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"Summoning: Triple Rashōmon!"

Rumble!

Three massive gates rose from the ground, finally blocking the endless barrage of fireballs.

"I must leave..."

Behind the Rashōmon, Orochimaru deliberated for a moment before making the decision to retreat.

He definitely couldn't win this fight, and staying behind would be no different than waiting for death.

"My body... it's starting to reach its limit."

Feeling the stinging pain radiating from his meridian system, Naruto Uzumaki understood that the flow of power was too great; the pipes couldn't handle it and were on the verge of bursting.

However, it wasn't a major issue; as the Life Energy stored within the Rinnegan flowed into his body, all discomfort vanished instantly.

"These Triple Rashōmon... won't be able to stop me!"

Fixing his gaze on the massive gates ahead, Naruto Uzumaki extended his hand and unleashed the Shinra Tensei three times.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

The deafening roars shook the heavens and the earth. The Rashōmon shattered, dissolving into fragments and vanishing, revealing Orochimaru's figure before Naruto Uzumaki.

--Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!

Fireballs bombarded him from all directions. Orochimaru let out a miserable shriek before quickly turning into a pile of ash.

Zo walked over, looking puzzled: "Are the big bad guys... all this easy to kill?"

Orochimaru was also one of the big bad guys that Naruto Uzumaki had marked for Zo to be wary of.

"He's not dead. Look closely; this is just a pile of mud. The real Orochimaru..."

Closing his eyes and combining it with the Nine-Tails' powerful ability to perceive malice and kindness, Naruto Uzumaki quickly pinpointed Orochimaru's location.

Ten o'clock direction, two kilometers away.

If he set off to pursue him now, there would still be time.

But after hesitating for a few seconds, Naruto Uzumaki gave up on the pursuit.

Given Orochimaru's cockroach-like ability to survive, it was highly likely that chasing him would be useless and a pure waste of time.

"...That is how things happened. Because of Danzo's persecution, we can no longer return to Konoha. Please, my lord, take us in."

Having died once, the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal on Nonō's tongue had already vanished.

She recounted the events that had befallen her, exposing one dark secret of Danzo's after another, before pulling Kabuto down to kneel halfway before Naruto Uzumaki, begging for his protection.

In truth, given her intelligence, she naturally understood that Naruto Uzumaki intended to recruit her and Kabuto. Faced with the recruitment of a powerhouse capable of defeating Orochimaru, she and Kabuto had no right to refuse.

Since the outcome was inevitable, it was better to surrender proactively and leave a good impression on their new leader.

Naruto Uzumaki didn't agree immediately; he split off a portion of his consciousness to enter the Sealing Space.

"Any thoughts after hearing that, Dad?"

After spending so much time together, Naruto Uzumaki could now naturally call them Mom and Dad.

Looking at his "good son" who seemed to be gloating slightly, Minato felt a headache coming on.

The matter regarding Nonō and Kabuto had already occurred, and whatever thoughts he had were useless; fortunately, it hadn't ended in tragedy.

What was important now was to educate his son, whose path was veering further and further off course.

"Konoha has its darkness, so Danzo deserves to die. As for the Third Hokage's dereliction of duty... I acknowledge all of these things. But Naruto, you cannot reject the entire village just because it has flaws. The village also has its good side... your teacher Iruka, your classmates Hinata and Sasuke, Ayame and Teuchi from Ichiraku Ramen; they are all wonderful people..."

Minato spoke at length, his words earnest and well-intentioned. To summarize:

If you think Konoha is bad, then go and build it up; if you think the Hokage is bad, then work hard to cultivate yourself and become the Hokage; if you think the people lack character, you can establish schools to educate them like the Second Hokage did, instead of constantly thinking about undermining Konoha, defecting, or establishing a new nation—all these rebellious things.

The place where you stand is your Konoha; how you are is how Konoha will be; if you are full of light, Konoha will not be dark...

"You're really so long-winded..."

Naruto Uzumaki yawned out of boredom, and Kushina pinched his ear.

"Listen to your father properly!"

"Ah! Easy, easy, Mom, I know, I'm listening."

Naruto Uzumaki feigned a painful cry.

"It doesn't hurt that much. I know how much force to use; don't try to fool your mother."

Though she said that, the strength in Kushina's hand eased up quite a bit.

However, her hand remained on Naruto Uzumaki's ear, and she said with a "kind" expression: "How are we going to settle the account for you blocking Mom out earlier?"

Naruto Uzumaki said solemnly: "I think I should listen to Dad's speech properly."

Minato stopped his long-winded speech and gave a wry smile. "Forget it, you have your own ideas, so I won't say any more. I'll only make you dislike me if I keep talking."

Good grief, that backstab of yours really came at the perfect time.

Naruto Uzumaki said earnestly, "It's actually more annoying when you don't say anything now."

"You are not allowed to dislike your father!"

Kushina arched her eyebrows in anger, her hand twisting Naruto Uzumaki's ear with force.

"It's coming off, it's coming off, my ear is going to fall off..."

Naruto Uzumaki howled in pain.

Outside, Naruto Uzumaki did not offer much refusal and nodded, agreeing to take in Nonō and Kabuto.

The two were just about to express their gratitude when Naruto Uzumaki suddenly said to Kabuto, "Your brain has been tampered with; it looks like the handiwork of Sunagakure."

Nonō's expression changed. Kabuto was an orphan she had adopted on the battlefield between Konoha and Sunagakure. Could it be...

"Director, I... I don't know what's going on."

Kabuto looked at Nonō in a panic, seemingly worried that Nonō would abandon him.

Nonō placed both hands on Kabuto's shoulders, looked at him, and said with a gentle face, "I believe in Kabuto. No matter who Kabuto is, you are my child."

"Director..."

Kabuto calmed down and quickly understood what he needed to do next.

"Please, my lord, help me remove this hidden danger."

"I can, but I need you to die once first."

The Mind-Controlling Sand Technique, a secret technique used by Sasori of the Red Sand to control Kabuto, could insert a tiny needle into a person's memory center to seal their memories.

Theoretically, Kamimusubi, which governs life, could undo the Mind-Controlling Sand Technique.

However, because living people possess individual consciousness, Kamimusubi cannot control the bodies of others besides Naruto Uzumaki himself.

To remove the Mind-Controlling Sand Technique from Kabuto's head, Kabuto had to die first and become a corpse.

The Human Path extracted Kabuto's soul, Kamimusubi controlled Kabuto's body, and the Naraka Path resurrected Kabuto.

The entire process left Kushina and Minato in the Sealing Space wide-eyed with amazement.

Their son... was ridiculously powerful; he could actually resurrect the dead!

In the distance, Nonō was comforting Kabuto, whose head was a bit muddled.

Shadow glanced at the mother and son, then turned back to look at Naruto Uzumaki, puzzled. "Why do you want them to follow me?"

She felt that she was doing just fine on her own.

"Nonō is a Medical Ninjutsu user. In case you get hurt, she can help."

Shadow did not agree with Naruto Uzumaki's explanation.

"I won't get hurt, and even if I did, don't I still have you?"

The Life Energy condensed by the Rinnegan was far more effective than Medical Ninjutsu.

Naruto Uzumaki shook his head and said, "But I cannot be by your side at all times."