Inside Amegakure headquarters, the higher-ups gathered.
As they looked at Yahiko's serious expression, Konan and Nagato felt an ominous premonition. They sensed that Yahiko had some bad news to share.
After a moment of silence, Yahiko turned toward the door and said, "It's been a while. Why hasn't Byakuya come yet?"
Nagato glanced at Yahiko and replied, "Byakuya has been at the base outside the village lately. He might still need a few more minutes to arrive. What's the matter that you gathered us here?"
Yahiko remained silent and unfurled a scroll containing information about the Nine-Tails incident.
Konan and Nagato stepped forward. As they read that Konoha had experienced the Nine-Tails chaos and that Minato and Kushina had gone missing amidst the turmoil, their expressions darkened.
After a moment, Konan frowned and asked, "Yahiko, what exactly happened in Konoha? Why did the Nine-Tails appear? Isn't Minato skilled in the Flying Thunder God Technique? How could he also go missing?"
Yahiko shook his head slightly and said, "I don't know the specifics, but it's true that Minato and Kushina are missing. Jiraiya-sensei can confirm that."
Sighing lightly, Yahiko reflected on his limited time spent with Minato. Despite the short duration, they shared many similarities in managing the village and their philosophies, and he had already considered Minato a friend.
Hearing news of his friend's potential death was painful for him.
Konan fell silent, not feeling a strong attachment to Minato but recognizing the connection through their shared mentor, Jiraiya. Moreover, Kushina was one of the last remaining relatives of both Nagato and Byakuya.
The deaths of Minato and Kushina would undoubtedly deliver a severe blow to them.
Nagato stood frozen, his emotions a jumbled mix. He had finally found some remaining kin, only to lose one due to the Nine-Tails incident. Was this the fate of the Uzumaki clan?
Just then, as the office was engulfed in a somber atmosphere, Byakuya pushed the door open and entered.
Seeing the three from Amegakure looking so downcast, Byakuya frowned. "Yahiko, what's happened to the village that has you all looking so grim?"
"It's about Konoha… and Minato and Kushina."
Nagato hesitated, unsure whether to tell Byakuya. While Byakuya usually appeared strong, he often displayed moments of vulnerability.
"Konoha's affairs?" Byakuya raised an eyebrow. "You mean the Nine-Tails incident? I just learned about it; Minato and Kushina died in the chaos."
"You knew already?" Yahiko blinked in surprise, his eyes filled with confusion. "How did you find out?"
"Did you forget I'm the head of the intelligence department? Why would it be strange?" Byakuya shot Yahiko a look before continuing, "I also know they died trying to seal the Nine-Tails. Apparently, that day, Kushina's chakra caused the seal to weaken, allowing the Nine-Tails to break free and wreak havoc in Konoha. So, to protect the village, the Fourth Hokage had no choice but to use the Uzumaki sealing techniques to contain the Nine-Tails."
Hearing this, Nagato asked curiously, "Byakuya, are you saying Minato died because he used the Dead Demon Consuming Seal? Then why didn't Konoha inform us?"
Byakuya sighed, "Nagato, you're still too naive. Minato was your mentor, but he wasn't the same for the other Konoha leaders. They're withholding information, claiming the Fourth couple is missing rather than dead, to buy themselves some time. While we might not attack Konoha now, other ninja villages might not hold back."
Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato fell silent for a few seconds after Byakuya's explanation.
Byakuya was right. They could trust Minato because of their bond as mentors and students. But outside that relationship, they were leaders of their respective villages, and not comrades in the same village; they would always hold back during negotiations.
With Minato now dead, the new Hokage would certainly be wary of Amegakure.
It was completely normal not to share the real information with them, and Byakuya had done remarkably well to acquire such crucial intel.
It seemed that during their last visit to Konoha, Byakuya had planted quite a few seeds.
Thinking about this, Yahiko glanced at Byakuya but didn't delve deeper. Without Byakuya's caution, Amegakure and the Akatsuki organization would have likely faced destruction long ago.
Nagato expressed his dissatisfaction, saying, "Byakuya, Kushina is dead. We've lost another member of our clan."
Byakuya nodded, "I know Kushina is gone, but I had already advised her to leave Konoha and move here. She refused. And it wasn't anyone else who killed her; it was the Nine-Tails inside her. We can't take revenge on the Nine-Tails."
Pausing for a moment, Byakuya pulled out a scroll from his robe and added, "Moreover, we have information even more important than the Nine-Tails incident."
"More important information than the Nine-Tails incident?"
Yahiko and the others turned their attention to Byakuya. After taking the scroll, their expressions turned grave.
The content was straightforward: Iwagakure was mobilizing troops on the border of the Land of Water and beginning to infiltrate the surrounding smaller nations.
"Byakuya, is this information true? Is war about to break out again in the ninja world?"
Byakuya shook his head. "I don't know if Iwagakure will start a war, but with such a large-scale troop mobilization, we cannot be caught off guard."
Byakuya's reasoning was sound, and Yahiko nodded in agreement.
Regardless of whom Iwagakure targeted, Amegakure needed to be prepared for the possibility of war, preventing the chaos from returning.
However, Yahiko was more interested in hearing Byakuya's analysis.
"Byakuya, who do you think Iwagakure will attack? The Land of Water, the Land of Rice, or possibly us and Konoha?"
Byakuya pondered for a moment before responding, "If Iwagakure makes a move against either the Land of Fire or the Land of Water, Konoha will definitely intervene. Therefore, a conflict between them is inevitable."
"As for an attack on us or the Land of Rice, that's unlikely unless Iwagakure wants to fight on multiple fronts."
Hearing this analysis, Yahiko felt a sense of relief. While he wasn't afraid of war, he didn't want the recently stabilized Land of Rain to plunge back into chaos.
However, if Byakuya's predictions were correct and Iwagakure truly attacked Konoha, Amegakure would need to carefully consider its alliances.