Lord Madara: Flying Raijin is Easy, Jiraiya's Intel Explodes Konoha!

A deathly silence enveloped the entire plaza in front of the Hokage Building.

The wind stopped, the clamor ceased, and even the hurried breaths of the ninjas seemed to have been sucked away by the golden flash that appeared and disappeared out of thin air.

Minato stood on the rooftop, his body frozen in a charging posture, but the Rasengan in his hand had long since vanished. His azure eyes reflected the empty sky, yet his mind replayed the scene that had just overturned his understanding of reality.

Flying Raijin Technique.

It was definitely the Flying Raijin Technique!

He was all too familiar with that unique chakra fluctuation that directly tore through space for pinpoint teleportation. It was his signature move, a space-time ninjutsu created by the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, capable of changing the tide of battle.

But why...

Why would Uchiha Madara use it?

Moreover, that golden light was even more brilliant and domineering than his own.

"Minato..."

Jiraiya's voice pulled him back from his extreme shock. He slowly turned his head and saw the unprecedentedly solemn face of his teacher. The usual carefree and lazy demeanor was completely gone.

"That just now..." Jiraiya's voice was a little hoarse, "was Lord Tobirama's technique, wasn't it?"

Minato nodded with difficulty.

This was a question he could not evade, nor could he explain.

Jiraiya took a deep breath, his gaze swept over the stunned Konoha higher-ups below, and finally landed back on Minato.

"It seems we are in big trouble."

30 minutes later, in the relatively intact office of the Hokage Building.

The atmosphere was so oppressive it felt like water could be wrung out.

All non-essential personnel had been dismissed, and Hinata Hyuga had been personally taken back to the clan grounds by Hiashi Hyuga for examination. The delegation from Kumogakure Village, under the "escort" of the Military Police Force led by Fugaku, was temporarily placed under house arrest at the guesthouse.

At this moment, only a few members of Konoha's highest decision-making body remained in the office.

The Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, Hokage Advisor Jiraiya, Hokage Assistant Uchiha Fugaku, Shimura Danzo, and two advisors to the Fourth Hokage, Nara Shikaku and Uchiha Nensa.

"Impossible! This is absolutely impossible!" Sarutobi Hiruzen was the first to break the silence, looking at everyone with a serious expression. "The Flying Raijin Technique is the Second Hokage's unique secret technique. Besides Lord Tobirama himself, only Minato and the guards under your command know it! How could Uchiha Madara possibly know it?!"

Danzo sat in the shadows of a corner, his bandaged face unreadable, but his voice was as cold as ever.

"The facts are right before our eyes. That man is not only alive but has also mastered Konoha's most core space-time ninjutsu." His single eye slowly turned to Fugaku. "Fugaku, what explanation does your Uchiha clan have for this?"

"Danzo!" Fugaku turned his head sharply, his Mangekyo Sharingan flickering in his eye sockets. "What do you mean by that? Are you suspecting that our Uchiha clan leaked the secret of Flying Raijin to Madara?"

"Hmph, we, the inherently evil Uchiha clan, would not be trusted by the village to be taught such a high-level space-time ninjutsu by the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama!"

"Indeed, the Second Hokage, Lord Tobirama, and your Uchiha clan did not have a very harmonious relationship. I am merely stating facts, and I hope Clan Head Fugaku will not take it to heart." Danzo remained unmoved. "Because besides your Uchiha clan, I cannot think of anyone else in Konoha who could be connected to that past specter."

"You!" Fugaku's chakra surged with anger.

"Enough!" Minato's low shout interrupted their argument. He rubbed his aching temples, forcing himself to calm down. "Accusing each other now is meaningless. The key issue is that Uchiha Madara is not only alive but also possesses power far beyond our imagination."

Rinnegan, Wood Release, and now Flying Raijin Technique.

Each ability was enough to shake the ninja world. And when they were concentrated in one person, it represented an unimaginable disaster.

"Minato is right, now is not the time for infighting."

Jiraiya, who had been silent, finally spoke. He took out a scroll from his pocket and threw it onto the Hokage's desk.

"On my way back to the village, I've been investigating something." His expression was extremely serious. "An organization called 'Akatsuki'."

"Akatsuki?" Everyone present heard this name for the first time.

"That's right." Jiraiya's eyes sharpened. "This is a mercenary organization composed of extremely powerful rogue ninjas, and their actions are extremely mysterious. Based on the intelligence gathered so far, the only member that can be deduced is Kakuzu, a former elite S-rank rogue ninja from Takigakure who caused great destruction at the bounty office. According to the descriptions of the survivors at the bounty office, the three Akatsuki ninjas who recruited Kakuzu at the time were all wearing uniform black cloaks with red clouds, and one of them even possessed the legendary Rinnegan!"

"Based on the current intelligence, I suspect the leader of the Akatsuki might be one of the disciples I previously trained in the Land of Rain. One of them possessed the Rinnegan, and I thought at the time he might be the Child of Prophecy."

Black cloaks with red clouds! Rinnegan!

Minato and Fugaku's pupils contracted simultaneously.

Jiraiya caught the change in their expressions and continued, "This organization has recently become unusually active in the ninja world, taking on some lucrative bounty missions, ranging from assassinations to overthrowing small nations. I investigated for a long time before I found their leader..."

He paused and uttered a place that surprised everyone.

"...in Amegakure."

"Land of Rain?" Nara Shikaku frowned. "Isn't that Hanzo the Salamander's territory?"

"It used to be." Jiraiya's expression became even more serious. "Not long ago, Hanzo died. Everyone in the entire Amegakure who was loyal to Hanzo was purged by a mysterious leader who called himself 'Pain'. Now, the Land of Rain is completely controlled by the 'Akatsuki' organization."

"What?!"

This news was another bombshell.

Hanzo the Salamander, that was a man who once single-handedly resisted the Legendary Sannin of Konoha and was known as a "demigod"!

He died just like that?

Jiraiya's voice was extremely low, as if every word carried immense weight.

"According to the intelligence I've gathered, the leader of the Akatsuki also possesses the legendary Rinnegan."

"Based on the information I have now, I deduce that the leader of the Akatsuki is likely my disciple, Nagato of the Uzumaki Clan. This matter is likely connected to Uchiha Madara."

Boom!

Those words exploded like thunder in the minds of everyone in the office!

Rinnegan!

Uchiha Madara!

The leader of Amegakure!

Akatsuki!

Nagato!

One by one, the clues rapidly connected in everyone's minds, ultimately painting a terrifying and chilling reality!

"You mean..." Minato's voice trembled slightly, "Uchiha Madara... he's the mastermind behind the Akatsuki? He's been secretly controlling this elite group of rogue ninjas?"

"It's highly probable," Jiraiya's expression turned extremely grim. "That kid named Obito just now was secretly carrying out a plan concerning the Tailed Beasts. And Uchiha Madara himself appeared and used the Flying Raijin to save him. All of this can no longer be explained by coincidence."

The air in the office seemed to freeze.

If a resurrected Uchiha Madara represented a legendary individual threat.

Then, an Uchiha Madara controlling an elite group of rogue ninjas represented a terrifying army capable of waging war against any major nation!

"What does he want?" Minato muttered to himself, "Why has he gathered so many strong individuals?"

"Perhaps I can answer that question."

Jiraiya pulled out an intelligence map from the scrolls spread on the table, with several locations marked in red ink.

"I've found that the locations where the Akatsuki carry out their missions seem to have no pattern, but if you overlay these locations with the areas where Tailed Beasts have appeared in recent years..."

He drew a line on the map with his finger.

"...you'll discover a startling fact."

"They are... hunting Tailed Beasts!"

"Hunting Tailed Beasts?!" Danzo's single eye flashed with sharp light. "What do they want the Tailed Beasts for?!"

"I don't know," Jiraiya shook his head. "Tailed Beasts are strategic weapons, the cornerstone of maintaining the balance of power between major nations. Once someone starts collecting Tailed Beasts, regardless of their purpose, it will inevitably disrupt this balance and trigger turmoil throughout the ninja world!"

Minato abruptly stood up. He thought of the most terrifying possibility.

His gaze involuntarily drifted through the window towards his home.

There, his wife Kushina, and his newborn son Naruto...

The Nine-Tails Incident, Obito's target, was the Nine-Tails from the very beginning!

Not to destroy Konoha, but to seize the Nine-Tails!

"Minato..." Jiraiya looked at his disciple's expression and instantly understood his thoughts, saying in a deep voice, "The Nine-Tails Incident is likely just the beginning of their plan."

"Their target is all the Tailed Beasts in the world."

"And Konoha, because it possesses the strongest Nine-Tails, became their first target."

Minato slowly sat down, interlacing his hands and resting his forehead on them.

He felt an unprecedented pressure.

Internally, there was the power struggle between Danzo and the Uchiha.

Externally, there was provocation from Kumogakure Village, and other ninja villages watching with covetous eyes.

And now, on top of all these troubles, there was a terrifying organization called "Akatsuki," led by Uchiha Madara, with the goal of hunting Tailed Beasts.

The position of Hokage felt so hot, he could barely sit in it.

"We must immediately inform the other four great nations of this intelligence!" Mitokado Homura said urgently, "This is a matter of grave importance concerning the safety of the entire ninja world! We must form an allied army to jointly confront the Akatsuki!"

"It's useless," Danzo coldly poured cold water on the idea. "The grudges between the four great nations run deep, and they are suspicious of each other. Do you think they will believe Konoha's one-sided story? They would probably be more pleased to see Konoha weakened by the Akatsuki."

The office fell silent again.

Although Danzo's words were harsh, they were the truth.

Just then, Minato raised his head.

His azure eyes no longer held confusion or wavering, only the resolve befitting the Fourth Hokage.

"Teacher," he looked at Jiraiya, "Please continue to investigate the Akatsuki's intelligence, especially information about their other members."

"No problem," Jiraiya nodded.

"Fugaku," he then looked at Fugaku Uchiha, "Strengthen the village's security with the Military Police Force, especially the protection of Jinchuriki. Arrest any suspicious individuals on sight."

"Yes!" Fugaku responded in a deep voice.

"Danzo," Minato's gaze finally fell on the shadows in the corner, "It's time for 'Root' to make a move. I need all intelligence regarding Uchiha Madara and the Rinnegan in the ninja world, whether true or false, I want it all."

Danzo did not speak, merely nodding slightly.

"As for me..." Minato stood up and walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking the village below, which was recovering order from chaos.

"I will personally go to Mount Myoboku."

Jiraiya was stunned. "Why are you going to Mount Myoboku?"

Minato didn't turn around, his voice calm but with an unshakeable power.

"The Great Toad Sage once prophesied that you would guide the 'Child of Prophecy' and save the world."

"And now, Uchiha Madara has returned, and the Akatsuki has appeared."

"I want to ask it..."

"Is my son, Uzumaki Naruto, truly the child of that prophecy?"

After thinking for a moment, Minato took a deep breath and looked at Jiraiya. "Teacher, regarding the 'Akatsuki' and that 'Pain', do you have any other valuable information?"

Jiraiya's expression became somewhat strange. He hesitated before speaking.

"There's one more thing, and it might be... very important."

"When I was investigating in Amegakure, I heard a rumor."

"It is said that the man called 'Pain', after ruling Amegakure, implemented a very strange policy."

"He... seems to be using some method to utilize the elite ninjas of Amegakure for... economic development?"

"Economic development?"

The word coming from Jiraiya's mouth stunned everyone.

This was not the right tone!

The leader of a terrifying organization with the Rinnegan, who had bloodied an entire village, wasn't thinking about conquering the world, but about economic construction?

"That's right." Jiraiya himself found it absurd. "The information I gathered was that he had elite ninjas with Earth Release change the terrain for mining, selling iron ore externally as an economic source, had Water Release ninjas sell ninjutsu scrolls for money, and even built a small steel plant to utilize Amegakure's existing steel construction technology, converting some of the iron ore into steel and steel components for sale."

The office was silent.

Everyone looked at Jiraiya as if he were a madman.

Nara Shikaku rubbed his temples, feeling his brain was not enough.

"Lord Jiraiya, are you sure you heard correctly? Mining? Selling steel? Selling scrolls?"

"Absolutely certain." Jiraiya spread his hands. "Although it sounds ridiculous, this is the intelligence I obtained after a long investigation in Amegakure. Moreover, it is said that the effect was quite good after implementation."

Minato fell silent.

His mind was racing.

Uchiha Madara, Pain, two Rinnegan, the Akatsuki, S-rank rogue ninjas, and... economic construction?

These seemingly unrelated clues tangled into a mess in his mind, leaving him completely clueless.

But his intuition told him that behind this, there was a conspiracy far larger and more terrifying than he had imagined.

Just then, an Anbu ninja suddenly appeared in the center of the office, kneeling on one knee. "Hokage-sama, urgent intelligence!"

"Kirigakure Village has just sent official succession documents for the Fourth Mizukage to all five great nations simultaneously!"

"What?!" Sarutobi Hiruzen stood up abruptly. "What happened to the Third Mizukage?"

"The succession document states that the Third Mizukage abdicated due to illness." The Anbu ninja's voice trembled slightly. "And the newly succeeded Fourth Mizukage, his name is..."

"Kisame Hoshigaki!"

"At the same time, Kirigakure Village announced that it will establish formal diplomatic relations with the Akatsuki!"