"Kushina… how is she alive?", Tsunade's face was full of shock. She could see the cracks all over Minato's body, knowing that Minato was in Edo Tensei form.
But Kushina's face had no cracks at all, meaning she was alive.
Rengoku wasn't planning to tell Tsunade about the Rinne Rebirth yet, so he gave a simple explanation.
"This is a clone I made with my eye technique. I'm temporarily lending it to Kushina."
"Kushina's just a soul."
Tsunade asked cautiously, "How long can Kushina stay like this?"
Rengoku of course understood what she meant. He pointed at himself, "Until I die."
Tsunade's eyes immediately lit up. But Rengoku cut her off before she could even start casting anything.
"Don't even think about it. I only have a limited number of clones, and they're all used up."
Tsunade instantly deflated.
Rengoku tried to comfort her, "Anyway, there's Edo Tensei. If you miss Dan or Nawaki, you can just revive them and talk."
Tsunade shook her head, staying silent.
Rengoku didn't push it. Everyone had their own way of viewing Edo Tensei.
For Tsunade, this kind of brief reunion didn't count as resurrection.
Rengoku didn't explain further either. As long as there was a chance later, he'd just bring Nawaki and Dan back, that was enough.
"The Akatsuki will show up first, asking for money and the Nine-Tails jinchuriki. Obviously, they won't get either."
"The Nine-Tails jinchuriki and the other ninjas will be handled by Nagato."
"As for Sarutobi Hiruzen, whoever wants to move first can go ahead."
The Minato couple looked at each other, then turned their eyes toward Tsunade.
When it came to grudges, Tsunade's went far deeper than theirs.
Tsunade nodded at the two of them. She knew exactly how much Naruto had suffered, letting her take the chance to kill Sarutobi Hiruzen was an act of kindness from them.
Seeing they had settled it among themselves, Rengoku didn't interfere. To him, how Hiruzen died didn't matter.
As long as everyone got to avenge themselves and felt satisfied, that was enough.
After all, growing stronger through bonds, that was what really mattered.
"You need to be careful of his Reaper Death Seal. Don't let him drag you down with him," Rengoku reminded them.
"Don't worry," Minato said coldly, "With me here, he won't get the chance."
With Minato,nthe fastest man in the ninja world, on guard, if Sarutobi Hiruzen managed to pull off a Reaper Death Seal, it would be a joke.
"There's one more thing, Jiraiya."
"Do you want to kill him, or let him go?"
Most of the avengers here had some sort of connection to Jiraiya. Though his personality and judgment weren't great, he did have history with Minato and had once fought side by side with Tsunade and Orochimaru.
Tsunade looked toward Kushina, "I don't mind either way."
Kushina turned to Minato. Minato's face showed hesitation; he exchanged a look with her.
Kushina snorted, "He hasn't even looked at Naruto once all these years. He's not worthy of being your teacher."
Her meaning was clear, if Jiraiya was Minato's teacher, then he had failed Naruto.
If he was just a stranger, then he had no obligation to care for Naruto at all.
Minato nodded, "Then we'll treat him like a stranger."
Rengoku had no particular fondness for Jiraiya anyway. But if Tsunade and Minato wanted to cut ties and let him live, that was fine too.
"Alright then, Minato, you'll be the one to exile Jiraiya."
Everyone agreed without objection.
"Sarutobi Hiruzen doesn't have any top-tier fighters left. With your lineup, you'll be more than enough. And with Minato, the margin for error's covered."
"If anything happens, just go home, Minato."
He'd already explained that joke to Minato before, so Minato smiled, "Got it, Rengoku."
———
Some time earlier, both the Akatsuki and Konoha Village had released official statements.
The Akatsuki demanded that Sarutobi Hiruzen's side either return the Nine-Tails jinchuriki or pay five billion.
Otherwise, the Akatsuki leader himself would come to collect the debt.
Konoha's announcement was simpler, it declared that Sarutobi Hiruzen's crimes were confirmed, labeling him a rogue ninja.
All ninja who followed him were also rogues.
Konoha would soon send people to eliminate them.
The funny part? Both statements had been issued at the exact same time.
That made everyone suspect that Akatsuki and Konoha were working together.
But clearly, Sarutobi Hiruzen and his followers weren't going to care.
In their minds, Konoha itself could barely stand (that's what Hiruzen believed).
Without the Nine-Tails jinchuriki, if their main forces left the base, the other villages would just invade.
Their only real concern was that the Akatsuki's Senku might come in person.
As for the Akatsuki's leader, Hiruzen had never met or even heard of him.
So naturally, he wasn't afraid. [T/N: Ridiculous. You should be afraid of the unknown more.]
———
Outside the Daimyo's city, at the camp of Sarutobi Hiruzen's group.
Beside Sarutobi Ryunosuke stood a strange creature, a mix of ape's face, raccoon's body, tiger's limbs, and snake's tail.
That was the Nue.
It was a "military weapon" created by Tanuki Shigaraki using Hashirama cells, designed for explosive combat.
Right now, he was testing its abilities.
"Fire Style: Great Flame Technique!"
A Sarutobi clansman spewed a huge wave of fire at the Nue.
Its body instantly grew, from the size of a goat to the size of a grown man.
With one slap, it shattered the Great Flame Technique apart.
Whizz! Whizz! Whizz!
Several shuriken struck the Nue, but only made clanging metallic sounds.
Even kunai and swords hitting its body only rang like metal striking metal.
Then the Nue swung its claw and broke the sword clean in half.
Its power made Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others' eyes light up.
"Try the self-destruction next," Tanuki Shigaraki ordered.
"How long before it revives after exploding?"
Ryunosuke still didn't know why he was chosen, but the Nue's strength was undeniable.
Having such a summon made him very pleased, and careful not to waste it.
Tanuki Shigaraki was full of confidence, "Relax. As long as the Gozu Tenno seal mark stays on your back, the Nue will revive with you."
"It'll just cost some chakra, that's all."
Ryunosuke gave the command, "Absorb chakra!"
"ROAR!"
The Nue let out a roar. People around couldn't see anything, but they could feel their chakra being drained away.
The Nue's body swelled rapidly, growing to the size of a water buffalo. Those drained Sarutobi ninjas collapsed, their bodies weak.
Ryunosuke didn't dare let it latch onto one person for too long, that would kill them.
So under his control, the Nue absorbed from one person, then another, in turns.
Its body inflated like a balloon until it was the size of a house.
Just then, a signal flare exploded in the distant sky.
"What's going on?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen made a hand signal toward Ryunosuke.
Ryunosuke focused, the Nue vanished instantly, diving into another dimension.
Moments later, in the sky above, flapping giant wings, Konan appeared, with an orange-haired Pain beside her.
"Konan?", Jiraiya was shocked on the ground.
"Wait, isn't that… Yahiko?"
"But didn't Konan say Yahiko was dead?"
During the first attack on Konoha, Konan had said both Nagato and Yahiko were dead.
But the person before them looked exactly like Yahiko.
'Could this person be the leader of Akatsuki?'
Sarutobi Hiruzen's face grew grim, especially when he saw Pain's strange eyes. The pressure was suffocating.
"Jiraiya, are those the Rinnegan?"
Jiraiya confirmed, "Yeah, those are the Rinnegan. But that's Yahiko, not Nagato. I don't know what's going on."
Sarutobi Hiruzen's heart sank.
Konan and Pain descended from the sky, hovering above him.
Pain glanced briefly at Jiraiya, then spoke in a cold tone, "Sarutobi Hiruzen, come out and speak."
Being called by name so directly, Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't hide behind others.
"Who are you?"
"I am the leader of Akatsuki, Pain."
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