"HAHAHA!" Jiraiya laughed heartily as he rummaged around for some sake in a small fridge inside their rented room. "We've made great progress, boys. Huge progress!"
Jiraiya walked over while taking a swig of the sake, setting himself down on one of the unoccupied beds. Shisui was perched on a windowsill, watching the heavy rain pour outside. He was bandaged from head to toe, holding a bag of ice over a swollen eye.
"Progress my ass... I got absolute crap beaten out of me," Shisui muttered under his breath, complaining before glancing over at Finn, who was lying face down on one of the other beds.
A clone was currently slathering a cheap ointment they'd bought on the way over his back. Jiraiya had blasted him with a surprise Rasengan from behind while Finn was caught off guard trying to trap Shisui; as a result, the blast had caught both Finn and Shisui, slamming them hard into some nearby rocks.
"Honestly, I think I actually miss getting hit by Erza and Mirajane right now..." Finn groaned.
"Come on, come on, don't lose heart, boys! We're right on the cusp of it. Just look at how much Finn has improved in a mere five days. I feel like he could even try to bring Minato back right now," Jiraiya said, his voice brimming with excitement.
Training with Finn over these past five days had made him understand things Minato used to comprehend before—the exact reason why Minato placed so much trust in Finn. These few days of training had truly helped Jiraiya grasp Finn's nature. Before, he had looked at him as just another ninja, someone who could easily be corrupted by power, rather than who he truly was: a kid blessed with extraordinary gifts.
Finn didn't think about becoming overwhelmingly strong just to fight others, nor did he focus on developing techniques to defeat or kill his rivals faster. No. Finn was a free spirit through and through; he loved learning and growing, but above all, he loved exploring new places. Over those five days, every single time they visited a new location, Finn couldn't help but mention how he would tell his master, Makarov, everything he saw. Jiraiya had actually developed an interest in meeting this Makarov character; according to Finn, the two of them were very similar, though Jiraiya had no idea what he meant by that.
Now that Finn's skills had skyrocketed, Jiraiya noticed that not only had he stayed true to himself, but he also looked more relaxed—more at home in this world.
"Do you really think it's possible already?" Shisui asked, his tone completely serious. This meant the world not just to him, but to Konoha, and especially to the Uchiha clan.
Jiraiya looked over at Finn, waiting for an answer. Finn didn't nod, but he didn't immediately deny it either. Instead, he sat up on the bed and pulled open his system window.
[
Souls
Owned:
Minato Namikaze. (75% of compatibility)
Rustyrose (55% of compatibility)
]
"After taking so many beatings, it'd be weird if it hadn't gone up that much... plus, there isn't as much to learn from this soul as there is from Minato," Finn said, staring at the system UI.
"So, do you feel capable of pulling it off?" Jiraiya questioned.
"I know I can create the body, complete with its entire chakra pathway system... the problem is going to be the soul part," Finn confessed.
"I thought we were going to use that technique from the Second Hokage. What was it called? Edo Tensei?" Shisui asked.
"No," Jiraiya shook his head. "The technique is imperfect, and we don't have the time or the knowledge to perfect it. However, it served as a blueprint for Finn. Now you should at least have a rough idea of how to approach it, right?" Jiraiya asked.
Finn nodded heavily, mentally reviewing everything he knew about Edo Tensei, souls, and his own experience using Take Over.
"Okay, I think I can do it. But first, we need those masks from the Uzumaki Temple," Finn reminded them.
Jiraiya gave a quick nod, recalling his conversation with Minato regarding the Fourth Shinobi World War. The masks were vital to releasing the souls trapped inside the Shinigami's stomach.
"I'll head to Konoha to retrieve Minato's body. It'll be much easier for me to move around there than it is for you two. In the meantime, you two head to the Uzumaki Temple. Based on what Minato said, the temple should be close to Konoha," Jiraiya ordered, heading toward one of the room's windows. "Go on ahead. I have to make a quick trip to Mount Myoboku first to set everything up."
Under the watchful eyes of Finn and Shisui, Jiraiya vaulted out the window and vanished from sight in a blur of speed.
"I thought you could only get to the Mountain through a Reverse Summoning," Finn remarked.
"Yeah, who knows what he's actually going to do first," Shisui replied, heading over to his bed to start packing his gear for the trip.
In less than an hour, the two were already en route to Konoha. Shisui could barely contain his excitement. If everything went according to plan, the Fourth Hokage would be revived, and the Uchiha would be saved from the impending massacre.
"Hey, don't you have to check in with your master or something?" Shisui asked as they leaped from tree branch to tree branch.
"No, two days ago I traveled back to my world and left a note in my room saying I'd be gone for five days," Finn revealed.
Shisui nodded, somewhat relieved, knowing that nothing would interrupt them over the next few days while they attempted to resurrect Minato. With that, the two pressed onward.
Hours flew by, and neither of them seemed willing to slow down. Shisui had no trouble keeping up at all; he had lowered his speed significantly so Finn could match his pace, making this feel like a casual stroll for him.
Finn, on the other hand, though constantly pushing his maximum speed, didn't seem to tire out in the slightest. According to Kurama, his chakra reserves were so immense that he couldn't even feel a hint of fatigue.
(I didn't know chakra had that kind of effect. So the more I have, the less tired I get?) Finn asked internally.
"Not exactly. Your chakra does it because it's special. I imagine your magic has something to do with it " Kurama deduced.
(It's incredible regardless) Finn thought.
Shortly after, Finn saw Shisui land on a tree trunk, cautiously scanning their surroundings. Finn landed carefully right beside him, wondering what was going on.
However, before he could even ask Shisui, Finn felt a sudden chill against the back of his neck, and in less than a blink, his entire environment shifted. Now he was down on the grass, with Shisui holding him by the shoulders, staring intently in one direction.
"Finn... get ready," Shisui whispered.
From between the trees, a tall figure walked out without a care in the world. With a casual flick of his wrist, he yanked the chain he was holding, pulling a massive scythe back toward him.
Finn recognized him instantly. "Hidan," he muttered to himself.
"Well, well. Looks like the brats have a bit of skill... Oh well, doesn't matter! The two of you will make fine sacrifices for Lord Jashin!" Hidan bellowed before sprinting full tilt toward them.
Shisui didn't waste a second, weaving a series of hand signs before unleashing a devastating fireball.
Finn didn't lose any time either, snapping to his feet. He knew there was absolutely no reasoning with a lunatic like Hidan.
"That's not gonna work!" Hidan shouted, bursting straight through the flames.
THUMP!
The moment he cleared the fire, Hidan was met with a brutal punch from one of Finn's clones, sending him flying backward right into the path of another waiting clone. The second clone used his legs to launch Hidan into the air where a third clone was already waiting, driving a Rasengan straight into Hidan's stomach and sending him crashing violently into the ground.
"That should do it," Shisui assumed, eyeing the massive curtain of dust kicked up by Hidan's impact.
"No... that guy doesn't look like an ordinary shinobi" Finn replied, well aware that Hidan wouldn't be taken down that easily.
Just as Finn predicted, as the cloud of debris began to clear, the two could make out Hidan's silhouette standing right in the center, watching them intently.
"I gotta admit, you guys surprised me... You're gonna make fantastic sacrifices for Lord Jashin!"