In the campsite, Jiraiya and the others, who were resting, all looked worriedly toward the direction of the Village Hidden in the Rain.
Even from dozens of miles away, they could clearly sense the terrifying chakra emanating from the Rain Village when the Gedo Mazo was awakened.
That chakra exerted immense pressure on them. Jiraiya was no stranger to that chakra, knowing it belonged to Nagato.
The moment he sensed Nagato's chakra burst forth, Jiraiya vaguely realized that Minato and Shinichi must have failed to negotiate. A fierce battle had likely broken out between them.
The subsequent disturbances coming from the Rain Village seemed to confirm Jiraiya's suspicion. Although he wanted to return to the village to stop the conflict between his students, the thought that he had entrusted the entire "Akatsuki affair" to Minato forced him to suppress the impulse.
Minato was his student, but he was also the Hokage of Konoha. Since Jiraiya had chosen to let Minato handle the matters of Nagato and the Rain Village, it was inappropriate for him as a teacher to interfere too much. If word got out, it could undermine Minato's authority as Hokage.
To outsiders, Jiraiya might appear careless and unrestrained, but in reality, his shrewdness was evident in all aspects. He wouldn't make things difficult for Minato and understood his own position.
Knowing that a battle had broken out in the Rain Village made the waiting agonizing. Jiraiya stood up and looked toward the village, then sat by the campfire, staring blankly into the flames. He was visibly anxious.
Kakashi and Shisui could only wait silently with him, unable to find the right words to console Jiraiya. They were young shinobi in their teens, while Jiraiya was the seasoned Sannin of Konoha. They felt they lacked the standing to counsel him.
As the scattered chakra from the Rain Village direction finally dissipated, Jiraiya's heart sank.
The moment Nagato's life force failed, Jiraiya felt it—his heart involuntarily lurched, and an indescribable sense of suffocation made him gasp.
This feeling lasted only a few seconds, but Jiraiya broke out in a cold sweat and slumped onto his stool, lost in a daze.
Jiraiya understood what had happened. He lowered his head, his face grim.
Not long after, spatial distortions appeared in the clearing in front of the camp. Everyone, sensing the anomaly, turned toward the source.
As Minato Namikaze and Hyuga Shinichi appeared before them, Kakashi and Gai, who had been waiting anxiously, immediately rose to greet them.
"Lord Hokage! You're back?"
"Sensei, how did it go? Is everything resolved?"
Seeing Minato and Shinichi return safe and sound, Kakashi and Gai were filled with joy. While the two impulsive youths questioned Minato about the situation, Shisui quietly walked up to Shinichi. His Sharingan scanned Shinichi, and seeing that he was unharmed, Shisui smiled and patted his shoulder. Between them, no unnecessary pleasantries were needed.
Facing the questions from Gai and Kakashi, Minato shook his head with a pained expression, showing no sign of delight.
Stepping past them, Minato quickly approached Jiraiya and quietly recounted what had happened in the Rain Village.
From their initially smooth negotiations with Nagato to the sudden anomaly when Black Zetsu seized control of Nagato and attacked them. Since they could not completely free Nagato from Black Zetsu, and to prevent both Nagato and the Rinnegan from falling into enemy hands, they sealed both after defeating the Zetsu-controlled Nagato before returning to the camp.
In Minato's account, the decision to kill Nagato was an act of last resort.
Although Jiraiya didn't know what Black Zetsu was, he understood from Minato's words that the enemy was a formidable opponent. If even Minato, a master of sealing jutsu, felt powerless, then perhaps even he, Jiraiya, could not have saved Nagato.
After detailing the battle and the outcome, Minato relayed Nagato's final words to Jiraiya.
Hearing that Nagato felt remorseful for disappointing his teaching in his dying moments, even a tough man like Jiraiya couldn't hold back his tears. He had a deep affection for all his students.
Nagato's fate and Jiraiya's visible grief silenced everyone. Even Kakashi and Shisui, who were accustomed to death, fell into solemn silence.
"Jiraiya-sensei, I have placed the scroll sealing the Rinnegan at Mount Myoboku, under the care of the toad sages," Minato said.
"I will have people from the village keep in touch with Konan, and Konoha will offer maximum support for the Rain Village's 'revival.'"
"The two countries will also build a 'joint defense system' to ensure the peace and stability of the Rain Village."
"It's getting late, and the village needs me. I must return now."
"If you are feeling upset, please take some time outside to clear your mind."
"Shinichi, your team doesn't need to rush back to the village. Stay with Jiraiya-sensei, clear your heads, and then return."
Minato knew Jiraiya was deeply troubled, but such a personal sorrow couldn't be easily consoled. Jiraiya had to find peace himself.
The mission to investigate the Akatsuki was temporarily concluded, but in Minato's mind, it wasn't truly over. Shortly after leaving the Rain Village, he had vaguely sensed the sudden appearance of one of his Flying Thunder God marks there.
Minato was certain that Mark was a residual one. He guessed that the mark that suddenly appeared was the Flying Thunder God seal he had placed on Obito Uchiha years ago.
Sensing Obito's presence, Minato chose not to immediately turn back. If Obito had survived and dared to show himself only after he and Shinichi had left, it spoke to the enemy's mastery of space-time ninjutsu. Minato wasn't confident he could capture Obito. Caution was necessary.
Feigning ignorance of his existence and preparing in secret, waiting for the right moment to strike a fatal blow, might be the best strategy.
"Clear my mind, you say?"
"That's probably for the best."
Jiraiya nodded. The battle against the enemy in the Rain Village had forced Jiraiya to re-evaluate Shinichi's strength and potential.
Although Nagato, whom he highly regarded, was dead, Jiraiya felt his search for the Child of Prophecy had not ended. Nagato could not bring true peace. Minato was exceptional, but Jiraiya still couldn't be certain if he was the true Child of Prophecy.
Feeling uncertain, Jiraiya planned to nurture Shinichi, who possessed extraordinary talent and terrifying combat power. He hadn't considered it before, but now, Jiraiya suddenly felt that strengthening Shinichi aligned well with Konoha's future needs.
Looking at Shinichi was like looking at Nagato in the past. He felt Nagato had strayed due to his failure as a teacher, and now, he wanted to compensate for his regret by cultivating Shinichi into a true force for good.
Minato, as Hokage, was busy with daily affairs. He didn't linger, quickly giving instructions before using the Reverse Summoning Jutsu to leave.
Shinichi and his team, with the mission concluded, finally had a moment of rest. Since the immediate threat was gone, they weren't rushing to leave the Land of Rain and decided to camp overnight.
Shinichi, exhausted from the intense fighting, sat on a stool by the fire. He took the water and food offered by his comrades, listening to the increasingly heavy rain outside, sipping hot tea to ward off the chill.
Nagato was dead, and both the Rinnegan and Black Zetsu were sealed. Shinichi knew that the future had definitely been altered by his and Minato's actions.
But now, with two powerful potential enemies gone, Shinichi suddenly felt an emptiness, a loss of motivation to continue striving. He felt completely blind to what the future held. The intel he had was now largely useless, leaving his own life plans in confusion.
With the Rinnegan and Black Zetsu sealed, is there still a possibility of Madara Uchiha being resurrected?!
If Madara couldn't be resurrected, then Kaguya Otsutsuki couldn't break free from her seal, and perhaps the Earth wouldn't be discovered by the Otsutsuki clan.
Thinking it through, was the existential threat completely neutralized?
Just as this thought crossed his mind, Shinichi frowned. He suddenly remembered that Kaguya wasn't the only Otsutsuki remaining on Earth.
There was also a being named Isshiki, who had survived since ancient times. As long as a hidden Otsutsuki remained, true "safety" was unattainable.
Furthermore, without Madara and Kaguya as catalysts, he didn't know how Naruto and Sasuke would grow into Six Paths-level figures. Would they even have the opportunity to reach that level?
If they didn't receive the Sage of Six Paths' legacy, then the future threat of the Otsutsuki would be irrelevant—Toneri from the Moon might be enough to overwhelm the Hyuga clan.
At that time, as a member of the main family with the purest bloodline, would his eyes become Toneri's target?
If Toneri targeted him, and Naruto and Sasuke hadn't gained Six Paths power, who could stop Toneri's power?
"Am I... destined to die?"
His thoughts spiraled, and Shinichi's eye twitched slightly as he extrapolated the harsh reality that might await him.
"It seems... It's far from the time to rest."
Shinichi picked up a piece of damp firewood from the ground and tossed it into the campfire.
The moisture on the wood quickly evaporated, and the "damp wood with some ability to protect itself" began to burn in the great fire.
Shinichi felt like the damp wood in the fire. He might have some resilience, but faced with the coming great calamity, he had no retreat.
However... fortunately, the situation was currently stable.
The Akatsuki's immediate threat was neutralized. Konoha was led by the Fourth Hokage, Minato. Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo were gradually retreating from the center of Konoha's political stage. Though Danzo hadn't been purged, his power was being reclaimed by Minato.
The largest internal concern, the Uchiha clan, was beginning to integrate back into Konoha's core thanks to Minato's calming influence and policies that offered upward mobility. Barring any unforeseen events, once the generation of Itachi and Shisui matured, the isolation of the Uchiha clan would be history. Figures from the Uchiha clan would appear in the upper echelon of Konoha's political system.
This was the biggest political reform since the First Hokage and Madara Uchiha founded Konoha. The Fourth Hokage's attitude and policies toward the Uchiha were the complete opposite of the past few decades.
Fugaku, as the clan head, felt this change deeply. He trusted Minato's ability and was helping to quell the remaining dissent within the clan. As the clan head, he had the authority to suppress clan members who disagreed with him, especially since the village was now changing for the better.
Coup d'état?!
Fugaku had always been a moderate. He was only pushed to passivity and swayed by the radicals due to the village's stagnation.
But now, everything was moving in a positive direction. Konoha's internal politics were stable, and the external threat of Black Zetsu was removed.
This was a golden opportunity for Shinichi to focus on training and improving. Just as Shinichi was lost in thought, Jiraiya suddenly asked:
"Shinichi, what are your plans once we return?"
"If you don't have a plan, why don't you come to Mount Myoboku and train in Sage Mode?"
"I heard you were practicing some basic Sage techniques while assisting Kushina's training?"
Jiraiya's words pulled Shinichi out of his contemplation. He paused briefly at the suggestion, then smiled and shook his head:
"I am still too young, and my chakra isn't completely stable yet."
"I plan to travel the world outside Konoha once I return, to broaden my horizons."
Shinichi had his own agenda. "Broadening his horizons" was merely an excuse. His true goal was to search for Otsutsuki ruins!
The biggest threat in the future was undoubtedly the Otsutsuki clan. Shinichi had to master power comparable to theirs before the threat truly arrived.
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