Reincarnation Approaches

Orochimaru stood before his laboratory bench, his mind replaying the memories as his golden, slit-pupil eyes reflected a dense array of runes and text. He had been standing there for three full hours, motionless, as if he had been frozen in place.

Various tools were scattered across the workbench: microscopes, petri dishes, test tubes, scrolls, and several bottles filled with liquid. In a cage in the corner, a few white mice were huddled together, emitting faint squeaking sounds.

Orochimaru finally moved. He placed the scroll on the bench, turned around, leaned against the table, and looked up at the ceiling.

"Truly... astonishing." His voice was very soft, as if he were talking to himself or sighing to someone else.

No one in the ninja world had ever studied something like "National Fortune," or rather, no one had ever studied anything outside of "ninjutsu." Everyone was single-mindedly devoted to raw power, never paying attention to anything else.

Now, Uchiha Naro had actually created a new system of cultivation, a system more complete and exquisite than any forbidden jutsu he had ever seen, forcing Orochimaru to marvel at Uchiha Naro's wisdom.

Orochimaru couldn't help but recall it all again—this was already the fifth time. Each time he had new discoveries, and each time he marveled at where Naro had obtained such knowledge.

"What a pity... that I cannot communicate with him face-to-face." Orochimaru put down the scroll and walked to the window.

Outside the window was a gray, hazy sky; there was no sun to be seen, nor clouds, only a monotonous expanse of gray. His base was built deep in the mountains, surrounded entirely by forests and rocks, without even a decent road in sight.

"Who exactly is he?" Orochimaru muttered to himself. "A brat from the Uchiha clan, not even twenty years old—how could he possibly create something like this?"

He couldn't figure it out, but he didn't need to—he only needed to learn it.

Orochimaru sat back down at the workbench, spread out the scroll, and began to study it word by word. Among the three people Uchiha Naro had chosen, Orochimaru possessed the most profound knowledge.

Tsunade was skilled in medical ninjutsu, sealing jutsu, and taijutsu, but she lacked depth in forbidden jutsu and theoretical research; Nagato, while powerful, relied more on the strength of the Rinnegan than on his own intellect. Only Orochimaru was a true scholar, one of the very few at the pinnacle of the ninja world.

Although the scrolls Naro gave the three were roughly the same in content, once each person internalized them, they would derive different insights, which would indirectly influence their future paths of development.

Orochimaru had already tried to write down the contents from his mind, but he discovered that whenever he picked up a pen, the words he wrote were completely unrelated to what he intended to record, which only made Orochimaru even more interested in Uchiha Naro's methods.

Therefore, under these circumstances, Orochimaru could only recall the contents of the Method of National Fortune over and over in his mind, word by word, not letting a single detail slip.

"...The Way of National Fortune lies in gathering and dispersing. To gather is to live; to disperse is to perish. The fortune of a nation lies in the hearts of the people. Where the hearts of the people incline, there the national fortune returns..."

"At the beginning of cultivation, one must use one's own national fortune as a guide. Those with strong fortune find entry easy; those with weak fortune find entry difficult. Yet, fortune is not a fixed fate; it can be gathered or dispersed, increased or decreased..."

In the process of learning and understanding, Orochimaru would stop from time to time. He would close his eyes and begin to sense the national fortune within himself according to the method Naro had provided.

It took him a long time—fortune was something that could neither be seen nor touched. It was not chakra, nor natural energy, but something more abstract and hidden. But slowly, he began to feel a faint, elusive aura.

That aura had always been hovering above his head, like morning mist—faint and drifting—but in his perception, it was undeniably real.

It was just as described in Uchiha Naro's inheritance, like a canopy of clouds protecting him, shrouding his surroundings.

Above the canopy, countless rays of cloud-light connected to the void. From time to time, mist would descend along these connections, merging into his own canopy and making the cloud-cover that belonged solely to him grow thicker.

The fortune of Ryūchi Cave—comparing it to the method Naro provided, Orochimaru found the most concentrated ray of cloud-light, which was indeed Ryūchi Cave, the place that had provided him with so much help all along.

"I never imagined that the place providing me the most help was not Konoha, but Ryūchi Cave. Then again, it makes sense; without the inheritance of Ryūchi Cave, I would never have grown to this extent. After all, the level of my teacher himself was..."

Orochimaru did not rush to cultivate; instead, he first took out paper and pen to record his insights. This was a habit he had cultivated over many years: whenever he had a new discovery, he had to record it to avoid forgetting.

After finishing his notes, he sat back down, closed his eyes, and began to absorb the national fortune step by step.

The method within the runes told him that the most important thing at the beginning of cultivation was not speed, but stability. National fortune was different from chakra; it was not meant to be "consumed," but to be "accumulated." You could not use it up like chakra; you had to let it settle, condense, and grow within your body.

"To gather is to live; to disperse is to perish..."

Orochimaru silently recited these words and began to follow the method given by Uchiha Naro, using a very idealistic approach to visualize and guide his cloud canopy, causing it to fluctuate and rotate in a specific manner.

Slowly, Orochimaru gradually sensed an illusion—a feeling of being embraced by the surrounding environment, a sensation he had never experienced before.

Accompanying Orochimaru's sensation, the cloud canopy above his head began to fluctuate and rotate, actively pulling at the mist within the rays of cloud-light connected elsewhere, beginning to actively strengthen itself.

One circle.

Two circles.

Three circles.

With every circle, the cloud canopy of fortune grew a little bit larger and a little bit faster. Orochimaru was immersed in this feeling, forgetting the passage of time.

At the same time, on a somewhat dilapidated main road in the Land of Fire, Tsunade was heading north with Shizune.

After leaving the Land of Whirlpools, she did not return to the Capital of the Land of Fire, nor did she go to any major city, but instead walked slowly along the country roads, as if waiting for someone.

Shizune carried the pig behind her, looking back from time to time. Tsunade's complexion was better than it had been a few days ago; although she still carried a sense of exhaustion, there was something indescribable in her eyes.

"Lady Tsunade, where are we going?"

"I don't know." Tsunade didn't look back. "We'll go wherever the road takes us."

"Then... are we not returning to Konoha?"

"No." Tsunade shook her head and explained to Shizune, "I need time to think."

Shizune didn't ask again.

The two walked for the whole morning, and at noon, they stopped to rest in a forest. Shizune took dry rations and water from her pack and handed them to Tsunade. Tsunade took the canteen, took a sip, and leaned against a tree trunk to close her eyes and rest.

Footsteps approached from afar. Shizune put down the rations and placed her hand on a kunai, while Tsunade didn't move at all.

"It's me." A familiar voice came from the woods, and Jiraiya emerged from behind a tree. He was drenched in sweat, and his clothes had several tears from tree branches; it looked as if he had been traveling for a long time.

"Lord Jiraiya?" Shizune stood up in surprise.

Jiraiya waved his hand, walked up to Tsunade, sat down on the ground with a thud, and panted heavily.

"Finally found you," he said. "I've been looking for you for days."

Tsunade looked at him, expressionless. Every time Jiraiya appeared, it meant trouble. "What do you want with me?"

"Something happened in the village." Jiraiya wiped the sweat from his face. "The teacher sent me to bring you back."

"Back?" Tsunade sneered. "Back where? To Konoha?"

"Tsunade..." Jiraiya looked at her, his eyes complex. "I know you don't want to return. But the situation in the village is truly dire right now."

Tsunade didn't answer immediately. She took the canteen from Shizune, unscrewed the cap, and took a swig. "Speak. What's going on?"

Jiraiya took a deep breath and began to explain. He started with the chaos in Konoha following the intelligence leaked by the Bounty Exchange across the ninja world—the Hyuga clan retreating into their compound, other ninja clans fearing for their safety, the Anbu suffering from severe manpower shortages, frequent reports from the borders, and a marked increase in espionage activities from other hidden villages... He spoke in great detail, relaying the current state of the village exactly as Sarutobi Hiruzen had told him.

Tsunade listened, her face impassive, though the hand gripping the canteen tightened slightly.

"The teacher's biggest headache right now is the Hyuga situation." Jiraiya's voice was low. After receiving the intelligence from his teacher, he had set out to find Tsunade immediately; he could see that Konoha had truly reached a moment of crisis.

"The secret of the Caged Bird has been exposed. Hyuga Hiashi has recalled every member of the clan; not a single one will come out. Konoha's reconnaissance missions rely entirely on the Byakugan. Without the Hyuga, the defense system is on the verge of collapse."

"So, what does the old man, the Third, want me to do if I go back?" Tsunade glanced at Jiraiya and asked.

"Mediate." Jiraiya's voice was a bit raspy; he understood his teacher's intentions. "The teacher wants you to help mediate the conflicts between the various ninja clans and the village. Everyone is panicked right now, and we need someone with prestige to speak up. You are the granddaughter of Senju Hashirama and one of the Sannin; your words carry more weight than anyone else's at a time like this."

Tsunade snorted and said nothing.

"There is one more thing." Jiraiya hesitated. "The teacher wants to ask you to help the Hyuga design a new Caged Bird curse seal."

Tsunade stared at Jiraiya, her gaze gradually turning cold.

"A new Caged Bird?"

"Yes." Jiraiya understood Tsunade and knew she had always been against the Caged Bird, but this was, after all, a matter for the Hyuga clan, and it wasn't easy for outsiders to interfere. "The old curse seal of the Hyuga clan is no longer secure; a new one needs to be designed. The teacher said you are proficient in medical ninjutsu and sealing arts, so this task..."

"Jiraiya." Tsunade interrupted him, her voice icy. "Are you saying that if I return to Konoha, my job is to help the Hyuga clan maintain their system of main and branch houses? To keep putting the Caged Bird on the heads of the branch house members? To keep them as slaves to the main house?"

Jiraiya opened his mouth, but no words came out.

"Do you know what kind of life the Hyuga branch house leads?" Tsunade stood up and looked at Jiraiya. "They are branded with the curse seal shortly after birth, their life and death entirely in the hands of the main house. If they do well, it's expected; if they fail, they might be executed at any moment. Their Byakugan is treated as a tool, their lives as consumables. And you want me to go back and help them design a new Caged Bird?"

"Tsunade, I..."

"Enough." Tsunade raised a hand to stop him. "I know what you want to say. The village needs the Hyuga's Byakugan, and the Hyuga main house doesn't want to give up control over the branch house, so they need a compromise. But that compromise is not something I should be doing."

Jiraiya fell silent.

Tsunade sat back down and took another drink; she had already begun to stop herself from binge drinking. Her eyes were unfocused, as if she were thinking of something very distant.

During this time, she had been passively absorbing the knowledge within the Qi Luck Cultivation Method. That knowledge wasn't just about cultivation techniques; it contained a great deal regarding statecraft, personnel management, and the development of people's livelihoods. Some of it she had understood before, but some of it she had never even considered.

That knowledge had changed her perspective on things significantly.

Think back to when Senju Hashirama founded Konoha; his intent was for all clans to coexist equally, so that everyone would no longer slaughter one another.

But what about Konoha now? The main house oppresses the branch house, large clans oppress small clans, the high-level leadership oppresses the commoners... What have these people turned her grandfather's ideals into?

And look at the students of Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Jiraiya, writing lewd novels and wandering everywhere, never caring about the village's affairs;

Orochimaru, researching forbidden arts and conducting human experiments, forced into becoming a missing-nin;

Herself, gambling and drinking, plagued by hemophobia, having become a useless person;

Of the three, not one of them was a source of comfort.

"Second Grandfather, you..."

Tsunade muttered to herself, then shook her head. She didn't want to comment on Senju Tobirama. That Second Grandfather had done many things for Konoha, but he had also planted many mines. Many of Konoha's current problems could be traced back to him.

What kind of people did he cultivate?

Sarutobi Hiruzen, Shimura Danzō, Utatane Koharu, Mitokado Homura—one indecisive, one sinister and ruthless, and two fence-sitters. These people had held Konoha in their grip for decades, turning a perfectly good village into what it was today.

Tsunade put down the canteen, stood up, and turned her back to Jiraiya, as if she had made a decision. "Jiraiya, tell the old man, the Third... I will return to Konoha."

"Really?" Jiraiya's eyes lit up.

"Really." Tsunade didn't look at Jiraiya. "But not now."

Jiraiya's smile froze.

"If I go back now," Tsunade turned around to face Jiraiya, "I will only become their tool. Helping the Hyuga design the Caged Bird, helping them appease other ninja clans, helping them clean up their mess. After all that is done, what will they treat me as? A meritorious official? No, they will treat me as a tool to be used whenever they please."

"Tsunade, the teacher didn't mean it that way..."

"I know he didn't mean it that way," Tsunade interrupted him, "but the result is the same."

Jiraiya looked at her for a long time without speaking, but in the end, he couldn't help but ask, "Then when do you plan to return?"

"No more than ten days." Tsunade gave Jiraiya a deadline. "I need more leverage. Otherwise, if I go back now, I won't be able to change anything."

"Ten days?" Jiraiya frowned. It had already taken nearly a week from receiving the news to finding Tsunade. If he waited another ten days, he didn't know if Konoha's current situation could... hold out.

"Yes. You go back first. Tell the old man, the Third, that I will return."

"Can't it be sooner?" Jiraiya gave a bitter smile. "The village is about to explode."

"That's something the Third and Danzō brought upon themselves." Tsunade snorted. "Why didn't they think it would end up like this when they wiped out the Uchiha?"

Jiraiya had nothing to say.

Tsunade walked back to the tree, leaned her back against the trunk, and closed her eyes.

"Also, once you return, spread the news that I am coming back. Let everyone know—Senju Tsunade is returning to Konoha."

Jiraiya was stunned for a moment. "Are you planning to..."

"I want to see." Tsunade opened her eyes, a cold glint flickering within her amber irises. "How exactly the people of Konoha view me, this last descendant of the Senju. Will they welcome me as the descendant of a hero, or will they treat me as a tool to be exploited?"

"Fine." Jiraiya remained silent for a long time before standing up. "I will deliver the message."

He turned to leave.

"Jiraiya." Tsunade called out to him.

Jiraiya looked back.

"Have you visited Naruto lately?"

Jiraiya paused, then nodded.

"I have. That kid... he's quite spirited. Even though he lives in a dump and doesn't eat well, he laughs very happily. He's exactly like Minato was back then."

"Keep an eye on him for me." Tsunade's gaze softened slightly. "Don't let anyone bully him."

"I would do that even without you asking." Jiraiya smiled and turned into the forest.

His silhouette quickly vanished into the shadows of the trees.

Tsunade watched the direction he had left in, remaining silent for a long time.

"Lady Tsunade, where are we going next?" Shizune asked.

"Shikkotsu Forest." Tsunade stood up and brushed the dust off her clothes. "To retrieve something."

"Retrieve what?"

"Things my grandfather left behind," Tsunade said. "And some other things... it's time they were put to use."

She turned and walked in the opposite direction, while Shizune, clutching the pig, trotted to catch up behind her.

Grandfather, Tsunade thought to herself as she walked ahead. Watch from the Pure Land. I will restore Konoha to what it once was.

Nawaki, Dan, I will defeat that mastermind behind the scenes, free you from their control, and allow you to move on to reincarnation to begin new lives...