THUDTHUD
Finn and Shisui landed on a tree branch. In front of them stood a massive wooden structure that served as a temple. It was in terrible condition, looking as though it might collapse at any given moment.
"Yeah... I'll pass. I'm still young, and I don't want to die," Finn said quickly, refusing to enter the temple.
"It's just an old temple. How exactly are you supposed to die in there?" Shisui replied with a question.
"Oh no, that thing is clearly haunted. I am not going inside just to get cursed. If there's one thing I know, it's that you don't mess with that kind of stuff," Finn replied as he sat down on the branch. "I'll wait for you here instead. Hand over the fake version of Mimir; I'll watch him while you go inside" Finn added, referring to Hidan.
Shisui rolled his eyes at Finn's refusal and handed Hidan over to him.
"Here you go. Don't move from this spot. I won't be long," Shisui stated before vanishing, reappearing right at the temple's entrance.
Finn secured Hidan around his waist and watched closely as Shisui walked into the temple without a single care in the world.
Minutes ticked by, and though he could hear faint noises coming from inside the structure, he didn't dare move a single muscle. He just remained seated on the tree branch, feeling the breeze ruffle his short brown hair.
Every now and then, Hidan tried to speak, but the rope gagging his mouth prevented him from formulating a single word, leaving only muffled groans echoing through the woods.
"Cut the crap. If someone passes by, they're gonna think some weird stuff about me hanging out with a severed head" Finn ordered, slapping Hidan across the face.
After nearly half an hour of waiting, Shisui reappeared beside Finn in a blur. His clothes were slightly singed, and slung over his shoulder was a large sack filled with masks.
"There were traps in there that the Fourth Hokage never mentioned before," Shisui revealed, pulling the large sack off his back and drawing out a demon-shaped mask. "But we got all of them. I didn't leave a single one behind."
Finn stared at the mask for a few seconds before a shiver ran down his spine.
"Your people are weird, doing that kind of stuff and playing around with death. That's why the Shinigami ends up swallowing them, just like Minato" Finn remarked.
Shisui rolled his eyes before stuffing the mask and Hidan's head back into the sack, ordering them to set off immediately. They were already running late for their meeting with Jiraiya because of Hidan.
Finn and Shisui leaped swiftly from tree to tree toward Konoha. As they drew closer, Shisui recognized more and more of his surroundings. After a few minutes, the two could see the towering walls of Konoha looming ahead of them.
Finn didn't say anything, but deep down, he was incredibly excited to see Konoha—the setting of countless major events and the home of legendary ninjas.
Under Shisui's guidance, the two managed to infiltrate the village by scaling a poorly guarded section of the wall. Shisui couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed by how easily they had slipped in; he would definitely report this lapse to the Fourth Hokage once he was revived.
"We're meeting Master Jiraiya in front of the hot springs," Shisui said, covering his head with a straw hat.
"What a surprise..." Finn commented. He simply changed his clothes, since nobody in this village knew who he was anyway.
The two then walked through Konoha toward the hot springs. Finn couldn't help but notice the stark contrast between Magnolia and Konoha. At first glance, Magnolia seemed much more advanced due to its paved streets, building structures, and transportation.
"Well, here we are. Now we just need to find Master Jiraiya..." Shisui said, stopping in front of the hot springs and setting the sack down next to a trash can.
"Where else could he possibly be?" Finn asked, pointing up at a nearby tree where Jiraiya was busy peeping into the women's bath.
Finn picked up a rock and hurled it at Jiraiya, striking him square in the head. Jiraiya turned around angrily, spotting Finn and Shisui waving at him from the front of the hot springs just before Finn threw another rock right at his face.
"Do you think he saw us?" Finn asked, grabbing another stone.
"I'm not sure. He turned around, but he hasn't moved at all. Throw another one just in case," Shisui replied.
"Cut it out, kid!" Jiraiya barked, leaping down from the tree while rubbing his sore face. "What is wrong with you two? Can't you communicate like normal people?"
"This was faster," Finn replied, tossing aside a rock that was literally the size of a fist.
Are these kids trying to kill me or what? Jiraiya thought, staring at the massive stone. "Tsk, whatever. What took you guys so long?"
Shisui stepped over to the sack and opened it, revealing Hidan's head, which was still struggling to break free. Jiraiya stared in confusion at the severed, yet very much alive head, and then noted the masks underneath it.
"We still don't know how he's keeping himself alive. We figured you'd want to handle him," Shisui said before quickly closing the bag, ensuring no one else could see what was inside.
"We'll deal with that guy later. Right now, let's get back to what matters most. You took too long, and the preparations are already complete," Jiraiya revealed, placing a hand on both Shisui's and Finn's shoulders.
The three vanished in a burst of smoke.
POOF
Jiraiya, Shisui, and Finn materialized in a rocky, barren area. Surrounding them were numerous toads of various sizes. In front of them sat a coffin, and resting on top of it were two small, elder toads—Shima and Fukasaku, the leaders of Mount Myoboku.
"You're finally here, Jiraiya-boy," Shima greeted.
Fukasaku's eyes drifted over to Shisui, and then to Finn, who was radiating a massive amount of chakra.
"I take it this is the boy..." Fukasaku spoke, hopping off the coffin and approaching Finn.
"That's right, Lord Fukasaku. His name is Finn" Jiraiya confirmed.
(This kid... he possesses an immense amount of chakra, and the Nine-Tails isn't even sealed inside him yet. I have never seen anyone with this volume of chakra before, not even that young woman, Minato's partner) Fukasaku thought in astonishment.
Fukasaku hopped around Finn, examining him from head to toe. He then looked up toward Gamabunta, one of the largest toads present, and gave a firm nod.
"Let us begin then, boy. Show us what you are made of," Fukasaku said before leaping onto Gamabunta's head alongside Shima.
Jiraiya didn't waste any time either, guiding Shisui toward another toad and leaving Finn standing alone in front of the coffin.
Finn exhaled a heavy sigh as he looked at the coffin before him. He knew that what he was about to do could bring him trouble with the gods of his own world, or even with the Shinigami of this one.
"Let's begin with the transfer of the Nine-Tails. That is the most critical part right now," Fukasaku called out from atop Gamabunta.
Finn gave a slight nod, taking a deep breath before transforming his hand into Minato's and lifting his shirt to expose his abdomen. The transformed hand rapidly went through several one-handed seals for a few seconds, coming to a halt on the final one.
(Are you ready, Kurama?) Finn asked internally, receiving a low growl in response.
Finn formed the final seal and pressed his hand firmly against his stomach. His hand erupted in a red glow, and dense bubbles began to manifest on Minato's arm, moving slowly into the depths of Finn's abdomen.
"Is that the Nine-Tails?" Shisui asked in a hushed voice.
"Partially. We're only seeing its chakra form, not its physical body," Jiraiya explained.
The transfer of the Nine-Tails lasted a few seconds until the red bubbles stopped flowing from Minato's hand. Finn released the transformation on his hand and pulled it away to look at his stomach. Intricate black markings, resembling tattoos, now rested across his abdomen.
Finn exhaled deeply and closed his eyes as a surge of new chakra began to flood through his system. The chakra he had previously exhausted while creating Mjolnir replenished itself at an unbelievable speed.
"Alright... next step," Finn muttered, turning his gaze toward the sack containing the masks.
Finn grabbed the sack, tossing Hidan's head off to the side, and began rummaging through the masks until he pulled out the correct one.
Walking over to stand directly in front of the coffin, Finn stared at the mask in his hands for a few moments, contemplating the weight of what he was about to do. With one final breath, Finn put the mask on.
Finn's chakra exploded outward violently, forcing the surrounding toads to recoil from the sheer pressure. Instantly, Finn let out a agonizing scream.
"What's happening?!" Shisui demanded, bracing himself to leap in and help Finn.
"I... I don't know," Jiraiya admitted, equally alarmed. (Was this part of the ritual, Minato?) Jiraiya questioned himself.
Right before their eyes, the Shinigami manifested, holding a dagger between its teeth. Finn's movements and the Shinigami's were perfectly synced; the death god grabbed the dagger and sliced its own stomach open at the exact moment a deep gash appeared on Finn's abdomen.
From the Shinigami's sliced womb emerged a brilliant blue sphere resembling pure chakra, coming to a halt right over the coffin. Carefully, Finn ripped the mask off his face, tossing it aside as he collapsed to his knees, clutching his bleeding wound.
Jiraiya wanted to rush forward and check on him—he had no prior knowledge that Finn would be physically harmed during this process—but before he could move, Gamabunta's booming voice stopped him, warning him not to interrupt the ritual.
Before their eyes, Finn watched as his wound sealed shut at an unimaginable speed; it was Kurama's chakra actively healing his injuries.
(Phase two complete) Fukasaku noted internally.
(The Nine-Tails healed him... Now comes the soul absorption and fusion) Jiraiya thought, letting out a breath of relief upon seeing Finn recover so quickly. His hands trembled slightly with anxiety.
With a soft exhale, Finn extended his hand toward the floating soul. Activating his Take Over magic, he began to draw the soul inward until it was completely absorbed.
"System," Finn uttered, causing a status screen to materialize before him.
[Soul: Minato Namikaze completely absorbed.
Beginning Soul Fusion.
1.
2..
3...
.....
Souls completely fused without issue. The souls were fully compatible.]
"Alright, now for the hardest part," Finn muttered, leaning against the coffin as he closed his eyes to concentrate. "Kurama, if you would..."
He didn't even have to beg before a massive tidal wave of chakra flooded his body. Finn lost no time, immediately converting that immense chakra into magic while transforming into Rustyrose.
Shisui, Jiraiya, and all the toads could feel Finn's magic swelling wildly, watching as it manifested into a towering pillar of purple energy that pierced straight into the heavens.
(So this is the magic Jiraiya told me about...) Fukasaku analyzed, thoroughly amazed.
(It's quite beautiful. It feels almost like natural energy) Shima thought with admiration.
The toads watched in awe at the energy, which felt so similar to Sage Chakra, yet entirely different at the same time.
Keeping his hands pressed against the coffin, Finn focused intensely on reconstructing Minato's body in its entirety, making sure to render every cell permanent.
The magic and chakra consumed by the process were excessive; even Kurama felt his own massive reserves dropping at a dangerously fast rate.
After a few tense seconds, the purple magic dissipated, and Finn collapsed to the ground beside the coffin, utterly drained. His transformation deactivated, leaving him drenched in sweat and breathing heavily.
Seeing that the process had concluded, Jiraiya rushed forward, landing with a leap right by his side.
"Could you... could you open the coffin and tell me what you see?" Finn asked, his voice exhausted.
Jiraiya nodded and opened the coffin hesitantly. Lying inside was Minato, completely restored and visibly breathing.
"The body is in perfect condition. You did it," Jiraiya said, staring at Minato's form.
"No... the most important part is still left," Finn said as his hand began to glow with a vibrant purple light. "Can you help me up?"
Jiraiya didn't hesitate for a second, assisting Finn to his feet. Finn looked down at Minato's body and placed his glowing hand over the man's chest.
"System, can you transfer Minato's soul?" Finn asked aloud.
[Warning!!
Transferring Minato's soul will result in the permanent loss of said soul.
The user will no longer be able to access this soul or its abilities after the transfer.
Are you sure you want to continue?]
Finn didn't answer with words; he simply nodded his head, intensifying the purple magic surging through his glowing hand.
The purple energy surrounding Finn's hand began to envelop Minato's body until it was completely covered. After what felt like hours to the anxious Jiraiya, Minato's body fully absorbed the purple light, and the magical glow radiating from Finn's hand finally faded away.
Slowly, Minato's eyes fluttered open, casting a warm smile directly at Jiraiya.
"Hello, Sensei," he greeted.