Naruto: Reborn with the Tenseigan

Under normal circumstances, the Elder Council wouldn't have such significant authority. However, during the First Shinobi World War, in order to secure his position as Hokage, the Third Hokage extended significant benefits and power to the Elder Council members.

Now, trying to reclaim that power was proving to be incredibly difficult.

"Senior Shikashin, I'll let Takashi notify him. Since the suggestion wasn't approved, he should stop wasting his energy on this," Tsunade said.

With just the Elder Council objecting, Tsunade might have been able to persuade them. The real problem, however, was that the Third Hokage himself didn't want to take the risk. With both the Elder Council and the Third Hokage against it, it was nearly impossible for Tsunade to push her proposal through.

The village's response reached the frontline camp the same day.

Originally, Takashi planned to go to the command post to inform Nara Shikashin, but upon consideration, he decided to send someone to summon him instead.

"It seems Tsunade wasn't lying when she said your cooking was good," Nara Shikashin commented with a smile.

"Just happened to have the right ingredients," Takashi replied, pouring vegetables into a pot of stewed meat and placing it on the table. "Please, take a seat."

"Hahaha, then I won't be modest today."

Shikashin, though usually very busy and not a particularly picky eater, had a utilitarian approach to food: as long as it filled the stomach, it sufficed. Given the camp's basic conditions, having enough to eat was already a luxury, so he never fussed about meals.

Only Takashi had the privilege to have his own small cookout.

If Nara Shikashin wanted to have a special meal, no one would object, but he wouldn't do that.

Taking a bite, Shikashin commented, "This must be cured meat. The flavor is excellent, but it feels like something's missing."

Takashi handed him a small bottle of sake.

"Ah, that's what it was—missing a good drink!" Shikashin exclaimed.

With meat and sake, the meal turned truly enjoyable.

The two sat together, eating and chatting. Once the meal was nearly over, Shikashin finally broached the subject.

"So, the village rejected the proposal, didn't they?"

"Yes," Takashi replied, setting down his chopsticks and wiping his mouth. "The Hokage lacked a firm stance, and the Elder Council deemed it too risky. They were worried about provoking Iwagakure and causing them to ally with Sunagakure, so they strongly opposed it."

Although Shikashin had prepared himself for rejection, hearing it still left him a bit disappointed.

"Then we'll just take it slow."

Without the village's backing, even if Shikashin personally persuaded Hanzo of the Salamander, it would be meaningless. If they convinced him and then failed to deliver on promises of resources or support, it would only provoke Amegakure's ire. Instead of pursuing Sunagakure, Amegakure might then turn its hostility toward Konoha.

After seeing Shikashin off, Takashi changed his clothes and resumed his routine patrol of the medical ward.

---

"Senior Takashi."

The medical-nin and staff at the center greeted him warmly as he arrived.

"Thank you all for your hard work," Takashi replied with a smile.

He made his rounds, ensuring everything was in order, and then returned to his quarters. As soon as he got back, he collapsed into bed, finally ready to catch up on all the sleep he had lost over the past few days.

---

Elsewhere, deep within a mountainous region on the battlefield, Jiraiya lay sprawled on the ground, looking battered and beaten, even a little miserable.

"Cough, cough! Do you think we'll die here?"

Jiraiya coughed, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth. He laughed bitterly, "As expected, Jingyi was right—we were still too young and reckless."

"Can you just shut up for a while?"

Sakumo Hatake wanted to roll his eyes, but he was exhausted—so much so that even moving a finger felt like a chore. Instead, he rested against a rock, trying to regain his strength.

Of the three of them, Orochimaru was in the best shape—not because he was much stronger than the other two, but because he had been quick to react.

"Cough, cough! How are we supposed to contact the camp?" Jiraiya wheezed.

Sakumo kept his eyes closed and didn't respond. Orochimaru, seated nearby, calmly pulled out a scroll, which contained a crow puppet.

The puppet hopped onto Orochimaru's arm after emerging from the scroll, looking around with curiosity.

"Stupid Orochimaru, are you seriously in the mood to mess around with a summoning beast at a time like this?"

Sakumo opened his eyes, his curiosity piqued.

The three of them were in a precarious situation—they had been ambushed by Iwagakure's forces while pursuing some Sunagakure shinobi. No one had expected Iwagakure, who hadn't shown much interest in Konoha, to deliver such a blow.

Luckily, they had been strong enough to escape from Iwagakure's encirclement.

Sakumo had suffered significant injuries, and now lacked the ability to fight. Jiraiya's condition was even worse, with wounds still bleeding profusely.

Ignoring Jiraiya's sarcastic remarks, Orochimaru looked at the puppet on his arm. "Can you communicate with your master?"

Jiraiya: "…"

Sakumo: "…"

Did Orochimaru lose his mind?

Or maybe he was injured in the head while escaping?

The crow puppet squawked twice, still looking curiously around.

"Who's calling me?"

Before Orochimaru could proceed further, the crow puppet's eyes lit up, and a sleepy voice emerged from its beak—Takashi's.

It sounded like he had just woken up, still groggy with sleep.

Takashi had indeed been napping—more accurately, he had been catching up on his sleep. But during his slumber, he suddenly heard someone calling out to him.

Thanks to the Tenseigan, the puppets Takashi crafted could serve as surveillance tools and even function like a communication device. As long as they weren't too far away, Takashi could operate them as he wished.

"…"

"What in the world?"

Jiraiya and Sakumo exchanged bewildered looks.

Was this some kind of genjutsu?

Orochimaru, meanwhile, couldn't help but smirk, his amusement barely contained.

"Takashi, it's Orochimaru. Our team was ambushed by Iwagakure's forces. Everyone else in the team was killed—it's just me, Jiraiya, and Sakumo left."

Orochimaru quickly described the current situation, which could be summed up in one word: Help!

In the camp's rest area, Takashi immediately sobered up.

"You're saying you were ambushed, and now you're surrounded by Iwagakure's Earth Release army, and all of you are in bad shape?"

"Exactly."

"Got it."

After that, the crow puppet returned to its usual state.

Jiraiya, lying on the ground, stammered, "St-stupid Orochimaru, what on earth is that thing?"

Sakumo didn't speak, but he was also itching to know more.

It was quite bizarre—a puppet capable of long-distance communication. If they had more of these, they could definitely be a nightmare for their enemies. Konoha could keep track of enemy movements at any time, effectively enabling remote command capabilities.

"It's a puppet that Takashi made—it's not a summoning beast." Orochimaru responded, then sat back against a rock to rest.

Although he appeared to be in the best shape, this was just on the surface. If it weren't for his quick reflexes, he might be in the same miserable state as Jiraiya and Sakumo.

"A puppet…"

Sakumo and Jiraiya felt as if their perception of the world had been shattered.

A puppet like this actually existed?

---

Back at the camp, Takashi quickly got dressed, grabbed his rain gear, and rushed out of the medical facility towards the command post.

"Who's there?"