Chapter 937 : Fujin's 'Collection'

[A/N: Fell asleep 😬 Today's chapter will be as per usual time (around 12-14 hours from now)]

Fujin's words caught the entire room off guard. Danzo had died less than a day ago. His dead body hadn't even been buried yet. His killer was still at large. His death was shrouded in mystery. Konoha had to be on guard against their remaining rank S ninjas being targeted in a similar manner. Yet, Fujin announced, without bothering to ask for permission, returning to his adventure outside the village.

Danzo’s expression darkened. Fujin’s timing and tone weren’t just outrageous, they were borderline sacrilegious. In a culture where honoring the dead, especially a comrade as high-ranking as Danzo, was sacred and solemn, Fujin’s casual dismissal bordered on outright disdain. His attitude gave the impression that Danzo’s death wasn’t even worth acknowledging, let alone mourning. Irrespective of their past conflicts, this wasn't expected of Fujin.

A heavy silence settled over the room before Danzo finally spoke, his voice low and sharp, “Tell me, Fujin… are you mocking me? Or do you simply hold no regard for the life I gave for this village?”

‘For the village?’ Fujin almost raised his eyebrow derisively. Luckily for Danzo, Fujin managed to control his reaction.

Hiruzen’s gaze shifted briefly to Fujin, narrowing just slightly. Hiashi and Shibi exchanged glances but said nothing, the weight of Danzo’s words hanging in the air. Tsunade, Jiraiya and Shikaku were tense too, wondering how Fujin would respond.

Surprising them once again, Fujin shrugged dismissively. Without backing off, he replied, “Since we've decided to bury the news of your death, there won't be any funeral for you. And, we don't have enough information to resolve the mysteries surrounding your death. So, it's pointless for me to remain here.

If Akatsuki is behind your death and they want to target our rank S ninjas, they should target me when I'm outside by myself. It'll finally give us more clarity about your death.

If Akuro is an ancient expert and all what he said is true, that's all the more reason I can't sit here doing nothing. Tell me, Elder Danzo… Do you want the village to mourn your death for years or would you prefer if we train to survive the inevitable catastrophic war?”

Fujin's words silenced the reanimated Danzo. Danzo’s mouth opened slightly, but no words came. His expression twisted—not from anger, but from the bitter taste of truth he couldn’t refute.

The room remained still, the silence no longer heavy with tension but with reluctant acceptance. Hiruzen sighed and gave a faint nod, as if acknowledging that, insensitive or not, Fujin had a point.

Shikaku agreed as well as he analyzed the situation, ‘Even though Fujin clashed with Danzo a few times, he didn't have to bear his pressure for several decades like the rest of the leadership. It's logical for him to not be as emotionally invested as the rest of us. He isn't incorrect, but…’

Had the situation been any different, the experienced ninjas in the room would have been amused by Danzo's expression. Unfortunately, they were too concerned about their future to take pleasure in Danzo's misery.

Unwilling to argue with Fujin or entertain yet another attempt to use Danzo’s death as leverage to learn Edo Tensei, Hiruzen looked at Fujin and said, “Fujin, be careful while you travel. Since you'll be alone, they'll have more chances to lure you into similar traps. Don't take any unnecessary risk by purposefully stepping into any trap to gather more intel. Irrespective of whether it is Akuro or the leader of Akatsuki, neither are ninjas we can underestimate. I don't want to see a repeat of what happened with Danzo.”

Fujin nodded while thinking, ‘Don't worry, I have no plans to kill myself… I just want to experiment with Edo Tensei jutsu. I've already wasted plenty of time needlessly…’

Hiruzen glanced at Jiraiya and said, “The same goes for you, Jiraiya. Maintain highest vigilance while looking for Orochimaru. Akatsuki is far more likely to target you since Naruto accompanies you.”

Jiraiya nodded too. The existence of the Akatsuki member who called himself ‘Uchiha Madara’ and could use Space Time Ninjutsu had already forced Jiraiya to maintain a high state of vigilance while journeying with Naruto. The mysterious circumstances surrounding Danzo's death alarmed him further.

With nothing more to discuss, Fujin finally took his leave. Minutes later, having returned to his hideout in the Land of Water, Fujin sighed, “Finally, I can start experimenting with it!”

Knowing how ridiculously overpowered the jutsu was, Fujin had wanted to gain the Edo Tensei jutsu for a long time. Unfortunately, it was also the toughest jutsu to ask for due to how dark it was. Fujin dared to ask for the Flying Thunder God jutsu right after becoming a Chunin, but he didn't bother asking for Edo Tensei jutsu even after killing Juzo and officially becoming a rank S ninja.

Preventing the future mess he'd create was undoubtedly the main reason for eliminating Kabuto, Fujin also hoped to get Edo Tensei jutsu from his memories. Unluckily, Kabuto hadn't possessed its knowledge yet. When Orochimaru displayed the jutsu, Fujin finally got a reasonable reason to demand the forbidden jutsu from Hiruzen. Yet, he failed to receive the jutsu from Hiruzen despite being very close to the former Hokage.

Now that he finally had access to the jutsu, Fujin no longer wanted to wait. Fujin quickly began reorganizing his scrolls as he sighed, ‘Let me see how many dead bodies I have with me…’

With time, Fujin had gotten used to most absurdities in the Ninja world, but being a walking morgue still felt weird. Over the years, the number of ninjas that fell to Fujin's blade was already in the thousands. He had also collected dozens of dead bodies either to hide their deaths or for some other reasons. He later buried or cremated most of them, leaving only the important ones with him.

Fujin analyzed, ‘The most significant one with me is Yakushi Kabuto, but I have already read his memories and learnt almost everything he knew in the past year. Right now, my knowledge in Medical Ninjutsu is likely only below that of Tsunade, though practically applying that knowledge is a different matter. I can't compare with the veteran medical ninjas who engage in it on a daily basis.

Regardless, reanimating Kabuto will be useless. If I can get Orochimaru's modified Edo Tensei jutsu, I could reanimate Kabuto at full strength and use him to assist me, but he won't be that useful. Though he isn't bad, his real gains were made after Orochimaru died. He'll just be an Elite Jounin if I reanimate him.

The same is true for Raiga and Deidara, though I'm interested in checking whether Deidara's explosion stays just as strong despite my Edo Tensei jutsu not retaining a ninja's former strength. Regardless, both he and Raiga will be good pieces to have after I get Orochimaru's Edo Tensei, since no one else will try to reanimate them. Though I don't have his dead body, I have enough tissues and blood to reanimate Dodoi as well, along with a few more Elite Jounins.

It's a pity that I can't reanimate Juzo or the Kekkei Genkai wielders who followed Orochimaru despite having sufficient tissues. Hiruzen reanimated and sealed them to prevent Orochimaru from using them against us. I'd have liked to read the memories of the ninja with Swift Release.

Oh well, whatever. Though they have their uses, none of them compare to the usefulness of these two…’

On the table in front of Fujin lay the remains of two dead ninjas. The first one was none other than Zankoku, the Grand Priest of Jashin who could control his blood and use it in battle. Fujin still remembered how deadly the battle to eliminate him had been.

Fujin had already read his memories. With his mastery of Fuinjutsu and Kabuto's knowledge, Fujin could also make progress into forcefully copying his ability. However, it was a complex undertaking requiring significant time and held several risks. As good as the technique was, Fujin didn't find it worth his time to put such effort into it, at least not yet.

Besides, he had another method, which he believed would be easier to implement, which was to reanimate the Bishop who conducted Zankoku's ceremony. Needless to say, the remains next to Zankoku's body were of the buried Bishop which Fujin had dug out a long time ago!

Fujin sighed, ‘It's been over half a decade… It's finally time to look into you, Jashin… What are you? How do you interfere in this world? More importantly, how did you realize I was investigating you? Hehehe, can you still create obstacles in my path?’

Fujin wouldn't forget the events when he chased after Hidan. It was undoubtedly the most frustrating and annoying chase that he had been a part of.

Fujin calmed himself down, ‘I can't be impatient. Starting with these will be foolish. First, I need a few volunteers to experiment on…’

Fujin stored the bodies and exited the hideout. Stepping onto the rocky edge of the island, he gazed out at the endless blue horizon and smirked, “So then… will some lucky bandits stumble into my path? Or will it be a pirate crew that wins the grand prize today?”