Watching Ichigo, who was shouting and screaming, being taken away by Shutara, Kisuke, and the others, Jin couldn't help but sighed with regret.
If you remove Goku, the pinnacle of combat power, among the protagonists of the Big Three, Ichigo seems quite normal compared to the naively benevolent Naruto and the Joy Boy-possessed Luffy.
But who would have thought his ending would be like this?
Fighting to protect the Soul Society from beginning to end, only to be made into a new Soul King for the Soul Society in the end.
To be honest, it would have been better to die in battle.
At least he wouldn't have been sent to the execution ground by the hands of those he once trusted.
And not a single one of his former comrades spoke up for him.
After Ichigo was forcibly taken away, the scene fell into an eerie, silent atmosphere.
The fact that Ichigo had done great favors for the Soul Society was collectively acknowledged by the Gotei 13.
And their current behavior, put nicely, was 'prioritizing public duty over personal feelings'.
Put bluntly, it was purely being ungrateful bastards.
Kyoraku, who had taken over as Captain-Commander, cleared his throat and asked Jin, attempting to divert attention:
"Jin-boy~ What are your plans next?"
"After going back, double the training."
Jin stretched and said.
"Oh? You're already that strong, and you still want to continue training?"
Kyoraku was quite surprised.
"I don't want to end up like Kurosaki Ichigo."
Ichigo's ending gave Jin a sense of warning.
Although he couldn't go as crazy with self-improvement as Goku, he absolutely could not stagnate.
If he ever encountered such a situation himself... heh, so what if the world ends?
Then let the whole world be buried with him!
…
Jin's answer made the atmosphere at the scene even more deathly silent.
There was no sense of the joy of winning a battle.
"By the way, is the promise from earlier still valid?"
Jin suddenly asked Rukia.
Rukia, who was almost two heads shorter than Jin, immediately widened her eyes.
'N-no, can't you see I'm feeling sad right now?'
'Are you that impatient to pursue me?'
However, Rukia had misunderstood.
Jin wasn't in a hurry to do anything with her.
He was just confirming if the contract was still valid.
Exercising is about mutual consent, a win-win situation for both parties.
Unless under special circumstances, Jin wouldn't use force.
After receiving Rukia's affirmative reply, Jin waved his hand to bid farewell to everyone present, preparing to take Harribel back.
As for Inoue, Jin was even less in a hurry.
It would be difficult for her to emerge from the shadow of Ichigo's death in a short time.
He'll let time slowly heal the wounds first, then find an opportunity to move in when she was vulnerable.
...
"Wow~ That Kurosaki Ichigo is so pitiful..."
It was bragging time during dinner again.
After Jin finished describing Ichigo's outcome, Nami, Hancock, Shirahoshi, Rin, and the others all sighs with emotion.
Nami even felt that her former captain, Luffy's ending was better in comparison.
He just got imprisoned.
But Ichigo was truly miserable, as he was actually abandoned by his former companions, and forced to become a sacrifice for the world.
What was even more pitiful was that Jin didn't even target Ichigo like he did with Luffy.
It was entirely Ichigo's own companions who abandoned him.
"Feels a bit similar to the situation Jin-sensei encountered during the coup years ago."
Kurenai's words immediately made the girls recall the meat pie incident eight years ago.
Back then, Jin forcibly launched a coup, and the Konoha Council also resorted to moral blackmail.
The situation Ichigo faced was quite similar.
Yet the outcomes for the two were completely different.
"Kurosaki Ichigo lacked ability."
Harribel rarely took the initiative to comment.
In her view, the reason Ichigo became a sacrifice to save the three worlds was that he lacked the power to resist.
So he could only accept the outcome of being forcibly sacrificed.
"No... perhaps deep down, he approved of this approach."
Jin, however, gave the opposite answer.
In fact, Shutara, Kisuke, and that group didn't need to use force to suppress Ichigo.
They just needed to persuade him nicely and use a little bit of moral blackmail.
At that time, Ichigo would most likely agree.
That's the kind of person he was.
Even though Jin himself would never become such a person, it didn't stop him from appreciating this type.
'You're amazing, you're noble, you're willing to sacrifice yourself for the world.'
'But I can't do that.'
'I'm just a guy who likes pretty girls.'
...
"Oh oh~ So this is what it looks like..."
That night, Jin was reviewing biological knowledge, researching the differences between humans and Hollows… attempting to build a bridge between humans and Hollows.
"Y-you're going to look for how long... Isn't this enough?"
Completely opposite to her Valkyrie-like heroic and spirited demeanor during battle, Harribel couldn't be dominant at all at this moment.
As if possessed by Hinata, she seemed about to faint from shyness at any moment.
Just as he was about to launch the attack, Jin suddenly wanted to ask Harribel, 'Do Hollows need to poop?'.
But considering the current atmosphere, he held back.
...
In Madara's secret hideout in Amegakure.
Several months had passed.
Obito's spiky hair had grown into shoulder-length locks.
The right side of his face, because it had been crushed by rocks, was wrinkled and disfigured.
"Thank you for taking care of me during this time, but I'm returning to Konoha Village."
Obito turned his head and said to the elderly Madara sitting on the tree-chair.
"You will definitely return. I will accept your genuine thanks then."
The elderly Madara responded calmly.
Obito frowned slightly but didn't think too much about it. He put on a hooded coat and strode away.
After Obito's figure completely disappeared from view, the elderly Madara spoke again:
"Go."
The original White Zetsu and Tobi emerged halfway from the soil, replying in unison:
"Understood~"
...
Night.
The bright moonlight spilled down on Konoha Village.
Cries that sounded both like weeping and laughter echoed from Jin's residence.
Jin wasn't afraid of noise disturbing the neighbors.
After all, his home occupied the entire former Sarutobi Clan's compound… it was very large.
Unless his exercising partner had learned the Lion's Roar Technique, it was absolutely impossible for outsiders to hear.
It was just a bit hard on the people living here.
"That damn bitch!"
Kurenai cursed furiously.
'Usually, she could go a whole day without saying half a sentence, but when it came to business, she was louder than anyone.'
"It is a bit surprising. That Harribel-nee's before-and-after contrast is actually so big…"
Rin also scratched her cheek somewhat awkwardly.
The three of them had practically grown up listening to Jin's activities through the walls.
Among them, Harribel's decibel level was almost the highest.
They wondered if she afraid of ruining her voice.
But it's probably be fine as she had high-speed regeneration.
"I'm changing rooms."
Konan pursed her lips, straightened her clothes a bit, and left through the door.
She was almost 20 now and had also had that kind of relationship with Jin some time ago.
But Konan didn't join in.
After all, not everyone has a personality like Carina's, that kind of bold woman… she couldn't bring herself to do it.
Secondly… it was that time of the month for her.
As for Kurenai and Rin, they truly hadn't experienced it yet.
They were still young, after all.
They're afraid they couldn't withstand combat power in the millions.
Seeing the big sister leave, the two younger girls followed closely, preparing to find a farther room to sleep.
Halfway there, Rin suddenly felt her throat was a bit dry and said to the other two:
"I'm going to get a cup of water. Do you want some, Kurenai, Konan-nee?"
Konan: "No need. I just want to sleep right now."
Kurenai: "Rin, you're not thinking of going to the bathroom, are you? It's fine, you can do it in the room. We won't mind you…"
Rin: "Screw you! What are you talking about!"
The good-tempered Rin couldn't help but curse, reaching out to cover Kurenai's mouth.
How could she not understand what the other was hinting at?
They were all 15 years old… no need to pretend to be innocent.
...
After Rin arrived at the living room, she poured a cup of water, drank it in one go, and prepared to go back to join Konan and the others.
However, Rin did not notice.
In the shadowy corner of the living room, two pale-skinned heads were peeking out from the wall.
They watched her drink that cup of water in one go before feeling relieved and retracting back into the ground.
On her way back, before Rin had even gone halfway, she suddenly felt a bit dizzy.
"Wh-what's going on? My head feels a bit dizzy…"
Rin held the side of her head with her left hand, leaning her right hand against the wall as she muttered to herself.
Meanwhile, the sounds of Harribel's passionate cries coming from the room in the other direction seemed to possess a magical power, gradually attracting Rin.
Before she could react, she had already walked to the front of Jin's room.
When the sound of the door pushing open was heard, the two sweating profusely inside the room were both stunned.
Jin looked up.
He saw Rin, her pupils seemingly turned into pink heart shapes, pouncing forward as if possessed by some spirit.
Jin, who had been engrossed in exercising, suddenly thought of something.
He used his energy to sense.
Sure enough, there was an unusual presence that had entered the village.
"Damn it, so this is your so-called brilliant plan, huh…"
Jin immediately guessed what was happening.
"Holy crap!?"
However, the next second, Jin's expression changed drastically again.
Because Rin had already knelt before him, boldly taking over from Harribel.
Harribel was also stunned, similarly realizing this little girl's condition wasn't right.
After all, in Harribel's impression, such bold actions could probably only be done by that crazy woman Hancock, who was completely devoted to Jin, or that promiscuous woman, Carina.
"It's fine, half and half."
Jin held Harribel's face, making her lean closer.
Harribel shot him a sharp glare and impatiently started working.
'Huh?'
'Speaking of which, where's my Den Den Mushi Camera?'
...
"Rin, wait for me! I'm still alive, I'm still alive!"
Under the cover of night, a figure rapidly approached Jin's residence.
Due to excessive excitement, Obito had clearly forgotten that this place wasn't allowed in without prior notification.
He also overlooked that the entrance, which usually had fish-man guards stationed, was currently completely empty.
Anxiety and ecstasy affected his judgment.
He just wanted to see that figure he yearned for day and night as quickly as possible.
However, when he entered the courtyard…
"Mmph…"
When he heard that voice, repeated a thousand, even ten thousand times in his mind, shouting out content that sparked endless imagination, in a tone that men, even boys, understood, the tomoe in his remaining right eye abruptly contracted.
To be honest, Obito occasionally considered the possibility that his goddess might already have that kind of relationship with that man.
But every time his thoughts reached the most critical step, he would timely stop himself.
'Impossible, absolutely impossible!'
'Rin is a traditional girl, she couldn't possibly…'
However, Obito might have forgotten a saying-
Behind every woman you desire, there's a man who's already tired of being with her.
…
The cries that sounded like both weeping and laughter echoed in his ears… time seemed to stand still at this moment.
"Classmate, do your best!"
"You forgot your application form. Don't be so careless next time, okay?"
"So you've become a Konoha's Ninja too. Let's do our best together from now on!"
"I'm going out with Jin-sensei today. Sorry, maybe next time."
"This is the power Jin-sensei gave me. Don't worry, I'll protect everyone."
At this moment, countless memories exploded in his mind.
Obito felt as if his brain was about to explode… heart-wrenching pain rapidly spread from his heart throughout his entire body.
It was a kind of pain he had never experienced before, not even when he thought he was going to die during a mission.
The next second, tears of blood began to flow uncontrollably from his right eye socket, and the tomoes began to spin wildly.
"This world, this kind of thing…"
Obito clenched his fists, letting out a low growl like a beast:
"I DON'T ACCEPT THIS!!!"
Just as the two tomoes in his right eye converged into the shape of a large pinwheel, a white figure suddenly emerged from behind Obito and chopped the back of his neck with a palm.
"Phew… Easier than imagined~"
Tobi slung the unconscious Obito over his shoulder, wiping sweat that didn't exist from his forehead.
White Zetsu said with a strange expression:
"Awakening the Mangekyo because a woman was taken… I've never seen such a method of awakening before… Is this kid really reliable?"
"Anyway, let's just take him back quickly and report to Madara-sama."
White Zetsu nodded upon hearing this.
Eavesdropping through walls isn't for everyone.
They knew it's better not to anger Jin.