In the midst of the shock and disbelief, Orochimaru's eyes widened as he watched Minato return to his original position. It was as if the world had shifted under his feet. Orochimaru blinked rapidly, trying to process what had just happened.
A twisted smile spread across his pale, sickly face, and his scarlet tongue flicked out to lick the blade of the Kusanagi sword in his hand, a mixture of astonishment and excitement in his voice. "Haha! It's really you, Minato."
Minato smiled in return but said nothing to Orochimaru. Instead, he silently communicated with the system, his thoughts sharp.
"System, you revived me in this way, don't you have any other compensation for this?"
He had traveled through the Pure Land and emerged in the form of Impure World Reincarnation. It felt like a cruel twist of fate—he deserved something more for enduring such a miserable resurrection.
"Ding! Due to a system error, the host's travel failed. However, the host's body has been restored, and the control over Impure World Reincarnation has been released."
The mechanical voice rang clearly in Minato's mind, its words hanging in the air.
Minato paused, stunned by the response. "That's it? After everything, just this? I was revived, but now I'm just stuck in this unstable body. The control over the jutsu is released... but is that really all the compensation?"
The system seemed to hesitate, its mechanical hum vibrating in his skull. "Ding! Would you like to sign in with Sarutobi Hiruzen?"
Minato couldn't suppress the dry chuckle that escaped his lips. "Sign in?"
"Ding! Sign-in successful. You have received the Five Elements Great Linking Bullet Technique."
Minato felt the weight of the words settle in. The Five Elements Great Linking Bullet Technique? A strange technique, but potentially useful.
Before he could ponder further, the system chimed again.
"Ding! Would you like to sign in with Orochimaru?"
Minato raised an eyebrow. "Sign in with Orochimaru?" He paused for a moment, then answered mentally. "Why not? Sign in."
"Ding! Sign-in successful. You have received the Orochimaru Substitute Technique."
Minato let out a long breath. Orochimaru's signature ninjutsu—the Substitution Technique where a fatal blow would cause the body to split into snakes and emerge from them. It was a useful technique, but one Minato would rarely need. His current abilities already surpassed Orochimaru's.
But it was the system's reward, and he couldn't help but laugh at the irony. "If only Orochimaru knew…"
Meanwhile, Sarutobi Hiruzen's gaze remained fixed on Minato, a deep furrow between his brows. Something about Minato felt... wrong. The air around him felt thicker, like a sense of unease hung in the atmosphere.
But the old Hokage quickly pushed the thoughts aside, his attention snapping to the two coffins behind him. As they opened, the unmistakable figures of the First and Second Hokage, Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama, stepped forward. The crowd gasped as the legendary figures of Konoha's past walked into the present.
Hashirama, the ever-jovial Hokage, greeted Sarutobi Hiruzen with a warm smile. "Long time no see, Monkey."
Tobirama, ever the pragmatic one, shot a glance at the surroundings and immediately demanded an explanation. "What's happening? How did Konoha come to this?"
Before Sarutobi Hiruzen could answer, the two legendary Hokages turned their attention to Minato.
"Who is this?" Senju Hashirama asked, eyes narrowing as he took in the figure of the Fourth Hokage.
Hiruzen answered quickly. "This is Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage of Konoha."
Hashirama's expression softened, a deep understanding crossing his face. "Ah, the Fourth Hokage... the same as us. Reincarnated through the Impure World Reincarnation..."
Tobirama, ever the skeptic, observed Minato carefully, his sharp eyes scanning for any irregularities. "So it seems. But why did he... die? Why is he here, like us?"
Minato, meanwhile, was lost in his own thoughts. His body felt strange, alien even, but his heartbeat was steady, and the breath in his chest felt real. For the first time in what felt like an eternity, Minato felt alive again.
His body, once again fully restored, gave him a rush of unfamiliar sensations. It was a relief, but the feeling still unsettled him. He couldn't help but smile to himself. "It feels good this way."
As Hashirama watched, his excitement reached a boiling point. "This is incredible!" he exclaimed, his voice booming with excitement. "He's twisting his body! What strength!"
Tobirama raised a brow, his expression still stoic, though a spark of curiosity flickered in his eyes. "This power... it surpasses what we knew of the Impure World Reincarnation. This is... different."
It wasn't just the physical changes that caught their attention, but the fact that Minato's power seemed to be growing, his presence radiating an unusual kind of strength that even the reincarnated Hokages couldn't ignore.
As they exchanged words, Minato stood quietly, observing the world around him. His thoughts drifted to Konoha—the village he had given everything for, a place now corrupted by greed and manipulation. He thought of Naruto, his son, abandoned and insulted by the very people he had sworn to protect.
"The Will of Fire," Minato mused, recalling the philosophy that had once defined Konoha. "It's supposed to be a guide for the next generation, but it's been twisted into something darker. They've used it to justify their own selfish desires."
His eyes narrowed as he looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen. "And you, old man, are no better."
Hashirama's booming voice broke through his thoughts. "Minato, you—"
Minato flashed a quick, piercing smile and said nothing, letting the moment hang in the air. His mind was elsewhere—on a future that was no longer his own.
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