Kawasaki was unaware of the details surrounding Orochimaru's expulsion from Konoha.
"It's all the same now," Kawasaki said from behind him. "Orochimaru is my partner."
"Kawasaki." A smile spread across Minato's face upon seeing him.
Minato examined his own scarred body. "Kawasaki, this jutsu requires a living sacrifice, doesn't it?"
Kawasaki waved a dismissive hand. "I have plenty of money, so I had a clone made. Nothing to worry about. But since it was a rapidly grown clone, the body you're in now probably couldn't even defeat a chunin."
Minato nodded, not particularly concerned about his body's weakness. "Has Naruto been told?"
"He knows," Kawasaki confirmed. "But there are some things you might not be aware of yet."
Orochimaru walked over to Kawasaki's side, his eyes scanning Minato up and down, as if trying to decipher the mysteries of Kawasaki's resurrection jutsu.
Kawasaki crossed his arms. "Your beloved student, Obito, is planning to start the Fourth Great Ninja War within the next few years."
"One of his goals is to collect all the Tailed Beasts, which makes Naruto his target."
"A battle between us and Obito is inevitable. I need to know where you stand."
"Don't worry, Kawasaki," Minato said. "Even though he was once my student, I will not spare him if he dares to harm Naruto or the village."
"I just don't understand why Obito would become like this."
Kawasaki wagged a finger with a smile. "The reasons for that are incredibly complicated. But now that I know your position, things will be much simpler."
"I brought you here because I want you to teach Naruto how to use his Tailed Beast transformation and how to apply Sage Mode."
Minato held up a hand covered in cracks. "I can't maintain this state for long."
Orochimaru's tongue flickered out, his gaze sweeping over them. "What if there was a way to fully resurrect you, but it came at a price? Would you be willing?"
"Fully resurrect me?" Minato was stunned.
Did such a jutsu truly exist?
"What's the price?" Minato asked cautiously.
"You'll follow my orders," Orochimaru said with a malicious grin.
Kawasaki couldn't help but chuckle. Orochimaru's idea was truly devious.
Without hesitation, Minato agreed. "No problem."
Now it was Orochimaru's turn to be surprised. "Aren't you afraid I'll move against Konoha?"
Minato smiled candidly. "Not as long as you're Kawasaki's partner."
Orochimaru waved his hand, losing interest. "Fine. I'll let Kawasaki explain the details."
Kawasaki shook his head. "Minato, I have a way to bring you back completely. However, I plan on making Orochimaru the Fifth Hokage."
"The Third Hokage's way of thinking is outdated and corrupt. He's no longer fit to lead Konoha."
"For the sake of the coming war, and for Naruto, we need to resort to some extreme measures."
"Can you really bring me back?" Minato found it hard to believe. This was resurrection, a jutsu he had never even heard of.
Kawasaki nodded with a smile. "Just think carefully about what I've said."
Seeing that Kawasaki was serious, Minato began to carefully consider his words, his expression growing somber. Naruto's years of suffering had shown Minato the Third Hokage's true colors.
He even began to realize that he himself had been nothing more than a pawn.
And the village he loved so dearly was hiding countless dark secrets.
Perhaps it was time for a change in leadership.
In the past, he had lived for the village. Now, living for Naruto was enough.
Most importantly, he trusted Kawasaki.
"As long as it helps Naruto, I'm willing to do anything."
The Minato of today only wanted to protect his son. As for the village, he could no longer concern himself with it.
Kawasaki smiled, satisfied. Neither of the Fourth Hokage and his wife were saints. Good, very good.
"Then it's settled. Orochimaru, watch closely. I can only use this technique once."
Orochimaru nodded. A jutsu that governed life and death was of the highest level. He, too, was eager to witness it.
Kawasaki brought his hands together.
"Rinne Tensei!"
The space around them trembled violently. Although Orochimaru couldn't see it, he could feel a vast surge of ocular power gushing from the void.
The target of this power was Namikaze Minato, his body covered in cracks, currently in his Edo Tensei state.
A hiss of smoke enveloped Minato's body as the cracks on his skin began to vanish.
Thump-thump... Thump-thump...
A clear heartbeat echoed as blood began to flow and color returned to his skin. His complexion normalized, and his flesh rapidly strengthened. In just a few seconds, he went from death to rebirth!
The Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, was officially resurrected.
[Ding! Congratulations to the Host for significantly altering Namikaze Minato's life trajectory.]
Congratulations to the Host for obtaining: Kurama Chakra Mode x1 (Automatically selected as there are no similar skills in your possession).
[Ding! Successfully recruited Namikaze Minato.]
Congratulations to the Host for obtaining: Superhuman Reflexes.
Oh, this was a huge win.
Kawasaki grinned from ear to ear. This was the exact talent he had wanted most.
Namikaze Minato was most famous for his Flying Thunder God Technique. After all, space-time ninjutsu was incredibly difficult to master, and few ever succeeded.
But Minato's greatest strength was his world-class reflexes, sharp enough to rival even the Raikage, who was enhanced by Lightning Release.
Instantly applying a seal during a rescue, altering an attack's trajectory in the heat of battle, applying a seal immediately after landing a Rasengan—these split-second, subtle movements were the unspoken secret to the Fourth Hokage's dominance in the ninja world.
Compared to drawing a space-time talent that didn't fit his fighting style, superhuman reflexes were a much greater enhancement.
Orochimaru stepped forward, poking and prodding Minato's new body.
"Incredible."
"Truly incredible."
Orochimaru stared at Minato with feverish intensity. "This resurrection jutsu is the highest-level technique I have ever witnessed."
Orochimaru had confirmed it: the Rinne Tensei was a true resurrection with no side effects. It was simply unbelievable. The ninja world had other resurrection jutsu, but they all came with strict conditions. Some required a corpse, some required the target to have just died, and others resulted in an incomplete revival.
Minato had been dead for years. Even Orochimaru could only summon his soul with Edo Tensei.
While Edo Tensei granted infinite chakra, it was not permanent. First, the sacrificial body would continuously decay. Once it disintegrated, the jutsu would fail. Even with a steady supply of living sacrifices, the soul itself would wear down over time.
Furthermore, Edo Tensei weakened the resurrected, and the stronger the individual, the greater the reduction in power. This was because it was impossible to find a living sacrifice of comparable strength. Although the resurrected had infinite chakra, their bodies were extremely fragile.
That was why this jutsu was first invented by Tobirama to be used as immortal cannon fodder, turning the reanimated into undying bombs.
The living sacrifice used for Minato had been prepared by Kabuto on Orochimaru's orders. Orochimaru knew better than anyone how weak that body was. Though it had the appearance of an adult, it was weaker than a child. Using such a low-quality sacrifice meant Minato's physical abilities had not improved upon reanimation.
The Rinne Tensei, however, was different. Infused with ocular power, it not only brought him back from the Edo Tensei state, freeing him from the summoner's control, but it also strengthened the fragile reanimated body to its prime.
For the first time, Orochimaru had a direct taste of the Rinnegan's power.
Minato also found it incredible. He felt that his current body was even stronger than it had been in life. But this wasn't the work of the Rinne Tensei; it was because he now held the other half of the Nine-Tails.
He was now a jinchuriki as well.
"Kurama?" Minato asked inwardly.
"Hmph..." Kurama's voice was subdued.
"What a powerful jutsu."
Minato was filled with emotion. "It truly is."
Kawasaki's gaze seemed to pierce through Minato's eyes, seeing the Yin-Nine-Tails within. For now, it was best for Kurama to remain sealed inside Minato. It wasn't the right time for the two halves to merge.
"It feels like Kawasaki knows everything, doesn't it?" Kurama's voice echoed in Minato's mind.
Yes, Kawasaki was certainly no simple man. Minato fell into deep thought.
"I'll have Orochimaru bring Naruto to you later so you can train him personally."
"You need to work on getting stronger yourself. In a few years, you'll be a formidable asset in battle."
Minato felt a surge of excitement. After death, he could only watch as events unfolded, powerless to intervene. But now he was alive again. He could watch over Naruto up close. He could teach him, cook for him, and just be with him.
The thought made Minato tremble with emotion.
"Alright, Minato, you should change your clothes. From now on, you'll follow Orochimaru while wearing a mask." Kawasaki gently patted Minato's back. The man was still wearing his Fourth Hokage cloak.
Full of gratitude, Minato nodded and walked over to stand behind Orochimaru. "Lord Orochimaru."
Orochimaru gave a satisfied nod, thinking to himself that the Fourth Hokage was now his subordinate. A smirk played on his lips as he took a set of Anbu attire from a storage scroll and handed it to Minato.
Minato had served in the Anbu before. He never thought he'd be returning to his old line of work. He quickly changed, put on the mask, and concealed his hair, becoming instantly unrecognizable. Standing behind Orochimaru, he seamlessly fell into the role of a personal guard.
Orochimaru looked him up and down, growing more pleased by the second.
Heh, old man, you thought Minato was better than me? Look at him now, my underling.
...
"It's getting late. Are you coming back to the Uchiha compound with me, or are you going to see the Third Hokage?" Kawasaki asked Orochimaru.
Orochimaru smiled. "I can 'scout out' the Uchiha compound first, then go see that old man."
"Alright, let's go." Kawasaki chuckled. Orochimaru was already getting into character. It seemed he was quite enjoying this "double agent" role.
Kawasaki checked his skill list and saw that Rinne Tensei now showed x0 before gradually fading away. He felt a pang of regret. It wasn't that there weren't stronger people than the Fourth Hokage; he could even resurrect Hashirama Senju right now. But unfortunately, even if Hashirama were revived, he wouldn't follow his orders. In fact, he might easily ruin many of their plans.
When it came to Tailed Beast control, Minato, who had communicated with the Yin-Nine-Tails for years within the seal, was the most suitable teacher for Naruto. After all, the Eight-Tails belonged to the Hidden Cloud and was an outsider. How could he compare to Naruto's own father?
A Tailed Beast Cloak combined with the Flying Thunder God Technique could even allow for group teleportation. That was why he chose to resurrect Minato.
Furthermore, Kawasaki's use of the Dead Demon Consuming Seal had been an experiment to see if his own skills could be modified. When Kawasaki acquired his pile of skills, he was already an Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan master. Aside from a few techniques that came with extreme costs, which the system might compensate for, the rest seemed less practical.
The results of his experiment were promising. It meant he could modify the jutsu he cast to some extent, which could be useful in specific situations in the future. Kawasaki had a vague idea forming, but it wasn't fully developed yet.
However, as Kawasaki repeatedly checked his skill list, he noticed a problem.
Hidan's skill wasn't there!
That meant Hidan wasn't dead!
Kawasaki was speechless. At the time, he just wanted to see if Hidan could regenerate after being beaten to a pulp, so he hadn't bothered to burn the remains with Fire Release. He then went to see Orochimaru and completely forgot about it.
As a result, the system reward had never arrived. This meant Hidan hadn't been officially registered as dead.
So, had Hidan recovered and crawled out, or was he still buried underground, eating dirt? Had he really not decomposed yet? Kawasaki hadn't known about his self-regeneration ability.
If that was the case, he would have to factor Hidan into his future plans.
...
In Kabuto Yakushi's room.
"Ngh..."
Anko groggily woke up.
"Hiss... it hurts..."
She felt as if she'd been stuffed in a sack and beaten senseless. Every slight movement sent a jolt of pain through her body. Looking down, she saw that she was covered in bruises and scrapes.
Wasn't I at home?
I... was caught in a genjutsu?!
Anko shook her head, finally recalling how she had passed out. Once she was fully awake, she looked around and found herself sitting on a chair in a room. She wasn't tied up. She could hear footsteps outside.
"Awake, are you?"
That voice?!
"Kabuto! Why did you bring me here?!"
Kabuto pushed up his glasses, appearing quite gentlemanly.
"I was simply curious about the kind of person Lord Orochimaru would abandon."
"You!?" Anko was both shocked and furious. "You're one of Orochimaru's men?!"
Kabuto walked over to her. "I could hardly establish a hidden village on my own."
A green glow emanated from his hand—the light of the Mystical Palm Technique.
"It's rare for Lord Orochimaru to still think of you, yet you show him such disrespect."
Kabuto always wore a smile, making it impossible for Anko to read his intentions. He placed his glowing palm on her bruises and scrapes, and her external injuries began to heal rapidly.
Anko asked hesitantly, "Orochimaru... Master... he still remembers me?"
Kabuto focused on healing her without looking up.
"Is the Cursed Seal on your neck still there?"
Anko's heart skipped a beat. She turned her head and touched her neck, only to realize the Cursed Seal was gone.
Kabuto remained silent, concentrating on the treatment. His mastery of the Mystical Palm Technique was impressive; within minutes, Anko was fully healed.
"You can go. Lord Orochimaru will be back soon."
Kabuto dismissed her just like that, leaving Anko with a stomach full of unspoken words and simmering anger. Her mind was in a whirl.
"Did Master Orochimaru tell you to capture me?"
To just grab her like this, only to remove her Cursed Seal? Did he really have to beat her up just to remove it?
Kabuto gave a non-answer. "This is the Uchiha compound. Be careful on your way out."
Seeing that Kabuto wouldn't say anything more, Anko left, her mind filled with suspicion. Outside, she found the area quiet, with no Uchiha clansmen on patrol, which was a relief. Anko got her bearings and hurried home.
...
Konoha Village.
After two days of trying to keep it under wraps, the village could no longer hide the truth.
The news of Danzo's escape was made public.
Instantly, Konoha was in an uproar. The Third Hokage had practically nailed Danzo to a pillar of shame. Danzo was the key pawn for the Third to atone for his sins.
And now, he had escaped!
The Third was furious with the Hyuga clan for failing to guard a single man. He immediately dispatched Jiraiya to pursue him.
However, when Jiraiya returned, Hiashi went straight to the Hokage's office.
"Lord Third Hokage, please tell me, why does Danzo have Wood Release!?"
"Please give me a reasonable explanation!"
The Konoha prison was built with countless seals to suppress ninjutsu. A normal jutsu cast inside would have less than a tenth of its usual power. Even for a Wind Release master like Danzo, the most he could do in there was blow out a candle. Escaping the prison was unthinkable. A man in his seventies like Danzo should never have been able to get out.
But Wood Release was different. It was based on creation and growth, making it almost immune to the suppression seals.
Hiashi even suspected that Hiruzen Sarutobi had known all along that Danzo could use Wood Release and had deliberately placed him there. The purpose was to allow Danzo to escape, since Hiruzen and Danzo had always been in the same boat.
Therefore, Hiashi was even angrier than the Third. In a time of peace, five of his clansmen had died. Two chunin and three special jonin.
Hiashi's heart ached with the loss.
After receiving Jiraiya's report, the Third could only try to placate Hiashi.
"I had no knowledge that Danzo could use Wood Release. He conducted experiments in the past, but I never imagined he would use himself as a test subject."
"If I had known, I would have placed him in a special prison."
Hiashi was relentless. "And what about that strange person who escaped with him? Danzo was colluding with outsiders. How could such a man become an elder?"
"Third Hokage! You have failed in your duty!"