The revival of the Gedo Mazo (Heretical Demon Statue) created a huge disturbance. Both Hyuga Shinichi and Minato Namikaze had strong sensing abilities, and the moment the statue revived, they could perceive the terrifying pressure emanating from it.
When Nagato saw that Shinichi had actually returned with Konan, he completely ignored the stranger, Minato Namikaze, and he directly manipulated the statue to grab at Shinichi, attempting to snatch Konan back.
At this moment, Nagato had no mind to consider why the opponents had returned to the Village Hidden in the Rain, nor did he think about why his teacher, Jiraiya, had not returned with Shinichi. In Nagato's eyes, there was only Konan.
The massive hand cast a dark shadow, obscuring the sky. Shinichi and Minato exchanged a look. Shinichi quickly said:
"The person you want to talk to is inside the statue's mouth."
"It looks like they have no intention of talking to you."
With that, Shinichi lightly pushed Konan at the waist, imprinting a Flying Thunder God marker on her while simultaneously pushing her towards Minato.
It was obvious that Konan was the key to starting the conversation. Since Minato Namikaze intended to negotiate with Nagato, this key needed to be utilized.
While pushing Konan away, Shinichi quickly ran sideways, shooting out a Flying Thunder God kunai as he ran. Combining Body Flicker (Shunshin) and the Flying Thunder God, it only took a moment for Shinichi to flash outside the perimeter covered by the giant hand.
Although Minato Namikaze was burdened by Konan, who couldn't use chakra, his escape speed was not much slower than Shinichi's. Furthermore, upon hearing the intelligence provided by Shinichi, Minato had already made a decision.
The opponent was hidden inside the statue's mouth, feeling secure in an inherently unbeatable position. While Minato knew that holding Konan might force the opponent to calm down and come to the negotiating table, he didn't view it as the only solution.
Since the opponent was confident in their own power, Minato would first shatter that confidence, prompting them to approach the negotiating table willingly. That way, Konoha would be the side holding the initiative.
Deep down, Minato disliked the tactic of using a hostage to coerce an opponent.
"BOOM!!!!"
As Shinichi and Minato consecutively escaped the giant hand's grasp, the Gedo Mazo's attack slammed heavily onto the ground.
The hard concrete ground cracked open over a large area under the statue's blow, and the upturned soil brought up deep, yellow-brown mud.
Wet mud splattered everywhere. The pebbles and rubble flying outwards were even more powerful than kunai thrown by ordinary ninjas. In an instant, the surfaces of the surrounding buildings were riddled with countless small holes blasted by the flying debris.
Although Shinichi successfully escaped the statue's hand strike, the scattering stones still posed a major threat to him.
Without hesitation, Shinichi immediately activated Rotation (Kaiten) to defend himself. The incoming pebbles and gravel were entirely deflected by the power of Rotation.
As the swirling blast of wind subsided, Shinichi looked up and saw that Minato Namikaze had already grasped Konan and leaped onto the Gedo Mazo's back. Under Shinichi's gaze, Minato was quickly moving up the statue's arm towards its shoulder and head.
Minato's speed was incredibly fast; even with the burden of Konan, it didn't slow his movements. In just a moment, Minato had completed more than half the distance, nearing the upper part of the arm.
Nagato, controlling the Gedo Mazo, naturally noticed Minato's actions. Realizing that the opponent's objective was clearly to reach his location, Nagato sensed a hint of danger.
The statue extended its arm and, like swatting a fly, moved to strike Minato, who was dashing along its right arm.
Seeing the massive hand press down, Minato calmly shot a kunai towards the Gedo Mazo's face. As the other hand pressed down, the chakra clinging to Minato's feet to the statue's surface instantly vanished, and he, carrying Konan, dropped from the statue's arm, entering freefall.
This wasn't Minato committing suicide; it was merely his simplest method of avoiding an enemy attack.
"CRASH!!!"
The statue's giant hand slammed heavily onto its own arm. Unlike a person, the statue striking itself caused no damage.
However, the rapid action of Minato made Nagato's expression turn serious.
"Shhh!!" Accompanied by the sound of air being sliced, Minato and Konan appeared where the kunai had been shot previously, positioning them less than twenty meters from the statue's face.
Minato grabbed the kunai mid-air and lightly placed it to his mouth. As his figure rapidly descended towards the statue's nose, Minato again reached for the ninja tool pouch behind him.
Just as Minato was about to use his "trump card," the Spiral Flash Super Round Dance Howl Style Three, to blast open the statue's mouth, the Gedo Mazo's mouth suddenly opened on its own.
"Huh?!"
Seeing this, Minato felt no joy. Instead, a strong warning signal blared in his mind. Just then, a gray, almost transparent, dragon-shaped soul entity suddenly shot out from the Gedo Mazo's mouth, heading straight for Minato in mid-air.
The dragon-shaped soul entity was moving incredibly fast, and Minato was descending towards the statue's nose. The distance between them was rapidly closing.
"What is that?!"
The strange dragon-shaped soul entity filled Minato with confusion. The form of this jutsu was extremely similar to the secret technique of the Kato clan of Konoha, the Spirit Transformation Technique. Although it was his first time seeing it, Minato realized that he absolutely couldn't be touched by that thing.
Facing a ninjutsu with unknown effects, evasion was clearly the best option.
Minato quickly grabbed a kunai from his pouch and casually threw it in the direction the soul entity was flying from.
Just as Minato predicted, the dragon-shaped soul entity had no physical form; the kunai passed directly through its body and shot into the Gedo Mazo's mouth.
And just as the gray soul entity was about to touch Minato, Minato activated the Flying Thunder God Technique, instantly disappearing from mid-air.
"Clang!!"
The specialized Flying Thunder God kunai was pinned to the ground. Simultaneously, the sound of rushing air echoed inside Gedo Mazo's mouth.
"Whoosh—"
Minato Namikaze appeared gracefully inside the statue's oral cavity. He looked up at Nagato deep inside and gently placed Konan, who couldn't use chakra, on the ground.
A cool breeze accompanied Minato's appearance, rushing into the statue's mouth and causing the thinly clothed Nagato to shiver.
After reconnecting his body to the Gedo Mazo, although large amounts of chakra were being drained, Nagato's resistance to the environment was significantly weakened. Now, even the climate could have a major impact on him.
Sensing that an outsider had entered the statue's mouth, Nagato's expression changed slightly. He forced himself to lift his head and look towards Minato Namikaze.
This was the first time he had seen Konoha's Fourth Hokage. Although he didn't recognize him, Minato's exquisite Flying Thunder God Technique ultimately confirmed the identity of the blonde man before him.
"The Flying Thunder God Technique...."
"Are you the Yellow Flash of Konoha—Minato Namikaze?"
Nagato's tone was calm. Based on his voice, he wasn't frightened by Minato's famous title. In fact, Minato couldn't detect any emotion of surprise in Nagato's voice.
"You must be the student with the Rinnegan that Jiraiya-sensei mentioned, Nagato?"
"Pleased to meet you. I am Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage of Konoha!"
Minato spoke while pacing deeper into the oral cavity. Soon, Nagato's figure came into his view.
Just as Jiraiya's report described, Nagato's condition was poor. Currently, the black rods in his back were connected to the Gedo Mazo, leaving him practically suspended in mid-air. His emaciated body was fully exposed before Minato.
Furthermore, as Minato approached Nagato, he could even smell a faint metallic scent of blood, though the blood on Nagato's lips was dry, leaving faint traces.
He is almost at his limit....
This was Minato's first impression of Nagato. Looking at Nagato, Minato's eyes held a barely perceptible look of pity.
"Jiraiya... sensei?"
Nagato noted Minato's address for Jiraiya and murmured the name.
At that moment, Konan cried out and rushed to Nagato's side. Looking at Nagato semi-suspended in the air, Konan's eyes welled up with tears: "Nagato, how... how did this happen to you?"
"Quickly release this jutsu! If you continue like this, your body won't be able to handle it!"
Konan pleaded with concern, her brow furrowed with worry for Nagato. However, Nagato merely glanced at Konan. Seeing that she was unharmed, he managed to force a small smile:
"I'm fine."
Saying that, Nagato looked at Minato, his tone deep: "You decided to send Konan back, didn't you?"
"Fourth Hokage, what do you want to gain from me?"
The conversations between intelligent people are sometimes this simple. Nagato could roughly guess Minato's thoughts. Sending Konan back meant he had a request to make. He wouldn't believe Konoha ninja would be so kind.
Looking at Nagato's current state, Minato Namikaze suddenly let out a soft sigh, shook his head, and spoke:
"Calling me Fourth Hokage is a little too formal."
"I am also Jiraiya-sensei's student. I should be a little older than you. If you don't mind, you can call me 'Senior Brother' (Shixiong)."
"Of course, calling me by my name is fine too. Whatever you prefer."
"Nagato, I don't intend to gain anything from you. I came this time simply to resolve some misunderstandings."
Seeing Nagato for the first time, Minato adopted a very humble stance, maximizing his approachability. He was inherently a kind person, and his words conveyed a strong sense of affinity to both Nagato and Konan.
Nagato's sensing abilities were strong. The moment Minato appeared, he focused his attention on him. The chakra on Minato felt clean and warm, like the sun on a winter day.
To a ninja, chakra feels like an identity card; warm, gentle chakra often reflects a peaceful character in its owner. Conversely, a cold, malicious chakra often indicates a cold, dark character.
Minato Namikaze's attempt to establish a friendly connection as a 'senior brother' made a profound first impression on Nagato.
"Misunderstandings... is that what you call it?"
"There are no misunderstandings. Jiraiya-sensei already knows the goal of our Akatsuki."
"I presume he has already told you the Akatsuki's objective, hasn't he?"
"To collect all the Tailed Beasts and make the world feel pain—that is the goal of our Akatsuki!"
"If you want to stop the Akatsuki... then speak with power."
"Hokage..."
Nagato did not let Minato's words distract him from his objective. His physical weakness instead made his mind clearer. The pain in his body constantly reminded him not to forget the Akatsuki's goal.
He would not forget how Yahiko died, nor would he change his mind because of a few words from the person before him.
"...."
Nagato's words plunged Minato into a brief silence.
Suddenly, Minato reached into his robe. Under the watchful eyes of Nagato and Konan, he pulled out a book.
Minato threw the book to Konan. Konan instinctively caught it and looked down at the title, finding it was a novel called "The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi", authored by Jiraiya.
"This is Jiraiya-sensei's debut work."
"It's a story centered around a journey."
"I like this book very much. I admire the protagonist in it."
"I sincerely hope I could possess the exact same qualities as the protagonist in the book."
"I believe that a person like that would certainly be able to change the world of shinobi."
Minato paused slightly, then continued:
"Jiraiya-sensei has spent his entire life searching for the Child of Prophecy mentioned in the Great Toad Sage's prediction—the one who could change the shinobi world and bring peace."
"You were also Jiraiya-sensei's student; you should know about this."
"His life is reflected in this novel."
"Isn't the characterization of the protagonist simply Jiraiya-sensei's expectation for the Child of Prophecy?"
"I think... when Jiraiya-sensei decided to take you all on as students, he must have felt that you were the Child of Prophecy who could change the shinobi world."
"It's clear, Nagato, that you, possessing the Rinnegan, are the Child of Prophecy Jiraiya-sensei was desperately seeking."
"But, your path seems to have deviated?"
"When did this deviation begin?"
Minato did not seek a quick resolution with Nagato and Konan. Instead, using the common identity as Jiraiya's students, he began searching for common ground.
The Child of Prophecy... this was Jiraiya's life's work.
Minato once thought the Child of Prophecy Jiraiya spoke of was himself. He certainly had great confidence in himself, but after seeing Nagato, Minato felt that the Child of Prophecy Jiraiya was searching for might not be himself.
He wanted to take Jiraiya's place and re-guide Nagato.
Minato's tone was gentle, and the way he spoke subtly overlapped with Nagato's memories of Yahiko from years ago.
At that moment, Nagato couldn't help but feel a little lost.
When did the path begin to deviate?
It was probably... after Yahiko died?
At this moment, many snippets of time spent with Yahiko surged into Nagato's mind. Yahiko's dying words echoed in Nagato's head:
[Nagato, kill me!]
[You and Konan, you must survive no matter what!]
[Because you... are the world's savior!]
[If it were you... truly...]
The moment Minato's figure overlapped with Yahiko's, Yahiko's last words became so clear in Nagato's mind.
Once upon a time, he had forgotten what Yahiko had said on his deathbed, because back then, the moment Yahiko's body willingly moved towards the kunai in Nagato's hand, his mind had gone blank, and then endless fury filled his chest.
Looking back now, Yahiko had entrusted everything to him...
"Savior... huh..."
If you want to read more, join my Patreon/kazama677
I will drop 1 bonus chapter for every 50 Power Stones