Chapter 117: Reviving the Third Hokage on the Spot
"...Since you're going to learn my techniques, then from now on, you are my disciple."
Tobirama held it in for a long time before finally finding an angle to salvage a bit of his dignity.
"No."
Hikari rejected it without even thinking: "How about this, I'll teach you a few techniques too. We'll call it an exchange."
"What a joke. What techniques could you possibly teach me?"
Tobirama snorted in disdain.
"Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi, and Kagutsuchi."
"...I don't even have a Sharingan. Have you lost your mind and started talking nonsense?"
Tobirama was speechless.
"Then don't blame me. You're the one who doesn't want to learn, it's not that I'm unwilling to teach."
Hikari spread her small hands.
"Don't worry, technology changes destiny. Didn't I say this last time? If the Second Hokage really wants it, I could have Orochimaru transplant a pair of Sharingan for you..."
"Enough!"
Tobirama cut Shiromo off, "If you dare stuff Sharingan into my body, then I, I'll, I'll use the Reaper Death Seal and completely seal both my soul and my big brother's soul away, so you'll never be able to Impure World Reincarnation us again!"
"Uh, what does that have to do with me?"
Hashirama, still squatting on the ground, tilted his head.
"The price of the Reaper Death Seal is sealing your own soul as well," Orochimaru helpfully explained, "But the Second Hokage wants the price to come with a target, so he plans to seal you too, First Hokage."
"Tobirama, that won't do. I don't want to get sealed along with you for no reason."
Hashirama shook his head.
"Big brother, do you still want to be dragged out and toyed with by Orochimaru through Impure World Reincarnation? Have you forgotten what you said before?"
"Didn't you say my technique desecrates the souls of the dead and requires living sacrifices, making it an evil jutsu?"
Tobirama was already numb to his brother constantly sabotaging him.
"Oh right, speaking of Impure World Reincarnation sacrifices, perfect timing. I want to run an experiment. Orochimaru, come here."
Shiromo took out a scroll and placed it on the ground.
The Senju brothers stopped bickering and quietly watched to see what Shiromo was planning.
"Since White Zetsu don't have souls, I previously used my ability to restore White Zetsu that had been dead for some time. I want to see whether a White Zetsu used as an Impure World Reincarnation sacrifice can still be restored afterward."
"If it works, then Impure World Reincarnation could truly become a zero-cost, permanent technique."
Shiromo explained his idea.
"Ability? What ability?"
Neither Tobirama nor Hashirama knew what Shiromo was referring to, so they continued watching.
"This is..."
Orochimaru took the scroll and saw the character "Three" written on it. His expression immediately darkened.
"These are the Third Hokage's cells that I stole from Konoha."
The liaison White Zetsu emerged from the ground and spoke.
"The Third? Monkey? He's dead? Wasn't he alive and well not that long ago?"
Tobirama and Hashirama exchanged glances, shocked and confused.
"You can thank your wonderful granddaughter, my excellent teammate, Tsunade, for that."
"Shiromo-kun told her about the Ōtsutsuki threat and asked her to notify him as soon as the people arrived, but she had her own ideas and didn't trust us."
Orochimaru's expression returned to normal. His indifference toward life allowed him to quickly accept his sensei's death, and besides, his original Konoha Crush Plan had been meant to get the Third Hokage killed anyway.
"..."
After hearing Orochimaru's explanation, the Senju brothers looked at Shiromo and sighed in unison.
"After this is over, if there's a chance, can we go to Konoha? I want to take Tobirama there and properly educate little Tsunade."
Hashirama let out another long sigh.
"Yeah. It feels like she inherited all the bad traits from both of us, distrustful when she should trust, and narrow-minded when she should have a broader view."
Tobirama was equally speechless about Tsunade.
"Let's not rush. Since Shiromo-kun wants to use my sensei for this experiment, we can just ask him directly."
As Orochimaru spoke, he opened the scroll.
With Impure World Reincarnation around, Detective Conan would never be able to make it in the ninja world.
Whenever there's a murder, just Impure World Reincarnation the victim and ask them.
Unless the victim was killed instantly and didn't even know who killed them.
"White Zetsu, this is all you brought?"
Orochimaru looked at the opened scroll. Inside lay something quietly covered with white cloth. His gaze shifted to the White Zetsu on the ground.
"What, isn't it enough? I had no choice. To avoid being discovered, I could only steal something inconspicuous and useless."
White Zetsu looked completely innocent.
"What is it?"
Hikari curiously craned her neck and stood on tiptoe, trying to see.
"Don't look. Even if it's covered, you still won't be able to see it."
Shiromo raised his hand and covered Hikari's eyes.
He hadn't expected the clever White Zetsu to directly remove the Third Hokage's "sacred jewels."
But according to White Zetsu's logic, there really wasn't a problem.
After all, out of respect for the deceased, no lunatic would suddenly strip the Third Hokage's corpse during burial to check whether his jewels were still there.
Missing a hand, a leg, or even a chunk of flesh would be easily noticed.
Only this place.
Even if someone thought it looked a bit shriveled, they'd just assume the Third Hokage was old and no longer capable, a small acorn.
No one would ever raise such an outrageous suspicion at a solemn memorial for the dead.
"Impure World Reincarnation!"
Orochimaru held his sensei's sacred jewels in his hands and performed the jutsu.
As one of the two White Zetsu Orochimaru had brought began screaming miserably, Sarutobi Hiruzen was successfully resurrected through Impure World Reincarnation.
"Impure World Reincarnation?"
The revived Third Hokage looked at his hands in confusion.
"Sensei, we'd like to confirm who killed you."
Orochimaru stepped in front of him.
"..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked up at Orochimaru but did not answer.
Silence. Hesitation.
"It was Boruto, who was possessed and controlled by Ōtsutsuki Momoshiki, right?"
Shiromo spoke up.
"...Possessed by an Ōtsutsuki? So that's how it was. Then it's no wonder, it wasn't that child's fault."
Sarutobi Hiruzen let out a sigh.
After sighing, he recalled what Tsunade had said when she summoned him and Jiraiya back then. Seeing Shiromo now, he felt even more ashamed.
"In a situation where information was so unequal, we really should have chosen to trust. I agreed with Tsunade's decision at the time. My death can be considered self-inflicted."
As he spoke, Sarutobi Hiruzen suddenly stopped, walked up to Shiromo, and immediately kowtowed deeply.
"I beg you, please set aside past grievances and lend a hand to Tsunade, lend a hand to Konoha!"
Hiruzen knew very well that his death would absolutely send Tsunade, who had only recently recovered, back into depression.
And even if Tsunade didn't fall apart, facing an Ōtsutsuki Momoshiki who could absorb ninjutsu and instantly kill opponents, as well as another Ōtsutsuki who was already expected to appear, Konoha's current combat strength simply wouldn't stand a chance.
"Who's this? That old grandpa looks kind of pitiful."
Uchiha Hikari curiously walked over to Shiromo and asked.
"Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage of Konoha."
"Sarutobi, huh. Oh, then he can keep kneeling."
Hikari's expression instantly turned disgusted.
Wasn't this the Sarutobi clan that, together with the Senju, sealed her away?
How did they end up this pathetic?
(End of this chapter)