Five Underworld Ghosts

Tayuya frowned slightly upon hearing this, as this contract had been passed down through her family for generations.

Her parents had told her that only members of their family were permitted to sign it, but if... if the other party was Lord Feng Yao.

"If it's not possible, there's no need to force it. It doesn't matter."

After saying this, he smiled, closed the scroll, and handed it back to Tayuya; he did not want to make things difficult for her.

"No, it's not that. Of course, it wouldn't work for an ordinary person, but... if it's Lord Feng Yao."

Tayuya's face seemed to flush even redder.

"If it's Lord Feng Yao... then please, sign the Summoning Contract."

After speaking, she pushed the Summoning Contract back toward Feng Yao with both hands, watching him with that expression on her face.

Feng Yao did not hesitate. He picked up a pen from the table, wrote down all the techniques he had once memorized from the Scroll of Seals onto a piece of paper, and gave it to Tayuya.

"No, I can't! These ninjutsu are too precious; I cannot accept them."

Upon taking it and seeing that it contained almost nothing but rare forbidden techniques, Tayuya hurriedly tried to return it.

But Feng Yao insisted, and eventually, Tayuya accepted it. She pressed her palm gently against the paper held to her chest.

"Lord Feng Yao, I will definitely become stronger and help you achieve your wishes."

Following this, Feng Yao wrote his name on the Summoning Contract and pressed his thumbprint onto it.

He felt as though he could now connect to another world and summon the living beings within it.

He went outside the Sound Village, bit his finger, and slammed his hand into the ground; black runes spread out from his palm.

His consciousness connected to a multitude of evil spirits—their auras wicked, gloomy, and bizarre, varying in strength.

Feng Yao sensed that five of these ghosts possessed power far exceeding the others. As he attempted to draw closer, those five ghosts erupted with a powerful, malevolent aura and charged straight at him.

In reality, black mist appeared around Feng Yao's body, as if it were trying to consume him.

But once the mist touched his body, it turned into wisps of blue smoke and vanished into nothingness. The five ghosts realized they could do nothing to Feng Yao.

Each of them was utterly shocked and attempted to flee, only to be pierced through by spears manifested from Feng Yao's spiritual energy.

He opened his eyes.

"Summoning Jutsu: Five Underworld Ghosts."

A massive cloud of smoke billowed out and dissipated.

Five colossal figures stood upon the ground, each nearly a hundred meters tall, appearing like giants.

Slaughter Ghost: Wields twin axes, excels in taijutsu attacks.

Corpse Ghost: Holds a long spear; those killed by the Corpse Ghost can be controlled to attack others.

Resentment Ghost: Responsible for resisting enemy attacks; teleports to the host's side when they are targeted.

Evil Ghost: Emits ear-piercing wails to attack the enemy's spirit.

Spirit Ghost: Absorbs the chakra of others and returns it to the summoner.

Tayuya, standing to the side, was astonished. She had previously attempted to summon one of these five ghosts herself.

Unfortunately, their strength far surpassed her own; not only did she fail, but she also suffered a backlash. Yet now, Feng Yao had summoned all of them by himself.

Feng Yao carefully assessed the strength of the five ghosts. As it stood, each one possessed at least the strength of a jonin. If they coordinated with each other and followed his guidance...

"Hmph, what an unexpectedly good find."

Feng Yao said with a hint of excitement; this was exactly the power he lacked.

After all, without Sage Mode, his strength had dropped significantly, and his chances of killing Danzo would be lower.

He needed to make thorough preparations to increase his odds of success—this was what he excelled at most.

"Lord Feng Yao is so amazing! These are the strongest ghosts in the Underworld."

Tayuya cheered from the side, looking even happier than if she had mastered the technique herself.

"Thank you, Tayuya."

Having offensive summoning beasts would make things much more convenient. Afterward, under Tayuya's guidance, Feng Yao went to a nearby shop to buy plenty of kunai and scrolls, marking the kunai with the Flying Thunder God formula.

"Lord Feng Yao, Lord Orochimaru wants to see you. He says he has something important to discuss."

Kidomaru ran over, hurriedly reporting the message to Feng Yao.

"Understood."

That's strange. According to the current timeline, the Chunin Exams are still two months away. Why would Orochimaru need to see me now?

Arriving in the gloomy underground, Orochimaru wore his usual dark expression. He spread his arms to welcome Feng Yao's arrival.

After gently pushing Orochimaru aside, Feng Yao asked for the reason behind the summons.

It turned out that after Danzo took power, he had dispatched a large number of ninja to carry out missions, partly to prove the strength of Konoha to the outside world.

The second reason was to monitor other nations, with the surveillance of the Sand Ninja being the highest priority.

So-called alliances are nothing more than scraps of paper; as long as it serves the safety and interests of one's own village, war can be declared at any moment.

Because the two sides are in such close proximity, Shimura Danzō fears that the Sand Ninja might seize the opportunity to attack Konoha while its strength is weakened.

The Sand Ninja, in turn, fear that with Shimura Danzō's rise to power, he will proactively attack them for the sake of Konoha's security.

The conflict between the two is almost inevitable and continues to intensify.

Consequently, the Fourth Kazekage took the initiative to contact Orochimaru, expressing a desire to cooperate and launch a joint attack on Konoha.

It's earlier than expected. I wonder if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

"I am preparing to take my subordinates to the Land of Wind to negotiate with them. I wonder if Feng Yao would be interested in joining me?"

Orochimaru stated his true purpose, but was immediately rejected by Feng Yao.

"No, I have some matters to attend to during this time. If you are ready, Mr. Orochimaru, just let me know."

Having said that, he turned and left without looking back. Orochimaru does not yet know that he is no longer able to use Sage Mode.

And since he knows Orochimaru's abilities like the back of his hand, this is the gap in intelligence.

Never underestimate the importance of intelligence. When Jiraiya fought the Deva Path, it was precisely because of a severe lack of information that he fell at the hands of his opponent.

Even Pain admitted that if not for that secret, they would never have been a match for Jiraiya.

If he were to go to the Land of Wind with Orochimaru and reveal any clues, Orochimaru might turn on him again.

For Orochimaru, researching all the ninjutsu in the world and the power of immortality is more important than anything else. Trusting a promise? How laughable.

Returning to his room, he packed his things briefly and prepared to head to Shikkotsu Forest. On his way out, he encountered the Sound Ninja Five.

"Lord Feng Yao, where are you headed?"

Tayuya walked over, skipping with her hands behind her back, and greeted Feng Yao familiarly. Kidomaru also stretched out his six arms.

"I have some business to take care of. I should be back within two months. Tell Orochimaru not to worry."

After answering Tayuya's question simply, Feng Yao headed toward the village gate, while Tayuya watched him leave.

Whoosh.

A figure suddenly flashed behind Tayuya. Just as she was about to turn around, Kimimaro's cold, calm voice rang out.

"Do not forget that it was Lord Orochimaru who gave you your power. If I discover that you harbor any disloyalty toward Lord Orochimaru, I will kill you without hesitation."

Kimimaro's killing intent surrounded Tayuya, leaving her unable to move.

However, having spent these past days by Feng Yao's side, Tayuya's strength had grown by leaps and bounds. She bit the tip of her tongue and forcibly broke free from Kimimaro's control.

She turned and retreated sharply, but Kimimaro made no move to pursue.

"Remember what I said."

With that, he left. In Kimimaro's heart, Orochimaru is like a god.

That is why he had been paying close attention to Feng Yao ever since he arrived. Seeing Tayuya show such favor toward the man who injured Orochimaru was something he could not tolerate.

Meanwhile, in Konoha Ninja Village:

"Why? Why can't I go on missions with Kakashi-sensei, Sasuke, and the others!"

Naruto held a piece of paper, slammed it angrily onto the desk, and questioned the Fifth Hokage, Shimura Danzō, who sat before him.

"You are the Nine-Tails, the village's weapon, a tool. If I let you wander about freely, enemy nations might find an opportunity. That would be an immeasurable loss for Konoha."

Shimura Danzō did not even look up at Naruto; in his eyes, the boy was nothing more than a brat.

He was far more concerned with the movements of other great nations, especially the neighboring Land of Wind.

Naruto's right hand trembled as he clenched it. He felt immense pain. Could it be that he would never be acknowledged by the people of the village?

Become the Hokage? Was he, from beginning to end, nothing more than a tool sealing away a monster?

Just as Naruto was about to sink into deep self-denial, Kakashi suddenly burst in, stood beside Naruto, and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Forgive my bluntness, Lord Hokage, but Naruto is not as weak as you imagine. He is a subordinate I acknowledge, and I believe he is capable of participating in missions."

Kakashi's injuries had healed, and he had heard about the events of the past few days immediately.

The Third Hokage had resigned, and Shimura Danzō had taken power—this was not good news.

He had come here at once, arriving just in time to hear the conversation between Naruto and Shimura Danzō.

As I thought, he has already begun to restrict Naruto's movements. To think he actually became Hokage... this is not good.

It was only when Kakashi entered that Shimura Danzō raised his head. He still had to deal with a Jonin directly; after all, they were the elite force of the village.

"You should know as well as I do how much every great nation craves this power. As Hokage, it is only natural that I protect the village and nip any potential danger in the bud."

"Furthermore, as a ninja, he should learn the meaning of self-sacrifice. Otherwise, he is not fit to be a ninja."

Shimura Danzō's tone was firm, as if to brook no argument, and he lowered his head once more to attend to his official duties.

Kakashi's brow furrowed deeply, and he led the somewhat dejected Naruto away.