Chapter 484: You... Want to Dance Too?
With the Tsuchigumo clan's trouble resolved, Tsunade appeared and explained their purpose.
"The five great ninja villages have decided to join forces to deal with the threat of Akatsuki. As a jinchuriki, you are their next target. We hope you can put aside past grievances and accept our protection, or the protection of the Mist ninja."
Tsunade's words were sincere.
The young man named Utakata remained silent.
It was the same old story: no one wanted to be a jinchuriki.
The process of him becoming a jinchuriki had not been pleasant at all. Even now, the memory sent a chill down his spine.
After becoming a jinchuriki, his memories were filled with pain, and there was no one to share his burden. The Mist Village was no longer his home, let alone Konoha. Utakata no longer identified as a ninja, but as a wandering ronin.
He only half-believed Tsunade's words. Akatsuki was capturing the Tailed Beasts? They wanted to extract the chakra from the jinchuriki? The Tailed Beasts were terrifying monsters. Capturing all nine of them? That had to be a joke.
However, he mostly believed the part about the five great villages forming an alliance.
He was twenty-six this year, two years younger than Zabuza, and possessed sufficient analytical and judgment skills. A ninja village alliance was nothing new.
On the surface, he placated his new apprentice and used delaying tactics to stall the group from Konoha. His real plan was to run!
He would run tonight!
He was responsible for his own life. Entrust it to the Mist? To Konoha? He wasn't that naive.
That evening, the group rested in the Tsuchigumo clan's village. Shizune, holding Tonton, acted as the team's goodwill ambassador, telling the girl named Hotaru all about the wonderful things in Konoha, hoping to use her influence to trick Utakata into going to the village.
The conversation went around in circles, and Ino was getting bored.
She walked out of her room and suddenly sensed a familiar chakra reaction within her sensory range. The other person made no attempt to hide their presence, as if inviting her for a meeting.
"Interesting..." Ino put on her shoes and quickly followed the feeling. She stopped at a thicket of bushes.
"Senior Kabuto, you can come out now."
Kabuto Yakushi still wore the standard ninja attire from his Sound Village days. A waist pouch was neatly hung, his legs were wrapped, his chest wasn't bare, and there were no strange growths on his body.
Ino's guard lowered another notch. This wasn't Sage Kabuto, so they could still communicate with words.
Not that she was afraid of Sage Kabuto, she just found fighting him troublesome.
She spoke again. "We're old friends. Why did you ask me out here in the middle of the night, Senior Kabuto? Is there something you need?"
Kabuto's tone was calm. "I am preparing to go to Ryūchi Cave to undergo the trial. To be honest, I am not confident. So, before I leave, I came to say goodbye to an old friend."
He paused for a moment. "I saw your Sage Mode during the day. It's truly powerful. Is that a secret art from the Shikkotsu Forest?"
Ino stared at him intently, her answer evading his question. "Sage Mode from Ryūchi Cave? I've never met the White Snake Sage, but even Orochimaru gave up on the Sage Mode there. One can only imagine the danger. Senior Kabuto, don't take that step. That step will make you lose many things, and then you won't be able to turn back."
She continued, "I've seen the Root's records. You lost your memory during the war and ended up in an orphanage, right? At that time, you didn't know your name. You saw the kabuto samurai helmet by your bed and named yourself Kabuto, taking your adoptive mother's surname. If you are willing to turn back, Senior Kabuto, I can vouch for you. You can inherit your adoptive mother's will and open an orphanage in Konoha. Some of your childhood friends are still alive. Root gave them new identities, but many of them are still alive. I can find them for you. What do you think?"
Her attitude was sincere.
Kabuto was somewhat moved, especially when he heard about his childhood friends and the orphanage. A rare flicker of emotion appeared in his usually calm eyes.
He clenched and unclenched his fists, as if fighting an internal battle.
When he clenched his fists for the third time and didn't release them, Ino knew her Talk no Jutsu had failed.
As expected, a false smile reappeared on Kabuto's face. "The Yamanaka clan's intelligence gathering ability is truly impressive. You even managed to dig up these old stories. Unfortunately, I'm not very interested in orphanages right now. I'm much more interested in Sage Mode!"
Ino shook her head slightly. "That's a real shame. In that case, Senior Kabuto, I can only apprehend you here."
Kabuto smiled and took a step back. "Although we've never fought, I know I can't beat you. My opponent tonight isn't me... but him! Impure World Reincarnation!"
He had already set up a summoning formula in the bushes. As he infused his chakra, the entire formula activated instantly. A massive coffin erupted from the ground. The next second, the coffin lid crashed to the ground, and a tall corpse suddenly opened its eyes and slowly walked out.
He was 1.8 meters tall, with long black hair covering his right eye. The man wore the traditional red plate armor of the Warring States period.
The man's steps were not fast, but they were extremely steady, each one as if it had been precisely measured.
Ino first looked at his gait. In just those few steps, the man's control over his body had reached an extremely high level. Finally, she looked at his eyes—crimson, three-tomoe Sharingan.
Ino laughed. "Haha, Senior Kabuto, you really think highly of me, don't you?"
Kabuto smiled and nodded. "Actually, I recognized your worth many years ago. They—oh, and this 'they' includes Lord Orochimaru—thought your limit would be no higher than Sasuke Uchiha. And what was the result? Your talent is second to none. The 'Golden Phoenix of the Yamanaka Clan' is not enough to describe you."
Even as they spoke, Ino's attention was mostly drawn to the tall figure summoned by the Impure World Reincarnation.
This was big trouble. The guy who carries the rice sacks hadn't shown up yet, but the dance king had made his debut!
"Senior Kabuto, where did you find the body?"
Kabuto smiled. "You were the one who placed the warning talismans and the massive number of explosive tags in his tomb, right? I almost got myself killed."
"Are you two done chatting? I can wait a little longer," Madara Uchiha's voice was deep and magnetic. He rolled his neck.
He first glanced back at Kabuto, then shot a sidelong glance at Ino, his head full of questions. What is going on now?
Me, the mastermind, being summoned as a hired thug? This is really awkward!
Where's Zetsu? Where's Obito?
"Impure World Reincarnation? Boy, were you the one who awakened me?" He had a stomach full of questions but didn't know where to start. Most importantly, he didn't even know what year it was. Kabuto and Ino's attire was very plain; they didn't look like important figures. How many years had he been dead?
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