Chapter 9: Is the Shinigami Hiding From Him?

Hiruzen, seated in his office, examined the dagger and the rosary in his hands and sighed deeply.

"In the end, two clones were the most I could create with this," he reflected silently.

The remaining energy was very low.

For now, it was necessary to find a way to recharge the energy of these special tools. Unlike usual techniques, their use depended exclusively on the 'borrowed' energy from the Shinigami, most of which had already been depleted. And, regardless of his efforts to invoke the Shinigami again, no result followed.

"It seems that the Shinigami is avoiding me somehow..."

Even with the aid of his clone, Orochimaru, he found himself unable to call upon the Shinigami again.

In his reverie, suddenly, Hiruzen became alert upon receiving information from an unexpected source.

The informant was his second perfect clone, Fugaku. He, along with 'Orochumaru', had reached the Hidden Sound Village.

A few hours earlier...

Upon encountering Fugaku, Hiruzen was greeted with a mix of surprise and satisfaction by the Uchiha. However, Fugaku did not anticipate Hiruzen's next move: weak and unprepared, he couldn't avoid it when Hiruzen opened the sealed box containing a soul. This soul quickly invaded Fugaku's body through his nose, being assimilated by him without resistance.

In Fugaku's weakened condition, it was relatively easy for Hiruzen to dominate and assimilate his soul, incorporating it completely. Fugaku realized the danger too late and recognized that the figure in front of him was no longer the Sarutobi Hiruzen he knew. The evidence was clear: all the transformations, even the way Hiruzen handed over Danzo without hesitation... However, despite Fugaku recognizing these truths in the final moments of his existence, it was too late for any regret.

Reflecting on the incident, Hiruzen pondered that perhaps he shouldn't have repeated the procedure used with Orochimaru, creating a clone, sealing it in a weapon, and later consuming it. This action, he realized, was the cause of the almost definitive exhaustion of the dagger and the rosary.

Nevertheless, there was nothing to regret. These steps were essential for his soul in his main body to be in full form. Despite the value he attributed to these two new bodies, Hiruzen felt a deeper connection with the first body he assumed upon transmigrating to this world. The only caveat was his momentary reluctance to not be able to generate 'perfect clones' as readily...

Returning to the present, the information he had just received came from the shadow clone of 'Fugaku'. After separating, Orochimaru and Fugaku had ventured on a 'mission'.

Incidentally, Fugaku fulfilled his previous promise to keep the mission to kill Danzo a secret, informing only that it was an ultra-secret Rank S task before leaving with some Uchiha ninjas.

Interestingly, although the 'Fugaku' and 'Orochimaru' clones had become independent entities, the information acquired by shadow clones created by them was shared with Hiruzen, a discovery he found very useful.

However, this exchange of information is exclusive to Hiruzen's main body. When he creates a shadow clone and dispels it, the other two — 'Orochimaru' and 'Fugaku' — do not receive any information from that specific clone.

Similarly, when 'Orochimaru' creates and dispels a shadow clone, only 'Orochimaru' and Hiruzen have access to the information collected by that clone. This phenomenon highlighted a crucial aspect: by absorbing the weapons that contained half of the souls of 'Orochimaru' and 'Fugaku' sealed within them and integrating them into himself, Hiruzen created an even deeper bond with them, establishing himself as the main part of this connection.

This raised a question: was the inability to invoke the Shinigami using 'Orochimaru' due to the Shinigami being aware that it was him?

The question remained open, but Hiruzen was not in a hurry to "borrow" more unique natural energy from the Shinigami.

Now, with crucial information in hand and the council aware of Danzo's death — revealed by the Root members, as the cursed seal imposed by Danzo had dissipated — Hiruzen needed to prepare for a meeting with the council and the rest that will happen in two hours, and he needs to remain purposely oblivious of Danzo's death.

-

-

The next morning, the messenger designated for the Hidden Grass Village made his return.

In the Hokage's office, he presented two scrolls: one containing the money and the other, the requested ninja weapons.

"Good job," Hiruzen praised, thoughtfully stroking his chin adorned with a thin beard.

The messenger, adorned with an Anbu mask that resembled a blue wolf, responded with a respectful bow: "It is an honor to serve you!"

The excitement in his voice was genuine; the mission had been quite an adventure. He had initially been surprised by the audacity of Hiruzen's request before departing for the Hidden Grass Village. However, witnessing the Kusakage being forced to swallow his pride and meet the Hokage's demands was a significant experience.

His respect for Hiruzen increased considerably. After finishing delivering the two scrolls and the report of the process, he left.

Now alone, Hiruzen left a shadow clone in the office, taking some things he had already prepared, as well as the scroll with the ninja weapons, and left.

As he walked to his residence, the warm greetings from the villagers accompanied him, as usual.

Upon arriving at the Sarutobi Clan compound, he entered his house, heading to the spacious living room where, alone, he unrolled a scroll, soon breaking the seal.

"Tinkle, Tinkle, Tinkle~!"

The sound of various ninja weapons hitting the floor reverberated through the room.

Anticipating the potential noise, Hiruzen had already acoustically isolated the room.

Before him formed a small mountain of weapons, some new, others more worn, but to Hiruzen, their condition was secondary.

He then began the process of absorbing these ninja weapons, gradually increasing his vitality and strength.

After a few hours, he completed the task, a smile of satisfaction adorning his lips.

"Fortunately, the Kusakage was prudent and did not try any tricks," he reflected. "Otherwise..." A brief, chilly laugh escaped his lips before he prepared for the next steps of the day.