When Uchiha Fugaku said those words, his face might've looked calm, but inside, his heart was heavy with bitterness.
Before her death, his wife, Mikoto, had awakened her Mangekyo Sharingan. That alone spoke volumes about the unbearable pain she must have felt in her final moments!!!
Watching her own son slaughter their entire clan, even killing his own parents—Mikoto must have been consumed by despair…
Hearing Fugaku's words, Minato Namikaze paused, taken aback.
"I had no idea Mikoto awakened the Mangekyo too! That makes things a lot simpler. If we can go out and rake in a few billion, both Kushina and Mikoto should be fine!"
---
Meanwhile, Ito Hirofumi had returned home.
All along the way, he'd kept an eye on the summoning space, curious to see what would happen when Minato returned. He'd overheard every word of Minato and Fugaku's conversation, loud and clear.
Honestly, Hirofumi hadn't expected Minato to be so eager to go out and make money.
He'd been planning to find a way to tempt them into it, but now they were already on board with the idea…
This was great news for him! His biggest headache right now was a lack of funds.
Still a student at the Ninja Academy, he couldn't just leave the Hidden Leaf Village whenever he wanted, so robbing for cash wasn't exactly an option.
But with Minato Namikaze and Uchiha Fugaku out there pulling heists, things just got a whole lot easier…
---
As Hirofumi was mulling this over, Minato's voice rang out from the summoning space.
"Hirofumi!!! You there?! Fugaku and I have something to talk to you about!"
Hirofumi's chakra gathered, and he appeared in the summoning space.
"Uncle Minato, Uncle Fugaku, I overheard everything you guys said. No problem at all—it's actually great for me!
But you both know summoning souls isn't exactly a sure thing. You're gonna need to make a lot of money. I can't guarantee one or two summons will bring out everyone you're hoping for."
"I get it!" Minato replied. "Fugaku and I have already made up our minds! We're starting tonight. Just summon us out, and we'll figure out a way to leave the village!"
"Tonight? That's fast!" Hirofumi blinked, surprised that Minato was in such a rush.
"Yeah… raking in a few billion isn't something you do overnight. Even robbing takes time!
Plus, I really want to bring Kushina out soon. I… I miss her…"
Minato hesitated, then added, "Oh, and Hirofumi! Once Kushina's summoned, can we see Naruto?!"
Minato looked at Hirofumi nervously. Even though he was "alive" now, he could only enter the real world through Hirofumi's summoning technique.
If Hirofumi didn't agree, even if he and Kushina were both revived, they might never get to reunite with their son.
Fugaku, too, looked anxious, sharing the same hope.
Hirofumi didn't hesitate and nodded.
"Of course, no problem! Uncle Minato, if you want to see Naruto, you can do it right now!
Same goes for you, Uncle Fugaku. If you want to see Sasuke, I can take you to him!"
But both men shook their heads at the same time.
"Not yet," Minato said. "I want to bring Kushina along and meet Naruto together. I want to give him a huge surprise!!!"
Fugaku nodded in agreement. "Same here. Meeting Sasuke alone just doesn't feel… complete."
The three chatted a bit longer before explaining their plan to Hashirama Senju, Tobirama Senju, Uchiha Madara, and Mito Uzumaki. Everyone understood and supported their decision.
But Tobirama's mind was stirring with a new idea.
That's right!!!
Even though the Senju clan had been wiped out, with Hirofumi around, any ninja could potentially be revived. Most of the Senju clan were ninjas, so didn't that mean they could all be brought back?!
The thought sent a spark of excitement through Tobirama.
But… working for a schemer like Hirofumi? That didn't sit quite right with him…
Eh, whatever. He'd wait and see for now.
Hirofumi wasn't going anywhere. If things looked good later, Tobirama wouldn't mind pulling some heists to revive the entire Senju clan!
Aside from Madara and Hashirama, even Mito Uzumaki was starting to have her own thoughts. The Uzumaki clan wasn't part of the Hidden Leaf, so reviving them wasn't an option for now.
But in the future, there might be a chance!!!
Mito had already learned that if Hirofumi unified the ninja world, he'd be able to summon all the souls of the ninja world. When that day came, could the Uzumaki clan make a comeback?!
As for Madara, aside from his brother, he didn't care much for the rest of the Uchiha clan. To him, they were just a bunch of traitors.
Not worth slaving away to revive.
Hashirama, meanwhile, sat quietly, his mood still heavy and somber.
After wrapping up the discussion, Hirofumi left the summoning space.
Back in his room, he stood up.
"Summoning Technique!!!!"
Bang!
Instantly, he connected to the summoning space, and Minato Namikaze and Uchiha Fugaku appeared in his room!
Minato glanced around before speaking.
"Hirofumi, we're heading out now! It might take a while, though. A few billion isn't exactly pocket change!"
Fugaku turned to Minato. "Minato, the village is surrounded by a barrier. How are we getting out?"
"Don't worry," Minato said confidently. "I can still sense a bunch of my Flying Thunder God seals around the village. We can use those to teleport out."
As he spoke, Minato placed a hand on Fugaku's shoulder.
"We're off, Hirofumi!"
With that, the two vanished in an instant!!!