The Situation

"You are..."

Staring at the young man before him, Nanchuan You was first stunned, then quickly reacted: "Mr. Minato?"

With handsome features, blond hair, and such a friendly demeanor, being close to Kakashi...

Who else could it be but Namikaze Minato?

As Nanchuan You spoke, Namikaze Minato also seemed surprised: "You know me?"

"Senior Kakashi told me a bit."

Nanchuan You said with a smile, a fitting expression of reverence on his face: "Lately, everyone here should know you."

With the news of Namikaze Minato's battle against the A and B Brothers spreading, Namikaze Minato's fame had already reached all corners and spread far and wide.

Even the most ordinary ninja in Konoha knew the name "Yellow Flash."

It was also from this battle that the Yellow Flash officially reached its peak, becoming a powerful ninja comparable to Konoha's White Fang and the Sannin.

"I see."

Namikaze Minato wore a smile.

In a way, he and Nanchuan You were somewhat similar. Most of the time, they both wore smiles, appearing peaceful and approachable.

However, unlike Nanchuan You, his smile was more radiant, like a rising sun, treating everyone equally. Nanchuan You, on the other hand, was more unique.

Although he smiled at everyone, he only showed concern for a select few and was relatively more reserved, unlike the Namikaze Minato before him.

Overall, however, they could be considered the same type of person, with only minor differences.

As they met, both felt an immediate sense of liking for the other, a feeling of kindred spirits.

Kakashi was not in the room at the moment.

Namikaze Minato seemed to have something to discuss with Kakashi but, like Nanchuan You, had missed him.

While Kakashi was away, the two struck up a conversation.

"What do you think of the current state of the war?"

Namikaze Minato asked, looking at Nanchuan You.

"It's about to end."

Nanchuan You said softly, with absolute certainty: "It won't be long before this war concludes, and the Ninja World will return to peace."

"Oh?"

Namikaze Minato's interest was piqued: "What makes you say that?"

Although the intensity of the war in the Ninja World was not as great as before, the shadow of conflict still loomed everywhere.

On the Sand Village side, the Fourth Kazekage had just been selected and was lurking in the corners of the Ninja World, ready to join the fray at any moment.

Although Kumogakure had signed a ceasefire agreement with Konoha, their strength remained intact.

As for Iwagakure and Kirigakure, they were still at war with Konoha.

Given the current situation, even if the Shinobi World War were to end, it would still take a considerable amount of time.

"Sand Village is unlikely to send troops."

Nanchuan You said softly: "Their Kazekage has just been selected, and they are currently facing internal political struggles. Coupled with their previous losses, how much energy do they have left to commit to external conflicts?"

"Kumogakure just signed a ceasefire agreement with Konoha."

"As for Iwagakure..."

Mentioning Iwagakure, he paused before continuing: "The Third Tsuchikage is a very wise man."

"Since he clearly can't gain much advantage from Konoha, he won't waste any more time here."

"If I'm not mistaken, it's likely that the envoys for a ceasefire from the Land of Earth will arrive for negotiations soon."

"Or perhaps, discussions are already underway?"

Listening to Nanchuan You, Namikaze Minato couldn't help but show surprise.

Indeed, just as Nanchuan You had said, Ōnoki's envoys had arrived in Konoha.

The two sides had secretly signed a ceasefire agreement, but it had not yet been publicly announced.

"How did you figure that out?"

Looking at Nanchuan You before him, he couldn't help but ask.

Iwagakure sending envoys for a secret ceasefire was undoubtedly confidential.

Namikaze Minato knew because he had already entered Konoha's core decision-making circle and was also a key figure on the front lines.

But Nanchuan You was just a Medical Ninja, so how could he know these things?

"I just deduced it from the details."

Facing Namikaze Minato's confusion, Nanchuan You simply smiled: "The number of wounded sent to the medical teams from the front lines has significantly decreased recently."

"Even so, they could still tear up the agreement at any moment."

Namikaze Minato shook his head. "A ceasefire agreement is just a piece of paper. It has no binding force in itself."

"Perhaps Kumogakure and Iwagakure will join forces again at any time and declare war on Konoha once more."

This was precisely what Konoha feared the most.

Past history showed that there was no credibility between ninja villages.

Former allies might tear up agreements for greater benefits and turn to attack you.

Under such circumstances, even if Kumogakure and Iwagakure temporarily ceased their attacks, they dared not let their guard down.

What if this was a tactic by the other side, merely to make Konoha relax its vigilance, only to stab them in the back at a crucial moment? That would undoubtedly make the situation more troublesome.

Therefore, at this very moment, no one, including Namikaze Minato and the Third Hokage, dared to be careless.

They were prepared to fight again at any time.

"Under normal circumstances, that would indeed be the case."

Nanchuan You shook his head. "But Ōnoki is no ordinary person."

"If he were truly prepared to betray Konoha, he wouldn't have secretly sent people to negotiate a ceasefire with Konoha. Instead, he would have loudly announced the ceasefire agreement to everyone."

"This secret ceasefire, while maintaining outward hostility, is actually aimed at someone else."

"You mean..."

Namikaze Minato's eyes lit up. "Kumogakure?"

"Yes."

Nanchuan You nodded. "If my prediction is correct, the Tsuchikage has likely prepared a trap and is waiting for the Raikage to step right into it."

"Given the Tsuchikage's style, the trap will undoubtedly be powerful."

"If the Raikage falls into it..."

"The Land of Lightning's strength will be greatly diminished, and there will be no room for reconciliation between Kumogakure and Iwagakure."

Namikaze Minato mused, "At that point, Konoha's pressure will be significantly reduced."

At this moment, his perception of Nanchuan You had completely changed.

From the very beginning, his impression of Nanchuan You was limited to that of an elite medical ninja.

But after this conversation, he had a completely new view of the man.

This was a genius with strong strategic judgment, capable of assessing the entire Ninja World situation with just scraps of information.

This was quite rare in the Ninja World.

After all, most ninjas were skilled in killing and infiltration.

As for other talents, well, there was no need to elaborate.

It wasn't that they didn't exist at all, just that they were very rare.

Namikaze Minato looked at Nanchuan You before him, as if gazing upon a rare giant panda.