"First squad, use Fire Release! Second squad, use Wind Release!"
"Wind Release: Gale Palm!"
Thirty Konoha shinobi stood together. The odd-numbered shinobi quickly formed hand seals and unleashed Fire Release ninjutsu of various levels. After them, another group of Konoha shinobi swiftly performed hand seals and released Wind Release ninjutsu.
Wind enhanced the flames, turning the blazing fire into a seven or eight-meter-high sea of flames, like a massive fiery wave.
"Run! Run for your lives!"
The united army formed by the feudal lord of the Land of Wind and his nobles was terrified by the scale of the combined jutsu. They could only wish they had more legs as they scrambled to flee, using both hands and feet to escape.
Most of them were previously wandering samurai or bounty hunters. While they had fought shinobi before, they had never faced a shinobi army.
The combined jutsu from thirty shinobi was comparable to an S-rank forbidden jutsu, almost like a natural disaster.
And such a level of combined jutsu could be used dozens, if not hundreds, of times by the shinobi army.
After the fire-wind combined jutsu, the feudal lord and the noble army of the Land of Wind left behind dozens of corpses as they fled. But the Konoha shinobi had no intention of letting them go.
"Advance! Check for traps! We will take the capital of the Land of Wind in one fell swoop," ordered Uchiha Shinji as he commanded. They had initially been focusing on constructing oasis towns and key transportation points, with no intention of dealing with the nobles.
But since the nobles had come to provoke them, Konoha decided to destroy them first and then manage the large Land of Wind at their own pace.
Yoichi had given Pakura significant authority. After Tobirama and Hashirama left, Pakura held the most power in the Sand Region. Even Hiruzen and Jiraiya had to follow her commands.
This time, it was Pakura who ordered the complete elimination of the feudal lord and the nobles of the Land of Wind.
Even though there weren't enough administrative personnel, Pakura did not want to give these people the chance to stage any more rebellions.
Moreover, the Sand Region needed a large number of laborers, and Pakura had over three thousand shinobi under her command, more than enough to handle this ragtag army.
In just three days of warfare, Konoha's forces had pushed all the way to the capital of the Land of Wind, capturing six towns and making prisoners of five noble families.
Interestingly, it wasn't the Konoha shinobi who hated the nobles of the Land of Wind the most—it was the shinobi originally from Sunagakure.
The feudal lords and nobles of the Land of Wind had occupied the best lands, leaving Sunagakure, the military force protecting the country, to live in the harsh desert. They frequently cut the funding for Sunagakure, which had caused a lot of resentment among the Sand shinobi.
When they captured the first noble family and raided their storehouses, they discovered enough food to feed a thousand people for several months. Only then did the shinobi from Sunagakure realize that the Land of Wind wasn't poor—the nobles had hoarded all the wealth.
Sunagakure had nearly faced famine before. They couldn't buy supplies domestically, and foreign goods were blockaded. Rasa didn't dare to rob the feudal lords or the nobles, so he had to swallow his pride and accept Yoichi's terms just to feed the people of Sunagakure.
Now that they had seen how wealthy the nobles were, the shinobi from Sunagakure were furious. If not for the commands restraining them, they might have staged a full-scale rebellion against the nobility.
After receiving the front-line reports of the conquest of the Land of Wind, Pakura forwarded them to Konoha.
After handling the immediate issues, Pakura glanced at Mei, who had followed her for several days. At first, Mei had been full of questions, but by now, she had fallen silent, seemingly understanding the situation.
Pakura waved Mei over and asked, "You've been in the Sand Region for a while now. You should understand why the Fifth Hokage sent you here, right?"
"...Are you content with this?" Mei couldn't help but ask the question she had been holding in for a long time. Pakura was a hero of Sunagakure, so why would she betray her village?
"Why wouldn't I be content? Your intelligence was sent to me long ago. We share a similar fate, both betrayed by our villages. So, are you content?"
Pakura snorted and continued, "In the past, many children in Sunagakure had never seen a single leaf. Now, every newborn can see an oasis. Why wouldn't I be content?"
"But that's not your village!"
"Then why don't you go and serve your village? If you were truly loyal to Kirigakure, you wouldn't have become a missing-nin."
Pakura paused before reminding her, "We haven't restricted your freedom. You're free to return to Kirigakure and inform the Fourth Mizukage of Konoha's plans, and then help Kirigakure—before being executed by the Fourth Mizukage."
"However, I don't think Kirigakure can resist Konoha. You arrived too late to witness the power of the God of Shinobi. And Konoha also has the the Fifth Hokage."
Mei was well aware of this. She had personally seen the fully formed Susano'o, towering like a mountain. In the face of such a force, Mei couldn't even muster the will to resist.
She realized she only had two options: return to Kirigakure and rally those she knew to defect to Konoha or return and fight alongside Kirigakure against Konoha in a hopeless battle. There was no third choice.
"Take your time to think about it. You have one week. Either leave the Land of Fire or go to Konoha and have a serious talk with the Fifth Hokage."
With that, Pakura stopped paying attention to Mei. She had already given Mei enough patience. If it weren't for Yoichi's orders, she wouldn't have bothered with a Kirigakure shinobi, especially one like Mei, whose heart still lay with her village.
The war in the Land of Wind was progressing fiercely, and things were going smoothly in the Land of Rain and the Land of Rivers as well.
The Land of Rivers didn't have its own ninja village. In the past, it had survived as a small nation due to compromises between Konoha and Sunagakure. Now that Sunagakure had merged with Konoha, the daimyo of the Land of Rivers had barely resisted for a few days before being forcibly relocated to Konoha.
His property was not confiscated, but the Land of Rivers no longer belonged to him, and he was no longer a daimyo.
As for the Land of Rain, after learning that Urashiki had been captured and that his brother was no longer in danger, Tobirama began making major moves against the country.
And Hanzo, the so-called "Demi-God of the Shinobi World"?
Tobirama thought it was a joke. How had he never heard of such a title during his lifetime? How had it only appeared after his death?
And with the true God of Shinobi present in the Land of Rain, Tobirama almost hoped Hanzo would appear, so he wouldn't have to send people to gather information.
"Lord Hanzo, we've lost Yanmoku Town and Rain Town as well. We had over a hundred shinobi there. If we hadn't discovered it in time today, we would have been surrounded and wiped out by Konoha's forces."
Hanzo's expression darkened as he asked, "Did they not resist at all?"
"Lord Yanbei said their jutsu were too overwhelming, and with the Second Hokage and Shisui leading the charge, they couldn't fight back, so they retreated."
Hearing this, Hanzo fell silent. When Konoha first invaded the Land of Rain, he had fought Shisui. After a fierce battle, Hanzo had been shocked.
Once capable of defeating and even killing the Sannin, Hanzo now found himself struggling against a young Uchiha.
That strange Body Flicker Technique, the genjutsu that could ensnare him if he wasn't careful, and the Susano'o, which was so powerful that even his explosive flame formation couldn't break through, left him feeling helpless. Even his salamander's poison was neutralized by a secret medicine.
After battling Shisui for a while, Hanzo felt powerless. None of his techniques worked on Shisui, and he was constantly at risk of falling victim to the Sharingan's genjutsu.
So, Hanzo retreated and began directing the Rain shinobi from behind the scenes, rarely taking to the field himself.
However, since Tobirama's arrival, Konoha's forces had become more aggressive, gradually consuming Rain's territory step by step. Thinking of the Akatsuki, which had been swaying the civilians, Hanzo couldn't help but regret not having killed that blue-haired woman sooner.
"What should we do now, Lord Hanzo?"
Rainosuke, Hanzo's confidant, asked. If Hanzo wasn't in the village, Rainosuke was the one responsible for managing the affairs of Amegakure.
But Hanzo didn't immediately respond, instead falling into deep thought.
If they continued to resist, they didn't have the strength to fight back. But if they didn't resist, they would lose their remaining territory, which had already shrunk to less than a quarter of what it once was. In another ten days, Konoha's forces would likely surround Amegakure.
"...Gather everyone. Take the accumulated wealth of Amegakure and head to the Land of Earth."
"W-What?"
Rainosuke couldn't believe what he was hearing. He quickly asked, "L-Lord Hanzo, are we abandoning Amegakure?"
"We are not abandoning it. We don't have the strength to resist Konoha. We need to preserve our forces and join forces with Iwagakure and Kumogakure. Only then can we fight against Konoha!"
Hanzo sternly reprimanded, "If we all die in Amegakure, who will stand against Konoha? Who will restore the Land of Rain?"
"...Yes, Lord Hanzo."
Rainosuke felt ashamed of his doubts and quickly lowered his head. "Shall we evacuate immediately, Lord Hanzo?"
"The sooner, the better. If Konoha's forces catch wind of this, we'll have no choice but to fight to the death. And if we die here, the Land of Rain will become nothing but history."
"I understand, Lord Hanzo!"
With the heavy responsibility of restoring the Land of Rain weighing on their shoulders, they couldn't afford to die meaninglessly in battle.
With that belief in mind, Rainosuke quickly went to gather the remaining Rain shinobi.
Although the Land of Rain was a small nation, Hanzo had always dreamed of making it a major power. The spoils of war he had gained during the Third Shinobi World War had allowed him to grow the ranks of Amegakure's shinobi.
Even after suffering losses in recent battles with Konoha, Amegakure still had over 1,500 shinobi.
This was no small number. Only four or five years had passed since the Third Shinobi World War, and Amegakure had managed to cultivate this many shinobi, rivaling the growth rate of Iwagakure and Kumogakure.
Hanzo could see that Konoha likely knew about his alliance with Iwagakure and Kumogakure, which was why they were attacking the Land of Rain so aggressively.
Stubbornly holding the line wasn't an option. If all his forces were wiped out, even if he managed to escape, Onoki and the Fourth Raikage wouldn't take him seriously.
Most of the Rain shinobi were already concentrated near Amegakure, so it didn't take long for Rainosuke to gather everyone and relay Hanzo's orders.
Many Rain shinobi didn't understand the order, and some even had families in Amegakure, but nine-tenths of them didn't dare to disobey Hanzo's command.
For nearly twenty years, Hanzo had ruled as the "Demi-God of the Shinobi World." Many of the Rain shinobi had grown up under his influence. After receiving the order, they quickly returned home to inform their families and prepared to leave Amegakure with Hanzo.
"Sorry for troubling you, Fifth Hokage," Minato said apologetically. He knew the Fifth Hokage was incredibly busy right now. Kushina had asked Mina to relay the message, and they had waited almost an entire day before Uchiha Yoichi finally had time to come over.
"No trouble at all. The damage to the Edo Tensei body is a minor issue. Luckily, it only happened once. If it occurred repeatedly, the soul would eventually be damaged as well," Yoichi said, waving his hand dismissively before motioning to Minato. "I have other matters to attend to later, so let me fix this for you now."
Minato nodded and stepped forward, "Sorry to trouble you."
Without any further pleasantries, Yoichi extended his hand and used Yin-Yang Release to cover Minato's severed shoulder. After a few seconds, he nullified the residual Yin-Yang Release effect left by Urashiki, and Minato's shoulder began to regenerate, with paper-like fragments gathering and quickly restoring the limb.
"All done. If there's nothing else, I'll be heading out."
After finishing the task, Yoichi prepared to leave. He had plenty on his plate, even though he had handed the Tenseigan to Rumi. There was still the matter of Urashiki and the issues on the moon that needed his attention.
"Wait."
Kushina suddenly called out, causing Yoichi to turn back. But as he looked at her, she suddenly didn't know what to say.
"What is it?"
"…It's nothing important."
Kushina cursed herself internally for blurting it out. She noticed Minato's gaze, feeling a bit guilty. It wasn't what he was thinking at all.
"I'll go check on Naruto, Kushina," Minato said with a smile, but before leaving, he gave Kushina a look, signaling her not to mention the matter.
After Minato left, Yoichi couldn't help but ask, "What is it? Don't worry, my sensory abilities are sharp."
"This thing—don't leave it in my house. Destroy it as soon as you take it. Understood?" Kushina said, her face flushed with a mix of anger and embarrassment, as she shoved a sealed scroll into Yoichi's hand.
"What is this?"
"Hmph!"
Kushina didn't respond and simply turned and left. She had nearly forgotten about those things. While looking for something earlier, she had almost been caught, so she sealed them in the scroll.
There were too many of them to dispose of easily. She couldn't just throw them away, as they might be discovered by the Konoha Police Force. And she didn't know how to use Earth Release or Fire Release to destroy them. Keeping them sealed in a scroll also posed a risk of discovery.
When Yoichi returned home and opened the sealed scroll, he found a TV, VCR, and five or six videotapes he had given to Kushina.
"Oh, these... I'd better keep them."
Yoichi smiled. These were all masterpieces, and it would be hard to see such expressions on Kushina's face again in the future, so they were definitely worth preserving.
Right now, Konoha was at its most vulnerable. There were fewer than a thousand shinobi in the village, with most of them assigned to the Police Force to maintain order. Only about two hundred were handling missions. It was a time when Konoha was extremely short on manpower.
But there was no other choice. Konoha had too many things to deal with at once. Once Rumi resolved the internal issues of the Hyuga clan and freed the branch family shinobi, or after a couple of years when new shinobi joined, the manpower shortage might be alleviated.
For now, Yoichi couldn't leave Konoha for extended periods. Without someone strong enough to hold the fort, if Uchiha Madara showed up, the village might not be able to defend itself.
Unless, of course, the Tenseigan energy tower was installed and Rumi mastered the power of the Tenseigan.
"It's been a while since I drew a new ability…"
As he spoke, Yoichi opened the roulette.
Ever since he acquired the Sign-In ability, he had been accumulating his monthly ability draws. Rather than drawing useless abilities, he preferred to save them for something more powerful.
By now, he had accumulated twelve chances, meaning it had been about a year since he last drew a new ability.
"Let's see how my luck is after a year. Give me something strong."
With that, Uchiha Yoichi pressed the psychic roulette. The large wheel spun before gradually slowing down and landing on an ability.
[Transdimensional Trading: Set up a platform and distort perceptions for a win-win trade.]
"This…"
After carefully reading the description and confirming it multiple times, Yoichi realized that this ability functioned like a kind of trading platform for him.
But for the other party, it was akin to making an offering or plea. They could offer something in exchange for something they needed, provided Yoichi had it and was willing to trade.
"It's complicated, but it seems useful. I wonder what I can get…"
Yoichi opened the Transdimensional Trading list and was immediately overwhelmed by the countless trade requests that appeared before him.
He zoomed in and slowly began to read through them.
"Seeking a hundred-year-old ginseng to save my mother, willing to offer twenty years of my lifespan."
"Seeking to live twenty more years, offering a thousand ryo in gold."
"Seeking the wand of Sisrifa the God, willing to exchange two ninth-level magical beast cores."
"Hoping for an item or secret technique to restore my eyesight, willing to trade Byakugō no Jutsu and Cherry Blossom Impact."
There were as many trade requests as stars in the sky. Yoichi spent an hour browsing and still hadn't finished. He rubbed his eyes, feeling a bit tired.
"Life force, souls... All of these are up for trade? Even organs? I wonder how these will appear in my possession…"
After some thought, Yoichi selected the trade request for the hundred-year-old ginseng. He had used plenty of ginseng while refining medicines in the shinobi world.
Although none of it had fully matured over a hundred years, the natural energy in the shinobi world made the medicinal potency high enough.
Using the Flying Thunder God Technique, he retrieved the ginseng from his underground alchemy lab and placed it on the platform as per the ability's instructions.
[Trade Successful: Acquired twenty years of life force.]
After extracting the twenty years of life force, Yoichi found it rather useless. It was just pure life energy, which might extend a normal person's life by ten years or so.
But for someone like him, who possessed the Yomitsuka dojutsu, life force wasn't anything special.
After browsing a bit longer, Yoichi began to notice a problem. The items he wanted couldn't be traded because he lacked the necessary materials. On the other hand, the items he could trade weren't valuable enough to exchange for what others were offering.
In short, the shinobi world was too impoverished, and there wasn't much he could offer. Even techniques like ninjutsu couldn't be used by the other party.
"Tch, is this another useless ability?"
After spending over an hour browsing, Yoichi shook his head and closed the ability panel.
"I'll look again tomorrow, but it seems likely that most things won't be tradeable."
With that, Yoichi headed home to rest. This time, he went to the Senju compound. With both the First and Second Hokage gone from the village, and Nawaki away on a mission, only three people remained in the large Senju compound, and one of them was an infant.
Tsunade had just put Yoko to sleep and was preparing to rest when Yoichi suddenly appeared in her room.
Startled, Tsunade scolded him, "You little pervert! Next time, use the door. You scared me!"
"I just couldn't wait to see you, Tsunade," Yoichi said as he moved closer, wrapping his arms around Tsunade's waist, pressing her ample figure tightly against him.
Older women couldn't handle sweet talk like that. Even after having a child, Tsunade's face still flushed at his words, mumbling, "Who would believe a pervert like you? You've already married so many wives…"
The lights dimmed, and the sounds of passion filled the room until late into the night.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Elsewhere.
After receiving intelligence from a White Zetsu clone, Black Zetsu finally breathed a sigh of relief. He quickly returned to Uchiha Madara's side to report, "Lord Madara, we've found the whereabouts of the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki!"
"Where?"
Black Zetsu explained, "This news comes from Iwagakure. It's said that there are signs of the Four-Tails and Five-Tails being revived, so Iwagakure plans to have the Eight-Tails persuade them. If this information is accurate, Lord Madara, you could potentially capture three Tailed Beasts at once."
Madara frowned slightly and asked, "Having the Eight-Tails persuade the Four-Tails and Five-Tails? That sounds far-fetched. Black Zetsu, can we confirm this information?"
"There shouldn't be any problem. The White Zetsu clone gathered this intel while serving as a servant in the household of the Third Tsuchikage's son," Black Zetsu explained.
"It took you a month to gather this information," White Zetsu muttered, feeling slighted.
"It was actually only a week, Black Zetsu. I got this intel in just a week," White Zetsu protested, but neither Black Zetsu nor Madara paid attention to it.
"Let's go check it out. Even if it's a trap, it won't matter. They don't have the power to pose a real threat," Madara said after thinking it over. If the information was true, he could finally become the Jinchūriki of the Ten-Tails.
(End of Chapter)
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"Any updates on that guy's whereabouts, Black Zetsu?"
"Still haven't found him. An enemy with space-time abilities is tough to track down, Lord Madara. Even White Zetsu's clones can't keep up."
Black Zetsu cursed Madara in its heart after responding. It was hiding from him, and now this foolish reincarnation of Indra wanted it to come closer. Fortunately, the Ten-Tails was almost fully assembled, and it wouldn't be long before it could revive its mother.
Madara spoke, "Don't forget about that guy. I must eliminate all unstable elements before I cast Infinite Tsukuyomi."
"Rest assured, Lord Madara."
After Black Zetsu finished speaking, it informed Madara of the locations where the Four-Tails and Five-Tails were being revived. It mentioned that the Cloud Village might have already sent the Eight-Tails, intending for it to persuade the two Tailed Beasts when they resurrected.
The information White Zetsu's clones had gathered was thorough. One clone posed as a servant in Onoki's household during the day, while another eavesdropped on conversations at night.
Onoki, a veteran of the Third Great Ninja War at the Land of Fields battlefield, had mentioned how the Four-Tails and Five-Tails fought alongside the Eight-Tails back in the day. If not for the Eight-Tails' life-saving abilities, it might have been reviving alongside the Four-Tails and Five-Tails right now.
Due to this connection with the Eight-Tails, Iwagakure agreed to let the Eight-Tails try to convince the Four-Tails and Five-Tails. Their power was crucial in the current war.
Iwagakure's bottom line was to borrow the strength of the Four-Tails and Five-Tails. As long as they won the war, they would release them before the jinchūriki died, allowing them to pass to the next host.
However, if the Four-Tails and Five-Tails didn't agree to this, Iwagakure would have no choice but to resort to force.
...
Meanwhile, in Konoha.
After waking up, Tsunade was busy with work, leaving Yoko to her father, Yoichi, for the day.
Before Yoichi could react, Tsunade's shadow clone disappeared, leaving him no choice but to spend the day with his daughter.
He didn't mind, though, as he wasn't particularly interested in village matters. Yoichi had initially wanted to become Hokage to marry Tsunade and enjoy a leisurely life while reshaping the ninja world in his image.
Now, he had achieved the first two goals, and the third was underway, not requiring his constant attention.
While playing with his daughter, Yoichi mused that after conquering Kirigakure, he would select the Sixth Hokage.
Before doing so, he would need to deal with the Daimyo and nobles of the Land of Fire. The next Hokage would likely be chosen between Shisui and Nawaki, though Kakashi had no desire for the position. Despite this, he would still rank ahead of Shisui.
Nawaki was slightly weaker than Shisui, but he had been training in Wood Release under Hashirama, so he had likely made significant progress.
However, neither of them had the boldness required to handle the Daimyo and nobles properly, Yoichi thought as he entertained his daughter.
At the same time, he opened his ability panel. Last night, he hadn't found any worthy trade offers, so he decided to check again today.
"I wish to acquire one of the top twelve Heavenly Flames in exchange for six grade-eight multicolored pills."
"I wish to find a way to resolve the Karma Mark. In return, I offer gratitude."
"I wish to find a cure for the Poison Body. In exchange, I offer a meticulously compiled medical book."
"I wish to obtain Yin and Yang Release to break a seal. I offer one of my Kekkei Genkai in return."
Yoichi's eyes fell on the request for Yin and Yang Release. Unlike the previous requests, this was something he could actually do.
He had both Yin and Yang Release, and the only seal requiring both was the Six Paths: Chibaku Tensei.
"Could this request be from Ōtsutsuki Kaguya?" he wondered.
Kaguya's consciousness had been sealed away, her body trapped as the Demonic Statue, and her chakra split into the nine Tailed Beasts.
To fully revive, the most crucial step was using the Infinite Tsukuyomi to free her consciousness. Even if they gathered all nine Tailed Beasts and revived the Ten-Tails, it would only possess a fraction of her consciousness.
Over time, the Ten-Tails' power would likely be absorbed by Madara, and even the abilities like Amenominaka would become his.
"Let's give it a try," Yoichi decided after pondering for a while. He wasn't afraid of Kaguya at this point. If he wanted to, he could wipe out his enemies within a year, though it would be exhausting.
Having made up his mind, Yoichi summoned both Yin and Yang Release to his hands. After casting the Six Paths: Chibaku Tensei: Release, the power in his hands vanished.
Since he had accepted the trade, the ability wheel directly took his power away.
Suddenly, Yoichi sensed something was off. He carried Yoko outside and looked up at the moon. Even though it was daytime, the moon appeared unnaturally prominent and clear.
No one else seemed to notice. After watching it for a while, Yoichi returned inside.
Once back in the house, he felt a slight change in his body, as if a new ability had appeared out of nowhere.
Yoichi extended his hand, and a gray bone slowly grew from his palm. The bone emanated a power of decay and destruction, making Yoichi feel immensely powerful.
Even a small piece of this bone could drain half of his remaining life energy if it struck him.
"Yayaya!"
Yoko reached out to touch the bone in Yoichi's hand, but he quickly stopped her.
"All-Killing Ash Bones are too dangerous for you to touch," he warned, retracting the bone.
Acquiring this ability had been an unexpected bonus, further enhancing Yoichi's power. Although he already possessed Yin-Yang Release, Six Paths Sage Mode, and the Six-Tomoe Rinnegan, he hadn't yet mastered the Kekkei Mōra.
The Kekkei Mōra could only be unlocked by absorbing the Divine Tree. Yoichi's Six-Tomoe Rinnegan had absorbed the powers of Indra and Asura, which were theoretically the powers of Hagoromo.
To unlock his own Kekkei Mōra, he needed to absorb a Ten-Tails.
Yoichi's target was the Ten-Tails under Isshiki's control, as Madara's Ten-Tails carried too much of Kaguya's will. Isshiki's Ten-Tails, having never been absorbed, was the perfect candidate for him.
Afterward, Yoichi took Yoko home and entrusted her to Mina, as he wanted to test his All-Killing Ash Bones ability.
When they arrived at the Uchiha compound, Mina's first reaction upon seeing Yoichi was surprise, but she quickly took over caring for Yoko.
"Lord Yoichi, you really are a womanizer. Besides Lady Tsunade, there must be others, right?"
Mina teased him as she played with Yoko, referring to Yugito. The young woman had almost matured, and who knew if her belly might start growing one day.
Yoichi chuckled awkwardly at her remark, finding an excuse to leave.
There were also Kushina and Konan. Kushina might reveal herself soon, while Konan would remain his secretary and assistant. He had plenty of children already, and it was time to start being more cautious.
Meanwhile, on another side of Konoha.
After the war with the Land of Wind's nobles neared its end, Jiraiya had requested to return to the village.
Not being suited for administrative roles, his usefulness had diminished after the war. After receiving Jiraiya's request, Pakura immediately forwarded it to the village, and within two days, Jiraiya was allowed to end his mission and return.
Once back, Jiraiya often visited Minato's home, where he learned about Kushina's near-death experience. He was relieved the enemy hadn't succeeded, as gaining the power of the Nine-Tails could have led to untold disaster.
At the training ground, Minato was teaching Naruto. He wanted to pass on the Rasengan, but Naruto was still too young, so they focused on other training for now.
The Rasengan would have to wait until Naruto grew older, at which point Minato would leave it to Jiraiya to teach.
"Dad, watch out!" Naruto shouted.
On the training ground, Naruto's speed was nearly fast enough to rival the Body Flicker Technique. He quickly appeared on Minato's left side, attacking with a punch and a kick.
His speed was impressive, fully utilizing his physical capabilities with total concentration breathing.
However, Minato effortlessly blocked all of Naruto's attacks, though he was inwardly amazed at how strong Naruto had become, even before entering the ninja academy.
After exchanging dozens of moves, Minato used the Body Flicker Technique to appear behind Naruto, quickly pinning his arms and subduing him.
"Darn it," Naruto muttered, hanging his head in defeat after failing to break free. "I lost again."
Minato released Naruto with a smile. "Naruto, I'm amazed by your strength. When I was your age, I wasn't as strong as you are now. Has someone been training your taijutsu?"
"Yeah, I've been training taijutsu with Sasuke and Kimimaro. My taijutsu is way better than Sasuke's!" Naruto boasted, crossing his arms behind his head with a grin, not realizing that Sasuke had already started learning ninjutsu and swordsmanship. While Naruto was better at taijutsu, Sasuke's overall strength far surpassed his.
"Did the Fifth Hokage teach you taijutsu?" Minato asked.
"Nope. Uncle Yoichi only taught us a breathing technique. Kimimaro taught me and Sasuke taijutsu," Naruto replied, shaking his head. Kimimaro had told him that once he and Sasuke could beat him together, they could ask Uncle Yoichi for further instruction. But Naruto found that nearly impossible, as he and Sasuke couldn't last more than a few moves against Kimimaro.
"Naruto, a ninja's strength doesn't rely solely on taijutsu. Ninjutsu and other techniques are just as important," Jiraiya said as he approached with a smile. "From now on, I'll be teaching you ninjutsu. I promise you'll inherit my strongest techniques."
Jiraiya hadn't finished his sentence when he suddenly clutched his chest in pain, collapsing to the ground in agony, groaning uncontrollably.
"Master Jiraiya?" Minato hurried over to his side. After checking Jiraiya's chakra with sensory techniques and finding nothing abnormal, he quickly told Naruto, "Naruto, go tell your mom. I'm taking Master Jiraiya to the hospital."
Before Minato could finish his instructions, Jiraiya tugged on his sleeve and whispered, "Mount Myōboku."
With that, Jiraiya passed out completely.
Realizing what needed to be done, Minato immediately used the Summoning Jutsu to call upon Fukasaku. He told the toad, "Fukasaku, Master Jiraiya has suffered some kind of incident. We need the help of Sage Fukasaku right away. Have Gamabunta reverse summon both of us to Mount Myōboku."
"Understood," Fukasaku replied, releasing the summoning jutsu and returning to Mount Myōboku.
Moments later, Minato and Jiraiya were reverse summoned to the mountain.
When they arrived, the towering Gamabunta looked down at the unconscious Jiraiya in shock and asked, "Minato, how are you alive again? And what's wrong with Jiraiya?"
"Boss Gamabunta, it's urgent. I'll explain later. Right now, I need to see Sage Fukasaku," Minato said, shouldering Jiraiya and hurrying toward the inner parts of Mount Myōboku.
Back in Konoha, Naruto led Kushina to the training grounds, only to find it empty.
Kushina reassured Naruto, "Don't worry. Go home first, Naruto. I'll head to the hospital to check on things."
...
'That sensation just now… Mother?'
While traveling, Black Zetsu suddenly sensed the awakening of its mother's will, shocking it so much that it emerged from the ground. It had felt her will.
"Impossible. How could this happen without Infinite Tsukuyomi?"
Looking up at the moon, Black Zetsu confirmed that its mother's will had indeed resurfaced, fully conscious.
'The Ten-Tails… reviving.'
It only heard a few telepathic words, but that was enough for Black Zetsu to confirm that it was Kaguya. As her will incarnate, it couldn't be mistaken.
"I'm not sure what's happening, but this is good. Mother might be freeing herself from Hamura and Hagoromo's seal. Now she can slowly regain her power, hahaha."
With that thought, Black Zetsu excitedly dove back underground, heading toward Madara.
If Kaguya could break her own seal, it was all the more reason to speed up the collection of the nine Tailed Beasts.
(End of Chapter)
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