In the forest outside Konoha Village.
The sound of distant explosions was relentless, and Su Xiao stood in the forest with a smile on his face.
Nagato had begun his attack on Konoha, which meant his mission was 70% complete. The challenge of his main quest wasn't in the destruction of Konoha, but in how to get Nagato to destroy Konoha ahead of schedule.
According to the original storyline, Nagato would carry out his plan to destroy Konoha a month later, by which time Su Xiao's mission deadline would have already passed.
At the current point in time, the protagonist Naruto had yet to head to Mount Myoboku to learn the Immortal Technique. If Danzo didn't intervene, Nagato might be able to flatten Konoha.
On the surface, Konoha was the strongest ninja village, but this wasn't truly the case. After the death of the Fourth Hokage, Konoha started to decline. The return of the Third Hokage was a clear signal—Konoha had no successors.
