Three springs passed in the blink of an eye...
Three years had passed!
How Lin Nan survived these three years was a mystery even to himself.
While the clone jutsu was indeed useful, allowing him to travel everywhere, its detonation would flood Lin Nan with an overwhelming amount of information, leaving him with splitting headaches daily.
The legal framework had gradually become clear and stable over these three years.
The United Nations had also solidified its position in the hearts of the populace.
It seemed as though the entire world had become peaceful.
But only Lin Nan knew this was merely the calm before the storm.
Since the Akatsuki had very few cases to enforce the law on, Lin Nan had them delve deep into the grassroots to gather intel on mysterious organizations.
Of course, by mysterious organizations, he meant the organization "Kara," which was only slightly flammable among the non-combustibles!
The Otsutsuki had to be dealt with, but the Kara organization also needed to be guarded against.
Not just war, but even conflict needed to be avoided.
This was Lin Nan's philosophy.
Obito's selfless dedication within the Akatsuki had somewhat compensated Lin Nan for the loss of Sasuke to the Flying Raijin.
After all, space-time ninjutsu was extremely effective for intelligence gathering.
Moreover, Obito, with his double Mangekyo Sharingan, had already become the ceiling of Akatsuki's combat power, second only to Lin Nan.
Lin Nan even harbored a slight apprehension that if Obito were to be revived, he might be difficult to control.
However, Obito had given Lin Nan some peace of mind on this matter.
The three-year pact had arrived, but Obito had chosen not to be revived.
He opted to remain in the Edo Tensei state, thus gaining eternal life.
In doing so, he would become the second watcher of peace.
Lin Nan was moved, but he didn't tell Obito that his true intention was to be reborn in a different body!
Another who refused revival was Uchiha Itachi.
But Lin Nan had rejected him. If one could live, why not live well?
One day, Lin Nan received a list of names for revival from the Five Great Nations. These individuals had, for the most part, already been vetted and were considered normal shinobi with no history of wrongdoing.
Orochimaru took these lists and retrieved countless bodies and genes from the storerooms.
Yakushi Kabuto had also been busy during these three years. He had collected Yamato's Wood Style cells and recreated tens of thousands of White Zetsu soldiers.
White Zetsu cells were also easy to find; Orochimaru's body was essentially a White Zetsu body.
Then, after a few years of cultivation, the nearly extinct White Zetsu would reappear.
A grand Edo Tensei ceremony was thus initiated.
On this day, not only the Five Kage, but also a twenty-year-old Naruto, whose demeanor had become considerably more mature, were present.
Of course, the Akatsuki were also there.
But before Lin Nan was a body sealed within an ice coffin, a female corpse.
It was Azami.
Azami, appearing as if in slumber, was slowly placed on the ground by Lin Nan.
He did not wish to use a White Zetsu body to revive Azami, as that would only defile her form.
Therefore, Lin Nan invited Nagato to use the power of his three Rinnegan to summon Azami's soul from the Pure Land.
Meanwhile, Orochimaru and Kabuto had begun the grand Edo Tensei ritual, gathering countless shinobi souls and placing them into the Edo Tensei bodies.
Next was the main event.
Under the solemn gazes of everyone, Lin Nan clenched his fists: "Gedō: Rinne Tensei no Jutsu!"
After accumulating chakra for three seconds, a colossal surge of chakra erupted towards the heavens.
Today might be a celebration for the entire ninja world!
But for Lin Nan, it was undoubtedly the most joyful day.
Following this, a colossal Yama, as if rising from the earth, opened its giant maw, from which countless sources of life seemed to drift out.
"Awaken, my love!"
"Ah!"
Lin Nan's hair visibly turned stark white, as if all his chakra had been drained.
One must understand that over these three years, Lin Nan had intentionally tempered his chakra. Possessing Six Paths power, his chakra reserves were no longer comparable to what they once were.
Even so, Lin Nan had barely managed to revive everyone.
But fortunately, there were no major mishaps.
"Boom!"
The colossal Yama collapsed and disappeared after releasing all its life force.
Lin Nan also slumped to the ground, powerless.
At the brink of death, he saw the figure who was slowly sitting up from the ice coffin.
Finally, Lin Nan closed his eyes with a smile.
Orochimaru and Kabuto exchanged a glance, and then began the ritual to revive Lin Nan using Edo Tensei.
Orochimaru, wielding a kunai, lunged towards Lin Nan's corpse.
Meanwhile, Azami, who had awakened on the ice coffin, looked at the world before her in a daze. The sunlight was so piercing.
Why were these people cheering?
It was a bit cold, but the sunlight felt so warm.
As a faint smile appeared on Azami's lips, she suddenly saw a figure with snow-white hair lying before her.
That was...
Before Azami could react, she saw a pale-faced, sinister-looking individual, whose gender was indistinguishable, approaching with a kunai, a wicked smile on their face.
"You're not allowed to hurt Kubayashi (Little Lin)!"
These were Azami's inner thoughts, but she couldn't voice them. Her throat felt choked, unable to utter any sound, only a whimper escaped.
As the thought vanished, Azami seemed to reach for something, but found it empty!
Immediately, Azami climbed out of the ice coffin, wanting to shield Lin Nan. However, her legs buckled, and she collapsed to the ground.
Despite this, she glared fiercely at Orochimaru.
"..." Orochimaru looked at Azami speechlessly, then turned to Kabuto, "Kabuto, why don't you do it?"
Yakushi Kabuto adjusted his glasses and said with a wry smile, "Lord Orochimaru, I seem to be a bit more terrifying than you right now!"
"..."
Orochimaru sighed and said, "Don't worry, I just want to revive him. Look, he's dead!"
Azami stepped forward to check, her expression changed, then she looked at Orochimaru, "Are you truly going to revive him?"
"Of course, why would I lie to you!"
As Orochimaru finished speaking, he felt an explosion behind him.
Turning around, he saw a purple colossal figure appearing amidst the excited crowd of revived individuals.
"Is that, Sasuke?"
Sasuke had also been revived, but after his revival, he quickly adapted to his body and located Lin Nan.
"I won't let you revive him!"
Sasuke looked down at Orochimaru, then drew his bow.
But at that moment, several figures appeared before Sasuke.
"Sasuke, don't be rash!"
Upon seeing them, Sasuke's expression froze.
It was Uchiha Itachi.
And it was a living Uchiha Itachi.
Lin Nan had actually revived Itachi?
Complex emotions surfaced in Sasuke's eyes, but looking at Lin Nan's completely lifeless corpse, a sudden ambition surged within him.
If Lin Nan is dead, I am now the strongest in the world!