The joint Chūnin Exams held in Konohagakure had finally come to an end.
This exam could hardly be called smooth. After all, the terrain outside Konohagakure had been completely transformed by the battles.
Countless lives were lost, and even the Fourth Raikage and Fourth Kazekage had fallen in Konohagakure.
Yet in another sense, the exams were a success—because the Fourth Raikage and Fourth Kazekage had both met their end here.
"That Ōtsutsuki Minamoto has already left. It seems his target was the Akatsuki."
Inside a meeting room in the Hokage Building in Konohagakure, Jiraiya, looking utterly battered, spoke while receiving treatment from Tsunade.
He had been closest to the frontlines, seeing and hearing more than anyone else. Naturally, he had also borne the brunt of the damage.
The final Silver Wheel Reincarnation Explosion had been too much for him to endure, forcing him to escape using the Reverse Summoning Technique.
Kitagawa Minamoto had noticed him early on and had deliberately controlled the direction of the attack. Otherwise, Jiraiya's condition would have been far worse than just looking disheveled.
"Who exactly is this Ōtsutsuki Minamoto? And why is he targeting the Akatsuki?"
Ōnoki asked directly. He was somewhat familiar with the Akatsuki.
Not just him—Kirigakure's representatives knew even more about the organization.
But for such a dangerous group to be utterly defeated by a single individual? That was something they found hard to accept.
"To be honest, we don't know much about this 'Ōtsutsuki Minamoto.'"
Jiraiya looked troubled, prompting Hiruzen Sarutobi to speak up.
"He's too mysterious. His first appearance was in the Land of Fire, where he attacked the Fire Temple and stole the Nine-Tails' Chakra hidden there."
"The Nine-Tails' Chakra?"
Gengetsu Hōzuki asked in confusion, and Hiruzen quickly explained.
"Yes, someone had secretly collected scattered Chakra, but he discovered it. He also clashed with the Akatsuki there. The second time was during this event."
This matter was far too significant for Konohagakure to handle alone, so Hiruzen saw no reason to conceal it.
"Additionally, the Great Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku seems to know something. He was terrified by this name but didn't provide Jiraiya with much information."
"So mysterious?"
Both Ōnoki and Gengetsu frowned deeply. A figure with such overwhelming power and so little intelligence available—how were they supposed to guard against or deal with him?
"For now, it seems that Ōtsutsuki Minamoto's target might be the Tailed Beasts or their Chakra."
Hiruzen rubbed his temples, while Jiraiya added.
"Besides that, his target might also be the Akatsuki because someone in the Akatsuki possesses the Rinnegan."
"What? The Rinnegan?"
"The legendary eyes of the Sage of Six Paths? How is that possible?"
When Jiraiya mentioned this, both Gengetsu and Ōnoki were visibly shocked.
Even Mei Terumī, who was also present, shared their disbelief.
The Rinnegan.
Every child who grew up in the ninja world had heard the legends of the Sage of Six Paths.
The "Eyes that Control Life and Death," the ultimate dōjutsu unique to the Sage of Six Paths!
And now, someone in the Akatsuki...
Possessed such eyes?
More importantly, the person wielding them had lost?
Just how terrifying was this Ōtsutsuki Minamoto?
Perhaps the only one unconcerned was Deidara, who was busy trying to chat with Kitagawa Minamoto.
"Alright, everyone. The Rinnegan isn't as terrifying as you might think."
As the atmosphere grew tense, Kitagawa Minamoto, seemingly unable to bear Deidara's chatter, finally spoke up.
"Huh? You've encountered the Rinnegan?"
Deidara was momentarily stunned, his curiosity piqued.
"Yes, I've encountered it."
Kitagawa Minamoto gave Deidara a disdainful look before continuing.
"And I defeated it."
"Defeated it?"
Mei Terumī's eyes widened, and both Gengetsu and Ōnoki were stunned. They hadn't expected such a thing.
"The Rinnegan is indeed powerful, and its abilities are almost unbelievable. But the person wielding it wasn't particularly impressive."
Kitagawa Minamoto thought for a moment before continuing seriously.
"So with the combination of the Flying Thunder God Technique and Sage Mode, it wasn't surprising that I could defeat him."
"The way you say that..."
Jiraiya scratched his head. Minamoto made it sound so casual, but Jiraiya knew firsthand how difficult those two techniques were!
He himself couldn't fully master Sage Mode, let alone the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Such a feat was practically impossible to replicate.
"It's about the user's own abilities, isn't it?"
Ōnoki and Gengetsu nodded in understanding.
It was like the current generation of Uchiha with Mangekyō Sharingan—could they compare to Madara Uchiha?
Not at all. They weren't even on the same level!
Although they didn't know how the Rinnegan had come to be, possessing it didn't necessarily make someone the Sage of Six Paths.
"What do you think of Ōtsutsuki Minamoto?"
Suddenly, Ōnoki asked out of curiosity.
The question drew everyone's attention to Minamoto.
Minamoto himself was already extraordinary, having taken on three Kage-level opponents and killed two of them.
And since he had defeated a Rinnegan user before, it seemed plausible he could contend with Ōtsutsuki Minamoto as well.
"Yeah, Minamoto, what's your take?"
Jiraiya, perhaps the most confident in Minamoto, chimed in. After all, he had personally recommended Minamoto to the Great Toad Sage.
"Well..."
Minamoto looked a bit awkward. This question was rather tricky for him to answer.
"I'm not sure. Ninja battles aren't just about abilities and Chakra; there are many factors to consider. You can only know for sure once you fight. But when I defeated Nagato, I didn't even have Dust Release yet."
"That's true."
Everyone agreed with Minamoto's point—battles weren't determined by just one or two factors.
However, his mention of Dust Release made Ōnoki's face darken. Could he not bring that up right now?
"Dust Release?"
Hiruzen rubbed his chin thoughtfully upon hearing the term.
If Minamoto could master Dust Release, then...
"Could he possibly learn Wood Release as well?"
The idea lit up Hiruzen's face.
Minamoto's talent was evident. If he could learn Wood Release, the implications were staggering!
Even if he couldn't, Minamoto was still a treasure of Konohagakure.
Hiruzen had already decided to allocate significant resources to support Minamoto's growth.
"Alright, Minamoto must be tired. Let him rest."
With that, Hiruzen's wrinkled face broke into a smile as he addressed the others.
"And Ōnoki, Gengetsu, we need to have a proper discussion."
"Indeed."
Gengetsu and Ōnoki nodded. The earlier meeting had been about battle reports; now it was time to get to the main agenda.
"We'll take our leave, then."
Minamoto and the others understood that the upcoming discussions likely wouldn't involve them, so they chose to leave.
"Minamoto, get some good rest."
Just as Minamoto turned to leave, Hiruzen spoke again.
"The future of Konohagakure rests on your shoulders."
"..."
Minamoto scratched the back of his head, feeling a bit uneasy.
"They're the future, not me."
After they left, Hiruzen chuckled. His words also made Gengetsu and Ōnoki nod in agreement.
"Indeed, they are the future of their villages."
Clearly, each of them had their own thoughts. The three elderly leaders exchanged glances before breaking into a rare, knowing smile.
"Perhaps this is like a meeting of future Kage in advance."
Gengetsu remarked humorously, prompting Hiruzen to nod.
"We'll see who becomes Kage first."
"It's hard to say who will be first, but I bet Iwagakure will be last."
Gengetsu stroked his chin thoughtfully, but his comment irritated Ōnoki.
"Hey, what do you mean by that? Why Iwagakure last?"
"Let's focus on the real issues now."
Hiruzen stepped in to defuse the situation, knowing Iwagakure had suffered significant losses this time.
"Sunagakure and Kumogakure must be punished. The benefits left behind need to be redistributed.
And with the emergence of the Akatsuki and Ōtsutsuki Minamoto, we face an unprecedented crisis.
So, gentlemen, we may need to work together to face the challenges ahead."
While Konohagakure's high-level meeting was underway, in the Land of Rain, within the Akatsuki's base...
The space suddenly distorted, and the next moment, Obito Uchiha stumbled out of Kamui's Dimension.
Thud—
He collapsed heavily to the ground, gasping for air. Meanwhile, the ground trembled slightly as Zetsu appeared before him.
"Are you alright, Obito?"
Zetsu asked with apparent concern, but Obito remained silent, his entire body trembling.
"I'm fine..."
After a long while, Obito seemed to recover somewhat. He gritted his teeth and spoke in a low voice.
"I only used Izanagi once, but the losses this time..."
He trailed off, unable to continue.
The losses this time were unimaginable!
Hidan had been instantly torn apart, Sasori was truly dead, Kakuzu's hearts were obliterated, and both Hiruko and Itachi Uchiha's fates were uncertain.
Most importantly, Nagato's current condition was unknown!
Nagato possessed the Rinnegan, and now that he and the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path had disappeared, how could Obito not panic?
Without Nagato, how could their future plans proceed?
And the Rinnegan—it might have already fallen into that man's hands or been destroyed. This thought made Obito tremble with hatred.
Even now, he couldn't understand how their entire group had been utterly crushed by a single individual.
To that man, were they really nothing more than ants?!
"Who is that man? Why does he have such power?"
Obito suddenly raised his head, glaring at Zetsu with a voice filled with hysteria.
"Aren't you the will of Madara Uchiha? Don't you know what's going on?"
"Tell me, who is he?"
"Why has it come to this?"
"Who is that man?!"
(End of Chapter)
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