Chapter 327: Preparations in Advance

Tsunade's group returned to Konoha while the Sand Shinobi relentlessly pursued Ye Zi, who hurried back to the base in Earth Country without stopping, traveling day and night.

As the three entered Grass Country, Kotoe's emotions visibly shifted, this was her birthplace, after all. However, she was now a rogue-nin from the Grass Village.

They didn't linger in Grass Country, instead avoiding populated areas and crossing straight into Earth Country, heading directly to their base.

The Sand Shinobi eventually lost track of them. Though frustrated, they couldn't change the fact that they couldn't catch Ye Zi and his companions.

Pakura ordered two of her Sand Shinobi to return with news to the village while she and the rest of her team revisited the site of the battle with Kotoe. Like the Konoha shinobi, they too found no bodies of their comrades.

Both sides had sent elite teams, yet they had been crushed by Ye Zi's team before they could even make an impact, an agonizing feeling.

While Tsunade's group was still on their way back to Konoha, Ye Zi and his two companions reached the base first, finally allowing their tense nerves to relax.

Shin had lost a leg, but with Nanako's medical skills, this was hardly a problem. Instead of addressing it immediately, they all decided to get a good sleep first.

As Ye Zi drifted off to sleep, a vague thought of Jūzō crossed his mind, he'd have to fend for himself.

This mission had drained their stamina and strength, so they slept for two days and nights straight, waking up with intense hunger.

Uncertain about Kotoe and Shin's state, Ye Zi got up, freshened up, and headed straight to the kitchen.

He threw high-energy ingredients into a pot, added some seasoning, and cooked himself a simple meal.

Once he had eaten, White Zetsu emerged silently from the wooden floor in front of Ye Zi.

White Zetsu's ability to appear out of nowhere no longer surprised Ye Zi. Looking at him, Ye Zi asked directly, "Did you gather everything?"

"Of course," White Zetsu replied with a sly smile. "Not a scrap of meat was left behind."

Though the quantity required for the Impure World Reincarnation wasn't large, if they were collecting corpses, they had to be thorough.

Ye Zi raised an eyebrow and said flatly, "We don't need a lot of tissue for the jutsu. Make sure to label everything as instructed and store it carefully."

Ye Zi had yet to confirm the exact number of reincarnations he could control, so he had White Zetsu gather even minor enemies' remains. He intended to test and determine the limit.

The labeling involved adding names, origins, and power levels to each scroll used to store the remains.

It was a considerable task, and if he could have avoided it, White Zetsu wouldn't have taken on such a tedious job.

"Understood," White Zetsu replied.

Ye Zi suddenly remembered something about Orochimaru and turned to White Zetsu. "Have you kept a close eye on Orochimaru's movements?"

White Zetsu nodded slightly. "I've been watching him closely."

"Where is he now?"

"In the Wind Country."

"The Wind Country? What's he doing there?"

"A day ago, he was investigating an ruin site somewhere within the Wind Country," White Zetsu replied.

A ruin… Ye Zi recalled what Orochimaru had told him before leaving, a remark that had stayed with him. If not for his current focus on gathering the Tailed Beasts, he would have gone with Orochimaru.

"Keep watching him, and…" Ye Zi continued, "start gathering the corpses of powerful figures from each village. You know how much tissue we need; if there's only bone left, just take a bone."

In other words, White Zetsu didn't need to bring back entire corpses; bones would suffice for the Impure World Reincarnation jutsu.

This recent confrontation with Sand and Konoha would likely have repercussions. Unless Nagato sent new orders, Ye Zi planned to use this time to prepare for Impure World Reincarnation.

He would need suppressing kunai with sealing tags, summoning arrays, and other necessary tools, and he would use Hashirama cell clones as vessels for the reincarnated bodies.

At the mention of "grave-robbing," White Zetsu showed a resigned expression. "Even if you wanted me to bring back an ancient rotting corpse, I wouldn't do it."

"Good, then I'll leave it to you."

After finalizing the instructions, Ye Zi stepped past White Zetsu and walked out of the room.

Collecting corpses of each village's strongest figures was a daunting task, but with White Zetsu, it became considerably easier.

In combat, White Zetsu was mostly useless, but for this kind of work, he was invaluable.

Watching Ye Zi leave, White Zetsu sighed deeply but resigned himself to his task.

Leaving the room, Ye Zi headed to Nanako's lab, where he found Shin lying on a platform.

"Ye Zi," Nanako greeted him, setting down her work immediately.

Shin also greeted Ye Zi, trying to sit up, but Nanako firmly pushed him back down.

"Stay put," Ye Zi said, looking at Shin. Then, turning to Nanako, he asked casually, "Will his leg be restored?"

Nanako removed her hand from Shin's shoulder and answered, "Shin's body can fully accept Hashirama cells, so regenerating the leg is simple. However, his new leg won't be as strong as the original one, so he'll need time to train it."

"Of course." Ye Zi nodded, remembering that his own limbs had required significant time to regain strength after similar regeneration.

"How long until it's restored?" Shin asked from the platform.

"About half a day, maybe a full day," Nanako replied casually.

"That quickly?" Ye Zi was slightly surprised, as the recovery time was faster than he remembered.

"I haven't been sitting idle in the lab," Nanako replied, lifting her chin proudly.

Half a day…

Lying on the platform, Shin thought quietly to himself, eager to recover so he could resume training. He still felt too weak and wanted to become stronger.

Ye Zi smiled at Nanako's proud expression, like that of a peacock, and decided not to stay any longer. Saying goodbye to Nanako and Shin, he left the room.

Now, he needed to start preparing the kunai with sealing tags and summoning scrolls. The more he prepared, the more reincarnations he could summon. He also planned to replace Yagura, previously summoned for a trial, with a new vessel, using only clones of Hashirama's cells.

This would be a long and repetitive process, but once complete, he would be able to summon the reincarnations whenever needed.

He recognized that his strength still wasn't enough, he was still a step behind Nagato. Even with Impure World Reincarnation, it wasn't certain he could surpass Nagato, so ultimately, he needed to strengthen himself.

How to become stronger… that was the question.

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Currently on Chapter 382 - Conviction