Naruto: I Confronted the Five Kage Before the System Arrived

Chapter 272: A Father-Son Reunion in Death?

Land of Fire, Secret Underground Base in Lockfront Village.

When Hagoromo Gengetsu arrived with Naruto's corpse, Sasori, in his Hiruko guise, emerged from the entrance.

"Any unexpected events?" Hagoromo Gengetsu asked casually as he walked deeper into the base.

"Everything's quiet on my end," Sasori replied flatly. He glanced at Naruto's lifeless body on Hagoromo Gengetsu's shoulder. "It seems you've had some complications."

Hagoromo Gengetsu nodded slightly. "Just a minor inconvenience. It won't affect the main plan."

As they spoke, they traversed multiple sealing formations and arrived at the deepest part of the base.

This area was a hollowed-out mountain cavity.

At its center sat the colossal Gedo Statue, wrapped in chains, its five eyes already open.

Before they could do anything further,

Tap. Tap. Tap.

A stiff, echoing footstep suddenly resounded from behind the Gedo Statue, ringing loudly in the silent and spacious cavern.

Sasori let out a soft "huh," surprised that there was someone else in this place.

He glanced at Hagoromo Gengetsu and, seeing no surprise on his face, did nothing more.

At this moment, Hagoromo Gengetsu borrowed a storage sealing scroll from Sasori and placed Naruto's body inside.

During his previous battle with the Great Toad Sage, the sealing scroll he carried had been shattered when he was struck while performing a sealing jutsu.

This was why he had carried Naruto's body all the way back.

As for why he decided to place Naruto in the sealing scroll now, Hagoromo Gengetsu looked at the person who walked out.

Despite his poor reputation in the ninja world, there were some unnecessary actions he preferred to avoid.

For instance, a father-son reunion in death.

Tap.

The footsteps stopped.

The newcomer emerged from the shadows.

With short blond hair and blue eyes similar to Naruto's, but more handsome, he wore the distinctive Hokage cloak.

The newcomer was none other than the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze.

Sasori watched in surprise, and then, noting the familiar cracks on Minato's face, his eyes flashed with understanding.

"Reanimation."

He murmured softly.

Having been disgusted by this jutsu during his time with Orochimaru, Sasori was not unfamiliar with it. What surprised him was that their new leader also knew this technique.

Hagoromo Gengetsu approached Minato Namikaze.

Preventing Minato from seeing Naruto was not only a humane decision but also a precaution against the possibility of the Reanimation technique losing control if Minato saw Naruto's body.

After all, his control over the Reanimation was not as refined as Orochimaru's.

Even Orochimaru's technique could be overcome by the strong-willed, who could then return to the afterlife.

The death of a protagonist could have significant repercussions.

The more crucial the time, the more careful one must be.

After a check, seeing Minato Namikaze still in an unconscious state, Hagoromo Gengetsu relaxed.

He was unaware that Tsunade and Jiraiya were preparing to take countermeasures against the deceased Minato Namikaze, and that Orochimaru had also encountered some issues.

Before departing, Hagoromo Gengetsu had already performed the Reanimation on Minato Namikaze, keeping him at the Gedo Statue's location.

This was both to extract the half of the Nine-Tails within him after successfully capturing the tailed beasts and to add an extra layer of protection for the Gedo Statue.

If any unforeseen events occurred here, Minato could use the Flying Thunder God technique to bring him back.

In Hagoromo Gengetsu's plan, the Gedo Statue must not be lost.

As for the DNA sample needed for Minato Namikaze's Reanimation, he had to thank Orochimaru.

At Orochimaru's base, Hagoromo Gengetsu had acquired several DNA samples specifically for Reanimation, including Minato Namikaze's.

During the Chūnin Exams, the other coffin inscribed with "Four" that rose alongside his own actually belonged to Minato Namikaze.

Orochimaru was unaware of the Shinigami's Curse and did not know that those who used the Dead Demon Consuming Seal could not be reincarnated.

Therefore, his attempt to reincarnate the Fourth Hokage had failed, not because Hiruzen Sarutobi had thwarted it with a few shuriken and hand seals, thinking he had succeeded.

Before the Fourth Shinobi World War, Kabuto had told Uchiha Obito that Orochimaru had failed to summon the Fourth Hokage during the Chūnin Exams, proving this point.

Since Orochimaru had Minato Namikaze's DNA sample, Hagoromo Gengetsu, who inherited Orochimaru's legacy, naturally had it too.

Now, looking at Minato Namikaze, summoned by him with lifeless eyes, Hagoromo Gengetsu placed his hand on Minato's abdomen.

Sensing for a moment, he confirmed that the Yin half of the Nine-Tails was still there.

Before his death, Minato had used the Dead Demon Consuming Seal to seal half of the Nine-Tails along with himself into the Shinigami. Even though they had escaped the Shinigami's control, this Yin half of the Nine-Tails remained entangled with his soul.

It had now come along with the Reanimation.

Retracting his hand, Hagoromo Gengetsu instructed Sasori:

"Begin the tailed beast extraction now."

Then, he flashed to the right thumb of the Gedo Statue.

"Not waiting for the others?" Sasori asked, moving to his usual spot.

"Latecomers can join in later."

To avoid any delays, Hagoromo Gengetsu decided to immediately extract the half-tailed beast from Minato Namikaze.

Soon, with Hagoromo Gengetsu and Sasori forming hand seals, the Gedo Statue opened its mouth, and Minato Namikaze, offering no resistance, was slowly lifted as the Yin half of the Nine-Tails' chakra was continuously extracted.

In Konoha, the Hokage's office.

Tsunade, looking puzzled, led Jiraiya into a room with several Anbu secretly guarding it.

The room's decor was surprisingly luxurious, incongruous with the Hokage office's simple style.

Only one person was inside.

As Jiraiya looked, the other person, dressed in splendid clothes and looking very young, turned around.

"Who is he..."

Jiraiya felt a sudden sense of familiarity.

Tsunade clarified, "The Daimyo's son. Also the future Daimyo."

The Daimyo Tsunade referred to was the Daimyo of the Land of Fire.

"No wonder he looks familiar!" Jiraiya realized.

He knew the Daimyo of the Land of Fire well.

In previous years, he had occasionally attended the Land of Fire's celebrations as a representative of Konoha, and he had seen the Daimyo's son, although he hadn't seen him this grown up.

The Daimyo's son greeted them politely.

Jiraiya responded, then asked Tsunade quietly, "Why did you bring me here? Weren't we supposed to see Orochimaru?"

Tsunade pointed at the Daimyo's son's neck. "Look at his neck."

Jiraiya did as instructed.

In the next second, he saw three black tomoe circling each other on the Daimyo's son's neck.

Jiraiya's face darkened. "This is... Orochimaru's Cursed Seal!"