(A/N: At the end of this chapter, I'll address the "Kushina & Kurama" questions some readers asked.)
Minato and Kushina meticulously controlled their chakra, constructing a series of intricate seals.
With the two working in tandem, a powerful sealing technique swiftly took shape.
[Contract Seal: A supportive jutsu that can sever summoning contracts.]
But just as they were about to activate the seal, a sudden cracking sound echoed through the air.
"Crack!"
In front of them, the forms of Hashirama and Tobirama suddenly fractured, revealing deep fissures across their bodies. Pieces of earth began crumbling away.
And then—
Two white, spectral figures shot out. Upon closer inspection, they were none other than the spirits of Hashirama and Tobirama.
"What... what's happening?!"
The sudden turn of events left everyone stunned.
Before anyone could recover enough to speak, Hashirama's spectral figure floated gently in the air and began to smile.
"Hiruzen, and the young Fourth Hokage, you both have done well."
"The rest of you young folks are equally remarkable. Konoha today... is everything I could have hoped for."
Hashirama left behind a few words of heartfelt encouragement, his expression full of pride and relief.
Unfortunately, no one present could hear a single word he said—
Because right next to him, Tobirama was loudly complaining.
"Hiruzen, you damn... beep beep beep me! And that 'wonderful' student of yours, Orochimaru!"
"He's nothing but a beep beep! How dare he use Edo Tensei on me and my brother! This is complete beep beep beep—"
Amidst a string of censored curses, the souls of Hashirama and Tobirama spiraled upward, returning to the Pure Land.
"Clatter!"
Their bodies lost all color in an instant and crumbled into countless paper seals, scattering across the ground.
Within the pile of white seals, two partially revealed, unfamiliar corpses lay exposed.
Everyone looked at one another, dumbfounded and unable to process what had just occurred.
Who would've thought the Second Hokage had such... a down-to-earth side?
Sakumo and Kakashi stepped forward to examine the corpses, while Shikaku glanced thoughtfully at Minato.
"Minato, was that you and Kushina just now...?"
Minato waved his hands and chuckled awkwardly.
"No, it wasn't us. We hadn't even started yet."
Choza muttered under his breath, "Then that's strange... Could it be that the two of them just had a change of heart?"
Hiruzen frowned and mused, "Perhaps the sudden end of the Edo Tensei was connected to another battle happening in the village."
Minato nodded in agreement.
"I support Lord Third's theory. Based on my sensing, the battle over there seems to have just ended. The timing matches perfectly."
Hiashi coughed up blood as he nodded weakly.
"Cough... That does seem... cough... highly likely."
Hizashi patted his brother gently on the back, his concern evident.
"Brother, please stop talking and rest for a while."
Kushina stood beside her husband, grinning as she spoke to the Nine-Tails within her.
"Kurama, thanks for the help earlier!"
Kurama feigned indifference, replying with a casual, "Hm. It was nothing."
Its eyes closed lazily, but a closer look revealed that its entire body was trembling slightly with excitement.
After all—
It had landed a blow on that man! Was this not the dream come true?!
"Phew..."
The oppressive aura of Hashirama and Tobirama had been overwhelming. With their departure, everyone let out a collective sigh of relief.
After exchanging a few words, the group seemed to recall something. Gradually, their gazes turned toward Hiruzen, their expressions complicated.
It wasn't that they wanted the Third Hokage to sacrifice himself—
But they'd spent so long building up the tension. The atmosphere was primed, emotions were high, and... nothing happened?!
The crowd couldn't help feeling a little let down.
Sensing the odd looks from everyone, Hiruzen pretended not to notice.
What was he supposed to do? It wasn't like he had control over the situation!
He had been fully prepared to go down in history as a martyr, yet fate had other plans.
Collecting himself, Hiruzen dismissed Enma and declared with righteous indignation, "That wretched Orochimaru! To desecrate the First and Second Hokage like this... I won't forgive him!"
Minato, sensing Hiruzen's embarrassment, quickly changed the subject.
"Since things are settled here, let's go check on the situation over there."
...
Konoha Hospital – Five Minutes Earlier
Gamabunta slammed his pipe into Manda's face, then drew his blade to engage the giant snake in a fierce battle.
Tsunade, avoiding the two colossal combatants, took a slightly longer route, allowing Orochimaru to pull ahead by dozens of meters.
At that moment, Orochimaru sprinted along the hospital walls with his arms trailing behind him. The target floor was within sight.
His lips curled into an excited grin.
Finally!
After countless obstacles, he was here.
While there had been a few hiccups along the way, as long as he captured his target and escaped using Reverse Summoning, his plan would still be a success.
But just as he was about to break through, a masked young man from the ANBU dropped down in front of him.
His Sharingan glinted—three tomoe spinning ominously as they locked onto Orochimaru.
"Again?!"
Orochimaru's grin froze.
A powerful surge of mental energy invaded his mind.
This invasive feeling... Uchiha Itachi!
In his mindscape, Itachi glimpsed fragments of Orochimaru's plans. But before he could delve deeper, Orochimaru broke free of the Sharingan's influence.
Laughing maniacally, he taunted, "Hahaha! To deal with the Uchiha, I've specifically prepared defenses in my mind!"
"Farewell, Uchiha Itachi!"
With that, Orochimaru hurled himself through the window of Rin's floor.
Itachi's voice was calm as his Mangekyo Sharingan activated.
"Amaterasu."
Black and golden flames erupted on Orochimaru's body.
"Ahhhhhh!"
Orochimaru let out an agonized scream as he plummeted to the ground, consumed by fire that burned not only his flesh but his very soul.
This was Itachi's awakened Mangekyo Sharingan technique—Amaterasu.
A flame so powerful it could incinerate anything in its path.
The black flames devoured the physical body, while the golden flames scorched the spirit.
(A/N: A brief explanation for the "Kushina & Kurama" questions follows.)
In the original series, Kushina didn't have a particularly good relationship with Kurama before her death.
Minato wasn't fond of Kurama either—after all, Kurama indirectly caused Kushina's death.
He even split Kurama in two and sealed half in the Shinigami's stomach, leading to over a decade of animosity.
However, they eventually reconciled, and Minato entered the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode.
Kushina, much like Naruto, had a unique charm that enabled her to bond with Kurama during the eight years they were sealed together.
If readers are interested, I can expand on this in a side story after the main plot concludes!
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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