When Orochimaru said that, Namikaze Kirito finally snapped back to reality.
He had always believed that as long as he obtained Chiyo's One's Own Life Reincarnation technique, reviving his parents would be guaranteed.
After all, in the original records, Orochimaru had used methods involving the Dead Demon Consuming Seal to deceive the Shinigami and release several Hokage from its stomach.
With Observation Haki, Kirito could clearly sense it...
Namikaze Minato's body had been restored.
But the soul was missing.
That was why he hadn't awakened.
"…So that's it."
Kirito exhaled slowly.
"It seems Father's resurrection will have to wait."
Yakushi Kabuto adjusted his glasses and spoke up cautiously.
"Leader, then… should we resurrect your mother first?"
Kirito shook his head without hesitation.
"No."
If Uzumaki Kushina were revived first—only to see Minato's lifeless body—her pain would be far worse.
Only by retrieving Minato's soul from the Shinigami and reviving them together would this be acceptable.
But at present, Orochimaru had never personally studied the Dead Demon Consuming Seal. Without firsthand research, there was no way to proceed.
Kirito remembered from the old records that the Uzumaki clan's Shinigami masks were required to deceive the Shinigami.
But the exact method—
The hand seals.
The ritual.
The trigger.
None of it was clear.
For now, all he could do was let Orochimaru continue researching the Shiki Fūjin.
And even then...
Kirito knew this still wasn't the right moment.
Some plans had yet to be set in motion.
This urgency came from longing, not strategy.
Resurrection required time.
Research required time.
Building an organization required time.
What he lacked most right now was time.
Kirito calmed himself, activated the power of darkness once more, and returned Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina to the void.
"Orochimaru."
He sat back down and spoke evenly.
"Your priority is to study the Dead Demon Consuming Seal—find a way to extract a soul from the Shinigami's stomach."
"You may go to the ruins and shrines connected to the Uzumaki clan."
"…Understood, leader."
Orochimaru accepted the order without resistance.
"Itachi," Kirito continued, turning his gaze slightly. "You and Kabuto will go out and begin building our own network."
"It doesn't need brute strength."
"I want information."
"Information from the entire ninja world."
"Yes, leader," Itachi and Kabuto replied in unison.
"We still have a few years," Kirito said calmly. "This place will be our base."
"Hashirama cells. The secrets of my body."
"Orochimaru—these are yours to handle."
Orochimaru's expression lit up with unconcealed excitement.
"Of course."
"There's one more thing," Kirito added, glancing at Itachi.
"I'll resolve the issue of your progressive blindness."
"You can use your Mangekyō without restraint."
For the Uchiha, Mangekyō Sharingan inevitably led to blindness the more it was used.
The traditional solution was cruel—
Replacing one's eyes with those of a close blood relative to awaken the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
But Itachi would never take Sasuke's eyes.
That left another method.
Hashirama's cells.
It was precisely because of Hashirama's cells that Uchiha Obito could use the Sharingan recklessly.
With only a small amount integrated properly, Itachi could stabilize his Mangekyō—
Achieving an Eternal Mangekyō–level state without eye replacement.
"And Orochimaru," Kirito added with a faint smile,
"you won't need to abandon your body anymore for new power."
"If you keep reincarnating like this, your soul will only grow weaker."
"Whatever ability you want—
I can help you obtain it."
Orochimaru froze.
"…Really, leader?"
His mind raced.
From the moment Kirito demonstrated the ability to seal, absorb, and manipulate chakra itself, Orochimaru had suspected this power wasn't something as simple as copying.
Now it was clear.
This wasn't imitation.
It was extraction and bestowal.
A power that had never existed in the history of the ninja world.
If it had—
The world would have long been ruled by a single being.
Wood Release.
Sharingan.
Rinnegan.
Unknown, unclassifiable abilities.
If all of these could converge onto one individual...
What kind of monster would be born?
Orochimaru's gaze burned hotter than ever.
Joining Akatsuki had once been about scheming for the Rinnegan.
Now...
He had placed his bet on something far greater.
"Don't worry," Orochimaru said slowly.
"I will find a way to retrieve the Fourth Hokage's soul."
"Then we'll continue researching your abilities."
Kirito nodded and rose, walking toward the instruments.
Orochimaru and Kabuto immediately resumed their work.
At the same time—
Uchiha Obito set his own plan in motion.
Without consulting Pain (Nagato), he departed alone for Kirigakure, the Hidden Mist Village.
After witnessing Namikaze Kirito's terrifying power, Obito felt something he hadn't experienced in a long time.
Fear.
So he acted.
On one hand, he accelerated his own plans.
On the other, he ordered Akatsuki to scour the ninja world for Namikaze Kirito's whereabouts.
Because Obito understood one thing very clearly:
If Kirito were allowed to continue growing—
Capturing the tailed beasts in the future would become impossible.
Others didn't know.
But Obito did.
Namikaze Kirito was Minato's eldest son.
And Minato's youngest son was the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki.
To cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi—
All nine tailed beasts were essential.
So Kirito had to die before he fully matured.
His decision to target Kirigakure followed the same logic.
He wanted control over a village surrounded by the sea—
its military power,
its tailed beast,
and its political influence.
Not everyone was a monster like Namikaze Kirito.
The Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, was still young.
A Kage.
And a perfect Jinchūriki.
In theory, perfect Jinchūriki were immune to genjutsu.
But that only applied to ordinary genjutsu.
The tailed beast itself could still be controlled.
With the power of the Gedo Statue, it was trivial.
Once the beast was suppressed—
Using the Sharingan to completely dominate Yagura would be effortless.
Thus—
Kirigakure, one of the Five Great Ninja Villages, quietly stepped into its darkest era.
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