'Judging by Nagato's current style...'
Jiraiya sighed, his gaze shifting to the purple toad on Minato's shoulder. "Stupid toad, what do you think?"
Jiang Chen yawned, pawing at the map twice before finally pointing his claw at a tan-colored region.
"I'm looking at it while lying down, of course."
"Is there even a need to guess? It's definitely the Hidden Stone Village."
Jiang Chen's tone was certain, as if he were stating the obvious. "You pick the soft persimmons to squeeze, but you find the hard ones to hammer when you want to make a point. In the current shinobi world, the Cloud has been wiped out. Among the remaining four great nations, our Konoha is an 'ally.' As for the Hidden Mist, though Obito's whereabouts are a mystery, Yagura is still under control and isolated overseas, posing little threat."
"As for the Hidden Sand Village..."
Jiang Chen curled his lip in disdain. "Rasa is a penny-pincher, busy panning for gold all day. The village is dirt poor, and their combat power is at the bottom. If Nagato hit the Sand first, not only would there be little profit, but people would say he's just a bully picking on the weak. It lacks style."
"So, only one choice remains."
Jiang Chen's claw slammed heavily onto the 'Land of Earth' on the map. "That old stubborn fool Onoki, known as 'Both Scales,' is as foul and hard as a rock. Plus, the Hidden Stone has the Four-Tails and Five-Tails. With their massive troop count, they're the toughest nut to crack outside of Konoha."
"Once he crushes this hard nut..."
Jiang Chen looked up, his toad eyes gleaming with logic. "The remaining Sand and Mist will be fish on the chopping block. At that point, Nagato won't even need to lift a finger. He just has to park Pain at their village gates, and they'll hand over the Tailed Beasts obediently."
Minato nodded thoughtfully at the words.
"Indeed, strategically, the Hidden Stone is the best target. Once the Stone is destroyed, the old order of the shinobi world will completely collapse."
Minato set down his brush, his brow furrowing deeper. "However, if Nagato really levels the Stone like he did the Cloud... things will get complicated."
"How so?" Jiraiya asked.
"Too much of a good thing is a bad thing."
Minato turned around, his voice low. "The Akatsuki's current behavior helps us by drawing fire and creating an external threat. But if they go too far and destroy the other four great nations entirely, where will the remaining spearheads point?"
Jiraiya blinked, then realized as his expression shifted.
"Toward Konoha."
"Exactly." Minato gave a bitter smile. "The Akatsuki captured the Eight-Tails and destroyed the Cloud. If they destroy the Stone and take the Four and Five-Tails next, yet conveniently skip Konoha, which holds the strongest Nine-Tails... it's too obvious."
"When that time comes, the surviving villages won't unite out of fear. Instead, they'll believe it's a Konoha conspiracy born of despair. They'll think the Akatsuki is just a mad dog kept by Konoha—a tool for us to unify the shinobi world."
"Though in a sense, we are using them..."
Minato rubbed his temples. "But what we need is a powerful 'external enemy' that everyone fears, not to make Konoha the target of universal resentment. If Nagato kills everyone in the other villages, the so-called 'Five Kage Alliance' becomes a joke."
"That kid really doesn't know when to stop."
Jiraiya slapped his thigh and stood up. "No, I have to write him a letter."
He quickly pulled a scroll and brush from his robes, acting in a hurry. "I need him to show some restraint. If he wants the Tailed Beasts, just take the Jinchuriki. There's no need to wipe out the whole village."
"And..."
Jiraiya paused, his brush hovering over the paper. "I also need to remind him not to let power go to his head. The threat of the Otsutsuki main family is the primary goal."
Watching Jiraiya write feverishly, Minato didn't stop him, but a trace of worry lingered in his eyes.
"Mr. Gamakon."
Minato lowered his voice, speaking at a volume only he and the toad could hear. "Do you think Nagato will listen?"
Jiang Chen lay on Minato's shoulder, watching the bustling Konoha outside the window, and fell silent for a moment.
"Unlikely."
Jiang Chen spat out the word with a hint of amusement. "Minato, you were that age once. When you suddenly possess power capable of easily destroying the world, a healthy body, and the title of a 'God' bestowed by the people... would you still be willing to listen to the nagging of a 'mortal' teacher?"
Minato froze slightly.
"Nagato agreed to cooperate because of the Otsutsuki threat. But now..."
Jiang Chen extended his tongue, snagging a passing fly. "He captured the Eight-Tails. He'll surely try to absorb that chakra to restore himself. If Nagato's vitality returns to full and his Rinnegan reaches its peak, he'll see himself as invincible."
"The original plot has long since shattered. We can't look at people with old eyes anymore."
Jiang Chen shifted into a more comfortable position. "Before seeing the Otsutsuki main family descend for real, Nagato might develop an illusion—'The Otsutsuki are nothing special' or 'My Rinnegan is enough to suppress everything'."
"That's a dangerous mindset."
Minato nodded, a cold glint in his eyes. "If he really thinks that, he won't just refuse to show restraint; he'll escalate. He might even... point his spear at Konoha after gathering the other Tailed Beasts."
"After all, the Nine-Tails is still with us."
At the mention of the Nine-Tails, the atmosphere in the office turned heavy again.
It was an unavoidable part of Nagato's plan.
"We can only take it one step at a time."
Jiang Chen patted Minato's shoulder reassuringly. "Fortunately, we still have trump cards. Kaguya might be a shut-in, but she's still the Progenitor of Chakra. Orochimaru's research on Isshiki is also progressing."
"And..."
A ruthless light flashed in Jiang Chen's eyes. "If Nagato truly loses control, or if the Otsutsuki main family arrives early and our 'Artificial Kaguya' plan fails..."
"Then we'll have to initiate Plan B."
Minato looked at Jiang Chen. "You mean..."
"The Ten-Tails Jinchuriki."
"Nagato wants to be the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki to rule the world. But if it comes to the worst, that power must be held in our own hands."
"You, or someone else."
Jiang Chen pointed at Minato, then at himself. "Becoming the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki carries massive risks—you might even be assimilated by the God Tree—but it's better than waiting for death. A double insurance policy is never a bad thing."
Minato remained silent for a long time before finally nodding slowly.
As Hokage, he had to consider the worst-case scenario.
"I hope it doesn't come to that."
Minato sighed, his gaze returning to the Hidden Stone on the map. "The key now is Nagato's next move. Let's see how he makes his move against the Stone..."
...
Meanwhile, in the Land of Earth, the Hidden Stone Village.
This village, built into rugged rocky mountains, was currently shrouded in an unprecedented atmosphere of tension.
Inside the Tsuchikage building, the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, floated in mid-air, clutching a newly arrived intel report. His wrinkled old face had turned a deep shade of crimson.
"The Cloud... is gone?"
Onoki's voice trembled, not from fear, but from a sense of absurdity.
That Hidden Cloud Village, which had fought the Stone for decades and boasted the powerful Raikage and a perfect Jinchuriki, had been wiped off the map overnight?
"Father, the report is confirmed."
Kitsuchi knelt on the ground, cold sweat dripping from his forehead. "The guy calling himself 'Pain' used only one attack... the entire core area of the Hidden Cloud became a deep crater. The Raikage is heavily injured, and the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki is... missing. Most likely captured."
"One attack..."
Onoki felt his back start to ache again.
While his pride, the 'Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Jutsu,' could cause massive destruction, destroying a Great Shinobi Village in one shot... that was the stuff of myths.
"That Akatsuki... where did they come from?"
Onoki dropped back into his chair, panting heavily. "When Konoha sent that warning, I thought it was some scheme of Minato Namikaze's. I didn't expect..."
"Lord Tsuchikage!"
Just then, an Anbu ninja appeared in the office like a ghost, his voice urgent. "Message from the barrier team on the outskirts! Unknown intruders detected!"
"What?!"
Onoki's eyes widened. "So fast? How many?"
The Anbu swallowed hard and said with difficulty, "Only... two people."
"Two people?"
Onoki laughed out of anger. "Two people dare to barge into my Hidden Stone? Do they think we're made of clay?!"
"But..." The Anbu's voice shook. "One of them is wearing a black robe with red clouds and has orange hair... exactly like the 'Pain' who destroyed the Hidden Cloud in the reports!"
The air in the office instantly dropped to freezing.
Onoki's pupils constricted.
He recalled the tragic state of the Hidden Cloud.
Cold sweat broke out instantly.
But immediately after, the dignity and stubbornness of a Tsuchikage overrode his fear.
"Fine... very well!"
Onoki suddenly floated up, an astonishing surge of chakra erupting from him. "Since they're here, don't let them leave! I'll see for myself just how tough they are!"
"Pass down the order! The entire village is to enter Level One combat readiness!"
Onoki roared. "Have Han and Roshi assemble at the front lines immediately! Bring up the Explosion Corps as well!"
"Tell every Stone shinobi—this is not a drill, this is war! A war for the very survival of the Hidden Stone!"
...
Outside the Hidden Stone Village, on the desolate rocky plains.
Fierce winds kicked up sand that filled the sky.
Two figures walked unhurriedly toward the gates of the Hidden Stone.
The one leading was Nagato, who had restored his youthful appearance.
He wasn't using the Six Paths of Pain; he was here in person.
His vibrant red hair danced in the sandstorm, his bare torso revealing lean muscles, his purple Rinnegan showing no emotion.
Following behind him was Konan.
"Nagato."
Konan watched the heavily guarded gates of the Hidden Stone ahead, with rows of Stone shinobi lining the walls. She condensed a paper spear in her hand. "Master Jiraiya's messenger eagle just arrived... do you want to see it?"
"No need."
Nagato didn't stop, his voice indifferent. "It's nothing but the same old clichés. Asking me to show restraint, to keep a low profile, to consider the big picture."
He looked up at the tiny black dot floating in the distance—Onoki flying toward them at high speed.
"Sensei doesn't understand."
Nagato slowly raised a hand, a black sphere of chakra condensing in his palm. "In this world full of stubbornness and prejudice, only absolute power can shatter those hardened shells."
"The Cloud's arrogance has already been crushed."
"Now, it's the stubborn Stone's turn."
Nagato's lips curled into a cold arc—a confidence born of controlling life and death, an arrogance that looked down upon all living things.
"Once I trample these great nations one by one, and they are in so much pain they can't breathe..."
"They will naturally kneel before Konoha, crying and begging for an alliance."
"I'm helping Sensei."
"Am I not?"
Boom!
Nagato's figure vanished instantly.
In the next second, he appeared directly in front of the Hidden Stone's towering defense wall.
Facing a barrage of kunai and explosive tags, Nagato didn't even make a move to dodge.
"Shinra Tensei!"
Invisible repulsive force erupted.
The attacks, powerful enough to level a mountaintop, were all reflected the moment they touched the wall of force.
Explosions echoed within the ranks of the Stone shinobi, and screams instantly tore through the silence of the plains.
Nagato hovered in mid-air, looking down at the tiny old man flying toward him.
"Third Tsuchikage, Onoki."
Nagato's voice rolled across the sky like thunder. "I am God. I have come to make you... learn the meaning of pain."
Looking at those eerie Rinnegan eyes and the terrifying chakra emanating from Nagato that surpassed even a Tailed Beast, Onoki's heart sank.
He knew that Konoha's intel might not have been fake.
If merely possessing the Sage of Six Paths' eyes made someone this powerful, how strong must the Otsutsuki main family be?
The world had truly changed.