Naruto: Cthulhu: Ch. 255

"Lady Tsunade! An urgent message has arrived from Kusa!" In the Hokage's office, Shizune barged in without even knocking, immediately reporting the contents of the emergency message to Tsunade.

"Hōzuki Castle was attacked by a large number of ninja yesterday. The prison has been completely overrun, and the warden, Mui, has been seriously injured!"

The report made Tsunade stop her pen mid-document review and look up immediately. "Do we know who did it?"

"Yes..." Shizune hesitated when she saw the name.

"Speak!"

Tsunade's commanding tone made Shizune drop her hesitation and say the name of the leader of the attackers.

"It was Orochimaru!"

Just hearing the simple name Orochimaru made Tsunade's heart skip a beat.

In truth, Tsunade shouldn't have been so surprised. During previous talks with Suna, she had already heard from Gaara that Orochimaru was still alive.

But back then, Tsunade still held onto a sliver of hope that the information was false—perhaps someone was impersonating Orochimaru, or it was just a ploy to incite panic.

However, with this second confirmation from Kusa, Tsunade no longer doubted it.

Orochimaru had truly "returned."

Or rather, he had never died to begin with.

Although she wasn't directly involved in the events of the Chunin Exams, her later review of the relevant files revealed a suspicious detail.

At the very end, Danzō had left final words with Torune, claiming that everything was part of Orochimaru's plan.

Although Danzō hadn't had time to explain the full details, the implication was clear: if it was all Orochimaru's scheme, then he may have faked his death as early as then.

What method he used to escape Danzō's "Reverse Four Symbols Sealing" was unknown to Tsunade.

Of course, she had shared the possibility of Orochimaru's survival with Jiraiya.

Originally, Jiraiya's three-year training journey with Naruto was nearly at its end, and he had planned to return to Konoha soon.

But after learning of this development, Jiraiya changed course and decided to search the Demon Desert, where Orochimaru had previously appeared during the Chunin Exams in Suna.

According to Jiraiya's analysis, if Orochimaru was indeed alive—or had been resurrected—then by his nature, he would have remained in hiding.

For him to suddenly reappear must mean he had a compelling reason.

So Jiraiya went to the Demon Desert to find out what had driven Orochimaru into the open.

As for Naruto, coincidentally or not, he happened to see Tsunade's message as well and thus learned of Orochimaru's possible resurrection.

Naruto couldn't explain why, but he strongly believed that Sasuke, who had left Konoha after the Chunin Exams, was with Orochimaru. So he insisted on going with Jiraiya.

As a result, their return to the village would be delayed. Most likely, they were currently searching the Demon Desert for clues left behind by Orochimaru.

Back to the present, after calming herself, Tsunade immediately asked:
"How many prisoners escaped from Hōzuki Castle during the attack?"

"According to the message from Kusa, not a single prisoner escaped or was taken."

"What?"

Shizune's words confused Tsunade.

Normally, the point of attacking a prison would be to free inmates—especially since Hōzuki Castle didn't hold ordinary criminals, but ninja offenders from various villages. Given Orochimaru's personality, wouldn't he be targeting those prisoners?

At that moment, a light flashed in Tsunade's eyes—she had thought of something.

"Could it be... that?"

"Lady Tsunade, what are you thinking of?" Shizune asked from the side.

Tsunade walked over to the window and said slowly. "Long ago, in the era of the Sage of Six Paths, Kusa possessed something known as the Box of Ultimate Bliss. It was said to grant any wish. Kusa almost took over the world thanks to it. But for nearly a hundred years, the Box of Ultimate Bliss hasn't appeared. Most likely, Kusa hid it. And if it wasn't hidden within the easily guessed Kusa, then the highly guarded Hōzuki Castle is the more likely location. So, did the emergency message mention any other losses?"

"Hmm..." Shizune looked back over the report carefully, then shook her head. "No prisoners escaped, but one prisoner apparently went insane for unknown reasons. Other than that, no losses were reported."

"Then it must be the Box of Ultimate Bliss that was taken. That had to be Orochimaru's true objective."

"But why?"

"Orochimaru never does anything without purpose. The only thing in Hōzuki Castle aside from ninja prisoners that could interest him would be the Box of Ultimate Bliss. And the secret of that box has always been a taboo in Kusa. Even their allied village, Konoha, was never informed. So the lack of reported losses actually confirms it—the box was taken. This is a serious matter. I must contact the Kusa leader myself. The Box of Ultimate Bliss is an extremely dangerous ninja tool said to be left behind by the Sage of Six Paths. Orochimaru suddenly becoming interested in it could mean he discovered something new about it during his years in hiding. It's even possible that his appearance in the Demon Desert was connected to this incident."

Tsunade, ever decisive, explained all this to Shizune while already writing a letter to the Kusa leader about the box.

But just as she was writing, a rapid knock came from outside the door. "Come in!"

The door to the Hokage's office opened, revealing a regular communications ninja.

"We've just received word from the Land of Demons, the demon Mōryō that was sealed in the underground palace has been resurrected! A ghost army created by him has begun an invasion. The Land of Demons requests Konoha's assistance in dealing with the threat!"

Upon hearing the report, Tsunade was so shocked that her pen fell to the ground.

"What?! Mōryō's been resurrected too?"

The messenger ninja didn't understand why Tsunade emphasized the word too. But in Tsunade's mind, first confirmation of Orochimaru's return, and now Mōryō's resurrection as well.

Was today Resurrection Day or something?

"Emergency assembly! All ninjas, cancel your leave and report to the Hokage building immediately!"

"Yes!"

"Yes!"

---

At the entrance of the Gekkō Dojo, a ninja quickly delivered the message to the Gekkō clan and then disappeared, leaving only Kagami and Haku behind, staring at each other.

"Kagami-nii, the village is suddenly summoning so many ninjas… Are we going to war?"

"Probably not. Maybe it's something else. But no matter what happens, as long as Hayate-nii isn't in the village, we can't let him down. Right?"

"Yeah, you're right."

The two quickly suited up in their ninja gear and headed toward the Hokage building.

As the brothers rushed across the rooftops, they saw other ninjas from every corner of Konoha converging toward the Hokage building as well. Some squads had clearly already received their missions and were heading toward the village gates.

The tense atmosphere throughout the village put the Gekkō brothers on high alert. They didn't exchange a single word on the way.

By the time they arrived on the roof of the Hokage building, many Konoha ninjas had already gathered there.

Just as Kagami and Haku were standing unsure of what to do, a voice called out to them.

"Kagami, Haku—over here!"

They turned to see the ever-energetic Guy, standing next to Kakashi, who was holding a list. They rushed over, and as they arrived, Haku asked:

"Kakashi-senpai, why has the village suddenly summoned so many ninjas? What's going on?"

Haku had originally been brought to Konoha by Kagami from Kiri. He had entered the Ninja Academy two years later than Naruto's Team 7, which was led by Kakashi.

However, after three years, he had advanced from chunin to special jonin. As for Hayate, he had officially become a jonin leader this year, now responsible for leading his own genin team. Being a jonin leader made his duties more intense, and when he wasn't on missions, he had to guide his team in training. This time, Hayate was away on a mission with his team, so he wasn't in the village.

That meant among the three Gekkō brothers, only Kagami remained with a more "average" ninja rank—still just a chunin.

That was partly because he rarely stepped into the spotlight during missions and simply focused on doing his part. It was also because this world highly valued bloodline abilities. Haku possessed Ice Release, and Hayate had the Transparent Escape Technique, which made advancement far easier than for Kagami, who followed a more standard ninja path.

Kakashi didn't keep them guessing and directly answered Haku's question: "Mōryō has been resurrected."

"Mōryō?"

Haku looked puzzled, and Guy responded: "No way—you don't know who Mōryō is?"

"I don't."

Kakashi thought for a moment and then said: "That makes sense. Haku had only just arrived in the village back then, so it's normal that he doesn't know. But you'll find out soon enough."

"The Hokage has a special mission for you. Head to the Hokage's office below. She'll explain everything."

"As for you, Kagami, stay in our squad. We'll be heading straight to the front lines shortly."

Haku turned to leave, but before he did, Kagami patted his shoulder: "Be careful."

"I will, Kagami-nii."

It looked like a normal farewell, but in that moment, Kagami secretly planted one of his surveillance spiders on Haku.

After Haku left, he turned to Kakashi: "Kakashi-senpai… Mōryō, is it that Mōryō?"

"Yes, it's that Mōryō."

---

Haku quickly descended from the rooftop to the Hokage's office floor. When he entered, three others were already standing inside.

"Neji, Sakura, Lee? You're here too?"

Haku had thought the task was for him alone, but now realized that three of his former academy classmates were also involved.

From behind the desk, Tsunade looked up and said: "Good. Now that everyone's here, let's begin."

"I'm sure you've heard by now—Mōryō has been resurrected."

"Mōryō is a demonic entity from another world. Years ago, a group of ninja attempting to conquer the shinobi world summoned him from another realm. These dark ninjas used Mōryō's power to create an immortal army. This army is similar to the puppet techniques of the Suna, but in much greater numbers and harder to destroy. Under Mōryō's control, this undead army ravaged multiple nations and plunged the shinobi world into chaos. At the brink of destruction, the shrine maiden Miroku from the Land of Demons used a powerful sealing technique to split Mōryō's body and soul and seal them separately."

Tsunade unrolled a map on her desk.

"Mōryō's soul was sealed in an underground palace in the Land of Demons. His body was sealed in a shrine in the Land of Marsh."

"Now, the resurrected Mōryō is leading the undead army from the underground palace toward the shrine in the Land of Marsh. If Mōryō's soul and body reunite, it will lead to an irreversible catastrophe—possibly even the destruction of the world. Your mission is to escort the shrine maiden with sealing powers from the Land of Demons to the underground shrine in the Land of Swamps, and reseal Mōryō's soul."

"I now assign you four as a special task force to carry out this critical escort mission. You were all chosen for your specific strengths in escort and protection. Neji for his defensive taijutsu, Lee for offensive taijutsu, Sakura for medical ninjutsu to heal allies when needed."

"And Haku—your bloodline limit is ideal for defending against multi-nature chakra attacks, which intelligence says the enemy uses heavily. Though Neji is also a jonin, you have more experience in these missions. So I'm appointing you as team leader. Everyone is to follow his commands. If you understand the mission, depart immediately!"

Tsunade's hand came down hard on the desk. The four ninjas shouted in unison: "Yes!"

---

Meanwhile, Kagami, still on the rooftop, listened in through the spider he'd placed on Haku.

Mōryō… shrine maiden of the Land of Demons… an escort mission…

This is exactly the storyline from the first Naruto Shippūden movie!

Except now, instead of Naruto, Neji, Lee, and Sakura, it's Neji, Lee, Sakura, and Haku?

Does this mean the fate of the world has shifted?

Is it now… Haku's death that looms instead?