Dan sat cross-legged on the floor, drew in a long breath, and held it — then his spirit slipped free of his flesh and shot toward the Land of Birds like an arrow.
With his soul gone, his body turned corpse-still and stopped breathing. For ordinary people, lack of oxygen brings fainting in two to three minutes, and brain death in about six; once unconscious, neurons begin to suffer irreversible damage from oxygen deprivation.
To prolong the duration of the Spirit Transformation Technique, Dan had trained breath-holding to an extreme. His lung capacity and oxygen reserves were far beyond those of an average person.
His thresholds for blackout and death by suffocation were several times higher than normal. He would only lose consciousness after roughly twenty minutes, and true brain death would come at about thirty.
That meant every use of the technique had to end within twenty minutes — otherwise his brain cells would be injured. If he still failed to return by the thirty-minute mark, he would die.
The technique was terrifyingly potent, but its constraints were equally brutal.
In the office, only Orochimaru and Danzō remained.
Danzō's cane struck the floor with a crisp thunk.
The next instant, a Root operative appeared, dragging in a death-row prisoner.
Orochimaru's brow creased, "Danzō… what is this supposed to mean?"
Danzō's voice was flat, "Orochimaru, lies inevitably come to light. Once Dan learns the truth, he'll drift away from us — he may even abandon everything and wander with Tsunade. The Spirit Transformation Technique is a decisive weapon. It must serve Konoha."
He continued, as if stating a simple fact, "Use Edo Tensei to summon Shisui. His Kotoamatsukami is a most convenient tool."
As he spoke, Danzō produced a glass bottle. In formalin, an eyeball floated, pale and silent.
"Hiruzen may have been indecisive." Danzō said with a thin smile, "but he handled this part well."
Orochimaru replied dryly, "Just how many did that old man clone?"
Danzō answered without hesitation, "Time was short back then. Twelve copies of Shisui's eye were made. One was used on the Fourth Kazekage, four were used on Mizuki. Unfortunately, the Rinnegan was too formidable, and Hiruzen failed. Seven remain — enough for now. If we run short, we can always clone more."
Orochimaru's gaze turned cold, "I'm not him. My Edo Tensei has been improved. Those I summon can remain in the shinobi world for a long time — they won't dispel the moment they cast a single jutsu."
Danzō shook his head, "No. That won't do. Each time Kotoamatsukami is used, it cannot be used again for ten years. The best method is this: let Shisui use Kotoamatsukami once, cancel the Edo Tensei, then re-summon him. A newly reanimated Shisui will have Kotoamatsukami restored. No need to wait ten years."
Orochimaru: "…"
He considered himself perverse, but at that moment he felt he still fell short.
To squeeze the dead dry until the last drop — no one did it like Danzō.
Danzō urged, "Hurry. Dan will return soon."
Orochimaru spread his hands, "Sorry. Edo Tensei isn't something you perform casually. At most, I can use it twice per month. I just reanimated Dan and Sakumo. If I want to use it again, I must wait until next month."
Danzō's eyes narrowed, "Only twice per month? Orochimaru, do you think I've never seen Edo Tensei? The Third used it four times in a short span. Your 'improved' version got weaker?"
He had the distinct feeling that after Orochimaru returned from Kusagakure, he'd become… passive. Almost lazy.
Orochimaru said evenly, "The Third used the original version. It can be cast multiple times in a short period, but it has strict limitations — the reanimated can only last one minute. My improved version can only be used twice per month, but those I summon can remain indefinitely."
He lied without blinking, the excuse sounding perfectly plausible.
In truth, there was no such limit — it was simply that this body was too fragile. It could not withstand more strain.
After the first two uses of Edo Tensei, he had burned through eighty percent of his chakra. His channels ached; even his bones felt sore. If Danzō forced him to summon Shisui now, it would be tantamount to demanding his life.
So there was no chance he would agree.
Danzō studied him, "Is that really how it is?"
Orochimaru met his stare, expressionless, "Are you… questioning me?"
Their eyes locked.
The atmosphere tightened, as if sparks were crackling in the air.
In the end, Danzō broke first; his momentum faltered, and he yielded.
"If the improved Edo Tensei can't be used, then use the old version. It's one-time anyway." Danzō said, settling for second best.
Orochimaru smiled faintly, "With the old version, they can only last one minute and will dispel automatically afterward. No one knows when Dan will return. Summon too early and you'll waste a prisoner and one of Shisui's eyes. Wait until Dan is back — then we Edo Tensei Shisui."
As he spoke, Orochimaru leaned back. His hands, resting on the desk, slipped out of sight beneath it.
The next moment, a Food Pill appeared in his right palm. He yawned as if sleepy, covered his mouth with his hand, and let the pill slide in.
His chakra began to recover.
Danzō sighed, "Only two Edo Tensei per month — your efficiency is far too low. How about this: teach me your improved Edo Tensei. Then between the two of us, we could Edo Tensei Shisui four times a month. Four Kotoamatsukami per month — before long, we could rewrite the will of everyone in Fushigakure except Mizuki."
His gaze sharpened, "We can't let Fushigakure keep expanding, or the Five Great Nations will be threatened. I'm not coveting the technique. I'm just afraid of delays."
Orochimaru looked at him with a half-smile, and laughed coldly inside.
What a garbage excuse — you clearly want Edo Tensei for yourself. Old bastard. If you want to learn it, at least be honest enough to dream properly.
"What, you won't?" Danzō pressed.
"Of course not." Orochimaru said, "I spent years improving it — why should I teach you? I'm Hokage, not your teacher."
"You… Hmph…" Danzō was so furious he wanted to curse, but he forced it down.
He suddenly regretted backing Orochimaru to become Hokage. This cold-blooded beast was even harder to deal with than Hiruzen.
Damn it.
'If I'd known Jiraiya wouldn't bring Tsunade back, I should've become Hokage myself.'
A miscalculation.
❊❊❊❊❊
High above the shinobi world, an invisible streak of spirit light tore across the heavens at terrifying speed — cutting from the Land of Fire into the Land of Rain, then into the Land of Birds, heading straight for Fushigakure.
It was Dan's soul.
In barely half a minute, he crossed half the shinobi world — from Konoha to Fushigakure.
Hovering over the village, he swept his gaze across the area. In soul form, no physical matter could block his sight. He could see who occupied each house and what was happening inside.
At a glance, he found Tsunade. Then Nawaki.
For a heartbeat he ached to descend and greet them — but he forced himself to endure. This mission came first.
There were only a handful of ninja in the village. Soon enough, he found Mizuki.
Before Dan departed, Danzō had described the target's appearance in painstaking detail.
Inside a room, Mizuki was studying the so-called "invincible Flying Thunder God Technique" when he suddenly frowned.
"This presence… it's strange. And it's coming straight for me."
In the next moment, he sensed something enter the room, yet his peripheral vision caught nothing.
"Invisibility? Transparency? No… it came through the roof. It doesn't seem… alive."
He activated the Rinnegan — and a "person" appeared in his sight, drifting down from above, floating toward his body.
One of the Six Paths abilities — the Human Path — could extract souls. Naturally, it could also see them.
Dan had already slipped behind Mizuki, closing in on his body, ready to possess him and kill him from within.
But in the instant he moved, Mizuki turned, lifted a hand, and pressed it onto Dan's head.
"What?" Dan froze.
I'm in soul form — how can he see me? I don't even have a physical body. How can he grab me?
What is going on?
Mizuki said calmly, "If I'm not mistaken, you're Dan Katō. I'm curious — how did I offend you enough that you'd use the Spirit Transformation Technique to assassinate me?"
Dan answered righteously, "Mizuki, you defected from Konoha and even took the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki. That is a capital crime."
"I spent my chakra and my lifespan to revive you." Mizuki said, unhurried, "and this is how you repay me?"
"You used Kotoamatsukami to control Tsunade and Shizune." Dan shot back, "Don't think I don't know. You revived me because you intended to use Kotoamatsukami to control me as well. Give it up. I lived as a Konoha man — and I'll die as a Konoha ghost. I will never join your Fushigakure."
Mizuki's eyes narrowed, "What Kotoamatsukami? Danzō must have fooled you. Tsunade joined Fushigakure because I revived Nawaki — and you — not because of Kotoamatsukami."
"You think I'll believe you?"
"I'm truly not lying to you!"
Dan's expression didn't change, "You were born in Konoha and grew up under the Hokage's protection — yet you defected as an adult. Someone like you has no loyalty and no righteousness. I won't believe a single word."
Mizuki snorted softly. Since he insisted on that, there was no point in wasting breath.
"Nawaki is already revived. Tsunade joining Fushigakure is already set in stone. Whether you're here or not makes little difference. You don't believe me, and I won't force you. But I revived you, and you came to kill me."
His voice cooled, "I won't pretend that didn't happen."
"So… you can return to the Pure Land."
In the next instant, the King of Hell manifested behind Mizuki. Its tongue snapped out, coiled around Dan's soul, and dragged it into its gaping maw.
Dan — newly revived — died again.
"Hmph. Danzō and Orochimaru played a fine game of sowing discord." Mizuki said coldly, "In that case, don't blame me for emptying out Konoha's reserves."
His gaze turned distant, already choosing the next target.
"Next… Kakashi!"
❊❊❊❊❊
Konohagakure — Hokage's office.
Orochimaru and Danzō sat in silence.
Time crawled, second by second. Ten minutes passed. Dan's body still hadn't moved.
Danzō grew anxious and rose, pacing the room.
Orochimaru, by contrast, wasn't worried in the slightest. He even spoke as if to reassure him, "Relax. Mizuki should be dead by now. Dan is probably catching up with Tsunade as we speak. After all, they're lovers who haven't seen each other in years."
Fifteen minutes passed — still no movement. Sixteen… seventeen… eighteen… nineteen…
Nearly twenty minutes.
At that point, not only Danzō, but even Orochimaru began to lose composure.
When the twentieth minute arrived, Dan's body convulsed. His face flushed red; the oxygen stored in his blood and lungs had reached its limit.
His brain cells began to suffer from oxygen deprivation.
Danzō barked, "Quick — oxygen!"
A Root operative flashed in and strapped an oxygen mask over Dan's face.
"Why hasn't he returned yet?" Danzō was frantic, but there was nothing he could do — only watch and worry.
At twenty-five minutes, oxygen no longer helped. Dan's body went limp; the redness drained from his face into a deathly pallor.
"Lord Danzō, it's no use!"
They had no choice but to abandon treatment. When thirty minutes arrived, Dan still hadn't woken.
"Th-this… what is going on?"
Danzō and Orochimaru's expressions darkened.
Especially Orochimaru — already pale — now looked almost as lifeless as Dan's body on the floor.
❊❊❊❊❊
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!
If you want 20 chapters ahead of this novel for just $2 or enjoy a large catalog of good novels with excellent translations: MrBlackWing (you know where to search)
Take a look at the new books I'm translating on my profile, Cyberpunk 2077: A God-Level Skill Every Day and Infinite Worlds: Building the Strongest Harem! They are also on my website for $5 and $1.5, respectively!
That's it and happy reading! (-‿◦)