What Is Righteousness?

A forest appeared out of nowhere, but it failed to catch Fei Yun or hurt anyone.

Fei Yun slashed apart the vines and trees around him, then continued charging toward Hashirama Senju.

Is that all?

Too weak. It isn't even as good as mine!

However, Fei Yun had no intention of using Wood Release. He continued using his Sharingan, but he had already awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan. When Hashirama saw those strange, gear-shaped eyes, shock appeared on his face.

"The Mangekyo Sharingan? Young man, we need to have a proper talk."

Fei Yun flashed aside to evade several waves of vine attacks, sheathed his katana, and golden chakra began rising from his body.

"You can block it, of course, but you aren't qualified to do so yet."

A massive skeletal giant took shape. The golden chakra blade in its hand swept out, destroying the restless forest around them.

Violent shockwaves swept in all directions, whipping Orochimaru's long hair into the air. Yo raised his arm before him to resist the impact.

Orochimaru remained unmoved. The golden tree suddenly contracted. "It's over!"

"I didn't expect this Mangekyo Sharingan technique to be so powerful. Or was Hashirama Senju's Edo Tensei body simply too weak?"

Orochimaru flashed to Hashirama Senju's side, where he had been split in half, and rested his chin on his right hand with a thoughtful expression.

"This is far too weak. What's the reason?"

"The Edo Tensei technique still has fatal flaws."

Fei Yun lounged atop the cut surface of a massive vine, tilting his head as he spoke.

"Using an Edo Tensei of this level would be embarrassing."

"The Third Hokage could easily defeat Fei Yun's Army. You really dare to say that. Is this what you call helping me test it?"

"You activated Susanoo right from the start?"

"I couldn't get complete data at all."

Though he said that, Orochimaru was not dissatisfied. He had already obtained a general idea of the Edo Tensei data and gained many insights. That was the benefit of failure—every failure was an important step toward success.

Yo also flashed onto the page, pushed up his glasses, and said, "Lord Great God Bay, what should we do?"

"Should we reclaim Hashirama Senju, or abandon this Edo Tensei?"

"Reclaim him!"

Looking at Hashirama Senju, whose body had mostly regenerated, Orochimaru's gaze turned serious.

"This Edo Tensei was too weak. The vessel was probably too poor, preventing the summoned person from displaying much of his strength."

"Record all the data, including every detail about the vessel. Make adjustments based on the problems this time, then try other possibilities next time."

Yo replied respectfully.

"Yes."

Afterward, Orochimaru avoided their line of sight and secretly formed hand seals for the Edo Tensei technique.

Hashirama Senju, who had just recovered, immediately had his soul ascend to the Pure Land. With his soul gone, the Impure World Reincarnation body crumbled into scattered scraps that could no longer cover the sacrifice.

A moment later, only a pile of debris and that unlucky male sacrifice remained on the ground.

Orochimaru showed no frustration at his failure. Instead, he earnestly summarized the reasons for it and analyzed the principles behind it.

Fei Yun stood and clapped his hands. "Then I'll go train first. You have to teach me this technique tomorrow."

With that, Fei Yun flashed away and vanished from the area. Yo watched the direction he had left in, then spoke solemnly after a moment. "With this incident, Fei Yun is becoming stronger and stronger. We may not be able to control him in the future. Lord Orochimaru, you cannot teach him everything."

Orochimaru merely smiled faintly. "Yo, there is more than one way to control someone through force. Relying on force is actually the stupidest method."

Yo showed a puzzled expression and said worriedly.

"But I truly cannot understand. If Uchiha Feiyun becomes strong enough to crush us, how can we control someone like him?"

"By then, parting on bad terms would be the least of our worries. He might even take us in or kill us."

Orochimaru's expression remained calm as he spoke evenly.

"Friendship, love, family, gratitude, morality, money, reputation, value—these can all be used to control people. There is still much you need to learn."

"Fei Yun is a very good child. If he truly has the potential to become eternal, what harm is there in helping him?"

Yo bowed deeply.

"Yes, I understand, Lord Great God Bay."

The next day, Fei Yun indeed went looking for Great God Bay and asked him to teach him the Edo Tensei technique.

However, Orochimaru repeatedly evaded the request, refusing Fei Yun with excuses such as the technique being too difficult, that he had not yet mastered it himself, and that he could not teach it.

Fei Yun followed behind Orochimaru relentlessly, persuading him. "Orochimaru, if we research it together, won't we be able to perfect this technique faster and better?"

Orochimaru said nothing. He set down the test tube in his hand and turned toward another machine.

Fei Yun immediately followed him over and continued trying to persuade him. "Orochimaru, Orochimaru..." Yet Orochimaru merely picked up a scroll recording experimental data and read it on his own.

Even after using every trick he had, Orochimaru remained completely unmoved.

Fei Yun could not help getting anxious. "You thick-browed, big-eyed Orochimaru! I gave you my most precious things, yet you won't even teach me one ninjutsu!"

Enraged, Fei Yun pointed at Orochimaru's nose and continued, "You have no sense of brotherhood at all! I always treated you as a great hero of the Shinobi World!"

"I, I, I... I misjudged you! Bah! You petty villain!"

"Give Hidan back to me free of charge!"

"Uh, give everything back to me!"

Fei Yun unleashed a torrent of words at Orochimaru, his spit flying everywhere and spraying all over Orochimaru's face.

Orochimaru used the scroll to move aside Fei Yun's finger, which was poking at his handsome nose. "Fei Yun, I truly am still in the experimental stage. I am still feeling my way through it!"

"How about this? Preserve part of the body of whoever you want to revive first. We can talk again once the technique is more complete."

Fei Yun did not believe him at all. Of course he knew Orochimaru simply did not want to teach him such a heaven-defying technique. This was Orochimaru's most important means of dominating the Shinobi World in the future—how could he possibly be willing to share it with someone else?

Fei Yun did not dwell on it too much, since the technique was indeed still very incomplete.

"Hmph, fine. But when you use Edo Tensei in the future, the people it summons must be under my control."

Orochimaru smiled. "Naturally. Rest assured, Fei Yun, we are—"

Fei Yun waved a hand, cutting off Orochimaru's empty promise.

"Enough. Let me ask you this: once you perfect it, will you teach me?"

Orochimaru considered it for a moment, then nodded. "I will teach you."

"Fine, that's enough. Actually, I won't really want to use this technique much in the future."

"The power of a forbidden technique is ultimately external power. Only becoming strong yourself is true strength."

"Like Kabuto in the end. He had the most perfected Edo Tensei technique, yet wasn't he still beaten by two experts?"

Hearing that, Orochimaru could not help smiling faintly. If Fei Yun could think like that, it was naturally better for both of them.

"Fei Yun, rest assured. What is yours is mine, and what is mine is also mine."

"Even the Fourth Hokage cannot be summoned by this technique. Once I improve it—"

Fei Yun suddenly gave a wicked smile. "I may know why you cannot revive the Fourth Hokage."

Orochimaru's eyes narrowed. "Oh? Tell me, what exactly is going on?"

Seeing that Great God Bay was interested, Fei Yun pretended to pinch his fingers and calculate, putting on the appearance of divining heavenly secrets. With his looks, if he stood on the street, he could definitely hang up a sign and charge people for fortune-telling.

After a moment, Fei Yun said seriously, "Hmm. I think the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze's soul, was sealed somewhere else. It isn't in the Pure Land, so you cannot summon him."

Orochimaru's pupils shrank as he said in shock, "Minato seemed to have died after using a sealing technique to seal the Nine-Tails. Could there be a problem with that sealing technique?"

Orochimaru truly had a sharp mind. He understood immediately with just a hint, making him easy to talk to.

Fei Yun liked people who were easy to communicate with. He just could not figure out Orochimaru's gender, and that made Fei Yun rather uncomfortable.

"It was an Uzumaki Clan sealing technique: the Reaper Death Seal."

Orochimaru thought carefully for a while, then shook his head. "There are very few techniques in Konoha that I do not know, but I have never heard of the Reaper Death Seal."

"Fei Yun, are you certain?"

Fei Yun nodded with an unfathomable air. "Yes. That's right. It was the Reaper Death Seal."

"It is a powerful sealing technique that allows the user and the enemy to perish together. The caster must sacrifice their soul to the Death God."

Orochimaru was well traveled and knowledgeable, yet he had never heard of a technique that could seal souls. Merely hearing about it sent chills down his spine, but he was even more excited.

For someone like Orochimaru, who was determined to understand everything, something he had never encountered before possessed fatal attraction.

Orochimaru's wet tongue swayed endlessly, his gaze obsessed. "The Death God... souls... interesting. Too interesting!"

"Splendid!"

Fei Yun looked at Orochimaru's infatuated expression in disgust, then said, "Because the Fourth Hokage's soul was sealed inside the Death God's stomach, he cannot be summoned. Naturally, he cannot undergo Edo Tensei either."

Fei Yun also imitated Orochimaru and licked his lips with his tongue.

"Furthermore, half of the Nine-Tails' chakra was sealed within the Fourth Hokage's soul."

Great God Bay was shocked once more.

"What did you say?"

Great God Bay thought about it and gradually calmed down.

"The Nine-Tails is ultimately chakra. It makes sense that its power could be divided into two."

"Are you sure?"

Fei Yun answered firmly.

"I'm very sure!"

Orochimaru could no longer remain calm. His wet tongue stretched out again and swayed back and forth. "That is the Nine-Tails. If we could obtain the Nine-Tails' power..."

Fei Yun crossed his arms over his chest. "Well? Do you see it now?"

"This is the difference between people. This is what fucking righteousness means!"

"The Fourth Hokage, the Nine-Tails, Hidan, methods of cultivating Spiritual Power—these are all incredibly precious things. I shared them with you without even blinking."

Fei Yun's face was filled with contempt. "Now look at you. You keep one lousy forbidden technique hidden away like it's some treasure. Bah!"

Hearing this, Orochimaru showed an awkward expression as his blood boiled.

"Who said that? What kind of talk is that? Isn't it just an Edo Tensei?"

"I'll teach it! I'll teach it right now!"

Fei Yun waved his hand, though the contempt in his gaze remained.

"Forget it. I wouldn't want you to feel bad about it!"

How could Orochimaru endure such provocation? Today, he had to show Fei Yun the magnanimity of Orochimaru, let him see the righteous path of a Shinobi World pioneer!

Thus, Orochimaru reached out and grabbed Fei Yun's hand, refusing to let him leave no matter what.

"Come! I'll teach you Edo Tensei right now. Whatever else you want to learn, as long as I, Great God Bay, have it, I'll give it all to you. It's nothing."

Thus, Fei Yun was dragged into the underground base against his will.

Orochimaru brought out several ninjutsu scrolls. One of them was the forbidden technique scroll for Edo Tensei. It looked extremely old, clearly bearing the marks of age. It should have been left behind by the Second Hokage back then.