"Namikaze Naruto is also a Nine-Tails jinchūriki?" the masked man asked, his voice undergoing a dramatic shift that conveyed profound shock and calculation.
The revelation was equally surprising to Nagato, who had initially been filled with doubt when he first detected Nine-Tails chakra emanating from the young boy. After all, the nine Tailed Beasts were supposed to be independent entities existing as singular forces within the world.
"If you consider it carefully," Nagato explained with analytical precision, "although Uzumaki Kushina has learned to manipulate Nine-Tails chakra, the energy she wields is not only qualitatively different from traditional jinchūriki manifestations, but also noticeably less powerful than expected."
As he spoke, Nagato withdrew one of his black chakra receivers from within his sleeve, studying its surface with contemplative interest.
"The chakra fluctuations within her body bear striking similarities to the energy signature of these rods," he observed, raising his gaze to meet the masked man's attention.
Even Jiraiya, with all his extensive knowledge and experience, had never taught him about such phenomena or their potential implications.
"Similar to the black receivers... could this be related to Yin-Yang Release techniques?" the masked man mused, his mind immediately beginning to process the tactical and philosophical implications.
Upon reflection, he realized that the same anomalous patterns had characterized the Nine-Tails chakra fluctuations he had sensed from Minato during their ocean battle.
"Both Uzumaki Kushina and Namikaze Naruto possess Nine-Tails chakra sealed within their bodies," the masked man concluded.
If Nagato's intelligence was accurate, then the situation the masked man could deduce was unprecedented in the history of jinchūriki.
"Can Minato Namikaze and the people of Konoha actually possess methods to completely separate and redistribute Tailed Beast power?" he wondered with growing amazement.
The question brought back memories of fundamental ninja lore—how the legendary nine Tailed Beasts had originally been created by the Sage of Six Paths using chakra from the primordial Ten-Tails.
The technique employed by the Sage to create individual Tailed Beasts had been a form of Creation of All Things—an ultimate application of Yin-Yang Release that transcended normal ninjutsu limitations.
Of course, that divine technique alone hadn't been sufficient for such a monumental undertaking.
The ancient Sage had used Creation of All Things as the foundation, Yin-Yang Release as the methodology, employing Yin Release chakra to grant the beasts their distinctive forms and Yang Release chakra to imbue them with independent life and consciousness.
All of this had been accomplished using the Ten-Tails' vast chakra as raw material. The Ten-Tails' physical form had been sealed away using Chibaku Tensei, creating what was now known as the moon itself.
The empty shell of the Ten-Tails had become the Gedo Statue.
The masked man felt genuine shock as these implications settled in his mind. The scope of what Minato might have accomplished defied rational explanation.
While today's Minato Namikaze was undeniably powerful—perhaps even approaching the legendary level achieved by Hashirama Senju—he still fell far short of the divine capabilities possessed by the Sage of Six Paths, the founder of all ninja arts.
What Nagato was suggesting was equivalent to creating new life itself, and even someone who possessed the combined powers of both Uchiha and Senju bloodlines couldn't achieve such feats, let alone a ninja from a relatively modest background like Minato.
His analytical mind rejected this possibility as impossible.
However, if Nagato's observations were accurate and the Nine-Tails' chakra had indeed been separated with its Yin and Yang aspects divided between different hosts, then only one alternative explanation remained viable.
Among the most forbidden techniques of the Uzumaki clan existed a jutsu called the Reaper Death Seal—a technique that could theoretically accomplish such separation, though at a terrible cost.
Beyond the divine powers of Creation of All Things and Yin-Yang Release, the Reaper Death Seal represented the only known method capable of completely separating and redistributing Tailed Beast power.
"Who could have used the Reaper Death Seal?" the masked man wondered with growing urgency.
Within Konoha, only Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina possessed both the knowledge and bloodline heritage necessary to perform such an advanced Uzumaki technique.
However, since the Reaper Death Seal demanded the caster's soul as payment for its activation, neither of them could have survived using it.
So who exactly had made such a sacrifice?
It was becoming increasingly clear that compared to his own carefully hidden mysteries, Namikaze Minato possessed even more secrets and presented a far more enigmatic figure than anyone had realized.
The Fourth Hokage carried Nine-Tails chakra fluctuations within his body despite not being a traditional jinchūriki.
Someone had used the Reaper Death Seal to separate the Nine-Tails' power and redistribute it between Uzumaki Kushina and young Naruto respectively.
These recipients were Minato's wife and eldest son—the people most precious to him in the world.
This observation reminded the masked man of hypotheses that Orochimaru had proposed during their White Zetsu investigations into Konoha's unusual capabilities.
If he shared all his current intelligence with that brilliant madman, what additional conclusions might emerge from such analysis?
But naturally, the masked man couldn't pursue such collaboration. Doing so would expose his true ultimate objectives—secrets that even Nagato didn't fully comprehend.
"Are you absolutely certain that Naruto also has Nine-Tails chakra sealed within him?" the masked man asked after calming his internal speculation, feigning shock while seeking confirmation.
"When I attacked the civilians during our assault, the boy's emotional state was severely affected," Nagato replied with clinical certainty. "Even his physical features were altered by Nine-Tails chakra manifestation. There can be no mistake about what I observed."
"If the Nine-Tails' power has been weakened through separation, it confirms that some form of division has occurred," the masked man said with growing gravity. "How could that man have accomplished such a thing?"
"Even you don't understand the methods he employed?" Nagato asked with evident surprise.
The masked man shook his head with genuine honesty. He truly hadn't unraveled these mysteries yet, despite his extensive knowledge of forbidden techniques and ancient secrets.
The only individual who might possess answers to these questions was Black Zetsu, whose knowledge spanned centuries of hidden history.
"I see," Nagato responded after receiving this confirmation.
While he felt somewhat disappointed by the lack of immediate answers, he didn't allow such emotions to show on his controlled features.
"Did Konoha separate the Nine-Tails' power as a defensive measure to prevent anyone from coveting the complete Tailed Beast?" Nagato speculated with tactical logic.
He suspected that Konoha and Minato Namikaze remained unaware of their organization's ultimate plan, otherwise they would have already warned the five major nations about the Akatsuki threat.
"Whatever their reasoning, this situation presents us with new opportunities," the masked man observed with calculating coldness.
However, they wouldn't move against Naruto until conditions were more favorable and their strength had been restored.
He fixed his attention on Nagato. "When do you plan to abandon the Rain Village?"
"Konoha has just suffered devastating damage. They'll require several months or possibly years to fully recover, so this location remains relatively safe for the immediate future," Nagato replied with strategic patience.
While he understood that leaving the Rain Village was inevitable, he needed to establish proper arrangements for everything here before departing.
"Don't be concerned. It won't be much longer," he said with quiet conviction. "I'll return when our mission is complete."
He turned around, and with his Rinnegan, gazed out at the perpetually weeping country with an expression that carried subtle melancholy.
Within the Borders of Taki no Kuni
In this nation renowned for the numerous waterfalls scattered throughout its territory, behind one particular cascade at the base of a secluded mountain, careful modifications had been made to the natural terrain.
Concealed behind the falling water lay a small but sophisticated experimental facility. Due to the geographic isolation and natural cooling effects of the waterfall, the air within the base maintained a consistently cold temperature.
In a private chamber within the facility, illuminated only by dim artificial lighting, Orochimaru lay on a medical bed receiving treatment for his injuries. His normally pale complexion appeared even more ghostly in the subdued light.
The individual providing his medical care was a teenager who appeared to be approximately sixteen or seventeen years old. Despite his youthful appearance, the handsome boy's eyes held a depth and maturity that seemed far beyond his apparent age.
"Kabuto," Orochimaru said with evident satisfaction, though his voice carried the weakness of recent trauma, "you have performed admirably and managed this facility exceptionally well. Cough, cough."
Before he could complete his praise, violent coughing seized him, forcing him to struggle for breath. After several moments, he managed to regain enough composure to continue, and a look of manic fascination returned to his pale features.
"Hahaha," he laughed with genuine delight. "Namikaze Minato, you can actually resist power of that magnitude. I find myself becoming increasingly interested in the secrets you're hiding."
Rather than discouraging Orochimaru, the failure of their Konoha operation had only intensified his obsessive curiosity and research fervor.
Kabuto slowly departed from the chamber, and upon sensing the zealous interest in Orochimaru's words, he gradually developed his own curiosity about this name that had long been famous throughout the ninja world.
The corners of his mouth curved upward slightly, and in the darkness of the corridor, his smile carried an unsettling quality that spoke to hidden depths and dangerous intentions.
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