Seeing Orochimaru pounce on Obito, he appeared almost insane and obsessed with him.
Minato, standing nearby, couldn't contain his worry:
"Sir, Obito... is this really appropriate?"
"Do you want to spare your student? Spare the murderer who almost killed you, your wife, and your child?"
"..."
Minato hesitated. Honestly, he certainly didn't want to kill Obito.
However, Obito had already committed numerous sins, and the Kyuubi Night had also claimed the lives of many Konoha villagers.
Although he was essentially a victim, merely a pawn deceived and exploited by Black Zetsu.
Yet, the hatred wouldn't just disappear. Many families of Konoha's victims wanted to torture Obito!
As the Hokage, it was difficult for him to protect his student.
Bringing Obito back alive would only cause various conflicts; and it would make it easier to prove the fact that Konoha colluded with Obito to kill the Jinchūriki and the leaders of various villages.
In such a case, it would be impossible to unite the forces of the major villages to prepare against Isshiki.
He feared that if they weren't careful, this could escalate into a new Ninja World War!
Although Minato no longer feared the united villages, he truly didn't want to go that far.
So what should be done with Obito? That's the problem now.
Seeing Minato hesitate, Orochimaru couldn't hold back anymore.
How could such a valuable live research subject be killed so easily?
That would be a waste of natural resources!
"No problem. Just quietly bring Obito back. You don't even need to send him to the village. Just send him directly to my lab. And announce to the public that the perpetrator of the village attack has been killed."
"Is this really okay?"
"Why not? This is known only by heaven, earth, you, and me. Sir, you won't reveal it, so no one else will know the story behind it. Besides, Isshiki is still alive, so we can blame that guy."
Orochimaru suggested enthusiastically. To preserve this research material, he worked harder than Minato.
He believed that when Obito wakes up and learns of this, he would be deeply moved, right?
Minato looked at Lux, as if seeking his opinion.
Lux looked back with a gaze that said, "Do whatever you want, don't worry about me."
"Alright, then let's move and imprison Obito secretly. If he can fully recover in the future, that would be a good thing."
"But, just in case, we must take his Sharingan!"
Minato finally agreed. With the great threat from Isshiki, it was truly necessary to keep Obito alive to contribute to the experiments.
Then what should be done with Obito afterwards?
Let's wait until they truly defeat Isshiki before discussing anything else.
"Alright, don't worry! I have plenty of experience in how to bind and restrain this person."
Orochimaru was extremely excited and made a serious promise.
Once inside his lab, would he fear Obito causing trouble?
That's truly impossible!
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
"Where are the Jinchūriki?"
"Why not bring them back to Konoha as well?" Orochimaru took the initiative to suggest again, with a greedy and joyful light in his eyes.
"That's not good, is it? The other villages..."
"There's nothing wrong with that. We are the ones who rescued these hostages from a powerful enemy, so it's only natural that we detain and protect them temporarily, right?"
"Who told them that they failed to protect their precious Jinchūriki? They might want to come back, but they should pay a larger ransom. By the way, we can also use the Jinchūriki to strengthen the relationships between villages so they can cooperate to face Isshiki."
"Minato, what do you think?"
Minato nodded helplessly, he wasn't one to lecture.
As long as it benefits the village and is legally accountable, of course he wouldn't object.
He also understood Orochimaru's little thoughts.
Although there were some selfish motives, for the main purpose of forming a united front and cooperating to defeat Isshiki, all details could be compromised.
It was also Minato's first truly decisive defeat after becoming the Kyuubi's Jinchūriki.
It had a great impact on Minato and made him change many of his ideas.
In extraordinary times, extraordinary actions are needed!
"What about Jiraiya-sensei?"
"Don't think about it, it's already cold!"
Orochimaru gave a definite and responsible answer, telling Minato to despair.
He had checked long ago and found that his old friend had indeed died.
A very complete kind of death.
"That damn pervy toad. Nothing will be left after he dies. I warned him about this long ago, what a pity!"
It seemed that although he spoke harshly, the death of his old friend still had a certain impact on Orochimaru.
After all, in Parallel World 4, Orochimaru had not betrayed Konoha, and always had good relations with Jiraiya and Tsunade.
"Jiraiya-sensei... Sigh... I will find a chance to revive sensei later."
Minato sighed, but wasn't too depressed. After all, he knew that the dead could be revived as long as their souls were still there.
Orochimaru was surprised when he heard this and quickly asked:
"What? Revival?!"
"Yes, the Rinnegan can revive the dead. However, the conditions are a bit difficult and the price is a bit high..."
"Ah? Why didn't you tell me about this earlier?!"
"You didn't ask?"
Orochimaru fell silent. After all, he never had the Rinnegan, so it was natural he didn't know the details.
So, the excited one immediately started touching Obito again, trying to find the Rinnegan hidden from him.
He even stripped all of Obito's clothes and even checked his private parts, but found nothing.
"Nothing?"
"Is it hidden in the Kamui power space? Minato, do you know something?"
Minato shook his head, "It shouldn't be there. My clone checked the Kamui space and there shouldn't be any important items hidden there."
"Sir, do you know where the other Rinnegan in Obito's possession is?"
Lux answered casually:
"It should be at the mountain burial base built by Madara. You can find time to occupy it later."
"There's also the Gedo Mazo statue, the Jubi's body there, which is also very valuable."
"Got it!"
"Be careful though. There are tens of thousands of White Zetsu troops hiding there, and White Zetsu himself has escaped. When he returns, he might set traps or ambushes, or quietly move his base."
"Alright, I'll pay attention to it!"
Minato nodded in agreement, thanking him greatly for the information.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
"Ouch, my waist! My legs!"
"Someone come and save me!"
In the distance, Onoki, nailed to the ground with several black rods, was still groaning in pain.
If Isshiki hadn't been in a hurry to deal with Minato now, the old man might have been dead.
When Orochimaru heard Onoki's groans, a glint of light passed through his eyes.
He immediately proposed fiercely:
"What a great opportunity! Should we take this chance to kill that old man? We can completely blame Isshiki afterwards..."
Minato hesitated for a moment, then tapped the ground with his hand, activating his large-scale perception ability.
Then he shook his head and refused:
"Iwagakure was also a victim today, and the Tsuchikage's son also died at the hands of Isshiki. In the future, he will take the initiative to help deal with Isshiki."
"Besides, Iwagakure's main force will arrive soon. No need to take any more risks. We should also leave."
What Minato said made sense, and Orochimaru suppressed the restlessness in his heart.
After all, his current condition wasn't that good.
If he really killed Ōnoki and then was surrounded by Iwagakure's forces, he would be in trouble.
"Minato, can you still use Flying Thunder God?"
"Still possible, but can't teleport too far. Please bring the remaining Jinchuriki here."
Minato responded with clenched teeth, ready to hold on a little longer.
Lux asked casually: "Do you need a ride?"
"Is it okay? Thank you, Sir!"
It was just a small favor, so Lux of course didn't mind helping.
Not long after, several Jinchūriki not far away were sucked in by Lux, and then teleported.
He took Minato and the others away from the battlefield and back to Konoha Village.