Chapter 129: The Return of Hiruzen Sarutobi
"He really doesn't make things easy."
Kei shook his head as he watched Hiruko leave.
On his shoulder, the miniature Nine Tails lay sprawled lazily, speaking with clear interest. "You were right again. But are you really fine with letting him take my cells like that?"
"It isn't so easy for an ordinary person to devour my cells the way you did."
"Don't worry." Kei's expression remained calm. "I already tampered with that sample. There won't be any real danger."
"Although it contains your flesh and blood, the concentration is very low. Even if he fails, it won't matter much. I only wanted him to get a feel for it."
"You even predicted that?" the Nine Tails said, sounding amused. "And what if he succeeds?"
"Then he can try again."
Kei spoke softly, his tone steady. "But based on what I know about him, the chances of him succeeding on the first try are slim."
In theory, it was possible to continue devouring Nine Tails cells after already devouring the Wood Release Bloodline Limit. But in practice, it was extremely difficult.
Given Hiruko's condition, Kei did not believe he had any real chance of succeeding.
In the end, Kei's own success had only been possible because of the Kaguya's Seal Power within his body.
With Kaguya's Seal Power, he naturally possessed the ability to unify all Bloodline Limits and Tailed Beast powers.
But Hiruko did not have those conditions.
As for what the final result would be, that was difficult to say.
Just as Kei had expected, Hiruko vanished for several days.
When he reappeared a few days later, his entire figure looked haggard and drained.
His face was pale, his eyes dim, and his whole body looked listless, as though he had suffered greatly.
When he entered, Kei was already working in the laboratory. He was not surprised by Hiruko's condition in the slightest, and his hands never stopped moving.
"Failed?"
He asked softly, as though the result had been obvious from the start.
"Yes."
Hiruko's expression was rather unpleasant, but standing before Kei, he ultimately said nothing more.
"Since you failed, then just focus on your training for now."
Kei's face remained calm. "In your current state, you do not have the ability to tame Nine Tails cells. If you insist on trying again, the only end waiting for you is death."
"I understand."
Hiruko's face remained pale, but in the end, he nodded silently.
The difficulty of devouring Nine Tails flesh had far exceeded his expectations.
Even though he had made extensive preparations beforehand, he had still failed in the end. The moment he came into contact with it, his consciousness had begun to retreat. He had nearly been swallowed whole by the terrifying instincts left inside the Nine Tails cells, almost turning into a monster that retained nothing but instinct.
Fortunately, Kei had already left safeguards behind. At the critical moment, the power of the Nine Tails had dissipated, saving him from dying on the spot.
Only then did Hiruko understand Kei's true intention.
Kei had never meant to stop him with words alone. He had simply wanted Hiruko to try it for himself, so he would understand where to stop.
"Teacher..."
Standing beside Kei, Hiruko hesitated for a long moment before finally speaking. "How did you tame the Nine Tails cells?"
The difficulty of taming Nine Tails cells was no ordinary matter.
That feeling could only be understood after personally experiencing it.
Because of that, he was now extremely curious. What method had Kei used to suppress the backlash of the Nine Tails cells and successfully obtain the Nine Tails' power?
"I have a unique method, but that method is only suitable for me. It cannot be used by you."
Kei spoke softly. "If you want to do it, you'll have to find your own path."
"However, there is only one real chance to try. If possible, it is better not to try at all."
"Otherwise, one mistake will be enough to get you killed."
Hiruko said nothing, but the unwillingness on his face was obvious.
Clearly, he had not given up on the idea.
Kei was not surprised by that.
He had never expected Hiruko to give up so easily.
As long as Hiruko did not recklessly throw his life away, Kei would already be satisfied.
After staying in the laboratory for a while longer, Hiruko finally turned to leave.
"Teacher."
Hiruko's voice sounded from behind him.
He looked at Kei's back, hesitated for a moment, and then finally said, "Thank you."
Hiruko was not someone as dense as Jiraiya.
On the contrary, because of his experiences while growing up, his mind was exceptionally sensitive. He understood very clearly what Kei had done for him behind the scenes all these years.
With his extreme personality, one that would sacrifice anything in pursuit of power, if Kei had not kept watching over him during the past few years, he would have died many times over by now.
Those words of thanks came from the bottom of his heart.
"You don't need to thank me."
Kei's expression remained calm, and he only smiled faintly. "You are my student. Looking after you is only natural."
With that, he turned and left the area, heading back toward his residence.
Hiruko said nothing more. He merely stood there quietly, watching his back.
After returning to his residence, Kei fell into thought.
There were only a few days left until his wedding with Tsunade.
For him, this was an important moment.
And because of that, he had also begun thinking about another matter.
"It's about time to let him out..."
That thought passed through his mind, and then his hands quickly formed seals.
Summoning Jutsu!
A massive coffin appeared on the spot, directly summoned before him.
When the coffin slowly opened, a man could be seen lying inside. Even now, traces of battle and the scent of war still clung faintly to him.
It was Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"It really has been a long time."
Minamikawa Yuu looked at the figure of Hiruzen before him and let out a soft sigh.
Back in that battle, he had not finished Hiruzen off.
At heart, Kei had never been someone who liked to push things to the absolute extreme.
As long as circumstances allowed it, sparing the other party's life was more in line with his nature.
After all, from an emotional standpoint, the man had once treated him quite well.
The reason Kei had acted against him back then was simply because Hiruzen had stood in his way.
But now, Hiruzen was no longer an obstacle.
So it was time for him to see the light of day once more.
As Kei formed another set of seals, Hiruzen's eyelids twitched inside the coffin.
Then, as the sealing technique was undone, his body gradually began to recover.
Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly opened his eyes.
The moment his gaze landed on Kei, he froze, and his face immediately filled with vigilance.
Though so much time had already passed since their last meeting, his mind seemed to remain trapped in that same year, unchanged.
"You are... Kei?"
He looked at Kei before him, his eyes filled with doubt and caution. "You seem to have grown a lot."
"Is this... the world after death?"
"This is not the world of the dead."
Meeting Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze, Kei spoke softly.
"Welcome back to Konoha."
"Lord Hiruzen."
....
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