Chapter 168: Orochimaru Voluntarily Offers to Lead
"Sensei, I went to the ANBU," Hoshikawa said as they walked, bringing up the recent war situation in the Land of Frost.
"Rasa's strength is truly astonishing." Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "It's a good thing the Third Raikage's scheme didn't work out, or our Leaf Village would have been attacked from two sides."
This was precisely the dilemma the Leaf Village faced in the original story, being attacked sequentially by the Hidden Sand, Hidden Stone, Hidden Mist, and Hidden Cloud Villages.
If it hadn't been for the emergence of Minato Namikaze, who mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique, they would have likely been defeated disastrously.
It was precisely because his contributions were so immense that, despite his youth, he still became the Fourth Hokage.
However, the situation was different now; it would be much harder for him to become Hokage.
"Sensei, I'm going to buy two popsicles." Hoshikawa walked toward a nearby store.
Tsunade stopped to wait.
"Here." Hoshikawa handed Tsunade a popsicle.
"Eating a popsicle in the summer is really nice." Tsunade extended her delicate pink tongue to lick the icy surface.
The biting cold made her body shudder, and she felt immensely refreshed.
Hoshikawa blinked.
The scene was truly a feast for the eyes.
After returning home and having lunch, Tsunade couldn't resist and ran off to the casino.
She had originally intended to invite Hoshikawa along, but he refused, citing his need to train.
Earth Release: Descent of the Clay!
Hoshikawa stood in place, making hand seals.
Not far from him, the air warped, and large amounts of clay dropped out.
In the past two months, besides the Yin Seal, he had been training in Earth Release Ninjutsu.
Earth Release: Descent of the Clay was a B-Rank Ninjutsu, used by ANBU ninjas in the original story.
Hoshikawa had acquired the Ninjutsu scroll from Hiruzen Sarutobi through Tsunade.
"Hoshikawa ."
Just then, Nohara Rin walked over.
"Something wrong?" Hoshikawa noticed her hesitant expression and asked.
"Well... I want to ask for your help," Rin took a deep breath. "I want to test the Spirit Transformation Technique."
"How do you want to test it?" Hoshikawa asked with a peculiar expression. "Do you want to control my body?"
"No, no, I can't do that yet," Rin quickly shook her head. "I'm worried something might go wrong the first time I use the Spirit Transformation Technique. With you here, you can save me."
"I see." Hoshikawa nodded. "Alright, go ahead and use it. I'll watch."
"Thank you."
Rin raised her hands to make the seals.
The instant the final seal was made, her body trembled and fell backward.
Hoshikawa quickly caught her.
A faint fragrance wafted through the air.
He cradled her soft, slender waist, preventing her from hitting the ground, then looked around.
As expected, he couldn't see the existence of a soul with his naked eye.
Hoshikawa thought for a moment, gently helped Rin lean against him, and instantly made hand seals.
Mind's Eye!
He closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around Rin again.
His perception spread out, and he immediately noticed an anomaly.
About three meters to his left, there was a mass of special energy.
It was a chakra fluctuation, but somewhat different.
Hoshikawa thought of the Pure Land.
When a ninja dies, their soul returns to the Pure Land but does not reincarnate.
In the original story, the Impure World Reincarnation could summon the soul back to the world of the living.
The Sage of Six Paths could even perform the Pure Land Summoning, pulling souls directly to the world of the living.
Just then, Hoshikawa noticed Rin's soul floating farther and farther away.
What's going on?
At the same time, Hoshikawa noticed Rin's body growing cold.
"Rin!"
Hoshikawa yelled while simultaneously pumping chakra into her body.
After a few seconds, Rin suddenly opened her eyes, gasping for breath as if she were extremely exhausted.
"How are you?" Hoshikawa sighed in relief and asked.
"I felt a specific call from the unseen, and then I lost consciousness," Rin recovered for a moment. "Later, I heard your voice and dispelled the Jutsu in time."
A call?
Hoshikawa raised an eyebrow.
Could it be the Pure Land?
In the original story, only Katō Dan knew the Spirit Transformation Technique, but no details of his training were ever mentioned.
Since he had died in the Second Great Ninja War, Rin could only figure it out herself.
"Let me check." Hoshikawa reached out and placed his hand on her forehead.
Rin suddenly froze.
She only just realized her current position.
Being touched on the forehead was a small matter, but her entire body was resting in Hoshikawa 's arms.
Rin could clearly feel his warm embrace and the faint sound of his heartbeat.
The next second, her face flushed red at a visible speed.
Rin felt dizzy, instinctively grasping Hoshikawa 's arm, unsure of how to react.
"There are no problems with your body." Hoshikawa smiled, looking at her apple-red face.
"Th-Thank you..." Rin avoided his gaze, burying her head and speaking softly.
But she pressed closer to Hoshikawa , inhaling his scent, feeling a tingling sensation all over her body.
"If you can overcome that special call, you should be able to successfully use the Spirit Transformation Technique," Hoshikawa said thoughtfully.
He hadn't died, so he wasn't entirely sure, but it was a reasonable guess.
After Rin's soul left her body, she might have been judged as deceased, thus receiving the call from the Pure Land.
"I... I understand..." Rin subconsciously broke free from his embrace, took a step back, her face still bright red, and spoke in a tiny voice.
"Want to try again?" Hoshikawa smiled and asked.
"Wait!" Rin quickly shook her head.
In her current state, she was certain to fail.
"Alright, take some time to summarize what happened." Hoshikawa didn't press further. He turned around and continued to practice the Earth Release: Descent of the Clay.
Rin, seeing this, sighed in relief.
She covered her face with her hands, feeling the heat rising from her skin.
It took several minutes for her to calm down.
Rin stood still, carefully replaying the details of the out-of-body experience.
After a long while, she opened her eyes and looked at Hoshikawa .
The thought of falling into his arms again made her heart race.
But for some reason, she also felt a slight anticipation.
"Well..." Rin plucked up the courage to speak.
"Ready?" Hoshikawa asked with a smile.
"Mhm." Rin made the hand seals.
Just like before, her body was caught by Hoshikawa .
Mind's Eye!
Hoshikawa closed his eyes.
This time, Rin managed to hold out longer, lasting a minute more than the last time before losing consciousness.
"Thank you." Rin said, her face slightly flushed.
"It's nothing," Hoshikawa blinked. "I'm always happy to help."
"Mhm." Rin didn't argue, saying shyly, "It was very gentle."
Hoshikawa couldn't help but feel a strange sensation.
"Let's continue practicing," Rin looked at him and said.
After two close encounters, she had already grown somewhat accustomed to it.
Moreover, this was all for the sake of training the Spirit Transformation Technique.
"Mhm." Hoshikawa nodded slightly.
Although it would delay his own training, she was a teammate, after all.
Rin mastering the Spirit Transformation Technique would be of great use to their ninja squad.
And of course, having a beautiful girl in his arms was something Hoshikawa was quite happy about.
Cough, cough. He never hides his true nature. A man's gonna be a man.
Dusk arrived.
"Thank you, Hoshikawa ," Rin said gratefully. "Sorry for taking up your entire afternoon."
"It's fine." Hoshikawa shook his head. "How do you feel?"
"I've gained a fundamental understanding of the Spirit Transformation Technique," Rin said with an excited smile. "I feel like I'll be able to enter the next stage soon."
"Keep it up." Hoshikawa smiled.
"Hoshikawa !"
Just then, a figure appeared between the two of them.
It was Yūhi Kurenai.
She had been training at the small river behind Tsunade's house, practicing Genjutsu and Water Release, so she was a distance away from them.
"What are you two talking about?" Kurenai looked left and right, asking curiously.
"About the Spirit Transformation Technique."
Rin said, feeling a little guilty.
"Hoshikawa told me that the Spirit Transformation Technique allows the soul to leave the body." Kurenai was immediately interested. "Can you do it now?"
"Not very proficiently yet," Rin shook her head. "I'll show you once I've mastered it."
"It's a deal then!" Kurenai walked forward, taking her hand. "Sensei Tsunade is back. Let's go eat."
"Mhm." Rin nodded.
Time passed to August.
The climate in the Leaf Village became even hotter.
However, as ninjas, they could regulate their body temperature with chakra.
And with the Yin Seal, Hoshikawa had even less to worry about.
Outside Tsunade's house.
Yūhi Kurenai looked at Nohara Rin with anticipation.
"Are you sure you're alright with this?" Rin asked, still a little worried.
"I'm fine!" Kurenai said nonchalantly. "Go ahead!"
With Hoshikawa 's help, Rin's Spirit Transformation Technique had improved rapidly over the past two months and had finally reached the most critical stage.
That was the invasion of an enemy or another person's spiritual world to achieve the effect of mental destruction or body control.
Kurenai had volunteered to be the first subject for the Spirit Transformation Technique.
"Don't worry, Sensei is here." Hoshikawa reassured them.
He had specifically called Tsunade over just in case.
"Begin." Tsunade said calmly.
Rin nodded slightly and began to make the seals.
The next second, her body stood rigidly in place.
Now that she was proficient with the Spirit Transformation Technique, she no longer needed Hoshikawa to support her body.
In the air, invisible to the three of them, Rin's soul glowed faintly.
She aimed for Kurenai and flew down.
Instantly, her vision changed, and she appeared in a kaleidoscopic world.
"Wow, I can see you," Kurenai's voice sounded. "But my body can't move anymore."
"A body can only hold one soul. Since there are two souls in your body right now, the body doesn't know who to obey and is frozen," Tsunade explained. "You must determine a winner in the spiritual world to regain control of your body."
"Bring it on!" Kurenai was eager to try.
But she quickly realized something was wrong.
She had no idea how to fight in the spiritual world. In just a few seconds, she was completely defeated.
More than half of the entire spiritual world was under Rin's control.
"Alright, that's enough," Tsunade reminded them. "Any more, and there will be damage."
Rin immediately released the Spirit Transformation Technique upon hearing this.
Her soul returned to her body, and she opened her eyes.
"Ugh, that feeling was terrible," Kurenai couldn't help but shiver.
She never wanted to experience that a second time.
"I'm sorry, Kurenai," Rin said apologetically.
"It has nothing to do with you," Kurenai smiled. "Once you've completely mastered the Spirit Transformation Technique, our squad will be much stronger."
"I will master it as soon as possible!" Rin nodded forcefully.
A rushing sound of wind.
"Lady Tsunade."
The ANBU ninja Haru appeared. "The Hokage has requested you to attend the Jōnin meeting in the conference room."
"Jōnin meeting?" Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "Is there a problem with the Hidden Sand Village?"
"According to the latest intelligence, the Hidden Sand Village has requested aid from the Leaf Village." Haru did not hide the information.
Hoshikawa , Kurenai, and Rin exchanged glances.
There was no doubt about it. War was coming, and the Leaf Village had to get involved.
"I understand," Tsunade nodded slightly. "Hoshikawa , let's go."
"Yes, Sensei." Hoshikawa answered, then told Kurenai and Rin, "Wait for us."
The two quickly arrived at the conference room in the Hokage Tower.
As Hoshikawa stepped through the door, his heart twitched slightly.
He saw two unexpected figures: Orochimaru and Mitarashi Anko.
"Tsunade, long time no see." Orochimaru looked at Tsunade and greeted her first.
"You actually came to a meeting?" Tsunade asked, surprised.
"Just came out for some fresh air," Orochimaru said casually.
"Is that so?" Tsunade didn't believe him and chuckled. "I bet the old man made you."
Orochimaru didn't refute her.
He looked at Anko and Hoshikawa , who were chatting.
The two had known each other since the Academy.
"Tch." Tsunade glanced at the doorway. "That old guy still dares to show up."
Shimura Danzō also noticed her, his expression sinking. He didn't approach but went straight to his seat.
He was no longer the leader of Root, but he was still the Hokage's Advisor, so he remained a Leaf Village elder.
Not long after, Hiruzen Sarutobi walked into the conference room.
With him were the two Hokage Consultants, Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane.
"Just yesterday, the Hidden Sand Village was ambushed by the Hidden Cloud Village, losing six to seven hundred ninjas," Sarutobi said slowly. "Currently, the Hidden Sand's battlefront has retreated, and the Hidden Cloud is in hot pursuit. They will arrive at the Land of Fire shortly."
"We cannot allow the Hidden Cloud Village to reach the Land of Fire!"
"We must dispatch troops to intercept them!"
"With the Hidden Sand Village involved, the Leaf Village can defeat the Hidden Cloud Village!"
The conference room suddenly fell silent. The Jōnin all looked solemn and began to discuss the matter.
"Indeed," Sarutobi raised his hand, stopping the torrent of opinions. "The Leaf Village will immediately mobilize four thousand ninjas to depart. The leader will be..."
"I will lead the team." Orochimaru said abruptly.
"Hm?" Sarutobi was stunned, looking surprised.
"Orochimaru is highly experienced. With him leading the team, there will be no problems," Shimura Danzō seconded.
Sarutobi raised an eyebrow.
Are they colluding again?
"Alright then." Sarutobi didn't hesitate for too long and agreed.
Hoshikawa 's heart jolted.
Big problem!
If it were just Orochimaru, it would be fine, but with Shimura Danzō added to the mix, this was exactly the situation from the original story, wasn't it?
It was these two who competed with Minato Namikaze for the Fourth Hokage position.
Of course, now they were competing with Tsunade.
Hoshikawa secretly thought this was troublesome.
If Orochimaru successfully repelled the Hidden Cloud Village, he would earn immense merit.
He had also miscalculated a little, as Minato Namikaze would also be gunning for merit.
However, the most important thing was to ensure Tsunade also achieved merits that were not inferior to theirs.
"Now, for the second matter." Sarutobi didn't give anyone time to think. "The Hidden Mist Village has made a move."
The Jōnin in the conference room immediately looked shocked.
Are we going to have to fight on two fronts?
..............
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