"Shit! I almost forgot about them."
Izuna quickly opens a Yomotsu Hirasaka portal. He drags out three bodies from the portal and places them on the ground.
"They are…"
The expression of Minato, Kushina, Tsunade, Sakumo, and other shinobis from Konoha turns gloomy at the sight.
"KAKASHI!"
Sakumo flickers in front of Kakashi and supports his body.
"GAI! OBITO!"
Tsunade, Kushina, and Minato also appear beside Gai and Obito and check the condition of their body.
"Don't touch Gai!" Izuna warns them.
Gai's entire body has turned ash gray and just a single touch of the others might dissipate him.
"GAI… HE?!"
"GAI SENSEI!"
Lee, Neji, and Tenten also surround Gai's body with tears in their eyes.
"This is the result of opening the Eight gate. Gai's body couldn't handle the immense chakra force and heat produced by the opening of the Eight gate and slowly burned to ashes." Izuna sighs.
"As for Obito! He…" Izuna turns to Kushina, casts a glance at Madara, and returns his gaze to Obito.
"He used the forbidden jutsu of the Rinnegan: Rinne Rebirth to revive Grandfather at the cost of his life. He didn't die immediately because of the remnant power of the Six Paths Sage Mode and Hashirama cells. But he over-drafted himself later to protect Kakashi and as a result…"
"KAKASHI!" Sakumo hugs Kakashi's lifeless body. A single drop of tear leaks from his eye.
The gruesome sight of Kakashi's body, with his missing left eye, a hole in his gut, and severed shoulder, sends a shudder down everyone's spine.
This sight freshens up the memories of countless deaths that just happened in the war. After averting the crisis, the joy of survival vanishes and is replaced by sorrow and grief at the loss of loved ones. For a moment, the entire atmosphere turns somber.
"Kakashi Sensei!" Naruto and Sasuke clench their fists.
For a moment, murder magnifies in the atmosphere and several cold gazes turn towards Madara, almost penetrating in his body.
Madara nods at Kasumi and slowly walks towards the group with Akira's support.
He is met with several cold, murderous gazes, but he does not flinch in front of them.
Madara arrives opposite the Allied Shinobi group and gestures for Akira to stop supporting him. Akira hesitates a bit, but under Madara's persistent gaze, he insists.
Bang…
Without Akira's support, Madara's frail body fell to its knees. He slowly raises his emaciated head and meets everyone's eyes.
"I know that an apology at this point won't warrant much. But I still want to make amends for my actions."
Madara grits his teeth and claps his hands.
HAAH…
Blood leaks from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth.
Madara makes a series of hand signs to initiate the Rinne-rebirth jutsu.
"Those hand signs, they are the same as Obito and Nagato!" Naruto recognizes the hand signs.
"Madara, does he want to resurrect everyone with Rinnegan's power?" The Edo Kages and other knowledgeable shinobis mutter.
"But this jutsu requires a large amount of chakra and vitality. And the current Madara… he… he…" Kushina's voice turns feeble at the end. But the meaning of her words is clear to others.
"RINNE REBIRTH JUTSU!"
Madara completes the hand signs and prepares to slam his palm on the ground to summon the Underworld Yama King to initiate the resurrection.
"There is a need to go to such lengths, Grandpa!"
However, at the last moment, a pair of hands stop Madara's palm; preventing him from completing the jutsu.
Madara slowly raises his head. His almost hollow eyes witness Izuna's warm smile. He notices the Rinne-Sharingan in Izuna's left eye and another unknown Dojutsu in his right eye. Izuna's right eye almost draws Madara's soul out of his body as he momentarily stares at it with fascination.
"Grandpa!" However, Izuna's voice snaps him out.
"Izu-Izuna, don't stop me?!" Madara shakes his head and insists on completing the jutsu.
"Reviving a few people at the cost of my worthless life is the least I could do to repent for my sins. Besides…" He slowly raises his head to meet Kasumi, Hashirama, and other Edo shinobi's gaze.
"My time and era is over! So, it's the least I can do. Now, I can't wait to reunite with your grandmother in the afterlife."
"Grandfather, don't be in such a hurry to say your farewell!"
Izuna produces a green healing orb, full of vitality, and infuses it into Madara's body. Madara's deteriorating body stabilizes and his condition returns to normal.
"Grandfather, I will resurrect the dead shinobis in your steed!" Izuna states.
"Izuna, you can't do that!"
Not just Madara, but Mei, Tsunade, Akira, Aiko, Kushina, Minato, and several other shinobis, including that of other nations' object to his demand.
"We can't let you sacrifice your life to resurrect others. Your life is more valuable than even the combined worth of all dead shinobis." Sakumo places down Kakashi's body with resignation and objects to Izuna's actions.
"Even though I hate to admit it, but White Fang is right! We can't let you sacrifice yourself to bring back the dead! You are our only source of information and the communication channel to other worlds. Your shoulders hold the fate of the entire world." The usual stubborn Onoki also objects to Izuna's actions.
"Yes, we object!"
Several voices of rejection echo, attempting to persuade Izuna to stop his foolish action.
"You guys!" Izuna was slightly touched by their action.
The support of the entire world almost brings him to tears, almost!
"Alright, drop the act!" Mei, Tsunade, and Ayaka pinch him at the same time.
Ayaka is aware of Izuna's power while Mei and Tsunade, having spent so much time with Izuna, are already familiar with his antiques and already sensed something amiss. They roll their eyes and scold him.
"Alright! Alright!"
Izuna raises his hands in surrender. He turns to others and sighs.
"Explaining everything is a hassle!"
Izuna turns to Gai, Obito, and Kakashi's body. The kaleidoscopic pattern in his right eye flicker with a hue and three soul orbs appear in his hand.
"These are the souls of the Gai, Obito, and Kakashi!"
He releases the souls and turns to their bodies.
"Reviving them in their current body will kill them again. So…"
Izuna releases a similar healing orb he used on Madara.
The healing orb enters their body and quickly regenerates their wound. The hole in Kakashi's gut recovers, his severed arm regenerates, and even his hollowed eye socket regrows an eye.
Similarly, under the effect of the healing orb, the ash around Gai's body slowly blows away, revealing a patch of skin. The process lasts a few seconds, revealing Gai's naked body.
"Ladies, you might want to look away." Izuna hurriedly shields the eyes of the woman close to him.
Kyah… Kyah…
However, a few Kunoichi from other nations scream and cover their eyes with their fingers. A few of them take a few sneak peeks from between their fingers, leaving Izuna and the others speechless.
Neji quickly takes action and throws a scroll from Tenten's collection to wrap Gai up.
"Now for Obito!"
Hmm…
Izuna frowns and turns to Obito's soul orb. After a few seconds,
"I see!"
He releases Obito's soul orb, and it flies away towards the sky, vanishing from everyone's view.
Obito's body slowly turns into dust and dissipates.
The souls of Gai and Kakashi enter their bodies, and soon they open their eyes.
"Obito!"
Kakashi opens his eyes and raises his towards the sky.
"What happened to Obito?" Kushina enquires while staring at her empty hands that held Obito's body a few seconds ago.
"Obito… he… he decided to return to the afterlife!" Kakashi closes his eyes.
"Sensei!"
"Lee!"
Lee and Gai hug each other shed a bucket of tears.
"This looks so disturbing while touching at the same time!" Other shinobis remark.
"Now for the other people!"
Izuna claps his palm.
SHIING…
A massive projection of Reigan appears in the sky, covering the moon.
"Life and Death Authority: Eye of Horus,"
A bright ray of light falls from the massive eye in the sky and shines upon the entire world. The ray of light resurrects several fallen shinobis who lost their lives in the Fourth Shinobi War. Even shinobis with utterly destroyed bodies are restored to their former conditions.
"This… this is incredible!"
The Kages and commander witness the entire process with an incredulous expression. Several ideas appear in their mind.
"Do you honestly think such a powerful technique comes with no cost?" Seiryū's sudden voice startles them.
"And you are…" The sudden appearance of a stranger causes them to raise their guard.
"I am from the 'Sanctuary'." Seiryū gives a short answer to avoid the hassle of explaining his identity.
-----------------------
Check out my pa treon and read advance chapters and my new works in advance:
www.pa treon.com/forgottenlife
My new book Naruto: Shinobi of Blood and Bonds is out. Go Check it out.