In the dense forest, after a period of rest, Jiraiya's condition had somewhat recovered.
The battle against the Six Paths of Pain had caused him to lose a large amount of chakra, and even with Military Ration Pills (Hyōrōgan), it was not easy to quickly return to peak condition.
However, after resting, Jiraiya had recovered to a level capable of handling unforeseen situations.
Their camp was not too far from the Village Hidden in the Rain. If Nagato were to mobilize the elite forces of the Rain Village for a carpet search for Hyuga Shinichi and the others, he might actually achieve some results.
However, for some unknown reason, Hyuga Shinichi and the others had yet to detect any signs of pursuers.
Perhaps... Nagato's control over the Village Hidden in the Rain was not as strong as they imagined. Having lost the Six Paths of Pain and Konan, the "Angel," as his leverage, he probably couldn't effectively command the Rain Village ninjas.
As the sky darkened, just as everyone in the camp was preparing to leave the Village Hidden in the Rain under the cover of dusk, a communication toad suddenly appeared beside Hyuga Shinichi with a 'poof' sound.
The communication toad had the words "Sword of Ninja Love" engraved on its back. Shinichi's gaze inadvertently swept over it, but a sudden spatial fluctuation caught his attention.
"Is that Obito?!"
Hyuga Shinichi reached into his sleeve for a kunai. Just as he stood up abruptly, the figure of Minato Namikaze suddenly jumped out of the void, landing steadily on the open ground.
The white haori embroidered with the words "Fourth Hokage" fluttered gently in the wind, and his long, golden hair was quite conspicuous in the dimly lit forest.
"Yo~"
"Is everyone doing well?"
Minato turned around, flashing a warm and brilliant smile at the people gathered around the bonfire, and waved affectionately as a greeting.
"Fourth Hokage!"
"Minato-sensei?"
"Minato?"
Different people used different titles for Minato Namikaze. Seeing who it was, everyone was filled with joy in addition to surprise.
Being in a foreign country, even with a strong person like Jiraiya accompanying them, Kakashi and Shisui inevitably felt uneasy and overly vigilant.
Minato's appearance completely "settled" their anxious hearts.
In the minds of Kakashi's generation, the Yellow Flash of Konoha was clearly more reassuring than a "Sannin" like Jiraiya.
Hyuga Shinichi's Byakugan scrutinized Minato, and the kunai in his sleeve was quietly put away.
When he sensed the spatial fluctuation, he thought Obito Uchiha had tracked them down. He hadn't expected the person to be Minato Namikaze.
His understanding of the "Hokage" had somewhat of a stereotype, believing that the Hokage would not easily leave the village to appear on the "front lines."
But Minato Namikaze and Hiruzen Sarutobi were clearly leaders with completely different styles. After realizing from the report that Shinichi's squad needed help, Minato used the Reverse Summoning and the Flying Thunder God Technique to traverse half the world and arrive at the Rain Village front line.
Well...
Besides a man like Minato, who had mastered space-time ninjutsu, how could anyone else provide such timely support?
"I rushed over immediately after receiving Jiraiya-sensei's report."
"The Akatsuki organization's strength and the potential impact it could have on this world are far greater than I anticipated."
"If possible, I would like to speak personally with the leader of the Village Hidden in the Rain."
Minato's smile was gentle. As he spoke, he stepped towards the bonfire. Kakashi, with quick perception, offered his small folding stool to Minato. The latter did not refuse, accepted it with a cheerful smile, and sat down beside Hyuga Shinichi.
He reached out and patted Shinichi's slightly dry hair, then looked towards Jiraiya:
"Jiraiya-sensei, I want to go and meet your student. May I?"
Minato respected Jiraiya and used a questioning tone.
Feeling Minato's warm and cordial manner, even Jiraiya felt a great sense of relief at this moment:
"If it's you, of course! You can go!"
"But... It's shameful to say, I, as a teacher, am probably unable to introduce you..."
"Nagato, he...."
Jiraiya looked ashamed. In front of Minato, Jiraiya felt a deep sense of remorse.
The source of the Akatsuki incident was, in fact, inextricably linked to him, Jiraiya.
He was their teacher, yet they weren't protected by him; they were his students, yet they were not guided onto the right path.
If... he had educated his students properly; if... he hadn't taught Nagato and the others any ninja skills from the start, perhaps none of this would be happening now.
However, it was too late to say any of this now. Having to rely on his student, Minato, to clean up his mess made Jiraiya feel somewhat awkward.
"An introduction won't be necessary..."
"Jiraiya-sensei, please get some good rest. As for the Village Hidden in the Rain..."
"Let Shinichi accompany me on this trip."
Saying this, Minato gently patted Shinichi's shoulder.
Although Minato had only just arrived at their encampment, in the short few minutes of conversation, Minato had already quietly assessed the condition of everyone present.
Jiraiya's mental state was poor, and Minato could tell that, despite resting for a period, his fatigue was still obvious.
Kakashi, Shisui, and Might Guy had no signs of battle on them, suggesting they hadn't participated in the fight in the Village Hidden in the Rain.
Minato could probably understand why the three of them hadn't participated. Sometimes, ordinary ninja cannot intervene in high-level battles, a fact Minato understood deeply.
Because he himself was that kind of "high-level" ninja, when Minato fought, he not only didn't want Konoha's ordinary ninja to help him, but actually hoped his comrades would quietly stand by and not interfere with him.
The strongest fighter in this squad was Hyuga Shinichi. Jiraiya was a helper Shinichi had temporarily sought out. Furthermore, Minato could see that Shinichi, who had experienced a fierce battle in the Rain Village, hadn't suffered much exhaustion.
In fact, in Minato's view, Shinichi was currently even "deeper" than Jiraiya.
This wasn't referring to personality, but strength.
"Me?"
"Alright, but Minato-nii, you need to be prepared to return empty-handed."
"That person is not someone who is easy to communicate with."
Saying this, Shinichi slowly stood up. He had left quite a few Flying Thunder God kunai marks in the Village Hidden in the Rain, so returning was not difficult.
By now, Nagato should have emerged from the Gedo Mazo, right?
Probably...
Inside the tent, Konan seemed to have heard the commotion outside and quickly lifted the door flap.
Seeing Konan peek out, Minato looked over. Although it was their first meeting, Minato recognized her from Jiraiya's investigation report.
"This must be Jiraiya-sensei's student, Konan, right?"
"I am also Jiraiya-sensei's student, and I should be a little older than you. May I take the liberty of calling you 'Shimei' (junior sister/fellow apprentice)?"
Minato's smile was warm. He didn't show any hostility towards Konan for being part of the Akatsuki. Instead, he tried to bridge the distance using the connection with Jiraiya.
An enemy?
To Minato, even if someone was labeled an enemy, it didn't mean they became someone impossible to talk to.
Not only had the Akatsuki not yet posed a substantive security threat to Konoha, but even if they had, there was still room for maneuver before they fully acted upon it.
"Shimei?"
Konan was a little surprised to hear Minato's address for her. After closely scrutinizing the golden-haired kind man in front of her, Konan gently shook her head:
"You shouldn't use such an affectionate term to address me."
"We don't have such a close relationship."
"Likewise, I advise you to abandon such naive thoughts. Nagato will not negotiate with people from your Konoha Village."
Konan could feel the goodwill emanating from Minato, but she felt unworthy of that kindness. Konan was very clear about why their Akatsuki had become what it was today; it was inextricably linked to Konoha ninjas.
Facing Jiraiya, the person who genuinely taught them, Konan still held onto some sentimentality. But facing a pure Konoha ninja like Minato, Konan felt more hatred.
Although the person who forced Yahiko to commit suicide was not Minato, and the main orchestrator of that incident was Hanzō the Salamander, to Konan, all these perpetrators were the same.
Minato could sense Konan's hatred for Konoha in her words, but Minato wasn't offended and didn't show any embarrassment. Instead, he spoke with sincerity:
"No matter what happened in the past, the people of the present still have to continue living, don't they?"
"Whether it's Konoha or the Village Hidden in the Rain, all our goals are actually the same."
"Don't we all hope to live in a peaceful and tranquil environment?"
"The leader of the Akatsuki is named Nagato, correct?"
"Perhaps between him and me, it won't be as you imagine, with nothing to say?"
"In fact, I feel... as fellow students of Jiraiya-sensei, we have a lot of common ground to talk about."
Minato Namikaze smiled, completely unfazed by Konan's cold, distant attitude.
"Is this... the Fourth Hokage of Konoha?"
Konan looked at Minato Namikaze and silently thought to herself, falling into silence. She could feel the sincerity emanating from Minato's heart. Although it was their first meeting, the feeling Minato gave her was completely different from the image of a Konoha ninja she had in mind.
Moreover, Minato and Jiraiya gave off different impressions. Jiraiya was generous and unrestrained, but Minato...
How to describe him?
Professional, yet full of approachability?
Konan didn't know how to describe the feeling Minato gave her, but strangely, Konan could vaguely see some of Yahiko's past qualities in Minato.
But Konan was also very clear that Minato and Yahiko were completely different. Yahiko was naive, but the Minato Namikaze in front of her felt contradictory... if she had to say it... clever yet naive?!
Although he didn't know what Konan was thinking at the moment, Minato himself was very clear about the purpose of his visit to the Land of Rain this time. At the same time, he had already planned in his mind how to proceed next.
"Konan, right?"
"Let's go. Shinichi and I will take you back to the Village Hidden in the Rain."
"Perhaps... this will make him feel our sincerity."
Minato's words surprised Konan again.
What did she hear?
Minato was going to send her back to the Village Hidden in the Rain?
Konan had actually been mentally prepared to become a prisoner. She had even assumed she would be subjected to harsh interrogation after being sent to Konoha, but Minato Namikaze was actually saying he would let her go?
This was unexpected for Konan.
"Letting the tiger return to the mountain?"
"Doing this will only make Nagato even more reckless."
"Although I am very willing to leave, I have to say, you are not a wise leader."
Konan frowned. After a brief surprise, she became deeply wary of Minato. She didn't understand what he was planning. This kind of "leniency" from an enemy made Konan uncomfortable.
"Then, in your opinion, what should I do to be considered a wise leader?"
"Take you back to Konoha for execution? Deepening the conflict between Konoha and the Village Hidden in the Rain?"
"Or use you to threaten Nagato, preventing him from acting rashly?"
"That doesn't seem to eliminate the Rain Village's prejudice against Konoha, does it?"
This was the first time in his life that Minato had heard someone call him unwise. Hearing Konan's assessment, the smile on Minato's face grew wider.
"Eliminate prejudice?"
"Heh, I can confirm now, you really are Jiraiya-sensei's student."
"You are just like Jiraiya-sensei, equally idealistic and equally naive."
"Conflict is like a scar on a person. The pain will eventually disappear, but the scar will always remain."
Konan was implicitly referring to Yahiko's death. She knew clearly that Nagato would not forget Yahiko.
"Scars definitely won't disappear, but we also can't allow the scar to rupture and become a wound again, can we?"
Minato nodded and smiled, not completely refuting Konan's words.
"Let's go. It's getting late."
"If we send you back early, maybe you and your friend can even enjoy dinner together."
As he spoke, Minato said no more. He stood up and walked towards the tent. At the same time, Shinichi, hearing this, also rose and approached Minato and Konan.
Disregarding Konan's feelings at the moment, he took Konan's and Minato's hands and immediately activated the Flying Thunder God Technique.
The figures of the few people flashed and instantly vanished from the dense forest.
When the three figures reappeared, they were back in the Village Hidden in the Rain.
This was the battlefield where Shinichi and Jiraiya had previously confronted the Gedo Mazo. The groundwater had seeped away, and the ruined surrounding buildings still showed signs that a great battle had recently taken place.
And directly in front of the three of them stood a giant statue seated cross-legged. The statue seemed to have entered a dormant state, unmoving, standing incongruously among the iron tower architecture of the Village Hidden in the Rain.
The village was unusually quiet, with no one in sight within a hundred meters.
Hyuga Shinichi used his Byakugan to peer through the surface of the Gedo Mazo, seeing Nagato resting with his eyes closed inside the statue's mouth. He then pointed towards the statue's mouth and explained:
"Nagato is inside the mouth of the statue."
"He seems to be dormant."
As Shinichi spoke, Nagato inside the statue seemed to sense the intrusion of the Byakugan's gaze and abruptly opened his eyes.
When his sight fell upon Konan and the others, the cross-legged statue began to tremble violently.
The Gedo Mazo... had revived!
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