Naruto: Echoes of a Distant Home

The last time Orochimaru reincarnated Dan Kato with the Impure World Reincarnation, Kato's intense emotions caused him to lose control. This time, Ye Zi wanted to test if his reincarnated Yagura would behave similarly.

According to Orochimaru, Hashirama's cells theoretically strengthen the binding force of the Impure World Reincarnation technique.

But theory is just that, only practice can confirm it. So Ye Zi deliberately taunted Yagura to stir up his emotions.

"There are quite a few Mist ninja headed here, aiming to rescue you, of course."

Ye Zi's cold expression remained as he spoke. "Wouldn't it be interesting if I sent you to block them? That's the whole reason I brought you back—to see the looks on the Mist ninja's faces as they fall to your hands."

Each word was like a knife, slicing through Yagura's mind. His lifeless eyes couldn't show any clear emotion, but Ye Zi knew that Yagura must be seething with rage.

"I will… I will kill you!"

Yagura's anger erupted in words like a volcano, the thought of Ye Zi controlling him to attack his own comrades fueling his fury like gasoline on fire.

He tried to raise his arm to strike Ye Zi with his Coral Palm, but his body wouldn't move as though paralyzed, making it feel as if he didn't own his body at all.

"Damn it, damn it! What have you done to me?"

Yagura's tone was filled with fury, though his face remained expressionless.

Seeing Yagura's rage and helplessness, Ye Zi sneered. His version of the Impure World Reincarnation differed from Orochimaru's; even without erasing the personality, he could maintain perfect control without fearing a loss of control due to emotions.

Beyond confirming the binding strength, he had another thought he wanted to test.

"No matter how angry you get, it won't change the fact that you're just a tool now. When we meet again, you'll serve me well, Yagura…"

Satisfied that the binding held firm, Ye Zi saw no reason to continue listening to Yagura's angry words and promptly erased Yagura's personality, reducing him to a complete puppet.

With his consciousness wiped, Yagura stood still, like a living corpse.

Ye Zi stepped out of the wooden shelter, commanding Yagura to follow, then issued an order to have him begin the first phase of Tailed Beast transformation, which would cover his body in Tailed Beast chakra.

But Yagura remained still in the cold rain.

"So, it seems that even if the Impure World Reincarnation can preserve the state before death, Tailed Beast transformation requires the Tailed Beast's chakra," Ye Zi muttered to himself, somewhat disappointed.

In theory, if Madara were summoned using the Impure World Reincarnation, even if his Rinnegan had been given to someone else before his death, he'd still retain it in reincarnation. But Tailed Beasts couldn't be replicated in this way.

With his theory confirmed, Ye Zi summoned a coffin, sealing Yagura inside before it sank into the ground, ready to be summoned whenever needed.

Even though Mist was now attacking, Ye Zi wouldn't hastily use Yagura as a card to play.

A mere Mist squad, without alliances with other villages, would be no match for him alone, even if the other Akatsuki members couldn't arrive in time.

According to White Zetsu's intelligence, the Mist forces would likely reach the Land of Rain before the other Akatsuki core members returned. What they planned to do, however, was unknown.

Having confirmed all he needed to, Ye Zi destroyed the rain shelter and returned to the Rain Village.

The control seals and summoning scrolls, these all needed to be prepared ahead of time. Later, White Zetsu would gather intelligence on strong individuals, with his clones as living sacrifices. He could store them in coffins in summoning space, just like Yagura.

After gathering enough reincarnation bodies, he would experiment with how many he could control. If limited, he would choose only the strongest reincarnated bodies.

Thanks to White Zetsu, gathering the necessary tissue from strong shinobi wouldn't be difficult.

"The Impure World Reincarnation… truly a peerless jutsu," Ye Zi murmured, disappearing into the rain. The shinobi world's history was filled with powerful figures who now rested in darkness, but this technique allowed them to be summoned and fully utilized.

The Kage-level shinobi of each village, the legendary figures of history—while their resurrected forms might not retain full strength, the technique's value was immeasurable.

With this jutsu, one person could easily take on an entire shinobi village without lifting a finger, executing high-risk missions from a safe distance.

Considering its benefits, calling the Impure World Reincarnation the strongest jutsu was fitting.

At least, that was what Ye Zi believed. The idea of reincarnating legendary shinobi from each village excited him.

This jutsu… would be his trump card against the entire shinobi world.

Choosing to rescue Orochimaru and cooperate with him had been a wise decision.

And perhaps it was also fortunate that the first person he'd met in this world was Orochimaru…

After returning to the Rain Village, Ye Zi found a place to eat quickly, then returned to his room to rest, awaiting Nagato's orders.

The next day, White Zetsu arrived before the other Akatsuki members. As soon as he returned, he sought out Ye Zi.

"The Mist ninja have crossed the border of the Land of Rain and are headed this way," White Zetsu said, perched on the corner wall of the room.

"They've come. Let's go see Nagato," Ye Zi said, looking at the rain-soaked streets outside. Only White Zetsu had arrived, and the other members were still missing. With Mist's forces already here, they'd see if Nagato wanted to face them himself or have Ye Zi handle it.

"Let's go."

He turned and headed for the door.

White Zetsu chuckled quietly before merging into the wall and vanishing.

The two met in the room atop the tower, where Nagato was alone. Konan was unusually absent.

Seeing Ye Zi and White Zetsu enter together, a flash of surprise crossed Nagato's eyes, though he maintained his composure.

White Zetsu spoke first, "The Mist shinobi are now inside the Land of Rain, heading this way."

"They're already here, huh."

A thoughtful look crossed Nagato's face. Mist arriving first was expected, and with Sand and Konoha not yet posing a direct threat to the Rain Village, he had the space to deal with Mist first.

To make a statement, some Mist shinobi would need to be allowed to return with a message, but they would also need to experience a devastating show of power.

Revealing a bit of information was inconsequential; they'd already captured Mist's Tailed Beast, so there was no need to target Mist again. This time, he would teach them a lesson that would crush any further ambitions.

"This time, I'll take care of it myself," Nagato said, looking at Ye Zi and White Zetsu, calmly deciding.

To deliver a thunderous message, he didn't believe Ye Zi would be sufficient. With the power of the Six Paths, he no longer saw Ye Zi as a threat.

Ye Zi remained silent, though inwardly he felt a surge of joy. He'd been waiting a long time for this, the chance to see Nagato's power, which he'd kept hidden.

He had only seen Nagato in action twice: once when he summoned the Gedo Statue to perform a spiritual attack, and once in his brief fight against Hanzo.

This time, against so many elite Mist shinobi, he would finally get a clearer sense of Nagato's capabilities, even if not all of his abilities were revealed.

Gathering intel on Nagato's powers would make him easier to oppose in the future.

"Let me witness the power of the Rinnegan," Ye Zi thought to himself.

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