Not long after stepping foot into the Land of Rain, a gentle drizzle began to fall from the overcast sky.
"This weather's the worst," Kushina muttered, adjusting her raincoat as she patted Konan's hand softly.
"Alright, time to go back and play your role."
"Mm… I'm heading out now," Konan responded quietly. Her form dissolved into a flurry of white paper, fluttering away with the rain.
Minato looked up at the sky, his tone thoughtful. "Nagato's really something else."
"This rain is laced with his chakra."
"It's a sensory barrier. He already knows we're here."
Sure enough, a faint smile tugged at Nagato's lips.
"I'm not ready yet... but never mind. Let's stick to the plan."
With that, he returned to his original position.
Whoosh—
The Six Paths of Pain—the Deva Path, Asura Path, Human Path, Animal Path, Preta Path, and Naraka Path—appeared one by one before him. Yahiko's body stood at the center, the face of the Deva Path.
"And so, the battle begins."
Minato gently wrapped an arm around Kushina, the two of them sharing an umbrella.
One moment, Kushina was grumbling about the dreary weather, and the next, she was laughing as she playfully splashed water at Minato.
Naruto rolled his eyes. "Kurama, get ready to come to the Hidden Rain Village. You'll be needed later. Otherwise, I'll just keep draining your yang half."
Inside the seal, Kurama's voice echoed with resignation: "Yeah, yeah—Kurama received! I'll be there soon!"
Before long, the trio arrived at the entrance of Amegakure.
Looking up at the industrial towers and bizarre architecture that loomed over the village, both Minato and Kushina were momentarily stunned.
"This doesn't feel like a village at all," Kushina said.
"Nagato's at the top," Minato murmured, narrowing his eyes.
He instantly shifted into character mode.
"Let's go in together."
Kushina quickly grabbed Naruto's arm. "No, it's too dangerous, Naruto!"
The two parents exchanged a firm look and shook their heads at him.
"Let us go first and scout ahead."
Naruto stayed quiet, sighing inwardly.
They really slipped into these roles way too fast.
Obito and Black Zetsu remained hidden in the darkness nearby. The lack of surrounding vegetation made it impossible for Obito to sense any Flying Thunder God markings.
A slight deviation from the plan—but nothing too concerning.
Still, they had to stay vigilant.
If Pain failed, Obito would no doubt move to reclaim Nagato's Rinnegan.
Naruto was waiting for that exact moment.
Before Obito could recover the Rinnegan, Nagato would likely attempt to use it to revive Uchiha Madara.
Naruto was confident he could save Nagato's life, but Obito was another matter entirely. If that old snake really tried to resurrect Madara...
Then he'd probably drag in Black Zetsu and his cursed plan for the Six Paths.
Obito could be dealt with—Naruto had plans to leave him to Minato and Kushina.
But Black Zetsu?
That thing was much harder to pin down.
Watching his parents throw themselves into their dramatic act, Naruto couldn't help but shake his head.
His back shimmered and split, his body transforming into natural energy and forming a white wood clone—distinct from the usual shadow variety.
"I'm counting on you."
Half a minute later, the clone opened its eyes, the marks of Sage Mode now etched around them. This was the Mori Mori no Mi version of Sage Mode—powerful, stable, and deeply attuned to nature.
With a nod, the clone slowly sank into the water.
Suddenly, Naruto paused mid-step.
"Black Zetsu?"
He narrowed his eyes.
"As expected… Black Zetsu Saves His Mother, huh? You really went all out to bring back Kaguya."
"If you're trying to earn my trust in advance... don't bother. I'm not so easily swayed."
The situation was already far removed from what Black Zetsu had anticipated.
It made sense to take early action, to prepare contingencies—standard behavior in his line of schemes.
But Black Zetsu's current approach, extending an olive branch this early, had truly caught Naruto off guard.
By now, Minato and Kushina had already entered Amegakure.
Naruto followed at a slower pace, his expression unreadable.
Flying Thunder God Technique… Adamantine Sealing Chains...
If it's just the Six Paths of Pain, they won't be enough.
High atop a spire within the Rain Village, Yahiko's Tendo body looked down upon the silent urban maze below.
"They've arrived."
"The Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki?"
"No... it's two people. That chakra… probably Minato-sama and Kushina."
Konan exhaled softly, tension bleeding from her posture—only to stiffen again, scolding herself internally.
'Why should I be worried? He's far too powerful to be harmed.'
She raised her hand.
"Let me test them."
Crash—!
Konan's body disintegrated into a flurry of white paper and vanished into the drizzle.
In the shadows, Obito and Black Zetsu narrowed their eyes.
Judging by their chakra and behavior, it didn't seem like Minato and Kushina were acting.
"This might really be happening."
"I'll prepare as well," Nagato said calmly, closing his eyes.
The Six Paths of Pain simultaneously rose to their feet.
Obito hesitated.
"I'll keep my eyes on Nagato."
He exchanged a brief glance with Black Zetsu, but ultimately stayed put.
Whether it was distrust or fear, even he couldn't tell.
"They've arrived."
Kushina halted and released Minato's arm.
"Only one chakra signature?"
"In that case… let me handle this."
Whoosh—
Minato flicked his wrist, scattering a handful of tri-pronged kunai into the surrounding area.
Seconds later, Konan materialized in front of them.
"Minato-senpai. Kushina-san. Entering Amegakure without permission… is this your version of peace?"
Kushina said nothing.
She simply stepped forward—and punched.
"Move!"
"Okay~"
Boom boom—!
The punch tore a crater into the building behind Konan, who narrowly avoided the strike by turning into fluttering paper.
The explosion echoed across the village, making both Obito and Black Zetsu flinch.
"Are you sure you don't want to go check it out?" Black Zetsu asked.
"...Fine. I'll go. You stay here and monitor Nagato."
Obito gave a slight nod, then phased out toward the battlefield.
When he arrived, Konan had already unfurled her chakra paper wings, circling in the air like an angel of war.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh—!
A barrage of explosive paper shuriken hurtled toward Minato and Kushina.
Behind his mask, Obito's Sharingan contracted in disbelief.
"He's... actually been resurrected?! Not Edo Tensei… This is a real resurrection!"
"Impossible… A reincarnation? A new forbidden technique from Orochimaru?"
Obito didn't step into the battle. He stayed hidden, watching from a distance.
But he wasn't alone.
Naruto stood right behind him, concealed within the Kamui dimension, arms folded.
If not for his decision to let Kushina and Minato release their pent-up fury themselves, Obito would already be captured.
Of course, there was another reason: to lure out Black Zetsu's Sixth Brother.
After all, even if Madara were to learn of his betrayal, there was no guarantee he'd cooperate.
The safest method?
Resurrect him early, don't explain a damn thing—and punch him straight in the face.
Then, have Hashirama show up right afterward.
The Konoha Infrastructure Team could use another vice-captain.
Let Boruto see firsthand whether these so-called "legends" from the past were really that impressive.
Meanwhile, in the Kamui dimension, Naruto's eyes scanned the endless expanse of floating stone slabs and eerie silence.
The place always made him think of that night—the Uchiha Massacre.
"...Forget it. Time to start the search."
He shot into the air and created thousands of shadow clones.
A full-scale sweep of Kamui began.
It didn't take long.
Clone after clone popped, memories flowing back into Naruto's mind like waves.
Eventually, he stopped before a particular slab—one different from the rest.
The stone beneath his feet shifted.
"No sign of reincarnation... but strong necromantic traces remain."
With a gesture, he summoned a frozen body from beneath the stone.
The pale, still form of Nohara Rin floated gently before him.
"So much time has passed… Even if I reconstruct her body, the soul is long gone."
"But with Impure World Reincarnation, I can bring her back—temporarily."
"This time, I'll do it myself. I might not be able to enter the realm of the gods, but I can at least reach the Pure Land."
"As long as I only send my consciousness, the Sage of Six Paths won't notice."
He paused, sighing.
"When Sasuke unlocks his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, I'll bring him here too."
"As for Kaguya... we'll deal with her later."
With that thought, Naruto gently pulled Nohara Rin's body out of the Kamui dimension.
In the blink of an eye, he returned to Konoha.
The location? Naturally, one of the more secluded places — the old storage point where Uchiha Mikoto and Uchiha Izumi once lived.
He laid her down gently.
"Let me run an experiment on you first."
His gaze sharpened.
"If my mother disapproves... I want to see whether this so-called desire for a world without war and eternal peace is really that unwavering."
A flicker of lightning sparked in his palm.
"Lightning Release: Kirin—...Kakashi?"
He paused, then chuckled to himself.
"No... forget it. That's too cheesy. It'd be far more impactful if Rin says something heartfelt to Obito herself."
He stood up, brushing imaginary dust from his cloak.
"We'll leave it at that for now. Your body will need some time to stabilize and absorb nutrients before a full revival."
Meanwhile...
Whoosh—!
Minato appeared behind Konan in a flash, Kushina at his side.
"Konan, don't take this the wrong way—just take a light hit and play dead for a bit, okay?"
"Alright~"
Bang—!
Kushina drove a thunderous punch into Konan's back. Her paper wings shattered instantly under the force.
Konan slammed into the ground like a falling meteor.
Boom boom—!
A crater exploded outward from the impact.
Konan lay motionless, but it was all part of the plan.
The blood pack hidden beneath her cloak burst at the perfect moment, painting a convincing picture.
The instant before impact, a layer of white paper had enveloped her body, softening the blow. The Nine-Tails' chakra further created a thin barrier to absorb the remaining shock.
Honestly, the blood pack might've been overkill...
Right as she hit the ground, one of Naruto's shadow clones appeared beside her, catching her gently while mimicking the impact with theatrical flair.
From behind, Kushina glanced at her husband.
With narrowed eyes and a knowing smirk, she asked, "Minato, can't you sense the Flying Thunder God mark yet?"
Minato shook his head slightly.
Then, he turned.
"...More chakra signatures approaching. Six of them."
Right at that moment, Kurama emerged from within Naruto's clone.
No holding back—he immediately manifested his full Ashura Nine-Tails form, a towering figure of red chakra.
A Tailed Beast Ball began forming in his maw.
Seeing this, Obito hesitated—then vanished from the battlefield without a word.
That was all the cue Minato needed.
In that instant, he sensed the Flying Thunder God mark from behind and activated it.
Boom—! Boom—!
The Tailed Beast Ball launched forward with violent force, illuminating the battlefield in a flash of destruction.
With the enemy sent scattering, Naruto's clone moved silently among the chaos, repositioning explosive tags and sealing tools.
"That's enough excitement for one day. Time to wrap things up and settle the score."