Chapter 122

"You know, in your current condition, facing me is like a death sentence. Why don't you just hand over the Gedo Mazo so that I can return it where it belongs? As for what you want after that, I don't care," Toneri commented. Although he was confident in his strength, he didn't want an unnecessary fight with a Rinnegan user. As someone who knew more about the Rinnegan, he understood its potential and the danger it posed if the user tapped into its associated kinjutsu.

"No, the Gedo Mazo is mine. I need it to destroy the world. Neither you nor anyone else in this world can stop me from achieving my dream," Nagato thundered, his ambition palpable in every word.

However, Nagato's words piqued Toneri's interest, especially his desire to destroy the world. The branch family from which Toneri had come always wanted to destroy the world for weaponizing chakra, and now the Rinnegan user shared a similar ideal. Toneri quickly started weighing his options.

"Do you truly want to destroy this world?" Toneri questioned, a glint in his eyes. Despite his strength, having a helper to do his job for him would be perfect.

"Why do you ask? Are you planning to stop me?" Nagato questioned, eyeing Toneri dangerously, ready to launch an attack at any moment, awaiting Toneri's answer.

"No, because I want to destroy this world as well. Why don't we join hands? I am sure our alliance will only benefit each other," Toneri offered, flexing his aura as if to show there was no room for denial. Although Nagato very much wanted to challenge Toneri, he understood the current condition of Akatsuki. It was a ragtag group, nothing more, nothing less.

If Orochimaru couldn't help him with a new body that could handle the power of the Rinnegan sooner rather than later, he would perish. In his current condition, using more of his power was simply asking for a quick death. So, he quickly started weighing his options, and after deep contemplation, he nodded and whispered, "Welcome to Akatsuki."

"That's a funny name, but never mind that. I am tired. Do you have someone who can cook good meals? I am famished." Toneri quickly retracted his aura and undid his transformation. However, he still kept his vigilance because he didn't want to get caught off guard. Like he owned the place, Toneri walked through the barrier as if it didn't exist and couldn't help but think to himself, 'Tch, only if the Konoha barriers were so easy to breach,' as he entered the hideout.

Meanwhile, back in Konoha, within a secure zone, Kazuki stood proudly as his little brother Shikamaru admired the new fuinjutsu seal on his body. The sealing ritual had gone without a hitch, and even Minato had successfully sealed the first bijuu and is currently working on sealing Isobu.

After learning the truth, the bijuu had become much more cooperative, realizing that their freedom would not be completely restricted. They were somewhat more agreeable to this new method of sealing, understanding that it was much better than being sealed completely.

Just like the cute little fox standing next to Naruto, the other three Jinchuriki now had miniature bijuu standing beside them. Shikamaru eyed Matatabi, which was now the size of a regular cat next to him, and turned to his brother. "Is it going to be lazy like this always?" he questioned as he saw his bijuu yawn and sprawl down on the floor.

Shikaku, who stood next to them, was caught off guard. Did his son just talk about someone else being lazy? The Nara clan head felt like Matatabi was the best match for his lazy son; then he thought maybe laziness runs in their blood because he knew he always wanted to be lazy as well, but then his thoughts went back to the bijuu next to his son. With its yin-powered flames, it could empower Shikamaru by a huge margin, especially once he becomes a perfect jinchuriki.

Meanwhile, Sasuke and Naruto argued about whose bijuu was better, with Chomei on Sasuke's shoulder and Naruto trying to hold back Kurama, who wanted to pounce on the other bijuu who had insulted him. However, the Five Tails stood by quietly, like Yamato, observing everything.

As the commotion increased, Minato stepped out of the ritual chamber, followed by Neji, who now had two new seals planted on him. Kazuki had already developed a new seal that served the sole purpose of safeguarding the Byakugan, and as per the Hokage's orders, soon enough, the entire Hyuga clan would be free from the old curse seal.

"Minato-sama, did everything go as planned? Any complications?" Kazuki questioned him, although he trusted Minato's prowess. Both seals were grandmaster-class seals, so he needed to be sure. Minato simply gave a thumbs-up while giving a bright smile. Naruto, who was arguing with Sasuke, quickly moved to his father.

The entire party then exited with their bijuu in tow. Kazuki had left Minato to work on modifying his own seal himself, giving him suggestions for the changes he could make. As they stepped out, the rest were eagerly waiting, their eyes widening, especially Fugaku and Hiashi, as they laid their eyes on the miniature bijuu by the side of their respective jinchuriki.

Originally, they had no idea that the new jinchuriki would be able to manifest their bijuu outside the seal. According to their knowledge, only a perfect jinchuriki or someone who lost control of their bijuu could manifest them outside their seals. Seeing the kids with miniature bijuu outside the seal baffled them.

Sasuke and Neji moved towards Fugaku and Hiashi, respectively, who quickly inquired about their well-being and asked if they were experiencing any discomfort. As for Yamato, he simply walked and stood by the Hokage's side, now a full-fledged member of the Senju clan. He was much more familiar with the Senju Princess, as she treated him like her own little brother.

Initially, he was confused about why the head of the Senju clan would give him such preference, but he didn't dwell on the matter; he was just happy because he finally had a family. However, there was a secret about him that only three people currently knew, and even Yamato himself was not aware of it.

After Kazuki had extracted all the information from Danzo's mind, he found a shocking secret. To ensure he wasn't jumping to conclusions, he personally collected DNA samples from Tsunade and Yamato and worked on them. Kazuki realized that Orochimaru had achieved something he had never thought possible: he had somehow extracted the complete essence from Nawaki Senju and created a new life in the form of Yamato.

From Danzo's memory, he knew that Orochimaru had discarded Yamato and the others who used Nawaki's essence as failures. During disposal, a Root member discreetly realized that Yamato was still breathing and smuggled him out. Danzo did not know the true significance of Orochimaru's experiment and had simply thought Yamato was a child infused with just the First Hokage's cells.

Although Yamato was an entirely different human now, his core essence was still Nawaki. When Tsunade learned from Kazuki that her brother still remained alive in some form, she had broken down. Only after Jiraiya comforted her did she begin to cope.

If Orochimaru had known back then that his experiment had been successful, he would have created the perfect immortal body by now. Currently, only Kazuki had access to all this knowledge, and the core of it all came from Orochimaru himself, which he had left behind in haste during his escape.

Instead of destroying these things, Root had been collecting them, which eventually fell into Kazuki's hands. Using this information, Kazuki was trying to see if he could mitigate the main drawback of the Eight Gates technique. If he could modify himself and create a perfect immortal body, then he could start learning the Eight Gates in earnest.

Simply put, Yamato was Nawaki with a different personality. After Tsunade and Jiraiya discussed the matter, they decided it was better to keep this information from Yamato. Kazuki relented and kept the secret at his master's request. Even Orochimaru himself might not be able to discern the true worth of Yamato, as he didn't know that his original experiment with Nawaki's essence had succeeded. Regarding Yamato being a Mokuton user, Orochimaru had worked on hundreds of subjects, so any one of them could have survived. Thus, Yamato's secret was safe.

Finally, after ensuring everything was set, Tsunade turned to Minato. "Minato, Sensei, and the rest left a few hours ago as the sealing process was taking a long time. Do you want to stay back and rest, or do you want to join them on the mission?"

Minato, now an elder, and the elders except for Shikakau were on an SS-class mission to take down the Daimyo faction. Under the leadership of Hiruzen, close to 100 elite ANBU were dispatched, with Kakashi serving as his second in command. Minato's presence would make an overwhelming difference for the mission, and with his speed, he could easily catch up to them as Kakashi was carrying Minato's special marker.

Even though the Daimyo had close to two thousand Shinobi, it was a joke in front of the force that was already dispatched. If Minato were to join, it would be absolute carnage.

Minato weighed his options. Although he knew the Leaf Shinobi would win, his presence might help save lives on Konoha's side because, no matter how vast the difference between each side, there are always some unexpected casualties. With his presence on the battlefield, he could reduce it by a vast margin.

Minato then looked at his son. Tsunade understood what he was thinking and quickly added, "Don't worry, Naruto can stay in the Senju compound until you return."

Minato had already moved to his old house, where he stayed during his time as the Fourth Hokage. Despite it being a house set aside for the Hokage, Tsunade gave it away as she was not using the Hokage quarters. Currently, Jiraiya, Minato, and Naruto are staying as a family.

"In that case, Hokage-sama, I will leave Naruto in your care," Minato said. He then turned to Naruto and ruffled his hair lovingly, saying that he would return after completing the mission, and vanished using his Hiraishin technique.

Now that the sealing was complete, everyone left for their respective homes. Jiraiya, alongside Naruto, followed Tsunade. After bidding farewell to his master, Kazuki, alongside Shikaku and Shikamaru, headed towards the Nara compound. Matatabi was already sleeping in Shikamaru's arms, not caring to return to the seal space. Shikamaru clearly envied the carefree life of the cat.

Kazuki realized his brother would soon start his Ninja Academy, and he himself would be immersing himself in training without any more distraction. He had no idea how long it would take for him to master the original, untainted version of Senjutsu, but he remembered to finish all his pending work before fully immersing himself in his training.

As the Nara family settled into their cozy home, each member found their preferred spot in the living room. Shikamaru lounged on the couch, while Shikaku reclined in his favorite armchair, and Kazuki had already sprawled himself on the carpet. Matatabi, the two-tailed bijuu, nestled comfortably in Shikamaru's arms, enjoying the warmth and attention.

Yoshino, entering the room, initially frowned at the sight of her sons and husband sprawling lazily. However, her expression quickly transformed into one of delight when she spotted the blue feline in Shikamaru's grasp. With excitement shining in her eyes, she approached her son and enthusiastically scooped up Matatabi, oblivious to the creature's protests.

But then, as Yoshino held the bijuu, her joy turned to horror as she realized the true nature of the creature she was cradling and detected the massive bundle of chakra she was holding. In a sudden panic, she tossed Matatabi aside and leaped back, her Kunoichi instincts kicking in despite years away from active duty.

Shikaku, amused by his wife's swift reaction, couldn't help but stifle a laugh. "Well done, dear," he remarked, a hint of amusement in his voice. Shikamaru, with a mischievous grin, introduced Matatabi to his startled mother, relishing in the comedic turn of events.

"Mom, meet Matatabi!" Shikamaru chuckled. "Matatabi, meet Mom. It looks like you've made quite the impression."

Yoshino, still recovering from her momentary fright, shot her son a dangerous glare before composing herself. It was certainly not every day that one encountered a bijuu in their living room, and Yoshino's encounter with Matatabi would be a tale to remember for years to come.