Chapter 143 - Itachi's Going to Be a Big Brother
Especially now that Senju Tobirama had been resurrected via Edo Tensei, he could vaguely sense behind Kazane a demonic Asura—grinning menacingly at him.
The Asura had three heads and six arms, each hand gripping a blade, radiating murderous intent. Tobirama understood: this was the manifestation of Kazane's sheer willpower and presence.
He couldn't help but marvel—was the shinobi world now home to such terrifying powerhouses? For the first time in a long while, Tobirama felt truly unsettled.
Even when facing his own elder brother, the God of Shinobi, Hashirama, he had never felt such overwhelming pressure.
But none of this mattered anymore. He was, after all, already dead. Whatever happened in the world of the living no longer concerned him.
Turning toward Orochimaru, who still held his hands in a seal, Tobirama spoke:
"Edo Tensei, huh? So you're the young one who used a forbidden jutsu to summon me back? Quite the impressive fellow."
Though his resurrected face showed no expression, it was hard to gauge what he was actually thinking.
Orochimaru lowered his hands and gestured to the space around them. "Lord Tobirama, this is a laboratory I carved into the mountain behind Konoha."
Then, pointing to Kazane beside him, he continued, "I am Sarutobi Hiruzen's student and the Fourth Hokage of Konoha. This is my student—Hatake Kazane."
When Tobirama heard that Orochimaru was the Fourth Hokage, he let out a subtle sigh of relief. Kazane had felt incredibly dangerous—if he hadn't been a Konoha shinobi, the village might not even exist today. (Neither Orochimaru nor Kazane wore forehead protectors.)
After all, aside from his overly idealistic elder brother, no one else with the power to unify the ninja world would've distributed the Tailed Beasts to maintain a balance of power.
And once his brother died, that illusion of peace ended. The other villages, empowered by the Tailed Beasts Hashirama gave them, turned and attacked Konoha.
Even Tobirama himself had died at the end of that war, using his final strength to protect his comrades.
And now…
"Konoha has already reached its Fourth Hokage?" Tobirama muttered with a frown. "That monkey… he made it?"
"Sarutobi-sensei is in the Hokage's office handling administrative duties for me," Orochimaru replied. "The reason I summoned you back with Edo Tensei… is because I need your help with something."
Orochimaru was never one to waste time. He got straight to the point.
Tobirama furrowed his brows slightly. He had expected that his resurrection wasn't just for idle chatter.
"What does a man like me—already dead—have that you need?" he asked plainly.
Orochimaru understood what Tobirama meant by "already dead"—he was making it clear that, having passed on, he no longer wished to involve himself in the affairs of the living.
But Orochimaru believed that what he had to say next would change the Second Hokage's mind.
"I've always been curious… Why must people die?" Orochimaru began, his tone shifting. "I've long pursued the secret of immortality. And now, I've made some progress."
"The Edo Tensei technique you created was my revelation. If the body must decay, why not seek breakthrough through the soul instead?"
"Edo Tensei proves that even after death, the soul can still exist in this world."
"There's no shortage of powerful shinobi in this world—but there is a shortage of those willing to think deeply, and who dare to research these taboos."
"No one in the current ninja world can assist me with this work… except you."
"You, a trailblazer from the previous era, possess the strength and the courage to help me explore this forbidden path toward immortality."
As Orochimaru spoke, his usual cold and reserved demeanor was replaced by something fiery and impassioned. This, perhaps, was his true self.
Tobirama's lifeless eyes began to flicker with light. For the first time, he felt as though he had found a kindred spirit.
All his research, in the end, had also been in pursuit of understanding life's limits.
His original goal in creating Edo Tensei had stemmed from the discovery that the soul might be eternal.
So he too was unwilling to let the world's mysteries go unexplored… to die without uncovering all its secrets.
Back then, he had only gotten halfway through his research before falling into the Golden and Silver Brothers' ambush during a peace negotiation with Kumogakure. To protect Sarutobi and the others—the future of Konoha—he had chosen to stay behind and buy time, dying of exhaustion.
It was hard to believe that in such a brutal world, someone so noble still existed.
Orochimaru saw the flicker of light in Tobirama's eyes and offered, "Why not come see my lab? I think you'll find it… intriguing."
Tobirama nodded, curious to see if Orochimaru's research truly lived up to his words.
Orochimaru led him into a secret laboratory.
Tobirama looked around and was stunned. Shelves of various bottles and jars—preserved human and animal organs, all labeled: Kaguya Clan's Shikotsumyaku, Sharingan, Ice Release, and more. To Tobirama, it felt like he had arrived in paradise.
Orochimaru gave a detailed explanation of the lab's advanced instruments, along with his theories on the soul.
Tobirama realized the feasibility of it all. If this worked, he might one day revive completely—and remain permanently in the world of the living.
He accepted Orochimaru's invitation.
From that point on, the two engaged in deep discussions. As for Kazane, he could no longer follow their conversation.
He stood by, bored, watching them dissect brains in jars—both human and animal—while discussing theories of the soul.
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The Hatake Household
Orochimaru and Tobirama hit it off quickly. After exchanging thoughts on the soul, they began designing experiments to test their theories.
As the two busied themselves, Kazane—understanding none of it—decided to return home and continue his training.
At 14 years old, Kazane was in the peak of puberty. His body was rapidly developing, and with it, his physical strength grew at a visible rate.
At this pace, within a few years, Kazane might surpass Kage-level power without relying on the Eight Gates or Lightning Chakra Mode—purely through physical might.
That kind of growth was terrifying. After all, the Eight Gates' power boost was based on the user's base stats—amplifying what already existed.
Even someone like Might Guy, a mere Jōnin, had reached near Sage of Six Paths-level power after opening the Eighth Gate.
If Kazane could surpass Kage-level strength in his base form, then with the Eight Gates activated… there might truly be no one left in the world who could rival him.
There was no way Kazane would squander such a prime growth period. He trained every chance he got.
Even his subordinate, Jiriku, had become an elite Jōnin under his intense regimen.
Jiriku had fully adapted to Kazane's daily rhythm: waking at 4 a.m. for morning training, eating breakfast in the ANBU canteen at 6, followed by strength training until 11.
After lunch, a nap until 2, then hanging out with friends until 4, more training (with a dinner break), and finally sleeping at 11 p.m.
After a year of this hellish schedule, Jiriku was no longer the scrawny boy he once was. His muscular physique exuded strength, and even Might Duy with Four Gates active was no longer his match.
One day, while Kazane was drenched in sweat, training with heavy iron dumbbells and gravity-forged weights, Kakashi returned with unexpected news.
Back when Orochimaru had grown too busy to care for Uchiha Itachi and young Anko, he had assigned them to Kazane, who in turn passed them to Kakashi to keep him company.
Because of this, Kakashi had been excused from his duties in the Hokage office.
After all, Orochimaru had no better candidate. If Kazane had outright refused to take the kids, the burden would've fallen on him anyway—so Kakashi had reluctantly taken the role.
Today, while Itachi was training with Kakashi, the boy revealed that his mother, Uchiha Mikoto, was pregnant.
This caught Kazane completely off guard.
He remembered well—Fugaku's second child would be none other than the reincarnation of Indra.
If Sasuke was on his way, then didn't that mean Naruto—the Ashura reincarnate—might be coming too?
But then again… maybe not.
Minato's workload was insane. His breaks were carefully scheduled, and any emergency in the ANBU required him to rush back immediately.
He barely had any free time—let alone time to make a baby.
If Sasuke, the Indra reincarnation, were born but Naruto, the Ashura counterpart, wasn't…
Well—that would be interesting. And totally his fault.