Chapter 270: Happenings in Konoha

"Tiger–Boar–Bird–Monkey–Goat!

Summoning Technique!"

Link focused on sensing, then canceled with a sigh, shaking his head. "As expected, I can only connect to this world's Pure Land."

They ran several tests, essentially confirming that Summoning Jutsu couldn't cross worlds – the Rashōmon technique included.

In other words, to summon any soul from that world, one had to physically go there first.

The idea of brandishing 'Rashōmon: Endless Hashirama' was a pipe dream. If you wanted to bring out Hashirama unceasingly by cycling through different worlds, that was impossible. Well, if you had four different Hokage–style worlds, you could try chaining three–hour intervals, but…

All figured out.

Tobirama was unsurprised, nodding as he crossed out one item in his notes. "Now we check how the reanimated spirits from Rashōmon respond if they're forcibly taken across worlds, and what happens once the jutsu's time runs out."

As for Summoning Jutsu itself, it didn't need testing. For 99% of reanimated souls, they couldn't make physical contact with people anyway.

Only someone with extremely deep knowledge of chakra—someone who once developed a forbidden technique involving the essence of spirit and chakra—could, by controlling and tuning their half–transparent form and forging deep communion with Link's chakra, manage it.

Just about nobody else. Among all geniuses he knew, only Orochimaru might manage.

"Huh? Oh," Link murmured, snapping out of his daze. He activated Funa–tsū no Jutsu to return to the main world.

"How'd it go?" Orochimaru's pale face came pressing in, brimming with curiosity.

Boom!

Reflexively Link swung a punch, but it sailed through air because the multiple Eight Gates shadows at his feet had already swarmed the intruder for a savage beating.

Orochimaru did his utmost to hold out, but the Four–Symbols Seal plus curse mark had sealed his chakra and Sage Mode. A leftover "semi–Sage body" only gave him about the same physical ability as a clone in the Third Gate.

Facing a dozen advanced clones, some with "Great Breakthrough" augmentations, he wasn't going anywhere. With mere 7 in Taijutsu, he couldn't possibly fend off over ten foes. After about ten seconds of thrashing, the shadows withdrew. Link gave him a not–so–sincere smile:

"My apologies. You jumped me without warning."

Orochimaru inwardly mused, massaging his bruised face. "Lin–Link–kun, so how did that test go in the other wor—?"

"I have no obligation to tell you."

Link coldly cut him off. Had Tobirama not considered the possibility of "recruiting" Orochimaru, Link would have liked nothing more than to end him.

After all, there were infinitely many "Naruto worlds." Sooner or later, you'd find an Orochimaru who hadn't gone rotten. The one in that Third Shinobi World War timeline didn't seem bad.

"Haha," Orochimaru chuckled. He knew Link still hadn't let go of his grudge. So he retreated quietly.

Link turned to Hashirama, who was fiddling with some contraption. "Lord Hashirama, see you at the Training Ground in a bit."

He vanished with a body flicker, going off to find the Third and Fourth Hokage in the Hokage Building.

All his jutsu had the same quirk: if any technique was currently in effect, he had to cancel it before recasting. So if they wanted to test how Rashōmon–summoned spirits expired in another world, they'd have to see what happened once the time ended.

…

Konoha, Hokage's Office

"How's the other side going?" Tsunade asked casually, legs propped in a decidedly unladylike manner.

"Where are the Third and Fourth?" Link wondered. Typically, they wouldn't leave.

"That knucklehead Minato's gone and done it again." Ticking with annoyance, Tsunade seemed full of rage. "He gave Naruto the key to unseal the Eight Trigrams Seal, and that brat must've lost his mind. He tried unsealing some of the Nine–Tails in the training field, bursting out Six Tails on the spot. If Grandad hadn't arrived in time, the entire field might've gotten torn down."

"I gave him emergency treatment along with Shizune. He's a jinchūriki, so physically he's fine—the old man and Minato are at the hospital, tending to him."

She smacked the table. "Kids nowadays—a bigger headache every day!"

Judging by the swirling gloom around her, it might also have something to do with the rumor that Dan had been avoiding her.

"Uhh…" Link chose not to mention his own agreement with Naruto's Team 7. "Sorry you had to deal with that, Lady Tsunade."

"Hmm?" Tsunade eyed him suspiciously, feeling like Link seemed a bit awkward, as though hiding something.

"Er, I've got stuff to do. Bye." He gave a half wave, vanishing again in a flicker.

Heading to the hospital, he sensed the two Hokage's presence. Dropping into the ward via a window, he spotted a bandaged–up Naruto, basically a mummy, and felt a tinge of guilt.

"Lord Third, Lord Fourth." Link greeted them politely and hopped down from the windowsill. "How's Naruto doing?"

He did feel slightly ashamed. He had gradually come to share the shinobi habit of ignoring front doors…

Minato sighed. "Not too bad. Lord Hashirama had… a little chat with the Nine–Tails—"

Poor Nine–Tails, Link thought. Must've been unpleasant for it to see Hashirama step in and slap a hand on it.

Hiruzen rubbed his forehead in exasperation. "Naruto's hopeless. And you, Minato… letting a child handle that key? Good grief."

Reanimated as his younger "goatee self," Hiruzen had explained that the form might reflect your mental age, courtesy of one's chakra shaping the soul's appearance. The age difference didn't affect fighting power, but everyone liked a more youthful look.

Minato lowered his head apologetically. Having a gentle, forgiving nature—albeit known as the "Fastest Shinobi," always ironically tardy—he was in many ways reliable, just maybe not in fatherhood.

Because he didn't deeply understand Naruto, or how unpredictably that child would act, he had placed too much trust in him, mixing fatherly affection with hope that Naruto would surpass him…

Which led to trouble. He was forced to realize what Kakashi had tried to warn him: the "Number One Unpredictable Kid" was truly no less rash than Jiraiya.

"I see… Lin–Link…" came a muffled voice from the mummy–wrapped Naruto. "Link, I… I saw Mom."

"Oh?"

~~~

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