"Lacking a body to contain the soul?"
Tobirama Senju looked up and asked, "Their souls must have been sent somewhere else by the jutsu, right?"
His tone was absolutely certain.
Link gave a silent nod. He roughly understood why there was talk about reincarnation and departure: in the Naruto world—at least on this planet—when people die, their souls head to the Pure Land.
With the exception of half of the Nine-Tails and Minato Namikaze, both sealed within the Reaper's stomach, everyone else, even if they did not go straight to the Pure Land right away, would eventually be on their way there.
So, had this jutsu strangely transferred their souls to another world? He couldn't figure out how it worked. In any case, he had never fully understood the principles behind his own ninjutsu, so he simply left it at that.
At the moment, his Edo Tensei (Impure World Reincarnation) was odd. It only emphasized the "Reincarnation" part—why didn't the "Impure World" part show any peculiar changes?
Well, in a certain sense, Warhammer could also be considered an impure world.
A flood of questions came to mind. After briefly wrestling with them, he gave up on delving into the jutsu's deeper mechanics and started thinking about how to make the best use of it.
He had no other choice—there were too many things off about his ninjutsu. If he tried to investigate every single anomaly, who knew how many brain cells he would burn. Better to wait until he became invincible, then think about it.
[Come to think of it, binding souls… I do actually have a jutsu that can do that,]
Link recalled the Swamp of the Underworld technique, which directly swallowed souls, turning them into a wraith-like form. He figured that if reincarnation was weird, that was even harder for people to accept.
[I wonder if the foul mud left behind after swallowing a soul can also bind souls?] he mused.
There was an even more macabre idea: using a pregnant woman, since a newborn child might be capable of bearing a soul for reincarnation. But he had no intention of breaching his moral limits.
Even if that shady old Den next to him suggested it, he would outright veto it.
"We may need to leave the village for further experiments," Link said. Having already thought of the Swamp of the Underworld, he intended to try again.
He had a base in the Land of Waves, and he had no plans to keep it secret from the Second Hokage. Without Tobirama's help, subsequent research would be a chore, and having an extra "external brain" felt quite handy.
Anyway, if he was going to leave the village, he might as well be ready to establish a new base.
Even if he didn't rebuild it, considering his strength plus Sasuke's Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, there was nowhere in this world they couldn't go. Essentially, they were invincible.
[Have I been talking about invincibility a bit too much lately?] that thought flashed through his mind.
Tobirama Senju nodded and said, "We can depart right now."
He knew the kid was definitely hiding something from the village, which was not surprising. Such overwhelming power at a young age—and alongside an Uchiha who had the Mangekyo Sharingan—could well mean they intended to found a new village of their own somewhere.
That was why he had taken the initiative to assume some of the village's duties for the time being. He worried that next time he was summoned, Konoha might already be gone.
The village could accept Sasuke's defection, but not Link's departure as well.
That was the crux of everything Tobirama had been dealing with for the past two days.
[Danzo,] Tobirama sighed inwardly. He had no intention of intervening in the feud between Sasuke and Danzo, just as he had not involved himself in his elder brother's conflict with Madara back then.
His goal was simply to keep Link safe.
One Mangekyo user did not begin to compare to the worth of this young man before him.
Link was a bit surprised. "I'll go find Sasuke, Lord Second. Let's meet at the village gate in a bit." With that, he dispelled Rashomon, used Summoning Technique to release Tobirama, and disappeared from the spot in a flash.
Because he had created so many shadows, Link now had eyes and ears lurking in the darkness all around the village, and together with the ninja cats' intelligence, it was easy for him to drop by home to pick up Hina and locate Sasuke by the Naka River within minutes.
Today, Sasuke wasn't training. He just sat calmly by the river, staring at the quiet street, deep in thought.
"Taking it easy today?" Link bought two canned drinks from a vending machine.
He got sweet red-bean soup for himself, while Sasuke's was a salty soda—Sasuke despised anything sweet. Could a sweet-tooth and a salt-lover really be friends?
[No, we're not friends. I'm just using him,] Link told himself, feeling at ease as he handed Sasuke the soda. He sat down beside him, took a sip of his own, and said, "I'm heading back to the Land of Waves base soon. Want to come?"
Sasuke turned his face slightly and held the soda for a while before he smiled. "No. I'd like some time on my own. I want to tidy up the house—I haven't been back for a while."
"Don't worry about that stuff. Leave Danzo to me." Link set his can down nearby, propped himself up on the bench, and gazed up at the blue-white sky. "Didn't I say? You're going to become my strength, so I'll always take your side."
"All right," Sasuke replied softly.
"You're acting really odd today," Link commented with a laugh. "You didn't train, and you're smiling so happily. Did something happen with Sakura or Karin?"
Usually, Sasuke would blush or brush it off. But this time, he simply sat there, looking at Link. When Link noticed him staring, it felt a bit unsettling. Sighing, Link said, "If there's something on your mind, just say so. We're at least friends, right?"
"Friends..." Sasuke's eyes seemed to light up as he smiled faintly. "Of course we are friends."
"You little…" Link muttered, sensing a certain strangeness. Ever since Sasuke had killed Itachi, something had been off, but he didn't overthink it. "When you're ready, transplant Itachi's eyes. The Eternal Mangekyo is unbelievably powerful."
He had given Itachi's body to Sasuke, though Sasuke—likely still torn—hadn't asked for help yet. For a medical ninja, switching eyes wasn't difficult. With Shizune's skills and Link's Fine Phantom Extraction Technique, Sasuke could practically use them immediately.
They had tested it before—his Phantom Extraction technique could even heal Mangekyo-induced blindness. It wasn't urgent. Still, having the Eternal Mangekyo not only prevents blindness but also boosts physical stats, chakra reserves, and other fundamentals.
"I know." Sasuke gave a response unrelated to the topic.
Link got up, smiling. "In that case, I'll head out. Tomorrow, I'll bring Aunt and Uncle back, and then—"
He still felt something was off but couldn't quite put his finger on it. Probably he was just preoccupied with Edo Tensei.
Saying goodbye, he took Hina to the village gates, where the semi-transparent Tobirama Senju looked as though he had been waiting quite a while.
"Sasuke's busy and won't join us," Link offered by way of explanation.
Tobirama gave his usual nod with no change in expression. Yet when the kid wasn't looking, a touch of complexity flickered in his gaze.
[Uchiha… they really never change.]
~~~
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