Boom!
As if guided by destiny itself, Yahiko lunged toward the kunai in Nagato's hand and ended his own life. That moment of agony broke something open within Nagato. Though his legs had been shredded by explosive tags and buried in shrapnel, the overwhelming pain awakened the true power of the Rinnegan for the very first time.
"Summoning Jutsu: Demonic Statue of the Outer Path"
"What is that?"
In that instant, Hanzō of the Salamander finally recognized the eyes staring back at him.
"I see now... you're no ordinary brat. Those eyes are... the legendary Rinnegan?"
Neither Amegakure's shinobi nor Konohagakure's Anbu could withstand the force that followed. Under the crushing weight of Nagato's power, they were erased, every last one. Only Hanzō managed to escape, vanishing into the rain with the Body Flicker Technique.
As the Demonic Statue faded and the battlefield fell silent once more, the endless rain returned to being the only sound in the world. Nagato, his chakra almost entirely consumed, dropped to one knee. Next to him, Konan stood frozen in grief, her gaze locked on the unmoving body of Yahiko.
"Why… why did it end up like this…!"
Moments ago, the three of them had stood side by side, sharing the same dream. Now that vision had been shattered. As she looked at the madness in Nagato's eyes and the lifeless weight of Yahiko in his arms, Konan could feel nothing but despair.
Time seemed to freeze. The only sound was Nagato's ragged breathing, echoing against the stone and rain.
Until, through the haze of water, a new sound slowly emerged.
Plap... plap... plap...
Startled, Nagato and Konan turned with dread toward the approaching footsteps, expecting another wave of enemies. But the figure that emerged from the downpour was someone they never imagined.
"R... Rasa-san...?"
Indeed, the one walking calmly through the storm was none other than Rasa. His eyes swept across the scene before him, falling on the corpse of Yahiko, then rising to meet their stunned faces. He let out a soft, weary sigh.
"Do you understand now… what those two words meant?"
Nagato and Konan stood speechless. They understood. But what good was it now? Yahiko was dead. The meaning had arrived too late.
Rasa stepped forward and halted beside Konan, lowering his gaze to Yahiko's body. His eyes narrowed with something unreadable. In the shinobi world, overwhelming offense often exceeded defense. Still, being killed outright by a single kunai… was rare. Especially for someone considered a leader.
This only proved how ordinary Yahiko's body truly was. If it had been Nagato in his place, even dozens of stabs wouldn't have been fatal. Like now—his body torn by the Demonic Statue, yet still he endured, still breathing.
Letting Yahiko die here would be wasteful.
Especially now. After this death, without that naive idealism holding him back, he might become something much more powerful.
Rasa didn't hesitate. He pressed both palms against Yahiko's chest.
"Forbidden Jutsu: Life for Life Resurrection"
Nagato and Konan, who had stood beside him with empty, numb expressions, suddenly widened their eyes in disbelief. They stared, unmoving, as a soft green light radiated from beneath Rasa's hands. None of them dared to interrupt. They could only watch in anxious silence, hope battling with fear.
Cough... cough... cough...
No one could say how much time passed before Yahiko, once lifeless, suddenly began coughing violently. The cold raindrops struck his skin, pulling him back into reality. Slowly, he opened his eyes and stared in disbelief.
"Konan… Nagato…"
"Yahiko!!!"
Before he could understand what had happened, Konan and Nagato had already wrapped their arms around him. Konan's tears burst forth, flowing freely and without restraint.
But this time, they were tears of overwhelming joy.
Yahiko blinked, still dazed. Slowly, the realization began to sink in.
"Konan... what... what's going on? Didn't I… didn't I die?"
At that moment, a voice spoke, carrying an answer to all his questions.
"After everything that happened today, the three of you should finally be ready to grow up. From this moment on, the old Akatsuki and its former leader, Yahiko, are dead. What the new Akatsuki will become... that depends on your choices."
---
Three days passed quietly.
Land of Fire, Konohagakure.
The village basked in peace, its people moving about calmly under the sky. With preparations for the Five Kage Summit proceeding smoothly, the reputation of the newly appointed Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, was climbing higher with each passing day. And now, with the return of one of the Legendary Sannin, Tsunade, his popularity had reached an all-time high.
On the rooftop of the Hokage Residence.
Tsunade gazed at the village, its streets familiar yet touched by change, and sighed.
"Looks like you're doing pretty well as the new Hokage, Minato."
Wearing the white cloak that marked his new position, Minato offered a humble smile.
"No… Tsunade-san, I wouldn't have managed it alone. I owe everything to Hiruzen-sensei, my teacher, and everyone's support."
Tsunade cast a sharp glance toward Hiruzen and Jiraiya, who stood quietly beside him.
"Hmph. It's already impressive they didn't drag you down."
After all, even uniting the Uchiha clan was something Hiruzen had never accomplished. That alone said much about Minato's capability.
"And you're Hokage now, no need to use honorifics with me."
Minato looked briefly uncomfortable. Despite her words, he couldn't bring himself to drop the honorific. It was Hiruzen who shifted the topic.
"Tsunade, now that you've returned, help Minato properly. I'm getting old. The village's future will depend on all of you."
After a year away from the village, Tsunade's resentment had mostly cooled. Though she hadn't forgiven Hiruzen, she no longer had the same urge to confront him. Instead, she asked bluntly.
"Orochimaru. Where is he?"
Jiraiya frowned slightly before replying.
"Orochimaru's been busy with some new research lately. I haven't seen him in a while."
He added, his voice carrying a hint of reassurance.
"But he does support Minato becoming Hokage."
Tsunade raised her eyebrows in surprise. Hiruzen nodded in confirmation.
In truth, when Minato was chosen as the Fourth, Hiruzen had feared his old student would be bitter for being passed over. But to his astonishment, Orochimaru had shown no objection. It was as if he had completely let go of any ambition for the title and buried himself wholly in his experiments.
Seeing this, Tsunade realized Jiraiya wasn't trying to gloss things over. Her heart relaxed slightly. One of her greatest fears had been that, like the fallout between the old man and Danzō, another bond would be destroyed by a rivalry for the Hokage seat.
With that worry lifted, her tone shifted as she brought up something else.
"Minato, how's the Five Kage Summit going? I may have been gone, but I've heard a lot about that Kazekage. Who would've thought Grandpa's Wood Release would end up in Sunagakure's hands? Damn that bastard Danzō!"
Hiruzen's expression tightened with discomfort. Minato quickly stepped forward, diffusing the tension without trying to defend Danzō.
"So far, things are going well. With help from Amegakure and the Akatsuki, there's a good chance we'll be able to convince the Kazekage."
That reminded Tsunade of something.
"Jiraiya, I heard the Akatsuki leader is one of those three brats we met back in Amegakure?"
"Yeah. Who would've thought those three kids would grow up this much?"
Jiraiya's voice carried both warmth and nostalgia.
"Honestly, maybe this summit will give us a chance to meet them again. I've missed them."
Before anyone could respond, an Anbu shinobi appeared suddenly, kneeling before Minato.
"Reporting to the Hokage-sama, there's been a development in Amegakure."
Everyone tensed, and Minato's calm expression gave way to concern.
"What happened?"
"News from the Land of Rain. Hanzō of the Salamander ambushed and massacred the Akatsuki. The organization has been confirmed destroyed…"
"!!!"
In that moment, silence fell over the rooftop. Each of their faces turned ashen with disbelief and shock.