"Boom..."
On a plain dozens of miles outside Konoha, two colossal creatures collided with a deafening crash.
The two enormous creatures were Orochimaru's Summoning Beast, Manda, and Jiraiya's Summoning Beast, Gamabunta.
Jiraiya and Orochimaru each stood atop their own Summoning Beast's head.
Jiraiya smiled at Orochimaru. "Orochimaru, did you come back because you were worried about Konoha?"
"Don't worry. Come back to Konoha with me, and I promise I won't let the old man lay a finger on you!"
"Hmph!" Orochimaru snorted dismissively. "It seems you still don't know much about the situation in Konoha..."
"The Third Hokage isn't in charge of Konoha anymore! He's stepped down!"
Jiraiya froze at that. "Huh? The Third Hokage stepped down? Then who's the Hokage?"
Hearing Jiraiya's question, Gamabunta looked puzzled, his pipe clenched between his teeth.
"Huh? You didn't know, Jiraiya? Minato's come back to life!"
"Huh? Come back to life? You mean Minato Namikaze?"
Jiraiya's face filled with shock.
"You really didn't know..." Gamabunta swung his short sword as he spoke, fending off Manda's attacks. "A few days ago, the Nine-Tails attacked Konoha, and Minato summoned me there. He really has come back to life, and he's gotten even stronger!"
While Jiraiya was still reeling, Orochimaru smiled from across the battlefield. "It's only Minato coming back to life. If you return to the village, you'll find things that'll turn your whole worldview upside down!"
Jiraiya's expression immediately turned serious.
He had truly never imagined that Minato would come back to life.
Before this, he had always believed that the child of destiny the Great Toad Sage spoke of was either his former student Nagato or Minato.
But... a few years ago, he had heard that Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato had founded an organization called the Akatsuki, only for it to be