Kabuto seemed at a loss. "Lord Orochimaru..."
"Kabuto, get back!" Kawasaki shouted.
Outside, Karin's head snapped toward the room. "Something's wrong with Lord Orochimaru! His chakra is in chaos!"
Rumble, rumble!
A series of violent tremors shook the ground.
Kawasaki emerged, carrying Anko, with Kabuto and Akira close behind him.
"Let's go!"
Just then, Haku ran into an adjacent room and pulled someone out.
Orochimaru had already swollen into a giant white serpent, one of its heads having smashed through the entire base.
Kawasaki's Mangekyo Sharingan flared to life.
With a deafening crash, the Susanoo materialized, shielding the group. Even within his ethereal armor, Kawasaki was forced back by the furious thrashing of the White Phosphorus Serpent. Fortunately, the great snake seemed to be mindless and didn't press the attack. Kawasaki used the Susanoo to break through the earth above, allowing them to escape.
He dispelled the Susanoo and watched as, in the distance, the creature that was once Orochimaru writhed as the Eight-Branched Giant Serpent. The ground was a wasteland of craters and debris.
After a moment, two of the eight serpent heads turned to hiss at each other.
"I never imagined 'I' would be so weak. In that case, I might as well become 'me'," one of the heads spoke, its tone calm as Orochimaru emerged from it.
From the other serpent head, another Orochimaru appeared. "To think my consciousness would have grown so much within Anko's body."
"Ha!"
The two serpent heads collided, and the ethereal forms of the two Orochimarus slammed into one another. They began to merge, starting from their feet and moving upward. As the fusion reached their necks, their heads twisted, trying to become one, but they remained entangled, their bodies flickering in and out of existence.
Kawasaki and Kabuto could do nothing to help in a battle of souls. They couldn't even tell which Orochimaru was which. After several minutes of struggle, their spiritual forms grew blurry.
Kawasaki frowned slightly. "Akira."
Akira nodded. He knew it was his turn.
Mangekyo Sharingan, activate!
Akira's Mangekyo spun wildly, unleashing a torrential surge of ocular power.
Divine Aegis!
Even Kabuto, standing nearby, could feel it. Another Mangekyo Sharingan?!
The two Orochimarus' bodies rapidly solidified, their heads intertwining and finally merging into a single entity.
Kawasaki quickly waved his hand, and Akira deactivated his Mangekyo. He looked slightly fatigued and, upon Kawasaki's silent reminder, checked his senses, noticing a slight decline in his vision.
The colossal Eight-Branched Giant Serpent began to shrink, eventually reverting to Orochimaru's familiar form.
"Lord Orochimaru, are you all right?" Kabuto rushed forward to check on him.
Orochimaru waved a hand. "I'm fine. It was a blessing in disguise, you could say."
"Was that Akira's Mangekyo just now?" It was Kawasaki who asked.
Orochimaru nodded. "If not for Akira, you would have been a goner."
"How did it get this bad?" Kawasaki had his suspicions about what had happened, but he needed Orochimaru to explain.
Orochimaru glanced at the destruction around them. "Let's walk and talk." The commotion was sure to attract attention from Konoha; they couldn't linger.
As they walked, Kawasaki noticed a subtle change in Orochimaru's face. He looked... younger. His features were sharper, more refined. The once-gaunt contours of his face had softened. Could a complete soul really reverse aging?
...
Orochimaru led them in a different direction, explaining as they went. "What I left inside Anko was a fragment of my will."
"If I ever kicked the bucket, that fragment was meant to become the new me and pick up where I left off. I was fine with new wine in old bottles."
"But that piece of my will, watching the world through Anko's eyes, became much more aware than when I first implanted it."
"The problem is, I'm not dead yet. So, 'I' couldn't succeed me, only remain a part of me."
"Thankfully, Akira's Mangekyo was there to help. Otherwise, my soul would have been in for a world of pain."
The others were baffled, but Kawasaki understood perfectly. The fragment of Orochimaru's will in Anko had developed, which should have been a good thing. If Orochimaru died, his consciousness would return to the main body, much like a shadow clone dispersing, and the new body would become the prime one. But with the original still alive, the fragment had two choices: merge, or consume the original. It was the same convoluted logic as Orochimaru's Oral Rebirth Technique—a snake regurgitates me, I regurgitate a snake, snakes birthing snakes, and me birthing me. Trying to unravel the logic was a waste of time. All that mattered was that Orochimaru had resolved his own internal crisis.
"It seems you never expected to suffer such a setback," Kawasaki remarked. Orochimaru's tone toward him hadn't changed, meaning the original Orochimaru had successfully absorbed the fragment from Anko.
Orochimaru chuckled lightly. "It was originally a part of me, after all."
"So, is your soul complete now?" Kawasaki asked curiously. This version of Orochimaru had always seemed a bit off compared to his prime, his soul not yet fractured, with only the backup in Anko.
Orochimaru rubbed his hands together. "The 'me' inside Anko did quite well for itself. My soul is now even stronger than it was before I split it."
"The toll from my Living Corpse Reincarnation has been completely restored. This body should last me a few more years."
It was a fortunate accident.
"As long as the problem's solved. You didn't call Kisame, did you?"
Orochimaru shook his head. "His Samehada is too sensitive right now."
"You transferred all the Uchiha away, leaving the Hidden Sound Village empty. I had him stay behind to guard it."
Kawasaki slapped his forehead, having forgotten he'd pulled all his top assets from the village.
"What about Anko?" Kawasaki pointed to the unconscious woman on the ground.
Orochimaru's eyes lit up. "She was my student to begin with. The last time, she was the one who refused to leave."
Kawasaki was suspicious. Since when was Orochimaru so sentimental? Then it hit him. Orochimaru had just said he'd been watching the world from inside Anko. That meant his consciousness had been with her for years, a silent observer to her life's struggles. It was like she'd been carrying around a silent father figure all this time. The hardships she faced, Orochimaru had witnessed them all.
Since Orochimaru had made his decision, Kawasaki wouldn't interfere. "What's your next move?"
Orochimaru glanced toward Konoha. "I'll head back to the village for a look." He had owned a lot of property in the village before he defected, all of which had been confiscated. If he returned, the Third Hokage would probably give it back.
Just then, Kawasaki noticed Haku was still carrying a young boy. "Haku, who's that?"
Haku shook his head. "Jugo rescued him."
Jugo explained the situation. Kawasaki looked the boy over—bare-chested, an exposed midriff, he looked like he was cut from the same cloth as Sai. Could he be Sai's brother, Shin? Kawasaki took a closer look. The hairstyle, clothes, and age all matched.
"Orochimaru, can you treat his illness?"
Orochimaru walked over and gave the boy a quick examination. "It's a lung disease. It's too advanced to be cured."
"So there's no hope?"
"Not necessarily," Orochimaru shook his head. "We can just give him a cloned lung."
Cloning organs was no small expense.
"Anything money can solve isn't a problem. Save this kid later. His younger brother is a capable individual. You're short on manpower right now."
Orochimaru waved his hand as if it were a trivial matter. Kawasaki also remembered that Akira was skilled in research. When the time was right, he'd place Akira under Orochimaru's command. With Kabuto gone, Orochimaru needed an assistant.
Orochimaru produced a scroll. "Kawasaki, what you asked for."
Kawasaki took it and unrolled it. It was, indeed, the release method for the Reaper Death Seal.
"How are you feeling? Need to rest?"
At the question, Orochimaru's tongue flicked out in excitement. "You mean...?"
Kawasaki nodded.
"Akira, take Kabuto and head back. Arrange rooms for the others in the Uchiha guest quarters. Kabuto, tell Kimimaro and the others about my plans. Also, give me what Orochimaru had you prepare."
"As for Anko... give her to Kabuto as well. Kabuto, come up with a reason to handle her."
"The boy Haku rescued is useful. Keep him alive for now. Orochimaru will save him when he returns."
After giving his instructions, Kawasaki took a scroll from Kabuto and left with Orochimaru, leaving little time to spend with his young subordinates. Jugo and Karin were fine, but Kimimaro and Haku looked a bit dejected. Lord Kawasaki was too busy to even chat for a moment.
Kawasaki took a few steps, then turned back, placing a hand on each of their heads. "Things are tense right now. You all have to work hard."
Kimimaro and Haku immediately straightened up, their spirits lifted. "Yes, Lord Kawasaki!"
...
Kawasaki led Orochimaru on a long detour around Konoha to reach the Uzumaki Clan's Mask Temple on the outskirts. He wished he'd come to retrieve the scroll sooner.
"Kawasaki, you seem to think highly of Kimimaro and Haku," Orochimaru commented.
Kawasaki smiled. "Aren't their talents exceptional?"
"It's not just about talent," Orochimaru said meaningfully. "Their potential is indeed great, but Haku... he isn't suited to be a shinobi."
Orochimaru was half right. Kawasaki did recruit them for their outstanding abilities. But there was more to it. Kimimaro and Haku were the same kind of person: they yearned to be needed. And Kawasaki was the one who needed them.
Haku was indeed ill-suited for the life of a ninja; his gentle nature was better for a medical-nin or a doctor. But in the current shinobi world, danger was everywhere. He couldn't afford to waste his talents. He had to survive to have the freedom to do what he wanted. If he didn't strive, he would just end up dead, his chakra drained, and years later, he'd become a new White Zetsu.
"I'll figure something out for him later." Kawasaki was already thinking about Itachi's situation, but Itachi was still too weak. He needed more time. "Danzo's escape has really messed up my plans. I'll have to rethink a lot of things."
"Orochimaru, is your 'double agent' script ready?"
Orochimaru frowned. "What's a 'double agent'?"
Kawasaki chuckled, realizing his slip of the tongue. "Ah, I mean that undercover scheme Itachi was running before." Orochimaru found Itachi's time as a double agent between Konoha and the Uchiha Clan quite fascinating.
Orochimaru flicked his tongue and made a playful face. "Leave it to me. It'll be a piece of cake."
...
Outside Konoha Village, Kawasaki and Orochimaru moved swiftly, soon arriving at the village's rear. The area was sparsely populated, with dense, towering trees blocking out the sun. Following an old Uchiha map, Kawasaki soon found a dilapidated building: the ruins of the Uzumaki Clan's Mask Temple.
It was clear no one had been here for a very long time. The temple's pillars were cracked and hollowed, one wall had partially collapsed, and the roof was riddled with holes. Three rows of masks, twenty-seven in total, hung on the front wall.
"We're here." Kawasaki looked up at the masks.
Orochimaru stepped forward, scanned them, and casually took the correct one off the wall. "So, Kawasaki, what's your plan? The Reaper Death Seal is a deadly business. Only I know how to trick the Shinigami."
Orochimaru was deeply intrigued. To him, Kawasaki was a treasure trove of mysteries—from the research topics and theories he proposed to his foresight of the future. Kawasaki's claim that he could truly resurrect the dead had especially piqued his curiosity.
To foster a better partnership, Kawasaki needed to give him a plausible explanation. He'd had his story prepared for a while.
"As you know, I've awakened an ability to see the future."
Orochimaru nodded. Some of the concepts Kawasaki had introduced were far ahead of their time, a clear sign of precognition.
"But my ability isn't limited to just seeing the future," Kawasaki continued. "When I change a person's preordained fate, I temporarily gain one of their abilities for a single use, and it costs me nothing."
Orochimaru's eyes lit up with a feverish obsession. "Incredible," he muttered, "Truly incredible."
"The Rinnegan has a technique called the Samsara of Heavenly Life, which can revive the dead at the cost of the user's life, provided the soul isn't sealed away."
"I can use the Reaper Death Seal myself. Whether it can be undone depends on the situation. If this doesn't work, there are other ways."
Now that Orochimaru no longer sought immortality through body-switching, he couldn't use his old trick to cheat the Shinigami. So, Kawasaki had decided to do it himself. "First, I'll try to get Minato's soul out."
Without wasting any time, Kawasaki gave Orochimaru a brief instruction, put on the mask, and selected the Reaper Death Seal from his skill bar.
He performed no hand seals, yet the jutsu activated. An eerie wind swept through the temple as the spectral form of the Shinigami materialized behind him, a tanto held in its teeth. Kawasaki controlled the death god, following the steps of the sealing jutsu. The Shinigami raised its blade and sliced open its own stomach.
As the blade cut, no wound appeared on Kawasaki. Instead, a phantom figure behind him took the blow. A ball of spiritual fire floated out from the Shinigami's abdomen and dissipated into the air. The death god behind Kawasaki slowly faded away.
"Whew..." Kawasaki exhaled. The skill system was surprisingly versatile. He never thought the Reaper Death Seal could also be used for unsealing. Seeing the jutsu's usage count in his skill bar change from 1 to 0 before disappearing, Kawasaki felt a sense of relief.
"How was it, Kawasaki?" Orochimaru had watched the entire process, witnessing firsthand the miraculous nature of Kawasaki's power. Kawasaki had used the Reaper Death Seal without hand seals or chakra, and not only was his soul not taken, but something else had taken his place.
Kawasaki composed himself. "It's done. Now it's time to revive Minato."
"The Impure World Reincarnation is up to you; you're the expert. Once we come to an agreement with Minato, we'll bring him back to life for real."
A morbid smile spread across Orochimaru's face. The Third Hokage had always favored Minato Namikaze, and now, Minato's revival depended on them. In the end, Minato was still inferior to him. What could be more satisfying? And if the plan for the Fifth Hokage succeeded, it would be even better. Orochimaru had no interest in being Hokage; he could dump all the political duties on Minato and focus on his experiments.
"Leave it to me," Orochimaru said, taking the storage scroll. With a puff of smoke, the scroll opened, revealing an unconscious clone. It didn't need to be powerful and had been grown in a short time. Kawasaki handed over a part of Minato's remains he had previously excavated from near the memorial stone.
With everything ready, Orochimaru rapidly formed the hand seals.
Tiger - Snake - Dog - Dragon!
Clap!
Orochimaru slammed his hands together.
"Summoning: Impure World Reincarnation!"
A chilling wind howled as the cries of countless souls filled the air. "Woooo... woooo..."
A circle of light enveloped the sacrificial clone, and paper talismans on the ground flew up, plastering themselves onto its body. The clone, being unconscious, didn't scream, its body merely convulsing instinctively until it was completely covered.
When the talismans scattered, a man with cracks lining his face, dressed in the Hokage's robe, opened his eyes. It was Minato Namikaze.
"Lord Orochimaru, did you revive me?" Minato asked, looking confused.
While inside Naruto, Minato knew that Orochimaru had defected after his death. Just a few days ago, Kawasaki had forcibly summoned him from within Naruto. After that chakra vanished, he had lost his connection to Naruto's perspective.