Konoha, emergency medical center.
"Tsunade! Master Jiraiya, he-" Minato's voice trembled.
His Hokage Robe was covered in blood, and blood still seeped through the bandages on his left arm, but he had no thought to spare for himself.
On the emergency bed, Jiraiya's ravaged body was enveloped in green medical chakra.
Yet his life force remained a candle in the wind, so faint it could go out at any moment.
Tsunade pressed both hands against Jiraiya's chest, fine beads of sweat forming on her forehead.
Gritting her teeth, she frantically poured in the chakra stored in her Yin Seal, but her expression only grew grimmer.
"It's no use..." Tsunade's voice was hoarse. "His injuries aren't just physical. His soul has suffered severe corrosion too.
That black power... it's still eating away at his life force.
My Medical Ninjutsu can barely keep him breathing."
"Then what do we do?!" Minato slammed his fist into the wall, spreading a web of cracks across it. "Are we supposed to just stand here and watch..."
"There is one way." Tsunade raised her head, resolve flashing in her eyes.
"I can use my Forbidden Technique, Creation Rebirth, to forcibly repair his body, then use Lady Katsuyu's splitting technique to share the damage to his soul..."
"You'll die!" Minato cut her off sharply.
"That's better than watching him die!" Tsunade roared, tears already glistening in her eyes.
"He's my most important comrade! Do you understand, Minato?!"
Minato opened his mouth, then finally lowered his head in defeat.
He looked at that familiar yet unfamiliar face on the bed-his teacher, who was always grinning and writing dirty books, yet cared more about Konoha and the shinobi world than anyone else.
Now he lay there silently, like a broken doll.
"Liuyu..." Minato forced the name through clenched teeth,