"Kirigakure ninja?" Minato asked with evident surprise, though understanding quickly dawned on his features.
Although his battle with the masked man had taken place far off the coast of the Water Country, the sheer scale of their conflict had generated chakra fluctuations and environmental disturbances that would have been impossible to ignore for any competent sensory network.
He suspected that Kirigakure wouldn't be the only nation to have detected the massive energy signatures. Every major power likely had some awareness that an unprecedented battle had occurred, though they might not understand the specific details.
The Hidden Mist forces had simply arrived faster than the others—a testament to both their proximity and their current leadership's decisive nature.
"Where are they positioned?" Minato inquired.
The ANBU operative immediately provided coordinates, and Minato extended his sensory perception toward that location before placing his hand on his subordinate's shoulder.
Whoosh!
Both figures vanished and reappeared at the village's outer perimeter in the blink of an eye, utilizing one of the Flying Thunder God markers that Minato had distributed to each defensive unit responsible for protecting the temporary settlement.
"Lord Hokage!" the stationed Konoha ninja acknowledged respectfully upon noticing Minato's sudden materialization.
The Kirigakure delegation immediately recognized his presence and responded with appropriately respectful postures.
"I see that today's disturbances have concerned you," Minato said with a rueful chuckle. "I apologize for any alarm our situation may have caused."
These words struck the Mist ninja with particular impact, causing their pupils to contract slightly with recognition.
Several members of their delegation had arrived at the oceanic battlefield some time after Minato had departed, and even then, the horrific traces of their conflict remained clearly visible across the transformed seascape.
Their initial assessment had been accurate—only a battle involving the Yellow Flash could have produced such devastating environmental changes.
Now, seeing Konoha's near-complete destruction firsthand, the delegation leader's suspicions about the true identity of their enemies had been confirmed.
Only one individual possessed both the power and motivation to orchestrate such devastation against multiple villages.
The same figure who had secretly manipulated the Hidden Mist Village for so many years.
"Lord Hokage," the Kirigakure delegation leader said with formal courtesy, "if it would be convenient, could you provide us with details about these events?"
He straightened as he continued. "This request comes directly from the Mizukage. Konoha has suffered a tremendous disaster, and as your allies, both the Land of Water and Kirigakure will not stand idle while you face such challenges."
"Thank you very much," Minato replied with genuine gratitude and visible relief.
Konoha had sustained enormous losses during this assault, and he would naturally need to provide comprehensive explanations when reporting to the Fire Country's daimyo. Having support from the Land of Water and the Hidden Mist Village would make those political discussions significantly easier to navigate.
The offer also confirmed Minato's assessment of Mei Terumi's growing influence within the Water Country's power structure. Even as Mizukage, she wouldn't have been able to make such commitments without substantial support from the nation's senior leadership.
Minato had originally planned to announce the attack on Konoha to the entire ninja world, hoping to make not only the Sand Village and Kirigakure—both of which had been manipulated by the masked man—but also the other major powers understand the threat that these secretly organized enemies posed to international stability.
However, his current options for communication were limited to direct warnings and diplomatic channels.
Of course, his battle with the masked man couldn't be concealed indefinitely. Once other nations learned the true extent of Minato's current capabilities, it would create significant anxiety among the major powers.
They would feel increasingly threatened and develop heightened security concerns about Konoha's growing strength.
Perhaps some would even view the existence of such powerful forces targeting Konoha as beneficial to their own interests, since the village had already become a significant threat to the traditional balance of power.
While Konoha had no current intentions of dominating the ninja world, its capabilities had clearly begun to concern other major nations.
Hidden Rain Village
"Have they discovered the secrets of the Pain bodies as well?" Nagato mused, standing atop the central tower that dominated the village's skyline.
He turned to gaze at Yahiko's preserved corpse within its iron casket, his expression growing heavy with complex emotions.
Swirl!
At that moment, space began distorting in front of him as familiar dimensional techniques manifested.
Nagato looked back toward the emerging figure and addressed the masked man with cold observation. "So you didn't die after all."
A slight smile played at the corners of his mouth, carrying distinctly mocking undertones. "However, being forced to the brink of death by Konoha's Hokage twice represents a truly spectacular failure."
The masked man offered no verbal response, but Nagato could clearly sense the dark mood radiating from his concealed features.
"The power of your left eye..." Nagato began with analytical interest.
While his Rinnegan couldn't penetrate physical concealment like the Byakugan, he possessed sufficient sensitivity to assess ocular power levels and their fluctuations.
The energy emanating from the masked man's left eye was significantly weaker than before—reduced to approximately the level of a three-tomoe Sharingan.
Moreover, that particular eye's power signature seemed somehow foreign, as if it didn't truly belong to its current wielder.
"It appears the Uchiha clan does indeed possess techniques capable of reversing death itself," Nagato observed with a mixture of fascination and unease.
The revelation sent slight tremors through his consciousness. While his own Rinnegan possessed similar resurrection capabilities through the Outer Path techniques, the cost of such jutsu was invariably the caster's own life.
"Since you've exposed your identity to Konoha's forces, you can no longer remain in this location," the masked man said after a prolonged silence, his voice carrying grim finality.
Every ninja in Konoha now knew that Nagato originated from the Hidden Rain Village. With that knowledge, they would naturally become suspicious of the village's recent isolationist policies and begin investigating its connections to recent international incidents.
Although they hadn't succeeded in killing Minato Namikaze, they had completely devastated Konoha's infrastructure and civilian population.
Additionally, this operation had required assassinating the Fourth Kazekage, and there had been the previous manipulation of events in the Hidden Mist Village.
All three affected nations would likely coordinate their intelligence efforts and search for information about the Akatsuki organization with unprecedented determination.
Nagato was well aware of these political realities and their implications for future operations.
The masked man continued, his tone growing more bitter. "I didn't anticipate that Namikaze Minato had developed such overwhelming power."
"If we continue focusing all our attention on Konoha, it will severely compromise our long-term objectives."
"What do you propose we do?" Nagato asked with a slight frown.
"We have no choice but to have Akatsuki remain inactive for an extended period. Current conditions are not favorable for implementing our ultimate plan."
The masked man's voice carried frustrated anger as he continued. "This is all the fault of that accursed Fourth Mizukage!"
During their previous operations in Kirigakure, the Fourth Mizukage had chosen to die together with the Three-Tails rather than allow the beast to be captured or controlled. The mutual destruction had been both heroic and strategically devastating to their objectives.
Even now, the deceased Three-Tails had not yet been reborn through the natural cycle that governed Tailed Beast resurrection.
"The Gedo Statue has also expended considerable energy and will require significant time to recover its full capabilities," Nagato acknowledged.
While he understood these tactical limitations, he felt profound reluctance about abandoning their mission. His vision of becoming a god who could guide the world toward true peace had been blocked twice now, and each failure had brought him closer to genuine danger.
"You've utilized the Three-Tails' power twice during recent operations. It's unlikely to manifest again in the immediate future," Nagato observed, studying the masked man's reactions.
However, he failed to notice the subtle depression that crossed his ally's features when this topic was mentioned.
"But that's not our most significant obstacle," the masked man replied with growing intensity.
"Even if our strength is fully restored and we successfully capture the First through Eighth Tailed Beasts, the current Nine-Tails is no longer something we can easily obtain."
Nagato nodded with grim understanding. "Uzumaki Kushina has learned to control the Nine-Tails' chakra effectively, and her combat capabilities have increased dramatically as a result."
"Oh? Do you have a solution for this complication?" the masked man asked, his voice rising with interest.
He had noticed that Nagato's expression didn't show much surprise or concern when discussing their current predicament, suggesting he had already formulated some alternative approach.
"Direct assault against Uzumaki Kushina would be nearly impossible given her current strength and the protection she enjoys," Nagato admitted with calculated honesty.
His voice carried a note of dark satisfaction as he continued. "However, I discovered something quite interesting during today's battle."
"The Nine-Tails has also been sealed within the Fourth Hokage's son."
The implications of this revelation hung in the air between them like a blade—a new target that would be far more vulnerable than the experienced kunoichi who had mastered her beast's power.
A child who possessed the same ultimate prize they sought, but without the years of training and preparation that made his mother so formidable.