Naruto: Manipulation-Chapter 158: The Resurrected Hokage!

The vast battleground was eerily silent.

Orochimaru's voice drifted through the air.

A chilling, sinister aura crept up behind Tsunade.

Neither Hiruzen Sarutobi, Jiraiya, nor Tsunade had detected him as he impersonated the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa. It was as if Orochimaru had something to say about his former teacher and comrades.

"I thought I had done more than enough,"

Orochimaru's sly smile stretched across his face as he looked at the three most significant people in his life. His expression was filled with regret and mockery. "So many clues, yet none of you noticed my identity. Even more pathetic is how powerless you all are before Nagato."

However...

He was not met with a warm welcome!

No Konoha ninja would ever welcome him!

"Orochimaru, you bastard...!"

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Jiraiya instinctively tried to stand up!

"Orochimaru!"

Tsunade had already thrown a punch at him!

"Orochimaru."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze turned complex. He looked at his former disciple, who had once defected from Konoha, and for a moment, he seemed dazed. "No wonder I found the Kazekage's fighting style so familiar... So it was you... You've been impersonating him all along?"

The Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, was known for his ability to manipulate gold dust.

Yet, throughout this battle, he had only used Wind Release techniques and never once employed his signature gold dust abilities. Perhaps Hiruzen should have realized it sooner.

"Of course, it was me."

"If not me..."

Orochimaru dodged Tsunade's attack with a smirk, speaking softly, "Then who would help you deal with the threat of Akatsuki? Were you planning to rely on that Kazekage who secretly harbored ill will toward Konoha?"

"You bastard!"

Tsunade's eyes burned with fury; she had no interest in listening to his justifications.

Hiruzen, however, understood the implication behind Orochimaru's words. His voice grew heavy, "So... this whole time, you planned to use us to take down Akatsuki's leader?"

Orochimaru playfully wagged his finger and chuckled. "I never expected you to defeat Akatsuki. From the start, I knew you were no match for Nagato. Or rather, your strength is simply too weak against them..."

"But..."

"You aren't completely useless."

Orochimaru's snake-like eyes narrowed dangerously, exuding a menacing aura. "At the very least, your defeat puts Konoha in its most perilous state..."

And with Konoha on the brink of disaster...

He could finally unleash his true plan!

Only when Konoha was in danger could he force the former Hokage of Konoha to rise again and fight for the village!

"Everything so far was just an appetizer."

Orochimaru slowly raised his hand, the corner of his lips curling into a mocking sneer. "Now... it's time for the real feast to begin. In order to bring them back, I had to sacrifice three children who could wield the power of the Cursed Seal..."

"Ninja Art: Summoning Jutsu!"

As Orochimaru's palm slammed onto the ground, his expression turned uncharacteristically serious, his gaze locked onto the smoke rising from the summoning seal!

Under everyone's shocked stares...

Three massive coffins suddenly emerged from the earth!

"Edo Tensei..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart grew heavier.

What unsettled him the most was how quickly the situation was spiraling out of control. Their crushing defeat at the hands of Pain, Orochimaru's sudden appearance—none of this had been foreseen!

And now...

Something even worse was happening!

What did Orochimaru intend to do with Edo Tensei?!

Creak...

The coffins slowly opened.

Three figures, their faces marred with cracks, stepped into view.

Each one was someone every Konoha ninja present knew all too well. Some of them even had living relatives still in the village.

"First Hokage..."

Hiruzen's pupils shrank as he stared in disbelief at the long-haired man clad in red armor emerging from the first coffin.

Tsunade's heart pounded violently.

"That's... the First Hokage?"

Hiruzen's body trembled as his eyes locked onto the second figure, clad in blue armor.

Jiraiya turned to the third coffin, his mind going blank. He had never once imagined that he would see his dead student again.

And they were not the only ones in shock.

Every Konoha ninja on the battlefield looked stunned.

If the First and Second Hokage were legendary figures of a bygone era, then the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, still held enormous prestige in Konoha...

More than that...

His son was present.

Naruto Uzumaki stood beside Kakashi Hatake, staring at the coffin holding Minato Namikaze.

He rubbed his eyes in disbelief.

"The Hokage of Konoha's past..."

Kakashi felt a chill down his spine. He never expected to see these deceased figures once again.

Especially...

His teacher, Minato Namikaze!

Minato's sharp blue eyes flickered open. His gaze fell upon Hiruzen and Jiraiya, both gravely injured, and his face twisted in concern.

"Third Hokage? Jiraiya-sensei? What's going on? Why are you here? What happened?"

No... something was wrong...

Why was he here?

"Edo Tensei, huh..."

The Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, scoffed darkly. It was as if he had already expected someone to use his forbidden technique. "So... it has been exploited after all."

"Brother!"

The First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, stepped out of his coffin and immediately began scolding his younger sibling. "I told you long ago that Edo Tensei should never have been created!"

However...

Oddly enough...

Tobirama did not argue.

He seemed unwilling to discuss the topic.

Instead, his sharp eyes settled on Hiruzen Sarutobi, as if deep in thought. After a moment, he spoke:

"Monkey?"

A pause.

"You've gotten old..."

Tobirama sighed heavily at the passage of time before his expression hardened. "What's going on? Why are you all so gravely injured?"

"You should..."

"Let me explain,"

Orochimaru interrupted with a smirk, his voice carrying a sinister amusement. "Konoha has been invaded by a dangerous enemy. Naturally, at this critical moment, I used Edo Tensei to bring you back and save the village."

"Shut up!"

"Don't listen to his nonsense!"

Tsunade immediately cut him off, her voice firm. "Orochimaru is a traitor to Konoha! If you have any doubts, question me instead!"

Orochimaru chuckled, amused by her anger. He casually continued his deceit, "You became a traitor only because you conspired with Danzo to eliminate Akatsuki, the biggest threat to the ninja world..."

Tsunade sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

That bastard still dared to spout lies!

Who would believe such nonsense?!

"Is that true?"

Hashirama stroked his chin, scanning the battlefield for Danzo. "That kid was always reckless... Where is he?"

Tsunade's face twitched. She quickly corrected him, "Granduncle! Don't believe his lies! He's making everything up!"

"No lie..."

Tobirama turned his gaze to the battlefield. He could sense an immensely powerful chakra in the distance.

It was clear that...

Konoha had encountered a terrifying enemy.

And now, they had been resurrected in the middle of it all.

Understood! Here's the continuation of the translation exactly as it is, maintaining accuracy without adding, erasing, or changing anything:

Tobirama narrowed his eyes, his sharp gaze sweeping across the battlefield before locking onto Nagato and the others.

From his perception, there were eight chakra sources—unusually potent yet disturbingly unnatural. Among them, one chakra signature was overwhelmingly powerful yet faint at the same time.

"It seems... you've encountered an exceptionally troublesome enemy."

No one could deny it.

Even Tsunade fell silent for a moment.

Because Pain's strength was beyond their expectations. With a single move, he had severely wounded them, yet he still appeared to be holding back.

"What is going on?"

Nagato's Rinnegan calmly observed the eight coffins that had suddenly appeared.

Through his sensory abilities, he could detect the presence of eight immensely strong chakra sources. Some of them felt unfathomably ancient, yet eerily stable.

"Edo Tensei..."

Pain's voice was emotionless, yet it carried a weight that sent shivers through those listening. His eyes lingered on the unfolding scene as he murmured, "Orochimaru... so you really have betrayed us."

After all...

Orochimaru had been impersonating the Fourth Kazekage while fighting alongside them. And now, with Konoha on the verge of defeat, he had used Edo Tensei to summon eight powerful figures from the past.

There was no way...

That this was for Konoha's benefit.

All of this had been part of Orochimaru's scheme. His true target was not Konoha...

But them.

"You must retreat,"

Konan was the first to sense the danger, immediately warning Nagato. She knew that if Nagato stayed, he would be walking into Orochimaru's trap. "We need to leave now before we get caught in his web."

"But..."

Nagato's expression darkened, his head shaking slightly. "At this point, retreating may not be an option..."

Shing!

Two kunai suddenly flew toward them!

Pain instinctively raised his hand, forming a chakra rod to deflect them.

However...

In the blink of an eye—

Two figures suddenly appeared beside the kunai!

Moving at an inhuman speed, they seized the kunai mid-air and drove them straight toward Pain's body!

"Damn!"

Pain's eyes widened in shock. He hadn't even seen their movements—by the time he realized what was happening, the two figures were already upon him!

"Pain!"

Konan's body instantly dissolved into paper fragments!

"Shinra Tensei!"

Nagato barely had time to react, using his own body to unleash a powerful repulsive force, sending the two attackers flying.

However...

The moment his Shinra Tensei struck them—

They vanished without a trace!

Like ghosts fading into the darkness, they disappeared as quickly as they had come.

Their speed and unpredictability sent chills down Nagato and Konan's spines.

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Powerstones?

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