In the Land of Fire, within the secret underground base beneath Jomae Village, Hagoromo Gensou arrived carrying Naruto's lifeless body. From the entrance, Sasori, in Hiruko's guise, stepped out to greet him.
"Any unexpected events?" Gensou casually asked while walking deeper into the base.
"Nothing unusual here," Sasori replied flatly, glancing at the lifeless Naruto on Gensou's shoulder. "Looks like something went wrong on your end."
Gensou gave a brief acknowledgment. "Just a minor inconvenience; it won't disrupt the larger plan."
As they spoke, the two passed through numerous sealing formations, finally reaching the deepest part of the underground base. The hollowed-out mountain cavern housed the massive Gedo Statue, chains coiling around its enormous frame. Five of its eyes were already open.
Before either of them could act, a sound echoed through the cavern.
Step. Step. Step.
The mechanical rhythm of footsteps reverberated through the silence, catching Sasori's attention.
"Hm?" Sasori muttered, surprised there was someone else present. He glanced at Gensou, but seeing no hint of surprise on the latter's face, he refrained from commenting further.
At that moment, Gensou borrowed a storage scroll from Sasori and sealed Naruto's body within it. During his battle with the Great Toad Sage earlier, his original scroll had been shattered when the sage struck him mid-sealing. As a result, he had been forced to carry Naruto's body all the way back by hand.
Why was he taking the effort to seal Naruto now? Gensou turned his gaze toward the approaching figure.
Though his reputation was already tarnished in the shinobi world, there were some unnecessary actions even he preferred to avoid—such as allowing a father and son to meet under such circumstances.
Step.
The footsteps stopped, and the figure emerged from the shadows.
Golden-blonde hair, striking blue eyes, and a far more refined appearance than Naruto's. He was clad in the unmistakable Hokage ceremonial robe.
It was none other than the Fourth Hokage, Minato.
Sasori's initial reaction was one of astonishment. However, noticing the familiar cracks on Minato's face, understanding dawned in his eyes.
"Edo Tensei," he murmured.
Sasori, who had once been disgusted by Orochimaru's use of the technique, wasn't unfamiliar with its workings. What surprised him was that Gensou, his new leader, had mastered this forbidden jutsu.
Gensou approached Minato. He had sealed Naruto's body not only out of respect but also to prevent Minato's strong emotions from potentially disrupting the Edo Tensei. His mastery of the technique was still inferior to Orochimaru's. Even the latter had experienced cases where souls with strong wills broke free of the jutsu's control and returned to the afterlife.
To avoid any unexpected complications at such a critical time, Gensou had taken every precaution.
After inspecting Minato to ensure he remained unconscious, Gensou felt reassured. What he didn't know was that Tsunade and Jiraiya were already preparing countermeasures for Minato's reanimation, while Orochimaru seemed to have run into some troubles of his own.
Before setting out, Gensou had reanimated Minato and stationed him near the Gedo Statue. This served two purposes: extracting the Yin half of the Nine-Tails sealed within Minato after capturing the tailed beasts, and ensuring an extra layer of security for the statue. In the event of an emergency, Minato could use the Flying Thunder God Technique to bring Gensou back.
For Gensou, the Gedo Statue was non-negotiable—its safety was paramount.
As for acquiring Minato's DNA for the Edo Tensei, Gensou owed thanks to Orochimaru. Among the various DNA samples left behind in Orochimaru's lab, there had been one for Minato. During the Chūnin Exams, the other coffin marked "Four" that Orochimaru had attempted to summon was indeed meant for Minato.
Orochimaru's failure to summon Minato back then stemmed not from Hiruzen Sarutobi's efforts but from the nature of the Reaper Death Seal, which prevented reanimation of its victims.
Recalling this, Gensou pressed his palm against Minato's abdomen, confirming that the Yin half of the Nine-Tails was still present, bound to Minato's soul even after liberation from the Reaper's grasp. Satisfied, he withdrew his hand and turned to Sasori.
"Begin the extraction."
With that, Gensou disappeared, reappearing atop the Gedo Statue's right thumb.
"Not waiting for the others?" Sasori asked, moving to his usual spot.
"They can join in later," Gensou replied. Not wanting to waste time, he initiated the extraction of the Yin Nine-Tails chakra from Minato.
With Gensou and Sasori forming seals, the Gedo Statue opened its mouth wide. Minato's body floated upward, his lack of resistance allowing the extraction process to proceed smoothly.
Meanwhile, in the Hokage's office in Konoha, Tsunade led a puzzled Jiraiya into a heavily guarded room. Unlike the rest of the office, the room's décor was surprisingly extravagant, clashing with the building's utilitarian style.
Inside was a single occupant—a young man clad in fine garments. As Jiraiya observed him, the young man turned, his refined demeanor exuding an air of importance.
"Who is this?" Jiraiya asked, struck by a sense of familiarity.
Tsunade clarified, "The daimyo's son. He is also the future daimyo."
Understanding dawned on Jiraiya. "No wonder he looks familiar!"
Over the years, Jiraiya had attended various celebrations in the Land of Fire as a representative of Konoha, occasionally crossing paths with the daimyo's family. However, it had been a long time since he'd seen the daimyo's son, who had clearly grown up since then.
The young man greeted them with impeccable courtesy, and Jiraiya responded in kind. However, confusion lingered as he quietly asked Tsunade, "Why bring me here? Weren't we going to deal with Orochimaru?"
Tsunade gestured toward the young man's neck. "Look closely."
Jiraiya followed her instruction, and his eyes widened upon spotting three black tomoe intertwined in a sinister pattern on the young man's neck.
His expression darkened. "That's... Orochimaru's cursed seal!"
(End of Chapter)
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At that moment, Jiraiya felt both shocked and incredulous.
Orochimaru had planted a cursed seal on the daimyo's son.
This was unthinkable for most shinobi, who wouldn't dare act against the daimyo, let alone commit such an act of rebellion.
"Orochimaru is far too bold!" Jiraiya finally managed to utter after a long pause.
"He truly is," Tsunade agreed with a nod.
It was one thing for Orochimaru to place his cursed seal on other shinobi, but to mark the future daimyo of the Land of Fire? That was a level of audacity Konoha couldn't ignore.
Cursed seals, being Orochimaru's unique technique, couldn't be fully removed even by Konoha. The best they could do, as seen with Anko or Sasuke, was temporarily suppress them using a sealing jutsu.
Even with the seal suppressed, there remained risks of it going berserk or causing irreparable harm to the body.
If the seal had been placed on an ordinary individual, Konoha could simply contain or imprison them. However, the person in question was the son of the daimyo—a figure of great prestige.
Imprisonment was not an option.
Even if the seal was suppressed with a temporary seal, the physical and psychological toll it took was not something a pampered noble could endure. Worse, as a non-shinobi, prolonged exposure to the seal's corrosive effects would likely result in cellular breakdown, leaving the victim a lifeless heap.
The daimyo, as Konoha's official superior and controller of its finances, had made repeated demands for Konoha to resolve the issue. His requests had been firm but reasonable, insisting on a solution that left his son unharmed.
The fact that the daimyo had not retaliated by cutting Konoha's funding, despite the offender being an S-rank rogue ninja and former pupil of the Third Hokage, showed considerable restraint.
"What now? Has the village found a way to resolve the curse seal?" Jiraiya asked.
Tsunade shook her head. "If we had, Anko wouldn't still be carrying hers to this day..."
She trailed off, a thought dawning on her.
Anko's cursed seal had recently been removed—by none other than Hagoromo Gensou.
Tsunade lowered her gaze, then continued. "There is one possible solution, but it wasn't discovered by Konoha—it was revealed by Orochimaru himself."
"Orochimaru revealed it himself?" Jiraiya's confusion was evident.
Tsunade glanced at the daimyo's son.
Taking a deep breath, the young man, still visibly shaken, recounted Orochimaru's chilling instructions:
"Orochimaru said that when the cursed seal on my neck starts burning, I should come to Konoha. If I don't, he'll trigger the seal and kill me."
"He also said there's only one way to remove the seal, and he left specific instructions..."
The young man's voice trembled as he relayed Orochimaru's directions in detail.
Though the son didn't fully understand, Tsunade and Jiraiya grasped the implications immediately.
"Orochimaru embedded a fragment of his soul into this child's cursed seal!" Jiraiya exclaimed in shock.
He turned to Tsunade. "He wants us to release that fragment. Why? What's his aim? Isn't this unnecessary?"
"Perhaps Orochimaru's main body is already dead," Tsunade revealed, sharing Konoha's Intelligence Division's findings.
Hagoromo Gensou had passed through Konoha and taken the time to remove Anko's cursed seal, likely for the purpose of dealing with Orochimaru. Given Gensou's defeat of even the Great Toad Sage, it was unlikely Orochimaru had escaped his grasp.
"If the daimyo's son is to survive, Orochimaru's method is the only option," Tsunade declared firmly.
She continued, "With the five great nations and shinobi villages uniting against Gensou, we can't afford a rift between Konoha and the Land of Fire. Moreover, to counter Gensou, we need Orochimaru's Edo Tensei. Considering the enmity between Gensou and Orochimaru, reviving him might be a strategic advantage."
Jiraiya sighed, understanding the gravity of the situation. "I have no objections."
Even without Tsunade's reasoning, the daimyo's son's special status left Konoha with no choice but to act. Orochimaru had chosen his victim with meticulous precision.
"Then let's proceed," Tsunade said decisively. "Jiraiya, you'll handle the removal of the curse seal and the revival of Orochimaru. I'll leave for the Five Kage Summit now."
Jiraiya nodded. "Leave it to me."
Step. Step. Step.
The sharp sound of Tsunade's heels echoed as she left swiftly.
Turning to the anxious young man, Jiraiya placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry. We'll resolve this soon."
Finally, his gaze fell upon the cursed seal on the boy's neck. His expression darkened.
"Orochimaru..."
When Tsunade entered the communications room for the virtual summit, the daimyo of the Land of Fire was already on one of the nine screens. Spotting Tsunade, he urgently inquired, "Tsunade, how is Kohito's condition?"
Kohito, the daimyo's son, was the one affected by the curse seal.
Tsunade reassured him, "Rest assured, he's undergoing treatment now. He will be healed and safe soon."
"That's good! That's good!" The daimyo exhaled deeply, covering his relief with a fan.
From another screen, Onoki's voice interjected. "Hokage, this summit wasn't called to discuss your internal affairs, was it?"
Tsunade turned to see that the daimyo and Kage of the other four nations had all arrived.
Onoki appeared particularly displeased.
Like Konoha, Iwagakure had received troubling intelligence from Kumo and Suna: the One-Tail, Two-Tails, and Eight-Tails had all been captured on the same day.
Adding to Onoki's unease was the extended absence of Roshi, the Four-Tails Jinchuriki, and Han, the Five-Tails Jinchuriki. The implications were grim.
"A storm is coming..."
A veteran of the Warring States Era, Onoki sensed an unprecedented crisis looming.
His suspicions were confirmed when Tsunade laid out the reasons for the summit: the destruction of Mount Myoboku, Gensou's plan to collect all the tailed beasts, and the impending creation of the Ten-Tails.
The weight of the revelations left every participant in stunned silence.
(End of Chapter)
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