Chapter 13: I Have Returned
Under Orochimaru's control, Hashirama's body began weaving seals at high speed before slamming his palms into the ground.
Boom!!
With a thunderous crash, a massive mound of hardened earth—hundreds of meters across—suddenly appeared before them.
Though it was formed from nothing more than soil, under the sunlight it gleamed with a metallic sheen.
This mound contained no trace of chakra, and its toughness surpassed even Orochimaru's expectations.
He stepped closer, brushing his hand lightly across the surface, his eyes narrowing.
"Formed only with ordinary Earth Release and Fire Release? Remarkable…"
"Ao!"
Excitement flashed across Mei Terumi's eyes, her voice trembling with barely restrained anticipation.
Ao gave a firm nod, activating his Byakugan to probe the mound. Moments later, his body trembled.
"Found it! There's a sealing technique inside. I can't see the figure clearly, but I can confirm the coffin—it's made of Wood Release!"
"So, it's simpler than expected…"
Orochimaru licked his lips, his tone carrying an odd, hungry edge.
"Water Release—Water Shockwave!"
Ao's hands blurred through seals, his voice snapping sharply.
A torrent of raging water surged forth like a crashing waterfall, slamming against the massive mound.
But to everyone's astonishment, the technique didn't leave so much as a scratch.
A hint of amusement flashed across Orochimaru's face as he muttered to himself, "Even tougher than I thought. But then… how will you break it?"
His gaze slid toward Mei Terumi.
"Stand back!"
She stepped forward, her eyes sharp as she barked at the others to move.
"Lava Release—Dissolving Monster Technique!"
From her lips spewed a flood of corrosive, viscous acid, pouring over the mound in a suffocating wave.
The air itself seemed to burn under its caustic power.
Ssss! Ssss!
The sound of corrosion hissed across the mound.
In mere moments, holes of various sizes pitted its once-impenetrable surface.
Behind Orochimaru, the Sound Four's pupils shrank in alarm. This woman is dangerous!
Yet Mei Terumi showed no joy. Her brows furrowed instead.
The mound was three to four hundred meters across. To dissolve the entire mass would take far too long—and they didn't have that luxury.
"Lady Mei, I can pinpoint Lord Yuto's position inside. We don't need to melt everything—we can dig straight to him."
Ao's voice cut in, reminding her.
Her eyes lit up. That method was far more efficient.
"Orochimaru—you're helping too!"
Mei Terumi turned sharply toward him, her tone brooking no refusal.
Orochimaru only shrugged, but still stepped forward obediently, though inwardly he couldn't help thinking—this woman has the same presence as Tsunade.
Under Ao's guidance, Mei Terumi quickly located the closest point to the coffin.
Ao directed, ensuring they stayed on course. Mei dissolved the hardened stone with her techniques, carving a tunnel nearly three meters tall, while Orochimaru assisted at her side.
Even Orochimaru joined in, so the Sound Four naturally didn't dare slack off. They were left with the most exhausting task—hauling away every last piece of dissolved rubble.
Yet even with everyone working together, the mound Madara had once created with a casual jutsu still forced them to labor for a full hour before reaching the center.
Crack!
With the last layer dissolved away, a massive wooden coffin, over two meters tall and covered in intricate sealing marks, appeared before their eyes.
"At last—we've found you, Lord Yuto!"
Mei Terumi's voice trembled with excitement, her gaze fixed on the coffin.
Ao, standing beside her, was no less overwhelmed, his face lit with fervor.
Under the stares of the assembled elites, Kidōmaru and Jirōbō wore bitter expressions as they reluctantly hauled the coffin out, setting it down before everyone.
"So this is the sealing technique Hashirama used to imprison Lord Yuto?"
Ao's tone was solemn as he studied the dense black runes covering its surface.
"Who would have thought—the same Hashirama who sealed Lord Yuto back then, now under Edo Tensei, is the one to unseal him today."
Mei let out a cold laugh, her voice laced with bitter irony as she glanced at the reanimated Hashirama.
Under Orochimaru's control, Hashirama walked unhesitatingly to the coffin. His hands flashed through seals, and with the final hand sign, the coffin's black runes rapidly faded away.
Crack!
Without the support of the seals, the wooden coffin, lacking chakra to sustain it, splintered apart into fragments that clattered to the ground.
Boom!!
A surge of killing intent erupted like a tidal wave, its suffocating aura flooding the surroundings.
Before their eyes stretched visions of mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
"Kill—"
A faint, ghostly cry echoed at their ears.
Everyone froze in place. The Sound Four collapsed outright, drenched in sweat, unable to withstand it.
The first to regain themselves were Mei, Ao, and Orochimaru—veterans who had once stood on battlefields.
Even so, horror was etched into their faces. Just his killing intent alone… it's like being trapped in genjutsu.
Breaking free of the oppressive aura, they turned toward the figure sealed away for decades.
What met their eyes was a youth, startlingly young in appearance. His war-torn clothing of the Warring States era was shredded to the point it barely covered him.
His body was covered with wounds—countless gashes and scars—and half of his frame was outright missing.
Yet even so, he stood tall and unyielding. With his one remaining hand, he raised his middle finger toward them.
The gesture should have been absurd, even laughable. But none of them—not even Orochimaru, once of Konoha—could smile.
The scene alone told them how brutal that final battle must have been.
"Lord Yuto…"
Mei's voice was reverent, her eyes brimming with awe.
Orochimaru's gaze, however, was torn between greed and dread. Even though what stood before them was a corpse, a chill told him the man could awaken at any moment.
As the seals dissolved, none noticed the stream of black motes rising from Yuto's body.
Thump—
A faint sound echoed.
So subtle, yet Mei and Orochimaru both raised their heads in unison, eyes locked on Yuto's chest.
A heartbeat.
In the next instant, before their disbelieving eyes, his broken body rapidly regenerated.
Wounds vanished. Flesh reknit. Within moments, his body stood whole again, as though the years of devastation had never touched him.
The scent of damp earth filled his lungs.
Like a man waking from a long sleep, Yuto lazily opened his eyes. The blinding sun above forced him to squint.
Tilting his head back toward the blazing orb in the sky, he whispered, slow and deliberate:
"I… have returned."
(End of Chapter)
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