"How many days did I not leave my house?"
Even though Monkey's face was hidden behind his mask, Fujin could see how weirded out he was by his question. Monkey could only answer awkwardly, "It has been over 5 days…"
At the same time, he wondered, 'How does he not know how long he was inside? How does one lose track of time while inside their house?'
Fujin's expression didn't change, but he was extremely shocked. He wondered, 'Five fucking days? What the hell?'
For a moment, Fujin thought Monkey was kidding. However, he could see that Monkey was serious. Not to mention, he had never joked with Fujin and always stayed professional.
Fujin wondered, 'If his words are true, how did my body stay up for over 5 days without tiring out? And, why am I still not sleepy or hungry?'
The answer wasn't really hard to understand. Fujin realized, 'I see. Since the chakra I absorbed was strengthening my body, it was equivalent to providing energy to each and every cell in my body. Since it was being continuously fed in another way, my body didn't need any food or even rest.
Incredible… I didn't think Shukaku's chakra would also act like a soldier pill. No, it's even better than a soldier pill as I am not facing any backlash. I wonder if I can use my artificial chakra reserves in the same manner. Though it won't strengthen my body, it could be used to substitute food and rest…'
Even though Fujin had that thought, he didn't dwell too much on it. After all, his artificial chakra reserves took a long time to fill whereas soldier pills were easily available. While it could become a back-up option in case Fujin ran out of soldier pills, Fujin couldn't imagine a situation where he ran out of soldier pills and was somehow still alive.
Fujin turned his thoughts to the more important aspect, 'I didn't think I'd be so engrossed in suppressing and refining Shukaku's chakra that I'd lose track of time to this extent. No wonder I used up nearly a quarter of my artificial chakra reserves.
I need to be very careful if I ever try to refine an entire Tailed Beast. I might just end up refining their chakra while several important events occur. Luckily, the Fourth Great Ninja War can't start if I have a Tailed Beast.'
Fujin answered, "Thank you, I'll go see her."
Fujin flickered while wondering, 'Now then, how do I explain my five days absence?'
Fujin never expected absorbing Shukaku's chakra would take so long. Nor did he expect Orochimaru to make a move during that time. It put him in a rather awkward spot.
Moving slowly on purpose, Fujin took a few minutes to reach the Hokage Building. He thought of several excuses, though he wasn't sure if any were good enough. As he entered the building, Fujin thought, 'It's a good thing I waited until I got all that I wanted from Tsunade before refining Shukaku's chakra. The only things that remain are the forbidden jutsus…'
Tsunade was just about done with her paperwork when Fujin walked into her office. He was slightly surprised to see Hiruzen in the office but didn't find it too odd. On the other hand, Tsunade and Hiruzen were relieved to see Fujin unharmed.
Without wasting any time, Tsunade asked, "You're finally here! What were you doing inside your house for so long and why didn't you answer your door?"
Fujin sighed while faking an exhausted expression, "I was working on a new seal. Since I didn't want to be disturbed, I had activated the seals to prevent any external disturbances. Unfortunately, I got so engrossed in it that I completely lost track of time. Anyway, how's the situation with Orochimaru?"
Ignoring Fujin's question, Hiruzen asked curiously, "Which new seal?"
With a hint of embarrassment on his face, Fujin awkwardly answered, "I'd rather not talk about it for now. It was a complete failure…"
His response intrigued them even more. Tsunade chuckled internally, 'So, even he fails and feels embarrassed. I was starting to think he never associates with such feelings.'
Failure while creating new seals was rather normal. Hiruzen and Tsunade didn't find it odd. While Fujin not answering his door was odd, both knew several Fuinjutsu Grandmasters who would lock themselves up for weeks or even months while working on new seals. Since neither wanted to embarrass Fujin, they dropped the matter.
Tsunade informed Fujin, "Not very good. It's Orochimaru. You know how difficult he's to find."
Fujin thought, 'Lucky!!! They didn't pester me. Acting embarrassed was the right choice!'
Fujin immediately nodded, "Hmm, considering his Fuinjutsu, only Grandmasters can look for him. And due to his strength, most Grandmasters can't go around searching for him. The only ones who can look for him are me, you and Jiraiya-sama. That said, how much has Orochimaru recovered? After he ran away from the Land of Rice, I didn't think he had the strength or the guts to infiltrate Konoha."
Tsunade answered, "He has taken over a new body. His strength has recovered, though not to a great extent. He didn't fight back much against Kakashi and escaped using Reverse Summoning."
Hiruzen added, "However, we can't say for sure. He may have been hiding his strength or was perhaps worried about more reinforcements."
He sighed, "Regardless, I didn't expect him to recover to this extent so quickly."
Fujin frowned, "That is troublesome. Exactly what happened?"
Tsunade informed Fujin about Kakashi's exchange with Orochimaru, including the jutsu he performed. Fujin's frown deepened as he muttered, "I don't understand how he could reverse summon Sasuke… Or rather, make someone else reverse summon him. Doesn't that require consent?"
Tsunade answered, "We aren't sure yet. However, Sasuke was already unconscious when Kakashi and the rest reached there. Orochimaru must have done something before they did, though we aren't sure exactly what he did. It's also possible that he may have just fooled Sasuke…"
Fujin replied, "Hmm, Sasuke ain't that trusting from what I heard. Though it's possible Orochimaru might have threatened him with the lives of the remaining Uchiha kids… Though there is also the curse seal. Could it have played a role?"
Hiruzen answered, "It is a possibility, but we aren't sure since nothing like this happened with Anko. Though, it's possible he just never did it since she didn't interest him any longer."
Fujin nodded, "Regardless, this is troublesome. We need to hunt him down before he recovers any further. Should I go after him?"
Hiruzen shook his head, "No, you'll waste your time and may also be lured into traps. Let Jiraiya handle this. Once he finds Orochimaru, he'll ask for reinforcements. We'll need you to assist him then."
Fujin thought for a few moments before muttering, "Alright. However, I have a feeling it'll be much more complicated…"
Fujin's words made Tsunade and Hiruzen more serious. A hunch of a rank S ninja was never taken lightly. Tsunade asked, "What do you mean?"
Fujin answered, "Don't forget the Edo Tensei jutsu. If he summons some when we ambush him, things won't be easy. On the contrary, it'll be very dangerous."
Hiruzen immediately said, "No. Edo Tensei puts a strain on the summoner's soul. Until he heals his soul, he can't summon rank S ninjas and control them. The most he could summon are his dead subordinates because he won't need to control them."
Fujin replied, "That's good to hear, but there is still the risk of Orochimaru finding ways to heal his soul. Who can say what he has learnt or will learn over the next few months or years? With how quickly and conveniently he can heal his physical injuries, I won't be surprised if he finds ways to heal his soul.
Of course, it'll be the best case scenario if he fails to heal his soul, but we need to be prepared. Orochimaru with his soul healed and another collection of Edo Tensei summons will pose a grave danger to our village. The threat will only increase if he manages to successfully take over Sasuke's body or joins hands with Akatsuki who are looking for Naruto."
Tsunade nodded, agreeing with Fujin's words. She had analyzed the same a couple of days ago. It was just that she was confident Orochimaru won't heal his soul so easily. As such, Konoha still had some time to act. Even so, she thought, 'Not a bad analysis. As expected of someone Sensei wants to become the Hokage. Even at such a young age, his analysis of threats and dangers are on point.'
Unlike her, Hiruzen felt something odd. He thought, 'Fujin's thoughts are on point. However, why do I have this feeling? It's as if…'
Hiruzen suddenly realized what the feeling was. Before he could say anything, Fujin said, "We need to prepare countermeasures for Edo Tensei and any other forbidden techniques we know he knows. I want to study the Edo Tensei jutsu to see if there are any shortcomings in the jutsu. I would also like to have a look at all the other forbidden jutsus he knows, though the Edo Tensei takes precedence due to its threat."
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