Inside the Hokage's Office in Konoha.
An Anbu wearing a cat mask knelt on one knee, his voice muffled behind the porcelain.
"Lord Hokage, the investigation into the Way of Jashin in the Village Hidden in Hot Springs has yielded results."
Minato Namikaze put down his crimson brush, a sharp glint flashing in his azure eyes.
He leaned forward slightly, interlacing his fingers beneath his chin.
"Is it confirmed? That man named Hidan?"
"Confirmed." The Anbu produced a sealed intelligence scroll from his vest and presented it with both hands. "The youth known as Hidan is currently being subjected to live experimentation by the cult's high-ranking members. According to reports from our sleeper agent, he is the only subject to survive the 'Curse Ritual' and exhibit 'immortal' characteristics."
Perched on Minato's shoulder, the purple toad Gamakon couldn't help but yawn, his golden eyes filled with disdain.
'So that idiot who only knows how to swing a scythe has finally shown up?' Gamakon muttered to himself. 'However, that kid's immortality is definitely a prize. If we can analyze it and give it to Guy...'
Minato took the scroll and skimmed it quickly, a satisfied curve appearing at the corner of his mouth.
"Very good." Minato closed the scroll, his tone becoming serious. "Send word to the reconnaissance team on the front lines: do not alert the enemy. Have them record the cult's experimental steps, chemical formulas, and ritual incantations in exhaustive detail. Not a single detail must be missed."
The Anbu paused, seemingly surprised that the Hokage was so interested in a cult's so-called "ritual."
"Lord Hokage, do you need us to..."
"No." Minato shook his head. "The secret of that 'immortality' is the key to whether Might Guy can survive after opening the 'Gate of Death.' If it reaches a critical stage..."
Minato paused, a sharp, imposing aura suddenly erupting from him.
"I will personally make a trip to the Village Hidden in Hot Springs."
The Anbu shuddered and immediately lowered his head. "Understood!"
Just as the Anbu was about to withdraw, the sudden sound of rushing wind came from outside the window.
A paper crane, folded entirely from white paper, stumbled through Konoha's barrier. Like a kite with a broken string, it crashed directly toward the Hokage's office window.
This was Konan's method of communication.
They had previously used this method to communicate with Nagato.
This was why the paper crane could pass through Konoha's barrier.
Thwack.
The paper crane hit the glass and instantly disintegrated, transforming into a letter stained with mottled blood.
Minato's expression shifted.
The shocking amount of blood on the paper and the faint, nearly dissipated chakra within it both indicated the desperate situation the sender was in.
Gamakon had already cast aside his lazy demeanor. His nimble tongue lashed out to catch the letter and spread it across the desk.
The handwriting on the letter was scrawled and frantic, clearly written under extreme agony.
Minato and Gamakon leaned in to look, their pupils shrinking simultaneously.
"How is this possible..."
In Minato's usually steady voice, there was now a hint of undeniable shock.
The contents of the letter were simple, yet they felt like a bolt from the blue:
A mysterious man has descended. Nagato has been defeated, and the Rinnegan has been stolen. Be careful... he is coming.
Just a few lines of text, but they reeked of blood.
"Nagato... was defeated?" Minato stared intently at those words, his knuckles turning white from the force of his grip. "Nagato, who possesses the Rinnegan and just regained his peak state by absorbing the Eight-Tails' chakra... was actually powerless to resist?"
Those were the Six Paths of Pain!
That was the "God" who had crushed the Hidden Cloud and Hidden Stone with a single blow, forcing the Five Great Nations to bow their heads and form an alliance!
"Powerless to resist..."
Gamakon's toad face also displayed an unprecedented gravity.
He knew all too well what this meant.
"It seems Uchiha Madara has been reanimated."
"Uchiha Madara..." Minato took a deep breath, trying to calm the turmoil in his heart. "You mean the Shura who was once a rival to the First Hokage?"
"More than that."
Gamakon jumped onto the map, his claw pressing firmly onto the location of the Hidden Rain Village.
"Madara has found Nagato. This means he can directly force Nagato to perform Rinne Rebirth to resurrect him. Combined with those Rinnegan..."
A physical body in its prime, plus his original Rinnegan.
The term "Shura" was no longer enough to describe that level of power.
"If he finds out that Black Zetsu is in our hands, or about the existence of Princess Kaguya..." Minato looked out at the flourishing Konoha Village, a deep sense of worry flashing in his eyes. "Konoha will surely be his target."
Uchiha Madara.
The name was like a mountain, pressing down until it was hard to breathe.
Seeing Minato's furrowed brows, Gamakon suddenly widened his mouth and let out a soft chuckle.
"Don't make that face, Fourth."
Gamakon hopped back onto Minato's shoulder and patted his cheek with a claw. "Whatever comes our way, we'll handle it. Don't forget, right now, you are the undisputed 'Strongest in Konoha.'"
Minato gave a wry smile and shook his head. "Mr. Gamakon, please don't tease me. With Princess Kaguya around, how can I be called the strongest?"
"Kaguya?" Gamakon curled his lip. "She's an alien, an Otsutsuki; she doesn't count as a 'person.' As for me, the Sage Sovereign, I'm a toad, a demon; I don't count either."
Gamakon held up a single claw and spoke with total seriousness:
"Within the category of 'humans,' you, Minato Namikaze, are the absolute ceiling of the shinobi world right now. Even if Uchiha Madara shows up, he might not be able to do anything to you."
Hearing this flawed logic, Minato's tense nerves relaxed slightly.
But he knew Gamakon's words weren't entirely meant as comfort.
Ever since they retrieved the Tenseigan from the moon, that mad scientist Orochimaru had been working like a man possessed.
He had even set aside all his cloning projects, locking himself in the underground laboratory day and night to analyze that massive Tenseigan.
Not long ago, Orochimaru finally had a breakthrough.
He extracted a mysterious, glowing green energy from the Tenseigan.
According to Orochimaru's hypothesis, it was likely the "Six Paths Power" left behind by the Hamura clan, something close to the source of all things.
To verify the nature of this energy, Konoha's great "Gallant" Lord Jiraiya had stepped forward to offer himself.
It was said that the screams coming from the laboratory that day gave even the nearby Anbu ninjas nightmares.
Jiraiya had been glowing green all over, scurrying around the lab like a balloon about to explode, and his hair had even fallen out in patches (Jiraiya: Am I even human?!).
But it was precisely this inhumane experiment that led to an incredible discovery.
This Six Paths Power originating from the Tenseigan could actually produce a miraculous chemical reaction when mixed with Mount Myoboku's Sage chakra.
When the two perfectly merged, they produced a qualitatively different new energy.
That was—Six Paths Sage Chakra!
Although the energy extracted was limited because the Tenseigan was in a sealed state, and this "Pseudo-Six Paths Sage Mode" lasted only a very short time while placing a massive burden on the body...
In those few short minutes, the destructive power it unleashed was enough to change the very landscape.
Again, thanks to Jiraiya's sacrifice (Jiraiya: Am I really human?!).
Because of the detailed and painful data Jiraiya provided, Minato, as a master of the perfect Sage Mode, was able to grasp this power in a very short time.
In fact, in the current Konoha—and indeed the entire shinobi world—only Minato Namikaze could perfectly harness this violent power.
This was the source of Gamakon's confidence in calling him "Konoha's Strongest."
"Phew..."
Minato let out a long breath, stood up, and walked to the window.
He looked at the bustling streets below, the construction sites in the distance, and the children running in the sunlight.
This was the village he had sworn to protect with his life.
"You're right, Mr. Gamakon."
Minato unbuttoned his Hokage cloak and refastened it tightly, his gaze becoming sharp.
"No matter who it is, if they dare strike at Konoha..."
Before he could finish his sentence...
Vreeee—!!!
An indescribable, terrifying pressure of chakra descended from the heavens without warning.
This aura was so strong that even the specially reinforced bulletproof glass of the Hokage's office was instantly covered in cracks.
Crack!
The glass shattered, shards flying everywhere.
In an instant, the entire Konoha Village felt as though it were being crushed by an invisible, massive hand.
Pedestrians on the streets froze instantly, and weaker Genin felt their legs give way, kneeling directly on the ground.
Patrolling Anbu looked up in terror toward the sky.
Even Orochimaru, who was currently studying a corpse in the hospital, paused his movements.
"This chakra..." Orochimaru snapped his head toward the window.
Inside the Hokage's office.
Minato's Hokage cloak billowed loudly in the wake of the pressure.
He stared intently toward the edge of the village, his azure eyes reflecting a gloomy sky.
"He's here."
Minato was already prepared.
"He certainly lives up to the name Uchiha Madara," Gamakon remarked. "He didn't even bother with a greeting. The letter just arrived, and so did he."
That pressure didn't come from a single direction; it was as if the sky itself had collapsed, shrouding all of Konoha.
It was a declaration of absolute power.
And a challenge.
"It seems Konan and Nagato's situation is quite dire."
Gamakon narrowed his eyes, watching a streak of dark red light rapidly approaching in the distant sky.
"Since our guest is so impatient..."
The chakra within Minato began to boil, and Sage markings appeared on his face.
"We can't be lacking in our manners."