Chapter 116

"Kazuki, about the ritual...." Hiruzen started, but Kazuki immediately put a stop to it, knowing what the old man was going to ask.

"Don't push your luck, old man. Don't make me regret the decision to let you go through the ritual," Kazuki asserted, ending the topic abruptly. While Kazuki wanted to help the village grow stronger, he wouldn't blindly assist other clans. Many in the Nara clan had yet to undergo the ritual, and even after that, he would prioritize helping the Akimichi and Yamanaka clans before considering others. The Senju were the only exception, and that was due to the presence of his master. Even then, the Senju clan had only been allocated about a half dozen slots to date. Kazuki was not going to let the cunning old man take advantage of him.

"We can discuss this matter later. So, Kazuki, how soon can you resurrect Minato? We should sort that out first," Tsunade interjected, not wanting to dwell on the petty cold war between an old man and a child.

"We can get it done today, Hokage-sama. But I would like you to first help me with replacing my eyes before I resurrect Minato-sama. I would like to be at my best before resurrecting him," Kazuki explained. Having a dojutsu like Tenseigan would aid Kazuki in the resurrection process, especially because he could visibly detect world flow. World Flow was something he intended to rely on in the future to combat the Ōtsutsuki clan, who could manipulate cosmic energy.

Both Jiraiya and Hiruzen were perplexed by Kazuki's statement. Only Tsunade was aware that Kazuki still held two pairs of Tenseigan, and he intended to use one of them for his own use. Tsunade had no objection to this, so without further explanation, she stood up and gestured for Kazuki to follow.

In a special room reserved for emergencies, Kazuki lay on the table, surrounded by various fuinjutsu symbols. Tsunade carefully worked on replacing his eyes, while Jiraiya and Hiruzen stood by, still not privy to the exact situation but patiently waiting. Kazuki had already handed the scroll containing the Tenseigan over to his sensei before the operation. Tsunade demonstrated her unmatched prowess in Iryo Ninjutsu, and because she was treating her prized student, she performed the surgery with the utmost precision and meticulous care. Within two dozen minutes, the surgery and the ritual for Kazuki to adapt to his new eyes were completed.

Kazuki sat back up with his eyes still closed. "How do you feel?" Tsunade inquired, confident in her skills but wanting to ensure her students well-being.

Carefully, Kazuki opened his eyes, and the entire world around him seemed to shimmer with newfound clarity. His original spatial perception with his regular eyes was already monstrous, but now it has become divine. He could perceive everything, even the nature energy that his master was unconsciously accumulating. It was as if the world held no more secrets before him; it was as if he could commune with the world itself.

As Kazuki opened his eyes, Jiraiya couldn't help but gasp in amazement. "What in the world... Kazuki, what have you done?"

Hiruzen's expression shifted to one of surprise mixed with concern. "Is that... a mutated Byakugan? And did the Hyuga clan agree to this?" He asked, worry creasing his brow. The idea of a Nara member possessing a Byakugan could potentially stir up tension between the two clans.

Tsunade, sensing the confusion in the room, stepped in to clarify. "There are no issues," she reassured them, her voice firm. "The eye was a spoil of war, and the Hyuga have no claim to it."

Curiously, Tsunade glanced at the extra fuinjutsu seals surrounding Kazuki's eyes, which merged into his tenseigan. "What's with the extra seals?" she inquired, her curiosity piqued.

Kazuki chuckled lightly before responding. "Just an additional safeguard to ensure that my eyes aren't snatched in the future," he explained matter-of-factly.

"In this world, people seem to have some kind of fetish for stealing other people's eyes." His tone carried a hint of dry humor, and Tsunade couldn't help but roll her eyes at the irony of his words. After all, Kazuki himself had already undergone a similar exchange of eyes.

"Fine, whatever you say. So, are you ready to bring back Minato? I can see Jiraiya is already at his limits, waiting to meet his student," Tsunade chuckled as she observed Jiraiya fidgeting like a child. However, she knew that resurrecting Minato was no small feat.

The chosen location for Minato's resurrection was near the old area where Kushina used to live as the Jinchuriki of the Leaf Village. This place remained undisturbed over the years as it belonged to the Uzumaki clan. Mito had passed down the property to Kushina, and after Kushina's death, it was inherited by Naruto. Now that Naruto was living with the Hokage herself, this place remained secure and isolated.

Anticipating the monstrous chakra fluctuations from such a forbidden art, Kazuki had secured the location with additional reinforced seals, in addition to the existing barriers.

"Kazuki, don't you think this is a bit of overkill?" Jiraiya couldn't help but exclaim as he detected the strong pressure from each of these barriers. Even though he didn't know the exact function of these barriers, he knew that barriers laid down by a fuin grandmaster were anything but simple.

"Overkill?" Kazuki echoed with a wry smile, observing Jiraiya's apprehension. "Maybe, but I'd rather be safe than sorry, especially when dealing with such a delicate matter, especially one that involves a forbidden art. I suggested Sensei not even allow you guys to witness it, but she is being adamant."

Jiraiya scratched his head, still perplexed by the sheer intensity of the barriers and the need to keep such a technique hidden from everyone's knowledge. "Well, I guess you have a point there," he admitted begrudgingly.

As they approached the designated area for Minato's resurrection, a sense of solemnity settled over the group. The air crackled with anticipation, the weight of their mission hanging heavy upon them.

Tsunade placed a reassuring hand on Jiraiya's shoulder. "Let's focus on the task at hand," she urged gently. "We're here to bring Minato back, and that's what we'll do."

"Tsunade, do you think we should invite Naruto over?" Hiruzen questioned, to which Jiraiya quickly interjected.

"No, we will not have Naruto witness such a gruesome technique at such a young age. It might affect his mentality, and we do not even know if Kazuki's attempt will be successful. It won't be too late to inform Naruto once Minato is successfully resurrected. Minato personally appearing in front of Naruto; now that would be quite a surprise, don't you think?" Jiraiya had already planned everything for Minato's resurrection and his reunion with his student.

"Why is no one worried about my mentality? I am a young child too," Kazuki thought to himself while working on laying the fuinjutsu seals around the ritual ground. Tsunade noticed Kazuki acting all goofy and understood what he must be thinking.

"You sure are shameless to compare yourself to little Naruto. I know that you didn't even blink while sending all those Iwa ninja to the afterlife using those forbidden arts," Tsunade grinned, reminiscing about how her student had dealt with the Iwagakure enemies.

It was almost past midnight when Kazuki completed rechecking all the details one last time to ensure everything was perfect to perform the forbidden art.

"Sensei, everything is set. Originally, I intended for you to help with supplying the energy needed alone, but now that Jiraiya-sama is here, it's better if you both share the burden. I will need both of you to enter sage mode as I will require massive amounts of energy, and Senjutsu is much more beneficial to Minato's resurrection than plain chakra."

"Wait, Kazuki, are you saying that Tsunade and I together are going to breathe life back into Minato? Would that not make Minato our son? Does that mean we will become his parents?" Jiraiya, despite the seriousness of the matter, still managed to crack such jokes.

From a certain perspective, the toad sage had a point, and Kazuki couldn't help stifling a laugh. Jiraiya seemed to have grown quite bold after Kazuki had involved himself in the conversation between the two. However, before they could create any more misunderstandings, Tsunade's fist was aimed at both Kazuki and Jiraiya's heads. Kazuki was too fast, so he dodged the attack, but the toad sage was not so lucky and ended up with a large bump on his head.

Within two minutes, both Jiraiya and Tsunade had entered their respective sage modes. They also kept the sage scroll ready in case they ran out of Senjutsu during the resurrection process. Tsunade was even prepared to tap into the nature energy provided by her nature beast.

"Jiraiya-sama, would you mind letting out the prisoner? We need to prep him before he leaves this world forever," Kazuki said with a cruel glint in his eyes.

Jiraiya, after successfully capturing Hidan, had been carrying him around within a scroll using an enclosing technique to ensure no mistakes happened. He didn't want to take any chances regarding Hidan's security, as he was currently the linchpin for Minato's resurrection.

With a nod, Jiraiya pulled out a special scroll and undid the enclosing technique. Hidan remained unconscious, confined by numerous seals. Kazuki bent down and partially released some of the sealing techniques to wake Hidan up.

At first, Kazuki lightly tapped Hidan's face to rouse him, but when Hidan didn't respond, Kazuki delivered a tight slap across his face. Knowing Hidan was awake but pretending, Kazuki followed it with another slap, infused with his chakra-enhanced strength. Hidan immediately opened his eyes and glared at the child before him with venom, but he couldn't move a muscle.

Kazuki continued slapping Hidan despite his screams, causing the latter to start spewing threats and nonsense. "Little bastard, stop! I swear I will gut you and offer you as a sacrifice to Lord Jashin. Wait until I get free of these shackles. If you want to survive, release me, you bitch. I will make your end less suffering," Hidan threatened, realizing he was facing a child.

However, Kazuki didn't care about Hidan's threats and chuckled, "Oh, you're awake. I thought you were still asleep. Don't worry, you'll soon be free." Kazuki held Hidan's face and forcefully turned it to make him look at the prepared ritual ground. Kazuki had already discerned the basic idea behind Hidan's so-called immortality. What Hidan achieved was a kind of pseudo-immortality by sacrificing countless lives. His soul functioned like a rechargeable battery. Every time he died, he would lose a percentage of his soul, compensating by taking hundreds of souls to replenish it. This was why Hidan had to regularly pray to Jashin with a sacrifice.

In the case where Hidan was killed continuously hundreds of times back to back, then he could truly be killed. This kind of technique was inefficient, but for a bloodthirsty monster like Hidan, it was perfect.

Even though Hidan's soul was technically pseudo-immortal, Kazuki would have no problem performing the ritual, as the Shinigami would consider his soul immortal during the forbidden technique.

A massive pentagram covered with various fuinjutsu symbols was all set up. Various raised platforms at specific places carried a series of materials needed for the ritual. In the center were two adjacent circles. Kazuki dropped the screaming Hidan onto one of the circles. On the circle next to him, Kazuki placed a skeleton with a crystal-like texture, which was retrieved from beneath the Senju ruins. This would form the base of Minato's new body. The body Kazuki was going to create for Minato was superior in every way compared to other ninjas in the current ninja world.

Kazuki had even requested the corpse of a huge Hell beast to be used in the ritual, though normally the Hell beasts' clan would not have agreed to such a request. However, with Kazuki informing them about the return of the Otsusuki clan, they relented, helping Kazuki in the process. Kazuki also placed the last pair of Tenseigan into the circle, which was meant to become Minato's eyes for the new body during the resurrection.

Kazuki had no doubts that, with all the preparations he had made, Minato would be resurrected with even greater strength than during his peak. This would more or less make up for the years he had lost. Kazuki directed Tsunade and Jiraiya to be seated in their respective places, then walked back to the last circle designated for him. He removed the ANBU mask and pulled out a new mask that he had personally crafted—a Shinigami mask similar to the one the Uzumaki clan created, but aligned to aid the ritual. He wore it to start the ritual.

Hiruzen watched all the proceedings with awe and wonder. Now he realized the vast difference between figures like the Shodaime and himself. The aura emitted by the Senju princess made him sweat in fear and awe. However, even at his old age, he understood that with Kazuki's help, he might soon have a chance to step into the league of true giants.

With rapid hand signs, Kazuki initiated the first part of the forbidden art, which was to invoke the Shinigami and grab Minato's soul in exchange for Hidan's immortal soul, which would be obliterated with no chance of resurrection. "[Ninpo: Shiki Fūjin]" (Ninja Art: Dead Demon Consuming Seal) Within moments, the massive entity of the Shinigami materialized in the center of the ritual. The temperature in the surroundings dropped a few notches due to the ominous presence of the Grim Reaper.

Kazuki continued with a series of hand signs and various fuinjutsu symbols within the ritual circle, which glowed at different intervals. After a dozen seconds or so, the Shinigami moved towards a ceremonial knife that was set aside. Normally, the entity should not have been able to interact with the knife, but the seals on it enabled the entity to do so.

The reaper moved towards Hidan, who was now screaming for his life. As a Jashin cultist, he knew about the Shinigami. If there was one entity in this world that he feared, it was the Shinigami. Seeing it move towards him made him cry and beg for mercy. However, Kazuki did not heed this. His hands completed seal after seal with blinding speed. Every seal he performed drained chakra from him, but the true burden was on Tsunade and Jiraiya, especially the Toad Sage, as he did not have the same reserves as the Senju princess. Nonetheless, Jiraiya gritted his teeth and continued channeling Senjutsu.

As the ritual progressed, multiple will-o'-wisps appeared around the Shinigami. The reaper had already started consuming Hidan's soul. Now it was Kazuki's turn to release Minato's soul in exchange. Soon enough, a certain will-o'-wisp moved towards the second circle, and after a few seconds, a bright cocoon was formed. Just as Kazuki thought everything was flowing smoothly, one more will-o'-wisp directly plunged into Kazuki's body, causing his hand seal flow to falter for a second. At that moment, the Shinigami's eyes fell on Kazuki as if he had become the target. However, Kazuki quickly composed himself and continued the ritual, and the Reaper turned its attention back to Hidan, devouring his soul completely.

It took almost ten minutes to complete the transfer. The moment it was done, the Shinigami gave one final look at Kazuki and plunged the knife into Hidan's body, which disintegrated into dust and vanished. However, the cocoon still remained, and Kazuki continued with the process of resurrecting Minato completely.

Back in the Senju compound, within Kurama's seal space, Naruto was sitting with his parents. Suddenly, Minato's form disintegrated into particles of light, leaving only Kushina and Naruto behind. "Dad, Dad..." little Naruto panicked and started searching around frantically. Even Kushina was confused and panicked about why Minato's imprint suddenly vanished from the seal space.