Chapter 643 : Edo Tensei!

Fujin, in Kakashi's disguise, disappeared from Konoha along with the scroll storing Kabuto's body. He appeared in an empty underground base 73 kilometers away from Konoha.

It was one of the bases Fujin had created outside Konoha. Fujin had created around a dozen of them, each one being over a hundred meters underground, around 60-100 kilometers from Konoha and on routes where Konoha ninjas didn't usually travel.

Needless to say, these were even more hidden with his seals. However, unlike his house, Fujin didn't go all out here and only used the minimum amount of seals needed to ensure that the bases stayed hidden and safe. If he overdid it, then Fuinjutsu Grandmasters passing close to the area would be able to detect the existence of so many seals.

Fujin walked towards a smaller room and dispelled the transformation jutsu while thinking, ‘Kabuto's entire body is with me and I also cleaned up all his blood and flesh that were in that area. So, Orochimaru shouldn't be able to revive him with the Edo Tensei jutsu…

Unless he already has some of Kabuto's DNA, that is. If Orochimaru manages to revive Kabuto, then he'll think that Kakashi killed him, not me. Of course, that will be very suspicious as well. However, even if he realised that it wasn't Kakashi, he wouldn't be able to link it to me. So, I have no reason to hand over Kabuto's dead body to Konoha!

Another aspect I need to consider is that Kabuto's death will have a great impact on Orochimaru. He is his right hand after all. After Hiruzen took away his arms, Kabuto was the one who looked after him. Unless he can revive Kabuto with Edo Tensei and maintain it for a long time, he'll be severely handicapped.

It'll have an impact on the future as well. The good thing is that it isn't bad for me either. If Sasuke still goes to him, Kabuto's absence would make it easier for him to kill Orochimaru as Orochimaru will likely be a bit weaker without his assistance. If he doesn't, then I won't need to worry about Orochimaru having a strong ally when I go to hunt him down and eliminate his main body before he can mess with future events.'

Fujin entered a small room with a table at its center. He opened the scroll and summoned Kabuto's body on top of it. At the same time, a few Shadow Clones appeared next to him. They began checking Kabuto's body to see if there were any seals on him that could alert Orochimaru of his location.

As for Fujin, he placed his hand on Kabuto's head and invaded his brain with his Yin chakra while muttering, “Now, let me see whether you know the Edo Tensei jutsu or not!”

While Fujin read Kabuto's memories, the village had become quite eventful as well. Several ninjas were rushing towards the area where Fujin's clone and Orochimaru clashed. A few, who were close by, saw a glimpse of Orochimaru before he escaped.

“Was that the Legendary Sannin Orochimaru?”
“He was! I was in his division in the Third Great Ninja War! I'll never forget his face. But why is he here?”
“Incredible! Suzuki Fujin forced him to retreat! No, he forced Orochimaru to retreat twice!”
“This is crazy! I was a little suspicious earlier, but there is no doubt now! Fujin can force a Legendary Sannin to retreat! Hahaha, we have another ninja who can fight against other Kages! We don't need to worry about facing multiple enemies in the future!”
"That's right! With Lord Hokage, Master Jiraiya, Lady Tsunade and young Fujin, we can fight all four enemy Kage at the same time! And, don't forget that we still have the Copy Ninja Kakashi!"

The ninjas who witnessed Orochimaru escaping immediately began discussing among themselves. As more arrived, they heard their talks and became even more excited!

Kakashi appeared next to Fujin and asked, “Did Orochimaru also come here for Sasuke?”

Fujin's clone replied, “Yes, though I am not sure whether he intended to make a move or not. I felt a bit odd after you left and followed your trail. When I reached here, I saw Orochimaru staring at Sasuke's room.

Anyway, who were you fighting inside the room? And how did he manage to escape from you?”

Kakashi answered, “It was Yakushi Kabuto.”

Fujin's clone eyes widened in surprise. He asked, “That Genin who forfeited? He felt a bit suspicious but is he that strong?”

Kakashi nodded with a solemn expression and said, “Yeah, the kid is amazing. He killed the four Anbu I deployed to look after Sasuke. He surgically altered one of their faces to make it resemble his own and used the Dead Soul jutsu to temporarily restore his heartbeat and manipulate him. He even erased the dead body's odor so that I wouldn't suspect him.

And, he stilled his own heartbeat and disguised himself as one of the dead Anbu ninjas to allow his escape…”

Fujin's clone became serious and said, “Such skill… Seeing that Orochimaru was watching, it should mean that Kabuto is his subordinate, or more accurately, a spy placed by him. This is troublesome.”

Kakashi nodded while thinking, ‘His skills would put any Anbu squad to shame. Even the Anbu Guards wouldn't be his match. If such a talented person is working under Orochimaru, then… At this rate, I'll be obsolete soon!’

After Minato's death, Orochimaru's betrayal and the Sannins' withdrawal from active duty, Kakashi was the one who became the ninja who took the most difficult missions for Konoha.

Over the last decade, he had become the ninja everyone in Konoha looked at as their next leader. Yet, in the last few days, his stature had decreased considerably.

First Fujin, someone who was 10 years younger than him, defeated Orochimaru and forced him to retreat not just once, but twice! And then, Kabuto displayed that he could compete against him. He thought, ‘I can't keep slacking. I need to pick up on my training once again…’

As they talked, a few other ninjas stepped closer to them. One of the senior ninjas asked, “Kakashi, Fujin, what happened here? Why did Orochimaru show up here?”

Kakashi answered, “Hard to say for sure. We'll need to discuss it with Lord Hokage.”

The senior ninja and the others nodded. One of them asked, “Should we establish a perimeter to see whether Orochimaru is still around?”

Fujin's clone replied, “No, he has escaped far away. I doubt he'd return here. Instead, we need to focus on ensuring that our village walls are more secure. After all, this is the second time in less than a week that he has infiltrated our village.”

Everyone nodded solemnly. Someone like Orochimaru showing up so frequently posed a grave danger to the village. He could cause hundreds or even thousands of deaths with sudden attacks and could retreat before Fujin or Hiruzen could confront him.

Kakashi asked a few Anbu squads to stay behind and secure the building while everyone else dispersed. Fujin's clone and Kakashi returned to Sasuke's room. Fujin's clone looked at the dead bodies and sighed. He muttered, “Four Anbu ninjas died. Such a terrible loss.”

Kakashi nodded and said, “Yeah, that's a pity.”

Fujin's clone checked the Anbu whose face had been surgically modified and asked, “What exactly was Kabuto doing here? Was he really here for Sasuke? Couldn't he have killed or kidnapped him in the time it took to do all this? Orochimaru said that he wanted Sasuke's Sharingans, so Kabuto could have even stolen them during that time.”

A frown appeared on Kakashi's face as he realized, “Yeah, that is strange. I didn't consider that earlier.”

He thought for a bit before answering, “I'm afraid I can't make any sense of what Orochimaru is planning. We need to report it to Lord Hokage as he might have a better idea.”

Fujin's clone nodded and said, “That's true. His mind is so messed up that it is difficult for us to comprehend his thoughts.”

Kakashi involuntarily nodded when he suddenly realized something. He looked at Fujin's clone with a peculiar expression and wondered, ‘Is he implying that Hokage's mind is also messed up?’

Fujin's clone noticed his expression and asked, “What is it?”

Kakashi thought, ‘I guess he only said so because Third taught Orochimaru…”

Kakashi replied, “I was wondering whether you'd be willing to guide Naruto for a month. All three of my students qualified for the finals…”

He turned his gaze towards the sleeping Sasuke and continued, “And considering Sasuke's situation, I'll have to put my entire focus on him. Otherwise, Orochimaru might end up digging his claws into him.”

Fujin's clone raised an eyebrow and asked, “You know a thousand jutsus. Can't you teach the three of them by yourself? Hmm, now that I think about it, Naruto only knows the Great Breakthrough jutsu while Sakura didn't display any jutsu other than the basic academy jutsus. What exactly is your training plan with those three?”