Chapter 74
SHINSO KEN
"It is good to see you, Ino," he said as the blonde landed beside Hinata and Karin, she had grown up as well and was wearing the standard issue uniform. Karin stood beside him, her eyes still red from the crying, yet a literal war was going on, and they couldn't just relax.
"Well, it seems Hokage-sama was right. You did break the control seal!" Ino remarked with a sigh of relief as she suddenly closed her eyes and began to speak in a hushed tone, probably relaying information to the HQ.
After some time, she looked at him again and spoke up.
"Shinso-kun can you identify the caster of the Edo Tensei or give us the caster's location?" she asked him, and he closed his eyes, focusing once more on the control seal he had just broken down.
The control seal worked over an extremely large distance and hence needed to have a chakra conductive function, and with his focus, he was able to isolate it. He would need to use Sage mode but he could probably locate it.
"I can get the location. But I am afraid I can not confirm his identity," he replied as he opened his eyes once more. Ino nodded once more and continued communication with HQ. And finally, she spoke up once more.
"Hokage-sama wants you to contact her, she says that you will know how?" she finished with a frow and he nodded. Indeed, he knew.
"Tell her I will be there!" he felt Karin's hold tighten as her hands squeezed his own, and he looked toward her to find a complicated expression on her face. He could see that she wanted to stop him, yet was hesitating.
The truth was that Shinso himself wanted to remain. He wanted to feel her warmth once more. Wanted to laugh and cry and grow old. His mind was racing as he tried to think up various methods to achieve the impossible, yet he knew that it wasn't that.
This was possible. Extremely difficult yet possible nonetheless.
"I don't want you to go! Please! You don't have to kill the caster. We could focus on the control seals and seek another solution," she pleaded to him, his heart wrenched as he heard those words. He felt her arms wrap around him once more as she continued to plead.
He wanted to reassure her, wanted to tell her that it was impossible yet he did not want to give her false hope. The chances that he could pull it off were extremely slim.
"It's fine Karin. It was good to see you, and you as well Hinata," and he felt Karin whimper at his words, her body shaking again. He smiled as he pulled her head up and looked her straight in the eyes.
"No matter what happens, princess. I will always be with you," and he closed the distance between them as his lips crashed onto hers. And despite the reanimation jutsu Shinso felt his body heat up slightly as the two of them just let themselves get lost in one another.
They separated after some time, with Karin gasping for air, her face filled with sadness, so Shinso hugged her once more before separating and giving Ino a nod.
"Tell Tsuande-sama to make preparations! I will be reverse summoning myself!" Ino nodded and conveyed her message once more. He looked towards Karin and his gut wrenched as he saw the gutted expression on her face.
"She is ready!" Ino spoke up and he nodded getting a last look at the redhead and his hardened as he decided to be selfish and pursue his desire. He couldn't just let this be the end! So, he would try! He would give it his all for it!
So, he leaned in and whispered in her ear and saw her body stiffen with his words.
0000
TSUNADE SENJU
"REVERSE SUMMONING JUTSU!" and there was smoke in the air as suddenly Katsuya clone vanished and a shinobi appeared out of the smoke. His body was pale and cracked like the other reanimated shinobi she had seen yet his eyes lacked the dullness that she had observed in others rather, they were sharp and bright, just like the day she had first met him.
She could feel both Kazekage and Raikage looking at him along with several other shinobi in the HQ. They were on edge for this could very well be a ploy and he could still be compromised yet she saw him smile as his eyes landed on her.
"It is good to see you, sensei," Shinso remarked as he waved at her and she felt gutted seeing him like this, for seeing her failure, her student staring at her.
"I am sorry that I couldn't protect you, Shinso," she apologized to him and saw him stiffen at her words. Before he sighed and nodded.
"What could you have done? It is what it is," and with that, he saw him scan the room. But, suddenly she felt the Raikage whiz past her heading straight for Shinso.
BOOOM!
"What are you doing!" she shouted and watched as the Raikage's attack landed on the floor with Shinso's blade right aimed at his neck. The whole headquarters was tense as they saw this, and dread pooled in her gut as well.
Had she been wrong! Was Shinso still being controlled?
But her worries proved unnecessary when Shinso moved the blade, sheathing it once more.
"You really shouldn't attack people like that you know. It isn't polite at all," he said as the Raikage's lightning cloak turned off as well and the man stood up his eyes narrowed at Shinso.
"Tsuande trained you well," he remarked making everyone take a sigh of relief.
"Now, enough talk we need you to locate the caster of the Edo Tensei," and if she hadn't known him for so long she would have missed the slight clenching of fists. And she understood the reason for his conflicted thoughts, she had had the same treasonous thoughts when she had heard about the reanimation of Dan.
Yet the truth was that he was gone, and she needed to accept that. But that did not mean that it did not take sheer control to not rush to the battlefield to just catch one more glance of him.
"Yes, I could do that but I need you to answer a couple of my questions first," and she frowned at his words. Though, she wasn't the only one.
"Do you have an idea of who the caster of this jutsu maybe?" he asked and it was Shikaku that nodded.
"Yes, while not confirm. We believe that the caster is Yakushi Kabuto. An apprentice of Lord Orochimaru," and Shinso nodded.
"And whom do you plan to send to combat him?" he asked once more. But before the man could reply, the Kazekage intervened.
"Why do you want to know? What does it matter to you, whom we sent?" She saw Shinso's eyes narrow as he stared at the young Kazekage before speaking up.
"Kankuro? May I ask where is your brother Gaara?" Shinso asked and she saw the Kazekage stiffen at his words before finally replying.
"My brother died protecting the village, but I ask again why did you ask those questions?" and Shinso nodded.
"Well, because I have a plan that requires quite a bit of coordination!" and Tsuande frowned at his words.
"What plan?" the Raikage questioned him, his voice gruff and impatient. Shinso looked around, his eyes finally landing on her.
"A plan to perform a miracle!"
And Tsuande's eyes widened as she heard his words. But before anyone could speak up, Ao spoke up.
"DAMN IT! NARUTO, KILLER BEE, AND HAKU HAVE ESCAPED AND ARE HEADED FOR THE BATTLEFIELD! I AM ALSO SENSING PAIN'S CHAKRA. HE IS ON THE MOVE!"
She saw the Raikage's temper flare up at that.
"Those idiots! I will take care of them! You!" he said, focusing on Shinso once more.
"You better start speaking up before I run out of patience!"
Shinso nodded at that and finally looked at Ao.
"I need you to find me a certain shinobi. I believe his name is Kato Dan, and he might have been reanimated as well," and Tsuande's breath hitched as she heard that name.
"Dan!" she heard Shikaku mutter as he frowned, looking at Shinso once more.
"How do you even know that name? And what does he have to do with any of this!" Shikaku asked as Tsuande's mind raced as she thought of any tangible reasons for Shinso's actions.
And she could see that she wasn't the only one.
"While the Rinnegan is an extremely rare doujutsu there are certain texts that describe its powers. And one of its powers is…."
"DIVINE RINNE REBIRTH!" Tsunade cut him off as she finally understood Shinso's intentions. He looked towards her and nodded.
"Indeed! And I don't think I need to tell you why Dan is important for this," and she nodded. His spiritual transformation technique allowed him to take control of a body; while the control was temporary, it was all they would need.
"This could work!" she spoke up and saw as everyone's eyes landed on her.
"We can save everyone!"
0000
SASUKE UCHIHA
Sasuke Uchiha sat on a tree branch, his face covered by his ANBU mask as the special hunter-nin squad took care of the reanimated shinobi below him. Suddenly one of the members landed behind him, his arm band showing that he was from the communication corps.
"I have orders from HQ! They have located the caster of the Edo Tensei, but they want you not to kill him but rather try and bring him under your control!"
Sasuke frowned at those words. This hadn't been the initial plan.
"Why?" he questioned and the hunter-nin just shrugged.
"They did not explain but they want us to establish communication once you have him under control. The orders mentioned that you were authorized to use everything at your disposal to obtain the said result!" and his eyes widened at that.
For such a command to come to him meant that he was authorized to use that eye as well. He nodded as he took out a scroll from his pocket and saw the special summoning contract seal.
"Tell the squad to gather up!" he commanded as he stood up, pushing chakra into his eyes.
"But we are surrounded by enemies! This will leave us vulnerable," the squad member argued.
Sasuke ignored him and took out his sword from its sheath. The black blade glistened as shadowy blades radiated out of it. But unlike the last time he had used it, they did not lash out randomly.
No, they danced on his commands!
Blood dripped from his eye as he pushed the blade into the ground.
"AMATERASU'S WORLD!" and the shadowy blades expanded and began to move out, and whenever they came in contact with an entity, he had classified them as hostile.
"AGHHHHHH!"
Black flames lit it up! Burning it to nothingness!
And soon, the whole area was filled with shrieks of burning white Zetsu and reanimated corpses, their reformation failing to keep up with Amaterasu.
At this, he finally glanced at the hunter nin behind him.
"You were saying?"
0000
You can check out my Patre 0n for an early look at my next Naruto fic, Shimmering Mist: A Hatake SI. It will be getting serialized from next week in public domains. Yet you can get an early look and support me on Patreon.
www.Patre 0n.com/Drkest
Thanks for reading my clumsy writing!