Akatsuki base.
Atop the high tower, Nagato still stood overlooking the entire Hidden Rain Village, a drizzle falling from the sky.
The Rain Tiger at Will Technique constantly shrouded the Hidden Rain Village. If any unfamiliar ninja entered and was splashed with rain, Nagato would be able to sense them.
Suddenly, a spatial ripple appeared behind Nagato. Nagato didn't turn around, as he knew who was coming.
"How's it going? Senior Lin Yu's base is still... Huh? Why do you look like this?"
Nagato glanced sideways and froze. Obito appeared before him, covered in blood, his face extremely pale, looking as if he was about to die.
"I went for a fight and lost!" Obito didn't hide anything. As soon as he returned to the Akatsuki base, he collapsed on the ground, panting.
He had it so hard!
First, he had to deliver people to Orochimaru, then to Konoha, and now he had to deliver things to Nagato. Was this something a person could do?
It was already dark!
He hadn't eaten yet!
Nagato said with surprise, "Who was it? To have made you look like this."
Nagato knew Obito's life-saving methods very well. It was precisely because he knew them that he was curious about who could have beaten Obito into such a state.
It had to be said that this was very satisfying!
Nagato had been displeased with Obito's constant arrogance for a long time!
He, Nagato, was the leader of the Akatsuki! In terms of prestige and aura, he had to be the strongest!
"I told you before, the Otsutsuki clan has appeared!"
"Oh?"
Nagato's Rinnegan flickered, and he was inwardly surprised. There really was an Otsutsuki clan. He had thought Obito was lying to him before.
Now it seemed it might be true.
"Are they very strong?"
Obito nodded, pointing at his wounds. "My injuries, even with your full power, you couldn't inflict them, right?"
Nagato's expression turned cold, and he said in a chuunibyou manner, "When a god strikes, you are bound to die!"
"..."
Obito sighed. What was the point of talking so much to a lunatic?
"By the way, I have a gift for you."
Under Nagato's confused gaze, a colossal creature appeared atop the high tower.
Roar!
Then... the high tower where Nagato had been standing collapsed!
Uchiha Obito, I'm going to kill you!
...
The battle with Jigen was a great experience for all three of them. After returning to the village, Shisui and Itachi, despite their injuries, immediately wrote their post-battle summaries. They were truly good students in their teacher's eyes!
For example, Itachi wrote in his summary about his shortcomings: Although the Totsuka Blade could inflict some damage on Jigen, his speed was too slow, and he couldn't hit the opponent at all. Using it as a trump card was not advisable.
Shisui also wrote in his summary: My most skilled genjutsu was worthless in front of the enemy, which means my genjutsu still has room for improvement. Kotoamatsukami should be even stronger!
Both of them wrote until nightfall before slowly heading to the Konoha Hospital to register. They were still contemplating areas that needed improvement during the day's battle as they walked.
*Plop!*
The hospital room door was pushed open by a nurse. Shisui and Itachi walked in one after another, still hooked up to IV drips.
"Yo! New patients, are you two youngsters also ninjas?"
A middle-aged man with a beard as thick as his eyebrows greeted them. He seemed to be in a good mood.
"Are you... Senior Dai?"
Although Shisui didn't recognize Might Duy, he recognized Might Guy and that green full-body suit!
With those thick eyebrows and big eyes, Might Guy was definitely his biological son!
"You recognize me? Are you Kai's friend?"
"Sort of."
Upon hearing that they were his son's friends, Might Duy's smile widened. It was so boring to be alone in the hospital room. It was rare to have two fellow patients, and they were his son's friends, so he had to "entertain" them well.
"Sit down, sit down!"
Might Duy pointed to the adjacent beds, his face full of enthusiasm, as if he were in his own home.
Shisui and Itachi felt a little awkward but still lay down. They were very tired today and needed proper rest.
"Youngsters, were you injured during a mission?"
"Sort of..." Shisui saw Itachi covering his head with the blanket and had to answer himself.
Brother Itachi! You're selling out your teammate! And so decisively!
"It's good to be young! I also miss the days when I used to do missions. Doing ten missions a day was the norm! Unlike now..."
Might Duy's rough face showed a hint of dejection as he thought about having to come to the hospital to have his cast replaced and for check-ups every so often. His youth had ultimately passed.
"Ten missions?" Shisui choked upon hearing this. That was too many!
Could Kai's father be a strong person?
Hearing Shisui's interest, Might Duy immediately changed from dejected, winking and saying, "Young man, do you want to know the secret to doing ten missions a day? Do you want to fight for your future? Do you want to become stronger?"
Shisui couldn't bear Might Duy's intense gaze and couldn't help but look away, "I do, but..."
"Then what are you waiting for!"
Might Duy waved his hand, his face full of passion, "Young man! Come and burn your youth with me, live your life to the fullest! Let us write our brilliant future with our youth!"
"..."
Itachi, hiding in his quilt, covered his ears, but Might Duy's voice seemed to magically float into his mind.
Tonight was destined to be a sleepless night!
...
"I'm back!"
Lin Yu returned home and saw Kushina still sleeping. He quickly quieted his voice and gently walked to the bedside, squatting down to gaze at Kushina.
Although Lin Yu was very confident in this battle, he had chosen to have Kurama merge Yin and Yang for safety. It wasn't just for a fleeting moment of resistance against the Ten-Tails at the end.
It was to prevent Isshiki Otsutsuki from going berserk and attempting a mutual destruction.
Therefore, Lin Yu still had a backup plan: Kurama's Baryon Mode. However, this was a last resort.
He possessed the Undying Nether Flame, and with Kurama inside him, he could exploit a loophole to make Kurama immortal, but it would also confine Kurama within Lin Yu.
So Lin Yu wouldn't do that. He would choose to activate his Rinnegan's dōjutsu, Time Seal!
Before Kurama activated Baryon Mode, he would activate Time Seal, beat up Isshiki Otsutsuki, and then restart himself and Kurama, restoring them to their original state.
This was Lin Yu's trump card, but he seemed to have overestimated Isshiki. He didn't even have the courage to fight to the death!
*Hoo!* Strength still needs to be improved.
*Creak...*
The lights went out, and the night quieted down.
...
Two and a half years later, the Ninja Academy reopened. However, this time it was different from the past. Children from Konoha's major clans had all reached school age, including the Fourth Hokage's children, Naruto and Karin.
The scene was crowded with people!