The trip to the Land of Whirlpools went very smoothly.
With the Land of Whirlpools immigrants joining New Konoha, they naturally knew more about the Mask Storage Temple and the Shinigami Masks than anyone else.
Therefore,
after the group arrived at the ruins of the Land of Whirlpools, they quickly found the Mask Storage Temple among the wreckage. From the thousands of masks inside, they accurately located the Shinigami Mask capable of summoning the Shinigami.
Did anyone try to stop them during their trip to the Land of Whirlpools?
Of course!
After all, the entire Ninja World is in utter chaos now, and the Land of Whirlpools has long since become a lawless territory. Rōnin, Rogue Ninjas, and villains are beyond count. The problem was that Uchiha Jin and his group were simply too strong.
Uchiha Jin didn't even need to lift a finger; even Kakashi and Shisui weren't required. Just two teams of Anbu were enough to completely wipe out the opposition.
Following that,
the group spent two days returning to Konoha.
Uchiha Jin didn't waste any time and immediately took the Shinigami Mask to Orochimaru. Naturally, Kushina and Uzumaki Naruto followed him, along with the Senju brothers, Uzumaki Mito, Sakumo Hatake, and several others.
Clearly,
they were all quite interested in the Edo Tensei.
At this moment, Orochimaru was wearing a white lab coat. To be honest, he was very satisfied with his life during this period.
Instead of conducting research sneakily as he had in the past, he could now pursue his interests openly. He didn't even need to find others to take the blame for him, making his life quite pleasant lately.
He was now completely convinced by Uchiha Jin's leadership as the Hokage.
"Mom, are we going to revive Dad?"
Uzumaki Naruto asked in a low voice.
He was currently dressed in a sharp black casual outfit. Not only was he perfectly clean, but even his hairstyle was very similar to Minato Namikaze's, standing in stark contrast to his appearance back in the Old Konoha.
"Yes, that's right!"
"You'll see your father in a moment."
Uzumaki Kushina said with a smile, unable to resist patting Naruto's head.
Next,
Orochimaru didn't waste any words either. After briefly studying the Shinigami Mask, he brought in a spy from an enemy village to serve as a sacrifice.
"Yamamoto Ryuta, it's time for you to act!"
"Now that all the high-ranking officials of Konoha, and even Hokage-sama himself, are here in person, you should understand that Konoha keeps its word."
"As long as you voluntarily become the sacrifice, we will announce to the world that you died in the line of duty."
"Your family and children can continue to live well in Konoha, and you will even be buried in the Memorial Stone with the honors of a hero."
"As a spy, this is the best ending you could hope for!"
Orochimaru spoke in a haunting tone.
Indeed!
The man before them, Yamamoto Ryuta, was a deeply embedded spy from Kumogakure.
He had joined Konoha as an orphan during his childhood and had grown up to become a Ninja, even marrying and having children before the establishment of New Konoha.
If it weren't for the need for a sacrifice, Konoha might not have moved against this Kumogakure sleeper agent just yet.
But, unfortunately,
since a sacrifice was necessary, it could only be said that his luck had run out.
Regarding this,
everyone present remained indifferent. Even the kind-hearted Senju Hashirama showed no sympathy.
"I—I understand!"
"As a spy, I was never truly in control of my own life. Being able to ensure my family and children live well is a decent enough ending."
"From today on, I will finally be free."
"Let's do it!"
Yamamoto Ryuta spoke calmly.
He certainly hadn't wanted to be a spy, but he had no choice. This was the tragedy of a minor player in the world.
But at least,
he was still useful, and Konoha had given him this opportunity.
Next,
several elders of the Uzumaki Clan carved a Sealing Jutsu into the ground and activated it.
Then,
Yamamoto Ryuta took a deep breath, placed the Shinigami Mask on his face, sat cross-legged, and began to slowly form hand signs.
'Snake-Boar-Ram-Rabbit-Dog-Rat-Bird-Horse-Snake'
'Dead Demon Consuming Seal: Release!'
As he spoke, the Shinigami Mask began to resonate.
Almost instantly,
everyone felt a wave of icy coldness. In a realm beyond the perception of others, the Shinigami slowly descended and looked down at the group.
Uchiha Jin narrowed his eyes.
He wasn't sure why—perhaps it was due to the small tower within his sea of consciousness—but he could clearly see the Shinigami.
He felt a jolt of shock.
He could sense that this Shinigami was not a mere puppet or a conceptual entity, but a true living being with its own intelligence.
The glint of life in its eyes and the sneer on its lips proved that this creature possessed the capacity for thought.
What was this thing?
Judging solely by appearance, its image was somewhat similar to that of the Ōtsutsuki Clan.
So... was this an Ōtsutsuki?
The original work never explained its true identity, treating it as little more than a background element.
However,
if one thought about it carefully, there was another figure in the original work who existed only as a background element.
The younger brother of the Six Paths Sage, Hamura Ōtsutsuki!
Could this Shinigami before him be that very Hamura, who was even more mysterious than the Six Paths Sage and had never truly shown his face?
"Yamamoto Ryuta, why are you hesitating?"
Orochimaru spoke coldly.
At his cold snort, Yamamoto Ryuta shuddered, his entire body trembling slightly.
Clearly,
as the caster, he could see the Shinigami.
Thinking of his family and children, he tremblingly raised his hands, gripped the dagger, and sliced open his own stomach.
Immediately,
the controlled Shinigami also took up a blade and sliced open its own stomach, and a soul directly flew out.
Orochimaru wasted no time. He grabbed a White Zetsu and immediately performed the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu.
Amidst a flurry of dust and debris, Minato Namikaze was slowly reanimated through the Edo Tensei.
Then,
Yamamoto Ryuta slowly died as his soul was swallowed by the Shinigami, which then vanished instantly.
"Am I... revived?"
"I performed the Dead Demon Consuming Seal; my soul should have been swallowed by the Shinigami."
"Wait, no!"
"I haven't truly been revived. I'm being bound to this shell by a Sealing Jutsu."
"Is this... Edo Tensei?"
Upon waking, Minato Namikaze was initially dazed, but he quickly began to piece things together.
He was very intelligent.
Combined with Uzumaki Kushina's influence, he had a deep understanding of Sealing Jutsu. Furthermore, during his time as Hokage, he had studied all of the Forbidden Technique Scrolls.
Therefore,
after only a moment of thought, he understood his current situation.
Next,
when he subconsciously looked around, he froze in his tracks.