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Chapter 15: A Reunion with Old Friends
Chapter 15: A Reunion with Old Friends
What does one see after death?
Yuyi Xuan Yue, having experienced it firsthand, honestly couldn't describe it.
Perhaps, it was like the world through the eyes of the blind.
Not darkness, but nothingness.
To be more precise, it was akin to the void one sees when closing one eye while keeping the other open.
Time after death had no reference point and passed swiftly.
In what felt like an instant to Yuyi Xuan Yue, his eyes were open once more.
It was only when the familiar sights of Konoha Village and the aged face of Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, came into view that Yuyi Xuan Yue realized he had truly arrived over fifty years in the future.
Time sure flies.
As expected, he had been resurrected by Orochimaru's Impure World Reincarnation.
Yuyi Xuan Yue looked at his cracked hands with a sense of emotion, feeling the physical body that was not truly his own.
'The quality of this sacrifice is terrible,' he thought to himself, shaking his head internally.
After inspecting his body, he realized that the reason Uchiha Madara had been so overwhelmingly powerful when resurrected during the Fourth Shinobi World War was that Orochimaru had specially prepared an extremely high-quality vessel for him, allowing Madara to exert his full power from his prime.
Compared to the average White Zetsu, the quality of Yuyi Xuan Yue's vessel was far inferior, and the strength he could exert was telling of that.
Needless to say, the same was true for Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju, who had been resurrected alongside him.
No wonder Hiruzen Sarutobi, whose strength had been on a decline, was able to hold his own against the two of them, leaving behind a somewhat impressive final feat.
At this moment, Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju, who were beside Yuyi Xuan Yue, also came to their senses.
Hashirama looked at the elderly Hiruzen before him, his eyes filled with reminiscence: "It's been a long time, Monkey."
"You're getting on in years as well, Hiruzen," Tobirama calmly added.
As the one they had personally chosen as the Third Hokage before their deaths, Hiruzen Sarutobi had been young back then.
Now, seeing him again, they noticed how much older he had become.
'Has it been three or four decades already?' Tobirama wondered, his eyes briefly scanning Yuyi Xuan Yue, who stood beside them with an odd expression, his brows furrowed in confusion.
'How did this guy end up here as well?' Tobirama thought to himself.
Facing the two leaders of Konoha Village, his respected seniors, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt a mix of nostalgia and guilt: "I never expected to meet the two of you again under these circumstances. I apologize for disturbing your eternal rest."
"Impure World Reincarnation?" Tobirama already understood the situation and turned to look at Orochimaru, who stood behind them. "This young man is the one who summoned us using the forbidden technique? Impressive, to have completed the technique I left behind to such a degree. It's a shame he's strayed down the wrong path."
"Tobirama, I told you before not to develop those extremely dangerous forbidden techniques. It seems you didn't listen," Hashirama sighed and turned to face them, only to notice Yuyi Xuan Yue standing quietly by, observing everything. His eyes lit up as he greeted him, "Long time no see, Xuan Yue."
"Hashirama," Yuyi Xuan Yue acknowledged, turning his gaze towards Hashirama.
Compared to himself, this guy had lived quite a few more years.
Yuyi Xuan Yue's lips curled up as he greeted him with a smile: "It's been a long time for you, Hashirama, but for me, it feels like I just blinked. By the way, I did say that Uchiha Madara was more radical than me. So, anything interesting happen after my death?"
Hashirama's expression turned somber as he thought of the Valley of the End battle: "Madara..."
"Seems like things turned out as I expected.
"Hashirama, if the ninja world had maintained peace after my death, why would the Will of Fire in Konoha have changed hands so frequently in just a few short decades, up to the Fourth Hokage?"
Yuiyi Xuan Yue gestured towards the distant Hokage Monument.
If the ninja world had truly been at peace, Konoha wouldn't have needed to appoint new leaders so often.
Following Yuiyi Xuan Yue's gesture, Senju Hashirama looked at the four massive heads carved into the Hokage Rock, his expression turning solemn.
While he might have been naive, he was not foolish.
"Tobirama, is this true?" Senju Hashirama asked his younger brother, who had also descended into the underworld.
Indeed, the ninja world had maintained peace during his lifetime.
However, he was unaware of what had transpired after his death.
Senju Tobirama glanced at Yuiyi Xuan Yue, who stood beside him with a schadenfreude smile, and was about to answer when a voice interrupted from behind.
"That's enough chitchat, old folks. Let's get down to business now," Orochimaru said as he strode forward, having been a silent observer until now.
At his words, Yuiyi Xuan Yue's lips twisted in annoyance.
'Old folks?'
He had always been known as a young prodigy, and the modern term of address felt jarring to him.
As Orochimaru stepped closer, standing behind Senju Hashirama, the God of Shinobi could only sigh and put aside his questions for now. "It seems that no matter the era, conflict is inevitable."
To which Orochimaru politely replied, "It seems that you enjoy it quite a bit."
Sarutobi Hiruzen, witnessing this exchange, flew into a rage. "How dare you mock the dead, Orochimaru! Those who tamper with time will meet a bitter end!"
Orochimaru responded with a contemptuous smile as he produced the control seals, his actions speaking louder than words.
Sometimes, it was beneficial to have low-quality sacrifices for the Impure World Reincarnation technique.
Like now.
Senju Hashirama, only able to access a fraction of his true power, couldn't exert the same pressure on Orochimaru as he would have if he had been resurrected through a White Zetsu body, as he would in the future.
The same was true for Senju Tobirama.
Even as the developer of the Impure World Reincarnation technique, he couldn't break free from the technique's restraints like Uchiha Madara had, simply because he lacked the necessary power at the moment.
And so, the two brothers could only watch helplessly as Orochimaru inserted the control seals into their brains, dimming their consciousness and enslaving their souls.
Barely moments after reuniting with his old friends, Yuiyi Xuan Yue witnessed their consciousness fade, his lips twisting in a wry smile. Turning towards Orochimaru, who was now approaching him, he proposed, "You're Orochimaru, right? Since you know who I am, then you should understand that I'm different from these two beside me."
"There's no need to control me. I'm more than willing to help destroy Konoha."
At this moment, neither Senju Hashirama nor Senju Tobirama could break free from the Impure World Reincarnation's hold, and Yuiyi Xuan Yue was in the same boat.
While he had a backup plan, he didn't mind discussing a collaboration with Orochimaru.
After all, mind-controlled Impure World Reincarnation vessels were a notch weaker than their original selves.
At Yuiyi Xuan Yue's words, Orochimaru extended his long tongue, his interest piqued as he examined the man before him—the one whose blood and flesh samples had cost him dearly, the legendary figure said to rival the gods in power and talent.
Instead of lashing out and rebuking him for desecrating the dead, as others Orochimaru had summoned from the underworld had done, this renowned figure wanted to join forces with him.
What a fascinating old man!
(End of Chapter)
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