Orochimaru had already requested one in advance from the Uzumaki Clan.
"Yagura, there's something I need to make clear first," Orochimaru said, leading the Mizukage down into the basement of his laboratory.
Sasori followed closely behind them, eyes locked onto the slithering snake's every move.
"It's about that technique you strictly forbade me from researching—Edo Tensei."
Yagura remembered all too well the devastation that technique had caused in the future.
Kabuto had once used Edo Tensei to summon a horde of the dead, and combined with the White Zetsu Army, they wiped out over half of the 80,000-strong Allied Shinobi Forces.
Even though Kabuto had long since been separated from Orochimaru, he'd proven himself a prodigy in Kirigakure's medical corps.
Still, just in case...
Yagura didn't want to wake up one day and find Orochimaru standing across from him, unleashing an army of the dead and dragging Kirigakure into chaos.
But from Orochimaru's tone now, could it be—?
A burst of oppressive chakra exploded from Yagura's body, instantly bearing down on Orochimaru.
So the funds he'd allocated weren't just used for Impure Resurrection... Orochimaru had used them to study Edo Tensei as well!
"Please, allow me to explain," Orochimaru said calmly.
He was no stranger to pressure. If he were the type to be intimidated, he never would've dared to disobey orders in the first place.
"I've studied the exact structure of the seals within the Shinigami," Orochimaru continued. "The half of the Nine Tails was sealed inside Minato Namikaze himself. Then Minato added another Eight Trigrams Seal on top of that."
Yagura wasn't angry at the existence of Edo Tensei—he was angry at Orochimaru's unauthorized actions.
"And?"
"If you want to extract the Nine Tails, you have to first resurrect Minato Namikaze, break the seal on his body, and pull the Nine Tails out of him."
The three descended to the second basement level—a wide open space with two massive summoning arrays drawn on the floor.
On one side lay a White Zetsu body—Orochimaru's ideal vessel for Living Corpse Reincarnation.
On the other side was the sacrificial offering required for Edo Tensei: an insignificant corpse, tightly bound by Orochimaru's snakes.
Only people like this—those deemed disposable—would be permitted by Yagura to "willingly give their lives" to Orochimaru's experiments.
Yagura listened, and Orochimaru's reasoning started to make sense.
With the Uzumaki clan gone, Konoha no longer had any suitable candidates for a powerful Jinchūriki.
Even if becoming a Jinchūriki was forced by circumstance, there had to be a reason Hiruzen Sarutobi was bold enough to seal half the Nine Tails into the Shinigami and call it a day.
Minato had done an impeccable job.
To retrieve that half of the Yin Nine Tails, any would-be thief would need to possess three things: the Dead Demon Consuming Seal: Release, Living Corpse Reincarnation, and Edo Tensei.
And most critically, they'd need to know that Minato used the Dead Demon Consuming Seal to entomb both himself and the Nine Tails.
That information was never meant to leak.
But Hiruzen had never imagined that not only would someone uncover that secret—his own student Orochimaru would figure out how to exploit the Shinigami itself.
Yagura let go of his initial anger at Orochimaru's audacity and underhanded methods.
"Thank you for your understanding," Orochimaru said smoothly, knowing full well that Yagura responded better to reason than threats—as long as he wasn't killed on the spot, things could usually be talked through later.
He then turned to Sasori.
Surprisingly, Sasori had no objections to Orochimaru's reckless move.
This matter was of great importance, and Sasori knew how to prioritize. As long as the snake got the job done, nothing else mattered.
Still, Orochimaru couldn't help feeling a bit disappointed.
A shame, really.
Their little clashes had been one of the few things he genuinely enjoyed about living in Kirigakure. Whether it was productive academic debate or pointless verbal sparring, Orochimaru always found some entertainment in it.
He believed Sasori felt the same way—he just lacked Orochimaru's self-awareness.
"Shall we do it? Right here, right now?" Yagura asked, arms crossed as he tapped his fingers against them in thought.
Only Minato needed to be resurrected, and only one White Zetsu body was available.
Unlike that grand spectacle from the original timeline—when four Hokage were summoned and the truth of the world laid bare—this was a much smaller operation.
"Let's begin," Yagura said, giving the green light. "Pull both Minato and the Nine Tails out from the Shinigami's belly."
This glitch in the Shinigami's code could only be used once—there was only one White Zetsu body available.
"Once he's summoned, don't reveal our intentions immediately. This is probably your first time successfully using Edo Tensei, right? I need to test whether you can actually maintain control over your puppet."
Just in case.
Orochimaru's first attempts at Edo Tensei hadn't been smooth. He'd once summoned the Third Kazekage, only to have the corpse break free of his control.
If Minato did the same, and warped straight back to Konoha with the Flying Thunder God, the consequences would be catastrophic.
Yagura wouldn't hesitate to take Sasori's advice—boil Orochimaru into snake soup and hand it to Hiruzen personally.
Sasori nodded. "It's a serious matter. A little caution won't hurt."
Orochimaru had no objections.
"Then I'll begin. Sasori, I'll need your help in a moment."
He placed the Shinigami Mask over his face.
Orochimaru's chakra flared violently. His body convulsed as if possessed, dancing like a deranged spirit under demonic influence.
Clang—
A face identical to the mask appeared.
The spectral form of the Shinigami materialized above Orochimaru.
...
"All I have to do is slice open the Shinigami's stomach and break the seal," Orochimaru said. "Then I can retrieve what was sealed inside."
"Dead Demon Consuming Seal: Release!"
As Orochimaru uttered the incantation, the Shinigami drew its blade and sliced into its own ethereal belly.
The wound appeared as a swirling black hole in the Shinigami's body—but Orochimaru's own stomach was cut open in the process. Blood gushed down his torso, soaking his robes.
"Cough! The catch... is that I have to be the offering. Heh."
It went just as planned.
A soul flew out from the Shinigami's stomach.
The Dead Demon Consuming Seal: Release—successful.
"Now we're set."
Sasori waved a hand, and threads of chakra tore open the mouth of the White Zetsu body, begrudgingly helping Orochimaru once more.
"Much appreciated," Orochimaru said with a sly smile. "Working with you is always a pleasure... isn't it?"
"Shut up. I don't think so."
Orochimaru opened his mouth, and his true form—a snake—slithered out, diving into the White Zetsu body.
In the blink of an eye, the White Zetsu's face had taken on Orochimaru's appearance.
He had finally obtained the perfect vessel—one fused with Hashirama's cells, capable of immortality—leaving behind nothing but an empty snakeskin for the Shinigami.
The prize he sought from the Shinigami had already been claimed.
The White Zetsu body adapted to him rapidly, morphing within seconds into Orochimaru's former appearance.
Tiger – Snake – Dog – Dragon.
His hands formed seals.
"Edo Tensei no Jutsu!"
The soul was drawn toward the bound sacrifice.
The Shinigami vanished.
Tattered cloth-like chakra enveloped the corpse.
A moment later, yellow hair broke through the fragments, followed by a face and body with the distinctive texture of an Edo Tensei summon.
Minato Namikaze had returned.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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