Dozens, perhaps even hundreds, of Sand Ninjas and Sound Ninjas who had been cunningly disguised as ordinary spectators now simultaneously leaped out from the crowd in various corners of the stands.
They immediately attacked the Konoha ninjas who were still awake and trying to protect the civilians lulled by the mass sleeping genjutsu.
Kakashi, Might Guy, Asuma, Kurenai, and other senior Konoha ninjas who had the ability to resist or dispel the genjutsu reacted quickly.
Without much thought or waiting for further orders, they simultaneously attacked the infiltrating ninjas, trying to protect the helpless civilians and hold back the wave of enemy attacks.
"Everyone, protect the civilians with all your might! Don't let these intruders approach the VIP stands or the stadium exits!"
Kakashi shouted while launching a Raikiri attack towards several Sound ninjas trying to break through the defense line.
There was indeed a very strong reason why Konoha had always been called and recognized as the largest and strongest ninja village among the Five Great Ninja Nations.
Although the Sand Ninjas and Sound Ninjas also sent many elite Jōnin and their best troops to launch this surprise invasion, once they fought openly against the Konoha Jōnin who were very experienced in battle and possessed high individual quality, they seemed to be torn apart and crushed easily, like fragile paper walls hit by a storm.
Except for a few enemy ninjas who had unique special abilities and could hold out for a while against the relentless onslaught of the Konoha Jōnin, most of the infiltrating ninjas were slaughtered easily and quickly, their bodies falling like leeks freshly cut from the field.
... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
Orochimaru showed no anger despite being harshly scolded by the Third Hokage.
Instead, a strange flicker of sadness briefly crossed his cold, snake-like eyes. However, recalling the main purpose of his 'visit' this time, Orochimaru quickly suppressed that fleeting emotional turmoil deep within his heart.
"My esteemed Sarutobi-sensei,"
Orochimaru began with his characteristic mocking tone, a sinister smile playing on his pale lips.
"Instead of worrying about me, I think you should start thinking about how you will face the combined attack of the First Hokage and the Second Hokage later."
He glanced towards the two coffins still standing upright.
"You are very old and frail now, Sensei. Are you truly confident you still have enough strength and stamina to fight those two legends simultaneously? I highly doubt it."
Hiruzen Sarutobi merely remained silent.
His expression showed no fear, only profound disappointment.
"If this old geezer really can't do it alone anymore,"
a loud and confident voice suddenly echoed, breaking the tension,
"how about adding me into the calculation?!"
As soon as the voice finished echoing, the tiles beneath the Third Hokage's feet trembled violently. Under the bewildered gazes of everyone within the barrier – including Orochimaru and his four subordinates maintaining the formation – the tiles suddenly collapsed noisily, revealing a rather large gaping hole.
From within the darkness of the hole, a sturdy hand reached out, gripping the edge of the hole. Orochimaru frowned deeply.
This voice... felt so familiar to his ears. And that hand... he also felt he had seen it before.
Could it be...?
"Yo, Orochimaru! Long time no see, old friend!"
Jiraiya's figure, with his characteristic long white hair and a wide smile on his face, propped himself up on the edge of the hole with both hands and easily leaped out from below.
After dusting off his clothes a bit, he raised his hand and greeted the Third Hokage in his usual casual style.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Sensei. Looks like I arrived just in time."
At this moment, it wasn't just Orochimaru standing on the opposite side who was shocked, but even the group of Anbu guarding outside the Shishienjin barrier all showed uniformly confused expressions.
How could Jiraiya-sama appear in such a ridiculous way? one of the Anbu thought.
Did he really make a hole in the stadium roof from the floor below? What kind of idea was that?
"Jiraiya..." Orochimaru looked at his former teammate with a complicated gaze, a mixture of surprise, annoyance, and perhaps... a little nostalgia?
Orochimaru glanced towards the now largely holed roof, then looked back at Jiraiya.
There was an unconcealable frustration in his heart.
He felt he had calculated everything carefully, every possibility, every variable.
But he had missed this one.
This Four Violet Flames Formation was indeed designed to block movement from the four cardinal directions: east, west, north, and south, Orochimaru thought bitterly.
But how could I forget that we are currently on a roof?
The roof itself is a surface, right under our feet. With a little effort and enough strength, anyone could just dig a big hole to get in and out freely!
Damn you, Jiraiya! Always showing up in unexpected ways!
Jiraiya smiled, but the smile felt slightly bitter and full of sorrow.
Thinking that those who were once close friends, comrades-in-arms who had gone through various life-and-death battles together, now had to stand facing each other as enemies, Jiraiya's heart ached.
"Orochimaru, do you really have to do all this?"
Jiraiya asked in a serious tone, his gaze piercing Orochimaru's snake eyes.
"This Konoha is your hometown! The place where you were raised, the place where all our memories are engraved! Are you truly capable of destroying it with your own hands?!"
"Hehehe... you're still the same as ever, Jiraiya," Orochimaru smiled sinisterly, as if belittling Jiraiya's sentimentality.
"Always talking so much useless nonsense!"
Orochimaru's expression then turned cold and cruel.
"The plan to destroy Konoha is something I've meticulously planned for a long time. Do you think I'll waver and cancel everything just because of a few sentimental words from you?"
"Orochimaru, I really don't want to fight you!" Jiraiya clenched and unclenched his fists repeatedly, emotional turmoil clearly visible on his face.
He truly didn't want to raise his hand against his old friend.
But, the situation had reached this point, and it seemed he had no other choice but to fight.
"Jiraiya, Jiraiya," Orochimaru snorted coldly, his tone full of superiority.
"Do you really think you can be my opponent now?"
He continued mockingly,
"Even if you and that old geezer join forces and exert all your strength, what can you do? Don't forget, I have the First Hokage and the Second Hokage on my side. Do you two really think you can be a match for them, the legends who founded this village?"
"Um..."
Suddenly, from within one of the coffins, Hashirama Senju, still wearing his characteristic red armor, poked his head out with a very confused facial expression.
His black eyes blinked several times.
"Excuse me... could some kind person come and explain to me what exactly is happening here? If I remember correctly... I should have been dead, right?!"
"Hashirama-sensei!"
Hiruzen, immediately stepped forward with an expression full of regret on his old face.
"I... I apologize for disturbing your long rest. This is all my fault, I..."
However, before Hiruzen could finish half of his apology, Hashirama Senju cut him off with an increasingly confused look.
"Wait a minute... old man," Hashirama said, tilting his head.
"Who are you exactly?"
Senju Hashirama looked Hiruzen up and down, the confused expression on his face not at all feigned.
He truly didn't know what was happening or who this old man before him was.
"Look at your age," Hashirama continued, pointing at Hiruzen.
"You look several decades older than me. Why are you still calling me 'Sensei'?"
"..."
The Sandaime's expression, which had been ready to weep with regret, froze instantly.
Senju Hashirama's innocent words were like a hard slap to him.
He felt his heart constrict and was extremely uncomfortable.
"Alright, Lord First Hokage, let me explain,"
Jiraiya deftly stepped forward, trying to salvage the awkward situation.
Facing the founder of Konoha, Hashirama Senju, Jiraiya himself looked very nervous and respectful.
"Oh, so that's how it is! We've all been dead for many years, huh!"
After listening to Jiraiya's brief but concise explanation, Hashirama Senju showed a sudden expression of enlightenment.
Then, he burst out laughing with his characteristic vigor.
"Hahahaha! I really didn't expect it! After being dead for so long, I still have the chance to return to this world and see with my own eyes the village I created with such difficulty!"
"Brother, don't you feel you're being a little too optimistic right now?!"
Senju Tobirama, the Second Hokage, calmly walked out of his coffin.
He looked at his brother, Hashirama, who was still laughing merrily beside him, then sighed helplessly.
"Don't forget, Brother. We are both currently bound and controlled by that damn Edo Tensei Technique. And we will soon be forced to destroy Konoha, our own village, under someone else's control. How can you still laugh in a situation like this?"
"Come on, Tobirama! As humans, we must always try to be optimistic in the face of any difficulty!"
Senju Hashirama waved his hand indifferently, as if the big problem before them was just passing wind. Then, he complained in a low voice, blaming his younger brother,
"Besides, if you think about it again, all of this is also your fault why we're in such a troublesome situation! You were too stubborn and insisted on developing Edo Tensei! I told you many times before that such dangerous and cursed ninjutsu should never exist in this world! You should have listened to me and banned it long ago! Now look, the ninjutsu you created is being used by someone else to hurt and destroy Konoha!"
"Quiet!"
Senju Tobirama glared sharply at Hashirama, making his older brother immediately fall silent and shrink back a little.