The atmosphere in the meeting room grew serious. Indeed, that extra Rinnegan was the crux of the issue!
After a moment of contemplation, Mei asked, "Could that Rinnegan have been excavated from an ancient grave?"
"It's not impossible," Rasa replied. "Much of history before the Warring States Era has been lost. It might belong to an ancient Rinnegan user."
"Still, we must prepare for the possibility that our enemies already have a Rinnegan host!" Hiruzen emphasized.
"How should we prepare?" Tsunade asked.
"Only a dojutsu can defeat another dojutsu!" Tobirama said. "Didn't that leader reveal the method to advance the Rinnegan? Why not let Sasuke Uchiha give it a try?"
"You want Sasuke to try enhancing his Rinnegan?" Tsunade frowned. "Do you think three days will be enough time?"
"Regardless of success or failure, we have to try!" Tobirama continued. "And as for Naruto—he's the only one besides Aniki, Minato, and Mizuki who can enter Sage Mode independently. I'll have Aniki intensively train him for the next three days! As for the rest of us, besides adapting to the cursed seals' power, we must seal the [Impure World Reincarnation] warriors active in the real world and weaken the enemy's strength as much as possible..."
Suddenly, Orochimaru spoke up, "Sealing them away seems like such a waste. Why not turn them into our own strength?"
"You want to convince Kabuto Yakushi?" Tsunade's brows tightened. "He indeed used to be your subordinate, but he's also an ambitious man. It's unlikely he'll follow your orders anymore."
"Ambitious?" Orochimaru licked his lips. "You might be misjudging him. That man is simply a pitiful soul who wants to prove his existence, yet has lost his way."
Hiruzen didn't doubt his abilities. "Wouldn't those powerful warriors resurrected through [Impure World Reincarnation] be even more dangerous under your control?"
Orochimaru gave a soft, sinister laugh. "Sensei, thinking of me that way truly breaks your disciple's heart! I do have ambitions, but they're grounded in reality. Getting lost in illusions isn't my goal at all!"
Tobirama thought for a moment. "Fine, you can go!"
"Don't be hasty!" Orochimaru smiled darkly. "Though I'm confident in 'convincing' that man, I still need to meet him first. He currently has many powerful subordinates under his command!"
Tobirama naturally understood his implication. "You want some help?"
"Exactly!" Orochimaru grinned. "I think Sasuke and Naruto would be perfect. Plus, don't they also want to talk to certain people from the past?"
Tsunade instinctively refused, "No way! What if they're captured by Madara?"
Orochimaru shook his finger. "Naruto is no longer the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. Given Madara's arrogance, he wouldn't care about those two at all!"
Tobirama nodded. "That's right. With Madara's current perspective, the only one he'd truly respect is that leader. Even Aniki might not be worth his notice."
Tsunade hesitated. "Still, you need to ask for their opinions first."
Tobirama added, "They also have special training to do. You'll get at most one day."
"One day will suffice!" Orochimaru laughed. "The most time-consuming part of a capture mission is locating the target. Since my chakra exists within Kabuto's body, finding him won't be difficult!"
Outside.
Suigyuu leaned back with his hands behind his head and grumbled, "In the end, I still got left out. I actually thought they'd consider your opinion at least a little!"
Sasuke remained expressionless. "They invited me, but I have no interest in those boring meetings. I'm loyal only to my own strength!"
"Well, that's definitely your style!" Suigyuu shrugged.
The group reached the temporary hospital and found Naruto's ward. Upon entering, they saw Naruto sitting cross-legged on his bed, cultivating with his eyes closed.
"I thought you'd be depressed for a few days, but you look much better than I expected!" Sasuke raised an eyebrow.
Naruto opened his eyes but didn't show any excitement at seeing Sasuke. Instead, he said firmly, "I don't have time to be depressed. I must strengthen my power as much as possible and rescue Kurama!"
"What can you accomplish in three days? It's nothing but psychological comfort!" Sasuke scoffed. "Rather than wasting time like this, we should train together!"
Naruto's eyes widened. "You're actually coming to me to train together?"
"Don't get the wrong idea!" Sasuke huffed coldly. "If it weren't for Lord Seiki saying our chakra natures are very compatible, and that working together could unleash greater power, I wouldn't bother seeking you out!"
Naruto was actually acting proud. "Hmph! Then I'll reluctantly agree—for the sake of rescuing Kurama!"
Just then, Orochimaru's voice came from the doorway, "The real test of teamwork is in actual combat. Fortunately, I have just the opportunity..."
Startled by the sudden voice behind him, Suigyuu quickly jumped behind Sasuke and peeked out cautiously, whispering, "Sasuke, don't believe him! He's Orochimaru we're talking about!"
Ignoring him, Sasuke asked, "Opportunity? What do you mean?"
Orochimaru then repeated the conversation from the meeting. "So, what do you think? Are you interested?"
Sasuke showed no clear reaction and instead asked another question, "You should be capable of performing ninjutsu now, right?"
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes slightly, "That's right. When that lord released the four Hokage's souls from the Shinigami's body, the souls in my hands also escaped!"
A flash of sharpness appeared in Sasuke's eyes. "Then good, help me use [Impure World Reincarnation] to summon two people, and I'll help you deal with Kabuto Yakushi!"
Orochimaru asked with interest, "Lord Sasuke, who would you like me to reincarnate for you?"
Sasuke placed his right hand on the hilt of the Kusanagi Sword at his waist. "I want to settle a score with someone, but my position and the debt of gratitude for his past protection prevent me from taking action myself!"
Orochimaru immediately understood, unable to help clapping his hands together, "That's wonderful! The person you want to settle a score with is exactly the one who irritates me greatly too!"
Naruto looked totally lost, "Then who are you guys trying to reincarnate? And who is this person you want to settle a score with?"
"You'll find out when the time comes!" Orochimaru smiled at Naruto. "What about you? Do you have anyone you want to bring back?"
"I don't have..." Naruto began, then suddenly shouted, "Wait! I also want to [Impure World Reincarnate] two people!"
"Oh?
"Who do you want to use Rebirth on?" Orochimaru asked with great interest. "Jiraiya?"
Naruto nodded. "I want to use Rebirth on Master Jiraiya—and the real leader of Akatsuki, Pain!"
"The real Pain!" Orochimaru recalled. "If I remember correctly, Jiraiya mentioned the leader of those brats was named Yahiko?"
Naruto confirmed, "Yeah, that's the one!"
"Sounds rather interesting!" Orochimaru rubbed his chin. "However, what about their bodies..."
"Pain's original body was taken away, but Yahiko's corpse is still in Konoha! As for Master Jiraiya, I heard from Kurama that during my Four-Tails transformation, I ended up seriously beating him. There should still be some medical records from his treatment at the hospital!"
"He was seriously injured during your Four-Tails transformation?" Orochimaru's initial reaction was disbelief. When he couldn't form handseals, he could still hold his own against a Four-Tails Naruto, so how could Jiraiya possibly be this weak?
But he quickly realized, "Heh, he's just like always—preferring to hurt himself rather than let others get hurt!"
Naruto lowered his head slightly, feeling somewhat sorrowful. "Pervert Sage..."
Orochimaru smiled. "Let's go then. I've been wanting to see my old friend again too!"
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