There wasn't much point in talking about it now anyway, so Orochimaru changed the subject. "Sasuke-kun, how strong are you now?"
Maybe out of respect for his former teacher, Orochimaru didn't speak in his usual eerie tone and sounded more normal this time.
"Stronger than I was when I followed you." Sasuke crossed his arms, his voice calm and steady. "But I have to say, I'm surprised to see you mixed up with the Akatsuki."
Sasuke was indeed surprised. The Akatsuki's goal was the Infinite Tsukuyomi, putting everyone into an eternal dream, while Orochimaru… was after immortality. What did that have to do with the Infinite Tsukuyomi?
"Or are you planning to live forever inside a dream?" Sasuke's voice carried a hint of sarcasm.
"Immortality? Interesting topic." Before Orochimaru could respond, the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, spoke first. "Though if one really wanted to achieve immortality, there are ways to do it."
At the very least, Tobirama knew of some strange jutsu that could be used to extend life indefinitely.
"Oh?" Orochimaru's interest was immediately piqued. "I didn't get the chance to have a proper conversation with you earlier, but now seems like a good time."
In his rush to save Obito, Orochimaru hadn't talked much with these revived Hokage. After quickly explaining the situation, he had White Zetsu use the Summoning Technique to transport their coffins here. Otherwise, they wouldn't have arrived so quickly.
The best thing about the Reanimation Jutsu was that, as long as the caster had help, they could use summoning and reverse summoning techniques to instantly teleport the revived individuals anywhere.
"I have no interest in discussing this with you." Tobirama glanced at Orochimaru with a look of disdain. "As a jutsu user, you're impressive, but as a ninja, you're a complete failure."
His tone made it clear how little he thought of Orochimaru.
But Orochimaru didn't take offense. He simply chuckled. "Well, considering the terrifying strength of the First Hokage and Madara-sama, the fact that Mito-sama was the strongest sealing expert, and that you were the creator of the Reanimation Jutsu… I had to take some precautions."
He had never actually loosened his control over the three of them—including Mito. He had only allowed them to use a tiny fraction of their chakra. Orochimaru had a strong feeling that if he let them use more, they would break free from his control.
As a scientist, he had always trusted his instincts.
Senju Hashirama scratched the back of his head, smiling a little awkwardly. "Well, I guess my strength is just… like that."
"He wasn't complimenting you," Uchiha Madara calmly cut in. Then, in a slightly approving tone, he added, "But as the jutsu caster, you did get one thing right. If you loosened your chakra control even a little more, we could break free anytime."
The Reanimation Jutsu was supposed to be impossible to undo without the caster's will, but for these four… the restrictions weren't much of an obstacle.
"Terrifying," Orochimaru said with a small chuckle.
Tobirama rolled his eyes before shifting his gaze to Sasuke. "I was a bit worried about the state of Konohagakure, but seeing this Uchiha kid… maybe there's nothing to worry about."
"Hey, Uchiha kid, what's your name?"
Sasuke lifted his eyes and instinctively glanced at Kakashi beside him.
Kakashi gave a small nod while subtly communicating with Asuma and Kurenai.
Sasuke understood and replied, "Uchiha Sasuke. And, Second Hokage, while I respect you, I'm not just some kid."
As a member of Konohagakure, Sasuke naturally respected the Hokage.
"Oh?" Tobirama gave a meaningful smile, as if something had just crossed his mind.
Then, breaking the moment of silence, Madara suddenly spoke. "How is the Uchiha clan doing now?"
"All wiped out." Sasuke's tone was flat. "I'm the last Uchiha in the ninja world."
"Is that so?" Madara smirked, then turned to Obito, who had been silent the whole time. "At least you did this part right, Obito."
"Hmph." Obito snorted.
Madara didn't mind. Crossing his arms, he looked back at Sasuke. "So… Sasuke, tell me about the current situation."
Sasuke frowned. Something about Madara felt strangely off. "Why don't you ask Obito? Or do you actually think I'd tell you, considering we're enemies?"
"Enemies? No. If you want, I can allow you to join me." Madara spoke as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
Sasuke's expression became even stranger. Why was Madara giving off such a… kind vibe?
Was he imagining things?
No, it wasn't just in his head. Even Kakashi, Asuma, and Kurenai found it odd. Madara's tone toward Sasuke was way too… polite? When talking to others, his words were always sharp, but with Sasuke, that edge was completely gone.
No one else understood why, but Hashirama suddenly stroked his chin, looking thoughtful. "Sasuke… now that I think about it, your face looks a little familiar."
"Hm?" Sasuke was confused. "I'm sure this is—"
"—the first time I've met you."
"Ah~" Tobirama, on the other hand, seemed to have figured something out. He spoke with certainty, "Uchiha Izumi-ne."
Hashirama suddenly snapped to realization. "Oh, that's it! I knew you looked familiar—Izumi-ne!"
Mito, who had been silent the whole time, stepped forward, surprise flashing across her aged face. "He really does look a lot like Uchiha Izumi-ne. Except for the hairstyle, he's almost identical. The only difference is his Sharingan."
After all, Sasuke had a Tomoe Rinnegan in one eye, so it was understandable that they didn't recognize it right away.
Realizing this, the three of them turned to look at Uchiha Madara with strange expressions—Hashirama's gaze was full of relief, Mito's was amused, while Tobirama's was pure caution.
Madara didn't care. Or rather… he was long used to being looked at like this by those three.
Keeping his arms crossed, he said to Sasuke, "I know you're not Izumi-ne, so don't mind these three."
Sasuke: "…"
Uchiha Izumi-ne?
Kakashi silently memorized the name.
But with everyone throwing in their own comments, the conversation quickly became a mess.
Why did it feel like there wasn't even the slightest bit of tension in their words?
Rubbing his forehead, Sasuke sighed. "Whatever. My goal is just to kill Obito. If it comes to a fight, I won't hold back."
"That's for the best," Tobirama nodded without hesitation. "Do you know the weakness of Edo Tensei?"
"Sealing techniques," Sasuke replied.
"Correct." Tobirama nodded approvingly. "A strong sealing jutsu will do the trick. But be careful—this summoner is quite skilled. He's modified my Edo Tensei, so we're stronger this time and retain our full battle awareness."
"Because of that, though, he doesn't dare to fully release his chakra control over us. So our power hasn't gone completely out of balance. A normal Kage should be able to handle us. The only one you really need to watch out for is the Lady."
"Mito-sama?" Kurenai was surprised.
Shouldn't they be more careful about Uchiha Madara?
Asuma lit another cigarette and slowly explained, "Mito-sama is known as the strongest sealing ninja in history, from the Warring States period to today. When their chakra is restricted, Mito-sama's sealing techniques can unleash power far beyond what you can imagine."
"After all, sealing jutsu was originally designed to let weaker ninjas defeat stronger opponents," Kakashi added.
Sealing jutsu… is it really that strong?
Kurenai was a little shocked.
---
You can read 10 Chapters ahead on my
pat reon.com/GMadman