"Hmph…"
Hearing Yahiko's words, Shimura Danzō nearly burst out laughing on the spot.
Bring light to the Village Hidden in the Rain?
What an arrogant thing to say.
He slowly walked to the table, sat down, and said, "I heard you're Jiraiya's disciples?"
Yahiko nodded. "That's right. Lord Jiraiya taught us for three years—he gave us the skills we need to survive."
Danzō nodded faintly, his tone casual. "You said you want to mediate the war. What exactly do you mean by that?"
At that, Yahiko immediately replied, "Sir, war brings only pain and suffering to everyone. If people could just calm down and communicate sincerely, I believe there's no problem that can't be solved."
"Not long ago, we even found Yuzuru Uchiha from the Village Hidden in the Clouds. He has already promised that Kumogakure will withdraw from the battlefield."
At Yahiko's words, Danzō's heart jolted, and he sat up sharply. "You've met Yuzuru Uchiha?"
Yahiko nodded again. "Yes. In a small town not far from here."
An intense unease began to well up in Danzō's chest.
Yuzuru Uchiha…
That man was someone even Konoha's barrier couldn't detect. What was he doing in the Land of Rain?
If he was here for an assassination, Danzō could be in grave danger.
For a moment, he was seriously considering returning to Konoha.
After all, even if Yuzuru came for revenge, his first target would surely be Hiruzen.
Unaware of Danzō's shifting emotions, Yahiko continued, "Sir, what do you think? Any problem can be solved if people are willing to talk. Yuzuru Uchiha is proof of that."
Danzō gave a cold chuckle. "Yuzuru Uchiha is just deceiving you. The reason Kumogakure retreated is that we Konoha crushed them utterly."
After recovering from his initial panic, Danzō gradually calmed down.
This was his territory—he had plenty of strong allies here.
Even if Yuzuru Uchiha came, there was nothing to fear.
And now, thanks to Namikaze Minato's efforts, Konoha already held overwhelming advantage on the battlefield in the Land of Rain.
A ceasefire? Absolutely impossible.
At Danzō's words, Yahiko's face darkened with dissatisfaction.
So a few sentences were all it took for them to claim all the credit?
"Sir, if not for our persuasion, do you really think Kumogakure would have withdrawn so easily, even with Yuzuru Uchiha's strength?"
Danzō glared coldly. "And what's that supposed to mean? You think one Yuzuru Uchiha can change the course of a war?"
"While I'm still in a good mood, get out."
If there was anyone in the shinobi world he despised most, it was definitely Yuzuru Uchiha.
Just another brat relying on his Mangekyō Sharingan—sooner or later, he'd go blind anyway.
To praise that name in front of him was something Danzō would never tolerate.
Hearing the insult, Yahiko's face turned red with anger.
Konan and Nagato immediately stepped in front of him, shielding him. Nagato said in a low voice, "Watch your tone."
"Tone?" Danzō sneered, about to retort—when his eyes suddenly caught sight of Nagato's.
"T-Those eyes…"
Danzō's mouth fell open in shock, his heart pounding violently.
The Rinnegan!
The legendary eyes said to belong only to the Sage of Six Paths!
Images of Jiraiya's endless search for the Child of Prophecy flashed through his mind, and Danzō began to understand.
No wonder Jiraiya had spent three years in the Land of Rain training these three. One of them possessed the Rinnegan!
"Guards! Capture these three immediately!"
Danzō gave the order without hesitation to the Root ninja beside him.
He didn't know what powers the Rinnegan possessed, but the eyes of the Sage of Six Paths were sure to surpass even the Sharingan.
If he could obtain those eyes, wouldn't that make him the chosen one?
With them, even Hiruzen would have no choice but to surrender the Hokage's seat to him.
Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan never expected Danzō to suddenly attack.
They had traveled across nations as peace envoys—rarely respected, but never assaulted outright.
This old man clearly didn't play by any rules!
"Yahiko, Konan, go first!"
Nagato formed hand seals. "Fire Style: Great Flame Bullet!"
A surge of fire engulfed the room, and the trio used the chance to break outside.
But the explosion's noise drew every Konoha shinobi in the camp.
Yahiko shouted, "We mean no harm! Why are you attacking us?"
Danzō's tone was icy. "You're spies sent by Yuzuru Uchiha! Capture them!"
At his command, Konoha's shinobi surrounded the three.
Yahiko noticed the greed gleaming in Danzō's eyes and said grimly, "Nagato, that bastard's after your eyes."
"I'll hold them off—you two run."
Nagato shook his head, unleashing another jutsu. "No. I said I'd protect you."
Konan's body turned into countless sheets of paper, scattering explosive tags to block the enemy's advance.
"Water Style: Wild Water Wave!" Yahiko blasted back a wave of Konoha shinobi and shouted, "You're the Child of Prophecy our teacher spoke of, Nagato. Only you can bring peace to the shinobi world!"
From afar, Danzō's voice was thick with venom. "None of you will escape today."
With so many Konoha shinobi present, not even a fly could escape.
And indeed, just as Danzō predicted, no matter how desperately the three fought, the encirclement tightened further and further.
Escape was impossible.
Just as Danzō thought victory was certain, a figure suddenly appeared out of thin air and crashed heavily to the ground.
Everyone turned to see Namikaze Minato, pale-faced, leaking Nine-Tails chakra from his body.
In an instant, every Konoha shinobi recoiled in terror.
Was the Nine-Tails about to go berserk again?
Seeing the chaos, Yahiko seized Nagato by the shoulders and hurled him upward with all his strength.
Konan understood immediately; two massive wings of paper unfurled from her back, carrying Nagato high into the sky.
"Nagato, Konan—live on!"
Yahiko's final shout was swallowed by a storm of Konoha ninjas' attacks.