Lifting the Seal

A moment later, Jiraiya opened his eyes. He used Spirit Energy Body Infusion, lifted the great hammer in his hand, and infused it with spirit energy.

As the spirit energy flowed into the hammer, it turned bright red. Then he began circulating the spirit energy within his body, following the pathway required for the Great Sumeru Hammer.

He gripped the hammer and began swinging it. With each swing, the aura radiating from it grew stronger. By the twentieth swing, Naruto saw faint ripples appear in the space around Jiraiya.

Then, as Naruto watched in shock, Jiraiya brought the hammer down on the ground.

A thunderclap seemed to ring in Naruto's ears. The moment the hammer struck the earth, the ground within fifty meters of Jiraiya sank all at once.

Using the recoil, Jiraiya leaped into the air with the hammer. As soon as it left the ground, the shock wave that had forced the earth down rapidly spread in every direction.

Wherever the shock wave passed, the earth churned like boiling water, throwing up waves of dirt.

Naruto finally reacted. He was right within the shock wave's range, so he hurriedly used Flying Thunder God to escape.

The shock wave continued spreading outward, though its power gradually weakened as it traveled farther.

Once the ripples had completely died down, Jiraiya landed on the ground. Naruto flashed back, and Hinata hurried over from where she had been training.

Seeing the destruction Jiraiya had caused, Naruto and Hinata both swallowed hard.

Naruto ran up to Jiraiya and asked, "Pervy Sage, have you completely mastered the Great Sumeru Hammer?"

"No, I've only mastered the first twenty forms," Jiraiya said with a smile.

Naruto then asked, "Does that mean your cultivation technique is about to break through to the fourth level?"

Jiraiya shook his head. "It's not that simple. I'm still at the third level. The destruction was probably because my spiritual body amplifies my attack power so much."

Naruto couldn't help sighing.

Jiraiya ruffled his hair and said, "You brat, you don't know how lucky you are. I want your Spirit-Absorbing Battle Body, too. Once we go to Mount Myoboku in a while, your cultivation speed will increase even more. You'll break through to the third level soon enough."

Jiraiya wasn't just saying that to comfort Naruto. His ability to cultivate his technique so quickly, to the brink of the fourth level, was closely tied to the many years he had spent at Mount Myoboku.

He could tell that once his technique reached the fourth level, his progress would slow considerably.

Naruto's Spirit-Absorbing Battle Body, on the other hand, was naturally suited to speeding up cultivation. Once he went to Mount Myoboku, his cultivation speed would increase tremendously.

Naruto knew all that. He had only reacted that way because the destruction Jiraiya had caused was simply too absurd. A mere twofold increase had already been this terrifying. He couldn't even imagine the damage after Jiraiya mastered all thirty-six forms.

Hinata had stood there in a daze ever since she arrived. Her father had told her that Jiraiya was extremely powerful, but she hadn't understood his description of just how powerful. All she remembered was that Teacher Jiraiya was known as a Sage.

"Is this what a Sage is like?" Hinata murmured. She couldn't imagine what would happen if that attack hit someone.

Naruto and Jiraiya had naturally heard her. Jiraiya walked over and placed a hand on her head. "Hinata, keep training hard. You'll be able to do this someday, too."

Only then did Hinata snap out of her daze. "Yes, Teacher Jiraiya. I'll work hard at my training."

They didn't continue testing their techniques. Naruto would have to summon the Demonic Statue before he could imbue his Desolation Halberd with elemental effects.

Jiraiya also felt that his Great Sumeru Hammer wouldn't advance again anytime soon. He had mastered the first twenty forms so quickly thanks to his recent practice of the Soul Gathering Art and his decades of experience.

The three of them returned to the Land of Whirlpools. Hinata went to prepare dinner, while Naruto and Jiraiya headed outside.

When they walked out, they saw that Orochimaru had already put up the framework of the building. It should be finished in another day or two.

The two of them then returned to the Altar and sat down to watch Hinata work.

Once they were seated, Naruto said to Jiraiya, "Pervy Sage, let's give our weapons names."

"Hmm, let me think about it," Jiraiya said, nodding.

They really did need names for them. Calling them "the halberd" and "the hammer" all the time wasn't very convenient.

After thinking it over, Jiraiya said to Naruto, "How about Blood Moon for your halberd? And I'll call my hammer Bone Crusher."

Naruto nodded, accepting the names. Then they each began training.

Three days later.

The wells for Kidomaru and Ichirobo had been completed, and Orochimaru had finished the building as well. He had built a hall and hung a plaque above its entrance that read "Council Hall."

Kimimaro and Jugo had returned early that morning, bringing the vessel Orochimaru had mentioned.

Jugo carried a man over his shoulder. Orochimaru said the man was a member of the Kirigakure Hunter-nin. He had been defeated while pursuing Kisame Hoshigaki and was about to be killed when Orochimaru intervened, since the man was suitable as his vessel.

With the vessel here, they could begin lifting the Dead Demon Consuming Seal. Everyone stopped what they were doing and gathered at the Altar.

Orochimaru stood on the Altar, wearing the Death God Mask. He formed the hand seals for the Reaper Death Seal in reverse. When he finished the final seal, a pale, indistinct figure appeared behind him.

It was the Death God. It looked like a demon, with long white hair and a white robe that exposed its chest. A blade was clenched in its mouth.

Orochimaru raised both arms, and the Death God behind him did the same.

Orochimaru smiled, then raised a hand beside his right cheek and made a gesture as if gripping a sword. The Death God behind him took the blade from its mouth.

Orochimaru slowly lowered his hand beside his stomach and swept it from left to right.

A long gash appeared across the Death God's stomach. Orochimaru closed his eyes, as if sensing something. Before long, a golden speck of light flew out of the Death God's stomach.

Naruto immediately used the Soul Gathering Art to draw the speck toward him. When it was close, he stopped circulating the art.

A large mass of spirit energy gathered in his hand, enveloping the speck of light.

Orochimaru had also grown incredibly weak. He had Jugo pry open the vessel's mouth. At that moment, Orochimaru's soul left his body and flew into the vessel's mouth.

The Death God behind him let out a series of sinister cackles. It gave Orochimaru a meaningful look, then vanished.

The Kirigakure Hunter-nin, now possessed by Orochimaru's soul, collapsed to the ground. His body twisted into a strange position as his bones and muscles slowly changed shape. In the end, he had become Orochimaru.

A moment later, Orochimaru stood up, having completed Living Corpse Reincarnation. He coughed and clutched his abdomen.

Seeing this, Naruto asked, "Orochimaru, did something go wrong?"

"Cough, cough. When I cut open the Death God's stomach, the injury was inflicted on my soul as well. Even after using Living Corpse Reincarnation, I can still feel the pain in my soul," Orochimaru replied.

Naruto's expression turned grave. "Will it cause any problems?"

Orochimaru still had plenty of uses. He was a researcher, and losing him would be a tremendous blow to both Naruto and the organization.

After thinking for a moment, Orochimaru replied, "I don't know yet. But I did tamper with the Death God, so it's hard to say what the consequences might be."

Naruto nodded. As long as Orochimaru was all right for now, that was enough. A green orb of light appeared in his other hand. He tossed it to Orochimaru and said, "This is the Soul Origin I condensed after absorbing it. It can heal the injury to your soul. Use it now. Just press it into your head."

Orochimaru took the orb solemnly, then nodded to Naruto and pressed it against the top of his head.

The orb quickly sank into Orochimaru's body, and he closed his eyes.

With his eyes shut, Orochimaru felt warmth spreading through his soul. He hadn't experienced anything like it since creating Living Corpse Reincarnation.

His soul had been badly damaged by his frequent use of forbidden techniques. For years, he had felt a chill deep in his soul, one that couldn't be driven away by putting on more clothes or lighting a fire.

As the orb entered his body, Orochimaru gradually felt himself growing warmer. That meant the injuries to his soul were slowly healing.

A moment later, Orochimaru opened his eyes and looked at Naruto gratefully. "Thank you, my lord. I can feel that the injuries to my soul have completely healed."

Naruto nodded. "Then there won't be any problems using Impure World Reincarnation now?"

"There won't. In fact, it'll be more stable than before, and the people brought back won't be weaker," Orochimaru said.

Naruto nodded, then closed his eyes and entered the Sealing Space.

Minato and Kushina had been waiting for a while. Seeing them, Naruto said, "Dad, Mom, it's time."

Minato and Kushina nodded to show they were ready.

Naruto's consciousness returned to his body. He turned to Orochimaru and said, "You can begin."

Orochimaru nodded and quickly formed hand seals. With a bang, two upright coffins appeared behind him. He walked over and lifted their lids.

The bodies inside came into view. They were Minato and Kushina.

Both of them looked just as they had at the moment of death. Neither had shown any signs of decay.

Jiraiya let out a quiet sigh and murmured, "Minato... Kushina..."