Senju Nawaki used Shunpo and ran wildly, panting heavily.
Just as he finally caught up to Captain Kuchiki, he suddenly realized Captain Kuchiki was already preparing to leave.
Senju Nawaki was completely dumbfounded. Ignoring his exhaustion, he continued to use his wobbly Shunpo, shouting loudly:
"Wait for me! Captain Kuchiki! I haven't gone inside yet!!!"
The senkaimon's closing motion paused momentarily.
Nawa— Nawaki's voice!
Tsunade suddenly looked up, coincidentally seeing a familiar figure squeezing into the senkaimon.
Tsunade couldn't help but shout, "Nawaki!"
Hearing his name, Senju Nawaki was about to turn his head, but the senkaimon closed with a bang.
Senju Nawaki scratched his head and said, "Did someone just call my name?"
"You were too slow."
"Ah haha, yes, sorry about that, Captain Kuchiki!"
Kuchiki Byakuya's interruption made Senju Nawaki completely forget the previous incident.
On the other side of the senkaimon, after vaguely seeing that figure turn its head, Tsunade's breathing hitched. She then used the Body Flicker Technique to quickly arrive in front of the senkaimon.
"Wait! Don't close it yet!"
Tsunade pushed the door hard, even using Super Strength, but the gate remained completely motionless, eventually fading away in the Amegakure.
She knelt on the ground, utterly distraught, her eyes vacant.
Jiraiya and Orochimaru walked over to her, looking puzzled.
Jiraiya said carelessly, "What are you going crazy about, Tsunade? Don't tell me you wanted him to give us a ride too?"
To Jiraiya's surprise, Tsunade didn't punch him despite what he said.
Something is wrong! Very wrong!
Tsunade said distractedly, "I just heard Nawaki's voice..."
"Nawaki? Isn't Nawaki already..."
As he spoke, Jiraiya suddenly fell silent, looking at Tsunade with some concern.
Orochimaru's heart also sank suddenly.
After all, Tsunade had entrusted Nawaki to him because she trusted him, but the result was... Human life is indeed fragile... Seeing his two friends fall silent, Jiraiya bit the bullet and said, "Well, the dead cannot be brought back to life..."
"Tsunade, you must have misheard, right?"
Misheard?
Tsunade's eyes were somewhat unfocused.
Perhaps... But when she called Nawaki's name, why did that person turn back?
But if it was him, and she was clearly right here, how could Nawaki not come and recognize her?
Moreover, she was very sure that Nawaki was already dead.
She clutched the necklace at her chest.
This necklace was proof of Nawaki's death... Even though his body was charred, this necklace, which she had personally put on Nawaki before he went to the battlefield, had never left his neck.
Tsunade swayed as she stood up, forcing a smile, "It must have been me who misheard..."
Nawaki was dead, so how could he reappear?
But that voice and familiar back still left a deep impression on her.
She just buried it deep in her heart for now.
Uzushigakure, huh... Tsunade's eyes flickered slightly... Uzushigakure, Soul Society Court.
Following Kuchiki Byakuya through the Senkaimon, the three little ones, Uzumaki Nagato, widened their eyes at the scene before them.
Uzumaki Nagato even rubbed his eyes hard in disbelief.
This... are we sure we didn't come to the wrong place?
The Uzushigakure he remembered didn't have so many magnificent buildings and scenery!
Konan's mouth was agape as she murmured, "So, so prosperous..."
Yahiko patted Nagato's shoulder vigorously, exclaiming, "Nagato, so your home is this beautiful! Why have you never told me?"
Because he was seeing it for the first time too!
Uzumaki Nagato softly said, "Is this really the Uzushigakure?"
Senju Nawaki puffed out his chest and proudly declared, "Of course! This is the Uzushigakure, the most wonderful place in the Ninja World!"
Seeing Uzumaki Nagato and the others looking like they'd never seen the world, he couldn't help but smile, "Captain Kuchiki has gone to report. Come on, I'll show you around Soul Society Court, and then take you to your living quarters."
"Oh!"
Along the way, the three of them were curious about everything they saw.
However, it was mostly Yahiko asking questions, while Uzumaki Nagato and Konan listened quietly.
Yahiko's outgoing personality quickly made him close to Senju Nawaki.
"Brother Nawaki, what's that over there?"
Senju Nawaki looked in the direction Yahiko pointed and explained, "Oh, that's the Soul Reaper Academy. Those who graduate from there can become Shinigami."
"Shinigami?"
The three of them were a bit confused, and Yahiko asked, "Brother Nawaki, what is a Shinigami?"
"Hmm..." Senju Nawaki thought for a moment and said, "They are people like Captain Kuchiki. By the way, I'm also a Shinigami!"
Senju Nawaki straightened the Zanpakuto at his waist, a proud expression on his face.
"So cool!"
The three of them were very supportive, which made Senju Nawaki feel very pleased.
"So what's the difference between a Shinigami and a Shinobi?"
In Yahiko's view, they were both powerful people, so why were their titles different?
Senju Nawaki said seriously, "Of course they're different!"
He recalled the duties of a Shinigami that the teachers at Soul Reaper Academy had mentioned.
"Shinobi are merely tools used by Shinobi villages for war and economic development. We Shinigami are different!"
"Besides protecting the Uzushigakure, we also bear the mission of maintaining the Ninja World!"
"Maintaining the Ninja World?" Yahiko and the other two looked bewildered.
Senju Nawaki smiled mysteriously and said, "I'll tell you a secret: beneath the glamorous surface of the Ninja World, there are also evil spirits that feed on human Souls!"
"Evil spirits!!"
Yahiko and the other two exclaimed in unison.
Konan rubbed her arm, panicking, "Are, are there really evil spirits?!"
Senju Nawaki nodded heavily and said, "Of course, but we call these evil spirits Hollows!"
"Then what if we encounter a Hollow?"
Konan couldn't help but ask, her mind inevitably recalling the ghost stories her mother used to tell her when she was little.
Could it be that Mom was actually telling the truth?!
Senju Nawaki chuckled and said, "At this time, of course, it's our Shinigami's turn to appear! To purify evil spirits and protect humanity!"
"So cool!" Yahiko's eyes lit up, and he excitedly said, "I want to become a Shinigami too and maintain peace in the Ninja World!"
At the Thirteenth Division Headquarters, Chihiro stood by the window, gazing out. Yoruichi, in her black cat form, lay quietly in his arms, enjoying his petting.
Behind him stood Kuchiki Byakuya, who had returned to report.
Chihiro smiled slightly, "It seems Nawaki is getting along quite well with them."
He hadn't expected that by having Kuchiki Byakuya bring Uzumaki Nagato back, Yahiko and Konan would also be 'kidnapped'.
Wouldn't this be digging up the roots of the Akatsuki Organization?
He wondered if Old Madara would be so angry he'd pull out his oxygen tube after hearing that Nagato had been brought back by the Uzushigakure...
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