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Feeling refreshed!
Yoichi felt invigorated as if he was a vampire. After the 'massage', Yugito, with her flushed cheeks, sleepily returned to her room, while Yoichi headed to the lab with full energy.
Upon arriving, Yoichi found Rin hurrying towards him.
"Yoichi-sama, you're here."
"Yes, sorry for being late today, Rin. Do you still want to learn about medicinal pills? If you'd like to learn other ninjutsu, I can teach you that too."
Placing his hand on Rin's hair, Yoichi decided to listen to her thoughts by concentrating his ability.
"Whatever you say, Yoichi-sama."
Rin smiled sweetly, and her thoughts reached Yoichi's mind.
'What ninjutsu will Yoichi-sama teach me? I just want to spend more time with him. It's so boring when he's not here...'
So she just needed companionship. That made sense, given the closed environment.
Yoichi pondered for a moment and then said, "You have precise chakra control because of your medical ninjutsu. Let me teach you a wide-area genjutsu that can help you escape even when facing multiple enemies."
Rin, surprised, asked, "Yoichi-sama, what kind of genjutsu?"
"Bringer-of-Darkness Technique, a genjutsu created by the Second Hokage."
Yoichi began teaching Rin the genjutsu. He also planned to bring in more items like the Ninja World Daily and ninja games, and perhaps leave a wood clone at night.
He worried that leaving Rin alone for three years might affect her mental state.
While teaching Rin, Yoichi frequently used his ability to listen to her thoughts, which reassured him.
Rin's mind matched her outward demeanor, with no hidden agendas. Her emotions were transparent.
Such an obedient girl.
After Rin got tired of practicing, Yoichi couldn't help but stroke her reddish-brown hair. He hoped Karin would be as well-behaved when she grew up.
As Yoichi taught Rin ninjutsu, ninjas returned from the southern border of the Land of Fire.
There had been no major battles, only small skirmishes. Mist had attempted two plots, both foiled by Konoha.
Mist's provocations gradually decreased. Konoha had a Yellow Flash on the surface and Shisui in the shadows, whose Body Flicker Technique and genjutsu earned him many merits.
When Minato returned, he brought only a few ninjas, so there was no welcome ceremony.
At the Hokage Tower, Minato reported the battle status to Sakumo.
"Thank you for your hard work, Minato. We will promptly verify the mission merits and notify you accordingly."
Sakumo thought for a moment and said, "Minato, take three days off to rest."
"Make it seven days, Hokage-sama."
Yoichi's wood clone suggested, "Kushina is pregnant. Minato should have a proper rest."
"Kushina is pregnant!?"
Minato was astonished, and Sakumo remembered too. He nodded and said, "Indeed, my oversight. Minato, take a week off and then I'll assign you new tasks."
"Thank you, Hokage-sama and Yoichi-sama."
Minato hurried home, where he saw Kushina's slightly swollen belly.
"Minato, you're back. Is the war over?"
Kushina happily asked upon seeing him. Noticing his gaze, she added, "I didn't have time to tell you before you left."
Minato waved his hand. "It's fine, Kushina. The Hokage and Yoichi-sama gave me many days off, so I can rest and stay with you."
"Oh, Minato, I have something to tell you."
Kushina remembered the scroll and quickly retrieved it from her room.
"This scroll appeared at our door. I thought it was a prank, but after breaking the seal, I found a message for Jiraiya-sensei."
"A message for Jiraiya-sensei?"
Minato opened the scroll and frowned. The scroll read: 'Jiraiya-sensei, your student was killed by Danzo!'
Kushina asked, "Minato, is this a prank? Besides you, didn't Jiraiya-sensei's other students die?"
"No, I remember Jiraiya-sensei had another student."
Minato shook his head, recalling Jiraiya's parting words about being curious who between him and another disciple would be the savior.
"I'll have a toad deliver this to Jiraiya-sensei and explain the situation."
Minato wrote a detailed account and summoned Gama Kyousuke.
"Kyousuke, take these scrolls to Jiraiya-sensei."
"Got it. I'll have Gamabunta notify him when I return."
With the scrolls in its mouth, Kyousuke dispelled the summoning and returned to Mount Myoboku.
Minato told Kushina, "This should be fine. If Jiraiya-sensei needs me, I'm sorry, Kushina. I might not be able to stay with you."
Kushina felt a bit disappointed but smiled. "It's okay, Minato."
In Sakugai Town of the Land of Tea, Jiraiya was following a lead on Tsunade's whereabouts when he was suddenly reverse-summoned to Mount Myoboku.
"What's up, Gamabunta? Is something wrong?"
"It's not me. Kyousuke said Minato has a message for you."
As Gamabunta spoke, a small toad hopped over and spat out the scrolls.
"Jiraiya, Minato asked me to give these to you."
Jiraiya read the scrolls and frowned deeply.
He immediately thought of his Akatsuki students, Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato. Danzo had previously helped Hanzo hunt down Yahiko and Konan, and now this news.
Although Minato suspected it might be a false provocation, few people knew about his three students. Besides Orochimaru, Tsunade, the Third Hokage, and Minato, no one else knew about Yahiko's group.
Jiraiya was most concerned about Nagato's Rinnegan. If Danzo targeted his students, what happened to the Rinnegan?
"Gamabunta, I need to go to the Land of Rain. I might call on you to fight."
Boom!
With that, Jiraiya dispelled the reverse summoning and returned.
Gamabunta, puzzled by Jiraiya's urgency, asked Kyousuke what was going on but couldn't figure it out.
"Jiraiya never explains clearly."
After returning to the ninja world, Jiraiya abandoned his search for Tsunade and headed straight for the Land of Rain.
While he could confront Danzo in Konoha, Jiraiya doubted he could get answers from the old schemer. Only the Third Hokage could. Thus, he sought Yahiko's group.
The Land of Rain was quite a distance from the Land of Tea.
Jiraiya had to sail to the Land of Rivers, then cross it to reach the Land of Rain.
It took him five days to arrive in the Land of Rain.
"Five days have passed. Has Minato sent a message yet? Forget it. I'll proceed alone."
Jiraiya decided to gather information on Akatsuki; before coming, he had asked Minato to inquire about Danzo's recent activities from the Third Hokage.
With no message from Minato after five days, he assumed there was no action from the Third Hokage.
"If Danzo hadn't acted, the Third Hokage could just say so. Five days without a word..."
Jiraiya took a deep breath and entered the Land of Rain, where he began inquiring about Akatsuki.
The organization was now like a frightened bird. With Yahiko dead and suspected betrayal within, neither Konan nor Nagato had appeared, causing members to leave.
It had been over ten days since Yahiko's death.
Without guidance for over ten days, and with resources depleted, only the most loyal members remained, and they were being hunted by the Rain Village.
Under these circumstances, the feared Akatsuki quickly disbanded.
Obito didn't need this version of Akatsuki. He needed an organization that could capture and seal the tailed beasts, requiring at least eight powerful ninjas and Nagato to oversee the sealing.
Once the nine tailed beasts were sealed, the Eye of the Moon Plan would be close.
"Obito."
After teaching Nagato how to harness the Rinnegan, Obito left the secret location, and White Zetsu emerged from the ground.
"A troublesome person is coming, possibly to disturb Nagato."
"Who?"
"One of the Sannin, Jiraiya. He seems to be Nagato's teacher."
Obito pondered, realizing Jiraiya could be problematic. He thought of himself and wondered what he would do if Minato came looking for him.
Without Rin, nothing in this world mattered to him.
"I'll inform Nagato. You monitor Jiraiya and report his movements."
"Got it!"
With that, White Zetsu disappeared underground.
Obito turned and walked inside.
When he returned, Nagato and Konan were puzzled. Nagato asked, "Madara, why are you back?"
"Someone is looking for you, hoping to explain what happened that day. Do you want to meet him?"
"That day?"
Nagato recalled Yahiko dying in his arms, the day Akatsuki was destroyed.
"Who?"
"Your teacher, Jiraiya of the Sannin."
Sitting on a stone, Obito continued, "He seems to want to explain that Konoha had nothing to do with that day."
"There's nothing left to explain. Yahiko is dead, and Akatsuki is no longer the same."
Nagato interrupted coldly. Memories might lie, but they don't. Using the Rinnegan's Human Path, he had extracted information from two Root ninjas' souls, confirming they were Konoha's ninjas under Danzo's orders to destroy Akatsuki.
Supporting them with money while aiding Hanzo in their destruction, killing Yahiko, and crushing Yahiko's dream. Now, they wanted to explain?
Nagato only wanted to carry on Yahiko's will and achieve lasting peace. His feelings towards Jiraiya were complicated; he was grateful for his teaching but couldn't suppress his anger when thinking about him coming for Konoha.
Konan asked, "Nagato, should we meet Jiraiya-sensei?"
"You should meet him. He might help you, even punish Danzo. After all, you were his students."
Obito added, "And hiding is useless. That Sannin's detection skills are strong; he'll find you eventually unless you leave the Land of Rain."
Nagato and Konan remained silent.
After a few minutes, Nagato said, "In my current state, I won't see him."
"If you worry about being captured, don't. Using the Rinnegan, you are stronger than the Sannin. These are the eyes of the Sage of Six Paths."
"My legs..."
"Zetsu."
At Obito's call, a strange creature emerged from the ground beside him.
"Hello, I'm Zetsu, Madara's assistant."
"Let him help you. You'll be able to move freely and use his power, making that Sannin no match for you."
Obito told Nagato, "If he tries to take you, I'll step in. Don't worry."
Obito no longer needed Zetsu, as his White Zetsu body was ready.
Nagato frowned but said nothing as Zetsu approached and attached to him.
Feeling the power from this 'armor,' Nagato understood what Obito meant.
Standing from his wheelchair, Nagato felt confident in achieving Yahiko's dream.
"Just a reminder, my power is limited. You can't fully harness the Rinnegan with me alone."
Nagato turned to Konan. "Konan, I'll meet Jiraiya-sensei alone. You stay here."
Konan hesitated but nodded. "I understand, Nagato."
(End of Chapter)