Sealing Scroll

"Orochimaru."

A voice came from beyond the barrier.

Everyone's gaze instantly focused on the figure in the sky.

Jingxin hovered in the air, his mask hiding his expression.

Orochimaru narrowed his eyes, a flicker of surprise passing through his snake-like pupils. "Oh?"

Jingxin had underestimated the butterfly effect.

Who could have guessed that Orochimaru would summon two other Kage through Impure World Reincarnation during the Chunin Ninja Exams: Minato Namikaze and Rasa?

Originally, Orochimaru had Hashirama and Tobirama fight Hiruzen Sarutobi.

If Ōnoki joined in, Orochimaru would lose in no time.

But things had taken an unexpected turn.

The Fourth and Rasa had appeared, and Minato's Flying Thunder God was even more proficient than Tobirama's.

This had left Ōnoki in dire straits.

He had to find a way to deal with this potential crisis.

Jingxin raised a hand to his Anbu mask and pulled it aside.

A familiar face was revealed, with short black hair and delicate features.

The image of the kindhearted genius boy who had once lived in the village resurfaced in the minds of the Konoha Ninja.

Inoichi Yamanaka's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally sank. "So it really was him."

Naruto, who had been dejected all this time, abruptly looked up, his eyes lighting up.

He burst into delighted laughter. "It's Jingxin! I knew it! You're the only one our age who's this amazing!"

Sasuke, standing beside him, wore an expression that said he'd known it all along.

All the mysteries had been solved.

Jingxin was also an Uchiha, so he knew the secrets of the Sharingan.

That was why he had provoked Sasuke so much during the test.

At that moment, Sasuke felt an inexplicable sense of reassurance.

As long as Jingxin was here, then killing Itachi wouldn't be...

The thought had barely surfaced before Sasuke crushed it himself.

He clenched his fists again, his knuckles turning white.

What a roller coaster of emotions. No wonder he was a genius of the Uchiha Clan.

Hiruzen Sarutobi had also spotted Jingxin, and a complicated look of guilt crossed his aged face.

He sighed. "As for the Uchiha, I was in the wrong."

Jingxin rubbed his temples. "Now's not the time to assign blame."

Things inside the Four Violet Flames Formation were different from the original story. Ōnoki might be in danger.

When Jingxin had been at his weakest, Ōnoki had given him everything.

Between ensuring Ōnoki's safety and killing Danzo, the latter had to take a back seat.

Hiruzen froze, then looked toward Ōnoki inside the barrier. "Name your price!"

Suspended in midair, Ōnoki chuckled. "The Sealing Scroll."

Hiruzen Sarutobi, Tobirama Senju, and Minato Namikaze all fell silent.

Good grief!

This wasn't just an outrageous demand.

He was trying to swallow the whole thing!

Hashirama Senju, however, nodded solemnly. "Agree to it."

Everyone: "???"

Hashirama looked around in confusion. "What? They're just little trinkets. They're not worth much."

Everyone fell silent again, at a loss for words.

The First Hokage's sense of value really was different.

Orochimaru's hoarse voice was laced with anger. "Jingxin, you revealed yourself just to let them bargain?"

Jingxin's gaze sharpened. "No... I'm reminding you not to forget our arrangement."

He put particular emphasis on the word "arrangement."

The warning in his words was unmistakable.

If anything happened to Ōnoki, Jingxin would make Orochimaru regret ever being born.

Orochimaru's golden snake-like pupils narrowed, and he looked thoughtful.

Tobirama Senju snorted, his expression sour. "Hmph... Uchiha."

Jingxin didn't let that slide and immediately shot back, "A teacher who failed at his job thinks he can judge others?"

"Danzo only learned half the lesson, so how could you give him a diploma? He killed every last Uchiha, so I had no choice but to find another way out."

Tobirama's chest visibly puffed out at that.

If he still had a living body, his face probably would've gone red with rage on the spot.

His attitude toward the Uchiha was indeed different from his attitude toward other clans, but that was because he had to consider the Uchiha's feelings.

He had also taken a relatively gentle approach and had never considered cutting off one of his own arms.

Kagami Uchiha was a case in point.

Tobirama's methods were so forceful that Danzo was practically a novice by comparison.

If Tobirama had really wanted to wipe out the Uchiha, the clan would've been gone the moment Madara Uchiha dared to leave Konoha to fool around for a while.

After Jingxin revealed part of the truth in front of everyone, a wave of commotion spread among the Konoha Ninja beyond the barrier.

Sasuke felt as if lightning had struck him, and froze in place.

Danzo? It wasn't Itachi?

His mind was in chaos. He stared at Jingxin, desperately trying to find an answer on his face.

In the distance, Kurotsuchi watched anxiously. She had never seen Jingxin, who was usually so calm and levelheaded, show such obvious emotion in his eyes.

Jingxin took a deep breath and composed himself, then turned his gaze back to Orochimaru. The pattern of his Mangekyō Sharingan slowly revolved.

Orochimaru discreetly swallowed, his cold snake-like eyes meeting those legendary eyes.

He gave the faintest nod, conceding the point.

Jingxin relaxed a little, but his heart was still heavy.

He had to find a way into that barrier.

However, a shrill sound that tore through the air interrupted his thoughts.

At the center of the Chunin Ninja Exams arena, sand swirled madly as the fully formed Shukaku burst from the ground!

It seemed the Konoha Sealing Squad hadn't done much.

Ōnoki immediately called out to Jingxin. "Jingxin!"

"Got it!" Jingxin thought it was a hassle, but moved with lightning speed, shooting toward the center of the arena like an arrow loosed from a bow.

He raised his right hand, his fingers rapidly forming Hand Seals.

A brilliant white cube of light swelled rapidly from the air before his palm.

In the blink of an eye, it formed a terrifying barrier more than thirty meters across.

Shukaku had just finished roaring when he looked up and saw a massive Dust Release technique. His body stiffened, and his voice cracked. "Wait! Kid!"

He hurriedly raised a paw, his voice panicked. "I just got out! Let me stretch my legs! I promise I won't hurt anyone!"

The Sunagakure and Konoha Ninja stared in shock.

A Tailed Beast was a symbol of disaster, after all.

Twelve years ago, the Nine-Tails' rampage had put Konoha through hell.

And yet Shukaku had been scared into "talking things out" by a single technique?

But when they looked at the Dust Release barrier, they all swallowed hard.

They would've behaved themselves too.

Just then, Jingxin twisted his wrist.

Bang!!!

The massive Dust Release barrier didn't smash into Shukaku. Instead, Jingxin swung it around and slammed it into the Four Violet Flames Formation!

Dust Release was essentially a form of Barrier Ninjutsu.

Barriers couldn't overlap; they could only collide physically.

Rumble!!!

A deafening crash rang out.

The Four Violet Flames Formation's glowing wall shuddered violently, ripples spreading across it.

Even the entire building seemed to shake.

Orochimaru knitted his brows, his voice turning cold. "I already agreed to your terms."

The white light of Dust Release vanished in an instant.

From inside the barrier, Ōnoki called out in a strong, steady voice, "Jingxin, don't worry about me!"

"These Impure World Reincarnation bodies can't bring out their full strength from when they were alive."

"I'd like to take this opportunity to experience the prowess of the Hokage throughout history!"

He hovered in the air, his small frame exuding an astonishing presence. A flicker of excitement shone in his eyes.

This was thrilling!

He'd spent so many years in the Ninja World, and though he had some influence, it was nowhere near Madara's or Hashirama's.

Now he had the chance to fight them head-on while they couldn't use their full strength.

After this was over, wouldn't he be able to take a huge step toward matching those two in renown?

Hiruzen Sarutobi made up his mind. "If that's the case, then I agree."

The Hokage and the Tsuchikage stood side by side.

Ahead of them, Orochimaru controlled Hashirama, Tobirama, Minato, and Rasa.

The battle was about to begin.