“Don’t worry. I know what must be done.”
With Orochimaru’s existence hanging over them, even Hiruzen’s so-called “moral bottom line” had become more flexible.
“I’ll immediately assign men to patrol the Heroes’ Memorial with utmost care. Gen, you should leave a Flying Thunder God seal there as well. The moment anything stirs—”
“I’ll be there instantly, and kill Orochimaru on the spot.”
Kitagawa Gen nodded, which nearly made Jiraiya roll his eyes.
“But just that… doesn’t seem enough, does it?”
“True, it isn’t enough. My plan is…”
Hiruzen took a deep breath, hesitated for a moment, then spoke in a low voice.
“To perform Impure World Reincarnation for the First and Second Hokage.”
“Only summon those two?”
Kakashi looked doubtful, but Hiruzen explained calmly.
“For now, yes. The Fourth Hokage used the Dead Demon Consuming Seal, so… As for the First Hokage, his power is overwhelming—we must prepare thoroughly. And my sensei was the inventor of Impure World Reincarnation. I believe he can provide us with further guidance and aid.”
“Old man, you’re saying you want the Second Hokage to… modify the jutsu?”
Jiraiya blinked. As he spoke, his gaze couldn’t help flicking toward Kitagawa Gen.
Wasn’t this almost the same as what Gen had said—‘making the dead work’?
“Hm… maybe this isn’t such a bad idea after all?”
Kakashi murmured softly, lost in thought, while Guy stood frozen in astonishment.
“Not just the Hokage… perhaps we should even consider a few other masters as well.”
Kitagawa Gen glanced at Kakashi and Guy’s expressions and decided to offer a reminder.
Impure World Reincarnation—though it looked utterly evil, using the dead as laborers, was nothing short of the sort of exploitation that gets you hanged from a streetlight.
And yet, when Yakushi Kabuto used this technique, he unexpectedly achieved the effect of a “dream-fulfiller.”
It could only be said: this jutsu truly depended on the intentions of the one who cast it.
“That’s right. This is indeed my plan.”
Hiruzen nodded directly, his voice deep and steady.
“We will prepare for the Impure World Reincarnation of others as well. With my sensei’s presence, we can accelerate the process—and better protect the summoned from falling under Orochimaru’s control.”
“Then let us begin at once.”
Koharu and Homura exchanged a glance before speaking together.
“I’ll go with you.”
Hiruzen added, his gaze shifting toward Tsunade.
“Tsunade, you should also prepare. After all, the one we’ll be summoning is your…”
“Tch, I get it.”
Tsunade gave a curt nod, then turned on her heel.
“I’ll start preparing.”
There was no helping it. With someone like Orochimaru, there was nothing he wouldn’t do.
Who knew? He might even use this very jutsu to threaten them someday.
“Then we’ll head out first. You all should come to the Anbu prison later as well.”
Hiruzen turned toward Kitagawa Gen and the others. After a moment’s thought, he added: “I believe the two Hokage will want to see you.”
“Yes.”
Kitagawa Gen, Kakashi, and the rest all nodded. Yet, once the words sank in, they felt something odd.
Two dead Hokage wanted to meet them?
How strange that sounded.
“Never thought it would actually come to this.”
Once Tsunade and the Third Hokage had left, Jiraiya rubbed at his brow in exasperation, while Kakashi voiced his curiosity.
“I wonder what those two Hokage will be like.”
“Who knows? I don’t know them personally.”
Jiraiya shook his head. Both Hokage had died when he was still young—it would be absurd for him to know them well.
“Still, this may not be a bad thing. Who knows—we might even get to meet some old friends in the future.”
“Maybe so.”
Kakashi gave a small nod. Beside him, Guy tilted his head, lost in thought.
Only Kitagawa Gen looked on with quiet amusement. After all, using Impure World Reincarnation early was something he had long planned!
'After all, if I don’t dump ‘shit’ on my group mates, they’ll end up dumping ‘shit’ on me.'
With that conviction, he knew he had to strike first.
'Actually, even the Fourth Hokage isn’t impossible… ah, forget it, whatever.'
Kitagawa Gen shook his head. He walked to the bedside, lifted his gaze to the sky—
and froze.
Staring blankly upward, a reckless thought suddenly popped into his mind.
'Hiss… if I recall, weren’t Ōtsutsuki Hamura’s remains buried on the moon?'
...
“What do you think of him?”
After leaving the Konoha hospital, Hiruzen cast a glance around. Only then did he lower his voice to ask his two old comrades.
“Calm, composed, meticulous, and quick-thinking.”
Koharu gave her opinion after a short pause, and Mitokado Homura also fell into deep thought before speaking in a low voice.
“His strength is overwhelming. He wields the Flying Thunder God, Sage Arts, Ice Release, even Dust Release—and he even developed a new jutsu, Purple Lightning, on his own. He’s a super-genius shinobi, outstanding in every way.”
“Yes… he’s truly remarkable.”
Hiruzen nodded, though at that moment his two old comrades spoke again.
“It’s just… his thinking is far too extreme. Even I was shaken.”
“And his bottom line seems even lower than Sensei’s. I never imagined a new use for Impure World Reincarnation like that—and then involving the Kazekage and the daimyō…”
Their words made Hiruzen press his lips together. After a long silence, he finally sighed.
“Now you understand why I say Konoha’s education system has failed?”
“Gen excels in everything… except his character. His nature is too vicious, his thinking far too extreme. I really can’t fathom what the Academy has been teaching!”
“If the school had done better, Gen wouldn’t have turned out like this!”
Koharu and Homura exchanged a glance. In truth, both of them wanted to ask:
Could it be that Kitagawa Gen was simply this vicious by nature?
But after some thought, Mitokado Homura finally spoke.
“Perhaps education does bear some blame. We still need to work harder.”
“That’s true. Still, raising someone like Kitagawa Gen is an achievement in itself. In a certain sense, some of his thinking isn’t entirely wrong.”
Koharu nodded in agreement.
“There’s no need to be overly troubled. What we must strengthen from here on is ideological guidance. I believe that will be enough.”
“Yes… raising him is already quite an accomplishment.”
Hiruzen’s mood lightened somewhat. Adjusting his Hokage hat, he smiled.
“So, you also hold him in high regard. Good. I trust your judgment. In fact, with this summoning, I already have a plan in mind.”
“You mean… you intend for the Second Hokage to teach him?”
At once, the two guessed Hiruzen’s intent—yet they felt helpless to comment.
That brat was already so extreme… and now their sensei would be the one guiding him? Who could imagine what the future might hold?
“What else can I do?”
Hiruzen let out a weary sigh.
“Would you rather have the First Hokage teach him?”
That silenced the two at once.
That would be worse than Tobirama.
Not that the First Hokage was lacking—in truth, he was far too strong. But his personality was… simply too unreliable.
In that case, better to leave it to the Second Hokage.
Though, truth be told, Kitagawa Gen already seemed more extreme than even Tobirama…
“All right, enough of this. Let’s get to preparations.”
Hiruzen shook his head, unwilling to continue the discussion.
The pressing matter was ensuring both Hokage remained under his control. He hadn’t forgotten that Orochimaru had already attempted to summon two coffins.
It was only because Kitagawa Gen had shattered him with Dust Release and then kept his focus locked onto Orochimaru during the battle.
Otherwise, no one could have predicted how things might have turned out.
After a round of preparations, by late morning everything was ready.
Kitagawa Gen followed Kakashi, Guy, and even Jiraiya—still badly wounded yet insisting on coming along—into a chamber within Konoha’s Anbu prison.
“You’ve come. Then let us begin.”
Upon seeing them arrive, Hiruzen began to slowly form hand seals.
He had never truly studied this jutsu in depth, but with his mastery of ninjutsu research, so long as it didn’t demand fine, precise control, he could still manage to cast it.
“I’ve always been reluctant to use this technique… mainly because it’s far too cruel.”
While weaving seals, he explained. Beside him lay two unconscious death row inmates—clearly the sacrifices prepared for the ritual.
“But at this point, I have no choice. Perhaps even these condemned men may yet have a new use. Then—”
“Impure World Reincarnation!”
At once, two summoning arrays spread beneath his feet. A flurry of filthy paper sheets appeared, covering the two prisoners.
Moments later, the pair slowly stood up, their features already transformed!
As chakra flowed deeper into their bodies, the dullness in their eyes gradually gave way to awareness.
Though they still seemed somewhat vacant, their consciousness had clearly returned.
“This place…”
Suddenly, Senju Hashirama stirred. Lifting his head, he looked around in puzzlement.
“Where is this?”
“Big brother?”
A voice came from behind him. Turning, Hashirama saw the figure of his younger brother, Senju Tobirama.
But his expression quickly turned odd. After giving Tobirama a once-over, he suddenly burst into laughter.
“Tobirama, you don’t look like a living man at all!”
“…Idiot. We’ve been dead for ages!”
Tobirama’s eyelids twitched. He had already seen the signs upon his elder brother.
“So… this is Impure World Reincarnation. Hmph. To think I’d be summoned back to the living world by my own jutsu—how ironic. Well then—”
His words cut off as he suddenly turned, fixing a cold gaze on the one who had summoned him.
Yet, upon seeing who stood there, his composure faltered. The faces before him looked oddly familiar.
“Eh?”
Meanwhile, Hashirama poked his head forward curiously, peering at the group across from them. After a moment, he couldn’t help but ask:
“Who’s that old man? Why does he look a little familiar?”
“…”
“Old man, who are you?”
“…”
---
I will post some extra Chapters in Patreon, you can check it out. >> /TitoVillar
---