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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