Naruto : Cruel Rebirth

Naruto, Konan, and Kisame walked through the dark tunnels.

It had been three days since their return from Kumogakure.

Orochimaru was out, gathering usable research materials from his old facilities.

Konan asked, "Aren't you worried he might run off?" 

Naruto replied, "No, that man's thirst for truth is greater than anything else. With me, he can get closer to the truth."

Konan then asked, "Are you satisfied with the food?"

Naruto answered, "It's fine."

Konan said, "I selected a top chef from the village. If it's not to your taste, let me know and I can recruit someone from outside."

Naruto responded, "That would be too much, Sister Konan." 

Konan replied, "We still have some savings in the Amegakure."

Clink! At the end of the tunnel, they saw the vast open sky.

Naruto gazed at the ocean and sighed, "The Sage of the Six Paths... he must've perished in this sea..."

Konan's eyes showed a trace of guilt as she spoke, "To be honest, Jiraiya-sensei lost an arm once. That arm was later disposed of by White Zetsu from Akatsuki..."

Naruto said, "Right, they always use extreme methods to dispose of the bodies of their comrades or enemies, to prevent any intel from leaking." 

Konan lowered her gaze, "This sea is so vast, searching here... might be..."

The water pressure in the deep sea is a strict barrier for ninjas.

Even a powerful body like the Third Raikage, which could withstand enormous physical forces, couldn't overcome the difficulty of breathing underwater.

Of course, there are some ninjas who, like sharks, can freely swim through the ocean and breathe without trouble.

Naruto turned to Kisame, "Kisame, we're counting on you." 

"Leave it to me!"

Kisame stepped forward, merging with his sword, Samehada, to take on a half-human, half-shark form! Marine creatures' bodies are filled with liquid that balances the external pressure, so they don't get crushed by the surrounding water pressure.

Additionally, sea creatures breathe through gills, exchanging gases as water flows in through the mouth and out through the gill slits.

Naruto asked with concern, "Kisame, I heard that deep-sea fish and shallow-water fish can't handle pressure differences. Deep-sea fish explode when they reach shallow waters, and shallow-water fish get crushed in the deep sea. Can your form handle the pressure of the deep sea?"

Kisame replied, "No problem. After merging with Samehada, I can adjust the internal pressure of my cells to adapt to the depth of the sea. I can also work with 'Samehada' to expand the search range, but compared to the entire ocean, it's still a bit limited..." 

Naruto said, "Then I'll really have to rely on you, Kisame..." 

Whoosh! Kisame dove into the sea and disappeared in an instant, his graceful figure impressive to behold. 

Naruto sat still, quietly waiting. 

Night fell. 

The sea began to ripple, and Kisame leaped out of the water! 

"!" Naruto's spirits lifted as he landed on the surface of the water. 

Kisame separated from his fusion state and placed down a skeleton tightly wrapped in seaweed. 

Naruto examined the skeleton. 

The skeleton clearly had both arms intact, which did not fit Jiraiya's characteristics. 

Konan said, "It must be the body of someone who drowned here. In the past, there were always remnants of Hanzo's faction sneaking in, and their bodies were thrown directly into the sea..." 

Naruto said in a low voice, "Yeah, maybe." 

In truth, Konan couldn't bear to say it: most bodies that fell into the sea ended up being eaten by fish, and Jiraiya probably... 

But Naruto had solid evidence. 

Later, Amado, a scientist from the Akatsuki, created a clone of Jiraiya and clearly explained that they had used special equipment to find Jiraiya's body in the sea! 

"Ha." Kisame took a deep breath, "Then I'll go back and look again." 

Naruto quickly stopped him, "Kisame, let's call it a day. You can't replenish chakra in the sea, so rest up. This isn't something that can be done in a short time!" 

He was already prepared for a long battle. 

Kisame went to rest. 

Naruto walked through the night rain, lost in thought. 

Sigh. Konan sighed, "I'm sorry. If it weren't for us, Jiraiya-sensei wouldn't have died." 

Naruto smiled faintly, "It's fine, it's all in the past. Actually, I was thinking, if I had a summon beast like Pain's, things would be much easier." 

Konan asked, "Are you talking about... the ones summoned by the Animal Path?" 

Naruto half-closed his left eye, "Yeah, they cover land, sea, and air, are fully functional, incredibly powerful, and their numbers seem unlimited. If I could summon creatures like those crabs, I could probably speed things up..." 

Konan said, "If it's the Animal Path's ability, maybe I can help you with that." 

Thud! Naruto stopped in his tracks. 

Konan continued, "The summoned beasts of the Animal Path all come from the 'Realm of Reincarnation,' a place that can only be accessed by the wielder of the Rinnegan..." 

This secret was something Naruto had never heard before! After all, even Sasuke never unlocked the abilities of the Animal Path later on! 

Naruto's spirits lifted, "Then how do we get there?" 

Konan shook her head, "You can't open it on your own. The Rinnegan's wielder has a chance to enter while they are asleep. Nagato first triggered the Realm of Reincarnation after summoning the Outer Path Statue..." 

Naruto's gaze grew dark, "The Outer Path Statue, I've tried summoning it, but there's a huge barrier. I suspect the Akatsuki did something to the statue, like Obito sucking it into that eye of his..." 

Konan said, "But for you, maybe you don't need to summon the statue." 

Naruto asked, "Oh? Why's that?" 

Konan explained, "Because the Rinnegan's Deva Path ability that you have now was something Nagato only gradually gained after summoning the Outer Path Statue and sacrificing chakra. Since you've already mastered it without summoning the statue, it shows that your talent with the Rinnegan is above Nagato's. You may already have the conditions to trigger the Realm of Reincarnation." 

Naruto asked, "But isn't it something you can't open on your own?" 

Konan nodded, "Yeah, it's all up to fate. It might be tonight, maybe a month from now, or even a year or more." 

Naruto said, "But I can't wait that long..." 

Since seeing that part of the sea, Naruto had been thinking about the perverted sage sleeping at the cold seabed, unable to rest or eat... 

But considering Konan's feelings, he didn't say it out loud. 

"..." Konan's expression darkened. Even without Naruto saying anything, she knew why he was in such a hurry. 

At this moment, a sudden realization dawned on Naruto, "Maybe I have a way..." 

Konan was surprised, "What method?" 

Naruto formed hand seals in front of his chest: 

"I used to practice this method to speed up my progress, but I've never had the experience of having thousands of shadow clones all dream at once..." 

—Ninja Art: Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!! 

Boom boom boom boom boom boom...!! 

Under Konan's shocked gaze, white smoke rose as thousands of shadow clones appeared in the rain...! 

Snap! Naruto clapped his hands together and loudly said, 

"Whatever this Reincarnation Realm is, tonight we're going to 'bump into' it and knock it down!" 

The shouts of the clones echoed. 

"Alright~~!!" 

"No problem!!" 

"Leave it to me!!!" 

"I'm going to catch that crab that spits bubbles~~!!!" 

Konan looked at this scene with mixed feelings, thinking to herself, 

"This kid is truly incredible..." 

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