In the hideout's reception room, Orochimaru and Sasuke sat across from Richard.
Shortly thereafter, Kabuto Yakushi returned from the laboratory, delivering Orochimaru's Akatsuki ring "Ku" to his master.
Accepting the ring from Kabuto, Orochimaru casually tossed it to Richard without a second glance.
Richard caught Orochimaru's ring, examining it with satisfaction.
Superficially, Akatsuki rings merely symbolized full membership.
In reality, these artifacts possessed greater significance.
Beyond representing status and aesthetic appeal, these rings facilitated chakra transmission and communication.
Nagato's ability to contact Akatsuki members throughout different countries and coordinate the Sealing Jutsu: Nine Phantom Dragons stemmed from these communication properties.
Without them, Nagato would require all members to physically gather before performing the sealing ritual.
Additionally, these rings were crafted from exceptional materials that even Nagato couldn't replicate.
If reproduction were possible, Nagato wouldn't continually dispatch agents to locate Orochimaru and recover the "Ku" ring.
After examining the "Ku" ring, Richard stored it in his system space.
Together with Sasori's "Gyoku" ring, he now possessed two of the ten.
Consequently, the next time Nagato attempted to seal a Tailed Beast using the Nine Phantom Dragons, he could summon a maximum of eight members.
After securing the ring, Richard briefly explained Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi's properties to Sasuke and Orochimaru.
Beyond these Mangekyō techniques, he also detailed several conventional ninjutsu and genjutsu in Itachi's arsenal.
Regarding Itachi's Susanoo and its wielded artifacts—the Totsuka Blade and Yata Mirror—Richard revealed nothing.
However, he did disclose that Shisui's other Mangekyō Sharingan remained in Itachi's possession.
After Richard's explanation, Sasuke immediately questioned, "How do you know such details?"
"I maintain private intelligence networks," Richard replied.
"Regarding the specific nature of these networks, I won't elaborate."
"Incidentally, I'll freely offer additional intelligence: Tsunade hasn't abandoned her search for you."
"Barring unforeseen circumstances, you'll soon encounter Konoha-dispatched teams."
Though Tsunade hadn't yet assigned Yamato to replace Kakashi as Team 7's leader, this transition seemed inevitable.
Kakashi, having suffered Tsukuyomi's effects, required a month's receovery.
Before his recovery, Tsunade would undoubtedly appoint Yamato as his temporary replacement.
Moreover, Naruto had returned to Konoha with Jiraiya just yesterday.
This meant the reconstituted Team 7—comprising Yamato, Naruto, Sakura, and Sai—would soon mobilize.
"Konoha has long sought retribution against me," Orochimaru remarked indifferently.
"If Tsunade believes Konoha overpopulated, I'm happy to reduce their shinobi numbers."
Though ignorant of Tsunade's chosen operatives, Orochimaru harbored no concerns regardless.
Unless Tsunade and Jiraiya personally led Konoha's elite jonin against him, he perceived minimal threat.
Many had attempted to end his existence.
Yet he remained, flourishing despite their efforts.
"Avoid excessive confidence," Richard cautioned Orochimaru.
"Tsunade's dispatched team isn't as weak as you presume."
"Do you know whom she'll send?" Orochimaru inquired. "My intelligence suggests your relationship with Tsunade is favorable."
"No, I don't know her specific selections," Richard answered calmly. "I simply recognize she won't sacrifice shinobi needlessly."
Though aware Tsunade would deploy the reconstituted Team 7, Richard had no intention of revealing this information to Orochimaru.
"If you prefer silence, so be it," Orochimaru conceded.
"Do you require anything further? Otherwise, our conversation ends here. Several experiments await my attention."
"Nothing additional. I should depart," Richard responded.
With that, he channeled chakra throughout his body, performing Flying Thunder God before Orochimaru, Sasuke, and Kabuto.
The next instant, his form vanished completely, returning to his Konoha residence from Orochimaru's hidden facility.
Following Richard's departure, Orochimaru turned to Sasuke. "Though I'm reluctant to acknowledge it, Richard's talent has consistently surpassed both yours and mine."
"Flying Thunder God represents an S-rank space-time ninjutsu rivaling Impure World Reincarnation in complexity. Yet for him, it resembles a basic clone technique, mastered effortlessly."
"Achieving the strength to be on par with him remains fundamentally implausible."
Since becoming Orochimaru's student, Sasuke had adopted an additional aspiration—to become a shinobi whose power matched Richard's.
Though ambition was commendable, upon learning of this goal, Orochimaru had repeatedly advised Sasuke of its improbability.
"I recognize the difficulty, but I refuse to surrender," Sasuke declared, rising and exiting the reception room without a backward glance.
Watching Sasuke depart, Orochimaru smiled and shook his head.
Then, he stood and proceeded toward his laboratory.
Back in Konoha, Richard bypassed his office, heading directly to his study to prepare for the evening's endeavors.
Throughout the past three years, alongside his global travels experiencing the Naruto world's diverse cultures, he had maintained his ninjutsu studies.
More precisely, he had explored ninjutsu, genjutsu, sealing techniques, and forbidden jutsu.
Additionally, he had established a new objective.
Initially, he had planned to emulate the Fourth Hokage Minato by dividing the eight remaining Tailed Beasts (excluding the Nine-Tails) into Yin and Yang halves, then claiming the Yin components.
However, his strategy had evolved.
Why settle for partial acquisition when complete collection remained viable?
Taking just the Yin chakra seemed wasteful.
Though his actions would permanently deprive the Naruto world of all Tailed Beasts, this consequence didn't concern him.
For this world, losing all Tailed Beasts wasn't catastrophic.
Beyond the Tailed Beasts themselves, even if all chakra vanished from the Naruto world, the realm would persist.
However, shinobi would cease to exist.
Time passed swiftly.
Night descended.
As darkness fell, Richard employed Flying Thunder God, leaving his residence for the Uzumaki clan ruins.
The Uzumaki clan had fully integrated with Konoha, leaving their original territory to deteriorate with time's passage.
These ruins weren't situated within Konoha proper, but beyond the village boundaries.
Richard soon reached the dilapidated Uzumaki Clan Mask Storage Temple.
Entering the crumbling structure, he observed various ceremonial masks adorning the walls.
After surveying the collection, Richard quickly identified his target.
In the original timeline, Orochimaru had released the Reaper Death Seal, freeing the four Hokage from the Reaper's stomach and recovering his sealed arms.
Now, Richard intended to accomplish this himself.
Over the past three years, he had extensively studied the Reaper Death Seal technique.
According to Uzumaki clan methodology, releasing souls sealed by the Reaper Death Seal required wearing the corresponding Shinigami mask, allowing the Reaper to possess one's body.
Then, cutting open the Reaper's stomach would break the seal.
The price for this unsealing: the caster's sacrifice and death.
When Orochimaru had employed this method, he had circumvented this fate through Living Corpse Reincarnation.
Richard lacked knowledge of Living Corpse Reincarnation, yet still planned to exploit a loophole and free the four Hokage.
His approach seemed straightforward.
First, don the Shinigami mask, guiding the Reaper Death Seal's spiritual entity to possess him, manifesting the Reaper in the physical realm.
Then, dispel the Reaper's possession and slice open its stomach before it could vanish.
Ideally, he would destroy the Reaper entirely.
However, completely destroying the Shinigami presented greater challenge, and since his objective merely required freeing the four Hokage, such thoroughness seemed unnecessary. Cutting open the Reaper's stomach would suffice.
After releasing the four Hokage's souls, he would perform Impure World Reincarnation to resurrect the Fourth Hokage.
Then, extract the Yin Nine-Tails from the Fourth Hokage and seal it within specially prepared vessels.
Superficially, this plan presented immense difficulty.
Yet Richard had calculated repeatedly that his approach remained entirely viable.
Moreover, he had prepared all necessary components for performing Impure World Reincarnation, resurrecting the Fourth Hokage, and sealing the Yin Nine-Tails.
Three years had afforded him ample preparation time.
After acquiring the necessary mask, Richard didn't linger. He exited the temple, donned the mask, and began forming hand signs.
Within seconds, he completed the sequence, summoning the spectral Reaper who possessed his body.
After summoning the Reaper, Richard didn't slice his abdomen with a blade. Instead, he inhaled deeply and began circulating magical energy throughout his body.
As magical energy flowed, the possessing Reaper exhibited unprecedented behavior.
Before the Reaper could act further, Richard enveloped its form with magical energy.
"Emerge!" Richard commanded, circulating magic at maximum intensity, forcibly expelling the possessing Reaper and severing their connection.
The Reaper, having lost its possession target, began fading substantially.
If Richard took no action, even magic-enveloped, the Reaper would depart the physical realm and return to its domain according to natural laws.
Richard, however, had no intention of permitting the Reaper's escape.
After severing their connection, he summoned his Masamune blade without hesitation.
The moment he grasped Masamune, he pivoted sharply and swung the blade at the Reaper behind him.
Death Slash!
Death Slash represented a technique Richard had developed specifically for this moment, based on Judgement Cut End but incorporating magical energy.
As its name suggested, this technique targeted the Reaper specifically.
As Masamune completed its arc, a crescent-shaped energy slash manifested, striking the partially-faded Reaper.
SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!
The crescent-shaped slash, infused with magical power, assaulted the Reaper from multiple angles, penetrating its spectral body.
Among these wounds: the Reaper's stomach.
Though most injuries inflicted minimal effect, the stomach wound achieved Richard's purpose.
As the Reaper's stomach split open, the sealed souls immediately gained freedom.
Success!
Observing four souls emerging from the Reaper's stomach like luminescent blue-white flames, Richard knew he had succeeded.
He ceased his assault on the Reaper, withdrawing the magical energy that bound it.
Without magical constraints, the Reaper swiftly disappeared under the world's natural laws, as if it had never manifested.
Richard wasted no time, immediately extracting a two-meter-tall ice block containing a sealed White Zetsu from his system space.
Additionally, he possessed a small fragment of the Fourth Hokage's remains.
After retrieving these materials, Richard thawed the frozen White Zetsu and performed Impure World Reincarnation.
Though Richard knew only the original version created by the Second Hokage Tobirama, this sufficed to resurrect the Fourth Hokage.
As Impure World Reincarnation activated, White Zetsu rapidly transformed into the Fourth Hokage's form.
The "resurrected" Fourth Hokage immediately detected Richard's presence and frowned.
Though unfamiliar with Impure World Reincarnation, he quickly discerned that Richard had resurrected him.
He didn't recognize Richard.
However, one certainty remained: whoever had resurrected him didn't harbor good intentions.
"Who are you?" the Fourth Hokage demanded.
"My name is Richard."
"I'll be direct—I resurrected you because I want the Yin Nine-Tails within you."
"But first, I intend to test your power."
Richard explained calmly.
Hearing this, the Fourth Hokage regarded Richard with wary intensity.
Though Richard hadn't erased the Fourth's consciousness or emotions, as the summoner, Richard maintained control over the reanimated Hokage.
Regardless of the Fourth Hokage's preferences, he could only engage Richard in battle.
"If you want to fight then bring it," the Fourth Hokage declared.
As he spoke, Minato withdrew a three-pronged Flying Thunder God kunai from his holster.
Without hesitation, the Fourth Hokage launched the specially-marked kunai.
Richard neither dodged nor deflected the approaching kunai with Masamune, allowing it to continue unimpeded.
As the Flying Thunder God kunai neared him, Richard extended his left hand, catching it mid-flight.
As anticipated, upon seeing Richard grasp the kunai, the Fourth Hokage instantly performed Flying Thunder God, teleporting from his position to Richard's blind spot.
Simultaneously, the Fourth Hokage formed a Rasengan.
When Richard observed the Fourth Hokage throwing the kunai, he had anticipated this strategy.
He didn't remain stand sill to withstand the Fourth Hokage's Rasengan.
Just as the Fourth Hokage's Rasengan nearly contacted him, Richard also performed Flying Thunder God, vanishing from the Fourth Hokage's sight.