bookbashuk Page 431
Page 431
That was not the body of Hashirama Senju or Tobirama Senju, which contained immense life force.
Instead, they were two unfamiliar corpses that were already shriveled up and whose chakra reactions were so weak that they were almost imperceptible!
Judging from the remaining clothing and faint chakra characteristics on their bodies.
They were those few useless, insignificant people who were used to conduct the Impure World Reincarnation experiment during Orochimaru's last attack on Konoha.
"Hehe! Kim, Sack, you've worked hard!"
Dou chuckled coldly a few times, then used his snake body to grab the two corpses.
Although he was just a failed product left over from Orochimaru's time, he was still... a former subordinate.
As former colleagues, at least give them a place to rest in peace.
He then formed earth-escape hand seals, easily creating a deep pit in the ground.
Then, like discarding trash, he pushed the two bodies into the pit and covered them with soil.
It was piled up into a small, inconspicuous mound.
No tombstones, no eulogies, only cold earth and complete oblivion—this may be the final fate of these "tools."
After doing all this, Kabuto gently stroked the slightly wriggling white snake on his abdomen, as if drawing strength from it.
"Alright, let's get down to business now."
He murmured to himself as he carefully took out two specially made glass vessels from his bosom, each emitting a faint aura of life.
Inside the vessel were two small, unidentifiable clumps.
Those were cell samples belonging to Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju, which he painstakingly collected through multiple secret channels!
"Now that the seal has been broken and the souls have returned, is it time to summon them back to the Pure Land of Wisdom?"
Dou's lips curled back into that unsettling smile.
His gaze swept across a corner of the cave, where two white Zetsu stood silently, their eyes vacant and their skin deathly pale.
These special creatures, cultivated from the Gedo Mazo and Hashirama cells, possess extremely strong vitality and chakra compatibility.
Undoubtedly, it is the best choice as a sacrifice for the Impure World Reincarnation.
"Come here," Kabuto commanded.
The two White Zetsu followed orders and stood numbly at the core node of the Impure World Reincarnation technique that had already been drawn in the center of the cave.
Kabuto took a deep breath and began forming hand seals again.
A massive amount of Sage Chakra mixed with his own Chakra surged into the technique beneath his feet like a flood bursting its banks.
"Reincarnation from the dirty soil!"
With a low shout from Kabuto, the technique suddenly unleashed a powerful suction force!
Countless grayish-white, paper-like substances imbued with the aura of the underworld surged wildly from the void.
Like piranhas that have smelled blood, they rushed toward the two White Zetsu that were to be sacrificed!
"Ahhhh——!"
A piercing scream came from Bai Jue's mouth as their bodies twisted and deformed violently under the cover of dust.
The pale skin and distorted features of the White Zetsu were quickly peeled off and covered.
Instead, the faces and figures of the two legendary Hokage gradually became clearer!
Dust coalesced to form the iconic silver hair, serious and cold face, and blue Sengoku-era armor of the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju.
His eyes were tightly closed, and a cold and sharp chakra fluctuation began to emanate from his body, like a sword drawn from its sheath.
At another point, dust was also rapidly gathering, outlining the imposing figure, strong facial features, and dark hair of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju.
A powerful aura belonging to the God of Ninjas began to subtly spread out.
However, just as Tobirama Senju's Edo Tensei body was about to completely stabilize and take shape—
Dou's brow furrowed sharply as he keenly sensed the unusual activity on the other side.
The impure earth body of Hashirama Senju, although the body has been perfectly constructed, is exactly the same as it was in life.
Its immense vitality was even several times stronger than that of Tobirama next to it, but... it lacked the most crucial element!
The fluctuations of the soul! The unique, vast, vibrant, and all-encompassing soul fluctuations belonging to Hashirama Senju were extremely faint!
Almost... imperceptible!
"what happened?!"
Kabuto was startled and immediately diverted some of his attention to carefully sense the condition of Hashirama's impure body.
"The seal has been broken, the spell is functioning perfectly, the sacrifice is a top-tier White Zetsu, and the cells are highly active... Why isn't the soul responding to the summons?!"
He tried to increase his chakra output, and even used the power of Sage Mode to "pull" it.
But that torrent of souls, originating from the Pure Land and which should have flowed forth in a mighty torrent, was held back by an invisible dam.
Only a few tiny, almost negligible "streams" managed to seep through and merge into that powerful body.
After a tense and careful investigation, Dou's expression became somewhat strange.
He got an unexpected result.
The good news is that this Edo Tensei was not a complete failure.
For some unknown reason, they were unable to summon most of Hashirama Senju's soul.
However, a small number of souls did successfully attach themselves to this impure body.
As the saying goes, only one of the three souls and seven spirits resides in the body.
This means that as long as he awakens this reanimated body, Hashirama Senju will take action, possessing his original fighting instincts and some of his former power.
But it lacks a complete sense of self!
It does not think, it does not question.
He will only act like a top-level puppet, strictly carrying out all the orders given by the caster (Kabuto)!
"Heh...hehe...hahaha..."
Dou first chuckled softly, then his laughter turned into an uncontrollable, twisted, and gleeful laugh.
This is simply...a delightful surprise!
His original plan was to revive the two Hokage.
Then, relying on his own optimization and upgrade of the Impure World Reincarnation technique, he forcibly suppressed their consciousness and achieved complete control.
But deep down he was very clear about how great the risks were.
Not to mention Tobirama Senju, the Second Hokage who developed the Impure World Reincarnation technique and was intimately familiar with its mechanisms.
Just facing Hashirama Senju, who was hailed as the "God of Shinobi".
Even Kabuto had no confidence whatsoever that he could perfectly control the other person while they were fully conscious.
That vast, ocean-like chakra and powerful willpower could very well break through his mental restraints in an instant.
But now, the problem is solved!
Only a portion of Hashirama Senju's soul resided there; his consciousness was chaotic, like a blank program with power, requiring only the input of commands.
This greatly reduced the difficulty and risk for him in controlling this strongest combatant, and he didn't even need to be distracted by constantly maintaining mental suppression.
His gaze shifted to the fully formed, icy-cold body of Tobirama Senju beside him.
"However... we still can't be careless."
Kabuto's excitement cooled slightly, and his eyes became cautious and sinister again: "The Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, his soul is complete."
"With my optimization of the Impure World Reincarnation technique, I should be able to barely control him, but this man... is no simple character."
As a master of forbidden techniques, Tobirama Senju's understanding of ninjutsu far surpassed that of ordinary people.
No one can guarantee that he won't still be able to find the flaws in the technique even when he's under control.
Even... turning this technique into a tool.
"We must... keep a backup plan."
Dou muttered to himself as he slid several specially made talismans from his sleeve, which shimmered with an ominous purplish-black light.
These talismans are inscribed with ancient sealing runes passed down from Ryuchi Cave, which can further erode and paralyze the mind of the controlled.
Especially when the other party tries to resist, it will unleash intense pain and binding force.
He walked up to Tobirama Senju's impure body.
Carefully, he affixed two of the most complex talismans to the inside of Tobirama's collar and back of his Edo Tensei body.
And it is activated and hidden using special chakra.
The talisman's light flashed briefly before disappearing completely, as if it had never existed.
After doing all this, Dou finally let out a long sigh of relief.
He stepped back a few paces, looking with satisfaction at the two filthy bodies before him.
One is Tobirama Senju, a master of forbidden techniques whose consciousness is intact and who needs to be treated with caution.
One is Hashirama Senju, whose power is terrifying, yet he is as easy to control as a puppet.
"Although the process was somewhat bumpy, the result was slightly different from what was expected..."
Dou pushed up his glasses, his snake-like eyes behind the lenses gleaming with ambition: "But this power is enough to change the course of the battle."
"Allied Shinobi Forces, Naruto-kun... are you ready to receive this 'gift'?"
He raised his hand, preparing to inject the last of his chakra to fully awaken these two legends from the underworld.
Chapter 456 Coastline Battle
The dawn's light struggled to pierce the lingering smoke of battle over the Land of Lightning's coastline, bringing a faint warmth to the ravaged land.
Contrary to the expectations of all the allied ninjas, after the first day's brutal onslaught of the dead, this night was surprisingly "peaceful".