The bodies of the three children had already been reshaped by Raiden Takuma's immortal essence. When they tested themselves, they were stunned to discover their chakra reserves had leapt directly to the level of a chūnin. Just yesterday they hadn't even been qualified as genin. Only with the help of the Soul Seeds did they manage to skip such a vast gap in power all at once.
Yet the inheritance planted in their minds wasn't identical. Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan each received a different path tailored by Raiden Takuma himself. What became of them in the future would depend entirely on their own choices.
Takuma had never intended to personally raise them. To him, they were servants, not disciples. If they lacked even the ability to survive and grow stronger on their own in the outside world, then they were unworthy of being called his retainers.
"Thank you, Master!"
Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan dropped to their knees. They bowed toward the spot where Takuma's soul avatar had just faded away. Their palms pressed flat to the earth, their fingers pointed inward, their foreheads lowering almost to the dirt in a deep, formal gesture of reverence.
The power hidden within the Soul Seeds had given them a path to strength. And for someone to casually bestow such an opportunity—it was something only a being far beyond the level of a Kage could accomplish. From their perspective, to serve as the followers of such a person was no dishonor at all.
What's more, Takuma hadn't left them with orders or restrictions. Only the seeds. That left them free to find shelter and begin cultivating the arts that had now taken root in their minds.
The truth was, the Soul Seeds contained far more than they could yet perceive. Takuma had granted them this level of inheritance only because they were the first retainers he had accepted in the shinobi world. It was a lavish gift, not something he would repeat often.
For those who came later, he would hardly waste his soul's power again to condense such seeds.
Meanwhile, Takuma's true body continued forward with Tsunade and the other two of the Sannin. Without pause, they soared toward the Hidden Leaf.
Amegakure lay far from Konoha, but at Takuma's speed the distance hardly mattered.
Along the way, the group passed several ongoing skirmishes. The war had not yet fully ended; shinobi of the two great nations still clashed in blood and fire. But Takuma knew it would not be long. Once word spread that Hanzo of the Salamander and his elite guard had perished, the Land of Water would retreat without question.
Tsunade's hands clenched as she watched. Every instinct screamed for her to descend and aid the Leaf forces still struggling on the battlefield. Yet the immortal energy wrapping her and the others left them unable to move freely.
And then there was Takuma himself. His cold, unreadable demeanor weighed heavily on her heart. Neither she nor her teammates dared act recklessly. Returning quickly to the village and reporting Hanzo's death to the Third Hokage was clearly the wisest course.
Takuma accelerated, and the forest blurred beneath them. The sounds of battle rose for an instant, then vanished in a heartbeat as they sped past.
He spread his divine sense outward, locking instantly onto the exact location of Konoha. With that, he had no need for Tsunade's guidance. He carried them straight toward the village.
At last, a vast settlement unfolded before his eyes. Far more immense and majestic than the vision he once knew only from anime on Blue Star. Seeing it in person—the Hidden Leaf was a city of stone and willpower, a fortress of shinobi.
High upon the towering cliffs, the carved visages of the First, Second, and Third Hokage loomed. Their presence radiated authority and grandeur.
With the Third Hokage's disciples leading him, Takuma entered the village without hindrance.
He still wore the flowing robes of the cultivation world, garments that lent him the bearing of an immortal sage. Compared to the shinobi garb of the villagers, his presence was starkly alien. Yet no one dared comment aloud; after all, he had come as the guest of Hiruzen Sarutobi's students.
For Takuma, Konoha was a novel experience. The cultivation realm was vast, but its landscapes had never resembled this. Here, everywhere he looked, ninja dashed across rooftops or vaulted between trees like restless locusts. It was a strange, almost lively order in the chaos of war.
As they passed through the village gates, Tsunade—quick to speak before Jiraiya could—turned with a grin.
"Senior, let me show you around the village. Konoha has plenty of places worth seeing!"