Chapter 162: Aftermath

A flash of yellow light, and a handsome young man appeared.

He held a Flying Thunder God kunai and stood atop a mountain, his blue eyes filled with guilt and worry.

"Kushina..."

From the day he mastered the Flying Thunder God technique, Minato knew that one day he would become the fastest shinobi in the world.

However, at this moment, he felt he was too slow.

When Kushina lost control, Konoha and Iwagakure were in the midst of a fierce battle. The Nine-Tails' chakra burst forth from the rear of Konoha, causing significant casualties among the village's shinobi.

Minato saw all this and desperately wanted to chase after his beloved to help her suppress the Nine-Tails.

But he couldn't.

As the leader, abandoning a powerful opponent like Ōnoki meant sacrificing the lives of over four thousand Konoha shinobi under his command.

Who else but himself could stop the Dust Release?

Minato was willing to die for Kushina, but the lives of his fellow shinobi forced him to painfully watch Kushina leave.

After a prolonged battle, the news of Kannabi Bridge's collapse reached the front lines. With their logistics cut off, Iwagakure's forces began to crumble, and before nightfall, the battle ended in Konoha's victory.

Minato, disregarding his own injuries, dragged his exhausted body and pursued Kushina.

Kushina had a special kunai on her. Although it exceeded the maximum transmission range of the Flying Thunder God, Minato could vaguely sense it.

As he tracked her, Minato saw the devastated landscape.

Mountains had collapsed, forests were burning fiercely, and a massive lake had completely dried up. Millions of tons of lake water had flooded underground, destroying and submerging everything below.

A woman clad in a crimson tailed beast cloak continued to wreak havoc around her. Her body was breaking down faster than the tailed beast chakra could heal, yet she didn't stop for a moment.

Minato took a deep breath and stood still for a while. After slightly recovering his strength, he suddenly opened his eyes.

His handsome face was now painted with the markings of a sage.

"Though I'm not good at this, I can't fail for your sake." Minato gripped his kunai and fearlessly charged at the rampaging jinchūriki.

To suppress the Nine-Tails again, he had to use sealing techniques up close!

…

Kakashi suddenly awoke, two tomoe slowly spinning in his left eye.

He was an exceptional genius shinobi, with control over his chakra so precise it was astonishing. He clearly felt that his left eye seemed to have become a chakra-devouring monster, its enormous consumption unending.

'My left eye is... the Sharingan... Obito... Obito!'

Sad memories surged in his heart. He struggled to stand up, pulling aside the curtain, ready to rush out of the makeshift medical tent.

However, Kakashi ultimately didn't leave.

Because he saw someone.

A girl with peculiar facial markings stood under the night sky, gazing at the stars. The cold wind lifted her hair, and her once lively eyes had turned dull, filled with sadness and pain.

Kakashi remained silent, lowered the curtain, sat back on the bed, and buried his head between his knees.

'Obito, will we never see each other again?'

…

Two White Zetsus, one in front and one behind, carried a chair, running forward with Madara. The flooding lake had submerged all traces, and if they didn't evacuate in time, the elderly Madara would surely drown underground.

"Hey, Madara-sama." Even while fleeing, White Zetsu's mouth didn't stop:

"Letting the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki go, is that really okay?"

"The Nine-Tails' chakra suppresses her sanity. She can't remember anything that just happened." Madara coughed violently a few times, taking a while to catch his breath, and frowned:

"Besides, letting her live is more painful than killing her... Konoha will also have a headache."

"Ha ha, Madara-sama, why not add fuel to the fire? I'll spread the word tomorrow, letting the entire shinobi world know that the Moon God is Yuto Hyuga!"

"And then? Force him to crush the Rinnegan?"

"Uh..."

"Sometimes you should use your brain, White Zetsu. He took my Rinnegan and probably knows about Obito. Each holding the other's secrets means we must keep each other's secrets."

"Sigh..." White Zetsu pouted, suddenly remembering something, and shouted:

"Didn't Nagato destroy his right eye? Maybe he's already been killed by the Caged Bird!"

"No, he hasn't." Madara shook his head, closing his eyes, murmuring:

"Someone with that kind of spirit won't die that easily."

…

Raindrops fell on Yuto's brow as he lowered his hand, the green Mystical Palm Technique slowly dissipating.

He had come to the Land of Rain once again.

Hiruzen had tasked him with supporting Jiraiya in the Land of Rain and inquiring about the attack on Amegakure. Yuto had to appear at the front line camp at some point to avoid suspicion.

The early spring in the Land of Rain was unusually cold. After consecutive battles and the torment from the Caged Bird, Yuto was already exhausted. He took out a thick coat from his sealing scroll to shield himself from the rain.

He had reverse-summoned Shinosuke's body to Shikkotsu Forest. The Impure World Reincarnation has its flaws; it can't adapt flexibly to situations. Shinosuke's body was invaluable, especially his Byakugan. But since Madara had only commanded "kill the Moon God," the Impure World White Fang and Nagato hadn't bothered with Shinosuke's body.

As for Kushina, at that time, she was merely a mindless beast and ignored the lifeless corpse.

After Yuto fled, Shinosuke's body was washed outside by the floodwaters, and luckily, Yuto sensed it, preventing the valuable asset from being lost.

For a branch family member, this was a small stroke of luck amidst misfortune.

However, just as he was reflecting on his "ill-fated connection" with Shinosuke, he heard rustling from the dense forest ahead.

"Come out... What's wrong? Are you embarrassed to see me?" Yuto spoke softly, his expression calm.

A boy of about thirteen or fourteen emerged from the forest, covered in blood, his hair half-burnt.

—It was the Senju clone, Kitsu!

"Finally, I've found you. Let me tell you, Nagato has..."

"I know about that." Yuto interrupted the clone:

"Look at my eyes. My right eye. Do you see anything unusual?"

"No, it's just a bit red."

"Then I need to repair the cornea again. What a hassle."

"Main body, I feel your expression seems... different from usual."

Yuto fell silent, then sighed after a long while:

"Something happened. Some plans need to be advanced."

"Really?" Kitsu's face flushed with excitement, his fingers trembling:

"Does this mean the day has finally come... Come on, main body, devour me now!"

Yuto sighed, rubbing his forehead:

"Could you be normal for once... It's not that."

"Oh." Kitsu shrugged in disappointment:

"Then it's boring."

"...Let's talk seriously. Tell me, what happened last night?"

"Sure, but it's a long story..."

The Senju clone walked towards Yuto, and only then did Yuto notice the package on his back.

Reading the meaning in his main body's eyes, Kitsu dropped the package into the muddy ground, making a dull thud.

"What's this? I'm too tired to use my Byakugan."

"Heh heh..." Kitsu sneered.

"Just the corpses of two old toads."

(End of Chapter)