."
"Fire Style: Great Flame Technique!" Before Daniel could continue, the Third Hokage struck again, unleashing a sea of flames that covered half the space within the barrier. As the Professor of Ninjutsu, the Third Hokage was well-versed in all styles and could use them with considerable power. This Great Flame Technique was as famous as the Uchiha clan's Great Fireball Technique, being one of the Sarutobi clan's signature fire jutsu.
"You're really annoying, you know that?" Daniel, growing impatient with the Third Hokage's repeated attacks, punched through the wall of flames, creating a path. He appeared in front of the Third Hokage, and with a swift left punch, struck his chest, sending him flying into the air.
"A substitution jutsu, huh?" Daniel muttered as the Hokage's cloak and hat fell to the ground, and the real Third Hokage, now dressed in a tight ninja outfit, appeared to the side. Daniel then swiftly retreated to Sasuke's side.
"Don't you think you're going a bit too far?" Orochimaru complained as Daniel returned. He had put a lot of effort into preparing for this master-disciple confrontation and didn't want Davis to kill the Third Hokage.
"I just didn't want him interrupting me. I have great respect for Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage. He died far too unjustly." If Minato were in power now, Daniel
might have sided with the Leaf. Unfortunately, the timing wasn't right.
Whether the Third Hokage was really as bad as Daniel said didn't matter. Today, Daniel was here to strike at the Leaf. From the moment he took Sasuke, the Leaf had become the enemy. When dealing with enemies, the method didn't matter.
"That's impossible! The Third Hokage wouldn't do such a thing!" Naruto finally shifted his focus from Sasuke and looked toward Daniel, while Sakura's expression became one of panic.
"Naruto is the son of the Fourth Hokage? How can that be?" Those who didn't know Naruto's true identity stared at him in shock.
By now, the battle at the Leaf Village was nearing its end. The Leaf had already begun their counterattack, and many of the powerful members of the Leaf clans were now fighting. Maki, realizing that there was no response from the Fourth Kazekage despite repeated attempts to contact him, concluded that something had happened to him and decisively ordered a retreat.
The Sand Village had sent its elite for this attack, and if they were all wiped out in the Leaf, the Sand would be severely weakened. To protect the Sand's future, Maki sacrificed some of the Sand ninja to cover the retreat of the rest.
As a result, the number of ninjas appearing near the barrier began to increase.
"Naruto is the son of the Fourth Hokage?" The most shocked by this revelation were Konohamaru and Ebisu. Ebisu, who had always looked down on Naruto, now felt deeply ashamed upon learning that Naruto was the son of the man he most respected—the Fourth Hokage.
"Orochimaru, bring them out. Although one is missing, today is a rare opportunity to gather them all," Daniel said to Orochimaru, as many onlookers outside the barrier began shifting their gaze to Naruto.
"Let's begin, then." Orochimaru nodded and made a hand seal. Two coffins slowly rose from the ground, and when their lids opened, two figures emerged, shocking many of those present. Once they stepped out, the coffins disappeared.
"First Hokage, Second Hokage, Orochimaru, how dare you desecrate the souls of the dead!" The Third Hokage shouted angrily when he saw the familiar figures of Hashirama and Tobirama Senju.
One of the most interesting things about the world of ninjas, in Daniel's eyes, was how the boundary between life and death was so thin. It was far too easy to summon the souls of the dead. In the ninja world, it wasn't just the Impure World Reincarnation technique that could do this; there were other jutsu capable of summoning souls as well.
There was an Earth Style technique that used soil and the bodies of the dead as mediums to temporarily resurrect people as puppets for the caster. One of the Twelve Guardian Ninja once tried to use this technique to summon the dead members of the group to destroy the Leaf.
This reincarnation technique was an advanced application of Earth Style, but there was also a lower-level version that allowed the resurrection of corpses into zombie-like beings. Since it had little practical use, it was rarely employed except in very specific situations.
"It's you, Monkey! You've grown old," the Second Hokage remarked after scanning his surroundings and recognizing the Third Hokage.
"So it's Monkey. It's been many years, huh? Tobirama, I told you not to mess around with forbidden jutsu. Now, look at the result," the First Hokage chimed in, realizing what was happening. He had died too early to see the Third Hokage grow old.
"Who is this young man? He's quite impressive, isn't he?" The First Hokage then looked over at Orochimaru with some admiration.
Learning the Impure World Reincarnation technique wasn't easy. If ninjutsu were divided into learning levels, the Impure World Reincarnation, like the Flying Thunder God technique, would be classified as a secret-level jutsu. Even if a ninja had the training scroll, most wouldn't be able to master it. Orochimaru had only begun to see some success with the technique after many years of work.
And that was with Daniel Davis's help. Without him, Orochimaru might still have to use talismans inserted into the Hokages' bodies to control them.
After forming an alliance with Orochimaru, Daniel had obtained the Impure World Reincarnation technique from him. However, when it came to souls, Orochimaru was far inferior to Daniel.
"Thank you for the compliment, First Hokage," Orochimaru said with a satisfied expression. Praise from the "God of Shinobi" was no small thing.
In the original story, when the First Hokage was summoned, Suigetsu had nearly wet himself in fear, and even Orochimaru had been extremely nervous controlling the Hokages.
Of course, the current Hokages didn't have the same overwhelming presence. The strength of the Impure World Reincarnation depended heavily on the quality of the sacrificial bodies. The sacrifices used for summoning the Hokages this time were just ordinary genin.
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