Konoha ninjas dressed in black stood silently before Minato's fresh grave in the drizzling rain.
Faint sobs mingled with the breeze and slanting rain.
River stood there quietly, largely unmoved by the scene.
This was a world where the dead could be resurrected, and an underworld where souls existed. That was what made forbidden techniques such as the Reaper Death Seal and Rinne Rebirth possible.
Besides, Minato's and Kushina's souls were now in his hands. All he needed to do was wait for the right moment to resurrect them.
What he ought to consider now was what to do next.
It was time to go back and take a look.
There were a few things I needed to test, too.
River murmured inwardly.
By going back, he naturally didn't mean returning to the Namikaze Clan's compound, but to the pirate world.
The dark passage he had activated worked both ways. Since he could come here, he could naturally go back.
Then could he bring people from that world here?
If so, River could undoubtedly establish his own force in the shortest possible time. The current Namikaze Clan, Guy, Kabuto, and Kakashi were still too young. They were nowhere near enough.
The funeral would soon end. There was much to deal with after the disaster, and they naturally wouldn't spend all their time on a dead man like Minato Namikaze.
Too many people had died during the Nine-Tails' Rampage.
And the Uchiha Clan faced the greatest isolation and suspicion. That night, countless people had seen the Sharingan in the Nine-Tails' eyes.
Some had even openly confronted the Uchiha Clan in public, angrily demanding answers. This only deepened the conflict between the Uchiha Clan and Konoha.
Only the Third Hokage's presence had kept it temporarily in check.
But clearly, the conflict between