Chapter 372: Chapter 372: Reviving Rin?
Chapter 372: Reviving Rin?
Maintaining his usual kind smile, Haneda looked at the blushing Hinata and said gently,
"I remember you. You're Naruto's classmate."
Upon hearing this, Hinata's face turned an even deeper shade of red. If it weren't for Neji holding her up, she might have fainted from dizziness.
Seeing this, Haneda decided it would be best to let Hinata calm down. "Neji, take her to the room across the hall to rest," he instructed.
After helping Neji remove his Caged Bird Seal, Haneda swiftly activated the Flying Thunder God Technique to leave the Hyūga clan grounds.
Outside the main hall, both branch and main family members had gathered in crowds. If he were to walk out through the front entrance, it would be a hassle with so many people expressing their gratitude.
Haneda found such situations awkward and preferred to avoid them altogether.
By the time he returned home, dawn was breaking, and the sky was faintly glowing.
Despite being tired, Haneda didn't rest. Instead, he prepared a nutritious breakfast for Naruto and the others.
Just as he was finishing, Sasuke walked in, carrying a small backpack.
"Uncle Haneda, I'm here to pick up Naruto. We're going to school together."
Sasuke confidently strolled into the house, treating it like his own. As he walked behind Naruto, he snatched the fried egg off Naruto's plate without hesitation.
Seeing his plate missing its prized egg, Naruto turned around and scowled.
"Sasuke, why'd you steal my food? And why're you carrying a backpack today?"
Sasuke casually replied, "I packed a few books to study at school. It's nothing, dobe."
Naruto eyed Sasuke suspiciously. "Books? You, bringing books to school? Since when?"
It was well known that most students at the Ninja Academy rarely brought books, except for those studying medical or sealing techniques. Traditional ninja students like Naruto and Sasuke considered such things unnecessary.
"Let me take a look, teme!" Naruto reached out to unzip Sasuke's backpack.
"Stop it! That's rude!" Sasuke turned his back and pressed the backpack against the wall, preventing Naruto from reaching it.
"C'mon, what's the big deal? We're friends, aren't we?" Naruto persisted.
After a brief struggle, Sasuke finally relented. "Fine. I'll show you at school. It's a gift for you, anyway."
"A gift?" Naruto's curiosity was piqued, and he stopped pestering Sasuke. Instead, he draped an arm over Sasuke's shoulder and started chatting about school.
Haneda, who had been silently observing, couldn't help but wonder what Sasuke was planning.
As someone who knew Sasuke well, Haneda was aware that the boy rarely gave gifts, and when he did, it was always for a special occasion. Yet today was an ordinary day, with no significant event to justify such a gesture.
After Naruto and Sasuke left for school, Kakashi entered the house in a hurry.
So hurried, in fact, that he forgot to remove his shoes before stepping inside.
"Haneda, you once said that with the Rinnegan, you could use Rinne Tensei to bring back the dead…"
Haneda turned to Kakashi and asked directly, "Do you want to revive Rin? Or Minato-sensei and Kushina-san as well?"
Kakashi slowed his steps and approached Haneda, his expression conflicted. "Couldn't we bring them all back?"
Haneda responded calmly, "You're rushing things, Kakashi. Even if I could revive Rin, how would we hide her existence?"
"White Zetsu's surveillance network is vast. There are likely spies even in Hoshigakure. I can't exactly take Rin to the moon, can I? You know her personality—she wouldn't be content living in isolation."
"The same applies to Minato-sensei. He'd be worried about Naruto and the village. If they're revived, their presence would inevitably be exposed."
Haneda's tone grew firmer. "I've always had the Rinnegan. There's no need to rush."
Kakashi took a deep breath, his shoulders relaxing slightly. "You're right. I'm being impatient. I suppose you're waiting for the Fourth Shinobi War?"
Haneda nodded. "That's part of the plan, but it's not the only reason. Reviving Rin won't magically change Obito's resolve. She was only the catalyst for his despair. The root cause is the cruel reality he faced afterward."
"Even if Rin were to return, Obito might still cling to his Moon Eye Plan, believing he can create a perfect world where all of us exist in an eternal illusion."
What Haneda didn't say was that Rin's revival was indeed part of his contingency plans.
In Haneda's vision for the Fourth Shinobi War, it would be a battle between the forces of Konoha, Akatsuki, Amegakure, and Hoshigakure against the armies controlled by the daimyo.
Haneda intended to use this war to crush opposition, not just through brute strength but also by instilling a genuine belief in the new era's Will of Fire.
He planned to turn enemies into allies, demonstrating the unity and power of the ninja alliance.
If Obito and Madara still persisted in their plans, Rin's revival would be the final card Haneda played to shatter Obito's resolve.
Haneda turned back to Kakashi and said with a reassuring smile, "Trust me, Kakashi. Everything will fall into place. When the time comes, I'll revive everyone—Rin, Minato-sensei, Kushina-san, your father… all of them."
"It won't be long now."
Before Kakashi could respond, Haneda's demeanor shifted, and he smirked playfully. "Now, let's head to the school. Sasuke was acting weird earlier, saying he had a gift for Naruto. Let's go see what it is."
Kakashi blinked, taken aback by the sudden change in topic. But before he could process it, a spatial distortion appeared, pulling him and Haneda into a different location.
The two of them materialized outside Konoha's First Ninja Academy.
"That wasn't the Flying Thunder God Technique, was it?" Kakashi asked, visibly surprised.
"No, it's a Rinnegan ability—Bishamonten. It's similar to Kamui but also includes a unique dimension. I wouldn't recommend staying there too long, though," Haneda explained.
"Why not?"
"Because it makes you dumb," Haneda deadpanned.
"...Huh?"
Kakashi shot Haneda a skeptical look. Staying in an alternate dimension would lower your intelligence? That didn't make any sense.
"If that were true, Obito would've turned into a complete idiot by now," Kakashi thought, recalling how Kamui worked.
Haneda remained expressionless, his tone serious. "I'm not joking. Bishamonten is associated with infinite wisdom. The longer you stay there, the greater the contrast between our intellects. It'll make me look ridiculously smart by comparison."
"…Makes sense," Kakashi muttered sarcastically, though part of him wondered if Haneda might actually be telling the truth.
After all, the Rinnegan was said to be the eye of the Sage of Six Paths, capable of abilities beyond ordinary comprehension.
It wasn't entirely impossible… was it?
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