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There was no need to dwell on the process of suppressing the Nine-Tails. Before the Eternal Mangekyo, unless the Nine-Tails could suddenly establish mutual trust with Naruto, join forces, and become a Perfect Jinchuriki in an instant, the Nine-Tails would have no power to resist the Eternal Mangekyo whatsoever.
And so, for the time being, the matter had been brought to a close.
He had forced the Nine-Tails out himself, and then suppressed it back himself. Come to think of it, it was rather laughable.
But this was, after all, for the sake of helping Naruto acclimate to the Nine-Tails, and also as insurance for the future battle against Kaguya. No matter how absurd it looked, it still had to be done.
Up to this point, only a minute or two had passed. There was still a long way to go before the half-hour limit.
He glanced back at the ruins behind him. In Kagaya's perception, Hidan needed no mention—although buried alive, he was undoubtedly still alive. What puzzled Kagaya was Kakuzu. His chakra was extremely faint, flickering in and out of existence.
Just now, although Kagaya had only launched a casual attack with his Susanoo, he hadn't deliberately held back. So, it wouldn't have been strange if Kakuzu had died on the spot. Even though Kakuzu possessed multiple lives, that single strike from Kagaya should have been enough to pulverize every single heart in Kakuzu's body. There was no reason for Kakuzu to survive.
Yet, for some unknown reason, although Kakuzu's chakra was faint, Kagaya could still sense it. That meant Kakuzu was still alive.
"The Immortal Duo, huh? Even after I struck like that... they still managed to survive."
Kagaya turned and took two steps, then stopped again.
"No... forget it. I don't have time to deal with them right now. And there's no need."
The reason Kagaya had attacked Kakuzu earlier was that he was afraid that after suppressing the Nine-Tails, Naruto would lose consciousness, and then Kakuzu would seize the opportunity to kill him.
That was something Kagaya couldn't accept. Naruto was a trump card for dealing with Kaguya in the future. Whether from an emotional standpoint or a practical one, Kagaya could never accept Naruto's death.
So Kagaya had casually thrown a punch at Kakuzu.
Now, sensing that Kakuzu was still alive, Kagaya had initially thought of digging through the ruins to finish him off. But he quickly realized that, in Kakuzu's current state, the man was probably completely immobilized anyway. There was no way he could still kill Naruto or anything like that. So, he might as well ignore him.
Unlike usual, Kagaya was extremely pressed for time right now. Half an hour could vanish in the blink of an eye if he wasn't careful. Anything unnecessary... should be avoided as much as possible.
However, to guard against unforeseen circumstances, before leaving, Kagaya had planted a genjutsu inside Naruto's body.
This genjutsu would activate when Naruto's life was in danger, inciting him to unleash the Nine-Tails' power and go berserk. Then, afterward, the genjutsu would help Naruto suppress the Nine-Tails once again.
This way, Kakuzu would no longer be a problem at all.
Accompanied by a flash of black light, Kagaya vanished from that place.
Kagaya left the place where Naruto and the others were, but he didn't go back to find Karin and the others.
As mentioned before, Kagaya didn't have time to go find Karin and the others. Because, compared to some farewells that held little real meaning, Kagaya felt it was more worthwhile to do something of actual substance.
For instance—he could never allow something like what happened last time, where Karin and the others were hunted after his departure, to ever happen again.
The place Kagaya was heading to was one both extremely familiar and yet extremely unfamiliar.
Kagaya didn't have a Flying Thunder God mark there, so it took him quite some time to travel—around five minutes or so.
This speed, compared to Naruto and the others, was utterly terrifying. Of course, that wasn't what mattered here.
Weeds grew wild and unchecked. This scene no longer resembled the place in Kagaya's memories.
Only the three crooked, slanting wooden stakes in the center of the overgrowth still told Kagaya—this was indeed the training ground he had frequented in his childhood.
After searching for a while, Kagaya finally found his target—a gravestone.
Looking at this gravestone, Kagaya no longer felt sadness. In its place was an extremely complicated feeling—he wanted to see him, yet also felt he had let him down.
"Forgive me..."
Even though he felt deeply guilty, even though he knew this was something he shouldn't do... for some inexplicable reason, Kagaya felt that this person would ruffle his hair and say with a smile, "It's fine. My little brother's request... of course your big brother will do his best to fulfill it."
Facing the situation of leaving this world once again, the only person Kagaya could think of—someone who could replace him and protect the people important to him—seemed to be him alone.
Besides, Kagaya had always intended to resurrect that person. The reason he hadn't done so before was that he felt the Impure World Reincarnation technique carried a hint of humiliation. So he had wanted to wait and use the Rinne Rebirth to truly bring him back.
Let's just consider this... an early resurrection.
The one person I can trust completely.
Kagaya smiled faintly and began to move. A wisp of chakra extended from his body, like a thin thread, and burrowed into the ground.
Performing that technique required a living human body. So, Kagaya set off to find Orochimaru.
The Leaf Village wasn't particularly far from the Hidden Sound Village, relatively speaking. So Kagaya only spent about five minutes getting there.
Up to this point, ten minutes had been spent on travel. The time spent on official matters added up to about five minutes. Half the allotted time had already passed.
"An experimental subject?"
Orochimaru looked at Kagaya, who had suddenly arrived, with confusion.
"What do you need my experimental subjects for? I do have some here. But since it's Kagaya-kun asking... at the very least, you should tell me the purpose, shouldn't you? Consider it your payment."
"Payment? That can count as payment? How unlike you."
"Heh heh. Any other thing, perhaps. But experimental subjects... I'm hardly lacking in those. Since Kagaya-kun came personally to ask, it wouldn't be a problem even if I gave you one for free. I just want to understand Kagaya-kun's objective. How about it?"
"Impure World Reincarnation."
"I see."
After successfully obtaining a living human body from Orochimaru, Kagaya quickly departed.
In truth, Kagaya could have simply gone and found some random shinobi, knocked them unconscious, and taken them away. There had been no need to come to Orochimaru. But the act of taking another's life so casually, without any reason whatsoever... Kagaya felt slightly reluctant.
So he had come to Orochimaru instead. After all, the experimental subjects here were eighty to ninety percent doomed to die in the end anyway. Falling into his hands made no difference.
Once everything was prepared, Kagaya found a secluded spot and began forming hand seals.
Tiger – Snake – Dog – Dragon. Hands clasped together!
"Impure World Reincarnation!"
Countless scraps of paper flew up from the ground and enveloped that nameless shinobi obtained from Orochimaru.
At the same time, Kagaya bit the finger of his other hand, drawing blood.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Accompanied by a puff of white smoke, the little crow appeared here.
Kagaya looked at the Mangekyo in the crow's eyes, then looked at the figure before him, and couldn't help but smile.
"Time to return it to its rightful owner."
My plan had been completely thrown into disarray. Even though I bore an important mission, even though I bore tremendous power, even though I had the ability to change everything... in the end, I failed.
Was it carelessness? Perhaps.
In the end, all I managed to pass on to the one most important to me... was immense pain and an inconsequential eye.
What a failure...
Come to think of it, why am I thinking about these things?
No... the real question is: why do I still have consciousness? I should already be dead.
Why... do I still have consciousness?
As if a century had passed, yet also as if only an instant had gone by, he began to perform an unfamiliar action—opening his eyes.
This should have been an action ingrained into instinct. It shouldn't have been something that could be called "unfamiliar." But the man knew very well—he should no longer be capable of this action. And yet, under these very circumstances, he had performed it.
An action that should have been impossible... had been performed. That was why it could be called "unfamiliar."
The moment his eyes opened, white light flooded his entire field of vision.
That was sunlight! That was sunlight! That was sunlight!
But... I shouldn't be able to see it anymore...
He instinctively closed his eyes, letting them adjust to the sunlight slightly. Then, he opened them once more.
What greeted his eyes was a face—unfamiliar, yet radiating an inexplicable sense of trust. He had never seen this face before. But he still recognized it.
"Are you... Kagaya?"
"Yes. It's me, Shisui."
The one resurrected through Impure World Reincarnation... was Uchiha Shisui!
Shisui extended his hand and sensed his own body. It was strange. The chakra reserves within him were exactly the same as when he was alive. But every time he used a bit of chakra, more would immediately surge forth to replenish it. It was as if he possessed infinite chakra.
This isn't my body!
Shisui reached this conclusion in an instant. Very quickly, the cracks on his hands also confirmed his suspicions.
"This is..."
Various traits all vaguely pointed toward one particular technique.
"Impure World Reincarnation, isn't it?"
Kagaya spoke with surprise. "Shisui... you know this technique?"
Shisui nodded. "I heard of it during my time in the Anbu. But I don't know it very deeply. Even though you've used this technique to revive me, I can't be entirely certain. Oh, and Kagaya... you've grown up. I can barely recognize you anymore."
That wasn't a tone of gratified relief. It was a tone of congratulation—as if saying, "Congratulations, you've become very strong."
"I'm still called Uchiha Kagaya!"
Kagaya spoke, affirming something that seemed utterly foolish on the surface.
But Shisui laughed.
"Yes. I can feel it. You're still that same Uchiha Kagaya."
Next, Kagaya briefly recounted some of the events that had occurred after Shisui's death. As the time drew ever closer to the half-hour mark, Kagaya hurriedly spoke.
"Shisui... I'm truly sorry about resurrecting you with Impure World Reincarnation. But this time... I really must ask you to help me protect some people. I have to leave this place and go somewhere else for a while. Exactly how long I'll be gone, I don't know. Therefore... the only one I can trust completely... is you!"
Shisui nodded solemnly, "There's no need to apologize. Since you've learned the Impure World Reincarnation technique... then if you need my strength, summon me to your heart's content! Bwahahaha! If someone else had revived me in this zombie-like state... I might be a little angry. But since it's you... there's no problem at all. Rest assured—Karin, Haku, and one more named Ajisai, right? During your absence, I will protect them from the shadows.
However, the current problem is this: as far as I know, the deceased summoned by the Impure World Reincarnation technique possess undying, indestructible bodies. But if the caster is defeated... the technique will be undone, right? Since you've specifically summoned me... that must mean you're heading somewhere very far away. If that's the case... wouldn't the connection between you and me simply break, causing the Impure World Reincarnation technique to fail?"
Kagaya praised him. "As expected of you. You think things through so thoroughly. But it's fine. I've already considered this point. Shisui... follow along with my hand seals."
Kagaya swiftly executed several hand seals. Immediately after, a light emanated from within Shisui's body. The connection between Kagaya (the caster) and Shisui (the summoned) rapidly vanished.
Shisui paused in surprise. "What is this?"
"This is a method of releasing the Impure World Reincarnation. As long as you know the seals of the technique, you can undo it, thereby freeing yourself from the caster's control and becoming a completely independent existence."
"Such a method exists?"
"Yes."
Shisui's understanding of the Impure World Reincarnation was neither shallow nor deep, so he naturally wouldn't know of this mysterious method of release.
If Kagaya hadn't seen the original story—where Madara had demonstrated this very move—he wouldn't have known it either.
From this perspective, theoretically, the Impure World Reincarnation technique couldn't control anyone who knew the technique themselves.
For example, if Kagaya wanted to summon Tobirama and control him, there was only one method: erase all of Tobirama's memories at the moment of summoning, turning him into a machine-like existence. Only then would there be a possibility of controlling Tobirama.
Otherwise, Tobirama might simply undo the control with a flick of his hand and not give a damn about you.
In the original story, when Orochimaru first summoned Tobirama and Hashirama, he had to completely erase their memories in order to control them. (T/N: Is this true? I'm pretty sure Edo Tensei Tobirama and Hashirama recognize Hiruzen, am I wrong?)
If Orochimaru hadn't erased their memories and had brought Tobirama to attack the Leaf Village... just watch whether Tobirama would've beaten Orochimaru senseless.
Kagaya pointed to the little crow beside him.
"Shisui... these are your eyes. Although I know that Impure World Reincarnation reproduces eyes identical to those the deceased possessed in life... I still want to return these eyes to you. After all... only their original owner can fully unleash the power of the Sharingan. Having me use them would be far too wasteful."
Afterward, Kagaya continued leaving behind various contingencies for Shisui, preparing for any unforeseen circumstances.
Tinkering here and there, very soon... the half-hour mark arrived.
Without any warning whatsoever, Kagaya was directly whisked away by the system. To Shisui, it simply looked as though Kagaya had suddenly vanished.
However, because Kagaya had informed him beforehand, Shisui wasn't too surprised.
"Leaving for a while, huh? I wonder... what kind of place you're heading to?"
Shisui's question was something Kagaya very much wanted answered as well. But this damn system... was as damnable as ever.
The teleportation service was horrifically awful. Immense, overwhelming pain wracked every inch of Kagaya's body.
Every single teleportation, Kagaya felt as if countless giants were swinging war hammers and smashing them into his body.
The pain even surpassed the agony of using the Mangekyo to activate the Susanoo back then.
"Damn system..."
His eyes shut weakly. Although he had been mentally prepared, this sudden, immense, unbearable pain was still far too great. Before Kagaya could even open his eyes to survey his surroundings... he had already fallen unconscious.
In the very, very end, Kagaya only heard thewords transmitted by the system.
[Parallel World.]