For ordinary people, bringing back the dead is nothing short of divine.
Even in the shinobi world, where forbidden jutsu exist, true resurrection is nearly impossible.
Edo Tensei may summon corpses, but that's only puppetry. Real revival...the return of a soul to its body, is a miracle reserved for legends.
Among the few who hold such power stands Uchiha Madara. With the Rinnegan, he wields the Rinne-Rebirth technique.
In the original timeline, Nagato once used that same jutsu to restore countless lives in Konoha.
"Tell me," Jaeger asked evenly, eyes drifting over Tsunade, who looked back at him with desperate resolve. "Who is it you want to resurrect?"
Her lips trembled. "My brother, Senju Nawaki! If it's possible… even if I must give my life, I'd sacrifice everything for him!"
Her eyes shone with tears. To Tsunade, the man before her wasn't human—he was closer to a god.
If anyone could twist the flow of life and death, it was Jaeger. And if not… then surely, somewhere in the countless worlds beyond, there had to be a way.
"Resurrection of the dead?"
Angel Leng tilted her head, voice cool. "Our civilization does possess such technology. But Queen Keisha forbids its use. Even if I wanted to, stranded in another world, I couldn't activate it."
Tsunade's fragile spark of hope dimmed again.
"On the subject of resurrection…"
Uchiha Miyuki's sharp gaze slid toward Madara. "If I remember correctly, Madara can also revive the dead."
"Ah?"
Tsunade turned in shock. " Grandpa Madara… can you really bring someone back?"
Madara's brow twitched. "Grandfather? Hashirama's granddaughter? I'm barely in my twenties—tch, whatever. Yes, I can. With the Rinne-Rebirth Technique."
His expression hardened. "But it devours my own life force. And why," his eyes narrowed, "should I spend my life for Hashirama's descendants?"
Tsunade froze. He was right. He owed her nothing.
Money? Ridiculous. Madara had no need.
Ninjutsu? Forbidden scrolls? A gamble? Laughable. What could she possibly offer a man who once split the sky battling Kasumigaoka Utaha's dragon form? Her library of techniques was worthless in comparison.
"Woo…"
Her fragile hope collapsed, and tears threatened to fall.
"Tch. Women… always crying instead of bargaining." Madara waved dismissively, then smirked as his eyes flicked toward Jaeger.
"Here's my condition: convince him. If you can make Jaeger forge a Noble Phantasm of my choosing, and also provide me with an enhanced Natural Devil Fruit, then I'll use my life force to resurrect your brother Nawaki."
"Eh? Convince… Jaeger?"
Tsunade's chest tightened. She turned to Jaeger, her voice caught between disbelief and fear.
Jaeger only smiled faintly, amused. "That is one path. But what exactly will you use to persuade me, Tsunade? What could you possibly trade? Noble Phantasms and Devil Fruits mean little to me—but to the rest of your world, they're priceless."
Her breath hitched. Deep down, she thought of her body. She knew Jaeger's gaze lingered too often. She knew she was considered one of the greatest beauties of the shinobi world.
But she couldn't bring herself to say it aloud.
Not because of pride. No—if it meant saving Nawaki, she would kneel, crawl, even throw away her dignity. Compared to her brother's life, her shame was nothing.
But…
If even Madara, with his immeasurable strength, coveted those treasures, how could she ask Jaeger to give them up? He had already saved her and Shizune. He was her savior, not her tool. How could she use him for selfish gain?
"…Forget it."
Her shoulders sagged, but her voice steadied. She met Jaeger's eyes, even as tears slid down her cheeks.
"Those treasures… they must be beyond value. To ask you to trade them away for my own desire—even if you agreed—I couldn't forgive myself. I would despise myself."
Her heart broke as she spoke. The dream she'd chased for years had been so close, within arm's reach. Yet, like the moon's reflection in a pond, it slipped away the moment she tried to grasp it.
"Che."
Madara snorted, annoyed. He hadn't expected Hashirama's granddaughter to have such resolve. But her refusal meant he lost the chance to seize two treasures.
"You'd rather abandon your brother's resurrection than let your savior suffer loss? Hmph."
Angel Leng's cold expression softened, the faintest flicker of respect crossing her face. "Worthy of admiration. If you ever set foot in my world, I will personally ask Queen Keisha to grant you angelhood—and resurrect your brother myself."
"…Thank you," Tsunade whispered, forcing a broken smile as she wiped her eyes.
"…Condolences."
Konan's voice was calm but heavy. She didn't mention that Nagato also possessed the Rinne-Rebirth Technique.
In his current Edo Tensei state, who knew if using it would erase him completely? Unlike Tsunade, Konan would never risk her closest friend's existence for another's sibling, even if Jiraiya had once been her teacher.
"Oh, don't cry like that, Tsunade-nee!"
Uchiha Miyuki's heart ached as she watched Tsunade, who had never looked so fragile even in the original history. She turned pleadingly to Jaeger. "Your Highness Jaeger, can't you really resurrect the dead?"
"Probably not. After all…" Kasumigaoka Utaha spoke with her usual calmness, though her tone carried a faint sting.
"His Highness excels more at destruction than creation. Even if the rune-script says it can 'do anything,' resurrection is… unlikely. His blood can heal flesh and restore life force, but bringing back the dead? I doubt even he could."
"…Sorry. I was being foolish."
Hearing the words of Utaha—someone strong enough to face Uchiha Madara head-on—Tsunade's heart sank even deeper. Her eyes dulled, her spirit collapsing.
She even thought, I might as well die early… accompany Nawaki. With Miyuki and these outsiders here, Konoha will be safe. Danzo will fall eventually. What's the point of me lingering?
But Jaeger's voice cut through her despair.
"Who decided I can only destroy?"
Everyone turned. Jaeger pulled Kasumigaoka Utaha casually into his arms, inhaling the faint fragrance of her hair. He spoke in a low, mock-dissatisfied tone.
"You insult me, Utaha. Belittling me like that."
"…Can you actually resurrect the dead?" Utaha's words were half a tease, but the surprise in her eyes betrayed her. She truly hadn't believed he could.
"I knew it!" Uchiha Miyuki instantly jumped in, eyes shining. "As expected of His Highness Jaeger—you're omnipotent!"
"But… I have nothing to offer you."
Tsunade's eyes suddenly lit with hope, only to tremble again with dread. She lowered her head, voice raw.
"The most precious thing I own is this body. My dignity, my life, my soul—if you can bring Nawaki back, they're all yours. I will never regret it."
"…Then the contract is sealed."
Jaeger raised his palm casually, as if joking. Two swirling purple eyes—Rinnegan—appeared, spinning in his grasp.
"This is…!"
Madara's face stiffened. His own Rinnegan Eyes.
"You're going to use the Rinne-Rebirth Technique yourself? Just for Hashirama's granddaughter? That would cost—"
He cut himself off. Realizing, suddenly, how pitiful he sounded.
"A drop in the bucket," Miyuki smirked, rubbing it in. "Don't you get it, Madara? His Highness isn't like us. He has the vitality of the Ōtsutsuki progenitor, and he's devoured a hundred and fifty suns."
"What's a little life force to someone like him? He could kill the world ten thousand times over and still have enough energy to resurrect it ten thousand more."
"…To ordinary people, life force is precious," Utaha admitted with a sigh. "But to him… it's worth less than a sip of water."
She tilted her head, curious. "But how will you do it? Replace your eyes? Wouldn't that risk your Mystic Eyes of Death and Eye of Horus?"
"Start the stream! Start the stream!" Miyuki yelled excitedly, whipping out her recording charm.
"This is a once-in-a-lifetime scene—His Highness gouging out his own eyes to sprout a Rinnegan! I won't miss it!"
"…Don't be stupid."
Jaeger rolled his eyes and smacked Miyuki's head, leaving her yelping dramatically.
His own eyes lit up, a gemlike glow rippling into a strange lavender spiral. The Rinnegan shimmered where his gaze met Tsunade's desperate ones.
This wasn't simply copying Madara's eyes.
Jaeger's Mystic Eyes of Death connected directly to the Root of this world—the origin and truth of all things.
Through it, he analyzed the concept of the Rinnegan, then reproduced it using his Ōtsutsuki bloodline as the mold.
"I thought it might be tricky," he muttered. "But it was easier than expected."
Madara's pupils shrank. "You… you really did it…" He could only stare at Jaeger like he was a monster.
Miyuki nearly vibrated out of her skin. "How did you do that?! Tell me! Teach me! I want Rinnegan too!"
"It's simple," Jaeger said flatly. "The Mystic Eyes of Death links to the Root. I understood the form of the Rinnegan, then recreated it with Ōtsutsuki blood. That's all."
Miyuki and Madara both twitched, deadpan. That's all, he says… Of course, no one else could replicate something so absurd.
Jaeger clapped his hands once. "Now then—the next step: Edo Tensei. Nawaki Senju, rise again. Miyuki, I'll let you put on a good show for your 'Tsunade-sama.'"
"Cough—! Don't phrase it like that!" Miyuki flailed. "And besides—you forgot? Edo Tensei requires cells and a living sacrifice!"
"Nawaki's body is buried in the Senju compound," Tsunade blurted out immediately. But when it came to a living sacrifice, her voice faltered. The thought alone was unbearable.
Jaeger, however, didn't hesitate. He raised his hand, tearing open space itself.
One rift revealed the Senju clan's graveyard in Konoha. The other tore open the training grounds of Sunagakure.
A moment later, Nawaki's remains and a dazed Suna jōnin both landed at their feet.
"This… this is like a god's technique…"
Shizune's eyes went wide, overwhelmed. In that moment, her master offering herself to such an existence no longer felt humiliating—it felt like a bargain.
Jaeger only looked at Miyuki, voice light.
"It's all yours."
"Hey-hey! Watch closely, Tsunade-san! I'll show off my skills!"
Uchiha Miyuki grinned ear to ear as she opened the chat group's live broadcast. Striding toward the immobilized Sunagakure jōnin, who was trembling in despair, she waved cheerfully at the screen.
"Everyone, gather round! His Highness Jaeger is about to perform the resurrection of the dead!"
In an instant, the chat group lit up.
Karuizawa Kei: Resurrection of the dead?! When did Jaeger-sama gain a godlike ability like that? As expected of my master…!
Luo Hao: Could it be he defeated some divine being and seized its power—similar to the God of Death himself?
Kocho Shinobu: R-Resurrection… of the dead…?
Her words came haltingly, but her next message shook with longing.
If this is real… could you bring back my sister, Kanae? If so… I would pay any price. Even if it means both of us serving you, Jaeger-sama…
•••
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