"Naruto, Hiruzen is gone," Jiraiya said earnestly.
"No, I saw him!" Naruto kept shaking his head.
Jiraiya sighed. He knew Naruto was unwilling to accept that the Third Hokage had truly passed away.
But this was the reality. What use was there in clinging to empty hopes?
After careful consideration, he decided it was best for Naruto to witness the truth with his own eyes.
After wandering around outside for a while, Hiruzen Sarutobi returned to where Orochimaru was located.
Five unconscious ninja were thrown inside by Orochimaru's subordinates.
Unsure of the situation, Sarutobi simply asked, "Orochimaru, why did you resurrect me?"
"Lord Sarutobi, wouldn't you wish to continue living?" Orochimaru said lightly.
"I do have attachments to this world, but certainly not through this method."
Orochimaru carefully observed his expression and realized he showed no intention of fighting, so he temporarily relaxed, chuckled slightly, and turned his attention elsewhere.
He pulled out another scroll containing blood and flesh samples.
Orochimaru had collected the remains of many ninja—including top experts like the Third Hokage and Fourth Raikage—but most were just ordinary ninja.
These people were primarily used for testing the precision of the [Impure World Reincarnation] technique.
According to Orochimaru's hypothesis, the Impure World Reincarnation should work similarly to his [Living Corpse Reincarnation] technique, where repeated summonings of the same person would eventually cause soul degradation.
Orochimaru naturally didn't care about what happened to the souls of the deceased. He simply wanted to ensure those top-tier warriors reincarnated through the Impure World technique could meet his expectations.
Therefore, routine experiments were usually conducted using ninja of little value.
"Orochimaru, exactly what are you planning to do?" Sarutobi frowned.
He was familiar with most of Konoha's kinjutsu.
The moment Orochimaru started forming hand seals, Sarutobi immediately realized it—Orochimaru was using the [Impure World Reincarnation] technique.
"Master Jiraiya, look? I was right all along."
Naruto's voice came first.
Jiraiya followed him inside.
When he saw Lord Sarutobi again, a wave of complex emotions washed over him, leaving him unsure how to face the moment.
Jiraiya opened his mouth but couldn't find anything to say.
It had only been a few days, yet seeing his teacher again felt like centuries had passed since that fateful day.
This technique, the [Impure World Reincarnation], was not only a desecration of the dead but a cruel joke played upon the living.
No joyous surprises. No heartfelt reunions.
What exactly did life and death even mean anymore?
"Jiraiya, why that expression? Death is merely a new beginning," Orochimaru's mocking voice entered his ears.
Sighing, Sarutobi was about to speak when...
Orochimaru had already finished his hand seals. The several ninja lying on the ground began visibly changing before their eyes.
Their originally normal skin transformed into paper-like texture, and even their appearances shifted into someone else entirely.
It was the first time Naruto had ever witnessed the [Impure World Reincarnation]. He stared blankly at the scene unfolding before him and voiced his confusion, "Why did they become different people?"
"One life for another. That's how Lord Sarutobi was revived," Orochimaru said coldly, his words devoid of warmth.
Jiraiya frowned. "Orochimaru…"
Before he could finish speaking, Orochimaru cut him off flatly. "Jiraiya, the one seeking my help is you."
"Besides, they might turn out to be the most useful for you in the future," Orochimaru added with a meaningful tone.
Jiraiya immediately found himself at a loss for words.
Even though this went against his principles, he indeed had no right to say anything to Orochimaru.
"Lord Sarutobi, to prevent you from interfering, I'll have to let you rest."
Saying that, he inserted a kunai engraved with a seal into the back of Hiruzen Sarutobi's head.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes instantly became vacant.
Naruto watched, puzzled by what was happening.
Yet those words — "one life for another" — burned into his mind.
Could it mean those people just now had all died?
Thinking about it, Naruto felt uneasy inside and his impression of Orochimaru dropped significantly.
"What? Are you two planning to stay here watching me conduct experiments?" Orochimaru asked upon seeing the master and apprentice reluctant to leave.
"Naruto, wait for me outside," Jiraiya said.
Naruto obediently left.
"Orochimaru, send Lord Sarutobi back to the Pure Land," Jiraiya said solemnly after Naruto left.
"Holding onto Lord Sarutobi here will prove more valuable than sending him to the Pure Land," Orochimaru not only refused but also mocked him. "Jiraiya, don't you dare die, or I'll reincarnate you through the [Impure World Reincarnation]."
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"..."
"Seriously, Jiraiya, do you even understand them? Do you know why Kaguya chose them?"
Jiraiya remained speechless.
"Therefore, you always lose. You're like Naruto — like headless flies, bumping into walls everywhere and obsessing over insignificant details."
"Now you have nothing. If you try preaching your so-called truths to anyone else, no one's gonna listen anyway. In the past, you were a Sannin of Konoha and the Hokage's disciple, respected and influential, so people listened to you. But not anymore."
Jiraiya's face changed expressions momentarily before asking, "Orochimaru, what exactly are you trying to say?"
"I'm merely reminding you — your enemy isn't me. It's not me who needs restraining — it's you."
Worry about yourself before you start meddling in other people's affairs.
After giving Jiraiya a verbal dressing-down, Orochimaru continued with his experiment.
He attempted to fine-tune the precision of [Impure World Reincarnation].
He always believed the reason he couldn't extract tailed beast chakra from the jinchuriki body was because his current [Impure World Reincarnation] wasn't perfect enough.
Even when separating a tailed beast, it's impossible to extract all its chakra completely.
At that point, Jiraiya had already quietly left.
Orochimaru called over an assistant. "Go gather complete data and intelligence on all former jinchuriki — from the One-Tail to the Nine-Tails. I need everything."
"At once, my lord."
"White Zetsu's body contains ninety-nine percent cells identical to Hashirama Senju's, but even Hashirama only lived a little over a hundred years. The strange nature of their existence likely stems from the God Tree. Moreover, according to Jiraiya and others, White Zetsu can replicate *Kekkei Genkai*. If only that were enough..."
Orochimaru murmured softly to himself.
In the following days, Orochimaru continued relentlessly using human lives for experiments, attempting to improve [Impure World Reincarnation].
Even Naruto, who hadn't been paying particular attention, constantly saw corpses being carried out one by one, making him increasingly uneasy.
"Master Jiraiya, why don't you stop him?"
Jiraiya gave no response until Naruto asked for the third time, when he softly began muttering something to himself.
The wind carried the words, but Naruto couldn't make them out. However, the package on Jiraiya's back caught his attention. "Master Jiraiya, where are you going?"
"I'm heading to the Country of Rain."
"Master Jiraiya, aren't you taking me with you?"
"Just a few days — nothing to worry about."
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