Chapter 101: A Matter Settled

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At the seaside of Amegakure (Hidden Rain Village).

Kisame Hoshigaki leaned against a rock, resting. Over the past month, he had spent nearly every moment in the deep sea, without sleep or rest. His body had thinned considerably.

"Thank you for your hard work," Naruto Uzumaki nodded toward Kisame in gratitude. Accompanied by Orochimaru, he approached the corpse.

With a sense of unease, Naruto lifted the white cloth.

Although the face was unrecognizable, the missing left arm, the iconic white hair, and the forehead protector engraved with the word "oil" were unmistakable proof of the deceased's identity.

Kisame explained, "After sinking to the deep sea, the body was likely wrapped in seaweed or something similar, which saved it from being devoured by sea creatures. However, I can't explain why the body hasn't completely decayed."

Orochimaru offered his insight, "It's probably due to the toad oil within his body. Toad oil is imbued with senjutsu energy, which can significantly slow down the decay of a corpse."

Naruto responded, "I prefer to believe that Pervy Sage was blessed by the divine, which preserved his body!"

The "divine" Naruto referred to was not some celestial being but rather the embodiment of human faith—a transcendent will that fulfills the desires of the heart.

Naruto spoke solemnly, "Let's begin."

Konan placed an unconscious man, wrapped in paper, onto the ground.

This man was a remnant of Hanzo's faction, captured while attempting to attack Amegakure. Previously used in a failed Edo Tensei (Reanimation Jutsu) to summon Itachi, he ultimately couldn't escape the fate of being a living sacrifice.

Orochimaru extracted some of Jiraiya's biological material and drew the Edo Tensei sigils.

Naruto gave a specific instruction: "Remember, do not grant Pervy Sage consciousness in the Edo Tensei. I need to do something."

"Understood."

Orochimaru clasped his hands together, his long hair flowing despite the still air.

Ninjutsu: Edo Tensei!

Whoosh! Dust swirled around the living sacrifice, forming the appearance of Jiraiya.

Naruto stepped forward quickly, his Rinnegan widening as he used the power of the Human Path to extract Jiraiya's soul from the Edo Tensei body.

Yes, Naruto intended to truly resurrect Jiraiya, not merely reanimate him with Edo Tensei.

The Rinne Rebirth Jutsu, which requires the user's life as a price, was not an option here (let's not argue about Nagato's chakra issues—if even death becomes trivial, everything loses meaning. Masashi Kishimoto realized this and optimized the rules later).

Instead, Naruto chose another resurrection method available through the Rinnegan, one that required both the body and soul to be present.

Jiraiya's body had been found, but his soul was nowhere to be seen. Thus, Naruto first had Orochimaru use Edo Tensei to forcibly summon Jiraiya's soul into the living sacrifice, then extracted it using the Human Path.

Zzz!

Naruto's left eye glowed.

Hell Path!

Boom!

Accompanied by purple flames, the King of Hell statue emerged, its massive mouth opening wide to engulf both Jiraiya's body and soul.

Naruto murmured, "Captain Yamato's body and soul are also within the King of Hell. I might as well revive him too."

Crunch, crunch, crunch!

The King of Hell chewed noisily. After a moment, its mouth opened again.

Yamato emerged, clutching his head in confusion. "Where is this? I remember being attacked by a masked man wearing an Akatsuki cloak…"

Suddenly, Yamato's gaze fixed on Naruto, who was now dressed in an Akatsuki cloak and wearing a mask!

Startled, Yamato quickly formed the hand seals for Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence.

Naruto hurriedly removed his mask. "Captain Yamato, it's me! I'm on your side!"

"Naruto!?" Yamato froze in place.

Crunch, crunch, crunch!

The King of Hell continued chewing. Perhaps it was just an illusion, but its eyes—connected to Naruto's Rinnegan—seemed to fixate on Naruto, the caster.

Naruto, however, paid no attention to these details. His clenched fists revealed his tension.

Although the six paths of the Rinnegan had been revealed long ago, their connection to life and death was a mystery Naruto dared not speculate on.

"Pervy Sage has been dead for so long, his soul must have gone to the Pure Land. I used such unorthodox methods to retrieve it—what if something went wrong?"

As Naruto anxiously waited, the King of Hell finally stopped chewing. Its mouth opened wide, and a familiar figure, wearing wooden clogs, stepped out.

Phew! Naruto's heart, which had been hanging by a thread, finally settled.

Jiraiya gazed deeply at Naruto, as if wanting to say something. Yet, his throat could only produce hoarse, unintelligible sounds.

Realizing he couldn't speak, Jiraiya frowned, clutching his throat as he struggled to form words. In the end, he couldn't say a single coherent sentence.

Tap!

Until Naruto, his eyes red with emotion, embraced Jiraiya tightly.

Jiraiya slowly raised his hand, gently placing it on Naruto's back. The tenderness in his expression spoke louder than words.

After three months of Naruto's return, the master and student had finally reunited, transcending the boundary of life and death.

Boom!

The King of Hell vanished on its own.

Orochimaru conducted a thorough examination of Jiraiya's body.

In the pouring rain outside the facility, Orochimaru folded his sleeves and approached Naruto.

"How is he?" Naruto asked.

Orochimaru replied, "Aside from the loss of speech, Jiraiya's body is identical to how it was before his death."

Naruto frowned. "Why can't he speak? Could it be related to the damage to his throat before he died?"

Orochimaru shook his head. "Physical damage wouldn't carry over after resurrection. His vocal cords are perfectly intact, which rules out that possibility."

Naruto's expression grew conflicted. "Then what could it be?"

Orochimaru gazed into the distance, his tone unusually serious. "This is just my theory, but the method you used to resurrect Jiraiya involved too many steps and too many forbidden techniques. It severely disrupted the natural order of life and death, and there must be a price to pay."

Naruto's eyes darkened.

"At least this explains why Jiraiya suffered consequences while Yamato was unharmed. After all, Yamato wasn't dead to begin with; you deliberately extracted his soul and stored it along with his body in the King of Hell."

After some thought, Naruto said, "If there's a price to pay, it should fall on me, the one who started all this. It shouldn't be on Pervy Sage."

Orochimaru's gaze grew somber. "Perhaps some higher power is warning you. If the afterlife and the Pure Land truly exist, such forces cannot be ruled out."

"Naruto-kun, whether my theory is correct or not, you should avoid using the Hell Path resurrection technique as much as possible—or better yet, never use it again. Otherwise, there may be unforeseen consequences."

Looking up at the sky, Orochimaru sighed. "What happened to Jiraiya this time has also taught me a lesson. One must always maintain a sense of reverence for the unknown."

Naruto sighed. "Having Pervy Sage back is already a blessing. I won't ask for more. Orochimaru, I'll heed your advice."

In a dark lair…

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Kabuto Yakushi used Edo Tensei to manipulate Nagato, activating the Hell Path.

Crunch, crunch, crunch!

The King of Hell opened its mouth wide, and Sasuke Uchiha emerged unscathed.

Kabuto smirked, "Heh… this feeling of wielding life and death with the Rinnegan is truly intoxicating!"

Sasuke opened his eyes.

Adjusting his glasses, Kabuto greeted him, "Yo, Sasuke. After all the twists and turns, you're finally here. You should be grateful for your wise choice."

The trials he had endured only strengthened Sasuke's resolve.

Sasuke said coldly, "Enough talk. Give me power—the power to defeat Naruto, defeat Madara, and destroy Konoha!"

Kabuto grinned. "Very well! Here, you'll gain everything you desire. I'll make you surpass everyone—especially Naruto!"

Inwardly, Kabuto thought, "Only by doing this can I prove that I, Kabuto Yakushi, have truly surpassed Lord Orochimaru. Only then can I prove my existence to this world!"

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