Very quickly, he thought about the matter of The Collector previously coming to Konoha to steal the Scroll of Seals.
The opponent's earlier visit, which was similarly baffling, involved the opponent inspecting the Scroll of Seals.
Yet in the end, that scroll recording the secret techniques was actually left behind on the spot, completely intact.
"Could it be... he had already succeeded at that time?" An intense, deep wariness instantly flashed through Minato's eyes.
A deduction took shape in his mind: The Collector's goal that time was perhaps not merely the Scroll of Seals, but also the Nine-Tails chakra!
If this hypothesis held true, it meant that the opponent, under circumstances where Konoha's higher-ups completely failed to perceive it, had already quietly obtained the Nine-Tails' power.
This thought twisted into his train of thought like a venomous vine, leading to even more terrifying associations.
Did there exist some sort of hidden connection between The Collector and that mysterious masked man who might or might not be "Madara"?
Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence?
Just "Madara's" bizarre and unpredictable space-time ability and his deep-seated malice toward Konoha were already troublesome enough.
If behind his back there was additionally an ally as unfathomable and covetous of Tailed Beasts as The Collector...
"No..." Minato forced himself to calm down.
The behavioral styles of the two seemed to possess a distinct variance: although The Collector's actions were mysterious and unpredictable, he hadn't shown much malice toward Konoha, appearing more like a "Collector" with a clear goal;
As for that "Madara," his words and deeds without exception revealed a bone-deep hatred and intent of destruction toward Konoha.
Perhaps The Collector had been staring at Konoha all along at that time, wanting the Nine-Tails' chakra, and "Madara's" actions just happened to give him an opportunity to obtain the Nine-Tails chakra.
Ultimately, a heavy sigh echoed in the silent office.
Minato closed the scroll and looked out the window at Konoha, which was bathed in sunlight.
Hopefully, that worst possibility was merely a false alarm under his own overthinking.
Land of Water, Kirigakure.
Inside the Mizukage office, the lighting was gloomy.
The Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi—the man who should have been the symbol of the village's will—was currently like a puppet whose soul had been extracted.
He sat blankly on the broad Mizukage chair, his once-sharp eyes hollow and out of focus, staring blankly at the empty air ahead, turning a deaf ear to the clamor of the village outside the window and the wind and waves in the distance.
The news of the drastic change encountered by Iwagakure had already arrived at this closed-off village.
However, to a Mizukage who had nearly lost the capacity for independent thought and degenerated into someone else's puppet, a major event sufficient to shake the ninja world could not provoke a single ripple in his eyes.
At the same time, at another hidden residence within the village, inside Genji's room which was permeated with an ancient aura, the atmosphere was heavy and oppressive.
Mei Terumi, who was expected to become the Fifth Mizukage, and her most trusted confidant, Ao—who possessed a "Byakugan"—were currently sitting around a dim lamp, discussing in a low voice.
"The news about Iwa is indeed shocking." Ao's voice was low, a trace of vigilance flashing in his Byakugan. "The power displayed by that 'Collector' can be called terrifying."
However, his tone immediately shifted, casting his gaze toward the more urgent reality before them, "But in the end, compared to our Kirigakure's current internal strife, this matter is still a distant concern."
Mei Terumi nodded slightly, her beautiful face shrouded in a layer of worry that wouldn't dissipate.
Her slender fingers unconsciously tapped lightly on the desktop, making faint sounds.
"Ao is right. While Iwa's turn of events is certainly unheard of, right now, our Kirigakure itself is already riddled with holes, deeply stuck in the mire of the Fourth's tyranny, unable to extricate ourselves."
Her tone carried a deep exhaustion and resolve, "The paramount task is how to end this bloody rule and rescue the village from the Village of the Bloody Mist."
Ao thought for a moment and said: "According to the intelligence, The Collector's goal points directly at Tailed Beast chakra. To us, this... might not completely be a bad thing."
He paused for a moment and continued speaking.
"Right now, the only Tailed Beast Kirigakure holds in hand is the Three-Tails; this was re-found and sealed from the vast wilderness by the village at great effort after that plan back then. As for the Six-Tails Jinchuriki, Utakata, he has long since defected without a trace, fleeing far to another land."
A flash of realization crossed Mei Terumi's eyes: "You mean, if The Collector truly comes for Tailed Beast chakra, he is extremely likely to make a move on Yagura? Weakening Yagura's power?"
"Exactly so." Ao affirmed, "Regardless of whether The Collector is friend or foe, if he can weaken or even... eliminate Yagura, it would invisibly clear a massive obstacle for our resistance faction.
After all, Yagura is ultimately the Fourth Mizukage in name—the orthodox ruler. If we wish to launch an uprising, we ultimately cannot openly oppose the name of 'Mizukage'; we can only accumulate strength in the dark, waiting for the timing of a thunderous strike."
Mei Terumi's heart, however, did not ease up much; instead, it grew even more heavy.
She let out a bitter sigh: "Though that is said... Lord Mizukage's own strength is unfathomable, not to mention that Hoshigaki Kisame is still by his side. That guy's existence, his level of terror is absolutely not inferior to Lord Mizukage himself. Kisame plus Lord Mizukage..."
Mei Terumi did not continue speaking; this combination was precisely the number one reason they had remained dormant until now, repeatedly not daring to truly make a move.
Silence fell within the room once again.
Outside the window, the dense fog of Kirigakure still permeated with a bloody color, concealing the village's wounds.
Their path to overthrowing the Village of the Bloody Mist was far more important than dealing with an unknown "Collector."
The dark secret room isolated all sounds from the outside world.
Obito stood in the shadows, the single-eyed vortex mask on his face obscuring his expression, but within that only exposed Sharingan, an unsuppressable anxiety and doubt flickered.
Beside him, like sludge oozing from underground, quietly stood the black-and-white Zetsu; Black Zetsu was as deep as an abyss, while White Zetsu wore an air of unconcern as if it had nothing to do with him.
"That 'Collector'..." Obito's voice broke the silence, "What exactly is going on with the commotion he caused at Iwagakure?"
He had obviously already obtained the shocking intelligence of The Collector making a huge scene at Iwa and seizing Tailed Beast chakra, which completely disrupted the rhythm of his plans.
Black Zetsu's raspy, low voice sounded: "The intelligence regarding him is exceptionally scarce; his whereabouts are like a phantom, appearing without any omen every single time. Even with White Zetsu's spore network spread across all lands, we have never captured a single trace of him."
This was not shirked responsibility.
After all, Takuno's scope of activity was extremely fixed, consisting of only three strongholds: the Konoha office, the secret laboratory in the uninhabited deserted land, and Yukigakure which was covered in ice and snow all year round.
These three places, to the White Zetsu who relied on Wood Release sneaking and merging into environments for scouting, were no different from natural chasms.
Within Konoha, the Sharingan discerned all things and the Byakugan saw through all objects; even if White Zetsu could briefly sneak in, he absolutely dared not stay long, as the risk of exposure was too great.
As for that deserted land, it was sparsely populated; dispatching White Zetsu clones to long-term monitor a piece of "dead land" was undoubtedly a massive waste of resources.
More critically, Takuno, who now controlled Wood Release power, had deliberately targeted White Zetsu with the sealing barriers he laid down around his laboratory.
Lastly, with Yukigakure, the environment itself was White Zetsu's greatest nemesis—sprouting a tree in a land of ice and snow? That was no different from lighting a bright lamp in the dark night; it would be exposed completely in an instant.
In addition, Yukigakure was located remotely; it already belonged to the "backwater country" that required no focused attention in Obito and Zetsu's strategic map, so naturally there was no necessity to deploy long-term monitoring.
"This is against common sense!" Obito's fist unconsciously clenched tightly, scenes of past clashes quickly flashing through his mind.
"I have clashed with that guy more than once! Fighting over the Gedo Mazo in the Land of Rain, his coveting of the Hyuga Byakugan on Konoha's Nine-Tails Night... at those times, the power he displayed was absolutely not as shocking as it is now!"
His being outmaneuvered by the opponent back then in the Land of Rain was more derived from himself having just obtained the Mangekyo Sharingan, his utilization of power still appearing immature; if retraced with his today's proficiency in controlling space-time ninjutsu, the result remained uncertain.
However, in a short span of less than ten years, the opponent's strength growth was actually so terrifying, even overshadowing himself who possessed the enhancement of the Mangekyo and Hashirama cells?
At least he was incapable of doing what the opponent did over at Iwagakure, which caused him to feel an intense unease.
Deep within Black Zetsu's gloomy eyes, a rare trace of bewilderment also flashed; as an existence who had been setting up pieces behind the scenes for a thousand years, it actually couldn't see through the source of this power either.
"Perhaps... 'The Collector' does not merely refer to a single person?" It proposed a possible explanation, attempting to find a reasonable framework for this abnormal expansion of power, "Maybe, this is a code name shared by an organization."
"An organization?" Obito's voice abruptly pitched higher, a chilling light glinting in his single eye, "There is another organization also planning around the Tailed Beasts?"
If this speculation were true, it meant the quantity and complexity of potential enemies both far exceeded expectations.
"Don't forget, Obito," White Zetsu, who had been silent all this time, chimed in with his signature, somewhat flippant tone.
"In that 'Collector's' hand, he is still holding a massive fragment stripped down from the Gedo Mazo."
White Zetsu's reminder was like a cold stone cast into stagnant water; the secret room fell into a deeper, dead silence.
Gedo Mazo fragment, Tailed Beast chakra, hard-to-understand terrifying strength, a possibly existing organizational background, seeming to possess some understanding of certain secrets...
The more one delved deeply, the more this "Collector's" image appeared mysterious and unpredictable, deep and unfathomable; the sense of threat it brought oppressed everyone present like something physical.
Black Zetsu's eyeballs rolled slowly in its sockets, a thousand years of experiences crazily deducing, trying to find a trace of a clue within the dust of memory to explain this strong enemy that had "appeared out of thin air."
However, no matter how it racked its brains, The Collector and everything he displayed were like a "foreign body" forcibly inserted into this world, with no root or origin to be found.
An asphyxiating silence permeated the room, and very quickly, this oppression was broken by White Zetsu's signature, somewhat playful voice:
"Oh my, don't be so serious~" It tilted its head, its green body appearing exceptionally bizarre in the gloom. "Who knows, maybe that 'Collector' really is just like his moniker—purely a guy obsessed with collecting rare and precious treasures of the world?"
Obito's gaze hidden behind the spiral mask seemed to congeal for a moment, and a low voice sounded behind the mask, carrying a trace of helplessness.
"The moniker 'The Collector' was proposed by me; the opponent thought it was good and only kept using it afterward."
White Zetsu scratched the top of its head, appearing a bit surprised by this answer, but it still maintained its viewpoint.
"In any case, up until now he has merely collected chakra samples of the Tailed Beasts; he hasn't caused substantive harm to the Tailed Beasts' main bodies, much less hindered our plan to capture the Tailed Beasts. Looking at the results, his actions indeed have no conflict with our great plan."
"That is true." Black Zetsu, who was silent like a shadow on the side, also spoke up, its voice raspy and sinister.
Although the opponent's mysterious purpose and true identity were like being shrouded in fog, making it difficult for it to spy upon as well, judging from the currently mastered intelligence, "The Collector's" course of action and the core goal of the "Eye of the Moon" plan were indeed running parallel without conflict.
Obito was silent for a moment, and ultimately could only nod his head slowly with a trace of undetectable helplessness.
He was also a bit fortunate that back then he had actually tried to invite "The Collector" to join Akatsuki.
Thinking about it now, fortunately the opponent refused.
Merely controlling and utilizing Nagato, who possessed the Rinnegan, was already troublesome enough; if an additionally unpredictably acting "Collector" with a bottomless depth of strength were added...
That situation would undoubtedly become extremely tricky, and might even lead to complications, escaping control entirely.
"In any case," Obito's voice abruptly turned cold, the gaze piercing out from the mask hole sharp as a knife.
"For an existence possessing such powerful strength, allowing him to act freely without monitoring is foolish. We must perceive his true intentions. White Zetsu, this matter is handed over to you."
"Hai~ understood!" White Zetsu drew out its tone, accepting easily.
It was nothing more than separating out some more spore clones to search for traces; though deep down, it felt that with the methods displayed by "The Collector," this needle-in-a-haystack type of tracking would probably yield very little effect.
"Additionally," Obito shifted the topic, "Over on the Uchiha clan's side, how is the situation progressing?"
"Everything is advancing according to the established plan." Black Zetsu's throat let out a few spine-chilling "Heh-heh" low chuckles.
"Although the Fourth Hokage Minato adopted some methods attempting to placate and suppress the dissatisfaction of the Uchiha and within the village, it treats the symptoms but not the root cause. The more strongly he suppresses it, the more violent and thorough the future eruption will be."
"Hmph!" Obito let out a contemptuous snort as if thinking of something, "The Uchiha clan grounds, which used to be the most forbidden land where outsiders were not allowed to step foot! Now they actually allow the village's Anbu to enter, exit, and patrol at will?
The current Uchiha have long since had their sharp edges smoothed out amidst comfort and suppression, losing the pride of the Uchiha clan; they simply do not deserve a single bit of the glory of the surname 'Uchiha'!"
"Therefore, letting these clansmen who have already forgotten glory consume Konoha's strength makes them the most perfect chess pieces." Black Zetsu smiled coldly.
"Relying merely on the current strength is not enough," a glint flashed in Obito's eyes as he added, "We also need more assistance; continue to win over those clansmen who harbor dissatisfaction toward the village and desire to revitalize the Uchiha."
"Of course," Black Zetsu was prepared long ago, handing over a scroll, "The detailed list and background information of this portion of Uchiha members who can be won over by us has already been compiled by me."
"Very good." Obito took the scroll, a cold gleam passing through the depths of his eyes hidden beneath the mask.
The potential strength of the Uchiha on this list, once operated on the surface, might already be sufficient to pry at the balance of the situation.
What's more, he could still personally make a move... in the dark!
He must make Konoha pay a tragic price this time!
Because The Collector wasn't necessarily an enemy, but Konoha was definitely their future enemy!