Chapter 233: Personality...

Land of Frost. In a wide-open base…

"I am Orochimaru. No, I am Yakushi Kabuto—"

The hooded "Yakushi Kabuto" muttered to himself, staring at his hands with a bizarre expression.

It looked as though he was split down the middle: the left side smiling, the right side crying.

"This guy's getting crazier and crazier," White Zetsu commented as he watched the odd, mumbling "Yakushi Kabuto." "Besides, he's probably just like those other monsters—he can't use any ninjutsu."

"Don't underestimate Orochimaru, one of the legendary Sannin." Black Zetsu, however, showed no concern. "According to our agreement, carry out the Edo Tensei."

No sooner had he spoken than "Yakushi Kabuto" fell momentarily silent. Then he narrowed his eyes, revealing the same smile Orochimaru once had. "Sure. No problem."

Forming hand seals, he clapped his hands together. A coffin inscribed with the character "Madara" rose up from the ground.

"Well then, as promised—" He did not form a seal to open the coffin. Instead, he calmly eyed Zetsu, whose head was just poking out of the ground.

This guy was truly mysterious. Not only had he managed to locate this secret base, but by making contact, he'd also awakened the "true me," which led to their agreement.

Emerging fully from the ground, Zetsu approached "Yakushi Kabuto." The moment his palm made contact, he merged into Kabuto's body, turning half of it a pitch-black color.

"You're certainly bold, Orochimaru. Aren't you afraid you'll die like this?" Black Zetsu asked after checking the state of this body again.

The normal half of "Yakushi Kabuto's" face contorted in pain. A stronger presence was taking over, violently separating the myriad souls tangled within him.

[In the Spiritual World]

Three faces, all wrapped in pink fleshy masses, lay in a deep slumber.

The Orochimaru wrapped inside one of them pushed up an imaginary pair of glasses and spoke: "Orochimaru-sama."

Opposite him, the "Yakushi Kabuto" who was also bound by fleshy growth took off his glasses, speaking in a calm tone. "You've caused me quite a bit of trouble."

"You said you'd willingly offer up your body, yet in the end, you never truly wanted to let go of the orphanage…these glasses…and Yakushi Nonō, did you?"

"My deepest apologies," replied "Orochimaru," lowering his eyes slightly.

"But it's fine."

Stepping out from inside the pink flesh, "Yakushi Kabuto" pierced through the disgusting masses with his hand. He walked across the fleshy ground toward "Orochimaru," pressed his palm against 'his own' face, and said, "Let's swap memories back. This body is craving the control of a more powerful soul."

Snakes wriggled into the other's cheeks. As both of their eyes snapped shut, the fleshy masses binding the other three began to rapidly dissolve.

[Back to Reality]

"Yakushi Kabuto's" body swayed a little, though he still hadn't opened his eyes.

"!"

A formless soul rose out of his body and disappeared skyward, heading to the Pure Land. The black half of his body bulged briefly, then returned to normal.

[What a vexing power,] Black Zetsu thought. If not for his extraordinary origins, that Sage Art chakra might have repelled him completely.

"You're strong indeed, so much so that even in my current state, I can't escape your control," "Yakushi Kabuto" said, opening his eyes. Even his voice had changed. "Are you really just an Akatsuki member, wanting to summon someone like that?"

Without further words, Black Zetsu controlled the body to form seals.

Crack. The coffin lid opened. A few seconds later, an armored figure stepped out, his voice echoing in the air.

"Looks like the plan has hit a snag."

Observing the figure's terrifying power, "Yakushi Kabuto" couldn't help but sigh.

"No wonder…a legendary figure indeed—"

Half a month later, near Link's base in the Land of Waves…

"So, have you made up your mind about being reborn?" Link asked, glancing at Haku and Momochi Zabuza standing not far away.

"What's the price?" The Demon of the Hidden Mist, though getting a second chance at life, was not about to lose his composure. Haku, beside him, also remained perfectly quiet.

"Swear your loyalty to me," Link answered, holding up a single finger. "That's all I ask. Even if you're reborn, you'll just be normal kids for a while, so I won't actually need you."

In truth, talk of loyalty was mostly an excuse. Link didn't really need an Elite Jōnin (Zabuza) or even a Chūnin-level (Haku) in the short term after they started from scratch. He mainly wanted two additional test subjects for his experiments. There was also the tiniest bit of sentiment involved—he couldn't forget the bond these two shared, whether from the original manga or his own experience.

Yes, just a little bit.

At any rate, with Sasuke's Eternal Mangekyō around, the help of sub-kage-level fighters wasn't particularly important.

Utakata watched on silently, smiling.

Senju Tobirama stood with his arms folded, looking somewhat impatient. This brat sure liked being difficult.

"Heh." The Demon of the Hidden Mist stared at Link for a long moment before letting out a low chuckle. "Fine, I'll accept."

"Remember, I'm the rogue ninja who once tried to assassinate a Kage. Watch yourself."

He was still the stubborn sort, even though he'd quietly acknowledged the kid controlling him in everyday matters and was quite satisfied with life after death. He still had to keep up some tough talk.

Haku, on the other hand, wore a gentle smile. "Thank you, Lord Link."

He was far more straightforward. As long as he stayed by Zabuza's side, nothing else mattered.

"Got it," Link said, waving his hand. "Now get ready—it's coming."

He unfurled a scroll and smoothly cast Edo Tensei, channeling the jutsu onto two piles of dark clay nearby.

"So that's how it is… I see, I see. So this is the structure of the space-time technique…"

Senju Tobirama scribbled away in his notebook, filling page after page with complex symbols no one else could comprehend.

He was skilled in both reincarnation jutsu and space-time jutsu, ranking among the best in the entire shinobi world. Faced with Link's muddled, mutated form of Edo Tensei, he was still trying his utmost to decipher and master the jutsu's inner workings.

In his eyes, Link's evolved techniques were far more valuable than any Kekkei Genkai or even Kekkei Tōta. Producing entirely new knowledge out of thin air—it was almost as if Link were a new Sage of the Six Paths.

Over the past half month, Zabuza and Haku had already witnessed many similar scenes, so they calmly allowed their souls to be drawn in.

Having to wait a little while, Link tossed some prepared clothes next to the mud dolls the moment the foul odor faded. He took one glance at Tobirama's densely written notes and momentarily felt light-headed.

By now, he couldn't make head or tail of any of it—not even the basic explanations of his own jutsu formula.

[Hopefully this brat won't come up with something bizarre,] he worried inwardly. Orochimaru's example was still fresh: so many monstrous creations. And this person, more gifted at developing jutsu than anyone, might well devise something even more extreme. If that happened, how would he handle it?

~~~

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