Chapter 379: Looking Toward the Future
After sealing Madara Uchiha, everyone was immersed in an atmosphere of relief and joy.
Although this battle had been sudden and the total number of participants on both sides didn't exceed twenty, its significance was monumental.
Even Dana couldn't help but feel a surge of genuine happiness. When he sat back and thought about it, Danzo Shimura, Black Zetsu, and Madara Uchiha—the three greatest blights on the world—had all been dealt with by his hand. At this moment, he felt as if the very air in the ninja world had become a bit fresher.
The Heavenly Transfer Technique delivered the professional Sealing Corps, who also brought along one of the Cloud's prized Sage Tools: the Amber Purifying Pot.
Originally, the Amber Purifying Pot had been used to contain the Two-Tails, Matatabi, but since the beast had been repurposed as a permanent energy source for Cloud City, providing a constant stream of chakra to the grid, the pot had been emptied and made available for high-level sealing.
Sealing an Edo Tensei summon was relatively simple, even if the target was Madara Uchiha. Once the seals were placed, there would be no more surprises—especially since the man had already been pummeled into a literal ball of dirt.
Black Zetsu, however, required more caution. Fearing any potential mishaps, Dana mobilized his last remaining reserves of chakra to personally seal Black Zetsu within the Amber Purifying Pot. Only after confirming that the Sage Tool could truly restrain the "Will of Kaguya" did Dana finally let out a sigh of relief.
With the "dirt ball" bound by the Adamantine Sealing Chains handed over to the Sealing Corps, the two greatest hidden threats to the ninja world were officially under lock and key.
The only slight disappointment was the news from his Old Man via the slug: Izuna Uchiha had escaped into the deep sea.
"One got away... that's a bit of a shame."
However, Izuna had no allies, no backing, and no knowledge of the Reanimation Jutsu himself. He was unlikely to cause much of a stir. It was entirely possible his reanimated vessel would simply reach its limit and collapse, sending him back to the Pure Land on his own.
Still, Dana ordered a coastal search to be conducted, just in case.
Throughout the aftermath, Onoki remained floating in the sky, watching the Federation's powerhouses laughing and talking below. His heart was a chaotic mess of conflicting emotions.
Although he had made his resolve before intervening, the sheer weight of the reality before him was staggering.
Today's battle had been beyond anything he could have imagined. Forget Yotsuki Dana for a second—just seeing the Federation's other experts standing together in one place was enough to make anyone's scalp tingle with fear.
In the crowd, Onoki even recognized Hashirama Senju. The God of Shinobi, who had been a tier above even Madara back in the day, was now firmly on the Federation's side.
Dana looked up at Onoki, the only outsider remaining. Many of the Cloud ninja were still eyeing the Tsuchikage warily.
"Tsuchikage-dono," Dana called out. "Please ensure Iwagakure initiates a ceasefire immediately. We'll discuss everything else later."
Regarding the incident with the meteor, Dana was willing to acknowledge the favor. He was prepared to give Onoki and Iwa a chance to turn back from the edge.
In truth, with so many top-tier powerhouses gathered here, several people had already secretly messaged Dana via the Communication Snail, asking if they should take the opportunity to eliminate Onoki right then and there.
To be honest, with this lineup, even if Dana stayed lying on the ground, killing Onoki wouldn't have been difficult.
Conversely, the fact that Onoki chose to remain here despite knowing that proved his own brand of courage.
Dana was injured, but he wasn't paralyzed. After resting for a few moments, he was helped up by Arashi, and the group began their journey home.
On the way, more good news arrived from Hiroto's side.
From this day forth, the ninja world was set to undergo another earth-shattering transformation.
In the Great Desert.
The members of the Ashen Bandits arrived at the coordinates. After contacting headquarters, they began treating Sasori, Pakura, and Rasa.
"Didn't we tell you? Notify us before you make a move," Hiroto said through his "One-Dot" mask. "Instead, you went and did it solo? You're lucky to be alive."
Sasori looked wretched, with barely a patch of uninjured skin on his body. By comparison, Rasa and Pakura—who had been knocked out earlier—were in much better shape.
Hiroto began applying Healing Talismans to Sasori's wounds one by one.
"I didn't want outsiders interfering in village business..." Sasori rasped, his voice low. "You guys... you're actually with the Cloud-Thunder Federation, aren't you?"
Hiroto's expression didn't change behind the mask. "Isn't it obvious?"
Who else but the Federation would spend this much effort on a plot to assassinate the Kazekage? If they were just mercenaries, they wouldn't give a damn.
From the moment they secretly contacted Sasori and exposed their intent, the truth had been on the table. However, assassinating the "mad" Third Kazekage aligned perfectly with Sasori and Pakura's own goals.
Even though Sasori and Pakura had ultimately ditched the Ashen Bandits to try and finish the job themselves, the end result was a success.
At that moment, Pakura woke up. Finding herself surrounded by the Ashen Bandits, she tensed up instantly, but then she saw the broken and battered Sasori. She rushed over and pulled him into her arms.
"Sasori! Are you okay?!"
A rare expression appeared on the boy's normally stone-cold face.
A smile.
"Pakura-nee... we did it..."
Pakura began to cry. "For the sake of the village, you did it... You are the village's hero..."
Sasori's breath hitched as he recalled the Third Kazekage's dying words.
"Yeah... From now on, I suppose I have to live as a hero..."
Cloud City.
Most ordinary citizens had no idea what was happening in the wider ninja world. However, they noticed that the various Heavenly Transfer bases hadn't stopped all day. The streaks of rainbow light, firing like a machine gun, had certainly drawn a lot of eyes.
Inside an apartment, Dan Kato stood on the balcony, staring blankly at the distant Heavenly Transfer base as it finally fell silent.
Suddenly, his expression shifted, and his face became uncharacteristically grim, as if he had sensed a profound change in the world.
Tsunade hugged her lover from behind, whispering tenderly, "What's wrong, Dan? Are you worried? It's rare to see the Heavenly Transfer used this intensely."
Dan Kato shook his head slowly. "No... it's just... I feel a bit sentimental, that's all..."
In a Great Canyon, Land of Wind.
At the bottom of a dried-up ravine, a tall figure was walking on foot.
A massive crack in the Gobi desert, looking as if it had been cleaved by a giant blade.
Looking up from the bottom, one could only see a thin sliver of the sky. Even the scorching sun of the Land of Wind couldn't penetrate the depths of the canyon.
"It's just an empty ravine. Why are we walking through it so slowly?"
A large white snake poked its head out of the man's robes, asking in confusion.
Jiraiya maintained his vague, honest smile. "Revisiting old haunts."
The white snake looked around. This was just a random canyon in the Land of Wind. It didn't see anything special about it.
It didn't know if "Jiraiya" had been here during his travels while alive... or if the "thing" that had come up with him from the Pure Land had been here.
After spending time together, Orochimaru had already formed a hypothesis about Jiraiya's condition.
The man before him had Jiraiya's memories, but he also possessed knowledge and techniques that didn't belong to Jiraiya at all. It was as if something else had fused with Jiraiya's soul.
And the dominant personality was that unknown soul.
The white snake had given up on persuading him to return to Konoha. Instead, Orochimaru was curious about what "Jiraiya" planned to do.
So far, the guy really seemed to be doing exactly what he said: "Simply seeing the ninja world."
What a stupid reason...
Occasionally, he would even perform acts of kindness, helping people he met along the road.
Suddenly, Jiraiya paused, as if sensing something.
"What now? Hungry?" the white snake asked.
Jiraiya rubbed his head and smiled. "Nothing! Just felt something... impressive!"
Orochimaru's clone was used to Jiraiya's nonsensical speech by now. Flicking its tongue, it muttered:
"Baffling..."