Click.
The entire secret chamber was suddenly bathed in blinding light. Orochimaru had cranked the lighting to maximum—the same setup he used for his more... intimate human experiments and dissections.
The light shone on the crystal coffin, turning the blood vessels of the corpse inside faintly transparent. These delicate, translucent vessels converged with the exquisite patterns carved into the crystal, creating a breathtaking, morbid beauty. The words etched into the coffin were now perfectly clear, a message sent across a thousand years.
"To the people of later generations," Orochimaru read aloud, his voice dripping with a mixture of amusement and pride. "When you see this last will, I believe you must have reached the end of the road in human body research. It seems you are about to touch the realm of death. My story might only serve as a reference for you."
Orochimaru nodded slightly, a self-satisfied smirk playing on his lips. Yes, he thought, he was indeed at the end of that road, about to knock on death's door.
"Summoning Jutsu. An ordinary jutsu for summoning ninja animals. However, from this, I have derived a rather unorthodox conjecture. The Summoning Jutsu can summon ninja beasts with chakra from another dimension through a blood contract... Humans have souls. Human souls also contain chakra."
His fingers traced the patterns as he deciphered the secrets within. "Is it possible to use the Summoning Jutsu to summon human souls from the underworld to resurrect the dead, and to save the world's people who are heartbroken over the death of their loved ones?"
Kabuto, ever the sharp assistant, immediately recalled the story Orochimaru had just told him about the Second Hokage resurrecting Emiya Shirou. "So... Lord Second Hokage developed that jutsu to resurrect the dead."
"Not only that," the smile on Orochimaru's lips grew wider, savoring Kabuto's shock. "This secret is more shocking than you can imagine. Would you like to decipher it yourself, Kabuto?"
Kabuto hesitated. He firmly believed that the more one knew, the more dangerous it was. But a secret passed down for a thousand years?
The curiosity was irresistible.
Besides, Orochimaru had also ordered him to capture a ninja to use as "experimental material." The man was tied up in the corner, a silent testament to the fact that this wasn't just a history lesson.
Kabuto's finger slowly traced the patterns. "In order to communicate with the underworld," he read, his heart giving a little tremor, "I obtained the remains of the Sage of Six Paths."
"Shocking, isn't it?" Orochimaru laughed, a genuinely delighted sound. "Keep reading, Kabuto. It gets even better!"
"Yes..." Kabuto's curiosity won out. "I took the eyes of the Sage of Six Paths and transplanted that pair of Rinnegan, which can communicate between yin and yang, into my own body. This pair of eyes contains the ability to change life and death. Because..."
His finger stopped. His pupils dilated in disbelief. "Later, to atone for the great mistake I made, I truly resurrected some of the dead."
"Do you want to continue?" Orochimaru smiled at the motionless Kabuto. He wasn't particularly interested in the sappy parts, but he was more than willing to let his subordinate wallow in them. "I've known this part for a long time. It's not my cup of tea, but perhaps you'll like it?"
Kabuto couldn't resist. His finger traced the final lines. "To come back from the dead requires a price. My life also came to an end because of this resurrection. Enduring the pain that the world cannot endure, and saving the suffering people of the world, is indeed the fated end I wish to reach."
His expression became complicated. The shock subsided, replaced by a sigh of genuine emotion. "No wonder Lord Emiya Shirou is considered the greatest medical ninja."
"What a respectable fool," a hint of mockery flashed across Orochimaru's face. He thought of the White Snake Sage's own disdain for the man. "He didn't have to sacrifice himself at all. Those people deserved to die. He used the power of a god to resurrect those who shouldn't have been saved."
As a man pursuing eternal life, Orochimaru found Shirou's ideals completely antithetical to his own. Shirou was great, sure. But that didn't stop Orochimaru from wanting to use him.
"I will resurrect Emiya Shirou," he declared, looking at the half-corpse in the coffin. "Using the Impure World Reincarnation and this half-corpse, I will resurrect the medical ninja who died a thousand years ago."
"Is there a problem with your body, Lord Orochimaru?" Kabuto asked, his curiosity piqued. "Or... is it for the secret of the Rinnegan?"
"How clever," Orochimaru smiled with satisfaction. "Both. First, it is indeed my curiosity about the Rinnegan. Having joined a... certain mysterious organization, I have witnessed its power."
"If I want to obtain the Rinnegan of the leader, my current power is insufficient. I must know more secrets." His face suddenly turned sinister. "Second, my body has indeed developed a small problem."
No, it wasn't a small problem. It was a fatal one. He had discovered the weakness in his eternal life jutsu, the Living Corpse Reincarnation. Constant use had made his own soul too fragile.
It was a problem only a specialist in soul research could solve. And by some absurd coincidence, Shirou's last will contained all the information he needed. Shirou had researched the soul, he had come into contact with the Rinnegan.
The only troublesome part was that Shirou was a genuinely good person, the kind who had single-handedly quelled the First Great Ninja War. He might not approve of Orochimaru's... methods.
But Orochimaru was confident. If even a simple-minded ally like Danzo thought he could use Shirou, then surely he could too. An old fossil dead for a thousand years, a fool willing to sacrifice himself to save people... the idea was almost laughable.
If he couldn't turn Shirou into a controllable tool, it would be a disservice to his infamous reputation.
"Let's begin." His palm slammed down on the crystal coffin.
Crack!
The sound was heartbreaking. It was the only crystal coffin left in the world. Kabuto's face was a mask of regret. For a medical ninja, this was a sacred relic.
Orochimaru opened the coffin and immediately peered into the empty eye sockets, desperately hoping a Rinnegan was still there. He was, of course, disappointed. "What a pity."
"Lord Orochimaru," Kabuto ignored him and dragged a tightly bound Sand Village Chunin from the corner. "This is the experimental material you requested."
The Impure World Reincarnation required two things: a sufficient amount of the deceased's flesh and a living sacrifice.
Kabuto's time had been tight, so a Chunin was the best he could do. But his chakra was sufficient. This was Orochimaru's second time using the jutsu. He judged that a single Chunin would be enough to allow the resurrected Shirou to retain a certain degree of consciousness.
Kabuto, with a strange flicker of respect, carefully arranged the half-corpse before placing the Sand Village Chunin next to it.
"Mmph? Mmph!" The Chunin's eyes bulged with terror at the sight of the half-corpse next to him.
"Shh," Kabuto smiled soothingly. "Please be quiet. Being a vessel for Lord Emiya Shirou's resurrection is a respectable thing. The medical ninjutsu he created has surely saved your life at some point."
"Mmph mmph mmph!" The Chunin struggled desperately. Orochimaru, of course, didn't care.
"Kabuto! Get out of the way!" Orochimaru ordered. He completed the hand seals and slammed his palm on the ground. "Ninja Art: Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu!"
A cruel, triumphant smile flashed across his lips. A pitch-black cursed seal barrier formed. The half-corpse turned to dust and floated up.
"It should succeed, right?" a hint of hesitation flashed across Kabuto's face.
"It will succeed. Emiya Shirou's soul is definitely in the underworld," Orochimaru sneered, his snake-like tongue darting out. "The Second Hokage was unscrupulous. After using Shirou, for the sake of Konoha's reputation, he was forced to let his soul return to the underworld to rest in peace."
The dust swirled, coalescing around the Sand ninja. The reanimated body slowly transformed. Finally, the dust settled.
"Did it succeed?" Kabuto asked nervously.
"It succeeded," Orochimaru nodded, his eyes filled with anticipation. "It's time to wake up, Lord Emiya Shirou."
The reanimated person slowly opened his eyes. A pair of strange eyes, with pupils like the rings of a tree. Rinnegan! Greed flashed in Orochimaru's eyes, quickly followed by regret. A reanimated Rinnegan would disappear once the jutsu was released.
"Am I... resurrected again?" the reanimated person asked, his voice laced with confusion.
"Yes. I resurrected you," a faint smile hung on Orochimaru's lips. "Let me introduce myself. I am Orochimaru, a Konoha ninja. Perhaps we have met before. I apologize for disturbing your peace, Lord Emiya."
Shirou looked at Orochimaru, standing there in an Akatsuki cloak, and his confusion morphed into an indescribable complexity.
This guy... why is he wearing those clothes? And he's still pretending to be from Konoha?
Is he banking on the fact that I'm dead and out of the loop?
Did Madara and Black Zetsu still form that organization? Is that fiend Black Zetsu still running around pretending to be my will?
"It's fine. I no longer care," Shirou's tone was somewhat relieved, as if he had long accepted his fate. "From the first time I was summoned by Tobirama, I thought there might be a day when I would be resurrected a second time."
This was true relief. The feeling of reaching the end after overcoming all hardships. His thousand-year plan had succeeded, a second time. His eyes lowered slightly, suppressing a wave of emotion.
Now... the second phase should also begin.