*Chapter 217*

After Raijin left Ryuchi Cave, he immediately headed to Shikkotsu Forest.

Tsunade had been to Shikkotsu Forest before, so although Uchiha Raijin's attitude wasn't great, the Slug Sage didn't mind and entrusted him with a tenth of its clone.

The slug split off from its main body and maintained a strong connection to its consciousness, yet these clones could still act independently. Following Raijin to the ocean, it was unclear if they could transmit consciousness over such a great distance. However, at the very least, the slug's Sage Mode chakra and other abilities remained unaffected.

After much back-and-forth, Raijin spent two days traveling between Ryuchi Cave and Shikkotsu Forest. Upon returning to the ninja world, he was surprised to find that the battle between the Marines and Kaido was still ongoing.

Kaido and Charlotte Linlin were fighting fiercely against Sengoku and Shanks and had been battling for two days and two nights without showing any signs of fatigue or slowing down! It was as if they were immortal superhumans with endless stamina.

“How is Konoha doing?” Raijin asked Orochimaru.

“Hehehe, Konoha’s situation isn't good. Without the major clans, it has completely collapsed,” Orochimaru replied with a mischievous smile. “And my former teacher seems to still be hiding his trump cards, not intending to use them. Instead, he ceded territory to the Hidden Cloud Village, and they've already lost the war!”

There was an unmistakable hint of disappointment in Orochimaru's eyes as he spoke of Konoha. After all, he once aspired to become the Hokage of Konoha. But he never imagined that Konoha would deteriorate into such a pitiful state so quickly.

Konoha, which had survived the First, Second, and Third Great Ninja Wars and fought against four nations without falling, was unexpectedly defeated by the Hidden Cloud Village at the very beginning of this conflict. While Uchiha Raijin played a role, much of the blame lay on Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Since Minato Namikaze's era, the number of geniuses in Konoha had dwindled, especially among civilians. Climbing out of civilian status to prominence in Konoha had become almost impossible. Even after six years of learning at the Ninja Academy, the best a genin could hope for was to master one of the Three Basic Jutsu. For civilians, the path upward was completely blocked. How could they rise to the top? Not everyone could possess Minato Namikaze's extraordinary talent!

So, it wasn’t surprising to Orochimaru that Konoha would lose this war. If Konoha had managed to avoid defeat, that would have truly surprised him—perhaps implying that Hiruzen Sarutobi had changed his ways! That would mean there was a chance for Konoha to develop in a better direction.

“Konoha is just like that now,” Raijin scoffed. "It's fallen so far that it shouldn't even be called Konoha anymore—just call it the Sarutobi Clan's territory. At this critical juncture, why keep anything in reserve? Is it all just to deal with the Uchiha Clan?”

“Lord Raijin, regarding your previous instructions to use the Reanimation Jutsu on other people, I've collected quite a few materials this time,” Orochimaru said with a smile. “But unfortunately, the First and Second Hokages have already been reanimated on the battlefield, so for now, I can't summon them. However, Uzumaki Kushina, who hasn’t been summoned before, is ready. I've even managed to summon former Kage from other villages.”

Orochimaru seemed genuinely enthusiastic, as this was a topic that greatly interested him. After all, he had been studying the Reanimation Jutsu for a long time and aimed to perfect the Second Hokage's technique. Unfortunately, an ordinary body couldn't withstand the power of a strong ninja. So, while he could only draw out about 60% of their full strength, it was still much better than before.

“The Second Hokage and Uzumaki Mito have already been captured by me. As for the First Hokage...” Raijin glanced at Orochimaru and said, “I believe I've already warned you not to focus your attention on him, haven’t I?”

It seemed that Orochimaru might be planning something, and it was best to give him a warning.

“Hehehe, I’m no longer interested in the First Hokage’s power!” Orochimaru quickly responded, noticing Raijin’s expression.

He had only wanted to test Raijin to see if there was anything special about the First Hokage. Unfortunately, the Hokage had been summoned by Konoha this time. Maybe next time, he would try again. Despite Raijin’s attempts to conceal it, Orochimaru sensed that the First Hokage possessed an unusual power, reportedly related to the Sage of Six Paths.

How could Orochimaru not be interested in something like that? Of course, it was also a bit of a risk!

“It had better be that way!” Raijin warned.

Raijin crossed his arms, looking calmly at Orochimaru.

If this guy wanted to court death, Raijin wouldn't stop him. But he'd better not try it while he was around.

Orochimaru formed hand signs, and suddenly, the ground beneath them cracked open.

One by one, coffins began to appear in front of Raijin.

Raijin slightly opened one and discovered that it contained none other than Kushina Uzumaki.

Kushina had died at the age of twenty-four, and she had been quite a beauty. Even in her reanimated form, she retained some of her charm. However, Raijin didn't dwell on it and proceeded to check the other coffins.

These were the Kage from the Four Great Ninja Villages!

Orochimaru had dug them all up.

“Awaken them,” Raijin ordered. He sensed that their souls were not yet connected to their bodies—they were still asleep in the netherworld!

“Yes!” Orochimaru made a hand sign, and in an instant, seven or eight coffins in front of him sprang open.

These dead individuals did not possess Hashirama cells, so they couldn't resist Orochimaru's control over their bodies. They were completely at his mercy!

With a swift motion, Raijin extracted the souls of three of them.

“This is the despicable Ninjutsu of Tobirama Senju, isn't it? I never thought it would be used on me,” the Second Tsuchikage muttered, watching Raijin approach him with a mix of helplessness and resignation.

Though he didn't know why they were summoned, it was clear they were like lambs to the slaughter.

“What about Konoha, Orochimaru? Where is Naruto?” Kushina Uzumaki, unable to move her body, didn’t hold back her words. She directly questioned Orochimaru about Naruto Uzumaki.

She didn’t see Minato around, nor did she sense his chakra. Her first concern was Naruto Uzumaki. She didn’t know how much time had passed, how much Naruto had grown, whether he was eating well, or if he had made many friends. These were the things she desperately wanted to know.

“Kushina, after all this time, I didn't expect your first thought wouldn’t be to say hello to me,” Orochimaru said with a grin.

“I’ve always hated you, you creepy guy, and that perverted Jiraiya too,” Kushina replied, pouting.

Clearly, she wasn’t one to hide her feelings and openly complained to Orochimaru. These two together made her want to keep her distance. She was always worried Jiraiya would corrupt Minato, but Jiraiya was, after all, Minato's teacher. Their bond couldn’t easily be severed.

Orochimaru, on the other hand, wasn’t as bad—at least he didn't have any bad habits. However, he always seemed so sinister, like he wasn’t a good person.

“Hehehe,” Orochimaru chuckled. To be described like this in Konoha wasn’t too bad; after all, they used to call him a deranged monster.

Seeing Kushina now reminded Orochimaru of Tsunade. The two shared such similar personalities. Unfortunately, neither had a very good fate. Tsunade had lost all her loved ones, while Kushina had died young, and her son suffered inhuman treatment in the village.

“Where is Naruto? This place doesn’t look like Konoha. Did you actually master the Second Hokage’s technique?” Kushina looked at Orochimaru with a glimmer of hope in her eyes.

She noticed that Orochimaru wasn’t wearing a Konoha ninja uniform, so she thought perhaps this wasn’t during a time of war. But why did the sinister aura around Orochimaru seem even stronger?

“Of course, this isn’t Konoha. Konoha has changed a lot over the years. I’ve long left that decaying village,” Orochimaru replied. “As for your son Naruto, you should be asking him rather than me. After all, I haven’t been in close contact with your son.”

Orochimaru shrugged, showing a more approachable side when not in research mode. In Konoha, he always appeared aloof, but deep down, he once had a fiery passion. Konoha, however, wasn’t the right place for his ambitions!

“Him? The Uchiha Clan?” Kushina’s eyes widened, surprised to see a member of the Uchiha Clan. Though the relationship between the Uchiha Clan and the village wasn’t great, she had a good friendship with Mikoto Uchiha. It wasn’t just for political reasons; she genuinely liked Mikoto as a person. At the very least, Mikoto had warned her about how painful childbirth would be.

“Lady Kushina! Long time no see. I am Uchiha Raijin, the current head of the Uchiha Clan,” Raijin said, glancing at Kushina Uzumaki.

Suddenly, he plunged his hand into the Tsuchikage's body, extracting his soul and merging it with his Mangekyo Sharingan. He could feel his Mangekyo Sharingan growing stronger. As expected, the soul of one Kage was worth more than those of ten thousand genin. These Kages' souls were like nourishment for him.

“Current head of the clan!” Kushina's expression changed upon realizing that Raijin wasn’t wearing any Konoha insignia either. Given that the Uchiha Clan’s relationship with Konoha was already strained when she and Minato left, she immediately thought of rebellion!

Back then, Minato had acted as a mediator between Konoha and the Uchiha Clan, and her friendship with Mikoto had indeed warmed relations. But after Minato's untimely death, who knew what had happened to Konoha?

“It seems you’ve already figured out some things,” Raijin said, with a different tone in his voice as he looked at Kushina. She wasn’t just a pretty face; her intuition was quite sharp.

“Has there been an internal conflict in Konoha?” Kushina asked tentatively.

“Yes, Konoha could no longer accommodate the Uchiha Clan!” Raijin nodded. “The Uchiha Clan has left Konoha and found a much better environment.”

Raijin wasn’t hiding anything, and the other reanimated individuals were all listening closely. In their time, they most feared the Senju and Uchiha Clans within Konoha. Now, hearing that the Uchiha Clan had left Konoha, they began considering recruiting them. After all, the Uchiha Clan's formidable power would be a tremendous blow to Konoha.

“So why did Orochimaru tell me to ask you about Naruto?” Kushina's expression soured, feeling like she’d fallen into a trap. As for the rest of the Uchiha, there was no need to ask—they were likely all dead. Otherwise, how could this young man become the clan leader?

“Naruto? Naruto is doing quite well. Back in Konoha, he was treated like an animal! But now, he has found a family and has a home. He even has more than ten brothers and sisters! He certainly won’t be lacking in love from now on,” Raijin said with a smirk.

Naruto's current situation was indeed much better than before. Compared to the past, it was like moving from hell to heaven.

“???” Kushina's eyes widened in disbelief at Raijin's words. Naruto being treated like an animal in Konoha? How could that be? Minato had been a hero who saved the village! Even without them, the money they left behind should have been more than enough for Naruto to live a comfortable life in Konoha. And he should have gained widespread respect. The love that a jinchuriki lacked from their relatives could easily be replaced by the love of friends.

But everything was completely different from what she had imagined. Kushina stood there, stunned, not knowing what to say.

She never expected this young Uchiha to deliver such shocking news. After all, their relationship wasn’t exactly bad; they’d dined together several times when Raijin and Kakashi had come over. He had no reason to lie to her about this.

“If you don’t believe me, I’ll show you,” Raijin said, his Mangekyo Sharingan appearing as he locked eyes with Kushina, revealing to her all the scenes he had witnessed in Konoha concerning Naruto Uzumaki.

While Kushina was lost in the illusion, Raijin continued extracting the souls of the remaining individuals. Watching this, Orochimaru was both shocked and frightened, fearing that Raijin, not fully satisfied, might decide to extract his soul next. After all, Raijin still had a powerful intimidating effect on him.