[Chapter Size: 2300 Words.]
Third Person POV
Land of Bears, 43.
...
...
With just a single gesture, they disappeared from the location and reappeared within the Land of Iron. In a flash of light, they emerged in a small village, in front of an inn at its center. The environment had changed rapidly — it was already night, and small snowflakes fell constantly.
"Let's go," Minato, without needing to say anything more, moved forward into the place, while everyone followed him, jumping to the top of the inn and entering the interior area.
They found Hanabi and her three red-haired students seated in the open and illuminated space in the middle of the inn, calmly posing in front of them.
Hanabi sat rigidly, drinking tea and wearing an elegant kimono that reinforced her posture as a noble lady. Her bright blue Tenseigan eyes turned toward Minato with a glint of recognition, as did those of the other three girls, who were doing their best to behave like the older woman.
"You finally arrived," she said, opening a smile.
"Hi. Yes, it seems some things moved ahead..." he replied, stepping forward, while Jiraiya and Minato's students approached behind him.
He leaned beside Hanabi, giving her a light kiss on the forehead, before taking some tea as well, pouring boiling water into his cup. The others settled around the table, greeting the Uzumaki girls and Hanabi.
"It feels like yesterday that you left the academy. Now you're already training your own pupils..." Jiraiya commented with a smile, looking at all six children being students of two of his former students.
"Indeed, yes. Anyway, let's set that aside. We have some important matters to deal with here," Minato said, making the atmosphere grow more serious.
"Yes, you're right," Jiraiya replied, losing his smile.
The children seemed a bit nervous, uncertain, even the red-haired girls who were there.
"Well, can you see them from here?" Minato asked Hanabi.
Hanabi nodded slightly, and her eyes began to glow. Her gaze seemed to go beyond the walls of the place, crossing forests and mountains until reaching the center of the Land of Iron. From there, she observed the great castle where the meeting between the leaders of the major villages was about to take place, with the exception of Konoha. Some flags were raised — the villages of Suna and Iwa had already arrived, and Kumo's flag was also being raised at that moment.
"Only Kiri's group is left to arrive. They should get there by dawn..." she said, shifting her gaze to another point, further east, where she could see a group of people advancing.
"There is just one problem with that group," she continued, in a serious tone, while observing the one who should be the new Kage. "The eyes of Kiri's new leader are not normal."
She couldn't clearly see his appearance, but she could perceive an avatar in the form of chakra — an extremely dense and powerful chakra, impossible to measure from there. However, his eyes shone like two sapphires mixed with black shadows.
"Do you believe it is a dōjutsu?" Jiraiya asked.
"Without a doubt... that's exactly it," she replied.
"The new Mizukage... with those two special eyes..." Jiraiya murmured, thoughtful. He had already spoken with Minato about this and tried to investigate who the new Mizukage in Kiri was, after Minato had killed the previous one with one of his bijū during the battle of Uzushiogakure.
"I believe that Kiri was never, in fact, an independent country, sensei. There is that force in this world that acts from the shadows. I spoke about it at Mount Myōboku, before we defended the Uzumaki clan," Minato said, while Jiraiya nodded carefully.
"You think it's him?" Jiraiya asked.
"Yes. There are things I never told you before, teacher. Things that will even make you doubt me... but I believe it's time for me to reveal a little about Madara Uchiha..." Minato said, while he could feel some of the children, no older than ten years old, stiffen their bodies.
"Madara Uchiha?" one of the Uzumaki girls asked, trying to remember that name, but without success.
"You're joking...? Madara Uchiha!? That Madara Uchiha?!" Obito reacted differently.
He couldn't avoid a shiver as he asked, even his voice trembled. Kakashi also seemed stunned, while Rin showed confusion. That name was not entirely unfamiliar to her, but at the same time, she had no idea what it truly represented.
Most of Konoha's civilians might have heard the name Madara in some stories, especially when speaking of Hashirama's great deeds, since the battle at the Valley of the End is a fight everyone tells as a legendary battle.
But they never truly managed to understand Madara's power, nor even trace it in books. Hashirama and Madara were treated merely as legends, indeed, but their true power was mainly taught by the great clans, after all, many of these ancestors witnessed a bit of what these figures were capable of doing in the past.
"Madara Uchiha was the leader of the Uchiha clan at the end of the Warring States era, before the formation of the villages. The Uzumaki clan has always been allied with the Senju clan, but, in fact, it was the Senju together with the Uchiha who formed Konoha and managed to gather several other allied clans to create a new structure of power, known as the Ninja Village. The Uzumaki clan did not accept Hashirama's offer to join the village, and their ancestors refused it... That is why Uzushiogakure was isolated until it eventually united, in fact, with Konoha," Minato explained to the Uzumaki girls and to Rin.
"However, it is not only the fact that they wanted to gather and invent the villages that they are known for, but rather the power they represented in the past. They were so strong — or even stronger — than me and my wives..." Minato continued.
He made a brief pause. In truth, he himself could not state that with absolute certainty. However, Madara really seemed somewhat above his wives, while he himself might also be below Madara at his peak, at that moment.
Tsuna did not have Hashirama's full power, and Mikoto did not possess the strength of Madara's Susanoo... but there was a crucial point: both Tsuna and Mikoto were still in the prime of their youth. They had much to evolve, and with time, they would likely surpass those two.
"Wait... are you saying that this man controls all of Kiri?" Kakashi asked, surprised as he deduced that Kiri was not so independent and, after hearing about Madara, reached that conclusion.
"Good deduction, Kakashi. But that is clearly it... He truly has the power to do so — and has been doing it for many years. I am almost certain that it was him who encouraged the Second Great Ninja War. With a single clear objective: to weaken all nations. The first enemy attack came from the east, starting with Kiri itself and then with Kumo attacking the eastern border. Coast and North..." Minato explained.
Jiraiya seemed quite thoughtful about it, while also frowning.
"You said all this when you were about to fight for the Uzumaki clan... so he also wanted to weaken them as well..." Jiraiya said, it was not a question.
"I think it's a bit different, although that was also his objective. But in fact, Konoha also wanted to weaken the Uzumaki clan. I don't think he really incited that part of the war, because Hiruzen was a fool, and the Kage, all greedy and fearful, feared that Konoha would become too powerful. And our Hokage was cowardly enough to benefit the enemy, instead of demanding compensation for victory in the war, he preferred to pay..." Minato said.
That clearly irritated him. In that meeting of the five Kage, it was Hiruzen who should have been imposing conditions, not listening to the four enemy leaders demanding compensation even after having lost to Konoha.
That deeply irritated Minato. The Hokage handed over the Uzumaki to weaken them himself. There was no Madara manipulating everything from the shadows at that point — it was just Hiruzen's stupidity, combined with the greed of the other Kage.
"How are we going to face someone like that...?" Rin murmured.
Minato shook his head. "You will not face anyone. You three, along with Hanabi's three students, will stay here with Jiraiya-sensei. The only ones who will infiltrate will be me and my wife," Minato explained.
It was something he had already said before.
The three immediately understood — that was not for them. From that point on, everything would enter a level that no genin, chūnin, or even jōnin could even imagine enduring.
Minato took another sip of tea and turned to his wife.
"Prepare things. I will speak with sensei. There are things I have not said for a long time and that I should have already said," Minato said.
In the next instant, he disappeared with Jiraiya, reappearing at another isolated point.
"So, Minato... what is so important that you needed to bring me here alone?" Jiraiya asked. Minato had just mentioned that Madara was controlling an entire village in front of the children — what could be even more important than that to require moving away from everyone's ears?
Jiraiya then began to listen to Minato, and Minato started talking about a certain red-haired boy with special eyes from the Hidden Rain Village.
"Nagato...? Are you saying those eyes belong to Madara Uchiha?! Are you saying those eyes were implanted in him on purpose?!" Jiraiya stammered, feeling his worldview change at that very moment.
"Yes. No Uzumaki can be born with the Rinnegan, sensei. The Rinnegan, in fact, is the final stage of the Sharingan — a level above the stage that Mikoto possesses at the moment," Minato explained.
Jiraiya remained staring, as if a void had opened in his mind, trying to absorb everything Minato was revealing.
"How do you know all these things?" Jiraiya asked, unable to avoid the tremor in his voice.
Minato simply sighed. "I know many things, sensei. I will not answer more than that. But know that it was possible to rescue Nagato back then. I already met him once, on a mission, and gave him food so that he could survive. Later, you found him and trained him." He made a brief pause.
"Unfortunately, he is destined to have a life of suffering, all because of Madara. And Madara... is also just someone being manipulated..." Minato murmured.
Jiraiya did not even clearly hear the last part, thinking about Nagato being a creation meant to serve an even more malicious purpose... If he had understood that Madara was also just a piece in something greater, he probably would have collapsed right there.
"Is there a way to save him?" Jiraiya asked immediately, with his mind still focused only on Nagato.
"Yes. I couldn't locate him when we passed through the Hidden Rain Village. But I didn't go deep into the country, and I have plans to act. I just haven't done it yet because I knew he would be fine until then, and also because it would be bad to interfere while certain forces are still involved... And the enemy doesn't know that I have knowledge of Nagato, that will leave him with his guard down..." Minato explained.
"I see... And what do you think about this meeting, Minato?" Jiraiya asked.
"I believe that Madara can no longer remain idle. His plans have been failing since the end of the Second War. Konoha did not weaken as he expected, and the world also did not follow the path he wanted. So he will act."
Minato crossed his arms, thoughtful. "I believe the new Mizukage is probably an Uchiha with the Mangekyō Sharingan... or perhaps even an Eternal Mangekyō. Someone capable of summoning the Susanoo and controlling the Bijū."
It was a deduction based on what Hanabi had described — those abnormal eyes. And there were also his two former classmates who were beside Madara...
"Regardless, I think that no matter what happens tonight, the four great nations will end up going to war with Konoha, through whatever Madara is planning," Minato continued. "He will not remain idle while Konoha is as powerful as it is now."
He made a brief pause before continuing. The current imbalance of the nations is a threat to his plans... or rather, to the Infinite Tsukuyomi Plan, or the Moon Plan — the chance to bring Kaguya Ōtsutsuki back.
Minato then looked directly at Jiraiya. "Anyway, sensei, leave this to me and my wife. We are more than capable of handling a mission of this level."
Jiraiya nodded, still somewhat cautious. Minato turned his body, but before leaving, he said: "But first, let's deal with our little intruder who was listening to our conversation."
In the next instant, Minato disappeared in a flash of light.
Jiraiya couldn't even follow what happened. All he saw was a flash — and, right after, the ground exploding in front of him, as he protected himself.
Minato reappeared a moment later, beside a hole he had just created, holding the intruder by the neck, a White Zetsu.
"These things are the ones that stay with Nagato, they are the reason it was so difficult to get to him before. He has been under constant surveillance..." Minato explained.
The Zetsu was still being held in Minato's hands, he seemed desperate. "How do you know all of this?!" he exclaimed.
But he didn't have time to hear anything more. Minato simply broke his neck.
"Let's go back. Hanabi is already waiting for us," Minato said. And so, leaving the destroyed place behind, they returned to the inn.
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