(Well, I'm not in the mood to train anyway. Might as well see how they're doing.)
Link thought to himself. Right now, his animosity toward Sasori had waned. With the world possibly facing utter catastrophe, things like liking or disliking seemed far less important.
Kaguya Ōtsutsuki was so overwhelmingly strong.
In the manga, she was sealed only because Naruto and Sasuke had both gained Six Paths powers, plus Kakashi (briefly powered up with double Mangekyō from Six Paths–fueled Obito), and all three were working together.
Even then, Kaguya made plenty of foolish moves, and they just barely managed to seal her. If you ran that fight again, there's no telling if they'd succeed a second time. After all, Kakashi's double Kamui was a one-time fluke.
Anyway, he had to wait for Uchiha Madara to come back—whether by taking his own life or being killed. In the meantime, Link felt too restless to do anything else, so he might as well talk to the subordinates he hadn't seen in ages.
Might as well also hear out whatever proposal Sasori had in mind.
In the Naruto world, not even Kaguya, the progenitor of chakra, could harm a soul in the Pure Land directly. Rin Nohara had shielded Kakashi and Obito in front of her with no consequences. Even Kaguya's "All-Killing Ash Bones," strong enough to destroy a complete Susanoo, only pulverized Obito's body – his spirit remained fine.
As for why Minato lost an arm to the Truth-Seeking Orbs, that was simply because their property of "negating all ninjutsu" erased the Edo Tensei technique from that part of his body.
If Kaguya really could warp dimensions all the way here, each of these worlds should, in theory, have its own Sage of Six Paths. One had to wonder if two versions of that old man might grant Hashirama and Madara the Six Paths powers.
With that worrisome thought, Link followed Neko Hina to the hotel where the Sand shinobi were staying.
(Sigh, Six Paths… Sigh, Ōtsutsuki…) He sighed inwardly, then composed himself and knocked on Gaara's door.
…
Creak—
The door opened from inside. Gaara, sporting the same dark circles around his eyes, stood there. On seeing his friend, a faint smile spread across his face.
"Long time no see," he said, spreading his arms.
"Long time no see," Link echoed, returning the hug. Then he smiled. "Your smile is looking more natural these days."
Gaara chuckled a bit. In the past, he simply hadn't experienced normal human interaction. He wasn't a fool, just inexperienced.
After returning to Sunagakure from Konoha as a onetime prisoner, he'd thrown himself into missions for his village while also studying how to behave more "normally."
Now he felt almost like any ordinary person and was even a bit embarrassed about his earlier behavior. It had been a year and a half since he and his siblings left Konoha and returned home—time slipped by quickly. They gradually learned to shoulder the duty of guarding their village, just like their former teacher, Maki.
"Congratulations," Link said, smiling. Certain things didn't need to be spelled out. One look at Gaara's demeanor and you could tell. "So, has Shukaku caused any more trouble?"
At Shukaku's name, Gaara's face turned a touch awkward. He hesitated, then said, "Well, it told me, 'As long as I don't go into Tailed Beast Mode in front of that guy, I won't keep you from sleeping.'"
"It's pretty scared of you," he concluded. Then he went briefly blank, smiling as though he'd just heard Shukaku's voice in his head. Likely their little "internal conversation."
(So that's how he's progressing toward a perfect Jinchūriki relationship?), Link mused.
A delighted voice called out from the side: "Link!" Eighteen months older than before, Temari stood nearby, hands clasped behind her back, her expression a mix of joy and distance.
Girls could change a lot in a year—Temari's figure was a little curvier, her face softer, developing a womanly charm. If, in the past, Link saw her like a kid with a fierce personality, now she actually looked like a young woman.
But time also cooled many feelings—18 months of separation created a substantial gap.
"Link-sensei~!" came an even more enthusiastic greeting. Kankurō beamed as he approached, arms around a scroll at his waist. He pulled Link into a half-hug, whispering, "I saved up a bunch of money. You still got that puppet for me?"
Link gave him a thumbs up, then glanced down the hallway to see Sasori of the Red Sand—once forced to hide inside Hiruko—now walking around in his human form. A Sunagakure headband hung at his neck. His face remained as cold as ever, but his stare no longer looked hollow.
(What changed this human-puppet?), Link wondered. He felt no desire to pry or hold old grudges. Instead, he simply asked, "What brings you guys here?"
"We're here about the upcoming Chūnin Exams. Kankurō and I are in charge of negotiations," Temari explained first.
"I came along with Sasori to buy back his 'real body,' and… to see you," Gaara added candidly.
Sasori paused in the distance for a moment before he spoke. "Besides wanting my original body, I want to talk about our earlier collaboration."
(Here it comes,) Link thought, adopting a "listening" posture.
"You once used a sealing jutsu on Orochimaru—one that created a 'core' able to absorb natural energy indefinitely," Sasori said frankly. "If we combine that seal with my human-puppet process, we can craft a puppet that uses Sage Mode and is immortal."
The other three showed no reaction, so presumably they'd heard something like this already. Looks like they were all on good terms.
"Oh," Link muttered noncommittally. "Not interested."
The original developer and successful test subject, Orochimaru, was now in the Second Parallel World, completely absorbed by the Cast Net Jutsu and the Funa-tsū technique.
From time to time, Link would see him grin greedily or murmur something ominous—only for Sasuke to shoot him down with a Sharingan glare, or Utakata quietly send a late-night "warning note." They'd basically reached a dead end with Five Elements Seal research.
Totally replacing one's own chakra with natural energy, yet remaining unchanged, was impossible. Jūgo and Kimimaro, even after everything, still needed Tsunade's regular treatments—or risked dropping dead randomly. Orochimaru and Tsunade were the only ones to truly "succeed," each by channeling natural energy into a Sage Mode that combined it with their own chakra.
One focusing on the "Five Elements of Creation," the other on the "Five Elements of Destruction." So Orochimaru now regenerates severed fingers in seconds, while Tsunade can blow out air cannons with a single punch in Sage Mode—both are incomplete "Super-Kage" levels who can be taken down if surprised. Orochimaru surrendered quickly before, but there aren't many Hashiramas or Hiruzen Sarutobis in the world.
(Well, infinite multiverse aside, there'd be a lot, but that's not the point.), Link reflected.
~~~
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