"Damn! Damn! Damn, damn!" Haruto Saito screamed internally!
At this moment, he was at a loss for words because he simply couldn't think of anything that could adequately describe his emotions. The Resurrection Puppet Card—its effect was absolutely explosive!
Anyone killed by Haruto Saito could be revived!
Once revived, they retained all their original power and would be under Haruto's control!
"Revive! I want to revive Hattori Ryonosuke!" Haruto shouted in his mind. There was no need to think twice—Hattori Ryonosuke was the strongest enemy he had ever defeated! His strength was terrifying, with complete mastery over all elemental ninjutsu, along with formidable samurai abilities!
If not for Haruto's Flying Thunder God technique…
If not for his ability to consume cards to restore chakra…
He wouldn't have stood a chance against Hattori Ryonosuke. He would have been dead long ago!
Revive him!
He had to revive him!
With this in mind, Haruto put the card in his mouth and bit down!
A burst of light erupted inside his mouth!
Only Haruto could see the light. It spread throughout his body before quickly converging in his right hand, forming a black technique seal. And then… nothing happened!
"Resurrect! Resurrect! Where is he?" Haruto was dumbfounded.
"Please select a resurrection target!"
"Hattori Ryonosuke!"
"Please use the resurrection seal on Hattori Ryonosuke's corpse…"
"Uh…"
Haruto's expression stiffened. A corpse was required?
He had assumed this was a summoning-type resurrection, where the dead would simply appear. But now he actually needed the body?
Haruto looked down at the ground beneath him, his face darkening.
That meant… he had to dig up Hattori Ryonosuke's corpse?
Who knew how deep he was buried!
Haruto felt his heart ache!
Hattori Ryonosuke had been trying to escape a massive explosion, so he must have burrowed as deep underground as possible. Now, he was buried deep, deep below the surface. If Haruto wanted to retrieve his corpse, he'd have to dig through the earth manually. He couldn't use overly destructive techniques, or the body might be obliterated!
Furthermore, Haruto couldn't use the Earth Concealment Technique to phase underground.
Because if he did, he wouldn't be able to bring the body back up!
He could go underground, but the corpse couldn't!
Even worse, he knew that even if he did go down, he probably wouldn't be able to reach Hattori Ryonosuke's body. The depth at which he was buried likely exceeded Haruto's maximum subterranean travel limit!
"Ding! Reminder to the host: The Resurrection Puppet Card must be used within one hour, or the resurrection seal will expire!"
"Un…der…stood…" Haruto grimaced as he responded.
Although this wasn't a total loss…
Haruto still felt like he had shot himself in the foot. He should have killed Hattori Ryonosuke differently! Burying him was a mistake!
His body trembled!
The power of the Shikotsumyaku erupted! External bones rapidly grew from Haruto's arms, encasing his hands in a layer of bone and extending into sharp claws… Once the transformation was complete, Haruto's arms had become massive skeletal claws!
This was a special application of the Shikotsumyaku!
It was excruciating!
But Haruto could endure!
Time to dig!
Haruto didn't care about making a ruckus. He leaped to the previous pit's entrance, his claws moving like shadows as he dug a massive hole. The hole deepened rapidly—he was digging like a madman!
His chakra drained at an alarming rate!
He was being extremely careful not to damage Hattori Ryonosuke's body, so he had no choice but to use this crude but safe method!
Otherwise, he could just punch the ground and create a crater—but that might turn Hattori Ryonosuke into minced meat!
Fortunately, the soil and rock layers had already been disturbed by Hattori Ryonosuke, making excavation easier.
However, there was one major problem!
The loose dirt and debris kept collapsing back into the hole… Haruto devised a solution: he stored all the excavated material in his inventory space.
He'd dispose of it later!
******
Meanwhile, in Kirigakure, Land of Water!
Hurried footsteps rapidly approached the Mizukage's office!
"Mizukage-sama! Mizukage-sama! Bad news!" A panicked voice accompanied a figure that burst through the office doors, stumbling inside.
"What's the matter? Why are you so frantic?" Behind the desk, a cloaked man named Houyu lifted his head and spoke sternly.
"The Ninja Blade Summoning Scroll… it only has Aronka-sama's imprint left… Aronka-sama… he… he wants you to come immediately…" The messenger gasped for breath, struggling to speak.
"Hm?" Houyu didn't react at first, blinking in confusion before his expression suddenly changed dramatically. He shot to his feet!
The Ninja Blade Summoning Scroll was an artifact that could summon the Seven Ninja Swords of the Mist!
Its holder was Hattori Ryonosuke, the Mizukage's aide!
But in reality, the scroll itself was also a summonable tool, like a contract beast, and could be bound to multiple users. The two who had contracts with it were Hattori Ryonosuke and an elderly master from the Hozuki clan—Aronka Hozuki, over seventy years old.
Aronka Hozuki was the original holder of the scroll.
Within the Hozuki clan and all of Kirigakure, he held an esteemed status and rarely concerned himself with village affairs. Even major incidents in Kirigakure hardly ever drew his attention.
Yet now, he had sent word.
And he claimed that only his imprint remained on the scroll.
That meant one of two things: either Hattori Ryonosuke had removed his contract… or he was dead.
The former was impossible, so that left only the latter!
That day, Kirigakure was thrown into turmoil!
******
Northern region of Uzushiogakure.
In a mountain valley.
Half an hour had passed.
Haruto had used a non-aggressive approach to dig a thirty-one-meter-deep pit—roughly the height of a nine-story building. The bottom was pitch black, but he activated his Byakugan and took out a luminous gemstone.
Now he could see clearly, using his vision to scan below!
Finally, he spotted Hattori Ryonosuke's corpse!
Buried about thirty-one meters deep, the body was heavily deformed from compression but still intact!
"Damn! You tunneled this deep in an instant? Are you a mole?" Haruto cursed, exhausted but determined to finish the job!
Before long…
He reached Hattori Ryonosuke's corpse!
Grabbing it, he leapt upward!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
The wind roared!
Haruto emerged from the pit, landing on the surface and tossing the body aside.
The corpse was in a horrific state… unbearable to look at!
Haruto didn't hesitate. He activated the resurrection seal on his hand and pressed it against Hattori Ryonosuke's forehead!
Buzz! Boom!
A golden light burst from Hattori Ryonosuke's body, shooting skyward!
His form began to change—his injuries rapidly healed, his twisted limbs straightened, and within seconds, he was completely restored. A dark glow shimmered on his forehead, the resurrection seal engraved like a brand.
"Ding! The host has revived a puppet servant for the first time, unlocking the hidden achievement reward: Resurrection Altar Construction Function…"
As the system's voice echoed, Hattori Ryonosuke's eyes snapped open.
A strange, eerie black light flickered within them.