"Orochimaru-sama, please let me go back first." Hiashi pleaded anxiously.
"You can't, Hokage-sama!"
Orochimaru waved him off, "I have my own plan. Don't worry—this won't stir unrest in the village."
Left with no choice, Hiashi withdrew.
In the office, only Orochimaru and Danzō remained.
"Orochimaru, what exactly are you planning to do about this?" Danzō demanded.
Orochimaru replied, "No rush. I'm waiting for news."
Soon, an ANBU materialized and reported, "Fifth Hokage-sama, the cemetery has been inspected. The surfaces of all graves are intact, but twelve graves show signs of disturbance—the traces are extremely fresh."
"Twelve? Which ones?"
The ANBU answered, "Besides Hizashi Hyūga: Nawaki Senju, Dan Katō, Fourth Hokage-sama Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage's wife Kushina Uzumaki, Izumi Uchiha, Izuna Uchiha, Sakumo Hatake, Rin Nohara, Nonō Yakushi, Ikkaku Umino, and Kohari Umino (Iruka's mother)."
At those names, Danzō cursed viciously, "That damned Mizuki! Nawaki and Dan are Tsunade's closest family. The reports say Tsunade has already joined Fushigakure—Mizuki must have revived those two as bait to lure her in. He didn't even spare Minato and Kushina—he's trying to bind the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki to his side completely. And Sakumo Hatake is on the list too… he intends to make Kakashi defect as well. And those cursed Uchiha… Orochimaru, you need to make up your mind, or Konoha will tear itself apart."
Orochimaru frowned instead and asked, "Izumi Uchiha and Izuna Uchiha—who are they? What's special about them?"
Danzō said, "Izumi Uchiha was Itachi Uchiha's lover. On the night of the massacre, Itachi killed her with his own hands. As for Izuna Uchiha… the name sounds familiar, but I can't recall who it is right now."
{T/N: It's nobody very important—just Madara's brother, the one whose death led him to awaken the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.}
The moment he heard "Itachi Uchiha", Orochimaru's tongue slid out almost unconsciously as he licked his lips.
He ordered the ANBU, "Go to the archives immediately and pull everything on Izuna Uchiha. So many Uchihas died, yet Mizuki-kun chose only these two. Izumi is connected to Itachi—Izuna definitely isn't some random nobody."
Before long, the ANBU returned with records and reported to Orochimaru at once.
"Madara Uchiha's younger brother? Killed by the Second Hokage? Someone who died more than sixty years ago… did Mizuki-kun make a mistake? Is he reviving an antique just to keep as a relic?"
Orochimaru couldn't understand it.
Danzō's brow tightened as a thought flickered through his mind. 'Could that rumor be true? Is Madara really still alive?'
But this wasn't the time to chase shadows.
He pressed again, "Orochimaru, you can't hesitate any longer."
Of course Orochimaru was hesitating.
He looked young on the surface, but in truth he was already on his last legs—he didn't even dare take long strides when he walked. He couldn't let it show, so he could only pretend to be composed.
If he truly had to perform Edo Tensei, it would be brutally difficult. This body was severely aged; his chakra reserves had plummeted—he might have even less than Kakashi. If he ran out of chakra mid-cast and dropped dead, it would be a joke for the ages.
"Other than Dan Katō, Sakumo Hatake, and Minato, the rest aren't that strong." Orochimaru said, "Even if Mizuki revives them, they won't be much of a threat. Edo Tensei requires sacrifices. I'm the Hokage now—I must act cautiously. That kind of evil forbidden jutsu should be avoided whenever possible, so we don't provoke the villagers' disgust. Let's choose Dan and Sakumo. Summon their souls, then seal them. That will be enough. As for Minato—his soul is in the Shinigami's belly. He can't be summoned with Edo Tensei."
Danzō snapped, "No. Absolutely not! Not a single one can be left to Mizuki. We must summon them all—and seal them all."
Orochimaru's eyes narrowed to slits, "Danzō, I hope you understand… I am the Hokage."
"You—!" Danzō erupted.
That single line—I am the Hokage—dragged up a flood of unpleasant memories.
"Orochimaru, you'll regret this." With that, Danzō stormed out.
Orochimaru watched his back without the slightest movement. He even gave a cold snort, "Old bastard. Still trying to point fingers at me. Do you think I'll let you run wild the way that old man did?"
He turned and ordered the ANBU.
"Go to the prison. Pick two death-row inmates and bring them to the basement beneath the Hokage Tower."
❊❊❊❊❊
Meanwhile, Mizuki's group of three—Hizashi and Neji—talked as Neji summarized everything that had happened in the village and within the Hyūga clan over the past few years, focusing on what mattered most for Hizashi.
When father and son finally finished, and the bond between them had deepened, Mizuki took the two of them and flew back at top speed.
On the way, Mizuki checked his attribute panel.
'Reviving Hizashi cost me 10 Ka worth of chakra, and my lifespan dropped by 180 years. Before that, when I revived that old woman in the Land of Birds, the chakra cost was also 10 Ka, but the lifespan loss was only 120 years.'
The chakra cost was fixed at 10 Ka, but the life-force cost varied. As for the pattern, he already had a rough hypothesis.
'When I revived that old woman, I also gifted her an extra 20 years of lifespan. The total cost was 120 years—meaning reviving her alone should've cost only 100 years. And Hizashi died about eight years ago… does that mean each additional year of death adds another ten years of lifespan cost to revive?'
They were still just guesses. He'd need more tests to confirm them.
And he had other doubts as well. For instance—if reviving the dead consumed life force so violently, then how did Nagato manage to resurrect the entire village of Konoha?
Those questions would have to wait for later experiments.
Carrying two people slowed his flight somewhat, but three hours later they still returned to Fushigakure in the Land of Birds.
After introducing Hizashi and Neji to everyone, Neji removed his Konoha forehead protector. After father and son put on their new headbands, they officially became members of Fushigakure.
Once again, the village's population grew.
The Fushigakure forehead protector bore a simple yin-yang symbol—clean, stark, unmistakable.
"Hizashi, Neji—Fushigakure has only just been founded." Mizuki said, "There are plenty of empty houses. Pick any home you like in the residential district. As for cleaning and meals, handle it yourselves, or hire people from the Land of Birds to do it for you. I'll reimburse every expense."
After arranging everything, Mizuki dismissed the others, leaving only Tsunade, Shizune, and Naruto behind.
"Master… can my dad and mom really be revived?" Naruto asked. His chest was tight with anxiety.
Mizuki said, "I can't be sure whether your father, Minato Namikaze, can be revived. Your mother is no problem. We'll start with her."
He took out a strand of red hair—Kushina's.
Gedō — Rinne Tensei no Jutsu ▻ Outer Path — Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique
A dazzling green radiance swallowed the hair. Even Tsunade couldn't see what lay within the glow.
Mizuki's life force began draining at a terrifying rate. Naruto stared at the light without blinking, his face rigid with hope.
Finally, the glow faded. A red-haired woman in a white top and black skirt stood there, alive, breathing. She looked around in confusion. When she saw Tsunade, her brows knit as if she understood something—then her gaze locked onto Naruto and froze.
"You… is it you, Na… Naruto?"
At that gentle voice, Naruto's tears spilled over at once.
Mizuki gestured to Tsunade and Shizune, "Let's step out first. Leave this room to the two of them."
The three of them moved into the next room.
Mizuki checked his attribute panel again. Another 10 Ka worth of chakra was gone, and his lifespan had dropped by 220 years.
So his guess seemed correct: reviving someone who had just died cost 100 years of lifespan, and for each additional year they'd been dead, the cost increased by another ten years.
Kushina died the day Naruto was born—twelve years ago. That meant an extra 120 years, plus the base 100, totaling exactly 220 years.
"Nawaki and Dan." Mizuki said, "Who do you want first?"
Tsunade's voice trembled, "Can't you revive them together? I want to see both of them appear in front of me at the same time."
Mizuki shook his head, "Better one at a time. If they both appear at once… who would you talk to first?"
Tsunade swallowed and nodded, "Then revive Dan first. He's also Shizune's uncle."
Mizuki nodded, took out Dan's hair, and placed it on the floor. He activated the Samsara of Heavenly Life technique again.
But what happened next shocked all three of them.
The green light… didn't appear at all.
"H-How could this happen?" Tsunade bit her lip, forcing the words out through sheer refusal to accept it.
Mizuki was equally stunned, because he could feel his chakra and life force continuing to drain. The technique had taken effect.
"So what went wrong?"
❊❊❊❊❊
At the same time, in Konoha Village—within the basement beneath the Hokage Tower.
A humanoid sealing object, wrapped like a mummy in bandages and covered head to toe in sealing scripts, suddenly erupted with green light. When it dispersed, the seal released automatically. The bandages unraveled, revealing the person inside.
A living, breathing human being…
Orochimaru stared at Dan Katō—restored to perfect health—his eyes wide enough to split.
"What kind of hellish ninjutsu is this?" he whispered, "Even sealed away, it can still revive someone?"
At that moment, Dan spoke.
"Orochimaru, what exactly are you doing? You used Edo Tensei to summon me to the living world, then sealed me, and now you've released me again. What the hell are you doing? Hurry up and release Edo Tensei so I can return to the Pure Land."
Orochimaru's voice went quiet, "Katō-kun… can't you feel it? Your body is no longer an Edo Tensei vessel. The beating of your heart, the air in your lungs, the flow of your blood… I can feel it clearly. You have been… revived."
By a twist of fate, Dan revived in Konoha—something Mizuki never anticipated.
❊❊❊❊❊
Back in Fushigakure, Mizuki was still struggling to understand which step had misfired.
"Mizuki, what's going on?" Tsunade demanded, "Why didn't Dan revive?"
Mizuki shook his head, "I don't know either. The Samsara of Heavenly Life technique has already taken effect—my chakra and life force were consumed. Logically, he should've revived."
"What I want isn't 'logically'. I want certainty."
Mizuki couldn't give it to her, "Don't get worked up. If Dan can't be revived, there's still Nawaki."
He said it, but a slow unease was spreading in his chest.
Would the boy be impossible to revive as well?
❊❊❊❊❊
T/N: Comment, give me Power Stones, like and favorite, it all supports me and makes me go foward with this. Appreciate my other stories as well, I guarantee the good work!
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