Yes.
It was emotion.
Lexon believed this was something else he had lost when he performed the Gedo: Art of the Rinne Rebirth.
To be precise, it was his emotions when dealing with others.
Back in the sealed space...
Lexon believed that Naruto's words had moved him, and his attitude toward him had actually changed subtly over time.
He had already allowed Naruto's status to rise in his otherwise cold heart.
He would no longer use 'interesting' as his sole standard for treatment.
However...
Just now, the thought made Lexon realize that the trace of emotion had already dissipated, and the slight warmth in his cold heart had returned to its original temperature.
This was what was lost.
It was the price paid.
"So the price of resurrecting people is that my heart will gradually turn cold?" A smile played on Lexon's lips, finding a hint of interest in this discovery.
He wondered what would happen if he resurrected people one after another...
Could it really turn him into a heartless machine?
Lexon wondered to himself.
'Then I just need to deepen more bonds and see if I can make my emotions increase.'
Just as his coldness had lessened significantly through his contact with Naruto and Sasuke...
In the future, more contact, more communication, more being moved...
That way, when he lost some, he would have more to lose.
After all, being able to resurrect people at the cost of a little emotion was a great deal...
Thus, Lexon set a small goal for himself besides reaching the peak of the Reincarnators.
After Naruto finished his match, it was Sasuke's turn.
It was another crushing victory.
Under the ocular jutsu attacks of the Uchiha genius, Uchiha Sasuke, who had awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan, the opposing Genin collapsed without any resistance.
The entire battle lasted only a second.
It was incredibly fast.
The opponent was truly unlucky to have run into Sasuke.
Their path to becoming a Chunin was cut short just like that.
Then it was Haruno Sakura's turn.
Her growth in strength over these few months wasn't as exaggerated as Sasuke's or Naruto's, so she couldn't completely crush the Hidden Cloud Genin; she only held the upper hand.
It took a bit of time to settle.
But overall, she passed the Chunin Exams duel very smoothly.
At this point, the three youngsters were different from the original story where they remained Konoha Genin until the end... instead, they passed the Chunin Exams here and successfully became Konoha Chunin.
After the duels ended, the three of them sought out Lexon in the audience to share their success.
Lexon wasn't surprised at all that they could pass the Chunin Exams.
Setting aside the two cheaters, even Haruno Sakura, who didn't cheat, now had strength that was considered decent among Chunin.
It would have been more surprising if she didn't pass.
Afterward, they agreed to gather at Naruto's apartment later to celebrate passing the Chunin Exams.
An unusual number of ninja villages participated in the Chunin Exams this year.
The duration of the exams naturally lasted longer.
It lasted for a full day.
Only then did the Chunin Exams officially come to an end.
The moment the exams finished, the Main God's cold mechanical voice sounded in Lexon's ear.
[MAIN MISSION COMPLETED]
[DO YOU WISH TO RETURN?]
[IF YOU CHOOSE NOT TO RETURN, YOU WILL HAVE THREE DAYS OF LINGERING TIME]
"No return," Lexon responded in his mind.
He still had the promise to gather with the three kids.
It wouldn't be too late to return after the gathering.
And... there were still some things to resolve...
...
In Konoha's spacious conference room.
There were an unusual number of people in the conference room today.
And most of these people were of extraordinary status.
The Kage of the Five Great Ninja Villages... the Kage of other ninja villages besides the five... and the one or two subordinates accompanying each Kage.
They almost filled the spacious room.
There were six chairs at the round table in the conference room.
One was at the head, and five surrounded the table.
"Please, sit." As the host, Konoha's Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, sat down first and then invited the Kage of the other four great ninja villages to take their seats.
Except for the Kage of the Five Great Ninja Villages, the Kage of the smaller ninja villages had no seats.
After all, power dictated status. Although Konoha's outward attitude was much softer, some basic principles remained unchanged.
Otherwise, even if Konoha did so, the other four great villages would be dissatisfied.
The other four Kage sat down following Sarutobi Hiruzen's invitation.
"Hokage, who is that chair for?" The Fourth Kazekage of the Hidden Sand Village, Gaara's father Rasa, was the first to ask Sarutobi Hiruzen the question that the Mizukage, Tsuchikage, and even the other Kage in the room shared.
In the original plot, because Orochimaru wanted to execute the Konoha Crush Plan, he had assassinated Rasa and disguised himself as him.
But now, Orochimaru had long since abandoned that idea due to Lexon's 'admonishment,' so Rasa was naturally alive and well.
"Wait a moment... you'll know when he arrives," Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't give a definitive answer.
Hearing this, many Kage in the room couldn't help but frown.
Especially the Kazekage, Tsuchikage, and Mizukage among the Five Great Ninja Villages.
They truly didn't understand who else could occupy the seat of honor in a room where they were present, with a status above their own...
As a result, they felt slighted and a bit displeased.
"Ara... does the Hokage think there's someone who can stand above us?" The only female Kage among the five, Mizukage Mei Terumi of the Hidden Mist Village, spoke in a haughty yet elegant voice, teasingly.
She clearly expressed her dissatisfaction.
"I don't believe such a person exists," Rasa echoed Mei Terumi's words, also expressing his displeasure at being looked down upon.
The Tsuchikage, Onoki of Both Scales, was an old fox. Seeing that the Raikage, Ay, who usually had the biggest temper and should have been the first to complain, was sitting quietly with his arms crossed, he felt something was off.
So while he was also somewhat dissatisfied, he kept his composure and remained silent.
"I think there is." Walking into the conference room along with those calm words was a man with fair skin, messy hair, and a handsome face.
'Uchiha Lexon?'
Seeing the newcomer, that name popped into the minds of all the Kage.
As the culprit behind the Uchiha massacre, his appearance was naturally well-known.
Sketches of his appearance had long since spread through the archives of every major ninja village.
It's just that he seemed much more handsome now compared to before...
"What do you mean by that?" Rasa frowned as he looked at Lexon.
"What I mean is, I am the one standing above you all," Lexon replied with a smile.
"Is what he says true? Was that seat prepared for him?" Mei Terumi asked Sarutobi Hiruzen.
"Yes," Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded.
"Heh, Sarutobi Hiruzen, you're really getting senile in your old age. A traitor who slaughtered the Uchiha, a rogue ninja of your own village... Konoha actually took him back and gave him such high honors in a summit of the Kage... You've truly gone senile..." Rasa turned his gaze to Sarutobi Hiruzen and spoke with a mocking tone.
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]