Undercurrents Surge

It did not take him long to recall the time when Collector had come to Konoha to steal the Scroll of Seals.

That earlier visit had been equally baffling. Collector had inspected the Scroll of Seals.

Yet in the end, the scroll containing its Secret Techniques had remained perfectly intact in its original place.

"Could it be... that he had already succeeded back then?" A deep wariness flashed through Minato Namikaze's eyes.

A deduction took shape in his mind. Collector's target that time might not have been only the Scroll of Seals, but also the Nine-Tails Chakra!

If that assumption was true, it meant the other party had quietly obtained the Nine-Tails' power long ago, without Konoha's upper ranks noticing in the slightest.

The thought wrapped around his mind like poisonous vines, leading to an even more terrifying possibility.

Could Collector have some secret connection with that mysterious masked man, whose identity as "Madara Uchiha" remained uncertain?

Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence?

Madara Uchiha's unfathomable space-time abilities and profound hatred for Konoha alone were already troublesome enough.

If he also had an ally like Collector behind him—someone equally unfathomable and coveting the Tailed Beasts...

"No..." Minato Namikaze forced himself to calm down.

The two seemed to have markedly different methods. Though Collector's actions were mysterious and unpredictable, he had shown little malice toward Konoha. He was more like a "collector" with clear objectives.

That Madara Uchiha, however, revealed an ingrained hatred for Konoha and an intent to destroy it in every word and deed.

Perhaps Collector had been watching Konoha all along, seeking the Nine-Tails Chakra, and Madara Uchiha's actions had simply given him an opportunity to obtain it.

In the end, a heavy sigh echoed through the silent office.

Minato Namikaze closed the scroll and looked