After an intense battle, Ye Zi's chakra reserves were nearly depleted. His body was covered in injuries, and his hearing was gone. He had planned to end the fight, but Minato's timely arrival via the Flying Thunder God Technique had turned the tide. Without hesitation, Minato had rescued both Jiraiya and Tsunade.
Looking at the two figures standing beside Tsunade and Jiraiya, Ye Zi's expression cooled. Even she had come. It seemed Tsunade and Jiraiya's lives had been saved by sheer luck.
In addition to Minato, Kushina had arrived.
"Minato, why are you here?" Jiraiya asked, enduring the pain. Gazing at Minato's back, his arrival felt like the dawn breaking through a despairing night.
For the first time since the battle began, Jiraiya felt his heart settle. With Kushina here as well, Tsunade would be alright. Jiraiya glanced at Tsunade, whose breath was still steady despite her injuries, and sighed in relief.
"It's a long story. For now, let Kushina heal you both. As for Ye Zi... leave him to me!" Minato said coldly, gripping two special Flying Thunder God kunai in his hands. His gaze at Ye Zi was as frigid as a winter night's wind.
Jiraiya, battered and bloodied, managed a faint smile. Leaving it to his student wasn't a bad idea; he could afford to rest now.
Minato quickly assessed Jiraiya and Tsunade's condition, it was dire. The one responsible for all of this was none other than Ye Zi.
At this moment, Minato had every reason to be unforgiving toward Ye Zi. Yet, he also felt fortunate that he had chosen to trust the intelligence provided by Danzo, despite its dubious origin. That trust had allowed him to arrive in time, thanks to the Flying Thunder God mark he'd placed on Jiraiya.
Minato and Kushina's presence here was the result of Danzo's machinations. After providing intelligence on Ye Zi's movements to Tsunade and Jiraiya, Danzo fabricated a report claiming they had pursued Ye Zi but were now in grave danger, sending it to Minato.
Danzo wasn't omniscient, his intention had been to ensure Ye Zi's defeat by having Minato and Kushina support Jiraiya and Tsunade. He hadn't anticipated the situation spiraling so far out of control, nor had he expected Minato's timely arrival to save them both.
Had he known things would unfold this way, Danzo might have delayed delivering the report, allowing Jiraiya and Tsunade to die at Ye Zi's hands instead.
"Little Minato!" Fukasaku exclaimed as he jumped over, carrying an unconscious Shima. He was both shocked and relieved. Minato's arrival had prevented the situation from taking a disastrous turn.
"Mm," Minato responded with a brief nod, his unwavering gaze fixed on Ye Zi.
Tsunade's injuries were more severe than Jiraiya's. Thanks to her Senju lineage, she managed to stay conscious, though barely. Kushina had summoned a cluster of small slugs, which covered Tsunade's and Jiraiya's wounds, treating them.
Kushina supplied the chakra for the slugs, a method best suited for healing two people at once, as she couldn't treat both on her own.
"Sensei…" Kushina murmured sorrowfully, kneeling beside Tsunade. She held Tsunade's shoulders gently, her face hidden beneath her falling hair.
Tsunade struggled to lift her head, looking at Kushina with a mixture of guilt and pity. "I'm sorry for putting you in this situation," she said weakly.
Kushina bit her lip, shaking her head in denial. She couldn't accept Tsunade's apology. Her heart felt heavy, her emotions uncontrollable as tears began to stream from her eyes.
Drip.
A tear fell onto Tsunade's exposed skin, followed by a second and a third.
"I'm sorry, Kushina," Tsunade sighed softly, lifting her hand to place it gently on Kushina's head.
She understood Kushina's feelings for Ye Zi, but life was full of difficult choices.
Ye Zi had killed Dan, someone deeply important to her. She had to avenge him.
This pursuit of vengeance had nearly driven a wedge between her and Kushina. Though they had eventually come to terms, Tsunade knew she had to see this through, even if it meant facing Ye Zi in a life-or-death battle, a scenario Kushina least wanted to witness.
To spare Kushina from this pain, Tsunade had acted without her knowledge, but things hadn't gone as planned. Now Kushina was forced to endure the consequences.
"You've done nothing wrong, Sensei. Don't apologize to me."
Kushina gently laid Tsunade down, wiping her tears before standing and moving to stand beside Minato.
The slug cluster split, with a portion crawling onto Shima to treat her injuries, while Fukasaku alternated between checking Shima's condition and watching Minato and Kushina's backs.
Not only Fukasaku but also Jiraiya and Tsunade gazed at the backs of their two students.
They were protected, weren't they?
Minato glanced briefly at Kushina, whose face was still streaked with tears. After a moment of silence, he asked, "Have you made your decision?"
Kushina's gaze seemed to pierce through layers of barriers, landing on Ye Zi. At the same time, Ye Zi's eyes met hers, crossing all obstacles to lock onto her own.
In their silent exchange, emotions impossible to articulate filled the air.
It was as if a dense fog had suddenly risen between them, severing their connection and obscuring their vision.
"I won't kill him," Kushina said firmly. "But I will stop him!"
Hearing her response, Minato's eyes lowered slightly. A faint, helpless smile appeared on his face. After a brief pause, he spoke in a serious tone.
"Forgive me, Kushina…"
After apologizing, Minato's tone grew heavy as he said, "For him alone, I won't hold back. There are too many reasons why I cannot forgive him."
Kushina's heart skipped a beat. After a brief silence, she replied with a hint of dejection, "I understand."
Standing opposite Minato and Kushina, a sense of crisis Ye Zi hadn't felt in a long time now loomed clearly before him.
Ye Zi averted his gaze from Kushina, firm in his decision to retreat. This battle was unwinnable.
Summoning Jutsu!
Ye Zi pressed one palm against the ground, and a cloud of white smoke erupted. From within the smoke, a massive serpent materialized—it was Manda, whom Ye Zi had summoned to create a distraction.
But Minato and Kushina also had their own summoning beasts.
Seeing Ye Zi summon Manda, Minato and Kushina quickly performed their own summoning jutsu.
Boom! Boom!
With two bursts of white smoke, the enormous toad Gamabunta and the giant slug Katsuyu appeared before Manda.
The summoning beasts of the legendary Sannin had reunited after so many years.
However, the ones now standing atop the summoning beasts' heads were no longer the Sannin but three powerful ninja in their prime.
A distant wind blew, lifting their hair and clothing as time seemed to freeze in that moment.
Ye Zi stood atop Manda's head, Minato atop Gamabunta, and Kushina atop Katsuyu, forming a three-way standoff.
"I never thought I'd witness such a scene as a mere observer," Jiraiya remarked, his voice tinged with emotion. A deep sense of regret surfaced as he sighed, "If only they were allies and not enemies… how wonderful that would be."
Tsunade fell silent at his words, memories flooding her mind. Once, the three of them had supported one another, carving their path through the shinobi world. But now, those days had long since passed.
Even Orochimaru, gazing up at the scene, couldn't help but feel a complex swirl of emotions despite his usual indifference.
Just like Jiraiya and Tsunade, Orochimaru hadn't imagined that a new three-way standoff would present itself in this form before their very eyes.
If you want to read more...
Check out the patreon and get 55 chapters in advance -> SaintXI
Currently on Chapter 450 - Ripple Effects Across the Shinobi World