"Lord Orochimaru, this is a Sand Ninja." More people arrived to support, and after taking care of the three Jonin, one of them cleared the battlefield and brought a forehead protector to Orochimaru, which belonged to the ninja he had just killed.
Orochimaru glanced at the forehead protector in the man's hand, not dwelling on why a Sand Ninja would be on the battlefield. His face was smeared with blood, his ninja attire stained red. The blood was not his; it belonged to the three Jonin.
"Lord Orochimaru..."
An enraged Orochimaru was terrifying, and those three Jonin were simply unlucky.
Orochimaru felt a sense of disorientation. Hearing the calls, his eyes cleared slightly, and he rasped, "Clear the battlefield, maintain vigilance, and we'll discuss everything else after the battle."
Regardless, they had to win the fight against the Hidden Rain Village first. From the presence of one or two Sand Ninjas, it seemed the Sand Village had not yet reached the main battlefield; these were merely scouts to gather intelligence. It was a shame about Nawaki.
Thinking of Nawaki, Orochimaru's expression turned sorrowful. He didn't know how he would face Tsunade. Although this was war and death was inevitable, and it wasn't his fault Nawaki died, what if? What if he had been more cautious, stronger, this might not have happened.
Blood dripped from his tightly clenched fist. Then, he suddenly relaxed his grip, his face regaining its composure, though his expression became even colder. He carefully stored Nawaki's body and rushed to other battlefronts.
...
At night, Lin Yu, who had had a day of bad luck in the Land of Rain, returned to the camp alone, having gained nothing.
As soon as he reached the camp, Lin Yu saw a figure flying towards him. He quickly dodged to the side, and the figure crashed into a thick branch with a "boom," shattering it and knocking the person unconscious on the ground.
The figure slowly fell. Lin Yu took a look. Jiraiya? That explained it. It must be this guy who had angered Tsunade again.
Before Lin Yu could take a few steps, "Boom!" Another figure flew towards him. Damn it, was this never going to end? Lin Yu reached out and caught the figure. The immense momentum forced him to retreat dozens of steps to dissipate the force. He wondered in surprise what had happened to make Tsunade so angry.
Lin Yu felt a flicker of curiosity. He glanced at the person he had caught. Holy hell, it was Orochimaru!
Could it be that Dan Kato had died? That must be it. But why would Jiraiya be the first one to be sent flying out?
"Hm? Lin Yu-kun?" Orochimaru, realizing he had been caught, turned his head. His usually cold face showed a rare hint of melancholy.
"Lord Orochimaru, why are you with Lord Jiraiya..."
"Nawaki is dead, due to my negligence," Orochimaru said without any emotion. He then patted his clothes and walked back inside.
Although he had already guessed this outcome, Lin Yu still felt a pang of sadness. He had met Nawaki once, and they had no real connection. What worried him was Tsunade.
Due to Uzumaki Lin Yu's butterfly effect, Tsunade and Dan Kato were not lovers now, merely ordinary friends at best. Thus, Tsunade, losing Nawaki, had lost one of her only two closest relatives. Her grandmother, Uzumaki Mito, who was also nearing her end, was about to pass away.
Tsunade had lost almost all her family. In the original story, she had even developed hemophobia because of it. Lin Yu did not want Tsunade in this life to repeat the same fate; he had very good feelings for Tsunade.
He followed Orochimaru into the tent, ignoring Jiraiya, who was spinning in circles with his eyes. That guy was definitely a loose cannon; he deserved to be beaten.
A white cloth covered Nawaki's small body, revealing a pale, youthful face. Nawaki, only two years older than Lin Yu, was already a Genin on the battlefield. Lin Yu was a cheat and couldn't be compared. Those of similar age, like Akimichi Choza and Nara Shikaku, were still attending the Ninja Academy.
Graduating from the Ninja Academy at 12 was just passable, not comparable to Kakashi, who would later graduate at 5 and become a Chunin at 6. Despite being from the Senju clan, Nawaki's talent was truly average.
Tsunade sat quietly nearby, tear streaks clearly visible on her face. Her swollen eyes stared blankly at Nawaki. Her grief had been vented, her tears had dried up, leaving only a profound numbness.
Not long ago, she had forcefully repelled the Hidden Rain ninjas and returned to the camp with great pride to report. Then she saw Orochimaru coldly inform her that Nawaki had died in battle. Instantly, the joy of victory vanished. Tsunade, enraged and disbelieving, rushed into the camp. Only when she saw Nawaki's body covered with a white cloth lying on a rack did Tsunade's tears flow silently.
Just then, Jiraiya, who had walked in carelessly, appeared. Not noticing Tsunade's expression, he grinned and said, "Tsunade, after this war, want to go on a date with me?"
"Boom!" A fist slowly grew larger in Jiraiya's eye. Then Jiraiya only felt his body flying through the air, along with two of his front teeth.
"I apologize, I couldn't stop him," Orochimaru said, lifting the curtain and entering. He looked at Nawaki's body and apologized, "I'm sorry, I failed to protect Nawaki."
"Boom!" Orochimaru did not resist and flew out, following Jiraiya.
Tsunade understood that it wasn't entirely Orochimaru's fault, for this was a battlefield, and no one could predict what would happen. Just like when the three of them faced Sansho-o Hanzō, if Lin Yu hadn't suddenly appeared, she would have been the one lying there now.
But she couldn't help it; this was her own brother, her closest relative!
Her grief was beyond words. Lin Yu didn't know how to comfort her. If he had lost Kushina, he would have flayed the enemy alive and then... then used Rinne Rebirth to revive Kushina.
That's right! Gedō: Rinne Tensei no Jutsu, a unique kekkei genkai of the Rinnegan, could summon the souls of the dead from the Pure Land and resurrect them, provided their bodies were intact.
With this thought, Lin Yu stepped forward, lifted the white cloth, and felt Nawaki's body. Fortunately, his body was complete, not hollowed out like in the original story. His injuries had also healed, clearly the work of Tsunade.
Tsunade stared blankly at Lin Yu, remaining silent. Although Lin Yu was a skilled healer, he wasn't as good as her, and certainly didn't know the resurrection jutsu. However, a spark of hope appeared in her eyes, tinged with anticipation.
Lin Yu looked at Tsunade's weak gaze, filled with a mix of grief and anticipation. After a pause, he decided not to conceal it. To truly revive someone, besides Rinne Tensei no Jutsu, there was also Chiyo's Katsuyu's Ikigai Tensei and Grass Village's Kusa Hana faction's Long She's kekkei genkai, "Ryūmei Tensei," both of which involved the caster sacrificing their own life to save the deceased.
As for the latter two, the first, even if Chiyo had fully developed it, it was unlikely to save a Leaf ninja. As for the latter, Long She, she wasn't even born yet.
Therefore, Lin Yu planned to reveal the secret of the Rinnegan, and he had his own motives.
"Tsunade, it's not impossible to save Nawaki, but the method is very difficult."
Hearing Lin Yu's words, Tsunade's expression became agitated. She immediately grabbed Lin Yu's shoulders and shook him violently, babbling incoherently, "Lin Yu, what are you saying? Nawaki can still be saved? What's the method? Tell me quickly, Nawaki... *sob sob sob*."
Towards the end, Tsunade couldn't help but cry again, her beautiful eyes red as she stared at Lin Yu, afraid he would say it was just a joke. She couldn't bear such a blow.
Orochimaru's pupils constricted upon hearing Lin Yu's words. Did such a resurrection jutsu truly exist? He remained silent, standing to the side, gazing deeply at Lin Yu. Lin Yu was becoming more and more interesting to him.
Lin Yu raised his hand, grasping Tsunade's fair and delicate arm to stop her movement. He said helplessly, "There is a jutsu that can revive the dead. I saw it in ancient texts. It is said that those who possess the eyes of the Sage of Six Paths can perform a ninjutsu called Rinne Tensei no Jutsu, which can recall the souls of the departed from the Pure Land and bring them back to life. These eyes are called the 'Rinnegan'!"
"Sage of Six Paths, Rinne Tensei, Rinnegan..." Tsunade murmured, her pale lips slightly parted. "Then who possesses the Rinnegan?"
"I don't know. The ancient texts only mentioned this much." Tsunade heard this and was filled with disappointment. The Sage of Six Paths was a legendary figure; whether he existed was debatable. The Rinnegan... the light in her eyes gradually extinguished.
Seeing Tsunade about to fall into despair again, Lin Yu gritted his teeth. "When I was in the Land of Uzumaki, I met someone. His eyes seemed to be the legendary Rinnegan. However, I was very young then, and I don't remember his appearance."
"Really, Lin Yu? You really saw someone with the Rinnegan!" After Lin Yu's confirmation, Tsunade was filled with renewed determination. She glanced at Nawaki lying on the ground and silently vowed, *Nawaki, wait for your sister. Your sister will definitely find the person with the Rinnegan to revive you!*
Lin Yu did not mention the cost of performing Rinne Tensei no Jutsu, otherwise Tsunade would have been discouraged again. Who would be willing to sacrifice their own life to save a stranger? Not everyone was like Naruto, with his "talk no jutsu"!