Chapter 177: Old Man, Who Are You?
Kitagawa Gen's theory was both practical and terrifying.
And given what Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others knew about Orochimaru, this kind of thing was exactly something he'd do.
"Hiruzen, we need to start preparing now," Koharu and Homura exchanged glances, both wearing grim expressions.
"Especially since the original experiments were led by him and Danzo. For all we know, he may have prepared for this years ago."
"You're saying... he might really summon my grandfather back?" Tsunade's fists clenched involuntarily as other disturbing thoughts surfaced in her mind.
"Not just him. Maybe... even more."
"That's why I think we need to strike first," Kitagawa Gen added with a nod.
Sarutobi fell into deep thought for a moment before nodding slowly.
"There's a real possibility, but let's not overreact. Every reanimation requires a living sacrifice. Also, there's something you all may not know."
"What is it?" someone asked.
"I read through my teacher's notes. According to his records, the Impure World Reincarnation jutsu has a major flaw. The people summoned back aren't quite at their full strength. I've also fought Danzo myself, so…"
"But that's not an excuse to sit on our hands, is it?" Tsunade interrupted, her voice edged with frustration.
Hiruzen sighed—he understood her concerns. Orochimaru was a genius, but also a terrifying researcher. If not for that, Danzo would never have partnered with him to study the First Hokage's cells.
"Don't worry. I understand the risks," the Third Hokage said, his moral boundaries now far more flexible than before.
"I'll assign a team to watch the Hero's Monument carefully. Gen, you should also place your Flying Thunder God seal there. The moment anything happens…"
"I'll teleport there and kill Orochimaru on the spot," Gen replied calmly, making Jiraiya roll his eyes in disbelief.
"But that alone doesn't feel like enough," someone noted.
"You're right. Which is why I plan to…"
Sarutobi inhaled deeply and then said in a quiet voice, "...summon the First and Second Hokage with the Impure World Reincarnation."
"Just those two?" Kakashi asked, puzzled.
Sarutobi nodded.
"For now, yes. The Fourth Hokage used the Reaper Death Seal, so he's inaccessible. The First is overwhelmingly powerful, so we need to prepare carefully. And my teacher invented this jutsu—I believe he can guide us in countering it."
"Old man, are you saying you want the Second Hokage to… improve the technique?" Jiraiya blinked, then stole a glance at Kitagawa Gen.
Wasn't this basically the same as what Gen said earlier about "making the dead work for us"?
"Actually... that doesn't sound too bad," Kakashi muttered to himself.
Even Guy was frozen in thought.
"Not just the Kage. We might consider summoning other powerful ninja too," Gen added casually, noticing their reactions.
Impure World Reincarnation looked sinister—using the dead as workers was undeniably disturbing. But when Kabuto used it, it somehow became a technique of wish fulfillment.
Ultimately, it all depended on who was using the jutsu.
"You're right. That's exactly what I was thinking," Hiruzen nodded.
"We'll prepare to reanimate other individuals too. With my teacher's help, we can speed up the process—and more importantly, prevent Orochimaru from taking control of them."
"Then we'll get started immediately," said Koharu and Homura in unison.
"I'll go with you," Sarutobi added, but then turned toward Tsunade.
"Tsunade, you should also get ready. After all, the person we're summoning is your…"
"Tch. I know," she cut him off with a click of her tongue, turning around.
"I'll go prepare now."
There was really no other way. Orochimaru was capable of anything. Who knew—he might even use this jutsu as leverage against them.
"We'll be heading out too," Sarutobi turned to Gen and the others. "Come by the Anbu prison later. I think the two Hokage would like to meet you."
"…Yes."
Gen, Kakashi, and the others nodded—though the more they thought about it, the stranger it sounded.
Two dead Hokage wanted to meet them…
That phrasing was just plain weird.
---
Once Tsunade and the Third left, Jiraiya finally sighed and rubbed his temples.
"Who would've thought things would end up like this?"
"I wonder what those two Hokage are like…" Kakashi mused.
"No idea. I didn't really know them. I was still a kid when they died," Jiraiya shrugged. "But… I guess this isn't all bad. Maybe one day we'll get to see old friends again."
"Maybe…" Kakashi murmured, while Guy stood with his head tilted, clearly lost in thought.
Kitagawa Gen, meanwhile, could only smile wryly.
He had always planned to use Impure World Reincarnation ahead of time. After all—
"If I don't shovel the 'crap' to my friends first… they'll end up dumping it on me."
With that mindset, it only made sense to act before they did.
"Well, even the Fourth isn't totally off-limits… Whatever, I'll deal with it later."
He shook his head, then walked over to his bed and looked up at the sky—only to suddenly freeze.
Staring blankly, a bizarre and borderline reckless thought popped into his mind.
"…Wait. I think Ōtsutsuki Hamura's remains are buried on the moon, right?"
---
Meanwhile, outside the Konoha hospital—
Sarutobi glanced around, then asked his two old friends in a low voice, "What do you think of him?"
"Calm, composed, meticulous… and sharp," Koharu answered after a brief pause.
"Strong—he's mastered Flying Thunder God, Sage Mode, Ice Release, even Dust Release. He's even developed his own technique: Purple Lightning. An absolutely elite genius—outstanding in every way," Homura added thoughtfully.
"Yes, truly exceptional," Hiruzen nodded. But then the other two spoke again.
"But… his thinking is a bit extreme. Even I was shocked."
"And his moral bottom line seems even lower than our teacher's. I never expected the Impure World Reincarnation to be used this way… not to mention what said about Kazekage and the Daimyō…"
"…"
Their words made Hiruzen purse his lips. After a long silence, he sighed.
"Now do you understand why I think the Konoha education system is a complete failure?"
"…"
"Gen is great in every way, except his temperament is awful, and his ideas are way too radical. I honestly don't know what the academy is teaching anymore!"
"…"
Koharu and Homura exchanged another glance.
To be honest—they both really wanted to ask:
"Weren't you the one who taught him…?"
Could it be that Kitagawa Gen's nature was simply that twisted from the start?
After a long silence, Koharu Utatane finally spoke up.
"Perhaps there really were some issues with his upbringing. We still have a lot of work to do."
"Indeed. But in a way, being able to raise someone like Kitagawa Gen is still a success. His ideas aren't entirely wrong, either."
Homura Mitokado nodded in agreement.
"No need to worry too much. From here on, what we need to strengthen is ideological education. I believe that should suffice."
"You're right. Raising him this far is already impressive."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's mood clearly lifted. He adjusted his Hokage hat and chuckled.
"It seems you two also have high hopes for him. That's good. I trust your judgment. Actually, I have a plan related to this recent summoning."
"You're not thinking of... having the Second Hokage teach him, are you?"
The two advisors instantly guessed his intention—and were at a loss for words.
That boy was already so extreme, and now their old teacher was going to mentor him? They really didn't dare imagine what the future might look like...
"What other choice is there?" Hiruzen sighed deeply.
"Should we have the First Hokage teach him instead?"
"…"
The two of them fell silent immediately.
That would be even worse.
It wasn't that Hashirama Senju was incapable—on the contrary, the First Hokage was extraordinarily powerful.
But his personality? Far too unreliable.
Given the options, the Second Hokage seemed like the better pick… Even though, from what they'd seen, Kitagawa Gen might be more extreme than Tobirama himself.
"Enough about that. Let's focus on the immediate task."
Hiruzen shook his head, clearly not in the mood to dwell on the topic.
The priority now was securing the two Hokage souls under his control. He hadn't forgotten how Orochimaru had tried to summon two coffins earlier—only for Kitagawa Gen to destroy them with Particle Style and focus relentlessly on Orochimaru afterward.
If not for that, who knew how things might have turned out?
After some quick preparations, everything was ready before noon.
Kitagawa Gen arrived at a room inside Konoha's ANBU prison, accompanied by Kakashi, Guy, and the heavily injured but still stubborn Jiraiya.
"You're here. Let's begin."
Seeing their arrival, Hiruzen began forming hand seals.
He hadn't practiced this technique much, but at his level of understanding, as long as he didn't pursue precise control, he could still perform it competently.
"I've always been reluctant to use this jutsu. It's simply too cruel."
He explained as he weaved the seals. Nearby, two unconscious death row inmates lay on the ground—clearly prepared as sacrifices.
"But the situation has left me no choice. Maybe these criminals can serve one final purpose…"
"Impure World Reincarnation!"
Two summoning arrays bloomed underfoot, and swirls of ashen paper erupted, enveloping the two corpses.
Moments later, both men rose slowly—now completely changed in appearance.
With chakra surging through them, their once lifeless gazes regained clarity.
Though their movements were still a bit sluggish, their awareness had clearly returned.
"…Where is this?"
Suddenly, Hashirama Senju moved. He looked around in confusion.
"What is this place?"
"…Big Brother?"
A voice sounded behind him. He turned and saw Tobirama Senju—his younger brother.
But almost instantly, Hashirama's expression turned strange. After looking Tobirama up and down, he suddenly burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! Tobirama, you don't look like someone alive!"
"…Foolish brother. We aren't alive!"
Tobirama's eyebrow twitched. He could already sense what had happened from just observing his eccentric big brother.
"Looks like we've been brought back using Impure World Reincarnation. Hmph, to think I've been summoned by my own technique… how ironic."
With that, Tobirama abruptly turned to the one who summoned them, his gaze sharp and cold.
But as he looked closer, he suddenly froze.
Because the faces in front of him… were all too familiar.
"Huh?"
Meanwhile, Hashirama poked his head out, studying the people across the room with a puzzled look.
"That old guy… why does he look so familiar?"
"…"
"Hey, old man! Who are you?"
"…"
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