Orochimaru retrieved the azure-colored Soul Strengthening Elixir from the livestream and promptly swallowed it. The energy from the liquid surged through his body, enhancing his soul. Orochimaru could clearly feel the strengthening of his soul, and even his hands began to regain sensation.
However, the energy from the Soul Strengthening Elixir was soon depleted. At this moment, Orochimaru noticed that his hands no longer felt as heavy. He attempted to perform hand seals and found that he could indeed execute jutsu, although the speed of forming seals was slower than before. Nevertheless, he could now perform summoning jutsu without needing assistance.
"Not bad. Although my hands aren't fully healed, I can at least use ninjutsu again. Additionally, the strengthening of my soul has reduced the cost of using the Living Corpse Reincarnation technique."
Orochimaru was quite satisfied with this reward.
[Orochimaru: Old man Sarutobi, my hands can perform ninjutsu again. Hahaha, your sacrifice to seal my hands was in vain.]
[Tsunade: The Soul Strengthening Elixir can actually heal your hands?]
[Third Hokage: It likely only partially healed his hands. They're still affected, and he can probably only perform hand seals and jutsu slowly.]
[Orochimaru: So what? My power is practically unaffected!]
Next up were the weapon rewards for the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. Each of them received decent rewards and were quite satisfied.
Following this, it was the turn of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and his Adamantine Staff. This time, Hiruzen received the Life Leaf, a treasure that could be used for healing or survival.
[Third Hokage: The Life Leaf isn't of much use to me, so I'll exchange it with other Konoha members and leave it for the village.]
[Tsunade: Thank you on behalf of Konoha, Sensei!]
[Orochimaru: Old Sarutobi only becomes generous after death!]
[Madara Uchiha: This is boring; the later rewards are too lackluster!]
[Kakashi: My broken White Light Blade made it to the list. I wonder what reward it will receive.]
[Sakumo Hatake: Don't worry, son. No matter the reward, we won't lose out.]
One reward after another was distributed until it was finally Kakashi's turn.
[Repair Talisman: Can restore damaged weapons; the higher the weapon's grade, the lower the restoration level.]
[Kakashi: A treasure that can repair weapons? This is great!]
[Might Guy: Kakashi, congratulations! You can finally restore your father's White Light Blade!]
[Fourth Hokage: Kakashi, this reward is quite good. After the rankings update in a year, your White Light Blade might even climb a few spots!]
[Sakumo Hatake: Excellent, this reward suits you perfectly!]
[Kisame Hoshigaki: Damn it! Why does your reward seem better than ours?]
[Kakashi: It's just luck!]
Kakashi then extracted the Repair Talisman.
In Konoha, at Kakashi's residence, he retrieved the White Light Blade, which had been broken into two pieces. Due to the weapon's exceptional craftsmanship, Konoha's top artisans couldn't repair it without risking further damage, so Kakashi had kept it stored away.
Now, with the Repair Talisman, he could attempt a perfect restoration of the weapon.
Kakashi channeled his chakra into the Repair Talisman, and it transformed into rays of light that merged the two halves of the White Light Blade. Under the talisman's influence, the blade began to mend at a visible rate.
"What an incredible talisman! Even Konoha's top craftsmen were helpless, but the Repair Talisman is effortlessly restoring the White Light Blade!" Kakashi exclaimed.
Soon, the White Light Blade was fully restored, looking identical to when it was first forged, with no signs of damage. At that moment, the talisman's energy was exhausted and it turned to ash.
"I need to retrieve Zabuza's Executioner's Blade next," Kakashi thought.
So, he headed to the Hokage's office.
Tsunade had already returned. Although she had not yet undergone the Hokage inauguration ceremony, she was acting as the interim Hokage.
At this moment, Kakashi needed to leave Konoha and had to request Tsunade's permission.
The Executioner's Blade was too valuable a weapon, so he had to retrieve it.
In the Hokage's office, Tsunade was multitasking, keeping an eye on the livestream while handling Hokage duties and organizing her upcoming inauguration. Even with Shizune assisting her, she was swamped with work.
"Kakashi, what brings you here?" Tsunade asked.
"Lady Tsunade, I need to leave Konoha for a while," Kakashi replied.
"Leave Konoha?" Tsunade frowned. This was one of Konoha's busiest times. Even the Jonin on missions were being called back for patrols around the village to prevent further incursions. Kakashi's request to leave at this time was unusual.
"What's your reason?" Tsunade inquired. Nᴇw novel chapters are publɪshed on NoveI[F]ire.net
Without a valid reason, she wouldn't approve the request.
"For Zabuza's Executioner's Blade," Kakashi explained honestly. "When Zabuza died by my hand, I chose not to take his weapon but rather buried it with him out of respect. However, with the appearance of the weapon rankings, the Executioner's Blade's value is now unimaginable—it's not just a weapon anymore, but a source of endless treasures."
"How many people know the location of Zabuza's grave?" Tsunade asked.
"It should only be me, Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke. As for Zabuza and that boy, Haku, they likely didn't know either. After all, they wouldn't have known where they'd be buried after their deaths," Kakashi said.
"If Sasuke knows, does that mean Orochimaru might know as well?" Tsunade asked, concerned.
After all, Sasuke had been taken by Orochimaru, and he had publicly declared his defection from Konoha during the livestream. Konoha had since classified Sasuke as a rogue ninja, so they wouldn't be sending anyone to rescue him.
"Alright, Kakashi, I'll approve your mission, but it's too risky for you to go alone. If you encounter Orochimaru, your current strength might not be enough to handle him. I'll have Guy accompany you so you can retrieve the Executioner's Blade as quickly as possible," Tsunade decided.
"Yes, Lady Tsunade," Kakashi agreed.