Chapter 237: Where are they?

"Tsunade."

Senju Tobirama folded his arms and stepped back two paces, lifting his head to get a good look at the woman in front of him.

"Second Hokage?"

Tsunade eyed the kid suspiciously. There was indeed a resemblance. If someone told her he was a descendant or some result of human experimentation, she might have believed it.

But saying this was the Second Hokage himself? That was a bit far-fetched.

Even if it were Link's jutsu—reviving someone without paying any price at all—just thinking about it felt impossible.

While the two relatives stared each other down, over on the other side, the Third Hokage stood awkwardly in front of a bunch of young Uchiha.

"Lord Third," Uchiha Fugaku said with a nod. Once upon a time, he had been dissatisfied with the higher-ups of Konoha. But now, it hardly mattered.

Whatever his feelings might be, he wouldn't show them. Sandwiched between them were Sasuke and Link, who had truly become the bond linking the Uchiha and Konoha.

Both sides were forced into a cooperative stance. The Third Hokage smiled, putting on a very "official" expression—so obviously forced that it lacked any real warmth.

He'd been against wiping out the Uchiha back then, but that didn't mean he liked this group who had been plotting a coup. Civilians might have been innocent, but most of the Uchiha shinobi had participated in the discussion about rebellion.

How could anyone just warmly embrace them after that?

In short, the two men couldn't stand each other, yet, because of a couple of individuals, they were forced to stand side by side with smiles on their faces, looking to outsiders like some affectionate grandparent and grandchild.

So "harmonious."

"Kakashi's gone missing?" Link asked, looking a little thrown off. And that was along with Pervy Sage and Guy-sensei, too.

If they really got into a fight, who could possibly keep them all from escaping? Even the Six Paths of Pain might not pull that off. Considering Kakashi and Jiraiya's tactical smarts, plus someone capable of opening the Eight Gates—the strongest in taijutsu—who could challenge them right now?

He furrowed his brow. He'd barely used any Summoning Jutsu recently, having spent most of his time and energy testing the Swamp of the Underworld and Edo Tensei. Whatever chakra he could spare had gone to Senju Tobirama so he could use the Delicate Illness Extraction Technique to train faster.

Suddenly losing track of them gave him a strong sense of unease.

Smack! Link formed a seal and clapped his hands, broadcasting the Konoha code he and Kakashi had agreed upon in the Pure Land.

No response.

He shook his head. "There's no reply from the Pure Land. Either they're alive but captured or trapped, or if they died, their souls didn't make it there."

"Are Pervy Sage and Kakashi-sensei really okay?" Naruto asked anxiously from the side.

He didn't have that many people he cared about, and losing two of them at once was enough to worry anyone.

Link paused, then said, "Give me some time. I'll find out where they are." Finding people was something he excelled at.

He also wanted to know exactly what had happened to take down that powerful trio—maybe…

Naruto still looked uneasy, but he didn't press any further. He turned to Sasuke and forced a smile.

Sasuke didn't say anything, but his eyes offered a hint of reassurance. He could more or less understand how Naruto felt.

Naruto was a little flustered: his usually aloof companion suddenly seemed so warm. Who had changed him?

"I still can't believe anything about this resurrection jutsu," Tsunade said, frowning. "But in any case, since Link is back, let's send someone to find Jiraiya and the others. I'll take part in this mission myself."

[Strange chakra, Tobirama thought silently. It's a bit like Jūgo's. Looks like she's managed to master Sage Mode? But with no information at all, she still wants to leap straight into action. She's even more impulsive than my brother.]

"Give me a little time. I'll use a technique to search for them," Link said, being somewhat frank about the power of his so-called 'Hermit's Purple.' "In the meantime, I'll bring Nawaki back for you."

If you don't believe it, seeing it for yourself will settle things.

Of course, bringing back Nawaki and Dan first required certain intel, and waiting for Tobirama to finish summoning the First Hokage with Edo Tensei.

Tsunade had been about to say something, but at the mention of Nawaki, she shut her mouth immediately.

Sure enough, when you've got something on someone, they're easy to convince.

"All right, Utakata, come help," Link said, then turned to Sasuke. "I'll leave everyone else to you."

With the situation urgent, there was no time to delay. They needed to 'draw cards'—at the very least, to find out more.

"Got it," they both answered in unison.

Late at night, in Link's home in Konoha…

"You again… Emperor."

Link let out a breath, releasing his Stand. Next to him, Utakata was quite pale; pouring out so much chakra caused severe pain, and both of them were gritting their teeth to endure.

Feeling a sharp ache in his head, Link stopped trying to form seals. Placing a hand on Utakata, he cast the Delicate Illness Extraction Technique. "That's it for today. Let's rest."

Utakata lowered his hand in exhaustion, not wasting any words, and stumbled toward the door. The lion's share of chakra for the Clone Technique had come from him, and even though he had the Six-Tails to draw on, he was drained to the point that he could barely manage a simple Body Flicker.

Sasuke, who had transplanted Itachi's eyes and awakened the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, was on guard in the next room, so Link had no worries about a sudden attack or a fight.

"You've worked hard," Link said.

Utakata paused, then took another step; he seemed to walk a little lighter this time.

[Such an easy tool to please,] Link mused. Exhaustion weighed on his body and mind, leaving him no time for deeper thought.

The last bit of Link's chakra had gone into using the Delicate Illness Extraction Technique on Utakata. Mentally drained, he couldn't refine much more chakra even if he swallowed soldier pills; only rest would help.

Half-asleep, he made his way to the bathroom. One shadow clone wiped his face with a warm towel, another brushed his teeth, and yet another handled the rinsing and foam.

He finished his belated wash in a daze, then fell backward. Another shadow clone hefted him onto the bed, and his consciousness faded.

In that half-dream, half-awake state, he thought he saw a pair of Sharingan eyes looking in from the balcony, and he felt strangely comforted.

He didn't sleep well that night, but the next morning, he woke up, downed a couple of pills, and felt refreshed. Utakata was already waiting for him.

Rather than use the chakra Utakata provided straightaway, Link first tried it himself a few times. Five attempts at the Substitution Technique, and he got "Emperor" twice. He had to laugh at how absurd it was.

[Emperor, Emperor… day after day, Emperor. Does this mean I'm destined to become an emperor?]

Link rubbed his forehead. Luckily, he'd long since grown used to his terrible luck. Signaling Utakata—his "portable battery"—to come over, he shouted in his mind:

"Hermit Purple , activate!"

~~~

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