Obito let out a long sigh.
"I need to get the Gedo Statue back as soon as possible."
Black Zetsu offered some reassurance. "Don't worry, the moon isn't going anywhere. For now, we're just storing the Gedo Statue there temporarily."
"Before that, you need to master the abilities of the Rinnegan."
…
Konoha Village.
Inside the research laboratory of the Fifth Hokage, Orochimaru.
This was Konan's first time experiencing the instantaneous movement of the Flying Thunder God Technique. The sudden spatial shift left her feeling a little dizzy. Just moments ago, her ears were filled with the sound of explosions and the endless haze of smoke. In the blink of an eye, she was now in a silent, sterile laboratory.
But the most important thing right now was to care for Nagato.
Nagato was severely wounded, his ribs clearly broken, and his overall condition was terrible. Fortunately, as soon as their group arrived, Minato immediately went to find a doctor.
However, Orochimaru wasn't in the lab at the moment; only Karin was present.
Karin rushed forward, immediately helped Nagato onto a medical bed, and pushed him into a treatment room, allowing no one but Konan to follow.
Only Jiraiya and Minato were left at the scene.
At this moment, Minato had no intention of revealing his identity to his former teacher.
"Lord Jiraiya, I need to go find Lord Orochimaru."
"Wait! Hold on a second!"
Although Jiraiya wasn't injured, he had expended a great deal of chakra. He was, relatively speaking, in the best condition of them all. But Minato paid him no mind, vanishing in a flash with the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Kawasaki had already briefed Minato and the others on the possibility of having to deal with the Third Hokage. If Minato and Jiraiya were to reunite now, it would create many complications down the line. Thus, Minato left swiftly. Since the other party already knew he could use the Flying Thunder God, there was no longer a need to hide it. As long as his master couldn't find any conclusive proof...
In an instant, Jiraiya was the only one left.
Staring at the empty laboratory, a wave of irritation washed over him. But this was Jiraiya, after all. He quickly composed himself and began to sort through his thoughts.
"If you won't admit it, then I'll just have to gather the evidence myself!"
With that, he brought his palms together and opened his mouth. Out came an orange toad with blue-green patterns on its body. Its body unfurled like a scroll. This was Gamatora, the Scroll Toad, who held another layer of security for the seal on Naruto. Simply put, on top of the seal Minato Namikaze had placed on the Nine-Tails, Gamatora controlled the key to either releasing or strengthening it.
After appearing, Gamatora crossed his arms and said, "What did you summon this old one for, Jiraiya?"
Jiraiya looked at him with a thoughtful expression. "Yes, there is indeed something I need to ask you."
"Speak."
Jiraiya's expression turned serious. "Can you try to locate Minato by sensing the chakra he left in your contract?"
Gamatora frowned. "What nonsense are you talking about? Minato has been dead for over a decade."
In truth, Gamatora was different from the other toads. The key he guarded was personally created by Minato Namikaze and contained the essence of his chakra. If Gamatora had mastered sufficiently advanced summoning techniques, he could even reverse-summon himself to Minato's location. While he didn't possess that ability, tracking Minato's position through his energy wouldn't be a problem—provided he was still alive.
"I know this request sounds absurd, but I'd still like you to try," Jiraiya pleaded earnestly.
Gamatora sighed. "You're impossible."
Gamatora clapped his hands together, and his entire body transformed into a massive scroll. The residual chakra from Minato on its surface began to fluctuate violently.
"It can't be...?!"
With his eyes shut tight and beads of sweat forming on his forehead, Gamatora spoke in a shocked voice. "This is outrageous!"
Jiraiya asked urgently, "What is it, Gamatora?"
Gamatora relaxed his arms, returning to his original form, his face a mask of confusion. "I definitely sensed Minato's chakra, and it felt... alive."
"But that shouldn't be possible. And based on this reaction, I can only confirm that the subject is a living person..." Gamatora trailed off. "Did you make some kind of major discovery that led you to this, Jiraiya?"
Jiraiya was now certain that the man was indeed Minato Namikaze himself. But he was deeply confused as to why Minato wouldn't reveal himself, and even more puzzled about how he had reappeared in this world.
"I encountered someone who not only looks exactly like Minato but is also a master of his teleportation jutsu," Jiraiya explained, his voice filled with doubt. "I suspected it might really be him, but he wouldn't confirm my guess, so I asked for your help to be sure."
Gamatora replied, still perplexed, "It's true. I did sense a chakra signature that feels like it belongs to a living person. But bringing someone back to life is an incredibly difficult matter. And Minato used the Dead Demon Consuming Seal. Logically speaking, resurrection should be impossible."
The Dead Demon Consuming Seal was a signature jutsu of the Uzumaki clan. The first person who came to Jiraiya's mind was Nagato. Though he was also of Uzumaki blood, his status as a war orphan who lost his home at a young age seemed to rule him out.
In the end, Jiraiya could only shake his head in frustration. "Alright, I'll just have to find more clues..."
"Fine," Gamatora agreed. "Remember to keep me updated on your progress." With that, Gamatora returned into Jiraiya's mouth.
As Jiraiya walked out of the laboratory, he came face to face with Orochimaru, who was just returning with an attendant—Anko.
"Just the man I wanted to see, Orochimaru." Jiraiya's eyes lit up. "Who exactly is that 'Number One' of yours?"
A faint smile played on Orochimaru's lips as he shook his head. "Why should I tell you about my subordinate?"
Jiraiya was taken aback but pressed on, "Is he... the man you think he is?"
"I don't know who you're talking about," Orochimaru said playfully. "Besides, Number One is no longer with me. If you want to uncover the mystery, you'll have to find the answers yourself. Being the Acting Fifth Hokage is a very busy job. You'll have to excuse me."
With that, he walked past with Anko. As she passed, Anko gave Jiraiya a polite nod.
Seeing her made Jiraiya feel a pang of emotion. After all these years of hardship, Anko had finally returned to her master's side. Since Orochimaru's defection from the village all those years ago... she was, in a way, the Hokage's student. Who could have ever predicted that Orochimaru would become the Fifth Hokage?
Jiraiya had received the news that Orochimaru had become the Fifth from a messenger bird sent from Konoha. The message had been brief, however, offering no details about what had transpired. As a result, Jiraiya was still completely in the dark about what had happened to the Third Hokage.
With no new leads on Minato, Jiraiya turned his attention to the medical room, wondering how Nagato was doing.
After Karin had pushed Nagato into another, more secluded room, she extended her arm to his mouth.
"Hurry and take a bite," she said crisply. "Your injuries are pretty bad."