Mei Terumī was naturally very capable, but due to the lack of crucial information, she couldn't make the right decision in the shortest time.
Aoba didn't want the war to break out so soon, so he had Zabuza return to remind Mei's faction of the dire situation.
"Zabuza, you're a rogue ninja. Why should we trust you?"
"You don't have to trust me. As you said, I'm a rogue ninja. But I'll say it again: have I ever harmed this village?"
The meeting dragged on for a long time. Mei didn't fully trust Zabuza, but neither could she completely dismiss him. To her, this was a gamble.
If she won, she would save the village. But if she lost, Kirigakure might be doomed entirely.
"We need to think about this."
"I'd love to say you can, but the truth is, there's no time. The Raikage and Tsuchikage are already on their way. In three days, they'll arrive in Kirigakure. By then, it will be too late."
"Three days. We only have three days to save our village."
While chaos brewed within Kirigakure, Aoba was not idle either. Shin, who he had secretly summoned, had already begun the experiment.
"This jutsu requires summoning the Reaper, offering oneself as a sacrifice, and retrieving what the Reaper has consumed. You're immortal, but I'm not sure how facing the Reaper will affect you. So, if anything feels wrong, stop the ritual immediately. Understand?"
Under the full effect of Aoba's Kotoamatsukami, Shin regarded him as a god and had no hesitation.
Shin donned the Reaper mask and began the ceremonial dance to summon the Reaper.
To Aoba, this jutsu was entirely different from conventional ninjutsu. It hardly used chakra at all and instead relied heavily on mental energy and powers related to the soul.
The temperature in the room plummeted, and Aoba could sense something had appeared, though he couldn't see it immediately.
He knew the Reaper had responded. Normally, the Reaper couldn't be seen.
However, something unexpected happened.
Shin raised the knife in his hand, prepared to cut open his abdomen, but froze mid-motion as if paralyzed.
Aoba immediately sensed that something was wrong but didn't dare to intervene recklessly. The Reaper targeted the soul, an area in which Aoba had no expertise. If the Reaper ensnared him, he wasn't confident he could escape.
According to his knowledge, once the Reaper touched a person, they would lose the ability to move. This was no trivial matter.
Shin began to move again, though his actions were slow and strained.
With great effort, he raised his hand and used the blade to cut into his abdomen.
A strange change swept through the laboratory. The exact nature of the shift was indescribable, but the air seemed filled with an invisible force. A cold sensation penetrated straight to the soul.
Aoba knew something was amiss. In the original storyline, Orochimaru performed this jutsu smoothly, without any issues, and Sasuke had no unusual reaction.
Shin's execution, however, was clearly problematic.
Despite the irregularities, the outcome was a success. Soon, Aoba saw Shin successfully release the souls of the four Hokage.
Based on the cost of the ritual, Shin's life should have been claimed by the Reaper at this point.
However, Shin's immortality was derived from another deity's power, creating a unique stalemate.
For a moment, Aoba could sense an impasse.
In the end, the Reaper reluctantly withdrew from the ninja world, seemingly unable to remain in the human realm for long. Ultimately, it failed to claim Shin's soul.
Aoba let out a sigh of relief. While the souls of the four Hokage were incredibly valuable, he didn't want to lose Shin, a trusted subordinate.
The four Hokage, freshly released from the Reaper's stomach, were initially disoriented but quickly regained their clarity.
"This... is that jutsu that summons the dead again? No... something's different. We're in a soul state. Someone has rescued our souls from the Reaper's stomach. Was it you, young man?"
The speaker was Tobirama Senju, the Second Hokage. As a master of forbidden jutsu, he quickly assessed the situation.
"You could say that. I know you all have many questions, but as you're currently in a soul state, you cannot remain in the human world for long. Therefore, I've prepared brand-new bodies for you."
Aoba had gone to great lengths to prepare for this moment. Using White Zetsu and Hashirama's cells, he had cultivated four new bodies for the Hokage, providing vessels for their souls to inhabit.
In a sense, this could even be considered a form of resurrection. The bodies Aoba had prepared were of the highest quality, fully capable of sustaining them in the human world indefinitely.
"Hiruzen, is this one of your people?"
The Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, regarded Aoba with a cautious gaze before turning to ask Hiruzen Sarutobi.
At that moment, Hiruzen looked awkwardly at Aoba. Before his death, he had personally witnessed Aoba and Kakashi intercept Jiraiya, preventing him from offering assistance.
Hiruzen wanted to voice his grievances against Aoba, but he held back. He needed to confirm whether Konoha had truly improved since his time.
If Konoha was indeed in a better state, he would have no grounds to complain, as that would mean Aoba's actions were justified.
If Konoha had not improved, he could settle the score later.
"That's correct. He is Aoba Kamikawa, a jōnin of Konoha and a civilian ninja whom I personally promoted. He should be trustworthy."
"A civilian ninja? Able to reverse Edo Tensei and create cloned bodies? That's no ordinary ninja. Your subordinate is quite impressive," Tobirama remarked.
"I should clarify," Tsunade interjected, stepping forward. "Aoba Kamikawa is now a Hokage advisor, the head of the Konoha Research Institute, and a senior consultant to the Konoha Sealing Corps. He is my most capable assistant."
Tsunade had been informed about today's experiment, though she had been delayed by official duties.
At that moment, she entered the room wearing the Hokage's robes, clearly establishing her authority.
"So it's little Tsunade. I see you've become Hokage. That's reassuring. So, all of this was done with your approval?"
"That's right," Tsunade confirmed. "The ninja world is facing a great crisis, and we need the assistance of the previous Hokage."
"In that case, we won't hesitate to help," the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, immediately responded, ready to contribute upon hearing of the danger facing the ninja world.
With that, the four Hokage's souls entered the prepared bodies, effectively bringing them back to life in the ninja world, albeit in a unique way.
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Currently on Chapter 216 - Rinne Rebirth