Naruto: I Confronted the Five Kage Before the System Arrived

Chapter 32: The Inevitable Outcome

Orochimaru's eyes suddenly gleamed.

For someone pursuing immortality, it wasn't hard to understand Hagoromo Gengetsu's desire to escape his bonds and avoid returning to the underworld. Initially, Orochimaru thought that at most, Gengetsu could only extend his life for a short while before the Reanimation body expired.

However, when Gengetsu unexpectedly sought out Tsunade for the Spirit Transformation Technique, Orochimaru realized he had underestimated this elder's ambitions.

"True resurrection?"

Orochimaru licked his lips again, feeling a surge of excitement.

But could such a thing succeed? Orochimaru had never heard of anyone being truly resurrected. Even his own method, dividing his soul at the cost of severe side effects, was not true resurrection since he had never actually died.

Could Hagoromo Gengetsu really achieve it?

Orochimaru pondered deeply on the Spirit Transformation Technique. As the greatest scientist in the current shinobi world, he quickly deduced Gengetsu's purpose for seeking this technique.

"The Spirit Transformation Technique allows the soul to leave the body. Is Gengetsu trying to free himself from the constraints of the Reanimation body?"

Orochimaru frowned.

"The binds from the underworld are more terrifying than one might think. Can the Spirit Transformation Technique succeed?"

"Even if it does, what about the body? Is he planning to become a wandering spirit, or perhaps merge with another's body?"

This was no easy task. The body's natural rejection would strongly oppose the intrusion of a foreign soul, leading to the body's collapse.

Orochimaru, who had developed the Living Corpse Reincarnation technique, had much to say on the matter. Even with his genius, it took him a long time to perfect this technique. Despite this, the Living Corpse Reincarnation had many limitations, such as requiring three years between reincarnations and experiencing varying degrees of rejection from the host body, necessitating continual reincarnation.

As someone well-versed in the history of the shinobi world, Orochimaru had never heard of Gengetsu researching or developing soul techniques similar to the Living Corpse Reincarnation.

So, what was Gengetsu's plan?

Orochimaru couldn't fathom it. He would never have guessed that Gengetsu, before his death, had used a forbidden technique to preserve his body right under everyone's noses. With the renowned Senju Hashirama confirming that Gengetsu's remains were gone, who could have imagined it?

Night fell.

Hagoromo Gengetsu stood atop a tall utility pole, backlit by the bright moon, expressionlessly watching the lively scene below. As a famous attraction in the Land of Fire, Tanzaku Town was nearly as bustling as Konoha.

The lively food street, bustling crowds, and the shouts of vendors mixed with the playful laughter of children. Unfortunately, the liveliness belonged to them, not to him.

Gengetsu sighed inwardly. Don't get the wrong idea—he wasn't a misanthropic person with a mental disorder, standing on a pole contemplating destruction. He sighed because he wanted to enjoy these things but couldn't.

The Reanimation body was like a layer of cowhide obscuring external sensations. While it had the advantage of being impervious to harm and able to regenerate, it greatly dulled a shinobi's senses.

Despite the Reanimation individuals' ability to regenerate limbs swiftly, they would have preferred to avoid the injuries in the first place. They could have done so in life, but the dulled senses under Reanimation made them react slower.

For Gengetsu, delicious food and strong liquor tasted like wax; he couldn't savor any flavors. The same went for other pleasures. Therefore, to reunite with his long-lost "little brother," he had to shed the Reanimation body and achieve true resurrection.

Anyone who stood in his way would face his relentless pursuit.

With sharp eyes, Gengetsu looked towards a brightly lit tavern in the distance. Tsunade and Shizune hadn't left Tanzaku Town. Under Tsunade's insistence, they had gone to a tavern to drink. After some inquiry, Jiraiya and Naruto found them there.

Now, the old friends were sitting together, drinking and playing cards, while discussing the matter of the Fifth Hokage. As Naruto expressed disbelief at the idea of the young-looking woman before him being the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade bluntly refused, calling the title of Hokage trash and saying only fools would want the position. This infuriated Naruto, who aspired to be Hokage.

Thus, the challenge in front of the bar began.

"It's happening."

Hidden in the darkness, Gengetsu watched as Tsunade, reeking of alcohol and indifferent, faced off against the angry and shouting Naruto.

The outcome was predictable.

In one move, Naruto was effortlessly taken down.

Afterwards, facing Tsunade's question of why he was fixated on becoming Hokage, Gengetsu quickly heard Naruto's famous declaration:

"Because... being Hokage is my dream!!!"

Gengetsu's eyes flickered. Noticing the complex emotions of shock, nostalgia, guilt, and hope on Tsunade's face, he shook his head inwardly.

There was no need to observe further. When Naruto made his familiar declaration, Tsunade had already made her final decision without even realizing it.

Orochimaru's confident deal had completely fallen through.

"That's fine; my plan can proceed smoothly."

"Also, Naruto's famous talk-no-jutsu is indeed extraordinary. By the way, I have a beginner's mission involving him. I'll deal with that when the time comes."

With that, Gengetsu vanished into the darkness.

The next moment, Jiraiya, pleased to see Tsunade's changing expression and feeling his decision to bring Naruto along wasn't in vain, glanced at the darkness behind him.

"ANBU... no, ROOT operatives. What are they up to now?"

Thinking of that old schemer in the shadows, Jiraiya frowned. He hadn't missed the traces of ROOT's secret surveillance during their journey. Though displeased, he had said nothing because Naruto was the Nine-Tails' jinchuriki.

But now... with Hiruzen-sensei gone, Danzo's unchecked ambition was harder to contain. So, it's best to leave it to that fiery-tempered woman, Tsunade. After all, Jiraiya knew he wasn't suited for such matters.