Chapter 229: Results, Back to the Village?

"All right, I pretty much guessed."

Senju Tobirama admitted straightforwardly. "The Uchiha clan feels love more deeply than anyone."

"An Uchiha who comes to understand love will have their brain altered by the intense hatred they feel upon losing that love, thereby awakening the eyes that reflect their heart— the Sharingan."

"I know that much, at least," Link interrupted, his expression calm. "So, as the Second Hokage, what did you do to a young ninja of your own village?"

He hated it when others tried to influence his tools.

The atmosphere grew a bit heavier. Utakata stood behind Link, while Hina rubbed her front paws, standing at the front. Her cat eyes were fixed on that tiny kid of a Hokage, ready to jump in and seize the legendary Second Hokage the moment words failed.

What was the most glorious moment of your life?

The pride of the ninja cat world was about to be realized right here and now!

"Hmph." Senju Tobirama, guessing the reaction of the boy in front of him, said simply, "You must have suggested to Sasuke that the two of you kill Danzo and leave the village, yes?"

"That kid wouldn't refuse you—because no Uchiha can reject love, whether it's familial, romantic, or friendship."

"But do you really want to leave the village? Leave behind your friends, your mentor, your teacher, and even Sarutobi, who basically treats you like a grandson?"

"I only asked Sasuke if he was willing to make you give up everything for his sake."

"As for the rest, it's the sort of thing an Uchiha would do."

He sounded a little nostalgic. After all these years, after the clan was wiped out, the only survivor was just as he remembered. It only reinforced his belief that the Uchiha were a clan possessed by a certain dark nature.

"As his teacher, can you really stand by and let Danzo be killed?" Link skipped over Tobirama's question and asked instead.

Senju Tobirama shook his head. "He has to pay the price for his own wrongdoing. If he can handle it, fine. If not—" He didn't finish the sentence, staying calm. "The village is what's important. The village always comes first. You're someone the village can't simply cast aside, so—"

His words cut off abruptly as he looked on in exasperation at the boy who had appeared in a flash just to pat his head.

Link patted the soft hair of the now-dry Second Hokage. "All right, you can tell Danzo yourself when the time comes. I'll summon him out, and you two—teacher and student—can deal with your own problems."

He had to admit that he was feeling a bit stifled by all these questions.

He was willing to leave the village for Sasuke—no, rather, for the power of the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. But even though he'd decided to give up on certain people, people he deemed "useless," the thought of leaving so many behind still felt awkward.

Probably that same annoying feeling you get in a game when you can't collect everything.

Link let go of Tobirama's head. "Lord Second, shall I take you back to the village first?" Now that he had some idea how the Edo Tensei worked and how much "black mud" it required, there was no need to let Tobirama find out how many Uchiha he planned to revive, or where he was going.

He was planning to capture a few more people to toss into the Swamp of the Underworld so he could resurrect all those Uchihas and let Sasuke and his father decide where to go.

"How about letting me have a talk with Uchiha Sasuke and Uchiha Fugaku first?" Senju Tobirama suggested calmly. "After all, they're still members of the village, even though the clan was almost wiped out. Having them back in the village makes sense."

"Unless you plan on deciding on their behalf?" he asked further.

[Annoying Senju brat…]

Link thought for a moment. If he could really resurrect all those Uchihas and have them settle back in the village—he could even open some "Uchiha preschool." With an Eternal Mangekyo user around, until Tobirama regained his full power, no one in Konoha could possibly resist. Danzo would be dead, and with himself and Sasuke acting as checks on everything, staying in the village would definitely be safer.

Besides, he couldn't keep an eye on them 24/7. If Zetsu found them, Obito would surely think of ways to cause trouble. If Tsunade were back, she could help by performing medical checks and such.

On that note, maybe he should have Shizune examine Tobirama's body first, just to make sure everything was fine before performing more reincarnations. If there were any hidden dangers, it'd be better to fix them first. He couldn't risk anything going wrong with Fugaku and Mikoto's resurrection—how could he ever face Sasuke then?

But still… the grand Second Hokage was surprisingly good at talking people into things.

"With everything you just said, I think you're not the best person to talk to them," Link said, neither agreeing nor refusing outright. Shadows had already finished cleaning up the area, hoisting the criminals they'd captured and hauling them back to base.

[Sure enough, a stubborn guy…] Senju Tobirama subconsciously crossed his arms, but the oversized robes pulled taut, and he nearly toppled over.

Hina noticed the bell dangling through the gap in his clothes and got fidgety. Even if she couldn't beat the Second Hokage, snatching his bell would surely become a legendary feat among ninja cats.

"!"

Tobirama shot a vicious glare at the ninja cat, gripping his clothes with both hands. Just as he was about to follow along, his body suddenly felt weightless. He realized he was being carried by a shadow.

"Can't be helped," came Link's amused voice. "Since you've just been reincarnated, Lord Second, you probably can't keep pace with us, right?"

"Heh~" Utakata let out a breezy laugh on the wind.

Tobirama's face was rigid with humiliation as the shadow carried him bridal-style. Next to him was that annoying ninja cat. [Just wait till I recover a bit more…] He narrowed his eyes as they headed off toward their base in the Land of Waves.

…

"At least let me be the first to be reincarnated," said Uchiha Mikoto, exchanging a look with her husband and speaking solemnly at the base.

Since reincarnation would cause one to lose some abilities, it was better for Uchiha Fugaku—currently serving as one of Link's powerhouses—to remain as he was.

Uchiha Sasuke remained quiet.

All three of them had tacitly agreed to sell their services to Link.

"We still have plenty of that black mud left," Link said casually, shaking his head. "Once I confirm there aren't any hidden risks, I'll perform the reincarnation for everyone at the same time."

With that, he got up and left, giving the three members of the Uchiha family and the small, childlike Senju Tobirama time to talk amongst themselves.

Outside, Utakata was waiting. Link and Utakata walked side by side, and Link asked casually, "Have you thought about reincarnating any of your own family?"

"I have none," Utakata answered without hesitation. If he'd had any attachments, he wouldn't have wandered alone. "What about you? Have you ever considered bringing your parents back to the land of the living?"

Link grew momentarily silent. He'd always tried to avoid forming bonds, but if his parents were resurrected, he'd be tied down. He didn't often summon his father's spirit for precisely that reason. As for his mother, he didn't dare, either. Except for some late-night contact once, he hadn't tried to reach out again.

Leaving them to rest quietly in the Pure Land might be the most carefree option.

Seeing his heavy expression, Utakata dropped the subject.

The two arrived at the base's mess hall. Several shadows bustled about, bringing plates of food to the tables. Jugo sat on the floor, almost like a little mountain, carefully gripping steel chopsticks and a metal plate in his huge hands, dumping food into his mouth.

Link's face returned to its usual calm. He asked with a smile, "How's he doing lately? Any more outbursts?"

"After you left, he had one more," Jugo replied, stretching out his arm.

Smack!

Link delivered a practiced Mystical Palm Jutsu strike, dispersing the natural energy gathering in Jugo's arm. "Pack your things. In a bit, we'll go back to Konoha."

He was now returning to the village with the Second Hokage as leverage, plus Sasuke—who was about to obtain the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan—as backup. He was feeling pretty confident.

He still hadn't learned anything useful about Jugo's condition. Maybe Shizune could help.

He was on his second batch of new medicine, too, with minimal results; the old one's efficacy had waned and now required a much higher dose, like a meal in itself each time. Shizune had no leads on how to develop a new drug, so she was stalling.

Where are you, Tsunade? We really need you…

Link silently wished she would appear.

"Alright," Jugo answered, scraping his plate clean with his chopsticks. He wiped his mouth with a massive towel and stood up, his head nearly touching the ceiling. This room was specially built with nearly six-meter-high ceilings because when Jugo's other personality took over, he tended to dive into the sea, devouring a huge amount of marine life and growing bigger each time. Without a limit on his size, if he kept on eating, he could literally turn into a human Gundam.

"Where's Karin? It's lunchtime. Where'd she run off to?" Link asked.

Jugo was about to reply when everyone turned to look at the door.

In came Karin, dressed flamboyantly and wearing noticeable blush and eyeliner. Her gaze swept the room and froze. Nervously rubbing her hands behind her back, she said, "Lord Link, Lord Utakata, Jugo…"

Jugo nodded a greeting and then thumped back to his room to pack.

Link gave her a once-over and smiled. "Sasuke likely doesn't care for girls with heavy makeup."

Karin's eyes widened.

"I'm just kidding," Link said. Actually, he had no idea what kind of girl Sasuke liked. Judging from past interactions, it seemed Sasuke didn't really like anyone romantically. "Go pack your stuff, and call Tezuru. We'll head for Konoha together soon."

Karin's arms, along with Tezuru's legs, had been constructed from Jugo's cells via his regenerative ability. Recently, their bodies had begun to mutate, gradually absorbing natural energy on their own. That could be a big problem.

He couldn't possibly spend every day patting natural energy out of them like he did with Jugo. One Jugo was enough work. If two more people needed it, he'd be doing nothing else all day.

~~~

Who's this Tezuru? Forgot…