Humanity She Could Not Let Go Of
After getting the prompt from Naruto, Satsuki closed his eyes.
She sank her consciousness deep into the pair of Rinnegan to feel the invisible bond connecting herself and Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
The feeling was amazing, as if there were countless tiny threads extending from her Dojutsu core and wrapping around that giant body.
She can feel the "presence" of Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
That kind of existence is not life, not consciousness, not anything with a soul. It is more like an empty container, a body waiting to be filled, a machine that only knows how to obey orders.
And she can control it with her own will.
Satsuki Open your eyes.
She issued a simple command to Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
Not using words, just using the power of those eyes to convey that thought.
[Retreat]
The next moment.
Those White Zetsu, those tens of thousands of pale figures born from Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, reacted at the same time.
They all raised their heads and looked in the direction of Satsuki.
Then, one by one, they slowly got into the ground.
Just like the ebbing sea water, like the dissipating fog, it's like it never appeared.
"This... this..."
Jiraiya stood on the wall, his mouth wide open, and his eyes almost popped out.
The white army that was so aggressive just now, clamoring to crush Konoha, just retreated?
Just disappeared? He turned his head and looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Hiruzen's face was also filled with disbelief.
"Is this... the end?"
There was a trance in his voice.
Originally I thought it would be a difficult defensive battle, and it might even be one of the most dangerous wars for Konoha in recent years, second only to the last Menma invasion.
Tens of thousands of Chunin level enemies were enough to overwhelm any village. Both he and Jiraiya were ready to fight tooth and nail.
But now, it has been lifted so lightly?
"Bang."
There was a soft sound, and Demonic Statue of the Outer Path also released his psychic state. The huge body turned into a burst of white smoke and disappeared in place.
On the watchtower.
Those Konoha Ninjas responsible for the vigilance witnessed this incredible scene with their own eyes.
They saw Satsuki jump off the wall, and they saw Satsuki channel a huge, terrifying monster that they had never seen before.
They felt a powerful, suffocating Dojutsu wave coming from that direction.
Then - those white enemies all retreated.
They don't know exactly what happened.
I don't know what Demonic Statue of the Outer Path is, I don't know what Rinnegan is, and I don't know why those White Zetsu obey the orders of Satsuki.
They only know one thing, the crisis seems to be resolved?
After a short silence.
"Success--!"
I don't know who shouted first.
Immediately afterwards, cheers erupted like a tide in the Konoha Ninja group!
"Win--!"
"We won--!"
"Descendants of Uchiha--! So awesome--!"
The Ninjas waved their arms, their faces flushed with excitement. The older Ninjas also showed relaxed smiles, and their tense bodies finally relaxed.
In their opinion, Satsuki probably used a very powerful Genjutsu, which directly hit all White Zetsu.
After all, the entire Ninja World knows how powerful Genjutsu is from Sharingan.
Although I don't know why she suddenly became so strong Dojutsu, but it doesn't matter anymore. After all, she is one of our own, and the stronger she is, the better.
Cheers echoed in the night sky and spread throughout Konoha Village.
"It's over?"
Jiraiya's voice was still filled with uncertainty. He stood on the wall, his eyes fixed on the plain in the distance that was originally covered in white but was now empty.
His perception spread out in all directions, searching for the chakra traces of those white monsters inch by inch.
No more, all gone.
Those densely packed tens of thousands of chakras had completely disappeared from his perception at this moment.
"Have they really all retreated?"
He turned his head and looked at Naruto, with an unreal feeling in his eyes that everything happened so fast.
"Yeah." Naruto nodded, his voice calm.
"It's over."
He paused, still looking at the empty plain in the distance.
"Satsuki's newly acquired power... accidentally attracted something unexpected."
His voice was calm, but Jiraiya noticed.
Naruto's face is a little ugly.
Not because of fatigue, not because of fighting, not because of the war that barely started.
But because - after White Zetsu disappeared, some scenes that were originally covered by them were revealed.
In the distance, the villages closest to Konoha disappeared.
Those places where smoke once rose, those places where children once played, those places that were once full of life - now only ruins remain.
Houses collapsed, roads were broken, and Kakkō was not completely extinguished, and thick smoke rose in the night sky.
Also disappearing at the same time were those Ninja who were patrolling outside Konoha, those Ninja who left the village during the mission, and those companions who were too late to retreat to the village.
Not all of the tens of thousands of White Zetsu troops will lurk out of the ground honestly.
Some came from the ground, some came through the villages, and some met the patrolling Ninja head-on.
Jiraiya followed Naruto's gaze and saw those ruins, saw those Kakkō that had not been extinguished, saw those...
He fell silent.
Originally, he wanted to ask Naruto what those white enemies were, where they came from, and why they were looking for a "master".
But now, he doesn't want to ask anything.
He saw the expression on his disciple's face. That expression was very familiar to Jiraiya.
That is the expression that a person with a too soft heart will show when he sees innocent people being harmed. It is the expression that will be shown by a person who takes the casualties of others as his own responsibility.
"...Naruto." Jiraiya spoke, his voice much gentler than usual.
"You have to know that no matter how powerful Ninja is, you can't predict what will happen next moment."
"This has nothing to do with you, of course. Don't worry, I will take care of it."
He stretched out his hand and patted Naruto on the shoulder. "Go back and rest first."
Naruto nodded slowly, but he knew in his heart that Jiraiya's words could not make him feel relieved.
Those people who died, those villages that disappeared, those tragedies that could have been avoided - all because of the existence of him and Satsuki, because of Satsuki's awakening eyes, and because of the restlessness of White Zetsu after sensing the new owner.
He can't pretend that it has nothing to do with him.
But he also understood something else.
After possessing such powerful authority, he did not become indifferent to life.
Those who died will still make him sad, and those tragedies will still make him blame himself.
He couldn't overlook the world from above, and he couldn't regard those casualties as an acceptable price.
So, he decided to go to Pure Land after he went back.
Bring back all the souls killed by White Zetsu.
Let them return to this world and return to the life they should continue.
"Naruto."
A voice suddenly reached his ears, interrupting Naruto's thoughts.
He turned his head.
Satsuki had returned to him at some point, standing half a step behind him, looking at him with eyes full of emotion.
She looked at her husband's face, the sadness hidden in those blue eyes, and the slightly pursed corners of his lips - she understood immediately.
"... I seem to understand." Satsuki said, "The arrival of those things is probably because of me."
It's not a question, it's a statement.
"Don't worry."
She reached out and gently held Naruto's hand.
The touch was warm and soft, "Since it was me who caused it, I will handle it well."
"I won't make Naruto feel sad."
After saying that, she let go of her hand.
Take a step back, raise your hands, and start Hand Seals.
It was a simple seal: "". But what was condensed in that seal was the core power of her eyes.
The powerful Dojutsu spread out from her body like an invisible wave! The power was so majestic and vast that everyone around her felt the sense of oppression!
"Rebirth Technique!"