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"I understand." Minato nodded.
The connection with the daimyo could not be brought into the open yet. Doing so now would only alert third hokage and his faction.
Kept in the shadows, however, it might produce results no one expected.
But as the thought settled, Minato noticed something off.
The information Jin had brought was undeniably important, yet the two of them had established secure ways to communicate.
There was no need for Jin to risk a personal meeting just to pass along intelligence.
Minato voiced the thought.
"Jin, you did not come out here just to deliver this information, did you?"
Jin smiled faintly.
"You really do notice everything."
"Yes. My main purpose is to travel to the Land of Rain. I am only passing through the Land of Hot Water, so I took the opportunity to see you."
It was wartime. Security within the Land of Fire was tighter than ever.
To avoid drawing attention, Jin had entered the region through the seas near the Land of Waves, moved into the Land of Hot Water, and planned to pass through the Lands of Rice Fields, Iron, Waterfall, and Grass before reaching the Land of Rain.
It sounded like a long detour, but in truth, it simply traced the outer edge of the Land of Fire.
The borders of the Land of Fire had been designed with war in mind.
Rather than bordering other major powers directly, it was surrounded by smaller nations.
Any large-scale invasion would have to pass through those buffer states first, giving the Land of Fire time to react and space to shift the battlefield outward.
It protected the heartland and preserved the country's prosperity.
As for the fate of those smaller nations, no one truly cared.
In the ninja world, weakness was a crime in itself.
Minato asked, curiosity rising.
"What are you going to the Land of Rain for at a time like this?"
Jin did not evade the question. "It actually concerns you as well."
Minato frowned slightly. "Danzo Shimura? And this has something to do with me? I was not aware of anything involving the Land of Rain."
Jin prompted him gently. "Do you remember that your teacher, Jiraiya, once took in three students there?"
Minato froze for a moment. "You mean Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan?"
He had never met them, but Jiraiya had spoken of them often.
Recently, Jiraiya had even begun writing his first novel, using Nagato as inspiration. He had bragged about it more than once.
Jin nodded.
"Yes...Those three."
Only after receiving the report did Jin recall how this part of history was supposed to unfold.
To prolong the war between the Hidden Leaf and the Hidden Stone, Danzo personally traveled to the Land of Rain, secretly cooperating with Hanzo of the Salamander to destabilize the front lines.
At the same time, Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan had founded the Akatsuki.
They sought peace without relying on extreme violence and had become highly active within the Land of Rain.
Their actions interfered directly with Danzo's plans.
So Danzo manipulated Hanzo, lured them into a trap, and orchestrated an ambush against them.
Jin's expression darkened slightly.
"This time, Danzo Shimura is moving personally."
This was the moment where Nagato's path truly began to fracture.
Minato frowned deeply.
"What happened to them? Why would Danzo target those three?"
Jin shook his head slightly and asked in return, "You have heard of the organization that has been gaining attention in the Land of Rain lately, have you not?"
Minato nodded without hesitation, a hint of admiration in his voice.
"Yes. I have heard they are a neutral group that advocates peace without relying on violence. They sound remarkable."
Jin continued.
"That organization, Akatsuki, was founded by Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan."
Minato's eyes widened for a moment, then softened with pride.
"Is that so?"
"Then it truly shows Jiraiya sensei's influence. They are impressive."
But the realization hit him a heartbeat later.
Minato stood abruptly.
"Wait! Danzo went to the Land of Rain because of them?"
Minato knew Danzo Shimura well enough. If described kindly, Danzo was cold and decisive.
Less kindly, he was ruthless, manipulative, and willing to discard morality entirely to achieve his goals.
The moment Minato realized that Danzo might be targeting Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan, he could no longer remain calm.
Even though he had never met them, they were his fellow disciples under Jiraiya.
And after hearing what they were doing, Minato genuinely admired them.
"Calm down." Jin raised a hand. "Danzo's true target is not them. They are simply in his way."
Minato frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Jin explained patiently.
"At this stage, Konoha and Iwagakure are only engaged in limited border clashes. Anyone paying attention can see that the war is nearing its end."
"According to my intelligence, the Third Hokage intends to concede certain interests in exchange for a swift ceasefire with Iwagakure."
"And Danzo strongly opposes this."
"In his view, Konoha has not lost this war. Signing a ceasefire that treats us like the defeated side is unacceptable."
"He raised his objections, but the other two elders, Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, support the Third Hokage's position."
"So Danzo was overruled."
"But Danzo is not someone who abandons his convictions simply because he was outvoted."
"My information indicates that he plans to go to the Land of Rain before the ceasefire is finalized."
"His goal is to provoke chaos on the battlefield. To inflame tensions between Konoha, Iwagakure, and Amegakure."
"If all three sides are dragged back into full-scale war, the Third Hokage's plan collapses."
"He would have no choice but to adopt a hardline stance against Iwagakure."
"And right now, the Akatsuki are traveling across the battlefield, tending to the wounded and persuading people to stop fighting."
"They stand directly in Danzo's way."
"Given Danzo's nature, targeting them is the obvious outcome."
Jin did not say it aloud, but in this instance, he did not entirely disagree with Danzo's strategic reasoning.
In the ceasefire with Sunagakure, Konoha had already surrendered many advantages it had rightfully earned.
Now the same pattern was repeating with Iwagakure.
Once that precedent was set, Kumogakure and Kirigakure would only demand more in the future.
Relentless concessions would not buy peace. They would only erode the interests of Konoha's ninja.
After this war, many who had fought and died might never receive the compensation they deserved.
Konoha would emerge as the victor in name, yet bleed resources and authority as if it had lost.
To Jin, that approach was not mercy.
It was a weakness.
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~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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