If the villagers of Konoha were gossiping about Kushina, she wouldn't have cared much. After all, she had grown up surrounded by similar whispers. However, hearing them talk about her son was an entirely different matter. If it weren't for the fact that Kushina had grown up in Konoha and that Minato had been the Fourth Hokage, she might have already lost her temper.
Some aspects of the shinobi world were truly bizarre, like the way all nine Jinchuriki—who should have been kept secret due to their importance—were widely known within the Five Great Shinobi Villages. This exposed them to constant ridicule and isolation. It was as if the villages wanted to bond with them emotionally while simultaneously allowing their harsh treatment to continue unchecked.
Among all the strange decisions, perhaps the most baffling was Rasa's treatment of Gaara. While other villages might limit their cruelty to cold words, Rasa went as far as conducting assassination attempts on his own son. No wonder Sunagakure was the weakest of the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
"They've completely sealed off the news, huh? Truly a shinobi village," Daniel remarked, having picked up bits of conversation around them that painted a picture of Konoha's situation. Despite Akatsuki's growing influence outside, most of the people in Konoha seemed blissfully unaware.
"A different kind of isolationism, quite similar to Wano Country," Daniel thought, recalling the closed-off island nation from the pirate world, where they had twisted the concepts of open and closed borders through manipulation. The ordinary citizens of Konoha seemed to be in a similar predicament.
Like during the Warring States period, the people of the shinobi world rarely traveled far from their villages, except for merchants. Most ordinary folks lived and died in the same place, never venturing beyond their home.
After pondering this for a moment, Daniel shook his head and dismissed the thought. As strange and unjust as the shinobi system was, its existence proved that it served some purpose, much like the World Nobles in the pirate world. Even in modern society, bizarre systems like the caste system still existed.
"Let's go," Kushina said, her face hardening as she turned towards the direction of the training cave. If she continued listening to the villagers talk about Naruto, she feared she might lose control.
Naruto was a frequent topic of conversation for a simple reason: there was little else to talk about in this era. Entertainment was scarce, and despite the presence of modern appliances, there were few movies or television shows. Even those who had no interest in discussing Naruto couldn't escape the fact that others often brought him up.
"He's training to master the Wind Release: Rasenshuriken," Daniel observed as they arrived at the training cave through the Mirror Dimension, noting Naruto's progress. He was practicing the chakra nature transformation necessary to complete the jutsu—a technique that Daniel himself was also working on with decent progress.
Daniel wasn't in a hurry to perfect the Rasenshuriken, unlike Naruto in the original story, who was driven by the need to prove himself and return to missions. His progress had been more measured, without the frantic urgency to split into hundreds of shadow clones and train around the clock.
Unlike the original Naruto, this version of him was still training hard but wasn't as desperate. He had plenty of shadow clones, but he still took time to go home and rest. In addition to the Rasenshuriken, Naruto was also working on controlling the Nine-Tails' chakra, though that was proving to be quite difficult. As an Uzumaki, chakra control through seals should have been natural, but Naruto had no knowledge of sealing techniques.
In fact, aside from the Shadow Clone Jutsu, the only other techniques Naruto used were ones that didn't require hand seals. He didn't even have a basic elemental jutsu under his belt.
"Naruto…" Kushina stood silently in the Mirror Dimension, staring at her son as he trained. Tears welled up in her eyes as she watched him, finally seeing what her child had grown into.
She was both proud and heartbroken. Even without witnessing it firsthand, just from her experiences in Konoha over the past few days, coupled with her own memories, she could imagine what Naruto had endured growing up.
In contrast, Kushina's own childhood, though difficult, had been much better. When she first arrived in Konoha, Mito Uzumaki had still been alive, and she had Minato's protection throughout her time at the academy. Naruto, however, had none of that.
"Oh, and that's Hinata Hyuga—the Hyuga clan's princess who's always liked Naruto. He saved her once as a child. Although Naruto doesn't resemble Minato much in many ways, he inherited the 'hero saving the damsel in distress' part perfectly."
Minato and Kushina had also met through such an event, and Naruto and Hinata's story echoed that. Sasuke and Karin had a similar connection, though the one difference in Shikamaru's case was that he had been the one rescued by a woman, Temari.
Naruto might have had a crush on Sakura at the moment, but Daniel firmly supported the Naruto and Hinata pairing. He was firmly in the Hinata camp, though he held no ill will towards Sakura. It was simply a matter of circumstance.
As for Sasuke's romantic prospects with Sakura or Karin, Daniel had no intention of meddling. He wasn't here to play matchmaker, even though his actions had already influenced the course of events to some extent.
"Let's go. I need to have a good talk with Hiruzen Sarutobi and ask him exactly how he 'took care' of Naruto," Kushina said, her expression hardening after she gazed at Naruto and Hinata for a while. She had made up her mind.
If she was going to confront Sarutobi, she would first need to bring him back with Edo Tensei, which meant breaking the Reaper Death Seal. While it might take Orochimaru a considerable amount of time to research the seal and undo it, Kushina had the advantage of being an Uzumaki, and the technique originated from her clan.
"No problem. Once we bring him back, you can beat him up to vent your frustration. Although… Edo Tensei bodies don't feel pain. Maybe instead of physical retribution, the best punishment would be to witness Konoha fall." Daniel smiled mischievously.
"You're right. I'll make sure he sees Konoha's destruction firsthand," Kushina agreed.
Even without the added motivation of revenge, Kushina needed to break the Reaper Death Seal to free Minato's soul, allowing them to be resurrected together. That had been the crux of her deal with Daniel. Although she hadn't agreed at first, once Daniel explained the benefits of the arrangement, she quickly came around. The chance to reunite with Minato and live together with Naruto again was an offer Kushina couldn't refuse, especially since Daniel hadn't demanded anything unreasonable.
"Let's head to the Mask Temple first," Kushina said as she led Daniel to a hidden shrine deep in the forest north of Konoha. This was the Uzumaki Clan's secret Mask Temple, a sacred place known only to the Uzumaki.
In the original story, Orochimaru had spent a great deal of time searching for it.
"Are these all masks of the Shinigami?" Daniel asked as they entered the temple, seeing a wall lined with numerous white masks of varying designs.
"Yes," Kushina replied, using two chakra threads to pull down a mask with two horns sticking out of its head.
"Does this world have multiple Shinigami, or do these masks simply represent different aspects of the same one?" Daniel wondered aloud as he examined the various designs.
"Probably the latter. If there were multiple Shinigami, I doubt they'd allow Edo Tensei to run rampant," Daniel reasoned, recalling how even Mephisto in the Marvel universe wouldn't allow large-scale soul transactions without consequence.
"The Second Hokage's Edo Tensei… I'm guessing he must have based it on your clan's sealing techniques, right?"
Considering the Uzumaki's extensive knowledge of death-related seals and the connection Edo Tensei had to manipulating souls, Daniel felt his assumption was reasonable.
"You're right. Unfortunately, much of the Uzumaki clan's knowledge has been lost. Even I only inherited a fraction of it," Kushina lamented.
Daniel had no reason to doubt her. The Uzumaki Clan's research spanned centuries, and even someone as talented as Kushina couldn't possibly have mastered it all. Orochimaru had dedicated much of his life to exploring this path as well.
"I didn't expect to see you again under these circumstances, Orochimaru." Kushina's tone was calm as she stood before Orochimaru in his southern hideout. She knew him well—he had been Minato's biggest rival for the position of Hokage.
Because Jiraiya had been Minato's mentor, both Minato and Kushina had shown respect toward Orochimaru, addressing him formally, though the respect was more for Jiraiya than Orochimaru himself.
"It has indeed been a long time. I didn't expect you to find me here. I was just about to send word that my research failed," Orochimaru replied, equally calm.
"The Five Great Nations are about to go to war with Akatsuki. You plan to summon the former Kage with Edo Tensei? They won't be easy to control," Orochimaru cautioned.
"I don't need them for battle. I just think it would be interesting for the previous Hokage to witness Konoha's destruction," Daniel responded with a knowing
smile.
"Now that does sound interesting. I must be there to see it. I'd love to witness Sensei's reaction when he realizes what's happening." Orochimaru's expression showed genuine excitement.
"Seems like you still hold some resentment toward the Third Hokage," Daniel thought, noting that despite everything, Orochimaru had once held dreams of becoming Hokage himself and had been a bearer of the Will of Fire.
"Alright, enough talk. Let's see what we're working with." Kushina interrupted their conversation, inspecting Orochimaru's sealed arms before reviewing his research.
"What did you tell her?" Orochimaru asked, clearly surprised by Kushina's willingness to cooperate. After all, both he and Daniel were now enemies of Konoha.
"Nothing much. I just told her about Naruto's life in Konoha, then took her for a stroll through the village. You'd be surprised how terrifying a woman can be, especially when she's also a mother."
"Didn't expect you to have such a twisted sense of humor."
"It's not humor. It's justice."
"Edo Tensei!"
On an isolated island far south of Konoha, Daniel performed the Edo Tensei summoning. As a black coffin slowly emerged from the ground, its lid slid open to reveal the familiar figure of Madara Uchiha, revived through the forbidden technique.
"Black Zetsu, what is going on? Why Edo Tensei?" Madara's deep voice resonated as he stepped out of the coffin. The moment he did, the coffin vanished into thin air.
"And who are you?" Madara's sharp gaze fell on Daniel, quickly assessing the situation and the unfamiliar surroundings.
"Congratulations on your return to the world of the living, Madara," Daniel greeted him with a calm smile.
"Black Zetsu… Where's Obito?" Madara asked, crossing his arms and taking in his surroundings with an air of calm authority.
"Black Zetsu is sealed away, and I've captured Obito. The Infinite Tsukuyomi plan is over," Daniel replied, maintaining his smile.
"Oh? It seems the plan has gone awry. What a bunch of fools," Madara's expression shifted slightly upon hearing that both Black Zetsu and Obito had failed, along with the collapse of the plan he had carefully orchestrated for decades.
But this was Madara Uchiha. Even after hearing that his long-standing plan had crumbled, he remained composed. Most people would have lost their minds, but Madara merely observed, waiting.
"That's the thing with plans—they can never account for every variable," Daniel said coolly.
"Plans versus reality, huh? Haha, interesting. So, why have you summoned me?"
"I want to work with you to create a peaceful shinobi world."
"Peaceful, you say? Hah, what could be more peaceful than the world of the Infinite Tsukuyomi?" Madara's voice grew colder, clearly unimpressed by Daniel's words.
"Haha! Using the Infinite Tsukuyomi to create peace? Madara Uchiha, I used to admire you for breaking away from Hashirama due to ideological differences. I thought you had the right idea when you realized the shinobi world needed to be unified. But now? You're just as shortsighted as Hashirama!" Daniel laughed, his tone filled with mockery.
"What did you just say?" Madara's expression darkened as he glared at Daniel.
"The Infinite Tsukuyomi may indeed create peace. But have you ever considered what happens to humanity after that? Can people even continue to reproduce inside a world of illusions?" Daniel's voice was sharp as he delivered the cutting question.
"In a hundred years, humanity will go extinct. Is that the kind of 'peaceful' world you want to create?"
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