"All right, everyone—thank you for your hard work."
Jinghang bowed deeply to the rest of the sealing team.
The Nine-Tails sealing had dragged on for three relentless days.
Three days without sleep, without food, not a single moment of rest. Even Jinghang and Rasa were running on fumes by the end, and Guren, whose strength lagged behind, nearly collapsed outright.
As Kushina Uzumaki—the jinchūriki—finally slumped to the ground, one of the eyes in the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path seemed to come alive, spinning wildly.
Jinghang let out a long, exhausted breath. It had been a hellish ordeal, but the Nine-Tails was sealed at last.
Everyone except Pain looked half-dead with fatigue and hunger, but still managed to return Jinghang's bow with a tired gesture.
"You've all worked so hard. Come, let's eat something."
Yura had already set up a long table in the cave, overflowing with hot food and fresh fruit. Nobody stood on ceremony—everyone dove in, devouring everything in sight.
Jinghang took the main seat, about to raise a toast, when Yura leaned in and whispered urgently in his ear.
"What? Minato Namikaze is missing?!"
The room fell silent. All eyes turned to Jinghang.
Yura nodded grimly. "No sign of him—alive or dead."
Jinghang's brow furrowed. This was bad—very bad.
He'd tricked the Shinigami. How could Minato possibly have survived? Was someone else interfering?
Of course. It had to be him—and him.
Images flashed through Jinghang's mind: that half-black, half-white bastard, and that decrepit old snake of a man.
But what did they want with Minato?
Jinghang couldn't figure it out. But whatever it was, it couldn't be good.
He knew the Dead Demon Consuming Seal had loopholes, but the only one who'd ever exploited them in canon was Orochimaru—right at the end of the original story. Could Madara and Zetsu really have figured it out this early?
If so, that was trouble. With Minato as a wild card in Madara's hand, he could strike at any critical moment. A serious headache.
Sure, Jinghang could take Minato one-on-one—but you can't guard against a thief for a thousand days. He had a family now. What if the Yellow Flash decided to pay a surprise visit to the Sunagakure kindergarten one day…?
The thought made Jinghang's skin crawl.
His gaze drifted to Kushina Uzumaki, sprawled on the ground, barely clinging to life.
Wait. She could still be useful.
"Yura, check if that woman's still breathing."
Yura pressed two fingers to Kushina's neck. "She's alive."
Of course—the Uzumaki clan's life force was legendary. Even losing a tailed beast didn't guarantee death.
"Give her a chakra-boosting pill."
Losing a tailed beast sucked out most of a jinchūriki's chakra. Topping her up might just keep her alive.
Keep her in hand, and the Yellow Flash wouldn't dare make any waves.
Jinghang turned to Sasori, who was gnawing on a chicken leg. "Sasori, when you're done eating, I've got a task for you."
Sasori swallowed, instantly attentive. "Whatever you say, godfather."
"Take her back to the village. Hand her over to Elder Chiyo—make sure she survives. Then have Director Yamashita Tetsu hold her in secret."
"No problem," Sasori replied.
"I'm coming too." Yugito raised her hand.
What, you don't trust my godson? Jinghang smirked, but nodded. "Fine. You two can watch each other's backs."
He'd barely finished speaking when another voice chimed in.
"Um… I heard Sunagakure's medical jutsu is top-notch. I'd like to go too—to recover."
Jinghang turned to see Tsukigami Kōichi, clutching his waist, glancing at Yugito.
Oh, worried I'll let your jinchūriki run off, huh? Jinghang grinned inwardly. If someone wants to leave, you can't stop them anyway.
"Of course, nephew Tsukigami. You fought bravely in this battle. Sunagakure will give you our best medical care—three months from now, you'll be back in fighting shape."
He kept calling him "nephew," and Tsukigami's aged face twitched with every mention. Jinghang nearly laughed aloud.
What's the matter? I call your dad "brother"—calling you nephew is beneath you?
After the meal, Jinghang laid out the next phase:
Sasori, Yugito, and Tsukigami Kōichi would escort the unconscious Kushina Uzumaki back to Sunagakure. Rasa and Takenaka Guren would head to the Rock-Sand border to command the western army and keep Iwagakure in check. Yura, Aotu Tailuo, and Kazama Xu would remain in Amegakure to oversee reconstruction and refugee resettlement. Jinghang himself would take Konan, Nagato, and Pain to the Konoha front for the final battle.
Since Nagato was still recovering, Jinghang had Yura assign a ninja squad to escort Pain and Konan east at a slower pace, while he used Flying Thunder God to jump ahead to the Wind-Cloud Allied camp.
"Big bro, how's the fight going?"
Jinghang materialized in the command tent, just in time to see the Third Raikage shoveling canned beef into his mouth.
"Heh, not bad. Haven't let those Konoha bastards break through. How'd things go on your end?" the Raikage asked, grinning.
"Smooth as silk," Jinghang replied, flashing an "OK" sign.
The Raikage roared with laughter. "With that, Konoha's lost its last trump card. Let's see what Danzo Shimura does now!"
"Danzo Shimura? Wasn't it Hiruzen Sarutobi?" Jinghang asked, surprised.
"Oh, I forgot to tell you—Konoha's got a new Hokage! The Fourth Hokage—Danzo Shimura!"
Jinghang's eyes lit up with interest. "Really? When did that happen?"
"Just yesterday."
"Well, look at that! He finally got his wish. Shouldn't we send him a little gift?"
"Of course, of course! War is war, but proper etiquette can't be ignored." The Raikage chuckled, nodding.
Let's rewind the clock to three days before Jinghang returned to camp.
That day, something big shook Konoha.
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was hospitalized—diagnosed with emphysema.
For Konoha, already losing ground in the war, this was a disaster.
The village's "executive council"—everyone except Homura Mitokado, who was away on a mission—rushed to Hiruzen's bedside. In truth, it was just Danzo Shimura, Koharu Utatane, and Orochimaru. (Jiraiya wasn't on the council, and he was laid up in the hospital himself.)
On the hospital bed, Hiruzen looked haggard, face sunken, barely able to speak. His wife Biwako hovered at his side, eyes full of tears.
"Sigh… At this moment of Konoha's crisis… my body fails me. I, Hiruzen, have brought shame to my teachers and my country… I have no face… to remain as Hokage. I hereby step down, and ask you all… to choose a capable successor, someone who can support the crumbling walls… and carry on the Will of Fire…"
He finished, and promptly fainted.
Danzo Shimura could barely contain his excitement.
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