Minato Namikaze's strength required no further proof. With Uchiha Obito and Black Zetsu assisting from the shadows, it did not take long for every shinobi present to be subdued.
Including Ryūjin.
Of course, if Ryūjin truly chose to act, even if everyone there combined their strength, they would not be able to stop him. But he had no intention of interfering.
Yeah right, like he was going to ruin his own opportunity.
He did not know the full details of Obito's plan, but one thing was obvious. Obito intended to control Minato Namikaze and the others to carry out something important.
If that was the case, would Obito take them back to the hidden base beneath the Kannabi Bridge?
If so, that would mean a brand new check in location.
The thought alone made Ryūjin's mood lift.
He had already checked in at nearly every viable location within Konoha. Fresh opportunities were rare. But the underground base beneath the Kannabi Bridge was no ordinary place. It had once sheltered Uchiha Madara in his old age. Now it served as Obito's stronghold, housing the Gedo Statue and an army of one hundred thousand White Zetsu.
A location like that would definitely yield something worthwhile.
As those thoughts ran through his mind, Obito had already placed the remaining Konoha shinobi under genjutsu.
Ryūjin calmly prepared in advance. He preset his Dōjutsu so that if he were ever caught in a Sharingan genjutsu, Kotoamatsukami would activate instantly to dispel it.
In the world of Naruto, Kotoamatsukami was acknowledged as the strongest genjutsu. No illusion could compare. Even if Obito used his Mangekyō Sharingan, Ryūjin could break it effortlessly.
There was no risk.
Besides, Ryūjin's Kotoamatsukami was obtained from the Sign in System. It differed slightly from Uchiha Shisui's original version.
His version had only a one day cooldown.
That alone made it absurdly overpowered.
"Your turn."
Obito appeared before him and grabbed Ryūjin by the collar, lifting him up without ceremony. He snatched off Ryūjin's sunglasses and forced eye contact.
The Sharingan spun.
In an instant, Ryūjin was dragged into Obito's genjutsu.
And in that same instant, his preset Kotoamatsukami activated, shattering the illusion before it could take root.
Outwardly, nothing changed.
Obito and Black Zetsu did not notice a thing.
One by one, every shinobi present fell under Obito's control.
"Transformation Jutsu."
Obito formed hand seals. With a puff of smoke, he transformed into an ordinary Konoha ninja and blended seamlessly into the group.
Black Zetsu spoke from nearby, its tone dry.
"You are making things unnecessarily complicated. Why not simply transform into Minato Namikaze? Controlling him like this is troublesome."
Obito's voice turned impatient.
"What do you know? Only a Minato Namikaze who can perform the Flying Thunder God Technique will be convincing."
Minato's reputation in the Shinobi World was exceptional. Even his enemies respected him. If he suddenly committed wrongdoing, suspicion of impersonation would be inevitable.
But if Minato used Flying Thunder God in front of witnesses, that would erase all doubt.
After all, in the entire Shinobi World, only Minato Namikaze could use that technique.
Black Zetsu nodded slowly.
"There is that other mysterious Flying Thunder God user in Konoha. But no one knows his identity. It changes nothing."
A year ago, five of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist were killed in Konoha. The remaining two escaped and reported everything to the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi.
At that time, Yagura Karatachi was already under Uchiha Madara's control. Reporting to the Mizukage was equivalent to reporting directly to Madara.
Because of that, both Obito and Black Zetsu were aware of the mysterious incident. Black Zetsu had investigated thoroughly, yet even Konoha itself had no information on the unknown shinobi.
Which made the matter irrelevant.
"Leave the rest to me. Do not show yourself," Obito ordered.
Then he led the controlled group forward.
Soon, they arrived at a barren mountain on the border of Amegakure. The wind carried a faint dampness from the Land of Rain. Halfway up the slope, a group was already waiting.
Ryūjin scanned them calmly.
At the forefront stood the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi, surrounded by Hidden Mist shinobi.
Beside them stood three familiar figures, Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato of the Akatsuki.
Hidden Mist. Akatsuki.
So this was the peace negotiation Minato had mentioned earlier.
Ryūjin almost laughed.
He already knew that after Madara's death, Yagura had been placed under Obito's control. Now Minato was as well.
Both sides of this so called negotiation were nothing more than Obito's puppets.
What exactly was he planning?
Ryūjin's gaze shifted subtly toward Nagato.
Was this entire arrangement aimed at him?
It made sense. Looking back at history, although Nagato's descent into darkness involved Hanzō of the Salamander and Shimura Danzō, Obito's influence had always lurked behind the scenes.
Yahiko stepped forward with a polite smile.
"Hokage-sama, I am Yahiko, leader of Akatsuki. We are honored that you accepted our mediation. We sincerely hope Konoha and the Hidden Mist can reach understanding through dialogue, end this conflict, and bring peace to both villages."
His tone was earnest.
He then guided Minato and the Konoha group forward to stand opposite the Hidden Mist shinobi.
Once everyone was in position, Yahiko continued.
"Hokage-sama, Mizukage-sama, thank you both for granting Akatsuki this opportunity. We believe that through proper communication, this war can be resolved..."
He did not finish his sentence.
Minato Namikaze, face expressionless, cut him off coldly.
"Enough. There is no need for further talk. Your mission is complete."