"Hogyoku?"
Tsunade thought hard and could only guess that it might have something to do with the Hogyoku. But this time, Kagetsu didn't give her a clear answer.
However, since Kagetsu didn't deny it, Tsunade immediately assumed her guess was correct.
"No wonder you and Orochimaru didn't seem too concerned about the threat from the Hidden Cloud Village. Let me guess—if things really got out of hand, you were planning to summon the Third Raikage to handle the mess, right?"
Once Tsunade confirmed her theory, she began connecting the dots, and Orochimaru's strange attitude toward the Hidden Cloud Village suddenly made more sense.
As for whether the summoned Third Raikage could actually solve the problem, or whether he would even side with them, Tsunade wasn't too worried.
At the very least, she didn't believe Kagetsu and Orochimaru would summon him without a solid plan.
Even if something unexpected happened, the three of them, plus Kagetsu and Shisui, should still be able to secure victory.
It would just depend on how much they'd have to sacrifice to win.
"That was something Orochimaru-sensei discussed directly with the Third Raikage. If you want the details, you should just ask him yourself when you get back," Kagetsu replied bluntly, pushing the issue entirely onto Orochimaru.
"I'm only responsible for forging your spiritual weapon."
Tsunade didn't press him any further. After all, this wasn't the right place to discuss such things anyway.
"I've rested enough."
Tsunade stood up, stretched her body a bit, and walked out of the tree cave as she spoke.
Shikkotsu Forest...
Two souls merged into two slumbering bodies.
The moment Tsunade opened her eyes, a gentle voice echoed above her head.
"You're awake, Lady Tsunade."
What came into her view was a human-sized slug. It was lifting half of its body, keeping its head suspended in the air, facing her directly.
Her entire body was covered by this slug, and Tsunade could feel a continuous stream of yang chakra—the energy of life—flowing from the slug into her body.
"How long has it been?" Tsunade asked as she propped herself up from the ground with one arm. She felt better than she had in a long time.
Her enhanced body had once placed a slight burden on her spirit. This imbalance was often the root cause of the bloodline disease.
But Tsunade had managed it well. She never let it affect her performance or worsen over time.
Only during intense battles would she occasionally feel a hint of discomfort.
But now, her entire body felt light and free.
Once, she might have felt like a child's soul was stuffed inside an adult's body. But now, everything felt just right.
The spiritual energy absorbed from the Forest of Menos had significantly strengthened her soul.
"I'm not sure," the giant slug replied softly, its big, squishy head adorably swaying in front of Tsunade. "The Shikkotsu Forest doesn't really have a concept of time.
But the summoning mark you left in Konoha was activated. Lord Orochimaru asked about you and Lord Kagetsu, then canceled the summoning."
"Orochimaru tried to contact us?" Tsunade immediately deduced that they might have been gone longer than expected.
Before they left, she had indeed left some of her blood with Orochimaru, just in case he needed to summon Katsuyu from the Shikkotsu Forest to pass on important information.
If he used it, it must mean either something serious had happened—or enough time had passed to concern him.
Knowing Orochimaru, he wouldn't summon Katsuyu without a good reason.
"Yes, but don't worry. Everything in the village is fine. Orochimaru seemed to be just checking in," Katsuyu explained in her soft, gentle voice as she slowly slid off Tsunade's shoulder.
"I understand," Tsunade nodded. If something really had happened, Orochimaru might have even tried to enter the Forest of Menos himself.
Tsunade didn't doubt that Orochimaru had the means and ability to enter the forest—whether he'd actually find them once inside was another question entirely.
"Thank you, Katsuyu. But it's time for us to go," Tsunade said as she glanced over at Kagetsu, who was now standing. She clapped her hands lightly in farewell.
The surrounding slugs all nodded in unison and released the reverse summoning technique placed on Tsunade and Kagetsu, returning them both to the Hidden Leaf Village.
Puff! Puff!
Two white smoke trails appeared inside the Hokage's office. Before the Anbu could take action, Orochimaru, who was handling matters inside, stopped them.
"Looks like everything went smoothly?" Orochimaru said with a smile as he looked at Tsunade and Kagetsu who appeared before him.
He noticed the relaxed feeling coming from Tsunade. Rising from his office chair, he stepped closer to the two and tested the mood with a smile.
"Of course it went smoothly!" Tsunade rubbed her wrist and glared at Orochimaru standing right in front of her. Her tone was sharp.
"Now I want to know exactly what you all have been doing behind my back!"
"Is this about the Forest of Menos?" Orochimaru glanced at Kagetsu, who seemed lost in thought on the side. Immediately, he understood.
But honestly, this was something he had guessed even before the two had returned.
So Tsunade's aggressive questioning didn't surprise him.
"Kagetsu and I were just researching the hollows there — or rather, the souls, whether broken or whole," Orochimaru said without showing any change in expression.
"After all, no one knows what problems or resistance might arise from experiments that bring the dead back to life."
"Since Kagetsu has that soul-related space, it only makes sense to make use of it."
"You shouldn't have kept this from me!" Tsunade shot a sharp look at Orochimaru.
"It's just not time to be fully honest yet. You're not the only one still doing research. Kagetsu and I haven't forgotten our promise to you," Orochimaru said, shrugging.
Looking at Orochimaru's face, which showed no sign of guilt, Tsunade sighed.
Jiraiya was easier to deal with.
Back when they were in the same team, she could keep both of them in line.
But now, Orochimaru had become Hokage...
"Here!"
Tsunade stopped pressing Orochimaru for more answers. She reached under her neck, pulled off a necklace, and looked at it for a moment with a complicated expression. Then she tossed it into Kagetsu's hand.
"This necklace was left to me by Grandpa. It contains the leftover power of his Wood Release. If possible, when forging the spirit weapon, include it inside. If not, then shape the initial form of the spirit weapon to look like this."
Tsunade requested.
Kagetsu took the first Hokage's necklace that Tsunade tossed to him and nodded slightly.
"It's possible to make the spirit weapon into a necklace exactly like this. As for this one, you should keep it as a memento."
The necklace itself wasn't made of any special material.
The only valuable thing about it was that it contained some of the First Hokage's power, which might have some auxiliary effect for a Jinchuriki.
But the actual effect was likely not very obvious.
As for the material of the necklace, it was just a tougher type of crystal. Its symbolic meaning was stronger than its practical use. There was no need to use it in forging the spirit weapon.
Tsunade didn't expect the small amount of Wood Release power in the necklace to have much effect anyway.
"Alright." Tsunade was silent for a moment, then nodded.
After Kagetsu said goodbye, he thoughtfully closed the office door behind them. He didn't believe Tsunade would let Orochimaru go so easily when it came to the resurrection plan.
Without him nearby, the two might have a rather "pleasant" conversation.
****
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