Land of Eddies, the ruins of Uzushiogakure—
Looking at the White Zetsu laid in the center of the jutsu formula on the ground, Uchiha Gen felt a little regretful.
He had only managed to find five White Zetsu in the end. After giving one to Orochimaru, Uchiha Gen still needed to keep one as a sacrifice for Muren's Impure World Reincarnation later.
That meant he was one short if he wanted to reincarnate all four Hokage.
Still, it was no big deal. After spending a second comparing their combat strength and weighing his options, Uchiha Gen ultimately decided to leave out the "Monkey."
It wasn't that the Third was weak. He just felt that, compared to the other three Hokage, the man had little that really stood out.
When Orochimaru heard this, his expression shifted slightly, though the change was so fleeting that anyone not watching closely might have imagined it.
Once everything was ready, Orochimaru suddenly asked, "Then who's going to perform Impure World Reincarnation?"
Indeed, as far as anyone openly knew, only Bone Lord had obtained the information on Impure World Reincarnation. The others, "in theory," should not have known this jutsu.
Yet Uchiha Gen acted as though he had no idea what that implied. His expression remained perfectly calm as he said, "You."
At this, Orochimaru grew a little uneasy. He frowned and said, "Are you sure? Don't go back on your word afterward."
In truth, he would have preferred to have Bone Lord, who also knew Impure World Reincarnation, perform it. Mainly, he didn't want Uchiha Gen stabbing him in the back once he had released the souls.
"Bone Lord ran off. You know this jutsu, and I don't. What else is there to say?" Uchiha Gen said with a dead-eyed look.
"..."
Orochimaru remained silent,