Chapter 92: Chapter 92: Konoha's Strongest Foundation, Sage Art: Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands Acquired
"The targets are the Jinchūriki and the tailed beasts. Could that organization be related to the man with the mask?" Minato Namikaze immediately made the connection to the masked man from the Nine-Tails' attack years ago, not waiting for Yagyu to reveal more information.
"As expected of the Fourth Hokage, you're absolutely right," Yagyu nodded and continued, "The Nine-Tails' attack years ago, and the Uchiha massacre when I was seven, were both orchestrated by that masked figure and a mysterious organization led by someone with the Rinnegan. I gathered this intel after killing two members of the organization and extracting the information from their brains."
"Yagyu-kun, which pair did you kill?" Orochimaru couldn't help but ask, hoping to hear the name Sasori of the Red Sand.
However, Yagyu's answer left him slightly disappointed: "I killed Kakuzu, an S-rank rogue ninja from Takigakure, and Hidan, an S-rank rogue ninja from Yugakure."
"Kakuzu?" Hashirama Senju tilted his head, rubbing his chin as he murmured, "That name sounds familiar... I think I've heard it before. Could he be a ninja from our era?"
"Kakuzu was an elite Jonin from Takigakure, the village's top warrior. He once received a mission to assassinate you, big brother, but after failing, Takigakure feared our retaliation, so they blamed him. Afterward, Kakuzu stole Takigakure's forbidden jutsu, Earth Grudge Fear, and became a rogue ninja," Tobirama Senju explained. "That incident was quite famous at the time. He must have used Earth Grudge Fear to survive until now."
"Oh, I remember now!" Hashirama exclaimed, striking his palm with a fist in realization before looking regretful. "Small villages have a hard time producing strong ninjas like that, so I didn't pay much attention back then. It's my fault I forgot to tell them not to blame him, or there wouldn't have been such a misunderstanding."
"..." Orochimaru and Kabuto fell silent.
Hashirama might have been absentminded, but his words struck Orochimaru and Kabuto with awe. How strong must one be to consider forgiving the strongest ninja of an enemy village who was sent to assassinate you, and even feel guilty for not preventing their punishment?
This was the might of the God of Shinobi.
"Orochimaru-sama, Kabuto-senpai..." Yagyu's voice suddenly brought Orochimaru and Kabuto back to their senses.
They instinctively looked at Yagyu, and their pupils shrank in shock.
Once again, their bodies lost control, as branches crawled up from their feet.
Yagyu chuckled lightly, "Sorry, but you'll need to take a nap."
With that, Yagyu used Binding Illusion and Silent Killing Binding to drain all the remaining chakra from Orochimaru and Kabuto.
At the same time, the branches wrapped around them glowed with blue light before turning into black seals, spreading over their bodies and sealing their consciousness.
Within moments, both Orochimaru and Kabuto lost consciousness.
However, the Edo Tensei bodies of the three Hokage remained unaffected.
The beauty of Edo Tensei lay in the fact that unless the caster personally released the jutsu, the only way to end it was through sealing. Even if the caster was killed, the technique wouldn't end.
If the reincarnated ninja knew the hand seals for Edo Tensei and could regain control before the caster stripped away their free will, they would essentially become immortal beings, invincible unless sealed.
This was why Edo Tensei was considered one of the three greatest techniques in the Naruto world, alongside Flying Thunder God and Eight Gates—these techniques shined brightly during the Fourth Great Ninja War.
After sealing away Orochimaru and Kabuto, Yagyu looked at Minato Namikaze and said, "Fourth Hokage, Jiraiya and Naruto are currently on their way to the Land of Rice Fields. Their target is Orochimaru. Do you want to meet your son?"
"Jiraiya-sensei and Naruto?" Minato's eyes lit up with excitement as he asked, "How many years has it been now? How old is Naruto? Has Jiraiya changed much?"
"Naruto is twelve this year. He's my classmate. As for Jiraiya, I don't know him that well," Yagyu replied. "If you're curious, you can go meet them, but you'll need to give me your training insights first."
"What exactly do you want?" Minato asked, trying to remain composed despite his interest.
Without needing much thought, he realized that Yagyu wasn't allied with Orochimaru. Freeing their souls from the Shinigami and reincarnating them through Edo Tensei must have been orchestrated by Yagyu, with the aim of obtaining their knowledge and techniques.
As long as Yagyu wasn't an enemy, Minato had no issue passing down his own knowledge—especially after learning about the masked man and the organization. If his son was their target, the stronger Yagyu became, the safer Naruto would be.
"I need your insights on the Flying Thunder God technique, as well as the Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques."
Hearing Yagyu's request, Tobirama Senju glanced at Minato with surprise, "You learned the Flying Thunder God technique as well?"
"The Fourth Hokage?" Hashirama finally caught on, eyes lighting up. "So Konoha has a Fourth Hokage now?"
Tobirama, exasperated, reminded his brother, "Big brother, were you even listening? The boy already said Tsunade is the Fifth Hokage. Konoha has reached the Fifth Hokage!"
"Oh, right, hahaha..." Hashirama laughed, scratching the back of his head.
Yagyu and Minato, long used to Hashirama's eccentric behavior, paid little attention.
"The Flying Thunder God was given to me by Jiraiya-sensei as a reward for my achievements. Thanks to Second Hokage's technique, I was able to become the Fourth Hokage," Minato said with a humble smile before turning to Yagyu. "Yagyu-kun, do you have blank scrolls and ink?"
"I do." Yagyu pulled out a storage scroll he had prepared in advance, retrieving the blank scrolls and writing tools.
He also used Wood Release to create a table and chair for Minato to sit and write his insights.
Next, Yagyu turned to Tobirama Senju and said, "Second Hokage, I need your insights on forbidden techniques."
"That's fine," Tobirama agreed but warned, "You should use caution when dealing with forbidden techniques like Edo Tensei."
Before Yagyu could respond, Hashirama frowned and interjected, "Tobirama, don't pass down such disrespectful techniques that disturb the souls of the dead. I told you this before—"
"Big brother, shut up," Tobirama interrupted, chastising him. "Who knows how many people have learned my forbidden techniques by now. Passing it on to future generations as a precaution is necessary."
"Fine..." Hashirama sulked, crouching down and drawing circles on the ground.
Yagyu couldn't help but twitch his lips slightly before speaking, "First Hokage, I need your Sage Mode and the ultimate Wood Release technique that isn't recorded in the scrolls—the one that created the Valley of the End."
"You mean True Several Thousand Hands?" Hashirama looked at Yagyu in surprise. "How do you know about that Wood Release technique?"
"By understanding the Uchiha's Susanoo and estimating the size of the Valley of the End, it was easy to deduce," Yagyu lied effortlessly. "Such a massive area couldn't have been the result of tailed beasts, Susanoo, or even the Wood Human technique. In fact, compared to True Several Thousand Hands, the Wood Human technique is like a child facing an elephant."
"Hahaha... What an excellent descendant. Not only do you share my hair and eye color, but you're just as clever as Tobirama," Hashirama laughed, standing up. "Yes, True Several Thousand Hands is a Sage Art technique I developed by combining an immense amount of Sage Chakra with my Wood Release Chakra."
Afterward, Hashirama scratched his head and said, "But I don't really know how to teach Sage Mode. One time, while gathering chakra, I just suddenly sensed a natural energy in the world, absorbed it, and naturally developed this special energy. It was only later, after learning about the Three Great Sacred Lands, that I realized it was Sage Chakra."
Yagyu's eyes gleamed upon hearing this. No wonder Hashirama's name wasn't on the summoning contract when Yagyu signed with Shikkotsu Forest. It was indeed a passive ability unlocked by achieving mastery over the Sage Body.
"That's fine. I've already signed a contract with Shikkotsu Forest. First Hokage, you just need to teach me the True Several Thousand Hands technique," Yagyu said.
"Alright," Hashirama agreed without hesitation, but he cautioned, "The True Several Thousand Hands technique requires an enormous amount of Sage Chakra. Until you can achieve a 1:1 ratio between your Sage Chakra and Wood Release Chakra, I advise against using it. Otherwise, the natural energy might harm your body."
"I understand," Yagyu nodded earnestly. He then handed blank scrolls and ink to Tobirama and Hashirama, creating more tables and chairs using Wood Release.
The three Hokage sat down, looking like schoolchildren as they focused on writing. The scene was so humorous and out of place that Yagyu had to resist the urge to take a photo—it would have made for some legendary blackmail material.
It didn't take long for Hashirama to finish, as he only had to write down one technique: Sage Art: Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands. Yagyu had already learned most of the other Wood Release techniques, and as soon as his chakra ratio improved, he would naturally master the remaining advanced techniques.
Looking at the scroll containing True Several Thousand Hands, Yagyu's mood soared. With that technique, even without the Sharingan, he could become the strongest below the Six Paths level.
And once his Sharingan evolved into the Mangekyō Sharingan, surpassing Hashirama would be a certainty. At that point, his power might rival that of Six Paths Obito.
Soon, Tobirama and Minato also finished writing. While their insights were extensive, they were nowhere near as daunting as the documents they had handled while in office.
"Thank you so much for your help, former Hokage," Yagyu said sincerely, bowing in gratitude as he took the scrolls.
"Be careful not to fall into the abyss of forbidden jutsu," Tobirama advised solemnly. "Ninjutsu and forbidden techniques are simply tools we use against our enemies."
"I will keep that in mind," Yagyu replied seriously, nodding. He then smiled and asked, "First and Second Hokage, would you like to return to Konoha to see Lady Tsunade?"
"No need," Hashirama answered immediately. "The dead shouldn't interfere in the world of the living. As much as I'd love to see Tsunade all grown up, a moment of joy would only bring greater sorrow later."
Hearing this, Minato, who had been tempted to meet Jiraiya and Naruto, decided against it. As Hashirama had said, there was no need to disrupt their lives for a brief reunion with the past.
Besides, Minato had already left safeguards within Naruto's seal. When the Nine-Tails' seal weakened, both his and Kushina's chakra would reappear, allowing them to witness Naruto's growth.
With this thought, Minato turned to Tobirama and said, "Second Hokage, can you release the Edo Tensei jutsu?"
"That's simple," Tobirama replied confidently. "This brat Orochimaru didn't strip away our control, so even with only a fraction of our original power, I can take back control of the jutsu."
"Big brother, Fourth Hokage, come over here," Tobirama instructed.
Once Hashirama and Minato stood beside him, Tobirama swiftly formed hand seals, placed his hand on the ground, and said, "Edo Tensei—Release!"
Black seals spread over their bodies, glowing brightly. As white dust began to flake off, the souls of Hashirama, Tobirama, and Minato floated into the air, leaving their bodies.
Before departing, Tobirama turned to Yagyu and said solemnly, "We're leaving Konoha in your hands, descendant."
"Remember not to mention us to Tsunade," Hashirama reminded him.
Minato, his voice gentle, made a final request, "Yagyu-kun, please look after Naruto for me."
"I will, rest assured," Yagyu replied earnestly, nodding.
As the three Hokage's souls ascended, Yagyu sifted through the dust left behind, retrieving the items used to reincarnate them and storing them in his dimensional pouch.
He then walked over to Orochimaru, activating his Three Tomoe Sharingan. Placing his hand on Orochimaru's head, he injected Yin Release chakra, quickly hypnotizing him before asking, "Do you still have any more of the materials for reincarnating the former Hokage?"
"Yes," Orochimaru replied.
"Where are they?"
"They're... inside me."
"Besides your body, do you have them anywhere else?"
"No... I don't."
"Good, then spit them out."
"Yes… ugh..." Orochimaru groaned.
Yagyu stepped back, watching as the dazed and vacant-eyed Orochimaru began to vomit up scroll after scroll, as if his body were a bottomless pit.
Seeing this, Yagyu couldn't help but sweatdrop.
What has Orochimaru done to his body to fit so much inside it?
Taking out a pair of gloves, Yagyu wiped the scrolls clean with a towel, then used Wood Release to create a box to store them before placing it in his dimensional pouch.
With everything sorted, Yagyu's body sank into the ground as he used Mayfly to flee.
Once Yagyu had disappeared, the branches binding Orochimaru and Kabuto crumbled away, and the black seals covering their bodies faded.
When they regained consciousness, Yagyu and the former Hokage were long gone.
---
Read 40+ Chapters ahead of WN:
Patréon.com/RoseWhisky