Anya felt her head was about to split in two. The one who tied the bell is the only one who can untie it. Looks like she'd have to pay Orochimaru a visit.
"Hakuto, come with me somewhere."
"Okay."
A black portal opened up, and father and daughter jumped in at the same time.
When they reappeared, the pair arrived at Orochimaru's Northern Stronghold. The immense chakra of the Nine Tailed Beasts immediately caught Hakuto's attention, her expression turning awestruck.
"What is this...?"
Anya explained, "Chakra of the Nine Tailed Beasts, replicated from the originals. Though not as powerful, it still possesses at least half their strength."
"Here we go again, bringing your daughter along too. That's quite rare."
Orochimaru didn't seem surprised to see Anya, but Hakuto's presence clearly shocked him. His eyes gleamed with appreciation, as though studying a rare masterpiece.
Anya cut straight to the chase, "Last time I came, was it because you were angry about me nearly recognizing that child?"
A flicker of surprise crossed Orochimaru's face. "He went looking for you?"
Anya shook her head, "No, but he almost killed Sasuke, so I became aware of his existence."
"Ahh, so he went after all." Orochimaru sighed, then calmly continued, "With your intelligence, you should already suspect what's going on, right?"
"My guess is you originally created him intending him to become your new body. So why did you abandon that idea later?"
A flash of frenzy passed through Orochimaru's eyes. "He's my most perfect creation among all experiments. He was no bigger than my palm at first. Watching him grow bit by bit, becoming increasingly perfect brought me indescribable satisfaction—an achievement surpassing any ninjutsu. Making him my new vessel would've been desecration. I couldn't do it."
Hakuto chimed in then, "And there's also feelings involved, right? I can sense the deep emotions you have for him—kind of like how a parent feels about their child."
Orochimaru's gaze flickered slightly, but he said nothing more.
Anya asked, "Do you know where he's hiding now?"
Orochimaru countered, "Do you know why Kabuto allied with Obito to start the Fourth Great Ninja War?"
Seeing that Orochimaru had shifted topics, Anya didn't rush. She followed his lead, "Please explain."
"Kabuto always believed I died by Sasuke's hand and didn't know I had revived. For a time he completely lost himself, so he chose that child as his new master." Orochimaru stared intently at Anya and continued, "Truth is, you don't really need to worry about him—the boy won't be a bother to you. In his heart, he always viewed you as a godlike figure. It was actually his idea for Kabuto to ally with Obito. He knows your desire to change the entire Ninja World and make ninjas disappear entirely from existence."
This was the first time Hakuto had heard about Anya's ideal. Stunned, she asked, "Dad, is that really true? You want to eliminate all ninja from the Ninja World? No wonder Jiraiya..."
"Jiraiya?" Anya's expression changed abruptly. "He's not dead?! Could it be—in the Rain Country, you used the Spirit Control Technique to save his soul?"
Hakuto stuck out her tongue and stayed silent.
"Hmph. So what, he wouldn't let you speak? Right? Afraid I'll kill him? One of the Sannin, yet behaves like a disgusting toad."
Anya flipped his hand over and produced a small Bird Puppet. In front of the two people, he began modifying the puppet. His nimble hands moved rapidly up and down. Soon, the puppet had completely transformed into an ugly toad.
"Let him come out. From now on, live inside this toad. Besides being a little ugly, it's actually more free."
After all, it was crafted by Sasori. There would be no issues containing a soul.
"Alright."
Hakuto cast the Spirit Transformation Technique without hesitation. Before long, Jiraiya's soul emerged from the spiritual space and attached itself onto the puppet body. Just as he was about to try speaking, croaking sounds came from the puppet: "Croak, croak, croak..."
"Funny," Orochimaru couldn't help but laugh. "I've always thought people change. Like how I changed into my current form, and now you've become a frog. Quite amusing, isn't it?"
As he spoke, Orochimaru even stepped forward and patted the puppet's head.
Jiraiya furiously screamed toward Orochimaru: "Croak, croak, croak..."
Though no one could make out what he was screaming, it was easy to guess it was something really nasty.
"Noisy," Anya raised his foot and kicked the puppet away. "Be quiet for now. Under these limited conditions, there's not much I can do. After I finish handling things, I'll have someone make you a proper puppet capable of speaking normally."
Seeing the toad puppet rolling on the ground, Hakuto had to stifle a laugh but was too scared to go help. It was obvious that her father was angry because she had hidden things from him.
Surprisingly, Orochimaru extended his arm and grabbed the puppet. "For now, let me keep this old friend company."
Anya naturally had no objection. He glanced at the nine Tailed Beasts inside the Experiment Chambers and asked, "Is there still room for enhancing their Chakra?"
"Yes," Orochimaru answered decisively.
"However, their Chakra has now stabilized, entering a phase of slow growth. Now it just takes time."
"Time? That's exactly what I have plenty of."
The pupils in Anya's right eye suddenly changed, revealing the Dojutsu: Setsuna.
The bladed pupils slowly rotated as he said, "Uncle, throw all the materials in together."
Orochimaru smiled broadly. "I almost forgot—time truly means nothing to you."
Underneath the Experiment Chamber, Orochimaru created nine Shadow Clones. Each stood before one of the Tailed Beasts, pushing every machine's settings to their maximum limits.
At the same time, all the Experiment Chambers began shaking violently. The crackling sound of electricity grew stronger and louder. Enormous quantities of Chakra surged wildly, even affecting the weather above—lightning flashed across the sky while thunder rumbled ominously.
[Time Acceleration.]
The sonic booms kept increasing in intensity. The nine Tailed Beasts shook violently within their chambers. Roars resembling those of furious beasts echoed from within.
"Boom... boom..."
Suddenly, a blinding light appeared. Thunderclaps roaring through the heavens were accompanied by violent gusts of wind rushing from the sky. Rain fell heavily, creating a thick mist merging with the scene below. All the Experiment Chambers exploded simultaneously, leaving nothing but a white haze ahead. Only the fierce howls of wind, thunderous cracks, and savage roars remained, tearing at people's eardrums like a chorus of mad cries.
[Sage Art: White Rage Jutsu]
Anya sneered coldly, releasing from her mouth a luminous red dragon. A black orb hovered in the dragon's claw, spinning rapidly and pulling the entire crimson dragon into itself before detonating in a massive explosion. A blinding light and deafening roar shattered the Northern Stronghold completely.
The shrieking sound of the [Immortal Technique] (Sage Art) surged like collapsing mountains and roaring seas, reverberating through the heavens and drowning out all previous noises. There was no stopping it—the earlier ferocious roars were suddenly silenced.
"Hmph, you still want to escape?"
Anya sneered, her eyes transforming into Mangekyo Sharingan. Through layers of mist, the nine Tailed Beasts created inside the Experiment Chamber also had their eyes shift into Mangekyo Sharingan—and froze solid where they stood.
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