It was another rainy, overcast day. Dressed in black, Konoha's ninja gathered to mourn those who had fallen defending the village. Everyone was in low spirits, and the sky drizzled endlessly, as though it knew something too.
Orochimaru's surprise attack had dealt Konoha a serious blow. Everything needed rebuilding, and the village urgently needed a new Kage to lead it forward. The clear choice was Tsunade, another of the Sannin.
Inside the Hokage's office, Danzo was still fighting to secure the position of Fifth Hokage for himself.
"I've contributed so much to this village. It's about time I got a turn as Hokage."
The others completely ignored Danzo's ranting and left on their own.
And so, Jiraiya announced that he would take Naruto and Meihui with him to find Tsunade, giving the two some training along the way.
Danzo was once again the first to object, claiming that taking the Jinchūriki away was unsafe and that leaving him under the Root's supervision would be much safer.
Jiraiya didn't give him the time of day and simply left.
He went to find the two blond boys. At that moment, Meihui was still at home examining the rewards he had received.
[System, fuse the Seven-Orifice Exquisite Heart with me.]
[Ding! Fusion in progress. The process may be difficult to put into words. Please prepare yourself, host.]
Meihui was still wondering what could possibly be so difficult to describe, but as the Seven-Orifice Exquisite Heart gradually fused with his body, he was utterly stunned.
Piercing pain sent beads of sweat rolling down Meihui's forehead. As he felt the changes in his body, it seemed as though the Seven-Orifice Exquisite Heart was slowly devouring his original heart. The agonizing pain left him wishing he were dead.
After who knew how long, Meihui