Gento raised an eyebrow and accepted the scroll.
"How did it go? Was the mission successful?"
The two Anbu exchanged glances before one of them spoke.
"Very successful."
"Hidden Leaf is currently busy dealing with Hidden Cloud's invasion. Their daily patrols are practically nonexistent."
"The entire village is also in a state of panic. We used Earth Release to infiltrate near the Memorial Stone without alerting anyone and retrieved the body."
The other added:
"We didn't encounter any obstacles along the way either. Hidden Leaf is too overwhelmed to even notice that someone tampered with the Memorial Stone."
Gento burst into laughter upon hearing this.
Those Hidden Cloud bastards really had not disappointed him.
After being driven out by him, that fierce tiger known as the Raikage immediately turned around and bit Hidden Leaf instead.
That old man Hiruzen was probably overwhelmed with troubles by now.
He nodded and waved for the two to leave.
"You've worked hard. Go complete the mission registration."
The two Anbu saluted and withdrew.
Gento toyed with the Sealing Scroll in his hand, a faint smile curling onto his lips.
Now all the preparations had finally been completed.
It was time to revive Rin Nohara!
He stood up, took the scroll, and left the office, heading toward the imperial residence.
He arrived at a secret chamber within the residence.
The walls were carved with symbols that isolated chakra perception.
Gento placed the Sealing Scroll onto the stone platform in the center and formed hand seals to release it.
As the white smoke dispersed, a coffin appeared in the center of the chamber.
The coffin lid was pushed open.
Inside lay Rin Nohara's body.
He withdrew his gaze and took out another Sealing Scroll.
After releasing it, a sealed White Zetsu body appeared before him.
The body was pale, its features blurred, its limbs limp like a soulless puppet.
Gento had specifically sent Itachi to the Land of Water to capture it.
Edo Tensei required a living sacrifice.
Compared to using a real person, using a White Zetsu body was clearly more suitable.
After all, he was destined to recruit Rin in the future.
Using one of the Divine Tree's creations as a vessel made it easier for him to accept internally.
Gento took a deep breath and formed hand seals.
"Boar. Dog. Rooster. Monkey. Ram."
Chakra surged through his body, gathering in his palms along specific chakra pathways.
His fingers moved rapidly.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
At once, a blue soul floated out from Rin's body.
The soul resembled a gentle flame hovering in midair.
Gento did not pause and continued forming seals at high speed.
After completing the sequence, he slammed both hands onto the ground.
"Edo Tensei!"
Black markings spread outward from his palms, crawling across the White Zetsu's entire body like living creatures.
The pale body began trembling violently.
Countless tiny scraps of paper drifted out from the void like falling snow, attaching themselves piece by piece onto the White Zetsu.
More and more paper gathered, layer upon layer wrapping around the body.
Then, Rin's soul merged into the White Zetsu body.
Gento continuously poured chakra into it.
The White Zetsu body began to change.
Its figure became slender, its limbs proportionate.
One piece of paper after another peeled away, dissolving into particles of light.
A young girl appeared in the center of the chamber.
She wore the same Hidden Leaf uniform she had worn in life.
A dark blue top wrapped around her modest figure.
Light-colored shorts tightly outlined her raised hips and long legs.
Her thighs were firm and smooth, her calves straight, her ankles delicate.
Her forehead protector was tied neatly across her forehead.
Her short dark-brown hair curled slightly around a soft and innocent face.
Those eyes, which had only just opened, still carried traces of confusion and bewilderment.
The only flaw was that, in her Edo Tensei state, Rin's skin appeared somewhat unnatural.
Rin slowly opened her eyes.
She lowered her head to look at her hands, then touched her chest.
There had once been a wound there pierced through by Lightning Blade, but now it was completely intact.
"Huh? Wasn't I… dead?"
She voiced her confusion softly.
Gento stood before her, calmly watching her.
Rin immediately noticed him standing there, her eyes filled with confusion.
"You are…"
"Gento Uchiha, clan head of the Uchiha clan and founder of Hidden Gento Village."
Gento paused, his tone turning gentler.
"You truly did die before. It is now Year 56 of Hidden Leaf. Many years have passed since your death."
"I used Edo Tensei to summon your soul back into the living world."
Rin's eyes widened.
"Edo Tensei… isn't that the Second Hokage's Forbidden Jutsu…"
"That's right. Because I need you, I used this Forbidden Jutsu to revive you."
"You need me?"
Rin's face was full of confusion.
"I'm only a Chunin… what do you need me for?"
"In the future, an enemy that threatens the entire shinobi world will appear."
Gento's expression turned serious.
"Even though you are only a Chunin, at a crucial moment, you will be able to play a major role."
Rin fell silent for a moment before raising her head again, hesitation still lingering in her eyes.
Gento began explaining.
"You are currently in a state between life and death."
"Although you can move, speak, and think, your body is not real flesh and blood. Your soul is only being temporarily bound."
Rin touched her cheek. The sensation really did feel somewhat strange.
"Then… can you truly revive me?"
A trace of anticipation appeared in her voice.
Gento nodded.
"Of course. But that will require your cooperation."
Rin bit her lip.
A complete stranger had suddenly awakened her from death and was now saying he could "truly revive" her.
It all sounded rather…
Instinctively, she wanted to refuse, but her gaze accidentally swept across a small object hanging from his waist.
It was a tiny pink gourd no bigger than a thumb, delicate and adorable.
A gentle luster shimmered across its surface, and faint heart-shaped patterns could vaguely be seen flowing over it.
The moment her eyes landed on the gourd, an indescribable feeling suddenly welled up in her heart.
It was a feeling of trust.
As though the man standing before her was someone to whom she could entrust everything.
And the longer she looked, the more there was even a faint stirring she herself did not want to admit… attraction.
She did not know why she felt this way, but the feeling undeniably existed, and it was becoming stronger and stronger.
As if possessed, she nodded, deciding to cooperate with Gento, obediently lying back down on the stone platform in the center.
The stone platform was cold. When her body touched it, she instinctively shivered slightly.
Her dark blue top tightened because of the movement, making the curves of her body even more noticeable.
Her waist arched a bit, forming a graceful curve.
Gento took out a card from his robes.
It was the Reanimation Card.
By using this card, the dead could truly be revived.
He walked to the side of the stone platform and leaned over to look at the girl lying before him.
Rin's arms rested at her sides, her fingers curled slightly, making her appear somewhat nervous.
Her chest rose and fell unevenly, the dark blue fabric trembling lightly with each breath.
Gento placed the card against Rin Nohara's chest.
The instant the card made contact, Rin's body trembled slightly, as though struck by electricity.
She could feel a warm energy flowing from the card, passing through the fabric and sinking into her skin, reaching straight to her heart.
Gento's palm pressed against it.
His palm rested over her chest.
Rin's breathing suddenly became rapid, the rise and fall of her chest growing more pronounced.
She could feel the warmth of that hand.
Instinctively, she wanted to avoid it, yet her body felt soft and powerless.
Gento spoke softly.
"Don't be nervous. It'll be over soon."
Rin bit her lip and softly responded with an "Mm," then closed her eyes.
The card transformed into golden light, enveloping her entire body.
The Edo Tensei paper fragments peeled away from her body one after another, floating upward before dissolving into particles of light in the air.
Her skin changed from pale to rosy, from unreal to tangible, gradually taking on the healthy complexion unique to the living.
Her fair legs slowly gained a healthy pink hue, and the lines of her calves became softer.
The golden light faded.
Rin lay in the center of the chamber, gasping heavily for breath.
Her chest rose and fell, her lips red and full, parted barely to reveal shell-like teeth as her rapid breathing carried warm breaths of air.
She could feel it…
Her heartbeat, her body temperature, her breathing…
And the genuine joy that only the living could experience.
She lowered her head and looked at her hands.
This time, they were no longer unreal and pale, but small hands filled with the color of life.
"I… I'm really alive…"
At the same time, the system notification sounded in Gento's mind.
[Ding! Suitable Dual Cultivation kunoichi detected.]
[Name: Rin Nohara]
[Strength: Chunin]
[Overall Evaluation: A-rank]
---
If you want to support, please consider Patreon and read advanced chapters! Your support keeps this series going! [Patreon.com/RedZTL]