Naruto: Echoes of a Distant Home

When the Second Hokage invented the Impure World Reincarnation, his motives were unclear, but the forbidden technique itself is undoubtedly inhumane, disrespecting death, manipulating the deceased, and even impacting the world of the living.

The existence of this jutsu can already disturb the balance between the living world and the Pure Land.

However, Ye Zi wasn't concerned with such matters. What he valued were the advantages the Impure World Reincarnation could bring him, which was why he welcomed the elite forces of the three major villages with such excitement.

This wasn't a large-scale war but a small-scale clash of elites. From the perspective of Akatsuki's core members, their numbers were barely enough to fend off these opponents. Only by including the lower-level Akatsuki members and the Rain Village's elite could they truly put up a fight.

Nagato briefly reviewed the information, though he lacked Ye Zi's photographic memory. After finishing, he put away the scroll, looking thoughtful.

Akatsuki's actions were bound to provoke retaliation, as expected. The next step would be to decide on their response, and it might be an opportune moment to send someone to capture the One-Tail from Sand Village.

If they were at a disadvantage, Nagato himself might have to step in.

Nagato raised his eyes, handed the scroll to Konan, and said, "Make several copies of this, and gather everyone here afterward."

"Understood," Konan replied, taking the scroll.

Then, Nagato turned to Ye Zi and White Zetsu, saying calmly, "We'll discuss our response once everyone is here. White Zetsu, return here as soon as possible."

In this situation, formal titles were unnecessary; facing the actions of the three major villages required a direct confrontation. To make a statement, they needed to show Akatsuki's strength.

A decisive response was necessary—and it had to be a resounding victory.

"Got it." White Zetsu chuckled and disappeared in a flash.

With everyone gathering in the Rain Village, Ye Zi wouldn't need to look for White Zetsu later.

Looking at Nagato, he said, "This time, you'll need to take action yourself."

Facing so many formidable opponents, Ye Zi wasn't willing to use his trump cards lightly, so he needed Nagato to help bear the burden.

Nagato's Rinnegan, with its rippling circles, showed no emotion. After a pause, he said, "Naturally."

To showcase Akatsuki's might, he would likely have to step in, though he didn't see the need to summon all Six Paths of Pain; he alone should be enough.

Since becoming a shinobi, he'd rarely encountered truly dangerous situations. One exception was an ambush where he was prepared to sacrifice himself to save Konan.

If it hadn't been for Ye Zi's crucial jutsu at that time, Hanzo's Fire Release would have likely crippled his legs.

"When everyone's here, let me know," Ye Zi said, turning to leave. As he walked away, a slight smile appeared on his lips. The path he was on wouldn't stop; it would only get faster.

As Ye Zi departed, Konan looked at Nagato. "Are you ready to expose the Six Paths of Pain?"

"We're not at that stage yet," Nagato replied calmly, extending his right hand and slowly clenching it into a fist. "With my abilities, these people aren't a threat."

The Six Paths of Pain, six powers derived from his own body, could also be used directly by his original body, forming the most powerful Six Paths when combined.

In other words, him and the Six Paths together would be unstoppable.

Ever since mastering these abilities, Nagato believed himself to be invincible. Even using just the Six Paths alone, he felt he could not be defeated.

This absolute confidence came from his mastery over the Six Paths abilities, so he had no intention of bringing the Six Paths of Pain to this battle.

Konan, who knew Nagato better than anyone, didn't see his words as arrogance.

Seeing Nagato grow to this level of strength only reassured her. Even the subtle unease Ye Zi brought her was gradually fading.

As Nagato said, regardless of Ye Zi's intentions, he had the power to subdue anything.

Leaving the room, Ye Zi returned to his quarters and silently observed the scene in Rain Village. After a moment, he activated his sensory ability to confirm that there was no one nearby, then took out the scroll Orochimaru had given him.

The Impure World Reincarnation… He hadn't had a chance to examine it or test it since acquiring it.

He unrolled the scroll and read it carefully. Orochimaru's improvements and notes were presented in the simplest terms, making it easy for Ye Zi to understand.

As he read, each word sinking into his mind, his eyes grew brighter with excitement as the potential of this forbidden jutsu exceeded his expectations.

A low, sinister laugh escaped him, reminiscent of Orochimaru.

Ye Zi's eyes gleamed with excitement as he clenched the scroll. He would need to test the Impure World Reincarnation soon and see how many he could control.

"Orochimaru, you really are something."

Ye Zi put the scroll away, having committed all the important points to memory in that short time.

The Impure World Reincarnation was essentially a technique without weaknesses—or if it had any, they were negligible.

Ye Zi let out a cold chuckle. Before everyone gathered, he needed to find a place to experiment, pass on some instructions to White Zetsu, and arrange for Orochimaru to be tracked closely.

Just after reading the technique, Ye Zi's excitement was still high. Driven by this energy, he donned rain gear, opened the door, and stepped outside.

He needed a live sacrifice, but it would have to be someone outside the Rain Village.

Leaving the building, he disappeared into the rain, heading toward the outskirts of the village.

Soon, he had left Rain Village and randomly chose a direction, sprinting while activating his sensory abilities.

His choice of direction was arbitrary, purely a matter of luck. He wasn't sure if he'd find a suitable shinobi to use as a sacrifice.

After wandering for about half an hour, he sensed two individuals in range.

"Found them."

Ye Zi muttered to himself with a blank expression and moved toward the targets. Soon, he saw two shinobi with Rain headbands in the distance.

One was younger, the other older. Both looked tired, likely returning from a mission.

In a flash, Ye Zi appeared before them.

The two Rain shinobi were startled and quickly drew their kunai, assuming defensive stances.

"Hm? It's Lord Ye Zi." Recognizing him, the two Rain shinobi relaxed slightly.

The younger one put away his kunai with a wry smile. "You scared us."

The older one also put away his kunai and was about to ask Ye Zi what he wanted when his expression froze.

"Uh?" The older Rain shinobi stared at Ye Zi in disbelief.

Ye Zi's hand had pierced his heart.

Without expression, Ye Zi withdrew his arm, letting the blood splatter as the older shinobi fell to the ground, dead. The younger one stared in shock, his eyes wide.

Ye Zi glanced at him, then in a flash moved behind the younger shinobi and struck him at the neck, knocking him unconscious.

Looking at the unconscious and dead Rain shinobi on the ground, Ye Zi remained expressionless. He formed a seal with one hand, using Earth Release to bury the older shinobi, then lifted the unconscious younger one, heading toward a secluded forest.

With a living sacrifice secured, he now needed to find a rarely traveled area.

He planned to resurrect Yagura and Roshi for now, storing them away until he had more time to use White Zetsu clones as sacrifices.

According to the scroll, those revived by the Impure World Reincarnation could be stored in summoning spaces and summoned directly when needed, without much chakra expenditure.

This was one of the forbidden technique's most convenient aspects. However, the number of controlled reanimations and the strength of each one depended on the caster's abilities.

Even he, without testing, couldn't be sure how many reanimations he could control or if he could manage powerful ones.

All of this needed to be tested one by one.

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Currently on Chapter 348 - Sealing A Tailed Beast and White Zetsu's Memories