Obito Interviews for Akatsuki, Minato Seeks the Toad Sage!

The scorching sun of the Land of Wind baked the sand until it was searing hot.

Uchiha Obito, or rather "Tobi" as he was known now, walked across this boundless desert.

The Spiral Mask on his face shielded him from the heatwaves, but it could not block the surging hatred and humiliation within his heart.

"Sasori..."

He whispered the name. That figure who had looked down on him with indifference, along with the words, "Submit to me, and perhaps you can still resurrect your beloved Rin," swirled in his mind like a curse.

He hated!

He hated Namikaze Minato, he hated Konoha, and he hated "Uchiha Madara" even more for playing him like a puppet in the palm of his hand.

But he had no choice.

Power—what he needed most right now was power.

For Rin, he had to endure the humiliation and carry the burden.

Just then, a short, stout figure slowly appeared atop the sand dune ahead.

It was a bizarre puppet, its bloated body covered in a dark purple shell, with a weapon resembling a Scorpion Tail glinting with a cold, metallic light on its back.

"You are the newcomer the leader mentioned, 'Tobi'?"

The puppet's mouth opened and closed, emitting a sharp, raspy voice filled with impatience.

Obito stopped in his tracks, his single eye beneath the mask staring coldly at the other.

"Senior Sasori?"

"Hmph, don't act so familiar." Sasori of the Red Sand, inside the puppet, snorted. "The leader sent me to test you. If you're trash, I'll turn you into a piece of my collection."

Before the words had even faded, the metallic Scorpion Tail shot out, piercing the air with a sharp whistle as it aimed straight for Obito's heart!

The speed was astonishing; an ordinary jonin would have been unable to react.

Yet, Obito simply stood there, as if he hadn't seen the lethal strike at all.

Just as the Scorpion Tail was about to pierce his body, a bizarre scene unfolded.

The Scorpion Tail... passed straight through him!

It was as if his body were nothing more than a hollow phantom.

"What?!"

For the first time, surprise leaked into Sasori's voice from within the puppet.

His attack had actually missed?

"Is this the test? How boring."

Obito's voice sounded from behind Sasori.

Sasori was startled and jerked the puppet around, only to see that Obito had appeared a few meters behind him at some point, standing in a relaxed posture.

"Space-Time Ninjutsu?" Sasori's tone grew grave. "It seems you aren't just ordinary trash."

"Then, try this!"

Sasori formed hand seals, and the mouth of the puppet "Hiruko" snapped open. Hundreds upon hundreds of poison-tipped senbon erupted like a purple rainstorm, blanketing the area toward Obito.

It was an indiscriminate area-of-effect attack; there was nowhere to hide.

Obito remained standing where he was, not moving an inch.

The rain of poison needles engulfed him in an instant.

However, every single needle passed through his body without obstruction, burying themselves deep into the sand behind him.

He was completely unscathed.

Inside the puppet, Sasori fell silent for a moment, deep in thought.

This ability must be phasing through attacks. It should have a limit; otherwise, it wouldn't be logical. Looking at that Sharingan, it must be from the Uchiha clan.

"Is the test over?" Obito's tone carried a hint of mockery.

"..." Sasori did not answer, but the Scorpion Tail on Hiruko's back retracted, signaling that he had ceased his attack.

"An interesting ability." Sasori commented in a raspy voice. "You pass. Follow me. The next target is in the Land of Earth. I hope you manage to last a little longer."

Obito said nothing, merely following silently behind Hiruko.

Beneath the mask, his fists were clenched tight.

The feeling of being treated like a tool made him incredibly furious.

But he endured it.

For Rin... he could endure anything.

"Uchiha Madara"... one day, I will make you pay the price for your arrogance today!

At the same time, in Konohagakure.

The oppressive atmosphere in the Hokage's office hadn't eased in the slightest as time passed.

Minato leaned back in his chair, exhausted. Mountains of documents lay before him, yet he couldn't bring himself to read a single word.

The news of Kirigakure Village allying with Akatsuki felt like a massive boulder pressing down on the chests of all Konoha's high-ranking officials.

And Uchiha Madara's arrogant figure was an inescapable nightmare.

"Minato, have you truly decided?"

Jiraiya stood by the window, looking at his disciple with a face full of worry.

The meeting had ended, but not a single problem had been solved.

Contact the other great nations? No one would believe them; they were more likely to wish Konoha suffered heavy losses and laugh at its misfortune.

Proactively attack? They hadn't even fully figured out the enemy's headquarters, let alone the unfathomably deep Madara.

They were now like creatures caught in an invisible net, able to do nothing but watch as the enemy slowly devoured the world.

"I have to go, Teacher." Minato looked up, his cerulean eyes bloodshot.

"Madara has mastered the Flying Raijin. The secret of this jutsu, besides myself and the guard squad, is only known by the Second Hokage. There must be a hidden reason behind this that we don't know."

"And... Naruto..."

Mentioning his son's name, a tremor entered Minato's voice.

"The Great Toad Sage's prophecy, Akatsuki's goal of hunting the Tailed Beasts... it's all too coincidental."

He couldn't just wait for death any longer. He needed an answer.

Even if that answer would push him into a deeper abyss.

Jiraiya fell silent.

He knew he couldn't dissuade his disciple.

Ever since becoming Hokage, the burden on Minato's shoulders had been too heavy.

The Nine-Tails Incident, Obito's betrayal, Madara's return—each event was like a knife twisting in his heart.

"Alright," Jiraiya sighed. "I'll go with you."

"No." Minato shook his head and stood up.

"Konoha cannot do without you right now, Teacher. Please take care of the village matters with Lord Third."

He walked to Jiraiya's side and patted his shoulder.

"Don't worry, Teacher. I'm just going to seek an answer, and I'll be back soon."

Jiraiya looked at the determination in Minato's eyes and finally nodded.

"Be careful with everything."

Minato didn't say anything else and turned, walking out of the office.

He didn't go home but headed directly to a secluded training ground in the village.

He formed hand seals, bit his thumb, and pressed it heavily onto the ground.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

"Bang!"

A burst of white smoke rose, and a pink-skinned toad wearing something resembling goggles around its neck appeared before Minato. He was Gama Kosuke, the messenger between Konoha and Mount Myoboku.

"Hello, I have urgent matters and need to go to Mount Myoboku. Please relay my message," Minato said sincerely.

Gama Kosuke nodded, then with a "bang," the summoning ended, and he returned to Mount Myoboku.

Not long after, Minato's figure vanished from his spot.

The next second, the world spun.

He appeared in a strange world filled with exotic flowers and plants, and giant vegetation.

The air was thick with natural energy.

This was one of the three great Sage Lands of the Ninja World, Mount Myoboku.

"Oh? Isn't this young Minato? You suddenly sent a message saying you had urgent matters to come to our Mount Myoboku?"

Elder Fukasaku and Elder Shima, two Toad Sages, jumped down from a giant lotus leaf.

"Lord Fukasaku, Lord Shima." Minato bowed respectfully. "I have an urgent matter and need to see the Great Toad Sage."

Fukasaku glanced at Minato's solemn expression and nodded.

"Follow me."

Passing through a long corridor, Minato finally met the lord of Mount Myoboku, who had existed for thousands of years.

The Great Toad Sage sat peacefully on a giant throne, his eyes closed, as if he were asleep.

"Sage Lord, Konoha's Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, has come to pay his respects," Fukasaku said respectfully from the side.

The Great Toad Sage's closed eyelids slowly moved.

"Great Toad Sage..." Minato bowed respectfully. "I have come to seek an answer from you."

"I know why you are here," the Great Toad Sage's voice carried a hint of weariness. "The trajectory of the world has been... completely thrown into chaos by a variable that does not belong to this world."

Minato's heart jolted.

A variable that doesn't belong to this world?

What did that mean?

"I saw... a future shrouded in black clouds... blood and fire... the old order is collapsing..."

"My son, Uzumaki Naruto, he..." Minato pressed urgently, "Is he the Child of Prophecy you foretold who would save the world?"

The Great Toad Sage remained silent for a long time.

The entire great hall was so quiet that Minato could hear his own heart pounding.

Finally, the ancient voice spoke again, uttering words that plunged Minato into an icy abyss.

"The prophecy... has changed."

"The new prophecy is..."

"The God of Calamity, wielding the Pitch-Black Scythe, will stand upon the corpses of the nine Tailed Beasts, bringing ultimate 'suffering' to the world. After that..."

"...the world will usher in true 'rebirth'."

"As for your other questions, I cannot answer them."

"This is all fate's arrangement!"