Chapter 71: Triumphant Return
As the group moved farther into the distance, a yin-yang face emerged on the ground, watching Kawakaze and the others intently, its expression dark. The Rinnegan meant too much to him. It wasn't until Kawakaze and the group vanished from sight that the face sank into the earth and disappeared without a trace. Kawakaze and the others remained completely unaware.
Days later, the yin-yang face reappeared in a vast cave. The cavern was expansive, with tunnels branching out in all directions. At its center stood a massive figure.
It was a giant humanoid form with nine eyes, a body the color of withered wood, and ten cylindrical protrusions on its back. It was the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, the vessel of the Ten-Tails.
"Nagato was taken by someone from Konoha," said a withered old man standing before the yin-yang face man. He wore a dark robe, and a white tubular structure connected his body to the Demonic Statue. Long white hair obscured his right eye, leaving the left one exposed—a Sharingan with three tomoe.
"Keep watching him. I can't afford to lose my eye," the old man said. His frail body left him immobile, unable to recover the Rinnegan himself. For now, he relied on Zetsu to monitor Nagato and maintain control over the Rinnegan's location.
"Understood," Zetsu replied simply before diving back into the ground and vanishing.
Meanwhile, Kawakaze had considered the old man's likely reaction after taking Nagato but knew it wasn't yet the old man's time to die. There was still time for everything to fall into place. His priority now was to return the Konoha ninja to the village for treatment.
After a grueling twenty-day journey, Kawakaze's group finally arrived at the gates of Konohagakure alongside the main force. The gates were already open, and the Third Hokage himself, along with his two advisors, was there to greet them. It was a great honor.
Koharu Utatane gave Kawakaze a small nod of acknowledgment.
"Sensei," multiple voices called out in unison.
"Third Hokage," others chimed in respectfully.