Leaf Village.
The invincible Lord Minato had been carried back again. And again.
The Third Hokage and the village elders hurried over to see Minato.
This time, Minato's injuries were not to be underestimated.
Having lost the arm he used to weave hand seals, Minato was practically half a shinobi now.
The Third Hokage was most worried about Jiraiya, since he hadn't returned with Minato.
Fortunately, Minato told the Third Hokage that Jiraiya had been reverse-summoned to Mount Myōboku. Only then did the Third Hokage's grim mood begin to lift.
Utatane Koharu furrowed her brow. "Jiraiya was completely out of line. We told him not to go save Tsunade, but he still went against the rules and did it."
"And he even cost Minato an arm. That Jiraiya!"
Danzo immediately seized the opportunity to launch into a harsh reprimand of the Third Hokage. "Hiruzen, take a look at the men you've trained! You've been far too indulgent with Jiraiya all along."
"He kept the Rinnegan's existence from the village. Madara Uchiha was able to reclaim the Rinnegan entirely because of Jiraiya's recklessness."
"And this time, if Minato hadn't reacted quickly, would he even have made it back?"
"Tsunade has no sense of responsibility, Jiraiya is too reckless, and Orochimaru..."
Orochimaru was too ambitious. He had even controlled the First Hokage and Second Hokage.
If not for the threat of Madara Uchiha, Leaf Village would already have been in Orochimaru's hands.
The Third Hokage fell silent for a moment, then took a drag of smoke and said, "I'm sorry. I failed to teach my students properly."
Minato spoke up in defense of his teacher. "Hokage-sama, I don't think my teacher did anything wrong."
"If the enemy captured Kushina, I'd do whatever it took to save her."
Even if it meant breaking