Waves of water splashed down, soaking the ground.
Just before they reached Naruto, an invisible barrier split them apart, diverting the water to either side.
Mei Terumi didn't have such an ability, so she could only dodge among the splashes to keep herself from getting drenched.
"Thank you, little Naruto," Mei waved at him, blowing a kiss. "If not for you, I wouldn't have known I could still communicate with the Three-Tails."
Naruto looked back at her. "Tailed Beasts are surprisingly simple creatures."
"They're like mirrors."
"However you treat them, they'll reflect that same emotion back to you."
Mei was stunned, her memories stirred.
The Fourth Mizukage had never said something like that, but he had expressed a similar sentiment.
Weren't Tailed Beasts just tools?
She fell into thought.
Naruto turned and began walking back toward Kirigakure.
Karin stepped in front of Mei, hands on her hips. "Naruto is only thirteen!"
Mei smiled sweetly, pinching Karin's cheek. "You're such a cute little girl."
Karin glared at her.
Mei waved her hand and pulled her along to catch up with Naruto.
Inner World.
The Nine-Tails' eyes shimmered with a peculiar light.
It was still communicating with the Three-Tails—though more accurately, it was just cursing Isobu, calling it a nosy idiot who talks too much. One less sentence wouldn't have made a difference!
But its emotions weren't as foul as its "nasty mouth."
Naruto and Karin stayed in the Hidden Mist Village for quite some time.
For the first few days, Mei accompanied them closely, acting dutifully as a guide.
But once she confirmed that Naruto posed no danger as long as he wasn't provoked, she handed off the "guide" duties to Chojuro—a blue-haired, bespectacled boy who looked weak but actually had jonin-level chakra.
He was a bit uneasy about this assignment.
After all, he was dealing with someone like Uzumaki Naruto—a powerhouse.
But...
His nerves were unnecessary.
In the days that followed, Naruto rarely left the house. He spent nearly the entire time inside with Karin, studying the contents of a scroll.
The Land of Water had taken quite a few valuable items from Uzushiogakure.
Although the sealing techniques weren't complete, there was a wealth of related knowledge.
There were even some records—though sparse—about the technique Reaper Death Seal (Shiki Fujin), giving them a tiny glimpse into its workings.
What disappointed Naruto and Karin, though...
Was the mention of a sealing technique called the Four Symbols Seal.
It was the technique used to seal the Nine-Tails inside Naruto.
But like the Reaper Death Seal, only fragmented notes were found.
After a month in the Mist Village, they took their leave.
They traveled across the Land of Water, prioritizing visits to shrines and temples.
They had hoped that in a place far from the mainland, there might be signs of actual "gods," but it was no different from the Land of Fire—just legends and rumors.
Eventually, they took a ship back to the Land of Fire, then headed straight for the Land of Rice Fields.
When they met Orochimaru again, his bandages were gone. His body modifications were complete, restoring him to the same appearance he had back when Naruto first saw him in Konoha.
Handsome, but with a face as cold as a snake's. His hands, however, still hung limply at his sides.
"Naruto-kun, long time no see. It's been nearly a year, hasn't it?" Orochimaru's mood had mellowed with time.
"I found some information on the Reaper Death Seal in the Land of Water," Naruto skipped the pleasantries and got straight to the point. "Though it's not the full technique."
"But it should still have some value."
He pulled out a scroll and placed it in front of Orochimaru.
Kabuto opened it.
"Looks like Naruto-kun has been working hard," Orochimaru said softly after reading it. "But I haven't been idle either."
He gave Kabuto a signal.
A scroll was placed on the table.
Naruto unrolled it.
"I've also made some progress during this time," Orochimaru explained gently. "Seeing what you brought back from the Land of Water confirms that my research direction wasn't wrong."
"Do you remember the notes you gave me at the start?"
He paused, then summarized: "The Reaper is an ancient god who formed a contract with the Uzumaki Clan. The user can perform hand seals to summon the Reaper, offering their own soul and their enemy's as sacrifices for it to consume."
He paused again.
"This reminds me of something unpleasant."
"I once had a very disobedient summoning beast."
"Its personality was similar to that of the Reaper—it always demanded living sacrifices every time I summoned it to fight."
Naruto looked up, frowning at him.
"Living sacrifices"—it sounded inherently evil.
"Because of that beast, I began to wonder..." Orochimaru continued, "Even though the seals are different, could this be a special kind of summoning technique? One that summons a special type of spirit?"
"I tried to reverse-engineer it using inverse summoning principles."
"And made some progress."
Naruto read the scroll's contents, then looked up and concluded, "But it didn't work."
He stared at Orochimaru's limp hands—if it had worked, Orochimaru wouldn't have waited for Naruto to show up before restoring his soul.
"Yes, it didn't work," Orochimaru licked his lips, his expression bright but not discouraged. "But it wasn't the technique's fault."
"It's the vessel."
Naruto repeated the word: "Vessel?"
"To make a contract with the Reaper, a proper vessel is needed," Orochimaru continued. "So, to undo the technique, a corresponding vessel is also required."
Naruto spoke, "Which means I need to obtain the contract with the Reaper?"
"I didn't find that in the Land of Water."
"Of course you didn't," Orochimaru shook his head. "Don't forget, the last person to use this technique was my dear teacher—Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage."
"So the contract must be in Konoha," Naruto said coldly, staring at Orochimaru. "Are you trying to provoke me into stealing it from Konoha?"
In the one-and-only perfect version!
Orochimaru licked his lips, eyes gleaming as if in anticipation.
"I'll verify your findings," Naruto said calmly. "I'll be taking this scroll with me."
He was eager to unravel the Reaper Death Seal.
But not at the cost of becoming someone else's pawn.
He formed a seal and stored the scroll away.
Orochimaru let out a raspy laugh: "Naruto-kun still doesn't trust me, huh?"
Suddenly, he brought up another topic: "I heard you've been searching for gods and great yokai lately?"
"You know?" Naruto asked.
Orochimaru shook his head: "It's not a secret."
"Anyone who's been paying attention to you knows that much."
Naruto looked at him thoughtfully: "So, you must have some reliable intel and want to trade it for something?"
"I don't have time to study that stuff myself," Orochimaru shook his head. "I'm not young anymore—there's not enough time to devote to everything."
"But this..."
"Haven't you considered asking the toads of Mount Myoboku?"
Naruto frowned. "The toads of Mount Myoboku?"
"Looks like Jiraiya never told you," Orochimaru sneered. "He's such a careless teacher."
"The toads of Mount Myoboku aren't ordinary toads."
"Jiraiya once told me..."
"The Great Toad Sage of Mount Myoboku has the ability to foresee the future."
Naruto nodded, thinking deeply: "You wouldn't mention this out of the kindness of your heart."
Orochimaru licked his lips, eyes gleaming with desire: "I underestimated the two kotodama (word spirits) you gave me."
"They're truly wonderful things."
"They're simple, yet refined—so much so that I couldn't learn much from them."
He paused.
"I have some information about a holy land on par with Mount Myoboku—Ryuchi Cave."
"The White Snake Sage who resides there doesn't have the Great Toad's foresight, but she's a thousand-year-old monster."
"You might get some useful information out of her."
"Want to make a trade, Naruto-kun?"
Naruto considered it.
Orochimaru casually opened his mouth and spit out a sticky scroll.
"You've already signed a contract with Mount Myoboku, so you can't make another with Ryuchi Cave," Orochimaru said as the scroll landed with a thud on the table. "But that doesn't mean you can't go there."
"It still exists in this world."
"This scroll contains the location."
Naruto asked, "I'll give you at most two more."
"Of course," Orochimaru agreed.
Naruto thought it over.
This time, he gave Orochimaru the spells for Bakudo 8 and 10, recording them in a scroll.
Orochimaru looked satisfied, grinning widely.
Karin took out a long-unused ninja pouch and disinfected the scroll Orochimaru had spit out before storing it.
"A pleasant collaboration. Naruto-kun, won't you stay a while longer?" Orochimaru said gleefully to the departing blonde.
Naruto shook his head and left with Karin.
Kabuto said quietly, "Lord Orochimaru, wasn't that a bit too cheap—trading such valuable intel for just those two spells?"
Orochimaru grinned silently: "Kabuto, you don't understand their true value."
"Just a location for Ryuchi Cave, that's all."
He looked at the scroll on the table.
Those spells...
They didn't just offer the convenience of 'word-based incantation.'
They also contained a certain power.
Though faint—and despite all his research, Orochimaru couldn't enhance it...
"Naruto-kun isn't just strong in body and chakra," Orochimaru said, uttering words Kabuto couldn't quite comprehend, "His soul is powerful too."
(End of Chapter)