Lin Nan left the battlefield with Kabuto and the Akatsuki members, leaving Orochimaru to continue collecting ninja cells.
Orochimaru's unusual obedience left Lin Nan speechless.
Lin Nan and Kabuto headed for Kabuto's former lair, the place he occupied before forming an alliance with Obito of the masked man. It could be said that before that, Kabuto had no presence at all. If he hadn't suddenly appeared, almost everyone, including the audience, would have forgotten his existence.
Who could have imagined that this very Kabuto would become a pivotal figure in the Ninja World War, hailed as the "Dream Weaver"?
Kabuto had previously told Lin Nan that he had backups of the cells and tissues of all Akatsuki members from before their deaths. This meant that even if the current Akatsuki were destroyed, he could still reanimate the entire organization. Of course, this excluded Sasori. Perhaps Hidan too. It was uncertain if Hidan was dead in this world. Although Hidan was dismembered by Shikamaru, his immortality was sustained by his blood, and he would die once his blood ran out. However, the timing of that was the issue. Sasori, on the other hand, had let go of all his obsessions and ascended to heaven. In such a state, it would be difficult to reanimate him.
Reanimation requires three conditions:
First, the soul of the deceased must be in the Pure Land, meaning they died naturally and their soul was not sealed, such as by the Reaper Death Seal.
Second, cells or genetic material, such as bodily tissues, blood, or flesh, are required. This was why Kabuto had been extensively digging up graves and stealing corpses, earning him the moniker "Grave Robber."
Third, the deceased must have unfinished business in the mortal world. If they did not die of old age, it would be difficult to reanimate them. Sasori, having relinquished all his obsessions during the Ninja World War, ascended, essentially freeing himself from reanimation and going to heaven. Such individuals could generally not be reanimated.
In this world, Deidara seemed to have not let go of his obsessions and ascended to heaven after the reanimation was dispelled. However, Lin Nan already had a Deidara, one far more controllable than the explosive lunatic, so this Deidara was dispensable.
Yes, Lin Nan's intention was clear: he wanted to recreate the Akatsuki and reanimate all those who had died. Kisame died after the war began, but Kabuto claimed to have his cells and tissues, making his reanimation possible. However, it was likely that even if reanimated, Kisame's strength would not be the same as in life, but that was not a major issue.
Nagato's soul was sealed within Lin Nan's Totsuka Blade gourd, allowing Lin Nan to release him at any time. If his soul were released, he could be reanimated. However, Lin Nan was unsure if Nagato had let go of his obsessions. If he had, reanimation would not be easy.
Then there was Itachi Uchiha, that profound man. Although Itachi completed his final mission upon ascending, he still cared for his brother, thus possessing an obsession.
Now came the most critical question: Obito Uchiha, also known as Tobi. Lin Nan pondered whether to reanimate him. From Kabuto, Lin Nan learned that he had even backed up Obito's bodily tissues. A terrifying man indeed, truly a Dream Weaver. But would Obito obey him after being reanimated? That was the question.
Itachi Uchiha was somewhat manageable, as Lin Nan held Sasuke Uchiha. Sasuke's body had already had cells extracted by Orochimaru, meaning Lin Nan could reanimate Sasuke at any time. But now was not the time.
Soon, Lin Nan and his group arrived at Kabuto's lair, which was more accurately one of Orochimaru's former bases. Upon entering Kabuto's laboratory, Lin Nan saw an astonishing array of bottles and jars. Lin Nan had initially assumed that Kabuto's "backup" of Akatsuki members' cells would merely consist of blood or small fragments of flesh. To his surprise, Kabuto's backups were far more substantial. For instance, Obito was represented by an arm, Itachi by a large chunk of flesh, Kisame by a jar of blood, and even an entire corpse of "Yahiko" (the original body of Pain Deva Path) was in a large container.
Each bottle and jar was labeled with a name. Lin Nan even saw his own name, though it was only his blood. Lin Nan wondered if, upon his own death, reanimating himself with his past blood would result in the same him or a different one. It was a question worth pondering.
"Little Lin-kun, these are all the backups of the Akatsuki. What do you intend to do?"
"Brother Sasori!" Lin Nan called out. Sasori, though surprised by the laboratory, did not react as wildly as Deidara, merely nodding slowly.
Lin Nan's Sharingan then shifted its pattern, and the space began to distort. Several figures fell out. The moment they landed, Sasori controlled his puppets to subdue them.
"What are these?"
"Heavy criminals from various prisons, elite jonin in terms of overall strength. How much of their former strength would be possessed by someone reanimated using these as sacrifices?" Lin Nan inquired.
Kabuto replied, "It's not determined by ninja rank, but by the chakra reserves of the sacrifice. If the sacrifice's chakra reserves are equivalent to an elite jonin, then a reanimated individual who was an elite jonin in life could possess over ninety percent of their former strength. However, if the reanimated individual was a Kage-level ninja, their strength would be greatly diminished, perhaps only around seventy percent!"
"I see!" Lin Nan nodded, and then an orange light enveloped him. Itachi Uchiha's Susanoo materialized, and the Totsuka Blade began to flex.
"Little Lin-kun?" Kabuto looked astonished.
Lin Nan explained, "Nagato's soul is sealed within me. I need to release it, otherwise, you cannot reanimate him!" Kabuto nodded.
As a phantasmal figure appeared, Lin Nan deactivated his Susanoo and mused, "Your control over reanimated individuals is absolute, correct?"
Kabuto smiled, "Unless there are variables like 'Kotoamatsukami,' then it is absolute."
Kabuto began preparing the reanimation ritual, and soon, dust and debris flew.