Konoha: Offer your heart to the Hokage!

Based on these considerations, Tobirama put aside his work and offered to go with Hashirama to Evangelism Hospital to visit Jin and Matsumoto Kazuka.

Hashirama thought to himself, his second brother was indeed a man of great loyalty and righteousness.

The two brothers, each with their own thoughts, entered the VIP ward together.

Seeing Matsumoto Waka on her deathbed, and Orochimaru, who was not yet three years old, beside her, Hashirama felt a pang of pity and couldn't help but sigh at the impermanence of life and how sudden it all was.

Hashirama couldn't help but think of himself.

He was also a dying man, but Tsunade had many people by her side, so he had no worries.

But what about Orochimaru? He was created by Matsumoto Waka using forbidden methods, and Matsumoto Waka was his only family in this world. Once Matsumoto Waka passed away, Orochimaru would have no more ties in the village.

Hashirama's guilt was so intense that he would wake up in the middle of the night, unable to resist slapping himself and cursing himself for "going too far."

He was the one who strangled a mother and ruined a child's childhood.

He stepped forward and solemnly said, "Matsumoto Waka, although you have broken the taboo, the village will record the merits you have made at the Fukuin Hospital. You are an excellent Konoha ninja."

"Bearing the name of Hokage, I assure you that your child's rights in the village will be guaranteed in the future, and there will be no mistreatment in terms of medical care or education."

"Thank you... Lord Hokage."

Matsumoto Kazuka's voice was weak and listless, revealing little emotion.

She didn't hate the Hokage; on the contrary, she was grateful to him. He was the one who gave her and her son a chance to live.

But at this moment, all of Matsumoto Kazuka's emotions were occupied by Shinji.

The last words Shinji said to her before the Thousand Hands brothers entered the house were also the most solid guarantee he could give her.

"I will adopt Orochimaru as my godson."

That's enough.

Shen'er's reputation score is a perfect 10 in the eyes of the Konoha villagers, but in Matsumoto Kazuka's eyes, it's a perfect 100!

Matsumoto Kazuka forced a relieved smile onto her face.

Her consciousness gradually drifted into a revolving lantern of memories.

In a daze, she remembered her childhood.

Bloodline diseases are two sides of the same coin, with bloodline and disease being two aspects of the same thing.

Her bloodline is probably similar to a prophecy.

Just like seven years ago, she predicted the birth of Orochimaru.

Her mother once gave her a seemingly "inauspicious" prophecy: you will meet many people, and eventually die surrounded by them.

Until she was twelve, Matsumoto Waka believed her mother's prediction was wrong. Even after entering the ninja academy, she didn't think she would make any friends. Her only companion was Shiro; nothing else changed.

Until the day she entered the ninja academy, she saw the gears of fate, and from then on, they began to turn.

She became an apprentice; she befriended Hyuga Kotone and Yamanaka Yuki with impure motives; she nurtured Orochimaru; and now, even the Hokage brothers have come here, watching over her…

The small ward was really crowded with people.

It turns out that my mother's predictions were never wrong.

The small ward is almost too small for everyone to stand in.

"I'm sorry, Orochimaru, Mom can't be with you for your third birthday."

drop

The monitor that was tracking vital signs eventually became a straight line that had hit rock bottom.

The mother of Orochimaru, Kazuka Matsumoto.

Born in Konoha 5 years before, died in Konoha 16 years before.

Chapter 96 Disciple's Legacy: Twelve Talismans

The ward was deathly silent.

Orochimaru stared blankly at the frozen smile on his mother's face, his fingers unconsciously stroking the small white snake on his arm, and asked in bewilderment, "Mother... is she dead?"

"Yes."

Even with his back to them, his shadow stretched long in the setting sun.

His voice betrayed no emotion: "Your mother is dead."

Orochimaru's eyes were lifeless.

He had only ever seen the word "death" in books and never understood its meaning. When he asked his mother about it before, she would deliberately avoid the question. Only now did he truly understand the meaning of death.

Why is life so fragile?

Orochimaru couldn't understand, and his thoughts froze.

My condolences.

Hashirama sighed softly, stood with his hands behind his back, shook his head, and turned to leave the sorrowful ward.

Tobirama watched Jin's retreating figure with a calm expression. He was an outsider, having no relation to Matsumoto Waka, so naturally he felt no sorrow for her passing.

What truly mattered to him was the sound. Just as the eyes are the windows to the soul, so too is the sound.

He had just heard the profound sorrow in Shen'er's voice, a sorrow so deep it felt like the heart had died. When a person suffers the devastating loss of a loved one, they may not immediately succumb to grief. Instead, they may be overwhelmed by fear and despair when they recall the event later, perhaps in an unexpected moment.

But Tobirama still heard the sadness in her voice.

The opportunity to dye it black has arrived.

“Matsumoto Waka’s parents died before the village was established, so she is considered to be without roots in Konoha.”

“A teacher for a day is a father for life. Since she was once my disciple, I intend to bring her body back and bury her in the Zen Temple clan.”

Shen'er's words seemed to be spoken to others, yet also to himself.

In short, Tobirama did not voice any objection.

Who could have imagined that this vast Zen temple clan would officially welcome its second clan member—a corpse.

"Yuki, Oto, please look after Orochimaru for me during this time. I will have the Hokage help you adjust the Anbu missions."

"Yes, Lord Shen'er."

Hashirama had just promised to let Orochimaru grow up healthy, so naturally, he gave Orochimaru the green light regarding the issue of his guardian.

If the ANBU ninjas are taking care of him, then give the ANBU ninjas a break.

She then turned and left the Gospel Hospital with Matsumoto Kaori's body in her arms.

Tobirama stood at the window of a high-rise building in the hospital, his gaze fixed on the departing figure.

He knew in his heart that the window of opportunity to blacken Shen'er had opened for him.

but not now.

With Matsumoto Kaori having just passed away, some time needs to be given for Jin to process his emotions and grieve before unleashing his grief. Besides, inviting Jin to join the Impure World Reincarnation research so soon after the death of his disciple would seem too deliberate and might even cause resentment.

Tobirama would never do something so despicable.

It's best to "let nature take its course".

The master strategist Tobirama thought so.

...

Shen Er brought Matsumoto and Kaori back to the Zen-in clan.

Although I had prepared myself mentally, I was still somewhat moved when I witnessed her death.

He even plucked a finger's worth of flesh and blood from Matsumoto Waka and activated the Impure World Reincarnation technique, imprisoning her soul here. This time, it wasn't for his own use, but simply to ensure that her soul remained in the mortal realm.

If a soul stays in the Pure Land for too long before being summoned again, it's uncertain whether this will affect the effectiveness of future resurrection spells.

Or perhaps they are summoned and used by someone with ulterior motives beforehand.

In short, it's never wrong to summon the soul in advance.

After settling Matsumoto and Kaori's bodies in the afterlife, Shinji began to deal with her physical body.

They even brought out a high-purity crystal coffin and used the most advanced preservation technology in the ninja world to put Matsumoto Waka's body inside.

In this way.

The body remains incorrupt, and the soul is preserved peacefully.

The only remaining step to resurrecting her is finding a suitable secret technique. Considering that this body suffers from a bloodline disease, it may be necessary to find a way to recreate a body for her to prevent her from continuing to suffer from the bloodline disease after resurrection.

They're really worried sick.

As for the promise to Matsumoto Kaori to adopt Orochimaru, it wasn't a white lie. In fact, he did intend to do so, but it wasn't the right time yet, and he would have to wait a while longer.

He deeply understood the principle that "the more greedy you are, the more likely you are to be devoured by greed."

Since he accepted Matsumoto Waka's painstakingly crafted curse seal technique, he had to pay the corresponding price; taking advantage of others was not his style.

After dealing with these matters.

Finally, he had time to examine the [Grafted Curse Seal Scroll] carefully.

He spread the scroll out on the lab table and examined the patterns and design of the curse mark. Then he went to the materials library, retrieved a bottle of fresh cat blood, and, with a slight tilt of his fingertip, dripped a few drops of cat blood onto the curse mark.

The core of this grafted curse seal is to use animal blood as a medium.

"Let's call this move... Talisman Seal!"

He casually and hastily named the incantation seal.

He then pulled over a genin test subject, formed hand seals, and uttered a low shout: "Cat Talisman!"

A curse mark was etched on the subject's neck, and the next second, an anomaly occurred.

Under the influence of the cat charm, the test subject's body began to twist violently, fine cat whiskers sprouted on both sides of his face, a furry tail slowly extended from the spine, and his pupils contracted, turning into cat-like vertical pupils.

"Ugh!"

The test subject let out a painful growl. His body curled up, struggling to adapt to the changes brought about by the cursed seal.

Once you understand one thing, you understand everything...