The conversation between father and son lasted a long time.
The usually reserved Kakashi had been speaking nonstop—ever since the death of his father, Hatake Sakumo.
He spoke of Obito's death at Kannabi Bridge, of Rin's tragic sacrifice orchestrated by Kirigakure, of Minato and Kushina perishing to the Nine-Tails. There were a few rare bright spots in those memories, but more than anything, they were stained by pain.
Kakashi had once believed he would never recover from any of it.
"…You've really suffered," Sakumo finally said, watching the gentle flicker of a fire before them.
In this world of shinobi, who truly lives without burden?
"It's nothing," Kakashi replied, shaking his head. "Now I understand… what you tried to do, when you chose to go against the norm. It's late to say this, but… you've always been my role model."
Sakumo blinked, quietly taken aback. After a pause, he gave a soft reply: "…Thank you."
Just then, the misty, dreamlike haze around them began to clear. Vapor curled upward as the blue-green waters of a river shimmered beneath Sakumo's feet.
"Looks like it's time for us to part again," he said gently, his face softening. "But I'm glad we could talk. It lets me leave in peace… to go see your mother."
"…Yeah." Kakashi nodded, unable to say more.
"Thank Orochimaru for me."
Leaving those final words behind, Sakumo turned and stepped into the river, disappearing beneath the waves.
Kakashi remained seated, silent in the lingering warmth of peace. Then, a realization struck him.
"…Wait. How am I supposed to get back?"
Orochimaru had confidently said there'd be no issue, but hadn't explained anything—and Kakashi, overwhelmed by the situation, had forgotten to ask.
Now, he could feel a strange suction pulling at his soul. Panic prickled at him.
If I can't go back… am I dead in the Pure Land?
He didn't fear death. But dying like this? What a joke.
He glanced down. The white snake that had brought him here was gone—slipped away while he was speaking with his father.
"…Seriously?"
Before he could curse Orochimaru's name, the suction abruptly intensified—and in the blink of an eye, Kakashi's spirit snapped back to his body in the basement.
"Welcome back," Orochimaru said with a dark smile.
Still dazed, Kakashi quickly reentered his physical form. Orochimaru was already scribbling notes on a clipboard.
"Now then—how do you feel? Describe it precisely."
Kakashi sighed but closed his eyes to sense his condition. "It's… like my body doesn't belong to me. A little disoriented."
"Mmm, that's normal. The spirit was away from the body too long," Orochimaru murmured as he jotted things down. Outwardly, he remained composed—but inside, he was surprised.
He'd called it a "long time," but really… not even an hour had passed.
The results were dramatic.
Orochimaru knew why: the Pure Land was saturated with soul energy, even in its outskirts. Shinobi, forced to develop rapidly in a harsh world, were often spiritually starved. The soul energy there was an overwhelming supplement.
But to think even that brief exposure would cause such compatibility issues between spirit and body—this exceeded expectations.
It was a problem Kakashi was facing now… and one Orochimaru knew he would face himself, eventually.
"Eat something nutrient-rich when you get back," he advised. "And focus on physical exercise for a while. You'll recover soon."
Kakashi nodded.
Training with Guy would take care of the exercise part. As for food… would Ichiraku Ramen count?
---
Meanwhile, in the second layer of the Pure Land—
The little white snake, Serpentis, slithered through the air in search of a target. It hummed quietly, then halted mid-motion, mouth agape, completely frozen.
"…This kid's got instincts," murmured the Djinn. "Found the tastiest one on the first try."
He glanced at the sleeping soul of Hashirama Senju, then calmly suppressed the snake's movement.
The snake blinked and resumed motion, circling Hashirama's spirit several times, a flicker of confusion in its eyes.
It tried again—lunging toward the chakra-rich soul. And again, it was halted.
After a few failed attempts, Serpentis seemed to understand: this one… couldn't be eaten.
So it moved on, this time targeting Tobirama Senju.
"Tch. These two brothers just can't catch a break," Djinn chuckled. He watched, letting the snake try and fail again, over and over, building a reflex. He didn't explain anything—just trained it like a stubborn pet.
There was no other way.
Serpentis was born from Orochimaru's greed, with its own instincts and twisted intelligence. Left unchecked, it would devour soul energy recklessly.
Even if given strict orders, one moment of temptation could undo everything.
Letting it feed a little on some soul fragments wasn't a problem—but if it touched the likes of Hashirama or Tobirama… that would be pushing the limit.
Djinn didn't know if the Sage of Six Paths had any surveillance methods still active in the Pure Land. But he wasn't going to test that theory.
Low-profile was best.
He scratched his chin and watched as Serpentis, frustrated, slithered in circles. Finally, it found a new spirit.
This time—Uchiha Madara.
"…Maybe just a nibble?" Djinn mused.
"Tch. Never mind. Waking him would be even worse."
---
Meanwhile, back in the Takigakure.
Underneath the towering sacred tree, much of the village lay in ruins. The battle was over.
Just as the shinobi from Grass had said, Takigakure's strength had been a facade. They'd avoided the shinobi wars not through force, but through their terrain advantage.
Now, with the barrier sabotaged from within, they fell like dominos.
Yakushi Kabuto stood among the rubble, holding a small, trembling Jinchūriki in his arms.
"The previous host died… and this generation's just a child," he said, licking his lips. "What luck. Saved us a lot of effort."
Nearby, Sasori of the Red Sand said coldly, "You talk too much. You were useless in this mission."
Kabuto ignored the jab. Neither Sasori nor Kakuzu liked him—mainly due to his connection with Orochimaru.
He turned to a rogue ninja from Takigakure.
"I heard this village had something called 'Hero Water'... care to share?"
_____________________
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