"Orochimaru, and the ones who ambushed Konoha earlier."
"And a puppeteer from Sunagakure—we clashed on the battlefield in the Land of Rivers."
"That was utter chaos."
Kazuyama Gekkō pretended to reminisce, then his face hardened with resentment.
"That round-eyed bastard must have had other motives. They were trying to recruit Orochimaru and that puppeteer—Chiyo's grandson from Sunagakure. His strength is terrifying."
"But in the end, none of us got what we wanted, myself included."
Minato Namikaze didn't question him. He had personally been to the Land of Rivers—the signs of the battle clearly showed it had been a multi-sided clash.
Most telling were the deep gouges in the ground. Only two people in the shinobi world could cause that, and both of them summoned giant serpents.
Judging from the serpent tracks left behind, Orochimaru and Kazuyama Gekkō being there at the same time made perfect sense.
"The Rinnegan and a puppeteer, huh..."
"I asked sensei. He did teach a boy with the Rinnegan—it must be him."
"As for the puppeteer, it's most likely the long-vanished Sasori of the Red Sand, the genius of Sunagakure."
"And with your teacher Orochimaru... each of them is a powerhouse. Whoever's behind this must be hiding something big, or else they wouldn't be recruiting so many strong allies."
Minato Namikaze rose slowly, his expression grave.
The shinobi world might look peaceful, but underneath, struggles were everywhere.
"Kazuyama, the situation is complicated."
"According to intel, Kumogakure is in turmoil—the Fourth Raikage himself is scouring the land for secret techniques."
"Iwagakure and Sunagakure are relatively quiet, and Kirigakure is almost impossible to infiltrate."
"What surprises me most is Takigakure. They've always stayed neutral, but now their shinobi are taking on missions outside the village."
"And their strength has grown a lot."
Hearing Takigakure mentioned almost made Kazuyama Gekkō laugh—after all, that was his other stronghold.
The core members were all people he'd recruited from across the nations: Yahiko's leadership, Konan's support, Yugito's combat ability, Terumi's boldness.
Each one was formidable on their own. Together, it was no wonder Takigakure was thriving.
"Takigakure does have a Tailed Beast. During one mission, their previous leader, Bobosai, died unexpectedly."
"The new leader, Yahiko, is a good man. I'd say it's just new leadership bringing new policies. Minato, what do you think?"
Kazuyama Gekkō was genuinely curious—Minato was Hokage now, and his opinion meant Konoha's stance toward Takigakure.
Minato Namikaze nodded. He did have new thoughts.
"Right now, we have no allies at all. Whether in war or in peace, Konoha has always stood alone. Not that we fear hardship."
"But Takigakure's rise gives me hope. They dislike war as much as we do, but this time, they've chosen to show their hand."
"Maybe we should try reaching out. If we could establish contact, it might strengthen ties between our villages."
From the time he was young, Konoha had always been at war or preparing for one. Minato, a man of lofty ideals, still wished for his village to finally know lasting peace.
Takigakure looked like a chance.
"Sounds good. Want to go?"
"Jiraiya-sensei already went."
Kazuyama Gekkō had decided the moment he overheard Minato mention it to Jiraiya.
Since Jiraiya was there, Yahiko and Konan's identities didn't need to be hidden—they were his disciples, after all.
"Right, Jiraiya trained them back then."
"Yes. He's also curious why the three who should have remained in Amegakure split up—one becoming an enemy of Konoha, and the other two rising as Takigakure leaders."
"That's why he went himself, hoping to bring back good news for Konoha."
Don't be fooled by Minato's blond hair and carefree air—his mind worked on terrifyingly deep levels.
Otherwise, he wouldn't be Hokage.
"As long as you've got it covered."
"I'm heading back. Pakura still needs someone keeping watch."
"Oh, and about the ANBU—I heard from Midori. I'll handle that. Same for the Ninja Academy."
Now that things were back to normal, Kazuyama Gekkō couldn't avoid his duties. Better to take them on himself than wait for Minato to say it.
With those words, Kazuyama disappeared—here one moment, gone the next with the Flying Thunder God.
Watching his close friend vanish, Minato sighed softly.
"Kazuyama... you bastard..."
"So many burdens, and you plan to carry them all yourself... Konoha's enemies aren't just yours..."
Though it sounded like he was muttering, Minato suddenly leapt aside.
Where he had just stood, a Tiger Seal flared to life, glowing faint red under the night sky.
"Oh my, how did you know I hadn't left?"
"Hmph, I know you too well!"
Minato glared hard at Kazuyama Gekkō.
"Kazuyama, don't face them alone next time. What if—"
"Shut that crow's mouth of yours! Come on, show me how your Rasengan's coming along!"
Kazuyama was deeply superstitious—words inviting bad luck were absolutely forbidden.
He stretched out his hand, chakra swirling as a Rasengan formed in his palm.
Minato wasn't about to be outdone—his own Rasengan appeared as well.
"Huh???"
"What the hell is that???"
The moment both orbs formed, Minato's eyes widened.
What was he seeing?
The Rasengan in Kazuyama's hand was shifting color—crimson flames igniting within.
What should have been a bright blue Rasengan turned into a blazing fireball, like a burning cloud.
A halo of flame-like cloud patterns formed around the crimson sphere.
"Minato, you've got a long way to go!"
"You've learned about chakra nature transformation, haven't you?"
"Tsk, tsk... Come on, let me show you my Fire Release! Rasengan! Flame Cloud!"
Kazuyama beamed at Minato's shocked expression, thrilled beyond measure.
He wasn't about to waste a single chance to flaunt his skills!