Chapter 158: A Different Kind of Saintliness
"Um, Shiromo-san, we were sent by Tsunade-sama to give you a massage."
Ino and Sakura carried some tools, along with a small wooden bed meant for lying or lying prone, and came to the side of the hot spring.
"Oh."
Shiromo got out of the hot spring and lay face down on it: "Go on, you two. Continue."
"Um, thank you for recommending the two of us to Tsunade-sama."
"Mm-hm."
As they began working, Sakura and Ino suddenly started thanking him.
Both of their voices were quite gentle, to the point that Shiromo almost developed an illusion.
As for Ino, her personality hadn't really changed from childhood to now. At most, she had simply matured.
Sakura, on the other hand, was quite remarkable.
She had clearly always been portrayed as a violent girl, yet by the Boruto era, her character suddenly swapped with Hinata's.
She became the type who would blush shyly upon seeing someone she liked, and might even faint.
Shizune had even once told Sarada, "Your mother used to be like this all the time," though who knew whether Shizune's memories had also been altered by fate, or perhaps by Kotoamatsukami.
Now, seeing the two of them acting like young girls, Shiromo suddenly felt as if both of them had had their character settings switched at the same time.
Of course, this was just Shiromo thinking randomly.
Their attitude wasn't actually strange.
After all, they were still young girls who had never really interacted with the opposite sex.
Moreover, emotional expression in the ninja world was generally quite repressed.
Not to mention that this was an era founded by Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara, where "bonds" were the mainstream.
"Uh, I wasn't talking to you. I meant the two over there."
Shiromo spoke up to remind them.
"Ah, sorry. We won't talk anymore."
Ino and Sakura glanced at Kushina and Rin nearby and saw that their eyes were the Impure World Reincarnation eyes.
Tsunade-sama had just reminded them not to panic. At present, all of these people were Konoha ninja, and even included people they knew, like the Third Hokage.
It was just that they didn't recognize these two.
"It's fine. We were also wondering how to start."
Kushina waved her hand dismissively.
After saying that, Kushina felt a bit emotional.
Ino and Sakura didn't know her, yet she already knew them.
Just earlier, Kushina had personally watched the two of them heal her son halfway and then abandon him there.
She had originally thought that their personalities were similar to hers, both rather fiery. Who would have thought that in front of Shiromo, they'd act like completely different people?
Was it because, as they had just said, Shiromo had recommended them to Tsunade?
If so, then he really did count as a benefactor.
Still, Kushina felt that the difference in how they treated people was just too big.
Shaking the strange thoughts from her mind, Kushina began consulting Shiromo about her current predicament.
Kushina talked at great length. It was clear she was deeply conflicted, but in the end, it all boiled down to one sentence.
She didn't know how to "meet Naruto for the first time."
After listening, Ino and Sakura were somewhat surprised.
This beautiful older sister in front of them was actually Naruto's mother?
"Oh, that's very simple."
Shiromo hadn't expected Kushina's question to be this.
"You left a lump of chakra inside Naruto, right? Activate that chakra first and let it make contact with Naruto on your behalf. Then you appear afterward. That way, you won't have to worry about being abrupt or at a loss."
"That won't work. That's a barrier layer meant to restrain the Nine-Tails. I…"
Kushina stopped halfway through her sentence.
Earlier, at Tsunade's house, Shiromo had told the First Hokage, "I'm thinking that those tailed beasts are all emotional and loyal," explaining that the tailed beasts had been misunderstood by the world, leading to a vicious cycle.
In other words, the Nine-Tails could coexist harmoniously with Naruto.
Secondly, now that she herself had already been brought back through Impure World Reincarnation, even if that lump of chakra were still needed, she could simply use it up and then seal in another portion afterward.
"Good idea. Thanks a lot."
Kushina was very satisfied with Shiromo's answer.
By passing the trouble onto another version of herself, the chakra inside Naruto was like one of her shadow clones. Letting that other self meet Naruto would certainly result in the best choice.
She was completely at ease.
"Then it's Rin's turn. Rin, you want to talk about Obito, right?"
Kushina didn't leave immediately to activate the chakra inside Naruto. She stayed seated, planning to accompany Rin and help her resolve her issue first.
After all, the matter Rin was troubled by was something Kushina also cared about.
"Yes."
Rin nodded, looking at Shiromo with a solemn, serious expression.
"If there's a way, please tell me. If there isn't… then please stop him… kill him."
Although she also possessed a kind of "saintly" quality, Rin gave Shiromo a much better impression than Naruto did.
Her kindness wasn't directed only toward Kakashi and Obito, but toward the entire village and the entire ninja world. Otherwise, she wouldn't have sacrificed herself to avoid harming the village, deliberately running into Kakashi's Chidori.
So in this situation, Rin was very clear about what Obito was doing, and what he was about to do.
She didn't beg Shiromo and the others to "spare Obito's life" or anything like that.
She even proactively asked that if there was no solution, then killing Obito directly would be acceptable.
The firmness of resolve in Rin's words surpassed even Kakashi during the Fourth Great Ninja War.
When Kakashi first saw the masked man's true face, he had fallen into a long period of despair.
It was only later that Kakashi said, "I won't abandon the memories we once shared, even if the one denying them is you now" separating the Obito of the past from the Obito of the present.
Rin's words made Shiromo feel very comfortable.
In a ninja world full of mental instability, especially Konoha, where such instability was concentrated, having someone speak so rationally was truly rare.
Since that was the case, he decided to help and offer an idea.
"There is a way."
"First, you have to come back to life."
"Huh?"
"Don't make that face. Resurrection isn't anything difficult. The only problem is that all forbidden techniques capable of reviving someone require paying an equivalent price."
"Crossing the boundary between life and death itself requires an enormous amount of chakra."
Shiromo began explaining.
Using Samsara of Heavenly Life to revive one person costs a life. Reviving a whole group also costs a life.
Just like the Reaper Death Seal: sealing a tailed beast means death, and sealing hands also means death.
The main issue is breaking through the boundary between life and death.
Shiromo's plan of turning the intangible into the tangible only targeted tailed beast chakra, and the experimental subjects were only partial cells, not true life.
Once life and will were involved, the required chakra would inevitably skyrocket.
However, there was an exception.
That was Orochimaru's research projects.
"In short, resurrecting you isn't difficult. It just takes a bit of time."
"Next is the second step, and also the final step. That is for you to become the Three-Tails' jinchuriki again."
"Huh? Why would that work?"
Rin tilted her head, looking puzzled after hearing Shiromo's words.
"He wants Infinite Tsukuyomi, so he must gather all the tailed beasts. Instead of thinking about how to persuade him or talk-no-jutsu him, it's better to hand the choice over to him."
Shiromo smiled slightly.
He had said before that the masked man couldn't be turned. He couldn't resonate with a madman and then find a flaw.
Since that was the case, why should he trouble himself?
If Rin revived and became the Three-Tails' jinchuriki, then the one who would have to struggle wouldn't be him anymore.
(End of this chapter)