'Why can I see the Shinigami?'
Uchiha Jie frowned, his mind racing. He clearly remembered that when Sarutobi Hiruzen sealed Orochimaru's hands, only the caster could see the Death God. Orochimaru's research and the fragmented mask data confirmed this: the Shinigami was strictly visible to the user of the jutsu.
So why could he see it so clearly right now?
Was it because of his Mangekyo Sharingan's extraordinary visual prowess? Or was it because his soul didn't fundamentally belong to this world?
Although Jie had long embraced his identity as an Uchiha, he never forgot he was a transmigrator. The true source of his overwhelming strength was the system that came with him. It had to be the system's power allowing him to perceive the Death God.
Before Jie could dwell on it further, the Shinigami looming behind Orochimaru ruthlessly slashed its own stomach with a dagger. At the exact same time, a massive gash tore open across Orochimaru's belly. A cluster of souls, tinged with specks of crimson chakra, slowly drifted out from the Shinigami's severed stomach.
"Jie, now!" Orochimaru called out weakly.
Jie waved his hand. Immediately, several Anbu ninjas were dragged forward. These men were Hiruzen's diehard loyalists. After the Third Hokage sent them out to spread vicious rumors about the Uchiha clan, they had been captured and locked in the Uchiha compound for this exact moment.
"Impure World Reincarnation!"
Enduring the agonizing pain in his gut, Orochimaru rapidly wove hand signs and slammed his palms onto the ground. A massive sealing array instantly spread out, swallowing the bound Anbu. Countless scraps of paper materialized from the void, swirling violently before tightly cocooning the sacrifices.
Faced with the terror of the unknown, the Anbu let out blood-curdling screams.
But the shrieks were abruptly cut short.
"Orochimaru, you dare toy with the souls of the dead?!"
Seeing this unfold, how could Hiruzen not recognize the forbidden jutsu created by the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama? It was the ultimate resurrection technique: the Impure World Reincarnation.
But Orochimaru was in no mood to answer his former teacher. Seeing the jutsu succeed, he immediately activated the Living Corpse Reincarnation, abandoning his wounded body to transfer his soul into Yamato. Compared to Hidan's body, which was thoroughly polluted by the Jashin cult, Orochimaru much preferred Yamato—a vessel he had meticulously crafted with his own two hands.
"Shadow Face Replication Jutsu!"
As Orochimaru used his signature jutsu, a noticeably smaller version of the Sannin appeared before Jie.
"A fun-sized Orochimaru?" Jie held back a laugh and nodded approvingly. "He looks a lot more pleasing to the eye than before."
Yamato was roughly the same age as Kakashi. He wasn't fully mature and couldn't compare to Orochimaru's original body. Naturally, taking over this younger vessel made Orochimaru look drastically younger.
"Alright, the special guests are here. Let the show begin," Jie said smoothly, watching the four human figures gradually take shape amidst the swirling paper.
Moments later, the two esteemed elders of the Konoha Council, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura, were "escorted" to the main platform by Jie's subordinates.
"What does the Uchiha clan think they are doing?!" Koharu shrieked. "Are you betraying the village?!"
Homura's face flushed crimson as he roared. "We are the Elder Council! We are the higher-ups of Konoha! To dare imprison us—is the Uchiha clan planning a rebellion?!"
But, immersed in their self-righteous fury, the two elders failed to notice that Hiruzen's face had already drained of all color.
"Are you... Koharu?" a voice echoed. "How much time has passed? Why have you all grown so old?"
Hearing that deeply familiar voice, Homura and Koharu instantly froze. They turned their heads stiffly. Upon seeing the man who had just spoken, their faces turned just as deathly pale as Hiruzen's.
"T-Teacher?!"
"Lord Hashirama?!"
"Is this... the Impure World Reincarnation?" Senju Hashirama, clad in his iconic red armor, sighed helplessly. "I told you long ago not to develop too many jutsus other than Water Release."
"Shut up, elder brother!" Senju Tobirama yelled, crossing his arms. He quickly surveyed the surroundings, his sharp eyes analyzing the environment. "The situation doesn't look good. So, the Uchiha clan has finally rebelled? Monkey, did you use my jutsu to summon us to quell the uprising?"
"Monkey, are you still the Hokage?" Hashirama asked with a bright smile, as if suddenly realizing the obvious.
Then, catching sight of Namikaze Minato wearing the Hokage cloak, a hint of confusion crossed the First's face. He tilted his head curiously. "Um, who might you be?"
Minato, who had been anxiously looking around for any sign of Naruto, quickly straightened up. "First Hokage, I am the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato." He turned slightly to display the bold characters on the back of his white cloak.
A bright light flashed in Hashirama's eyes. "The village already has a Fourth Hokage?!" he cheered with sheer delight. "Is the village peaceful now? Did you summon us?"
Hearing his older brother's clueless rambling, a vein popped on Tobirama's forehead. "Idiot!" he roared. "Can't you see he's dead, just like us?!"
Scolded by his younger brother again, the God of Shinobi immediately wilted, depression hanging over him like a dark cloud.
A flash of awkwardness crossed Minato's face at the brothers' dynamic.
"So, Fourth," Tobirama said, regaining his composure. "How did you die?"
"The Nine-Tails went on a rampage," Minato explained patiently. "I died while sealing it away."
"What?" Hashirama blinked, instantly snapping out of his depression to voice his genuine confusion. "Isn't the Nine-Tails a pet? Sealing it can actually kill someone?"
The atmosphere grew incredibly stiff. Minato's face contorted in sheer embarrassment.
Pfft!
Watching this legendary scene play out right in front of him, Jie couldn't help but laugh out loud. The sudden outburst instantly drew the collective gaze of Hashirama, Tobirama, and Minato.
"Don't mind me, please continue," Jie said, forcing his expression into a deadpan mask. "I am professionally trained. I definitely won't laugh. Unless I can't help it!"
But the moment the words left his mouth, Jie was amused by his own joke and burst into roaring laughter anyway.
"I felt something was wrong from the start," Tobirama stated coldly, narrowing his eyes at the boy. "Why are we entirely surrounded by Uchiha? Furthermore, I can feel that the physical strength of this vessel was deliberately suppressed to maintain my consciousness. My current power isn't even a tenth of what it was when I was alive."
Tobirama stepped forward, his piercing red eyes locking onto Jie.
"So, brat. You are the one who summoned us, not Monkey. Right?"
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