While Kitazawa and the others were returning to Konoha, an emergency meeting was convened in the Mizukage's office in the Hidden Mist Village.
"You may leave." After the ANBU ninja finished his report, Terumī Mei waved her hand lightly and spoke.
"Yes, Mizukage-sama." The ANBU ninja turned and left.
He was the ANBU captain who had encountered Kitazawa and Tsunade the day before.
"Konoha is going too far!" Zabuza said, his voice filled with displeasure.
"Absolutely outrageous!" Suigetsu echoed angrily. "Konoha has completely forgotten that we're their ally!"
"Treaties only matter to the victor." Terumī Mei spoke calmly. "What's done is done. Talking won't change anything."
The Mizukage's office fell into silence.
Zabuza and the others wore expressions of frustration mixed with helplessness.
"I'll set out for Konoha tomorrow," Ao said slowly.
"Try to make sure the Hidden Mist pays as small a price as possible." Terumī Mei reminded him.
"I understand." Ao nodded gravely.
But both he and Terumī Mei knew how difficult that would be. After all, Konoha had captured the Six-Tails Jinchuriki, Utakata.
A Jinchuriki was a village's ultimate weapon—one that must never be lost.
No matter the cost, the Hidden Mist would ransom him back.
"Fortunately, we've reached a deal with Sunagakure," Terumī Mei said, shifting the topic. "That eases our financial strain considerably."
"Whoever's running the water trade in Amegakure is a real talent," Ao added. "They actually thought of using war to drive up prices."
After Amegakure raised its rates, Sunagakure followed suit. The water-trade war had reached a delicate equilibrium.
"Still, this isn't a long-term solution," Terumī Mei said, her fingers steepled. "Amegakure still dominates the market. Suna won't accept that forever."
"Mizukage-sama," Zabuza asked suddenly, "why don't we join Suna in wiping out Amegakure, then turn on Konoha?"
Terumī Mei's gaze sharpened. For a brief moment, a flicker of interest passed through her eyes.
But when she thought of Konoha's strength, she quickly dismissed the idea.
The gap between the Five Great Villages was vast. Both Suna and Kiri stood at the bottom.
Together they could field more ninja, but numbers alone weren't everything.
Great shinobi could decide the outcome of a war—just like Minato Namikaze once did.
Suna and Kiri simply didn't have enough elites to rival Konoha.
Worse still, Kiri could not afford another defeat. They had already been crushed by Konoha once and paid a terrible price.
Another loss would break them completely.
"The risk of war is too high," Terumī Mei said, rubbing her temples. "Even if we ally with Suna, we can't be certain of defeating Konoha."
Zabuza wanted to argue. He hated sounding like he was inflating Konoha's reputation, but facts were facts.
"Cooperating against Amegakure is feasible," Terumī Mei continued, "but only if Suna asks for our help. That way, we maximize our gains."
In her view, Amegakure's only true threat was Hanzō. Without him, the village had no top-tier fighters.
Amegakure might lack funds, but among the villages below the Five Greats, it was the strongest.
Seizing control of the entire water market would still be profitable.
More importantly, Suna and Kiri together could crush Amegakure without suffering heavy losses.
"Will Suna really ask us for help?" Zabuza frowned. "With their strength, taking on Amegakure shouldn't be a problem."
"It shouldn't, but Hanzō won't be easy to eliminate." Terumī Mei smiled faintly. "If the battle drags on, other villages may intervene."
"True." Zabuza nodded in agreement.
---
The next day arrived.
Kitazawa's group returned to Konoha.
Tsunade stopped a short distance from the village gate. She turned to look at Kitazawa.
"The teacher and I still have business," Kitazawa said, reading her expression. "My Shadow Clone will guide you to your lodgings."
"No problem," En no Gyōja replied with a shrug.
"About Hotaru's enrollment, I'll take her to the Academy myself," Kitazawa added.
On the road, he had already told En no Gyōja about placing Hotaru in the Genius Class.
En no Gyōja had agreed without hesitation. One of the main reasons he had moved the Tsuchigumo Clan to Konoha was Hotaru.
Only here could she truly grow. Joining the Ninja Academy was the perfect beginning—she would learn every fundamental she needed.
Kitazawa formed a hand seal and created a Shadow Clone.
Under the clone's guidance, En no Gyōja, Sasuke, and the others entered Konoha.
"Aren't we basically hiding in plain sight?" Kitazawa asked with a wry smile.
"Who cares?" Tsunade shot him a glare. "Priority one—the Casino!"
"We're already in Konoha. No rush," Kitazawa said calmly.
"Move it!" Tsunade grabbed his hand and dragged him straight toward the Konoha Casino.
They arrived in no time. She released him, sat at the nearest table, and started betting immediately.
Kitazawa thanked his luck that it was their own casino—otherwise, she would burn through millions in days.
Bored with gambling, he closed his eyes and opened the system. At present, he had nine unfinished system missions—quite a number.
He studied the list carefully. Overall, helping Naruto achieve Partial Tailed Beast Transformation had to come first.
First, the reward was solid. Second, it led directly to the follow-up mission—turning Naruto into a Perfect Jinchuriki.
Third, it connected with the mission for Sasuke to awaken his Mangekyo Sharingan.
Most importantly, the task wasn't theoretically difficult.
Partial transformation depended on two things: Naruto's relationship with Kurama and Naruto's own chakra control.
With Kitazawa's guidance, Naruto had already befriended Kurama far earlier than in the original story.
Full transformation was still out of reach, but partial transformation should be achievable.
The real issue lay in Naruto's chakra control. For his age, he was already far stronger than his original counterpart.
But Partial Tailed Beast Transformation was different—Kurama's chakra was overwhelming and demanded extremely fine control.
Kitazawa began planning Naruto's new training regimen.
Time passed quietly, and evening soon arrived.
"Teacher." Kitazawa tapped Tsunade's thigh. "It's night. Let's head back and come again tomorrow."
"Go where? I'm not going home—might as well sleep here." Tsunade declared stubbornly. "I'm staying until I win it all back!"
"We strode straight into Konoha. Shizune-senpai must've heard by now," Kitazawa said, his mouth twitching.
By the time you win it back, the Akatsuki Organization will probably be attacking Konoha.
"Fine." Tsunade agreed reluctantly.
"Relax," Kitazawa chuckled at her gloomy expression. "If Shizune-senpai won't let you come tomorrow, I'll take your shift for you."
"Really?" Tsunade's eyes lit up instantly.
"Would I lie to you?" Kitazawa asked.
Glancing around, Tsunade pulled him into a corner.
"What are you doing?" Kitazawa asked, puzzled.
"Giving you your reward."
She rose on tiptoe and kissed him.
Startled, Kitazawa instinctively wrapped his arms around her. Her lips were soft; their tongues sparred.
When they finally parted, Tsunade gasped for air, her chest heaving.
Feeling dizzy, Kitazawa buried his face in her embrace.
Tsunade couldn't help but raise her hand and rap him hard on the head, yet she didn't push him away.
She then gently stroked his hair, feeling a quiet happiness welling up inside.
Only when Kitazawa started getting restless did she shove him aside.
"I'll let you off today." Tsunade kicked him lightly and turned to walk out.
Kitazawa clenched his fist and hurried after her.
Because Tsunade had only spent the afternoon gambling, Shizune said nothing when she saw her.
---
Early the next morning, Kitazawa brought Hotaru to the Ninja Academy.
Hotaru looked around, her gaze eventually settling on the Genius Class students training on the field.
After watching for a moment, she felt surprised.
So this is Konoha, one of the Five Great Villages? So many powerful kids my age.
"They'll be your classmates from now on." Kitazawa introduced them.
Hotaru nodded, anticipation clearly showing on her face.
She had grown up among the Tsuchigumo Clan with no friends and had never met children her own age; this was her first time attending school.
"I'll take you to register first." Kitazawa patted her head as he spoke.
"Mm." Hotaru answered obediently, "Thank you, Teacher Kitazawa."
"Follow me." Kitazawa turned and walked toward Iruka Umino's office.
"Kitazawa-senpai." Iruka quickly stood up to greet him when he saw him enter.
"This is Hotaru, a new student for the Genius Class." Kitazawa went straight to the point.
"Hello, Hotaru. I'm Iruka Umino, the teacher of the Genius Class." Iruka looked at Hotaru and introduced himself.
He was already used to Kitazawa occasionally bringing prodigies back to Konoha, so he wasn't surprised.
"Teacher Iruka." Hotaru bowed slightly and said, "Please take care of me."
Iruka smiled and nodded. Better-mannered than Kimimaro and the others when they first joined.
"Have Lord Third and the others returned?" Kitazawa asked again.
He had come early and hadn't seen Sarutobi Hiruzen on the field.
Only some of the Genius Class students had arrived. He knew that Kurenai had already finished her mission and returned to the village.
"Lord Third and Senior Kakashi haven't come back yet," Iruka answered.
"Notify me when they return." Kitazawa nodded as he spoke.
"Understood." Iruka naturally knew what he meant.
Once all the teachers and students were back, the mid-term rankings would be announced.
"For the next final exam, Team Battles will be canceled; it'll be individual fights." Kitazawa suddenly remembered something and added.
"Individual fights?" Iruka was a little surprised.
"Because of the new students, Shion and Chino," Kitazawa paused, "including Hotaru as well."
On the way back, he had already gauged Hotaru's strength. To his surprise, she specialized not in Earth Release but in Water Release.
How should he put it? With Hotaru, the Genius Class now had one more Water Release user.
Add in Sakura, Haku, and Chino, and that made four.
Who would have thought that in Konoha, the most common talent among geniuses wouldn't be Fire Release but Water Release?
As for the forbidden jutsu, Fury, it was inscribed on her back. That was the Tsuchigumo Clan's unique way of passing on techniques.
In the original story, Shiranami captured Hotaru to extract Fury from her.
Kitazawa considered Fury useless, much like Jūgo's Sage Transformation—pure downside.
Though it could absorb natural energy, there was no way to control it.
The former could only self-destruct for a trade-off; the latter went berserk and killed, emotionally unstable.
After examining Fury, Kitazawa found it had nothing to do with Sage Mode.
Jūgo's Sage Transformation was more like a weakened version of Sage Mode.
"Iruka, take Hotaru to meet the Genius Class." Kitazawa thought for a moment and added, "Arrange tutoring for her in theory lessons."
"All right." Iruka left the office with Hotaru.
Kitazawa didn't linger; after leaving the Academy, he headed straight for the Hokage Building.
"You're finally here!"
Tsunade, slumped over the Hokage's desk, sprang up the moment she saw him, as if a fish leaping back into water had suddenly come alive again.
"It's not even office hours yet." Kitazawa glanced at the clock on the wall and asked.
"Enough talk—give me the money. I'm heading to the Casino!" Tsunade walked over, stretched out her hand, and demanded righteously.
"Shouldn't we do the handover first?" Kitazawa took her hand and asked.
"No need." Tsunade slapped his hand away. "Don't you know the situation in Konoha?"
"True." Kitazawa casually handed her a passbook. "Here's this week's allowance."
He was the head of the ANBU. All important intelligence in Konoha passed through him.
Apart from Tsunade, no one knew more than he did.
"So generous?" Tsunade glanced at the passbook in surprise.
"If you think it's too much, you can give it back." Kitazawa smiled faintly.
"No way!" Tsunade quickly tucked the passbook away. "Work hard today, I'm off!"
With that, she vanished on the spot.
Kitazawa shook his head helplessly.
He sat down in the Hokage's chair and picked up the documents.
Anything that reached Tsunade's desk was important. And he had already seen most of the key files in the ANBU, so he finished quickly.
In less than an hour, he had cleared the entire Hokage desk.
The top file concerned Utakata, the Six-Tails Jinchuriki from the Hidden Mist.
Ao was already leading a delegation and would arrive tomorrow.
Kitazawa rubbed his chin. The negotiations would naturally be left to Nara Shikaku.
He had no interest in arguing with the Mist delegation.
Besides, Konoha already held the advantage—no matter how they negotiated, they wouldn't lose.
Kitazawa had already told Shizune to draft the terms for the Mist negotiation.
Now he only needed Shikaku to negotiate based on those terms.
"Haru," Kitazawa called out.
"Hoka—Lord Kitazawa." Haru pushed the door open, startled for a second before speaking at once.
Kitazawa hadn't told anyone he was filling in for Tsunade.
So seeing him sitting in the Hokage's seat made her pause.
"Tell Senior Shikaku to find Shizune. He's in charge of the negotiations with the Mist." Kitazawa said casually.
"Yes, Lord Kitazawa." Haru bowed slightly and left.
Normally, such orders came from Tsunade.
But with Kitazawa sitting in the Hokage's chair, there was nothing to question.
After organizing the files, Kitazawa formed a hand seal and created a Shadow Clone.
The work was done—no need to stay. His clone could keep watch.
Kitazawa headed to a nearby Training Ground to practice the Flying Thunder God Technique.
He was eager for Tsunade's special reward; mastering Flying Thunder God sooner meant claiming it earlier.
On top of that, he could complete a system mission with an unknown reward—win-win, he'd profit twice.
The sun set, and the day of training passed quickly.
---
The next afternoon, Ao's Mist delegation arrived in Konoha.
Kitazawa didn't go, and neither did Tsunade.
Two days later, the Genius Class final exam concluded.
After announcing the rankings, Kitazawa took Naruto to the Forest of Death.
They trained there instead of the Academy because half-Tailed Beast transformations caused too much commotion.
If other ninja mistook it for Nine-Tails going berserk, it would cause needless panic.
"Naruto." Kitazawa stopped walking. "How are things between you and Kurama now?"
"We're friends!" Naruto gave a big thumbs-up. "He really admires my way of youth!"
"——?" Kitazawa slowly typed a question mark in his mind.
Did I skip an episode? How did it get to this point?
"Kurama keeps saying it's boring inside the seal space," Naruto scratched his head. "Is there a way to let him out to play?"
"Not for now." Kitazawa thought for a moment. "I can teach you a game so you can play with him when you're free."
"Great!" Naruto asked excitedly, "What game?"
"It's called Duel Monsters, a card game," Kitazawa said casually. "Inside the seal space, Kurama can mold chakra into special cards."
"Got it!" Naruto nodded firmly.
"Go find it now." Kitazawa reminded him, "Tell it that if it wants to play, it should lend you its chakra."
Naruto closed his eyes at those words. His consciousness quickly sank into the seal space.
This method had been taught by Kitazawa so that he could look for Kurama anytime, anywhere.
"Big fox!" Naruto shouted loudly.
"I heard you. Stop yelling." Kurama lay on the ground and opened its eyes.
"Teacher Kitazawa told me to find you!" Naruto stepped closer and said.
"Oh?" Kurama's interest was piqued. "Are we going to hear the unofficial history of Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama?"
"No." Naruto relayed Kitazawa's words.
"Duel Monsters card game?" Kurama tilted its head. "Is it really fun?"
"I don't know." Naruto laughed awkwardly. "I forgot to ask."
"Sounds pretty arrogant, at least." Kurama snorted. "I'll lend you my chakra, but if it's not fun, I'm taking it back!"
"Thanks, Kurama!" Naruto said hurriedly.
Kurama opened its mouth and exhaled. A howling wind burst forth as a mass of dark-red chakra surged straight into Naruto.
His consciousness was kicked out. The moment he steadied himself, he felt that chakra erupt skyward inside him.
The nearby trees were caught in the blast, sending countless leaves flying.
Kitazawa looked at the now Saiyan-like Naruto and was left speechless.
Having tons of chakra really lets you do whatever you want. And clearly Kurama had only casually lent a bit—nothing serious yet.
Too bad Sasuke wasn't here to see it. If he had witnessed this, he might have awakened his Mangekyo Sharingan on the spot.
"Whoa!" Naruto exclaimed, staring at the chakra cloaking him. "So much chakra!"
"A lot of chakra isn't the point." Kitazawa shook his head. "What matters is how you use that much."
Once the novelty wore off, Naruto gradually calmed down.
"You'll train chakra control—same as before, tree-climbing." Kitazawa formed seals with one hand. "But instead of your own chakra, you'll use Kurama's."
A Wood Dragon appeared out of thin air and stretched skyward like a blade.
"Kurama—or any Tailed Beast—has far wilder chakra than ours." Kitazawa continued. "Wild chakra is more powerful, but much harder to control."
"Teacher Kitazawa, do I climb this Wood Dragon?" Naruto's eyes lit up as he asked eagerly.
"Mm." Kitazawa nodded. "Reach the top, and your chakra-control training is complete."
There was another reason as well. He worried that Kurama might run rampant.
With the Wood Dragon present, any rampage would be instantly suppressed.
That would keep both Naruto and Konoha Village as safe as possible.
Kitazawa remembered that in the original story, Jiraiya had nearly been killed by a rampaging Naruto while teaching him to control Kurama's chakra.
"Got it!" Naruto shouted. "The training of youth starts now!"
Kitazawa gave a slight nod. He didn't leave. Instead, he practiced his Flying Thunder God Technique nearby.
From time to time, he could even spare a moment to guide Naruto.
A day passed with no real progress.
Naruto was stuck at the very first step—he couldn't even coat the soles of his feet with Kurama's chakra.
Still, he couldn't be blamed.
Kitazawa only expected him to be able to borrow Kurama's chakra by the mid-term exam two months later.
As for a partial Tailed Beast transformation, there was no rush.
With his current strength, even just borrowing Kurama's chakra would let him steamroll the Genius Class.
Then they'd see how long Sasuke could hold out.
If even that didn't awaken his Mangekyo Sharingan, Kitazawa would have to resort to some underhanded tricks.
---
Time trickled by, and another month passed.
After lengthy negotiations, Konoha Village and the Hidden Mist Village finally reached a mutually satisfactory deal regarding the Six-Tails Jinchuriki, Utakata.
Of course, the Mist wasn't satisfied—they had been forced to accept.
Nine o'clock in the morning.
After strolling through the Ninja Academy, Kitazawa arrived at the Hokage Building.
"You're right on time." Tsunade glanced at the wall clock and remarked.
"Coming early wouldn't help," Kitazawa replied casually.
"How wouldn't it?" Tsunade pointed at the paperwork on the Hokage's desk. "You could help me with these documents."
"Tsunade-sensei, you're the Hokage," Kitazawa emphasized.
"If I don't grab every chance to slack off, I'll regret it," Tsunade said shamelessly.
"..." Kitazawa's mouth twitched.
Shameless really is invincible.
"Time's up. Let's head to the conference room." Tsunade stood and walked over to him.
Kitazawa stayed where he was and stretched out his hand.
Tsunade blinked, rolled her eyes, but stepped forward and hugged him.
Kitazawa held her soft, fragrant body, lowered his head, and kissed her forehead.
Only after a moment did he let go.
"You're impossible." Tsunade shook her head, the corners of her mouth curving as she walked toward the conference room.
The conference room was already full.
All the Konoha and Mist ninja involved in the negotiations were present, waiting only for Tsunade.
As for Kitazawa, he was just here to fill a seat.
"Hokage-sama." Ao stood and greeted her.
"Enough small talk—let's sign directly," Tsunade said briskly.
"Hokage-sama." Nara Shikaku quickly handed her two documents. "These are the agreed terms."
"Mm." Tsunade skimmed them, picked up her pen, and signed.
On the Mist side, Terumī Mei hadn't come, so Ao signed instead.
Once the signatures were done, the negotiations concluded. What followed was the execution of the terms.
Konoha would keep the Six-Tails Jinchuriki, Utakata, in custody until every condition was fulfilled.
Ao led the Mist delegation away in haste.
They were even more anxious than Konoha. After all, a Jinchuriki had been captured.
Any mishap would be a catastrophic loss for the Hidden Mist.
"How's Naruto doing?" Tsunade asked as they walked.
"Smoothly." Kitazawa chuckled. "You know his personality—he can even befriend Kurama."
"For a Jinchuriki, that's a good thing." Tsunade nodded, then reminded him, "But Kurama could still run wild."
Kurama had ultimately lost its freedom. No friendship, no matter how close, could replace freedom.
Yet Konoha couldn't simply release Kurama.
Unless Konoha produced another God of Shinobi who could thrash all nine Tailed Beasts at once, keeping or releasing Kurama made little difference.
"I know." Kitazawa pushed open the Hokage Office door. "Rest assured—if Kurama runs wild, I'll make sure it causes no harm."
"Mm." Tsunade believed him. She had seen Kitazawa's Wood Release.
"Tsunade-sensei." Kitazawa stopped. "When Ao and the others return, let me know."
Tsunade nodded.
She knew Kitazawa wanted the method that allowed a Jinchuriki to survive the extraction of their Tailed Beast.
She was interested in that method as well.
"Then I'm off to train—see you later." Kitazawa left the Hokage Office, closing the door behind him.
One hour later, inside the Hokage Office.
"Here." Tsunade handed him the scroll.
"How does it look?" Kitazawa asked casually.
"Seems feasible," Tsunade commented after some thought.
Kitazawa unrolled the scroll and began to read.
The scroll came from the Hidden Mist and detailed a method for a Jinchuriki to survive Tailed Beast extraction.
Once a Tailed Beast is sealed inside a Jinchuriki, their chakras intermingle.
If the Beast is removed, the Jinchuriki's body collapses, and they die.
The scroll's solution was simple—leave a portion of the Tailed Beast's chakra inside the Jinchuriki.
Over time, the Jinchuriki's body recovers, no longer dependent on the Beast's chakra, and becomes a normal ninja once more.
Kitazawa rolled up the scroll and thought of Killer Bee.
In the original story, Killer Bee had survived extraction thanks to the tentacle the Eight-Tails left behind.
In that sense, Utakata's teacher had indeed found the correct method—just a little too abstract.
He hadn't even told his student before the extraction.
Kitazawa realized that in the ninja world, abstract masters like Utakata's teacher were far from rare.
Take Rasa, for example. He had turned a perfectly good Gaara into a bloodthirsty killer.
Yet in the later stages of the original story, Gaara without Shukaku was completely normal.
"This method should work." Kitazawa paused. "It can even be improved."
"How?" Tsunade asked, curious.
"In theory, you don't need to keep a fragment of the Tailed Beast's chakra. Injecting enough Yang Release chakra should suffice." Kitazawa replied.
"Very few ninja possess that much Yang Release chakra." Tsunade shook her head.
A fragment of a Tailed Beast's chakra already surpassed most ninja.
Still, Kitazawa wasn't wrong.
Yang Release breathes life into form. Once its chakra reaches a certain level, anyone not long dead can be revived.
More than revived—limb regeneration or any injury could be healed easily.
"You might pull it off." Tsunade looked at him.
"Then I'd better work harder."
Kitazawa knew his own chakra—vast, yet still short of a Tailed Beast's. But he possessed the Power of the Dragon Vein.
Coupled with an improved Life Reincarnation Jutsu, he could restore any Jinchuriki whose Tailed Beast had been extracted in mere minutes.
"Put it away." Tsunade stretched lazily. "Let's hope it's never needed."
"I've got another idea." Kitazawa rolled up the scroll. "Release the other half of Kurama from the Shinigami's stomach."
"You think I haven't considered that?" Tsunade leaned back. "It's impossible—it involves the Reaper Death Seal."
"I know." Kitazawa smiled. "Using the Reaper Death Seal to summon the Shinigami costs the user their life."
The Reaper Death Seal is a mutual-death sealing technique. After the Shinigami takes the target's soul, it takes the user's as well.
That is why the other half of Kurama—the Yin half—remains inside the Shinigami.
"If you know that, why bring it up?" Tsunade rolled her eyes.
"Lord Orochimaru developed a special forbidden jutsu," Kitazawa spoke calmly. "It's called the Living Corpse Reincarnation."
"Living Corpse Reincarnation?" Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "Why don't I know about it?"
"It touches Orochimaru's deepest secrets—he never told us." Kitazawa lied. "I stumbled on it by accident."
"What does it do?" Tsunade didn't dwell on it; the name alone sounded ominous.
"It allows the user's soul to occupy another body, granting immortality," Kitazawa answered.
"Immortality?" Tsunade's heart shook as disbelief flashed across her face.
Ninjas rarely lived long; reaching fifty was already considered old.
She had never even heard of immortality. No—Orochimaru had hinted at it before, but she had brushed it off.
To her, immortality had always been pure fantasy.
"Truly a forbidden technique." Tsunade steadied herself.
Living Corpse Reincarnation defied natural order and required abandoning one's own body.
After swapping bodies again and again, would the result still be the same person?
"It's forbidden, but it can help us retrieve the other half of Kurama's chakra." Kitazawa reminded her.
Tsunade let out a soft gasp. A brilliant ninja, she immediately grasped the implication.
If, before the Shinigami claimed the soul, the user transferred it to another body through Living Corpse Reincarnation, death could be cheated.
The price would merely be a body.
"Orochimaru won't easily give up his original body," Tsunade said uncertainly.
"Given a better vessel, Orochimaru wouldn't hesitate." Kitazawa paused. "I suspect Otogakure gathers geniuses to find him the perfect host."
Tsunade felt a flash of clarity. She had always wondered why Orochimaru collected prodigies—containers explained it all.
"But I won't provide him one," Tsunade stated firmly.
"Lord Orochimaru already has a solution." Kitazawa continued calmly. "Let him clone one."
Tsunade blinked, then frowned. It was, in fact, a good plan.
However, she had restricted cloning to organs for disabled ninjas.
"We can monitor Orochimaru—just one clone body." Kitazawa read her thoughts. "The Shinigami holds more than Kurama's other half."
"Do as you say." Tsunade agreed immediately.
Inside the Shinigami was also Minato Namikaze's soul.
Normally, souls pass on to the Pure Land, but those trapped within the Shinigami are exceptions.
A cruel fate.
Kushina Uzumaki's soul rested in the Pure Land, while Minato's remained in the Shinigami's belly.
Even in death, they could not reunite.
"I'll have Itachi keep watch." Kitazawa mused.
Since returning to Konoha, Orochimaru had behaved, but forbidden jutsu and cloning might stir new schemes.
"Mm." Tsunade nodded.
"I'll go find Lord Orochimaru now."
Kitazawa turned and left the Hokage Office.
Clones—or artificial humans—would not be finished overnight.
Let Orochimaru work. When the time came, they would extract Kurama's other half.
In truth, doing so now would be unwise.
Naruto was still too young; he could barely handle Kurama's current half, let alone more.
Kitazawa soon met Orochimaru and Yakushi Kabuto.
"Kitazawa-sensei." Kabuto greeted him hurriedly.
"Kabuto, step out. I need to speak with Lord Orochimaru." Kitazawa nodded.
"Understood." Kabuto turned and left.
"What do you want?" Orochimaru asked coolly.
"Lord Orochimaru, would you like a perfect vessel?" Kitazawa smiled faintly.
"What do you mean?" Orochimaru's eyes narrowed like a snake's, danger glinting within.
He did not recall ever telling Kitazawa about Living Corpse Reincarnation.
"It's obvious, isn't it?" Kitazawa shrugged. "Otogakure has gathered far too many prodigies."
"I'm a prisoner—why help me now?" Orochimaru asked after a brief silence.
"It's a transaction," Kitazawa replied calmly.
"Oh? What do you need?" Orochimaru's interest was piqued.
"Know the Reaper Death Seal?" Kitazawa asked.
"Of course." Orochimaru smiled faintly.
"I need you to use it to release the Fourth Hokage's soul," Kitazawa explained.
"Interesting idea." Orochimaru blinked, then understood.
"My payment is the Chimera Technique," Kitazawa said casually.
"The Chimera Technique? Hiruko's forbidden jutsu?" Orochimaru scoffed. "That technique can't succeed."
"You misjudge—he's almost there." Kitazawa shook his head.
Orochimaru frowned instinctively.
"Konoha will also allow you to clone a single artificial human," Kitazawa added.
"Deal," Orochimaru answered without hesitation.