..His body went limp all at once, and he collapsed to the ground, unable to even move.
— Mr. Second!
Orochimaru rushed forward and grabbed Senju Tobirama's weakening body.
"Something's wrong.".. Tobirama croaked. "I don't feel strong."..
He mentally ordered himself to raise his hand, but his hand twitched only after a few agonizing seconds, as if responding to a command with terrible delay.
Looking at his master's condition, Orochimaru instantly put two and two together. His voice was low, but with icy certainty.:
— It seems that Uchiha Yue is really capable of influencing souls... and even destroy them.
Edo Tensei is not a resurrection in the full sense of the word. The technique only extracts the soul from the Pure Lands and places it in a living vessel. It's basically a form of obsession. And if the soul is damaged, the receptacle body also suffers. The current state of the Second Hokage was a grim confirmation of that.
"It's good that we found out now," Orochimaru finished, "otherwise the consequences would have been irreversible.
- yes... Good... Tobirama nodded with difficulty. He understood that if they had faced this later, when Yue had become even more powerful, he would have faced his inevitable and final death.
But it's only been about twenty days. Orochimaru summoned him almost immediately after his return, less than a day after the death of the Sage of the White Snake.
After a moment, Tobirama felt control of his body gradually return. The delay in movement was reduced.
"It seems he only drained some of the spiritual energy,— Tobirama concluded with a sigh of relief. — Did not cause fatal damage.
After making sure that his vessel was in order again, the Second Hokage got down to business and outlined his plan.
"Fuinjutsu?" Are you sure, Mr. Second? Orochimaru sounded doubtful. "This plan... it looks like we're not going to fight Uchiha Yue, but voluntarily bring ourselves to him on a platter.
"It will work,— Tobirama snapped. Confidence returned to his voice. — That mighty Shinobi fought with him just like that. He died, but only because he lacked the power! My plan is perfect.
The idea was to seal a colossal amount of energy into a living body, creating a kind of "sealing armor" to neutralize Yue's absorbing ability. And then — to crush him with brute force.
Although Orochimaru still found this venture extremely risky, he couldn't have suggested anything better. Tobirama's plan at least looked... feasible. That's a stretch. All that remained was to agree.
However, before they could do anything, a report from Nagato arrived. After reading it, Tobirama almost glared at the scroll.
— Eternal Izanagi?! Are you serious? Orochimaru, you said that before his Mangekyo Sharingan, this Yue was an ordinary commoner! Where did he get this technique from?!
Tobirama's face turned to stone. Killing an Uchiha wielding Izanagi is an order of magnitude more difficult task. This is not just a murder, it's a race against time, where you need to deliver a fatal blow twice. And if the opponent is a monster like Yue... You throw everything on the altar of victory, you find yourself on the brink of death, and at that moment he just..... reborn. How to deal with it?
"I'm afraid that's true, Mr. Second,— Orochimaru's face became even darker. — Before your death, I heard the death cry of that Shinobi. He shouted that name... Eternal Izanagi. Moreover, the report says that Yue, using his right eye, did not show a shadow of weakness. There is an assumption that he is able to restore dojutsu at the expense of other types of energy.
It baffled them. The average user sacrifices his eyesight forever. And he seems to have found a way to circumvent the rules of the technique itself. This... It's unthinkable.
— The problem... a serious problem... Tobirama muttered, but suddenly stopped talking. His eyes widened, and a predatory, icy grin appeared on his lips. - no... Wait a minute... Ha-ha... It's not a problem at all. On the contrary! This is our key to victory!
— Mr. Two, have you come up with something?
Tobirama's eyes were dancing with triumph. — Do you know, Orochimaru, why Izanagi, a technique theoretically accessible to any Uchiha with a Sharingan, has never become their clan's trump card?
"This.".. Is it related to your decision, Mr. Second?
"Exactly. Against their divine sword, I created an indestructible shield. We use Izanami against the Eternal Izanagi Yue. We're not just resisting him—we're sealing him in an eternal loop! Tobirama said, and all the tension seemed to leave him.
"So that's it! - Orochimaru nodded, but immediately faced with an obvious problem: — But Izanami needs Sharingan. The Uchiha clan has been destroyed... Where will we get it?
"What about Uchiha Madara?" Tobirama chuckled. — The world is on the brink of destruction. I think sacrificing one eye for the common good is a small price to pay. Besides, I'm pretty sure that he himself survived decades ago thanks to Izanagi!
Senju Tobirama frowned. He still didn't understand how Madara was still alive. By all the laws of nature, he should have decayed from old age long ago. Who is hiding under his name? Alas, without seeing him personally, he couldn't confirm anything.
"I'm afraid that's impossible, Mr. Second.
However, Orochimaru only shook his head. On Nagato's orders, he had no right to reveal the existence of the Ark of Salvation, the greatest secret that was supposed to be humanity's last hope in the hour of absolute despair. Only in this way, having shown salvation in the darkest moment, will they be able to become gods in the eyes of the world. Reveal this trump card now, and the whole effect will be blurred. The feeling of a drowning man clutching at straws will be lost.
"Explain yourself,— Tobirama demanded coldly.
All he got in response was Orochimaru's respectful but unyielding silence.