Facing the gazes of the First and Second Hokage, Kagami said without the slightest change in expression:
"Honorable First and Second Hokage, I am a squad captain in the Uchiha Police Force. Under orders from our clan head, Uchiha Fugaku, I have been investigating the recent string of unexplained disappearances among our clansmen. Through my investigation, I discovered that every clue pointed toward Acting Hokage Danzo. That was why I tracked him all the way here, but... but I never expected that I would still arrive too late to rescue the clansmen abducted by Danzo..."
The First Hokage nodded gently. "So that’s what happened. It seems those Sharingan of his really were stolen from the Uchiha clan..."
The Second Hokage, however, narrowed his eyes and carefully scrutinized Kagami.
Tobirama understood the value of the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan very well. Back then, he had secretly preserved Madara’s corpse precisely because he wanted to thoroughly study the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan in Madara’s eye sockets.
Therefore, he refused to believe that the present-day Uchiha clan could possess so many pairs of Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. There had to be something strange going on here.
Beneath his flame-patterned mask, however, Kagami remained perfectly composed.
A situation like this was child’s play for the current him. Forget his expression and mannerisms—even his heartbeat and chakra fluctuations would not reveal the slightest flaw.
Orochimaru repeatedly glanced sideways at him, a trace of wariness flashing through his eyes.
He had originally assumed that an Uchiha as powerful and unruly as Homura might not be willing to cooperate with him.
Yet, to his surprise, when it came to telling lies, Homura was even smoother than he was!
At this moment, Kagami also glanced at Orochimaru.
With the situation having developed to this point, he had finally figured out Orochimaru’s entire scheme.
Implanting the Curse Mark into Danzo had clearly been merely the first step of Orochimaru’s plan.
Orochimaru had anticipated that Danzo would inevitably encounter difficulties with soul fusion during the ritual.
At that moment, Danzo’s spirit body would be at its most vulnerable. As long as Orochimaru seized the right opportunity to activate the Curse Mark and release the natural energy contained within it, there was a considerable chance that he could destroy every soul inside Danzo’s body—including Danzo’s own—in one fell swoop.
That would turn Danzo’s body into an empty shell that anyone could easily take possession of.
And even if this first step failed, Orochimaru still had a second contingency plan: summoning the First and Second Hokage through Impure World Reincarnation.
After all, following the first step, even if Danzo’s soul had not been destroyed by the natural energy within the Curse Mark, it would inevitably have suffered tremendous damage. The chances of him retaining his normal sanity were extremely low.
If the reanimated bodies of the First and Second Hokage witnessed such a situation, there was a very high probability that they would take action against Danzo.
Finally, as long as the First and Second Hokage subdued Danzo, Orochimaru could calmly release the Impure World Reincarnation, send the two former Hokage away, and claim Danzo’s body for himself—a body that had fused seven Kekkei Genkai and possessed the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan!
"Hmph! Orochimaru, you’ve certainly made some clever calculations. You’ve even managed to use me!"
Kagami snorted coldly in his mind.
He was cooperating with Orochimaru only because he also needed the First and Second Hokage to deal with Danzo.
As for what happened afterward, that would depend on their respective abilities. He certainly had no intention of handing over Danzo’s Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan to someone else!
"ROAR..."
Just as the Second Hokage was carefully trying to determine whether Kagami’s words were true or false, Danzo suddenly let out a furious roar from the ruins of the ritual altar, once again drawing everyone’s attention.
At this moment, Danzo’s body was hunched over, his hands hanging so low that they almost touched the ground.
His breathing was heavy, and with every breath, thick clouds of white vapor billowed from his nostrils.
Combined with his disheveled hair and the dark-red Susanoo looming above his head, its entire body shrouded in blood mist, he looked like a demon that had just crawled out of hell.
"Sensei, your era has already passed! The shinobi world will belong to me! My era has arrived!"
A barely recognizable voice, resembling a beast’s roar, erupted from Danzo’s throat.
"Danzo, you really have fallen!"
The Second Hokage shook his head regretfully, then declared coldly:
"Very well. Then allow me, your sensei, to put an end to your ambitions!"
Whoosh...
The moment the Second Hokage finished speaking, his figure vanished from the spot.
At the same time, the First Hokage beside him clasped his hands together and shouted:
"Wood Style: Wood Dragon Technique!"
Immediately, an enormous wooden dragon burst out of the ground and coiled around Danzo’s dark-red Susanoo, tightening its grip like a rope!
"ROAR..."
Danzo’s dark-red Susanoo let out a furious roar, then began tearing at the First Hokage’s wooden dragon with its claws and fangs.
This dark-red Susanoo already possessed extraordinary physical strength. Combined with its long claws and fangs, which were as sharp as blades, it took only a few swipes to tear the First Hokage’s wooden dragon apart.
"Hm...?"
Seeing Danzo break free from his wooden dragon, the First Hokage merely let out a soft exclamation. His expression remained unchanged.
He then extended both hands forward and clenched them fiercely.
Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!
In an instant, amid violent tremors that shook the earth, two wooden dragons even thicker than the previous one burst out of the ground and coiled toward Danzo’s dark-red Susanoo!
Watching the First Hokage unleash such formidable Wood Release ninjutsu, Kagami asked Orochimaru:
"What kind of sacrifices did you prepare for them?"
For a reanimated body, how much of its original strength it could display depended not only on the degree of restraint imposed by the caster, but also on the quality of the living sacrifice used as its physical vessel.
If the sacrifice was too weak, then no matter how powerful the reincaranated individual had been in life, it would be difficult for them to display much of their original strength.
Yet the First Hokage was casually unleashing such powerful Wood Release ninjutsu, and judging by his appearance, he was doing so with ease, without even exerting much effort.
Kagami couldn’t help but grow curious about the sacrifices Orochimaru had prepared for the First and Second Hokage.
Orochimaru grinned. "It’s a secret!"
Just then, the Second Hokage, who had disappeared earlier, took advantage of the moment when Danzo’s attention was completely occupied by the two wooden dragons restraining his Susanoo.
Using Earth Release, he slipped inside Danzo’s dark-red Susanoo. As he extended his right hand toward Danzo, he shouted in a low voice:
"Forbidden Technique: Soul Extraction!"
With his wealth of experience, the Second Hokage had immediately seen through the problems afflicting Danzo’s spirit body.
That was why he had deliberately chosen this forbidden technique. If it connected, it could resolve the situation in an instant!
Seeing the Second Hokage lunging toward him, Danzo was instantly overwhelmed by an enormous sense of danger.
Although he had lost his rationality, his beastlike instincts had become even sharper than when he was sane.
Whoosh...
Just as the Second Hokage’s outstretched right hand was about to touch Danzo, Danzo’s figure abruptly vanished with a piercing whistle!
Even the Second Hokage, who had always been renowned for his speed, was taken aback!
Having struck nothing but air, the Second Hokage scanned his surroundings, searching for Danzo’s whereabouts while exclaiming inwardly:
"He actually possesses a Body Flicker Technique that fast?!"
At this moment, Orochimaru leisurely called out from the distance:
"Honorable First and Second Hokage, Danzo has now become a perfect shinobi possessing Wood Release, Sharingan, Swift Release, Dark Release, Boil Release, Crystal Release, and Storm Release. You two had better be careful!"