The Five Underworld Ghosts

Tayuya heard him and furrowed her brow slightly. This was a contract that had been passed down through her family for generations.

Her parents had told her that only members of their family were allowed to sign it. But if... the other person was Lord Feng Yao...

"If you can't, don't force yourself. It's all right."

He smiled and rolled the scroll back up, then handed it to Tayuya. He didn't want to force her.

"It's not that. Ordinary people definitely can't, but... if it's Lord Feng Yao..."

Tayuya's face seemed to grow even redder.

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

Then she pushed the Summoning Contract back toward Feng Yao with both hands. Seeing her like that,

Feng Yao didn't hesitate. He picked up a pen from the table and wrote down all the techniques he'd once recorded from the Scroll of Seals. Then he gave the paper to Tayuya.

"N-no, I can't. These ninjutsu are too precious. I can't accept them."

After taking a look, Tayuya saw that nearly all of them were precious forbidden techniques. She hurriedly tried to hand them back.

But Feng Yao insisted, and Tayuya eventually accepted them. She gently pressed the paper against her chest.

"Lord Feng Yao, I'll definitely grow stronger and help you achieve your goals."

Feng Yao then wrote his name on the Summoning Contract and pressed his thumbprint beside it.

He could feel that he was now connected to another world and could summon the beings within it.

He went outside Sound Village, bit his finger, and pressed his palm to the ground. Black markings spread from his hand.

His mind connected to countless evil spirits. Their auras were wicked, gloomy, and eerie, and their strengths varied.

Feng Yao sensed that five of them were far stronger than the rest. As he tried to approach, those five spirits erupted with powerful, evil auras and charged straight at him.

In the real world, black mist appeared around Feng Yao, as if it were about to swallow him whole.

But when it drew near his body, it turned into wisps of smoke and vanished. The Five Ghosts realized they couldn't do anything to Feng Yao.

All five were utterly shocked and tried to flee, but Feng Yao's mental energy turned into spears and pierced straight through them.

He opened his eyes.

"Summoning Technique: Five Underworld Ghosts!"

A huge cloud of smoke billowed out and then disappeared.

Five enormous beings stood on the ground. Each was nearly a hundred meters tall, like a giant.

Slaughter Ghost: Wielded two axes and specialized in Taijutsu attacks.

Corpse Ghost: Carried a long spear. Anyone killed by the Corpse Ghost would be controlled and made to attack.

Resentment Ghost: Could withstand other people's attacks and teleport to its host's side whenever the host was attacked.

Evil Ghost: Could unleash a piercing wail that attacked an enemy's mind.

Spirit Ghost: Could absorb another person's chakra and return it to the one who cast the technique.

Tayuya was astonished as she watched. She'd once tried to summon one of these five ghosts herself.

Unfortunately, its strength far surpassed hers. Not only had she failed, she'd suffered a backlash. Now Feng Yao had summoned all five by himself.

Feng Yao carefully sensed the Five Ghosts' strength. At present, each one was at least as strong as an elite jōnin. If they coordinated with one another and he guided them...

"Hmph. What an unexpected find. This is quite a treasure."

Feng Yao spoke excitedly. He was in dire need of strength right now.

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

He needed to prepare thoroughly and improve his odds. That was what he was best at.

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

Tayuya cheered beside him, as if she were even happier than she would have been if she'd learned the technique herself.

"Thank you, Tayuya."

With offensive summoning creatures at his disposal, things would be much easier. Afterward, with Tayuya leading the way,

Feng Yao bought a large number of Kunai and scrolls nearby, then marked the Kunai with the Flying Thunder God Formula.

"Lord Feng Yao, Lord Orochimaru wants to see you. He said there's something important to discuss."

Kidomaru hurried over and quickly delivered the message to Feng Yao.

"Got it."

Strange. There were still two months until the Chunin Ninja Exams. Why was Orochimaru looking for him already?

In the gloomy underground chamber, Orochimaru still wore his usual sinister expression. He spread his arms in welcome as Feng Yao arrived.

After gently pushing Orochimaru aside, Feng Yao asked what was going on.

It turned out that after taking power, Danzo had sent large numbers of ninja out on missions. First, he wanted to demonstrate Konoha's strength to the outside world.

Second, he wanted to keep the other nations under surveillance, with particular emphasis on the Sand Ninja.

An alliance was nothing more than a piece of paper. If it served their village's safety and interests, they could go to war at any time.

Since the two villages were so close, Danzo worried that the Sand Ninja might take advantage of Konoha's weakened strength and invade.

The Sand Ninja, in turn, feared that after taking power, Danzo would attack them to ensure Konoha's safety.

The conflict between the two sides was almost impossible to avoid, and it was growing more and more intense.

So the Fourth Kazekage had taken the initiative to contact Orochimaru, saying he hoped they could cooperate and attack Konoha together.

This was earlier than expected. He wasn't sure whether that was good or bad.

"I plan to take my subordinates to the Land of Wind and negotiate with them. Would you be interested in coming along, Yao-kun?"

Orochimaru revealed his true purpose, but Feng Yao turned him down immediately.

"No. I still have a few things to take care of during this time. Just let me know when you're ready, Mr. Orochimaru."

With that, he left without looking back. Orochimaru still didn't know that he could no longer use Sage Mode.

And Feng Yao knew Orochimaru's abilities inside and out. That was the difference that information made.

Never underestimate the importance of intelligence. Jiraiya had lost his battle against Deva Path because he hadn't known enough about his opponent.

Even Pain had said that without this secret, they wouldn't have stood a chance against Jiraiya.

If Orochimaru noticed something was wrong on the way to the Land of Wind, he might attack Feng Yao again.

To Orochimaru, researching every ninjutsu in the world and attaining immortality mattered more than anything else. Trusting a promise? Absurd.

After returning to his room and packing a few things, he prepared to head to Shikkotsu Forest. On his way out, he ran into the Sound Five.

"Lord Feng Yao, where are you going?"

Tayuya approached with her hands behind her back, skipping along as she greeted Feng Yao familiarly. Kidomaru stretched out all six of his arms.

"I'm going away for a bit. I should be back within two months. Tell Orochimaru not to worry."

After briefly answering Tayuya, Feng Yao headed toward the village entrance. Tayuya watched him leave the whole way.

Whoosh.

A figure suddenly appeared behind Tayuya. She was just about to turn around when Kimimaro's cold, calm voice sounded.

"Don't forget that Lord Orochimaru gave you your strength. If I find out you've betrayed Lord Orochimaru, I'll kill you without hesitation."

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

But after spending so many days with Feng Yao, Tayuya had also made rapid progress. She bit the tip of her tongue and forcibly broke free of Kimimaro's control.

She spun around and jumped back, but Kimimaro made no move to pursue her.

"Remember what I said."

Then he left. In Kimimaro's heart, Orochimaru was like a god.

So ever since Feng Yao arrived, Kimimaro had kept a close eye on him. Seeing Tayuya side so strongly with the man who had injured Orochimaru was naturally more than he could tolerate.

Meanwhile, at Konoha Ninja Village,

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

Naruto clutched a piece of paper and slammed it on the table, angrily demanding an answer from the Fifth Hokage, Shimura Danzo, who sat before him.

"You're the Nine-Tailed Fox. You're the village's weapon, a tool. If I let you wander wherever you please, an enemy nation might seize the opportunity. That would be an incalculable loss for Konoha."

Danzo didn't even look up at Naruto. As far as he was concerned, Naruto was just a kid.

He cared more about the other great nations' movements, especially those of the neighboring Land of Wind.

Naruto's right hand trembled as he clenched his fist. He felt overwhelming pain. Would he never earn the villagers' acknowledgment?

Could he become Hokage? Had he always been nothing but a tool containing a monster?

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

"With all due respect, Lord Hokage, Naruto isn't as weak as you think. He's a subordinate I believe in, and I think he should be allowed to go on missions."

By then, Kakashi had recovered from his injuries. He'd heard about what had happened during this time as soon as he could.

The Third Hokage had stepped down, and Danzo had taken his place. This was hardly good news.

So Kakashi had come here right away, and happened to hear Naruto arguing with Danzo.

So he'd already started restricting Naruto's movements. And he'd become Hokage... This was bad.

Only after Kakashi entered did Danzo raise his head. He had to take an elite jōnin seriously, after all. They were one of the village's most valuable assets.

"You should know how much every great nation covets this kind of power. As Hokage, I must protect the village and nip every possible danger in the bud."

"Besides, as a ninja, he ought to learn to sacrifice himself. Otherwise, he's unfit to be a ninja."

Danzo spoke with such conviction that he left no room for argument. Then he lowered his head and went back to his paperwork.

Kakashi furrowed his brow deeply, then left with Naruto, who looked utterly dejected.