Because Second Body and the others were not traveling fast, they were still more than a day away from Land of Grass, but Old Man Third Generation was in a great hurry, planning to have her escort the prisoners back.
After capturing Kitsuchi and Han, Five-Tails Jinchuriki, Second Body naturally informed the Third Hokage via a messenger Ninja's summoning beast, and Hiruzen Sarutobi was overjoyed.
He repeatedly praised Second Body as his most outstanding disciple, noting that much of the credit for stabilizing the Sunagakure front earlier also belonged to Second Body, who had also presided over the signing of the unequal treaty with Sunagakure.
Although the Third Hokage was initially somewhat worried about the unequal treaty, fearing it might jeopardize the excellent situation, he now found it truly appealing.
During the war, the sand gold Minato sent back prevented Konoha's economy from being so dire, and the arrival of the old acquaintance Ebizo allowed Konoha's Interrogation Department to obtain many important intelligence and Forbidden Techniques.
It could be said that the end of the Sunagakure front relaxed the Third Hokage's previously heavy heart, and he even used the Telescope Technique to reward himself.
Not long after, he received the good news that Uchiha Rei had captured Kitsuchi, Han, Five-Tails Jinchuriki, and three Jonin, and the Third Hokage's sallow face flushed slightly.
The Third Hokage was both happy and somewhat worried; if this continued, wouldn't Second Body become the greatest contributor to the Third Shinobi World War?
Then Minato's desire to succeed as Hokage might lack sufficient battle achievements and prestige, and as for Orochimaru, his battle achievements and prestige were indeed enough.
However, the Third Hokage knew that Orochimaru harbored darkness in his heart; one could say he did not look like a true leader, and he was also difficult to control.
As for Uchiha Rei, the Third only intended to cultivate Second Body as the Fifth Generation, but if this continued, Uchiha Rei's prestige would surpass even Minato's.
When the Third Shinobi World War ended, would they really let a ten-something-year-old Uchiha Rei become Hokage? She was too young; such a thing had never happened.
But the Third Hokage couldn't let Uchiha Rei die; such an excellent successor couldn't die. So, the only solution was to have Uchiha Rei appear less frequently.
The Third Hokage planned to have Uchiha Rei escort the prisoners back, and then have Second Body rotate through various Konoha departments for study, which would both train Uchiha Rei and give Minato a chance to distinguish himself.
The Third Hokage was also pleased with his cleverness, so he immediately sent Minato, who had recently returned to the Village, to replace Uchiha Rei and lead the remaining troops to the Iwa Ninja battlefield.
However, to fill the gap left by the Medical Ninja who oversaw the field hospital affairs, the Third Hokage decided to have Yakushi Nonou, who had also recently returned, take over.
And so, Minato bid farewell to a reluctant Kushina and went with the young and beautiful Yakushi Nonou to take over Uchiha Rei's duties.
Second Body was naturally indifferent, so she began studying the route map, preparing to rendezvous with Minato; Second Body had long wanted to go on strike and rest.
As for battle achievements and prestige, having captured Pakura and the One-Tail Jinchuriki, then defeating Rasa and forcing him to surrender and sign an unequal treaty, plus now capturing Kitsuchi and the Five-Tails Jinchuriki, her achievements and prestige were absolutely outstanding.
Even if Minato were to support the Kikyo Pass battlefield and the Kannabi Bridge battlefield as in the original plot, and repel the Cloud Ninja AB duo, it would not compare to Uchiha Rei's contributions.
The Third Hokage's cold treatment was correct; otherwise, if everyone nominated Uchiha Rei to become Hokage, that would be disastrous.
Going back was fine; Second Body still had so many Bloodline Limits she hadn't cultivated. Second Body was happy to return and continue her research, and she didn't feel oppressed.
Second Body was perfectly clear about the Third Hokage's little schemes. If he really replaced Minato and became the Fourth Hokage, it would be unfair to Minato, Kushina, and Naruto.
As for whether Orochimaru felt it was fair or not, Orochimaru was very easy to appease; giving him Earth Grudge Fear intelligence and Rebirth Core Technique would send him happily off to research.
As for being Hokage, was it more important than his wish for immortality? If he became Hokage, would he still have time to research? He would probably just grow old and die in the Hokage position.
Since they changed their route to head towards the Land of Fire, everyone knew Second Body was returning to the Village. Shisui and Kamikawa Shuji didn't care; they were Second Body's subordinates, so wherever Second Body went, they went.
Kakashi, Obito, and Rin were a bit reluctant. With Second Body, they never encountered any danger, and now that they couldn't follow Second Body, they were somewhat worried.
Second Body was also a little worried about Obito and Rin. She knew Black Zetsu might make a move against them, but she couldn't protect them forever.
Second Body spent the entire day studying one thing: Re-writing Seal. This was a passively triggered Sealing Technique that used Doujutsu to seal a single Doujutsu.
Second Body wanted to modify it. As an Uchiha Rei with a Revolving Sharingan with three tomoe, she couldn't possibly give them Re-writing Seal Izanagi, could she?
Second Body planned to change it to a passively triggered Sealing Technique activated by Sage Art Chakra, capable of sealing Sage Art, but still stored in the eyes of the object it was cast upon.
The trigger method for this Sealing Technique was that the eye had to see conditions that met the trigger criteria for it to activate. This meant that Second Body's Sage Art version of Re-writing Seal could only be sealed in the eyes for a short period.
For an entire day, Second Body single-mindedly researched and modified Re-writing Seal. Fortunately, Second Body's proficiency in Sealing Technique was indeed high enough, and in one day, she developed a 1.0 version of the Sage Art Re-writing Seal.
At this point, they had just arrived at the rendezvous point with Minato. They set up camp here to wait for Minato to arrive for the handover. Second Body estimated Minato would still take a few hours to arrive.
She called Kakashi and the others into the tent, then, amidst their bewildered expressions, cast an anti-peeping barrier Ninjutsu.
"You all know I'm returning to the Village. For certain reasons, it might be difficult for me to return to the battlefield and continue looking after you, so I plan to give you some life-saving methods."
Second Body first took out thirty tubes of high-energy nutrient solution, which were among Second Body's few remaining supplies. Ten tubes for each person, considered one of the safeguards Second Body left for them.
"These are high-energy nutrient solutions. You each get ten tubes. Each tube can continuously restore a Jonin's full Chakra amount, and upon consumption, it can almost restore eighty percent of your Chakra."
Second Body distributed the thirty tubes of high-energy nutrient solution to Kakashi, Obito, and Rin. She didn't have any more than that and could only make more when she returned to the Village.
"Second Body, this is too precious! We can't accept them." Obito looked at the ten test tubes in his hand. Even he knew how precious this medicine was; it couldn't be compared to Soldier Pill.
"I don't need them! You take them back." Kakashi's tone was much colder. Kakashi's knowledge was much greater, and he also knew that this thing was an invaluable life-saving divine item.
"Second Body, thank you for your kindness, but we still can't accept them." Rin smiled sweetly. Second Body's regard for them made her feel very warm.
Second Body was not surprised by the trio's direct refusal, but Second Body still valued them greatly, truly considering them friends. If Rin died, perhaps she could also awaken the Mangekyo.
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